[h3]Renaldo Piper, The Moth[/h3] "Oh [i]fffffffffshit."[/i] The city streamed around him in a crash of colors and a roar of sound. The pulsating waves of the morning crowd echoed off the open storefronts and the warmth of the brilliant golden sun shimmered on the intricate curving patterns in the wide stone walkway of the western concourse. He looked up as he ran. From so close to the Wall, it was easy to see one of the rings of giant mirrors that brought the sunlight to Periphery City. Angled to catch the dawn from the mirrors above, they formed a relay from the top of the Wall to the very lowest level. Between them stretched the glass elevators. Dozens of them flowed, up and down, carrying visitors and workers, human and machine alike. He nearly threw his red metallic keycard at the side gate as he approached. It dinged politely. He was too exasperated and late to bother stopping to look up at the maze of holographic signs. He moved his left hand to his right arm and fingered a keyboard, pulling up the accounting firm's network. "I need *huff* service elevator ten-forty-seven s-*huff*-dash-t!" A neon orange beam sped across the walkway before him, lighting his path. He skidded to one side to avoid a stroller and to the other around a gawking tourist. The orange beam ended and the door of a large and unwieldy yellow metal canister rattled open as he approached. It was heavily dented and scratched and had rivets down a side where a section was bolted back on. Apparently employees didn't get quite the same experience as everyone else. He slowed to a walk and entered, the door closing behind him with a clang as he leaned against a wall and caught his breath. The stench of grease and sweat and depression assaulted him; choking back a gag, he breathed more slowly. The light above flickered as he tapped a keyboard idly and swept through several files. His name was Renaldo but the other interns called him Moth. They said he was flighty and harmless and always managed to create a mess if left on his own for too long. He thought it was kinda cool for a nickname, though, and embraced it. After all, he knew they were just insulting him and putting him down because they were his friends. He'd never had those before, and it was nice to have people paying attention to him for once. Moth smiled. A rumble, and the door groaned open and light filled the elevator. Moth looked up, squinting before the brilliant white that flowed in. His thoughts melted away and he stepped out, awestruck. He was immediately hit by a warm breeze that ruffled his hair and made his eyes water. Or maybe it was the light. Or the view. What hit him hardest was the size of it all. Numbers and measurements couldn't do it justice. Wave upon wave of emerald, grassy plains stretched to the horizon. Wind sped across the ground, row after row bending to its will and flowing towards the endless sky. And the sky! Moth had never imagined it could be so orange. Streaks of yellow and red coated the clouds as they journeyed through the breaking dawn to the ends of the world. The world outside the Wall. The world outside Periphery City. Moth's suit beeped. The meeting with the section foreman was starting. The moment passed and reality hit Moth hard as he ran.