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That was useful. Very useful.

I studied the schematic again, letting the layers resolve.

“There is a problem.”

“Of course there is.” Talia didn’t look up from her own display.

“The handoff point is closer to central security.”

“How close?” Her finger stopped over the screen.

“Too close to retreat easily.”

“Too close according to you or objectively?”

I looked at her.

She raised her eyebrows and waited.

Right. Full information.

I expanded the map and turned it so she could see.

“There are two possible routes.”

Talia’s expression sharpened. She leaned in.

I continued.

“Route one uses the specimen-transfer corridor. It gets us closer to royal territory. Fewer identity checks. But if the custody sequence fails, we are trapped inside a controlled medical logistics zone.”

“And route two?” She was already tracing the line with her eyes.

“Old Ghost maintenance path.”

“Safer?” A half-beat pause. “For whom?”

“For you.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she straightened slowly. “For me?” The words came out flat.

“Not necessarily.”

She exhaled through her nose but said nothing.

I brought up the second route in a separate projection, side by side with the first.

“It avoids administrative systems longer, but exits into an external service district before royal security.”

“So we’d have to cross exposed ground.” Her voice dropped, like she was reading it off the map herself.

“Yes.”

“With both the Veil and Review potentially looking for us.”

“Yes.”

She studied the map.