Natalie looked around the hangar.
The mechanics were returning to their stations. The aircraft remained under inspection, and the administrative offices were still being reviewed.
NATALIE: "It can. But recovery doesn't mean pretending the problem never happened."
DAVID: "Some people are afraid that everything will fall apart."
NATALIE: "Then we need to show them that accountability is not the same as destroying a unit."
David nodded.
NATALIE: "The people who deliberately falsified records will have to answer for their decisions. The people who were pressured into silence need a safe way to speak. And the people who performed their duties correctly should not be punished because someone else abused the system."
David looked toward the maintenance bay.
DAVID: "I wish we had done this earlier."
NATALIE: "You cannot change what happened earlier. You can decide what you do now."
That afternoon, Marcus Reed was formally interviewed.
He arrived with a representative and appeared far less confident than he had during the confrontation.
The interview room was plain.
A table stood in the center, with several documents arranged in front of the investigation officer.
Natalie was present as the senior officer overseeing the review, but the questioning was conducted through the appropriate investigative process.
The first questions concerned the confrontation.
Marcus initially claimed that Natalie had been aggressive and that he had used physical force only to maintain control of a restricted area.
The investigators presented the security footage.
The recording showed him approaching Natalie, grabbing her hair, striking her, and continuing the confrontation while several personnel watched.
It also showed that she had repeatedly asked him to stop.
Marcus looked at the screen.
He did not speak.
The investigator asked whether he disputed the authenticity of the footage.
MARCUS: "No."
INVESTIGATOR: "Do you dispute that you used physical force against Colonel Johnson?"
Marcus looked down.
MARCUS: "No."
INVESTIGATOR: "Why did you do it?"
MARCUS: "I believed she was interfering with the operation."
INVESTIGATOR: "Was physical force authorized under those circumstances?"
Marcus said nothing.
The investigator moved to the maintenance records.
He presented the original report, the revised digital version, and the handwritten instructions recovered from the storage room.
Marcus admitted that he had asked technicians to complete several documents before the corresponding inspections were finished.
He argued that the inspections were expected to be completed later and that the paperwork had been prepared in advance to avoid delays.
The investigator asked whether he had ever instructed personnel to sign an inspection they had not performed.
Marcus denied giving such an instruction.
Then the investigator presented the email from Marcus's account.
It contained a direct request for a technician to sign an inspection sheet before the physical inspection had taken place.
Marcus studied the message.
MARCUS: "I don't remember sending that."
INVESTIGATOR: "The account is yours."
MARCUS: "Other people had access to my workstation."
INVESTIGATOR: "Who?"
Marcus hesitated.
He could not provide a clear name.
The investigator then presented the handwritten notebook.
Several entries contained Marcus's initials beside instructions to reclassify maintenance discrepancies.
He claimed that the notes were incomplete and could not establish that he had personally approved the changes.
The investigator asked why he had removed the original maintenance clipboard after Natalie requested it.
Marcus said that he had been reorganizing the documents.
He was then asked why he had written an incident report accusing Natalie of suspicious activity without verifying her credentials.
Marcus said he had believed she was an unauthorized visitor.
The investigator reminded him that she had offered to verify her authorization and that he had refused.
Marcus had no answer.
Finally, the investigator asked about the technicians who had been transferred after questioning the maintenance process.
Marcus admitted that he had recommended several staffing changes.
He argued that they were based on performance concerns.
The investigator asked whether those concerns had been formally documented.
Marcus said that some had not.
For the first time, his expression showed something close to regret.
MARCUS: "I was trying to keep the hangar running."
Natalie spoke for the first time.
NATALIE: "Keeping a hangar running does not mean hiding problems."
Marcus looked at her.
MARCUS: "I didn't think it would go this far."
NATALIE: "You were responsible for personnel and maintenance reporting. You knew that the records were supposed to reflect work that had actually been completed."
MARCUS: "The pressure came from above me."
NATALIE: "That may explain the environment you were working in. It does not erase your own decisions."
Marcus lowered his eyes.
The interview continued.
He was asked to identify every person who had given him instructions concerning the readiness evaluation.
He named Major Whitmore.
He also identified Lieutenant Colonel Hayes as the officer who had reviewed some of the documents.
But when asked about General Adrian Cole, Marcus became reluctant.
The investigator presented the message from the general's office.