"Vera, it's midnight—"
"The Abus Lis Sv can't do it because it's not allowed to gamble with lives. I am." Abus Lis Sv Manual
Vera’s blood went cold. She pulled up the system’s recent sensory logs. At 21:47, a micro-quake had registered beneath the Velasco Bridge. The Abus Lis Sv had calculated a 94% probability of structural failure if the next scheduled heavy load—a 2:00 AM ore train—crossed it. "Vera, it's midnight—" "The Abus Lis Sv can't
Her third call was to a number she had memorized but never used: the private line of the city's chief structural engineer, an insomniac named Dr. Aris Thorne. Abus Lis Sv Manual
She could type a command: PRIORITIZE AMBULANCE . The bridge would hold a 6% chance. The girl might live. Twelve rail workers might die.