Through the windows, helix park’s power grid pulsed beneath its snowy blanket, the thaw from the imbedded raceways etched a circuit of passage for morning pedestrians. She watched the snow dissolve above the heated lines, remembering how differently warmth had radiated through her just hours ago - certainty melting away like frost against skin. Even now, she could feel the ghost of that heat, making her current uncertainty feel even more bitter.

“Can they not do this literally any other day?” she muttered, the words carrying more bite than intended as another crash echoed from above. Coffee cups littered the conference table like fallen soldiers, their scattered placement marking her territory since dawn. Holiday garlands hung limply from the bookshelves, their cheerful red and gold a mockery of her mood.