The maintenance cart tried to roll away into the storm-lashed night.
"Stop. Equipment audit," Rowan's voice cut through the rain, flat and final. He didn't touch the driver, just placed a hand on the cart's frame. "All tools used on bonded cargo are subject to random inspection. Standard protocol."
The tech, a wiry man with nervous eyes, froze.
[Ding!]
Event: Impound Active — Compliance Hold
Status:
- Survival Probability: 69%
- Attention: 30/100
- Detention Review Timer: 00:45:00
Sub-Objectives:
G) Identify handler "S" with admissible proof (+5%)
H) Reconstruct substitution path with 3 independent physical tells (+4%)
[Thrum…]
Warning: Port Storm Hold T−01:10:00
Penalty on Failure: Survival −6%
Elara was already moving, her body-cam on. She photographed the portable RFID writer in situ, capturing its model and serial number. She then documented the two spare bolt seals, focusing on the unique jaw patterns etched into their metal shanks by the crimping tool.
"The equipment is detained pending audit," Rowan informed the tech. "You are free to go. Your supervisor will be notified."
The man scurried off into the gloom.
Under the relative shelter of a canopy, Elara set up a makeshift lab on a metal bench. Rowan silently rotated a work lamp, eliminating the glare on the shiny metal. "Thanks," she murmured, meeting his eyes for a second. He gave a single, acknowledging nod.
She placed the seized bolt seal next to the macro-photo of the one from crate 7-B′. The comparison was undeniable. A distinct micro-burr on the crimping tool's lower jaw had left an identical, tiny crescent-shaped dent in the soft metal of both seals.
[Ding!]
Event: Evidence Capture — Tool Jaw Match (Seal Bite)
Status:
- Survival Probability: 69% → 71% (Δ +2%)
Next, the brine. Using a simple salinity meter from the compliance kit, she swabbed the hinge gutters. Crate 7-B showed a uniform, aged salt crust. Crate 7-B′, however, had uneven drip patterns, the salinity concentration trending downward as if rinsed recently. The vector of the drips, she noted, was inconsistent with the current wind-driven rain. This happened before the storm.
[Ding!]
Event: Evidence Capture — Hinge Brine Pattern
Status:
- Survival Probability: 71% → 73% (Δ +2%)
"The forklift," she said, turning to the recent scuff marks on 7-B′. She measured the spacing between the paint scars. "Thirty-three and a half centimeters, center-to-center."
Rowan was already on his tablet, accessing the yard's telematics. "Forklift Gamma-Seven reports that tine width. Its log shows a route through Yard C, Gate 3, timestamped during the seventeen-minute blackout." He pulled up the runner's call log again. "The lane code he was given matches that exact path."
[Ding!]
Event: Forklift Path Correlated (Yard C, Gate 3)
Status:
- Survival Probability: 73% → 75% (Δ +2%)
Elara turned back to the RFID writer. Using a shared official tablet to maintain the chain of custody, she photographed the device's cache screen. It showed a partial container ID write—the first few characters matched the check-digit prefix of the mirror crate, MSCU 781945.
[Ding!]
Event: Evidence Capture — RFID Writer Cache
Status:
- Survival Probability: 75% → 76% (Δ +1%)
The maintenance tech, looking increasingly cornered, broke under a calm, procedural questioning from Rowan. He claimed he received instructions via a chat from a user "S" on the contractor maintenance portal, not his personal phone.
Rowan put in a request to IT. The response was swift. A login under the handle "S" had been used from Contractor Suite 2B, and the login time coincided perfectly with the Yard C blackout.
[Ding!]
Event: Side Flag Progress — Handler "S" (Location Locked)
Status:
- Survival Probability: 76% → 78% (Δ +2%)
Sub-Objective G progress: 40% → 80%
Elara compiled it all into a one-page Path Reconstruction memo: the seal jaw match, the hinge brine pattern, the tine-spacing and telematics, and the RFID cache fragment. It was a clear, concise story of the swap. The warehouse duty officer signed as a witness.
[Ding!]
Event: Substitution Path Filed (On Record)
Status:
- Survival Probability: 78% → 80% (Δ +2%)
Sub-Objective H — COMPLETE
The victory was short-lived. Two customs officers appeared, their rain slickers gleaming under the lights. "Detention review is moved up. Now."
[Thrum…]
Warning: Customs Detention Review T−00:10:00
Penalty on Failure: Survival −6%
As they were ushered toward the administration building, a message flashed on the dock supervisor's screen, from a blocked number: "Boardroom wants this quiet. Walk away, and the hold disappears."
Rowan's radio crackled. "Captain Hale, be advised. Contractor Suite 2B just lost power. Breaker tripped. Investigating."
Elara tucked the hard copy of the reconstruction memo into her inner pocket. The evidence was safe. The hearing was starting. And the handler was still one step ahead, hiding in the dark.