The Hour of the Synth
It was the time in between. Floating ads which had blared all day with insistent voices or wailing tones were silenced now, content to impose themselves onto the damp streets with visuals alone. In the shifting, ephemeral light of those visuals, the surface of the streets and walkways could be seen, at least for an hour or two before the teeming crowds of the city once again obscured them. It was the hour of comings and goings - 4:00 AM. The few humans still about were those staggering home to end their days. Few of them preferred to work the very early hours or the very late ones. Progress afforded them the opportunity to choose. Phoenix had the streets almost to herself. She strode slowly along the walkway on the second level of the city, passing the great obelisk, and peering into the towering buildings beyond. At this time of night, she needn’t concern herself with looking busy. She could shed the cloak of officious efficiency, the empty smile, and the pleasant demeanor that
