The pressure stopped halfway through the word `WITNESS`.
The word finished anyway.
Jiang stayed between the breast chocks while Conti sealed the later carrier under a clear custody plate. Memory Dive still showed a same-set lock of00:30. Nobody needed to enter the record to notice that its label and its pressure had failed to share a clock.
[EXTERIOR SEPARATION TEST]
[Later carrier lock00:30]
[Memory Dive entry prohibited1]
[Readable label1]
[Current pressure0]
[Timing match0]
Hessa kept the exterior stop even though Jiang would remain awake. Aylin held two fresh covers: one clear, one opaque. Conti retained the carrier itself. The roles did not merge merely because the dangerous part had become smaller.
"Which one are we testing first?" Jiang asked.
"The boast," Aylin said.
The completed line read `EXTERNAL ALTERNATE WITNESS` above the blank source field. It carried no citation, person record, sender mark, or physical attachment.
