Silence the tonal engines, wake the Choir Engine, then give the gate a closed circuit. The first Engine hit turns wide routes against you: extra destinations bleed charge, but loop closures pay them back.
01 · Cross every mechanism twice02 · The first Engine hit starts counterphase03 · Loop the voices · reach the open gate
THE CIRCUIT IS HELD
Paused
The turn clock is stopped.
MACHINE ROOM FIELD MANUAL
Write the route. Then charge it.
1 · Select
Choose a conductor with the cards, 1–4, or tap its ivory node.
2 · Author one knot
M moves one cell, R rotates its cable, and T transfers one charge along a cable.
3 · Read the pulse
Charge splits at junctions, adds +2 on loop closures, and previews strain and reserve cost. The first Engine hit starts Counterphase: each extra mechanism destination bleeds 1Q, while every two loops cancel one bleed.
4 · Commit
Press SPACE. Your knot resolves, the cable recoils, and the next 45-second turn begins.
Reaching two conductors creates a squad shield. After Counterphase, wide star routes cost more reserve while closed loops make the circuit cheaper. Strain crushes a node at 10; losing all conductor charge ends the performance.