Bram recognized the contractor’s mark before he could read the serial.
It was stamped low on the crate, partly hidden by a trolley strap. He had seen the same format on shipments that passed through Aegis stores, and on shipments belonging to people who would have resented being described as Aegis suppliers. Recognition told him which family of records to ask for. It did not tell him who owned what stood in front of him.
The driver tightened the strap and checked the loading-bay clock.
“We’re already late,” he said.
The delayed contents check had finally received a permitted interval. An independent technician waited beside the facility custodian. Juno had brought the specific return-coupling question; Kellan carried the brace comparison and the inventory sheet. The scan suspension still applied to active experiments. This was ordinary handling of a recorded object in a receiving bay, and the custodian had made that limit explicit before letting them through.
Mira stood at the visitor line with Eli, her attendance reported through the required channel. Neither had permission to search the adjoining stores. Sera remained by the public approach so a change in access would not leave the whole team beyond the same barrier.
