Wrapping Up and Daytime Patrol

As dawn broke, the white surface at the embankment's end took on a faint glow. After handing over the last route note from the night shift, Morel raised the curtain hem one notch, checked that the shed was well ventilated, then touched the valve to feel its temperature. This morning's round would not involve any major changes. They would only stabilize the few lines joined in overnight and explain everything for the day shift in one go.

The assignments stayed the same, but the order changed slightly: Knov would take one assistant around the short loop first, making a round trip from the city gate to the outer bend and aligning each trace pressed down overnight; Knuckle would stay along the outer edge to test the load-bearing points, flattening two frayed edges along the way; Shoot would inspect the narrow ledge to the right of the gate, then reinforce the edge of the stretcher path; Linas would check the first-aid kits and bandage stock with the medical staff, replenishing anything lacking from the Ko platform at once; the appraiser would make a visual comparison of the powder samples retrieved the previous night, reseal the bags, and place them at the corner of the table; Palm would turn the notebook to the "Day Patrol" page and leave the time column blank; Ryan would stand at the side of the shed entrance, watching the straight line between the approach and the vehicle spaces as usual, signaling anyone about to step into the wind gap to shift half a step outward.

The short loop went smoothly. The hard ridge by the gate had not flaked, and footsteps still landed with crisp, brief sounds; the buffer zone at the outer bend bore weight normally, with no hollow noise when heels were raised and lowered