Caleb stopped beneath the yard awning and sent Mabel Bristow his location. She already had Vance's work order and had permitted instructions from the console during his ten-day hold. He was finished with training for today, and she had told him to leave the machinery to the crew.
Suzu waited beneath the awning, keeping her brace out of the runoff. At the rail stall he had bought a sealed spare meal with his own money. It sat in his duffel; two replacement tabs remained in the pouch on his belt. Vance had asked for his eyes on a jammed saw, and she had chosen to come.
Rain ran from her rifle cover onto the pavement. She read the message over his shoulder, then checked the gate beyond them.
"Put the return trip in there too."
He added that he would take the rail back. "You expecting me to move in?"
"I expect you to underestimate how long you'll stay."
