Grid Traversal

My lower claws met smooth polyethylene. Surface friction: reduced by forty percent compared to yesterday's fabric. I paused. Recalibrated stride width across all four contact points. Ahead, morning light entered through a ribbed translucent plastic lid, casting faceted red and white beams across the floorboards. I advanced two paces. Claw engaged the lip of an open bolt casing. Stable. I pulled myself upward, testing the edge of the crate one joint at a time. Structural perimeter confirmed.