DANIEL: "It's more than one aircraft."
He rotated the monitor slightly.
A list of maintenance approvals appeared.
There were twelve separate entries.
Each contained a similar discrepancy.
Each had been marked as completed.
Each carried an authorization associated with Kyle Brody's account.
Thomas stared at the screen.
THOMAS: "Twelve?"
DANIEL: "Yes, Master Sergeant."
EVELYN: "How long has this been happening?"
DANIEL: "At least six months."
Evelyn remained silent.
She opened her folder and removed another document.
It contained a summary of the reports that had originally brought her to Falcon Ridge.
The dates matched.
The aircraft numbers matched.
And the approval signatures were consistent.
She placed the document beside the monitor.
EVELYN: "This is why I came here."
Thomas looked at her.
THOMAS: "You already knew about the records?"
EVELYN: "I knew there were irregularities. I needed to establish whether the information was accurate."
THOMAS: "And now?"
EVELYN: "Now I know the problem is much larger than one incorrect inspection."
Kyle moved closer.
KYLE: "You're making this sound like some kind of conspiracy."
EVELYN: "I'm making it sound like an investigation."
KYLE: "You can't accuse me of something based on a computer screen."
EVELYN: "I'm not making a final accusation. I'm preserving evidence."
KYLE: "Then why are you treating me like I'm already guilty?"
Evelyn looked at him.
EVELYN: "Because you assaulted someone who asked you a legitimate question, and now the records you approved are under examination."
Kyle looked toward the floor.
For the first time, he appeared genuinely afraid.
But another question remained.
If the maintenance approvals were false, who had benefited from them?
And why had so many people allowed the situation to continue?
Evelyn closed the folder.
EVELYN: "Master Sergeant Reed, I want a list of everyone who accessed these records during the last six months."
THOMAS: "I'll get it."
EVELYN: "Include supervisors, administrative personnel, contractors, and anyone with approval privileges."
THOMAS: "Understood."
EVELYN: "I also want the original work orders, not just the digital summaries."
DANIEL: "Some of those are stored in the archive room."
EVELYN: "Then we'll retrieve them."
Kyle suddenly spoke.
KYLE: "You don't need to involve everyone."
Evelyn turned.
EVELYN: "Why not?"
KYLE: "Because this can be handled internally."
EVELYN: "It has been handled internally for six months. Look where that got us."
Kyle's face turned red again.
KYLE: "You're going to destroy this unit over paperwork?"
EVELYN: "No, Sergeant. If the records are accurate, the review will establish that. If they're not, the people responsible will have to answer for it."
KYLE: "People make mistakes."
EVELYN: "Then we need to determine which entries were mistakes and which were deliberate."
The second officer's radio suddenly crackled.
COMMAND VOICE: "Hangar Four, confirm the Chairwoman's current location."
The officer lifted his radio.
SECOND OFFICER: "Maintenance office, adjacent to Hangar Four."
COMMAND VOICE: "The installation commander is requesting an immediate meeting."
Evelyn looked toward the radio.
EVELYN: "Tell him I will meet him after the original records have been secured."
SECOND OFFICER: "Yes, ma'am."
COMMAND VOICE: "The commander says this matter requires immediate attention."
EVELYN: "Then he should have no objection to preserving the evidence first."
The officer relayed the response.
A few seconds later, the radio crackled again.
COMMAND VOICE: "Understood. The commander is on his way."
Thomas glanced at Evelyn.
THOMAS: "Ma'am, I should mention something."
EVELYN: "Go ahead."
THOMAS: "The installation commander has been personally overseeing several operational readiness reports."
EVELYN: "And?"
THOMAS: "Some of the approvals you are examining may have passed through his office."
Evelyn's eyes narrowed slightly.
EVELYN: "Do you have evidence of that?"
THOMAS: "Not yet."
EVELYN: "Then don't speculate."
THOMAS: "Understood."
Evelyn returned her attention to the monitor.
Daniel had opened another section of the database.
A new document appeared.
It was a communication log connected to one of the aircraft clearance entries.
DANIEL: "Ma'am, there's something else."
EVELYN: "Show me."
Daniel opened the record.
The communication had been marked as an instruction from an administrative office.
But the sender's identification was incomplete.
There was no full name.
Only an internal authorization code.
Thomas leaned closer.
THOMAS: "I've seen that code before."
Evelyn looked at him.
EVELYN: "Where?"
Thomas stared at the screen for several seconds.
THOMAS: "It belongs to someone outside the hangar maintenance team."
KYLE: "That's enough."
Everyone turned toward him.
Kyle was standing near the door, his hands clenched.
KYLE: "You don't need to look at that."
EVELYN: "Why?"
KYLE: "Because it's not relevant."
EVELYN: "You haven't even read the complete record."
KYLE: "I know what it is."
Evelyn studied his face.
His reaction was different this time.