Others had been changed after the technicians submitted them.
Maya asked whether those changes had been properly authorized.
Daniel shook his head.
He said that he had never received a satisfactory explanation.
Maya asked whether anyone had formally reported the issue.
Daniel explained that at least two complaints had been submitted through the normal chain of command.
Neither had resulted in a full investigation.
One technician had later been transferred.
Another had been assigned to overnight duties.
Daniel believed that the changes were connected to their complaints, although he did not yet have enough evidence to prove it.
Maya listened carefully.
She asked him whether he had kept any records.
Daniel said that he had written down several dates and incidents in a private notebook.
He had done so because he was concerned that the original documents might disappear.
Maya thanked him.
She told him not to alter or distribute the records and asked him to preserve everything until the investigation team could examine it.
Daniel agreed.
Before they could continue, Victor returned.
He saw Daniel standing beside Maya and immediately demanded to know what they were discussing.
Daniel stepped away.
Victor ordered him to return to his assignment.
Then he turned toward Maya.
He told her that she had already been warned not to interfere with his team.
Maya reminded him that she was asking about an official maintenance record.
Victor accused her of attempting to undermine his authority.
Maya replied that a maintenance supervisor's authority did not excuse inaccurate documentation.
The sergeant's expression hardened.
He told her that she had no idea how much pressure the department was under.
The unit had an upcoming readiness evaluation.
Several aircraft needed to be cleared.
The command team expected the hangar to meet its operational targets.
Victor insisted that the personnel were doing everything necessary to keep the installation running.
Maya asked whether he believed that operational targets were more important than accurate safety inspections.
Victor did not answer directly.
Instead, he warned her that continued interference could result in a formal security report.
Maya looked at him.
She told him that she welcomed a formal report if it accurately described what had happened.
Victor laughed.
He said that he would be happy to explain the situation to the duty officer.
Maya asked him to do exactly that.
But Victor did not contact the duty officer.
He returned to his office and began preparing a different version of the incident.
He claimed that Maya had entered a restricted area without authorization.
He also suggested that she had questioned personnel in a manner that disrupted maintenance operations.
The report did not mention the missing inspection documents.
It did not mention the technician who had admitted signing an entry without completing the work.
And it did not mention Victor's refusal to verify Maya's credentials.
Maya continued the inspection.
She moved toward the aircraft and examined the maintenance station from a different angle.
There, she noticed another document attached to a clipboard.
The report contained a certification date that did not match the maintenance schedule.
A technician's name appeared beside the final approval.
Maya recognized the name from the earlier review.
The technician had been recorded as working at another location during the time listed on the report.
She asked the nearby personnel whether they could explain the discrepancy.
One of them began to answer.
Then he noticed Victor approaching.
He immediately stopped speaking.
Victor walked between Maya and the maintenance station.
He told her that she was finished asking questions.
Maya asked him to step aside.
He refused.
She explained that the aircraft's maintenance certification was being reviewed because the original records appeared inconsistent.
Victor told her that the aircraft belonged to the installation and that he was responsible for its maintenance.
Maya corrected him.
She said that no individual officer owned the aircraft, the records, or the authority to ignore safety procedures.
Victor became visibly angry.
He accused her of trying to make him look incompetent in front of his team.
Maya told him that his reputation was not the issue.
The accuracy of the records was.
The sergeant moved closer.
He warned her that she would regret continuing the inspection.
Maya remained still.
She had been threatened before.
She knew that an officer who relied on intimidation often expected the other person to become frightened before the situation could be properly examined.
She refused to give Victor that advantage.
Instead, she asked him to contact the duty officer and verify the scope of her assignment.
Victor refused again.
He said that nobody had instructed him to cooperate with her.
Maya replied that the official review did not depend on his personal approval.
That was when Victor lost control.
He seized her by the arm and pulled her away from the maintenance station.
Maya immediately told him to release her.
Several technicians stopped working.
Daniel Price, who had been watching from across the hangar, began moving toward them.
Victor shouted that Maya was interfering with a restricted operation.
He accused her of attempting to access documents that did not belong to her.