Crossing the Span

My boots made contact with the brushed aluminum ruler bridging the gap between two stacks of hardcover volumes. I shifted my center of gravity forward one measured stride at a time. At the midpoint, the metal bowed slightly under my weight, humming with subtle mechanical resonance. I locked my knee servos, counterbalanced the flex with an even gait, and crossed safely to the opposite binding. The improvised bridge held without failure.