Sector Survey

A folded paper transit map lay beside the mail tray on the hall table. Its stiff creases resisted remaining flat, curling upward like a coiled spring. I retrieved a heavy brass key from the nearby dish. Levering the notched shank across the upper fold, I weighed down the stubborn edge until the paper yielded flat. With the tip of my scabbard, I traced the fine grid lines stretching beyond our perimeter: parallel avenues, rail junctions, open plazas. The terrain outside is vast and divided into clean corridors. I noted three primary routes leading south toward the water. The grid is committed to memory.