After the platform descended another two meters, the creaking softened.
Not stopped.
Softened.
Which somehow made it worse.
Ben stared at the monitor, jaw tight.
"All readings are… within tolerance."
Mason grabbed onto that sentence like a drowning man.
"Within tolerance," he repeated.
"Yes.
Good.
That's good."
Ben hesitated.
"…Probably."
Mason slowly turned his head.
"Take that word back."
Ben didn't.
The Most Unconfident Assurance in History
Ben pressed the headset closer to his mouth.
"Okay. Everyone listen up.
The rig is safe."
He paused.
"…Probably."
Daniel screamed.
"I KNEW IT.
I KNEW 'PROBABLY' WOULD SHOW UP TODAY."
Mason pointed at Ben with shaking hands.
"YOU DO NOT SAY 'PROBABLY' WHEN A HUMAN BEING IS HANGING IN THE AIR."
Ben snapped back, stress breaking through professionalism.
"I ALSO DON'T USUALLY WORK WITH SOMEONE WHO CAN FEEL LOAD IMBALANCE THROUGH THEIR FEET!"
Silence followed.
Aria's calm voice drifted down.
"It is uneven by three percent."
Ben looked at the data.
"…Three point one."
Mason made a strangled sound.
Aria's Assessment vs. Human Comfort
Julian picked up the mic again.
"Aria.
If we stop here… is that okay?"
She considered.
"…For now."
The words landed wrong.
Daniel whispered:
"'For now' is worse than 'probably.'"
Mason nodded weakly.
"Yes.
Much worse."
The Decision
Ben wiped sweat from his forehead.
"We can proceed with the shot."
Mason's head snapped up.
"WHAT?!"
Ben spoke carefully.
"We've stabilized the load.
We don't shock the system.
We don't reset the rig."
He glanced up at Aria.
"We do exactly what she's already compensating for."
Mason stared at him.
"You're basing safety on her?"
Ben didn't look away.
"She's already doing it."
Aria blinked.
"I can maintain."
Mason screamed internally.
The Crew Reacts (Poorly)
Lighting tech whispered:
"I don't like relying on instincts."
Sound guy replied:
"They're not instincts.
They're calculations."
Daniel groaned.
"WHY IS THAT WORSE?!"
Julian watched Aria closely.
"You're sure?"
She met his gaze.
"Yes."
No bravado.
No drama.
Just fact.
Mason's Bargaining Phase
Mason stepped forward, voice cracking.
"Aria.
You don't have to do this."
She looked down at him.
"…It is my scene."
"That's not—"
"I accepted it."
The simplicity of the statement crushed him.
Daniel muttered:
"She's treating danger like a schedule conflict."
Back to Position
Ben raised his hand.
"Okay. Reset to mark.
Slow. Controlled."
The platform rose again.
Higher.
The wind brushed harder now.
Aria's jacket fluttered.
She didn't move her feet.
Ben watched the load graph like it was a heart monitor.
"Hold.
Hold.
Okay."
The rig settled.
For a moment—
Everything was still.
Mason dared to breathe.
The Line That Changes Everything
Ben exhaled slowly.
"…It's safe."
Everyone looked at him.
He swallowed.
"…Probably."
The wind picked up.
The cable on the left side gave a faint, almost delicate ping.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just wrong.
Aria's eyes sharpened.
"…That sound was not safe."
Mason screamed:
"GET HER DOWN NOW—"
And then—
SNAP.
The sound was clean.
Sharp.
Final.
The left-side wire gave way.
For half a second—
There was silence.
And Aria began to fall.