Twelve Hours Early

[The Eastgate freight line will open a maintenance passage in four minutes, shortening travel by twelve minutes.] “Motorcycles aren't allowed there.” [A ninety-second administrative gap will begin in four minutes. Passage violates internal park policy but no law. Maximum fine: ¥200.] Lin twisted the throttle. “Eight thousand minus two hundred. Good trade.” He crossed beside a roaring freight train, mudwater soaking him to the skin. When he reached Warehouse Three, twenty-eight minutes remained. Employees crowded the entrance, waving useless phones. A duty manager was shouting at security. “I'm a repairman,” Lin said. The manager looked at his worn bag. “We called an Obsidian-certified team.” “They'll arrive in eleven hours.”