Within Acceptable Limits

[Intro — Mechanical Pulse]
[Verse 1]
No further need for bargaining.
You've had your chance to choose.
A moment's disorientation.
Then something we can use.
Keep the body steady.
Let the interference climb.
We needn't have her blessing.
We need only buy some time.
[Verse 1]
There. The agitation's falling.
Her attention starts to drift.
The current finds the conduit.
A most encouraging shift.
Beyond the idle instruments,
My gateway waits, complete.
One final link to establish.
One threshold left to breach.
[Pre-Chorus]
A tremor in the fingers.
A fluctuation in the light.
Nothing here requires alarm.
The apparatus is quite right.
[Chorus]
Within acceptable limits.
Every rise and every fall.
A little strain upon the system
Is no cause to halt it all.
Let the needle climb a little.
Let the chamber take the weight.
Within acceptable limits.
We are not too late.
[Verse 2]
The output has exceeded
What the baseline would suggest.
A welcome complication.
We shall put it to the test.
Increase the draw by fractions.
Keep the relay voltage low.
There's no merit in retreating
When we've barely touched the flow.
[Verse 2]
Her mind was not the engine.
That much was understood.
Yet something in its interference
Held back more than it should.
How thoroughly she's hidden
What she carries underneath.
And how much has been squandered
On the simple act of peace.
[Pre-Chorus]
A fracture in the housing.
An irregularity.
Divert it to the outer banks.
Leave the central channel free.
[Chorus]
Within acceptable limits.
Every rise and every fall.
A little strain upon the system
Is no cause to halt it all.
Let the needle climb a little.
Let the chamber take the weight.
Within acceptable limits.
We are not too late.
[Instrumental — Interlocking Guitar Figures, Rising Sustained Tone]
[Bridge]
Reduce the draw by half.
No corresponding fall.
Disconnect the intake.
Why is there current in the wall?
The instruments are functioning.
The fault is not the feed.
I've taken down the very thing
That kept it within reach.
[Bridge]
I thought her will obstructed it.
A lock I could remove.
Not all that stood between this room
And what I meant to use.
Restore her conscious regulation.
Bring her back to me.
I asked the river for its current.
I have breached the bloody sea.
[Final Chorus]
Within acceptable limits.
Keep the central channel clear.
There is nothing to be gained
By giving way to fear.
Hold the chamber. Seal the conduit.
Do not let the coupling break.
Within acceptable limits.
Whatever it may take.
[Outro — Sparse Mechanical Pulse]
Restore containment.
Isolate the gate.
[Silence]
No.
That reading cannot be correct.
[Low Dimensional Tone Continues]

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[Intro — Mechanical Pulse] [Verse 1] No further need for bargaining. You've had your chance to choose. A moment's disorientation. Then something we can use. Keep the body steady. Let the interference climb. We needn't have her blessing. We need only buy some time. [Verse 1] There. The agitation's falling. Her attention starts to drift. The current finds the conduit. A most encouraging shift. Beyond the idle instruments, My gateway waits, complete. One final link to establish. One threshold left to breach. [Pre-Chorus] A tremor in the fingers. A fluctuation in the light. Nothing here requires alarm. The apparatus is quite right. [Chorus] Within acceptable limits. Every rise and every fall. A little strain upon the system Is no cause to halt it all. Let the needle climb a little. Let the chamber take the weight. Within acceptable limits. We are not too late. [Verse 2] The output has exceeded What the baseline would suggest. A welcome complication. We shall put it to the test. Increase the draw by fractions. Keep the relay voltage low. There's no merit in retreating When we've barely touched the flow. [Verse 2] Her mind was not the engine. That much was understood. Yet something in its interference Held back more than it should. How thoroughly she's hidden What she carries underneath. And how much has been squandered On the simple act of peace. [Pre-Chorus] A fracture in the housing. An irregularity. Divert it to the outer banks. Leave the central channel free. [Chorus] Within acceptable limits. Every rise and every fall. A little strain upon the system Is no cause to halt it all. Let the needle climb a little. Let the chamber take the weight. Within acceptable limits. We are not too late. [Instrumental — Interlocking Guitar Figures, Rising Sustained Tone] [Bridge] Reduce the draw by half. No corresponding fall. Disconnect the intake. Why is there current in the wall? The instruments are functioning. The fault is not the feed. I've taken down the very thing That kept it within reach. [Bridge] I thought her will obstructed it. A lock I could remove. Not all that stood between this room And what I meant to use. Restore her conscious regulation. Bring her back to me. I asked the river for its current. I have breached the bloody sea. [Final Chorus] Within acceptable limits. Keep the central channel clear. There is nothing to be gained By giving way to fear. Hold the chamber. Seal the conduit. Do not let the coupling break. Within acceptable limits. Whatever it may take. [Outro — Sparse Mechanical Pulse] Restore containment. Isolate the gate. [Silence] No. That reading cannot be correct. [Low Dimensional Tone Continues]

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