The south corridor map covered half the conference table.
Old industrial lanes stretched across the printed sheets in faded gray lines. Closed loading routes. Dead rail crossings. Unused staging yards. Areas the city stopped caring about years ago.
Elena stood over the table with a marker in one hand.
"We can route through here," she said.
She marked a section near the lower industrial district.
Julian leaned closer.
"That road still exists?"
"Barely," Elena answered.
Alexander sat at the far end of the table with his laptop open beside three stacked reports.
"Road weight restrictions expired six years ago," he said.
Elena nodded once.
"We update them."
"Drainage?"
"Repairable."
"Surface condition?"
"Bad."
"Traffic control?"
"Minimal."
Julian looked between them.
"You two flirt like accountants."
Neither answered him.
The overhead lights hummed softly above the room.
