Tali found four alternatives in twenty seconds.
All four killed more people.
Freight Gate Six stood between the crew and the three wards. Its motor had drowned years ago. Twelve manual stations on the flood side lowered the slab through separate chains, pins, and pressure locks.
The rear tunnel behind the crew already held black water.
There was no exit after closure.
Option one left the gate open for two minutes.
Outside water reached Mercy overflow, Copper Row shelter, and South Ward's lower blocks.
Projected exposure: four thousand eight hundred people.
Option two closed Freight Gate Four instead.
Gate Four had a route reader. The outside sample controlled it and could reopen the line from Central Shelter.
Option three blew the rail junction and collapsed the tunnel.
The blast crossed a gas main below Ward Nine.
Option four used Caleb.
