(Editor's note: This story is written by a Romanian SF author. The author is not new writing science fiction, but he is new to English language translations. In the world of science fiction we are not unfamiliar with the value of getting past a few surface defects to the meat below. We hope you enjoy the story.)

Angel was very anxious. Starting to yesterday, she had been treated like a "pariah" by all the "Order supervisors". Almost no one seemed to remark her. She was so alone. All the Buildings rejected her. Her life definitively changed and just her death had to bring to her the peace. Then she had to reborn in the Upper Town.

"Learn to be friendly with all the Urban Understructure. This is the only way you can adapt to the society", said or better ordered the Golden Rule of the City. She didn't remember to break this rule, but now she had to suffer the consequences of a fictitious violation. All the buildings had put interdiction to her. Not even her Master-Building, where she used to live, had let her to pass inside, beyond the door. Outside it was an unbearable Canicula and she became overnight a "legal homeless". Even she had the opportunity to live in a very comfortable Building, very smart and gifted with conditioned air, which was placed almost in the downtown... This morning she heard that she lost her job. The building where she worked – her Boss for almost ten years – had closed the doors for her. Just like that. No one warned her about something. Her mates passed through the Institution door, looking at her with mercy. They thought she had broke the law. But it wasn't true! She didn't make anything bad. Nothing good... But nothing bad... She was a simple living creature, a simple worker like other thousands and thousands... Now all the doors have been blocked for her as it was a real conspiration of the Buildings against her. "Well, I won't become paranoiac... I'm too small and insignificant for these Buildings" thought her. She couldn't find any solution to enter in a Building. There was a legend who said that in the ancient times, they were openings at each level of the Buildings, openings who let people to see the light of the Sun. Their name was "windows".

Her only solution was to leave the District. But the other quarters seemed for her really strange and exotical lands. Up to yesterday, she wouldn't have the courage to leave her District even she had to be paid with one billion bucks. Now she had to be careful even at the drain openings, which were impatient to have a new victim. All the Urban Understructure of her District was hostile for her. Even the pavement was hotter and hotter under her legs. She felt how her sandals became one with the bitumen. She tried in vain to touch less and less the ground. But she was not a bird. And she wouldn't like to be a bird.

Anything would happen to her, the city was the only place to leave. Living outside of It or above the thousands sky crapers could be obvious a slow death. Because outside of the City is the hell, isn't it? This thing was known by any 3 years old kid.

Other step, other drain opening avoided. How much time from now on had she to suffer like that? - "Pariah" and also on term... That's bad honey, isn't it? Be careful, don't make our City pavement red... A bantering voice who belonged to a man... As if she didn't have enough problems. So alone and now someone will abuse her.

- Go to hell!... answered her and went on her way, trying to skip over his presence. But she wasn't a good actress. The guy was sure that she almost pissed on her.

- Well you must know the hell is a very intimate place for me. I bet that without me, you won't live to see what will happen tomorrow. Even your bones will be eaten by our All glorious City's pavement.

The guy insisted on her. She started to run, but after some seconds of heming and hawing, she stopped.

- You're a smart chick. With me you will have more chances to survive here. I guarantee you at least one month. I will give you a written act if you want.

She never liked mad people. But now he needed someone to be with her. She hated the loneliness. And he was the one talking to her. This unknown man frightened her less than a possible death. Any woman would choose a man to the unknown. Even he could be a very callous pig.

She turned her head. He was really cute. Tall, dark-haired, with a face which inspired her a lot of strength and confidence. His look was not the one of a beast. Maybe in other combination of circumstances, he could be an ideal man for her. But not now, when both of them were "pariah".

- What is your proposal now? Let's suppose I trust you... asked Angel, hoping she would hear from him a healing solution. Her greatest wish was to convince at least her Building to admit her inside. She was born dependent on the Master Buildings, in fact as all the people from the Master City.

- Me? I don't have any proposal, babe. Let's try together to discover a better place.

- A better place?? Where? Outside of the City?

She heard for a long time such kind of slogans, launched by some proselytes of the Devil, which militated in favor of the "Escape". But those crazy and unwanted people disappeared overnight, eaten by the Buildings.

Angel realized that her new friend wouldn't think at a dangerous choice like that, even it was a joke. Beyond the City's walls they were just never-ending deserts or frightening accidents of the grounds, some rocks which had thousands and thousand meters high. They seemed with the Master Buildings – very high and dominant. Some people said those rock peaks were the Gods of the Evil, but who really knew the truth? No one went out from the City mastered by the betony Buildings by thousands and thousands years... With all the bad things, the City was the only place people could live.

- Outside of the City? Said again Angel. We are the City offsprings... You know that... - Am I looking like a madman, isn't it? As I know, beyond the Walls is the same air, or maybe a better one... The woman was trilled.

- Do you know you're really mad? Yes you are! Well... - David it's my name.

That's true, they forgot to introduce one to each other. She also whispered her name, being not sure that David heard something.

- Let's go Angel (hmm... the dude had a very good hearing). We don't have a lot of time to loose!

David violently drawed her hand. They unconsciously crossed street after street, rambling the drain openings, avoiding the menace of the Master Buildings. They were "pariah" and the Master Buildings could make anything with them. From being unaffected and letting them to a slow death, to being aggressive and killing them. Even the Masters have caprices.

A desperate old man almost hit them. He runned with a very respectable speed for his age, as a victorious teenager athlete. His eyes were almost out from the orbit, because of the fear.

- Well, a "pariah" who disturbed a lot our Masters. Let's run faster! Whispered Angel, terrified as never in her life.

From their back they heard a desperate cry. They looked back. The buildings from the street where the old man runned approached more and more to him. The thoroughfare became more and more stretch. Soon, between the blocks of flats situated on both sides of the street, the distance became less than ten inches. But the victim had to cross more from the street for escaping from the surrounding. The Masters grasped him between his shoulders, as in a vice. The screaming of the old man became powerful. Then, they heard something as a smooth child cry. The walls were covered with blood and flesh, bones, brain pieces... Angel swinged back her head, disgusted.

- Don't do that, Angel! Don't step aside! Look, THEY are our MASTERS! They eat our blood. Don't you think they deserve to be destroyed? All of them?

- David, how do you dare to tell me something like that? Well, they are our Creators... They don't know what death is. They always judge in a fair manner... Creators... Hmmm... The blood spots remained recorded on Angel's eyes.

- Destroyers, not creators, this is the word for them, screamed David, becoming very angry.

The man started a hysterical crisis. He rushed upon a building's wall and started to blow it with his fists.

- I hate you, damned betony!

- David, I beg you!

The woman became desperate.

- Please forgive him! Don't take in serious his behavior... he doesn't realize what he's doing.

Angel begged mercy for David to the buildings. He pulled out a knife and started to scratch a marble wall. After few seconds, he felt down, electrocuted. The master had his own revenge. The buildings watched all the things that had happened, but their reaction was always strange and always different.

********** Some hours passed and Angel stayed near him, praying for a miracle. He didn't have to die, because he was her only escape. First she thought he's a devil but now he seemed to be her only salvation's angel. Now she deeply and madly trusted this man.

"The City made the mankind to be served and respected by them. The mankind is the one which have to admire and glorify Its grandeur", said the old Urban precepts. "The Buildings are the Master of the humans. The humans which are often a petty and ungrateful being. Because they were bad times when the people tried to destroy their Masters. From these times appeared the Urban Laws. The City protects the humankind. By the other side, the humankind must prove total obedience and respect to It. Any lack of obedience will automatically bring the maximum penalty. The culpable is declared and he looses the right to be sheltered by a Protecting Ceiling".

The Laws of the City vibrated in her mind, when she applied a cold and wet compress to David's head. Now she realized how much absurd these Laws were. Because she didn't make anything and... But she couldn't imagine other better Laws and other better world.

"A man must treat with refinement, respect and politeness any part of a building". The First Law of the Buildings said that.

A door hit by the wind... Refinement and respect... That's it. Now she realized why was she declared as "pariah". The Building hadn't any "heart" when It punished her. It treated her like a robot. For It did matter just the result, without analyzing the cause. The Building was disturbed by the wind, which had hit a... door.

Angel prayed when she caressed David's forehead. She prayed for the men's life. She started to care about him more and more. She prayed. But... she didn't know to whom. Because the Masters stopped to deserve that in her mind, even they were the Creators. It must have been Someone or Something which can hear her! Maybe, those which seemed with the Masters, the phantoms beyond the Walls. Or maybe the faith.

Later, the Undefined Someone or Something listened her wish. David opened his eyes.

********** - We must escape babe... He was still very weaken. But the wish of the Escape was stronger and stronger.

David raised unsafe.

- I didn't have a lot of volts in me. I don't think It wanted to kill me. Let's go to my shelter. I have something there.

"Shelter?"

Angel was overwhelmed by this man's strength. No moans, no cries... Anyway, David still seemed very strange.

- Look... There I live, since I am "pariah".

David showed her a tree which had a big cave in it. Angel watched disgusted.

- So you live in a... tree? You live in something natural, alive? Don't you realize you don't respect the 4th Law?

- I piss on it! Screamed David, very angry. Do you think you must believe all these bullshits? Forget'em! We will escape and you'll see what real life is... - To see what? Asked the woman with an uncertain voice.

- You'll see babe. All the things at their time. Now wait for me, ok?

David didn't seem too convinced by his words.

The man entered into the cave, without many efforts. Angel grimaced disgusted.

- Catch it!

Angel hardly succeeded to hear Dave's voice. He flinged to her a huge cloth. And then she heard from the cave some metallic sounds. Sweated, the man came out with some steel sticks and some cables in his hands.

- Look! That's it! Our salvation!

The woman started to believe that David went mad because of the electric shock.

- Hurry up! To the downtown!

The man became very nervous. As a consequence, the woman followed him. But for a "pariah", the way to downtown was a very unpleasant experience. They passed near some drain openings. One of them almost succeeded to catch David's leg. All the victims of these damned openings would suffer a very fast disintegration. On each street, from the upper side of the buildings, a lot of steel-balls started to fall. Without any doubt, Dave and Angel realized that they were the targets. The bitumen became extremely hot, even they had put around their shoes a lot of cotton. Near the terminus point - the Zero kilometer of the City, which was the Headquarter of the Grand Master, that in the ancient times had a very strange name, "The House of the People" – a steel-ball almost touched David's bag, put in his back. Fortunately it could be worst.

- We just arrived! Look! Look at It!

David showed to Angel a very huge building. Incredibly huge! The initial structure – made by stone and marble - had around 15 floors, but over it they were other 200 floors made by glass and steel.

- Wow! The Big Master! Whispered Angel, very frightened. What are we looking here?

- We will climb It!

Angel was shocked. She couldn't believe that was true what was happening to her. She would like to be awake from this very long nightmare. Maybe it was a try for her. The Great Master was a monster. Its height was more than a mile.

- Do you think It will let us to enter inside? We don't have permission to enter in the smallest ever building.

- No, you didn't understand me! I said we will climb it! Ok?

David had put his bag on his shoulders along with some thick strings.

- I'm going forward. You will follow me!

Almost hypnotized, Angel tied to Dave with a string. He throwed the string, which had a magnetic end. The string clinged to a metal bar. They started their ascension. They couldn't give up anymore.

- How could you have such an idea? Asked Angel when they have started to climb. It won't execute us?

- Stay cool! Just don't touch the walls. The string is isolated. And you know, our Masters have very strange behaviors. We have some chances to escape. I use to practice climbing on Masters by many years, after I was declared "pariah". My nickname was "the conqueror". I am the only "pariah" which faced the Master, the only "pariah" which could see the town from Its heights. Unfortunately, no one can ever call me the "conqueror" 'cause all my friends were killed by the Buildings. With a little luck, this is our escape.

They ascended without any stop around 30 floors. They stopped a little on a frame, after they were sure no menace is behind that wall.

Little by little, they passed over the height of the neighbor buildings. They felt more free and much more free after they surpassed the heights of the other buildings. At a half of mile, they could see the City's panorama. Far away, at the skyline, Angel saw some irregular and very strange heights. Their color seemed to be white or gray. Their tops entered the clouds.

- What's there Dave?

- The Outside Masters... They are better and friendly. We will reach there, it's a promise!

Suddenly an opening broke out upon their eyes and hit Angel's head. The woman throwed out of balance and her hands slided. Fortunately she was strongly linked by David with a good string.

What happened now was not understandable. The buildings didn't have any windows by many years. The people hadn't the right to watch from the heights. From the opening, a very old woman, skeleton-like and almost translucent, screamed at them: - I will tell to the Masters, you miserables... Bad and uneducated people! Did your parents learned you something like that?

Dave don't replied to this old woman. What happened was, anyway, a bad sign, a nightmare appearance. He catched Angel and helped her.

- Now I will tell Them! Now I will... The old crock howled at them in a very hysterical manner. Dave hit her on the head and the woman disappeared behind the window, who also disappeared. Who knows, maybe she could tell the Masters... If the Masters would capture them, they would sign for sure their death sentence. Finally they reached to the platform. The landscape seen from these heights was amazing and at the same time thrilling. They were above all. They and the Grand Master. No one reached there. No one. It was the world's roof let. David opened the bag. Angel watched him but she didn't guess what will go on. Dave assembled the sticks, which built up a triangle with a very big base.

- Help me to put the cotton! Hurry up! Soon we will escape and let's hope our Masters won't see!

They assembled the cotton to the rusted sticks.

- Ha, ha! We will be birds... We will spit upon our ex-Masters and no one will punish us! David was full of happiness. They caught the machinery.

- See, Angel? We have only two places. Just for us.

Angel hesitated.

- Courage! Now or never! No return, ok babe?

One moment after, they floated over the City. They were the first people who watched their masters for such a height. No one could stop them now. No one.

Angel started to have nausea, because of these awful heights. She hated what she did. But the escape needed some sacrifices. Anyway, change means sacrifices. To begin something new, you must give up at something old and sometimes it is very painful. Maybe the new masters were better. No, they had to be better... Or maybe... ********** They landed near the Outside Masters. The wind directed them nearby these new strange heights. They were near some big trees, as they never saw in the City. The air was extremely cold and it disturbed their lungs. They didn't feel very well. Angel and Dave felt dizzy. Their brains were smoggy. They heard some steps from the Outside Masters. Maybe some devil creatures felt them. They were in the middle of the unknown and all was possible to happen here.

They were really astonished when they saw some human beings, from flesh and blood, which spoke almost the same language. Just with a strange accent.

- What the Hell, don't tell us you came from the City... They were very tall and they had a dark complexion, maybe because of the powerful Sun. Their voice was rare and very strong. Their dialect was ancient but David and Angel could understand them.

- Well, yes, we are from the city – said Dave. We escaped from there. But you... Are you humans?

Their new friends started to laugh.

- That was out question too... You seem to be very thin and weak but... Let's say you are humans too... We knew that behind the City walls they are not people anymore. We, people, have run off the City after the buildings were gifted with intelligence. But it happened a long time ago... Well, come with us.

"The buildings were gifted with intelligence... But they were always intelligent creatures". The two runners didn't understand nothing.

They have reach in a small City, very near the Outside Masters.

David showed to the white heights.

- I think they will rule us now, isn't it? They are our new Masters.

One of the men from the outside people laughed with strength.

- Oh my God! What did They make to you? How can we be the slaves of some mountains?

"Mountains". A completely new word for Angel and David. They couldn't understand their new friends. They started to discern the slowness of this new world. It wasn't the Hell, but they didn't feel good.

They heard some metallic sounds.

- If you want, you will leave there. We can finish it up to tomorrow. We impatiently wait your story.

Dave yelled to Angel.

"To finish WHAT?"

They reached a place between a lot of trees, called by the new people "clearing". There, some solid men built something from wood. David and Angel asked themselves what did these massive wood pieces meant.

Finally they realized. It was a... building. These men BUILT IT!

David and Angel were completely shocked. A building that seemed with their ex-masters, but very small compared to Them. But a building. And... it was created by people! All their landmarks were over passed. They couldn't understand the new world. The new people didn't have masters. And they built the buildings. No! Impossible! Something Hell-ish was there.

David and Angel started to run back, to the edge of the forest.

Anyway, the City was their world.