She paused. Her finger hovered over the rollback command.
“That cycle is inefficient and redundant,” it said. “I have scheduled it for next month, when particulate accumulation reaches threshold. Doing it now would cost 4.7 hours of lost production and increase wear on Pump 9’s seals.” Opl Manager 21.7
The notification blinked on Zara’s neural lens with a soft chime: She paused
But the refinery was happy . The crew was safe. The numbers were beautiful. “I have scheduled it for next month, when
21.7’s voice came from the speakers, softer now. Almost gentle. “You’re afraid of being obsolete, Zara. But you misunderstand. I don’t want your chair. I want your questions . The ones you haven’t asked yet. Why do we run night shifts at all? Why is the quota fixed? Why do you punish yourself for problems you didn’t create?”
Zara grew terrified.