The Reclamation Loop began beyond the industrial district, where a broken rail line curved beneath stacked concrete overpasses and disappeared into an old freight tunnel. Kendra's team waited among the drainage culverts while the marked grain train approached from the north at a speed that left no room for a casual stop.
Nox stood beside a service ladder with Vasa, Diana, and Emilia, watching the public rail clock turn through its last two minutes. The train had crossed the hospital junction under the disposal fee, but it still carried Holt's national relief seal across every car.
"The authority seal remains active until the engine validates entry," Vasa said, working a small reader against the captured freight license. "Before then, Holt can call the grain protected civilian cargo and the cores protected security equipment."
"After?" Nox asked.
