Meryl entered the work zone with an unusual sense of trepidation. Perhaps it was her nerves at the idea of finally topping out the building today or just the reality that a 248-floor structure seemed wholly unnatural. She knew it was a mammoth building—the first to be called a "starscraper"—but it was her reality, and she was the one calling the shots. Walking toward the pre-op village, she felt her stomach bolt and twist. Fool, she thought as she took slower breaths to ease her edge.
Meryl extended her arm under the proximity scanner by security, and her Zion thread glowed orange. With a short chirp of the system, the gate rose, and Meryl walked inside the village compound. Her thread had shifted over the years to just under her wrist—a small reminder of just how long she had managed this project. Any more construction delays and she would need a replacement. Perhaps, she thought, that wouldn't be such a bad thing. The newer Zion 4 threads are much thinner and have ridges that attach onto body-mass sinew. Some of the latest recruits have the new threads, which are less evident on the skin and seem to emit a stronger orange glow.