Three weeks after the approval meeting, the first machines arrived.
Elena stood on a temporary platform overlooking the old construction zone. The morning air carried the sound of engines, metal, and workers shouting instructions across the site.
For years, the unfinished routes had existed only on maps.
Now they existed in front of her.
Real.
Moving.
Alive.
Dozens of trucks lined the access road.
Survey crews marked the ground.
Engineers reviewed measurements.
Construction teams unloaded equipment.
Everywhere she looked, people were working.
Alexander stepped beside her and handed her a hard hat.
"You should probably wear this."
She smiled.
"Trying to keep me alive?"
"Someone has to."
She laughed and put it on.
Below them, a convoy of vehicles moved toward the beginning of Corridor Seven.
The route that had been hidden.
The route that had nearly disappeared.
The route that had changed everything.
