The grille had been painted shut.
Kellan scraped a flake from the lower edge with the end of a blunt tool, then stopped. Under the gray paint lay a narrow metal rim, fixed into the old structure instead of the moving projection. A maintenance label sat so low that Eli had to bring the lamp nearly to the floor to read it.
“Inspection passage,” he said. “No load storage.”
“Doesn’t say contestant route,” Tessa observed.
Sera checked the briefing. The floor rules excluded sealed equipment spaces and areas beyond red boundaries. This opening had no red mark, but permission and physical suitability were different questions. The inspection passage might be permitted and still be too narrow for Kellan to turn around.
A fixed call point stood at the still zone. Tessa used it to ask whether an accessible inspection passage within the floor boundary was an allowed route. She gave the label number rather than describing it as a secret shortcut.
The floor marshal confirmed it was within the course area. No one had to use it. The load limit and warning markings still applied.
Kellan looked at the seam around the frame. “Now we know we’re allowed to decide whether it’s a bad idea.”
