The gate began to close while Eli was still crossing the last open strip of paving.
He raised a hand. A guard on the inner side saw him, spoke to someone beyond the ironwork, and kept the moving leaf clear of an equipment cart. Eli could have reached the narrowing space before it shut. He saw the distance, the guard’s uncertain glance, the ordinary opportunity to turn refusal into a physical fact someone else would have to deal with.
He stopped short.
The cart’s rear wheel cleared. The gate met its post with a heavy click, and a second fastening dropped from above. Beyond it people continued carrying cases toward the control area. One was the right size for the key. Two others were too. From outside he could not identify which contained anything more consequential than measuring tools.
“We need technical staff,” he told the guard.
“You need to stand back.”
Sera had the forum request ready. She gave its designation and the acknowledgment time. The guard listened, then checked the message board at his post. Nothing there granted entry. The request existed. Their permission did not.
Mira drew the living-contract warning from its sleeve.
