I held my paper travel orders flat in my hand, the edges squared against my dress jacket.

The gate agent, a woman named Brenda with a yellow lanyard around her neck, scanned my military boarding stub twice.

Her computer gave a soft, two-tone beep.

“The system is flagging a code four zero two,” Brenda said, tapping the small monitor with her index finger.

“It needs a signed endorsement block on your paper orders before I can give you a final seat assignment.”

I opened the blue cardboard folder and flipped to the second page of the packet.