The laugh reached Ty before the memory gave him the stairs.
It came down through a staff stairwell with chipped green paint on the rail and a paper sign taped over the door window. The sign said authorized floor use only. One corner had peeled loose, so anyone on the landing could still see the slice of hall outside.
Younger Ty stood on the lower landing with the B.H. badge hidden under his sleeve. Above him, two workers leaned over the rail. The one with a bent paperclip between their fingers had the tired confidence of someone who knew which chores could be pushed downhill. The other carried a tray with three sealed cups and kept one shoulder turned away from the leaking pipe above the door.
"B.H., I need you before Records sees the crate," the paperclip worker called.
The letters came with a laugh meant for the other worker more than for Ty.
JJ marked the call as dirty before Zunoder could polish it. Omina watched the worker's hand instead of the badge.
