The bell rope came down again as the funeral engine entered Switch Nine yard.
Denna saw Toman Rell's hands above the window ledge, both palms split from a rope he had pulled too many times. His clerk coat had lost its top button. He wore the same crooked spectacles he used whenever she argued a freight fine at his desk.
He planted one boot against the wall and hauled for another stroke.
"Toman, leave that rope before I cut the tower under you."
His head jerked toward the engine. The relief on his face lasted until he saw Palla beside the controls and Senn standing on the rear platform with his burial shirt open.
"Get that condemned train off my line. Eleven workers are trapped below Gate Three."
The bell struck. Senn's empty hand rose beside his head, and three covered bodies behind the clinic gate began dragging their carts toward the switch house.
Denna reached for the brake lever. Palla slapped her hand away.
"Close the returns here and the tank loses both pumps."
