[ WP ] You 're living in a city that 's perilously balancing on a teetering platform .

Balance is everything. 
 
 Not just metaphorically. Literally, balance is the key to survival when you live on a see-saw. One wrong move, and everything goes to hell. 
 
 Let me get you up to speed. You see, I live in the city of Equilibrium, which was originally one of the great wonders of the modern world. It was constructed on colossal platforms high above the ground, out of the reach of any of the roving bandit groups on the plains. It was entirely self-sufficient, so no-one ever had to leave for supplies. It was said that Equilibrium would ride out the War untouched. 
 
 That was true, until the missiles hit. 
 
 They came out of nowhere, slamming into the titanic struts that held the platforms aloft. The entire city shook, or so I'm told. I was just a baby then. I do n't remember seeing sections of the city fall into the mists below, the cries of their screaming residents abruptly cut off. I did n't hear the thunder of splitting steelcrete, the shattering of glass windows, the explosions of ruptured gas lines. All I know is the aftermath. 
 
 For one part of the city stayed up. Amidst the death and destruction, a single pillar somehow remained standing, balancing a large fragment of Equilibrium atop it. It was never stable, though. The slightest shifting of weight would mean utter ruin. Worse, we had no way down. 
 
 See what I meant when I said balance was key? 
 
 *** 
 
 I stood on my side of the Fulcrum, watching as James walked towards me from his side. At my feet, a faded and scuffed line of white paint marked the very centre of balance of the entire city. Weight had to be evenly divided between either side, lest one side overbalanced the whole shebang. 
 
 That meant anyone crossing over had to wait until someone else was crossing over at the same time, thus keeping the balance. The rule was that you *had* to cross in this street only, so that we could keep track of when people were crossing over. It was n't a rule anyone broke, anyway. It was that or death. 
 
 James stopped in front of me and nodded. With a practiced movement, we both stepped over the line in opposite directions simultaneously. I turned and looked back at him for a moment before moving on down the street. His straight black hair shimmered slightly in the sunlight before he moved into the shadow of a building. 
 
 I shook my head and kept walking. I had to stop obsessing over him. Granted, there were n't a lot of other candidates for my attention in this city, but surely I could restrain myself over one boy? Equilibrium was not a place for romance. It was all about the balance, so much so that even love was subjected to the cruelty of the law of the lever. 
 
 Stepping off the main street, I entered Harry's Supplies, run by the much-loved Harry Peterson himself. He was quite fat compared to my skinny frame. We joked that when he needed to cross the Fulcrum, five other people had to be going the other way. 
 
'Well, Kiara,' he boomed as I entered the shop.'Still ogling after James, I see.' 
 
 I silently cursed the man's ability to seemingly see everything that went on in the street outside his shop. It bordered on omniscience. 
 
'For the hundredth time, I'm not going to get together with him,' I said, taking my coat off and hanging it on the hook beside the door.'You'd have to stick us together to get me to go out with him.' 
 
'I probably have some superglue in the back,' Harry grinned.'I'll put some on your palm and get you to shake hands with him, how's that? I still think you two are made for each other.' 
 
 I felt my ears burn slightly at his words and turned to adjust a display of fruit in order to hide my face. He was right, as he always was. I had feelings for James, there was no denying it. But I could n't bring myself to tell him how I felt. What if he turned my advances down? There was n't enough space on this platform to hide away from him. 
 
'Anyway,' said Harry.'I've got a little something to show you, something I've been working on for a while. Follow me.' He led the way out the back door of the shop and up the stairs to the roof. His building was one of the taller ones remaining in Equilibrium, a red brick construction with a flat roof about ten metres square. Usually, the roof was only used for watching impressive lightning storms or drinking cola on a sunny day. But now it housed something different. 
 
'What is it?' I said, circling the contraption squatting in the centre of the roof. It was mostly constructed from bits of aluminium pipe and scrap metal. It had a large roughly triangular canvas going horizontally across the top. I bent down. There appeared to be a small space within the framework of metal struts that could hold a small person. 
 
'It's something I thought could be used to try and get us off this platform once and for all,' said Harry, patting the machine fondly.'We've been cut off from the world for too long, Kiara. I remember the time before we came to live in Equilibrium, all those years ago. You and the other young'uns here, you've never experienced proper grass beneath your feet, seen the world below the mists. This will help you to do that.' 
 
 I stared at it.'How?' 
 
'You fly it,' said Harry.'Like a bird. This wing here will keep you from falling too quickly, and you'll just float to the ground. They had things like these before the War, you know. *Hang gliders*, they called them. Best way to get to the ground with what we've got here.' 
 
'So why have n't you told anyone about this?' I said.'Why keep it a secret?' 
 
'I did n't want to get anyone's hopes up,' he said.'It's not been tested. I've built it as well as I can remember with the materials at hand, but I think the others would object to anyone potentially falling to their death. I ca n't test it; too heavy. It needs a smaller body.' 
 
 I frowned.'Me? You want me to fly this thing to the ground?' 
 
 He nodded.'My plan was to attach a cable to the back and let the glider carry one end to the ground. Then we could build a zipline and get everyone else down as well. What do you think?' 
 
 I smiled.'If this is what it takes to get us off this platform, I'm in. Are you going to tell the others?' 
 
 He shook his head.'This has to be our secret. If we take the glider out to the edge tonight, we can have the zipline up and ready before anyone can say it's too dangerous. Let the end justify the means, that's my motto.' 
 
 I nodded and turned my gaze back to the machine that could potentially save us all. And get me together with James, finally. If he rejected me down there, I would have the whole world to run away to. 
 
 *** 
 
 I was surprised by how light the glider was. I could easily carry it above my head as we sneaked towards the edge of Equilibrium. The moon was a sliver overhead; it was as if it too was conspiring to keep us hidden. Harry carried a huge spool of thick cable under his arm. It looked long enough to get to the ground and back several times. 
 
 The jagged outline of the edge of the platform was outlined by the silvery light of the moon as we approached. I set the glider down as Harry dropped the spool over a bollard near the edge. As he had shown me at the shop, I undid the straps and hoisted the glider onto my back. It fitted snugly around me, the wings jutting out on either side. I redid the harness' buckles with numb fingers, securely fastening myself to the glider. 
 
 Harry began to fashion the end of the cable into a loop to fit onto the back of the glider. While he did so, I looked over the edge and shivered. The mists below were like an ever-changing landscape, one I had spent countless hours watching as a child. Now I would finally get to see what was below them. 
 
 Harry finished his work and crept over to the glider on my back. He was just about to attach the loop when a voice rang out behind us. 
 
'A little late to be flying kites, is n't it?' 
 
 We turned to see a group of men standing several metres away. They were the unofficial council of Equilibrium, the ones who essentially led us. At the front was Edward Heath, a tall, gaunt man in a worn army overcoat. He had been a major in the War before being trapped here and had taken his position as leader of the council in no time. 
 
'Heath,' said Harry.'You followed us?' 
 
'I was curious as to what that thing is on young Kiara's back,' said Heath, pointing at me with the pistol in his hand.'Do n't tell me you're attempting to escape *again*, Harry?' 
 
'Again?' I repeated.'What do you mean?' 
 
'Harry here has been trying to get off this platform for a different reason than what he might have told you,' said Heath.'You see, Kiara, Harry was a spy for the enemy. He gave them the co-ordinates for the missiles that destroyed this city, but did n't get out in time. So he made himself a valuable member of this community to stop me killing him. But now I have an opportunity.' 
 
 He smiled.'How tragic, that he fell over the edge drunk on this beautiful night. Goodbye, Peterson.' 
 
 I cried out as the crack of a dozen pistols echoed in the air and Harry keeled over with a groan. I was about to go over to him when Heath looked at me.'Her too.' 
 
 I took the only option left to me. I dropped backwards off the edge of the platform, plunging headfirst into the open air below. Several shots rang out as I dropped out of sight and I suddenly felt a searing pain in my right leg. 
 
 But there was no time for that. The glider's canopy caught the air after a few moments and I gradually began to level off. The mist banks below got closer and closer, until finally I was surrounded by whiteness. Drops of moisture condensed on my forehead, chilling my skin and mixing with the tears streaming from my eyes. 
 
 Suddenly the mist thinned and cleared. I was below the clouds. I saw something tall whizz past me. A tree? Then another. I suddenly saw something dark rushing up to meet me. 
 
 It was the ground. 
 
 I hit hard, flipping the glider over and skidding on my side. Then my head hit something hard, and I blacked out.
