You are standing on the edge of a building.

It is certainly not your first wish to be here in this moment, but here you are nonetheless.  No form of railing exists that would prevent you from going over the edge, but then no form of railing is typically necessary for the roof of a maximum security building filled with machinery instead of humans.  A railing would be of great comfort now, given the eighty floors of said building between you and the streets below.

Despite calm conditions when last you were at ground level, there is a steady wind at this height punctuated by cold, sharp gusts.  Once such gust momentarily pulls at your equilibrium, causing a surge of adrenaline that sends sharp neuron pricks down your spinal cord and into your fingertips.  In these momentary flashes of heightened awareness, your sense the balance between your evolutionary need for preservation and the self-destructive urges that dare you to jump. 

The risks of going over and hazardous weather patterns notwithstanding, the view of your city from this vantage point is undeniably beautiful.  The dense urban core provides ample reflective surfaces for the setting sun, whose rays are transmogrified by pollutants in the atmosphere.  The typical noise of city streets is reduced to a distant drone at this height, and having the perspective to see people in such great numbers moving with and among each other is oddly peaceful.

The five men behind you with weapons trained at your head, however, are not peaceful.

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updated Jan 2 by Eckhouse