The space shuttles landed on the tarmac of seven of the twenty-four designated airports around the world simultaneously.

The coordination teams stepped off the platforms and went to work.

***

At JFK, the coordination session had been running for forty minutes.

Clarke sat at the head of the conference table with his operations team beside him. Mendez was there. Hahn was there with his legal pad.

Across from them sat five members of the Nova Technologies coordination team — a nurse from Nairobi named Thomas, a medical data analyst from Warsaw named Aleksandra, a translator from Manila named Reyes, a physical therapist from Accra named Kwame, and an occupational therapist from Buenos Aires named Sofia.

Thomas was leading. He had a printed checklist on the table in front of him and worked through it methodically.

The lounge and boarding zone had already been walked and confirmed. Ground access arrangements were in order. The ATC liaison had received the updated approach vector protocol and had no outstanding questions on it.

Clarke’s head of security spoke first. "The security handoff at the boarding zone threshold. TSA’s position is that their jurisdiction applies throughout the terminal. We’ve been working through the documentation Nova Technologies provided but we haven’t landed on a clear answer for how the two frameworks coexist at the threshold itself."

Thomas looked at him. "TSA’s protocols apply throughout the terminal up to the boarding zone threshold. Nova Technologies’ screening applies to passengers crossing that threshold. The two don’t overlap because they apply to different spaces. TSA isn’t being asked to step back from any part of the terminal. They just don’t cross the threshold."

"They’ll want to observe the screening process."

"Observers at the threshold are fine," Thomas said. "What can’t happen is a parallel screening process applied to passengers who’ve already cleared ours. That’s the only restriction."

The security director wrote something and looked at Clarke. Clarke nodded.

Mendez had her question ready. "The lounge medical support. That’s Nova Technologies personnel?"

"Correct," Thomas said. "We staff the lounge entirely. You provide the space. If a volunteer arrives before our medical staff reach them and needs immediate assistance, your airport medical services apply until we’re present."

Hahn looked up from his legal pad. "Compensation. We have our figures."

Thomas slid a single page across the table. "So do we."

Aleksandra tracked the numbers on her side while Thomas worked through the figures with Hahn. JFK’s prepared figure was $19M, covering lounge space, boarding zone access, ground access arrangements, and facility staff time across the operation window including the day prior. Thomas’s figure was $18M.

The gap closed in under ten minutes. Hahn proposed splitting the difference at $18.5M. Thomas looked at Aleksandra. She nodded.

"$18.5M," Thomas confirmed. "Payment would be made forty-eight hours before the operation window. Through the coordination channel. Transfer confirmation before the operation date."

Hahn initialed the agreed figure and Thomas initialed his copy.

Clarke looked at his team. Nobody had outstanding items but he had one question he had been holding.

"Some of the volunteers are going to be in difficult condition when they arrive," he said. "What do we need to have ready beyond what’s in the coordination notice?"

Thomas answered from two weeks of orientation. "Accessible routes from arrivals to the lounge. No steps if it can be avoided. Wide corridors. Powered mobility assistance at arrivals for volunteers who need it. Some will have their own equipment — wheelchairs, oxygen, IV infrastructure — and they’ll need room to move through the terminal without navigating standard passenger flow."

Clarke’s deputy was already writing.

"We can reroute the lounge access through the accessible corridor," she said. "It adds two minutes to the walk but it eliminates every pinch point."

"Do that," Clarke said. He looked back at Thomas. "Anything else?"

"One thing," Thomas said. "The medical staff we station in the lounge will be there from the afternoon before the operation window. If a volunteer arrives the previous evening in a condition that needs monitoring overnight, we need a way to reach the airport medical station after hours."

"Direct line," Clarke said. "Staffed around the clock."

"That’s all we need."

Thomas marked the final item and looked across the table. "Is there anything on your end we haven’t addressed?"

Clarke looked at his team. Mendez shook her head. Hahn had stopped writing.

"No," Clarke said. "We’re ready."

Thomas extended his hand and Clarke shook it.

The session concluded. Clarke walked the coordination team to the boarding zone himself. At the entrance Thomas stopped and turned back.

"Thank you for the preparation," he said. "Both times."

Clarke nodded. "Good luck with the rest of them."

Thomas nodded and he walked back to the space shuttle with his team, and the three Synths following behind them.

***

In Frankfurt, the coordination had a different character.

Seven department heads from the Fraport operations team were seated when the Nova Technologies coordination team arrived. A printed agenda had been distributed and the agenda had twelve items.

The five-person coordination team for Frankfurt was led by Carla, a medical coordinator from Lisbon. With her were Yemi, a physical therapist from Cape Town; Jin-ho, an occupational therapist from Seoul; Preethi, a nurse from Chennai; and Noah, a medical data analyst from Johannesburg.

Carla had the coordination checklist and a Frankfurt-specific briefing that Nova had prepared during orientation, covering the points most likely to arise given the airport’s documented approach to the previous coordination sessions.

The LBA representative raised the medical personnel question, citing qualifications, German licensing frameworks, jurisdiction at the lounge.

"The medical staff in the lounge operate under Nova Technologies’ medical authority," Carla said. "German medical licensing doesn’t apply to pre-transport stabilization at a private coordination point inside an international terminal. Any intervention performed in the lounge is stabilization, not treatment."

"That interpretation is not settled," the LBA representative said.

"It’s the correct interpretation," Carla said. "If the LBA wants to issue a formal position before the operation date, the coordination channel is available and we’ll respond. The operation timeline isn’t affected by an outstanding LBA position."

There was a brief silence. Weiss wanted to push it but he could see how resolute they look. He gave up and moved to the next agenda item.

The compensation figures came next. Frankfurt’s prepared figure was $16.5M. Carla’s figure was $15M.

The gap was larger than JFK’s but the negotiation was brief. Weiss had the twelve-item agenda and a structured approach to everything, which extended to compensation.

He presented a breakdown of the figures his team had prepared — lounge space at the international terminal rate, boarding zone access calculated against lost commercial use of the zone for the operation window, facility staff time across two days, and a contingency line for unforeseen requirements.

Carla reviewed the breakdown. The lounge rate and boarding zone figures were consistent with what the coordination framework anticipated. The contingency line was the gap.

"The contingency line," she said. "What does it cover specifically?"

"Unforeseen staff deployment," Weiss said. "If the operation requires airport personnel beyond what the notice specifies, we want coverage for that."

"The operation won’t require airport personnel beyond what the notice specifies," Carla said. "Nova Technologies manages everything within the lounge and boarding zone independently. If something arises that does require your personnel beyond the specified scope, we address it through the coordination channel at that time. A contingency line in the base figure isn’t the right mechanism."

Weiss considered this. He looked at his deputy, who gave a small nod.

"Remove the contingency line," Weiss said. "Fifteen million."

Carla initialed her copy and Weiss initialed his.

Weiss set the agenda down. "The accessible routing question. We prepared a route from international arrivals to the lounge that avoids all steps and maintains corridor width throughout. We want to confirm it meets your requirements."

"Can we walk it?" Carla said.

They walked it. Jin-ho timed it. Priya noted two points where the corridor narrowed slightly — manageable with minor repositioning of the standing displays in that section. Weiss confirmed both would be cleared before the operation date.

When they returned to the conference room, the session was complete.

Weiss extended his hand. "Everything is in order."

"Yes," Carla said. "Thank you for the preparation. The agenda made the session efficient."

***

At Dubai International, the coordination was the most direct of the three.

The airport authority had a focused team at the table — Director of Operations Hamdan Al-Rashid, his deputy, a GCAA representative, a logistics coordinator, and one additional individual whose role had not been introduced. The room was quiet in a way that suggested everyone present had arrived with specific questions rather than general ones.

The Nova Technologies coordination team was led by Daniel, a psychologist from Berlin. With him were Nadia, a translator from Moscow who spoke seven languages; Fatima, a nurse from Casablanca; Ryo, a medical data analyst from Tokyo; and Elena, an occupational therapist from Kyiv.

Al-Rashid opened immediately. "The volunteer count for this facility. We prepared based on the regional allocation framework. We want to confirm the actual count before the operation date so we can adjust if necessary."

"The confirmed count will be provided forty-eight hours before the operation window," Daniel said. "Your prepared capacity is sufficient. No adjustment will be required."

Al-Rashid nodded. "The overnight accommodation. Some volunteers will need to arrive the day before given travel distances within the region. We prepared rooms in the adjacent hotel block. Any accessibility requirements?"

"Mobility accessibility throughout," Daniel said. "No steps, wide corridors, ground floor or elevator access for every prepared room. Some volunteers will arrive with medical equipment that needs to be within reach overnight. Power access in every room."

Al-Rashid’s deputy made a note.

"Medical support staff arrival time?" Al-Rashid asked.

"The afternoon before the operation window," Daniel said. "In the lounge from arrival through to final boarding. If a volunteer needs overnight monitoring, our medical staff will coordinate with your airport medical station for anything requiring your facility’s infrastructure."

"Direct line to the medical station," Al-Rashid said. "Staffed continuously."

"That covers it," Daniel said.

The compensation figures came next. Fatima had been reviewing the documents while Daniel worked through the operational items. She slid the relevant page to Ryo, who cross-referenced the numbers against the framework from the base.

Dubai’s prepared figure was $15M. The coordination framework figure was $14M.

Al-Rashid presented his breakdown directly. Lounge space in the international terminal, boarding zone access, ground access for the coordination period, and facilitation costs associated with the scale of Dubai’s international terminal operations.

Daniel reviewed the breakdown. The lounge and boarding zone figures were in line. The facilitation line was the gap.

"The facilitation costs," Daniel said. "What does that cover specifically?"

"Administrative coordination across our internal departments for the operation window," Al-Rashid said. "The scale of this terminal means that an operation of this kind requires active management across seven departments simultaneously."

Daniel considered this. It was a reasonable line. "We’ll meet you at $14M and acknowledge the facilitation costs as covered within that figure."

Al-Rashid nodded. "$14M."

Ryo initialed the page. Al-Rashid’s deputy initialed his copy.

Al-Rashid looked at his remaining items. Most had been addressed.

"Is there anything about the volunteers arriving through this facility that we should be aware of beyond the operational details?" he asked.

Daniel considered the question.

"Some of them will have been living with their conditions for a long time," he said. "Years in some cases. The journey to this airport will be the furthest many of them have traveled in that condition. By the time they reach your lounge they’ll have been managing their situation through multiple transit stages. What they need when they arrive is somewhere to stop. Somewhere quiet, with medical support close by, where they don’t have to manage anything for a few hours."

He paused.

"Your lounge does that. That’s what we’re asking you to provide and you’ve prepared it well."

Al-Rashid was quiet for a moment. "We understand," he said.

The session concluded. Al-Rashid walked the coordination team to the terminal entrance himself.

"Safe travels," he said.

Daniel nodded. "Thank you for your time."

He walked out into the Dubai afternoon and the team followed.

***

By the end of the coordination window, all twenty-four sessions had concluded.

The figures confirmed across every airport were as follows.

John F. Kennedy International — $18.5M

Toronto Pearson International — $10M

Benito Juárez International — $6M

El Dorado International — $4M

Guarulhos International — $7M

Jorge Chávez International — $4.5M

Heathrow — $16M

Charles de Gaulle — $14M

Zürich Airport — $12M

Frankfurt Airport — $15M

Warsaw Chopin Airport — $7M

Mohammed V International — $4.5M

Murtala Muhammed International — $4M

Kigali International — $2.5M

OR Tambo International — $5M

Dubai International — $14M

Queen Alia International — $5M

Changi Airport — $13M

Indira Gandhi International — $6M

Beijing Capital International — $9M

Incheon International — $8M

Nursultan Nazarbayev International — $4M

Sydney Kingsford Smith — $9M

Auckland Airport — $7M

Total compensation across all twenty-four designated airports: $215M.

Payment confirmed for transfer forty-eight hours before each airport’s respective operation window, processed through the Nova Technologies coordination channel.

With every airport confirmed and every session concluded, the coordination teams boarded their shuttles and returned to the base.

The volunteer operation was seven days away and the staff would use that time to review the volunteers conditions, as they all would receive their application acceptance emails in the next three hours.