Stairs are too slow, and taking every riser one by one is an insult to gravity. Right past the fire door, the steel banister dropped in a sharp, continuous slant toward the lower floors. I hauled myself onto the wide yellow railing, locked the polished steel curves between the soles of my boots, and dropped into a tight crouch. One push, and I skidded down the painted metal like a missile. Wind whistled right through my bandana ties. At the mid-landing joint, I slammed the blunt pommel of my right sai against the metal post to brake hard. Steel clanged loud through the empty concrete shaft. One flight cleared in three seconds flat.