She was almost through when the environment changed. It was subtle, no clang or thud, just a lowering of the background hum as a load was taken up. Alice pushed herself to move faster, but the slippery and uneven floor made it impossible to run; the best she could do was hop over obstacles and splash through puddles. The container wall shook, and with a squeal jolted forward to knock her across the alley. She had to crab her way along now, feet skipping through pools of foul liquid that rose over her boots, filling them. The walls pressed inward, every inch slowing her. The bitter reek of straining mechanical systems filled the air until she couldn’t breathe, the grinding metal so loud it made her numb.