The Talus Clause

**CLERK:** State the reason the hatch was sealed.

**SYSTEM LOG:** Pressure variance exceeded the published threshold.

**RESIDENT:** We were still inside.

**CLERK:** The question is whether the instruction was followed.

**RESIDENT:** That isn't what I asked.

**SYSTEM LOG:** Instruction followed. Seal duration: eleven minutes.

**CLERK:** The operator had no override.

**RESIDENT:** Who removed it?

**CLERK:** The committee approved the clause.

**SYSTEM LOG:** Committee record incomplete. Amendment 4B omitted from local copy.

**CLERK:** Can the system confirm which residents were present?

**SYSTEM LOG:** No. Occupancy sensor offline.

**RESIDENT:** My daughter was there.

**CLERK:** This hearing can review the seal, not the route ranking.

**RESIDENT:** The route ranking sent us here.

**SYSTEM LOG:** Route confidence: 0.82.

**CLERK:** What does that number mean?

**SYSTEM LOG:** Confidence in geometric alignment, not resident safety.

The clerk leaves one line blank
for the name the sensor could not keep.