But close enough to matter.
“You’re serious,” one of the senior operators says.
“Yes.”
He studies me, then nods once. “Understood.”
That’s enough for now.
I turn backto the central console, pulling up operational feeds and scanning through them quickly. The data resolves into patterns almost immediately, and the inconsistencies stand out as clearly as they did before.
“Supply chain’s off,” I say.
“Where?” Vihl asks.
“Here,” I reply, pointing to the discrepancy. “Timing’s wrong. Distribution’s uneven.”
“That’s been happening,” he says.
“I know. It shouldn’t be.”
I glance toward her.
“Come here,” I say.
She steps forward, stopping beside me without hesitation.
“Look at this,” I tell her.
Her eyes move across the display, not rushing, not guessing, actually processing.
“You’re compensating for something upstream,” she says.
“Yes.”
“You shouldn’t be.”
“I’m aware.”
She shifts slightly, pointing to another section. “This isn’t matching your output pattern,” she says.
“No.”
“Because you’re adjusting after the fact instead of fixing the source,” she continues.
Vihl lets out a low breath. “That’s what I said.”
“You didn’t say it like that,” I reply.
She glances at me briefly. “You’re building around inefficiency instead of removing it,” she says.
I watch her for a second, then nod.
“Good,” I say.
Vihl looks between us. “You’re serious about this.”
“I am.”
