The south corridor meeting started at 7:10 in the morning.
Too early for most people to speak freely.
Screens stayed lit across the conference wall. Route maps. Staffing projections. Expansion timelines. Approval checkpoints.
Rain tapped softly against the windows.
Elena stood near the front table flipping through contractor schedules.
"Crew deployment starts Monday if we clear signatures today."
Alexander sat across from her with a tablet open.
"No."
The room went quiet immediately.
Elena looked up slowly.
"No what."
"No deployment."
One contractor shifted in his seat.
Elena placed the papers down carefully.
"We already approved preliminary routing."
"Preliminary," Alexander repeated. "Not operational clearance."
"We're losing time."
"We're missing verified audit exposure."
Her jaw tightened slightly.
"We've reviewed the exposure."
"We reviewed fragments."
Elena looked toward the screen.
"Southbound lane construction is already staffed."
