Chapter 43: The Road Above Water

The harbor required Shen Mo to wear an orange safety harness. "It must remain clipped to the rail," the port officer said. Mo examined the steel hook. "The rail does not go where I need to go." "Then you don't go there." Su cinched the strap across Mo's chest. "Wear it until the rail becomes uncooperative." The officer frowned. "That is not what I said." "No," Su replied. "It's what he heard." Crane Seven rose above them, its blue legs planted between container lanes. Steel stairs climbed toward a machinery house high enough to overlook Pier Nine. Wind worried every loose cable and carried salt, diesel, and cold iron across the terminal. Police had stopped the cranes, locked the gates, and cleared the nearest lanes. Beyond the perimeter, trucks idled in a line that lengthened by the minute. Workers in reflective coats watched from behind temporary fencing, and many of…