The Aegis leader gave the seizure order while the last room photographs were still being numbered.
“Record the shelves. Pack the contents for analysis. Separate cases by grouping.”
A carrier set an empty container beneath the first recorded section. The movement was efficient, ordinary and wrong enough that Eli found himself between the case and the shelf before he had chosen his words.
“We haven’t agreed to remove the room.”
“We’ve agreed to recover findings under shared custody,” the leader said.
“Custody with an inventory and a joint decision. Not everything that fits in your cases.”
The carrier stopped. He looked at his leader rather than at Eli. The conflict belonged to the people issuing the instructions, and he was not going to settle it by continuing to pack while they argued.
Beyond them, the inner door remained closed. Sera’s medical search had reached it and reported on time without finding a patient. The bandage trail justified another access question. The sorted belongings justified careful preservation. The return clock gave both questions less room than they wanted.
