Maya asked him to stop touching her.
He ignored her.
Then he struck her.
The impact caused blood to appear at the corner of her mouth.
The people nearby froze.
Victor seemed convinced that he had finally established control.
But he had not noticed Daniel approaching from the side.
Daniel rushed forward and grabbed Victor by the front of his uniform.
He pulled the sergeant away from Maya and demanded to know what he thought he was doing.
Victor tried to free himself.
He shouted that Daniel had no right to interfere.
Daniel told him that he had just attacked the officer responsible for the inspection.
Victor turned toward Maya.
He finally looked at her uniform, her composure, and the way Daniel was addressing her.
Then he heard the words that made his expression change.
Maya Brooks was not an ordinary officer assigned to question his paperwork.
She was the colonel sent by senior command to examine the installation.
And Victor had just assaulted her in front of the very personnel whose testimony could expose his conduct.
But the confrontation was only the beginning.
Because Daniel knew something that Maya had not yet discovered.
The questionable maintenance reports were not the work of one aggressive sergeant.
Someone higher in the command structure had been approving the changes.
And that person had already begun removing the original records.
Long before Maya arrived, the installation had developed a system that rewarded impressive readiness figures and discouraged anyone who questioned them.
The person responsible for maintaining that system had made sure that every complaint was redirected, every uncomfortable question was delayed, and every technician who refused to cooperate was treated as a problem.
Now that Maya had revealed her identity, the people behind the altered records would know that the inspection had become serious.
They would have to decide whether to cooperate.
Or attempt to hide the evidence before she could find it.
The silence inside Hangar Four was unlike anything Victor Hayes had experienced during his years of military service.
For the first time, the men and women who had always obeyed his commands were looking at him without fear.
Some appeared shocked.
Others looked relieved.
And several were staring at the blood on Colonel Maya Brooks's lower lip.
Daniel Price remained between Victor and Maya, one hand gripping the front of the sergeant's uniform.
Victor's face had lost its confidence.
He looked from Daniel to Maya, struggling to understand how the confrontation had changed so quickly.
VICTOR HAYES: "You're telling me she's a colonel?"
DANIEL PRICE: "I'm telling you that you just assaulted a senior officer who was carrying out an authorized inspection."
VICTOR HAYES: "Nobody informed me that a colonel was coming."
DANIEL PRICE: "She offered to verify her credentials. You refused to examine them."
Victor opened his mouth but could not immediately respond.
Maya slowly wiped the remaining blood from her lip.
She was in pain, but her expression remained controlled.
She looked at Daniel.
MAYA BROOKS: "Officer Price, release him."
Daniel hesitated.
DANIEL PRICE: "Colonel, he just attacked you."
MAYA BROOKS: "I know exactly what he did. Release him and have security secure the area."
Daniel loosened his grip.
Victor stumbled backward and adjusted his uniform.
For a brief moment, he appeared ready to protest.
Then he noticed the security personnel approaching from the entrance.
Maya turned toward the duty officer.
MAYA BROOKS: "I want every camera recording from this hangar preserved. Secure the original maintenance documents, the electronic access logs, and the inspection records associated with the aircraft behind us."
DUTY OFFICER: "Yes, Colonel."
MAYA BROOKS: "Nobody is to modify, remove, or destroy any record connected to this review."
DUTY OFFICER: "Understood."
Victor stepped forward.
VICTOR HAYES: "Colonel, this has been a misunderstanding. I believed you were interfering with a restricted operation."
Maya looked directly at him.
MAYA BROOKS: "You struck a person who was asking questions about maintenance documentation. There is no misunderstanding about that."
VICTOR HAYES: "I didn't know who you were."
MAYA BROOKS: "Would your actions have been acceptable if I had been a junior technician?"
Victor lowered his eyes.
MAYA BROOKS: "Or a civilian employee?"
He remained silent.
MAYA BROOKS: "Your behavior will be investigated separately from the maintenance discrepancies. You will have an opportunity to provide a statement through the proper process."
Victor looked toward the aircraft.
He knew that the maintenance records were far more dangerous to his career than the confrontation alone.
If Maya discovered what had happened during the previous readiness evaluation, she would find evidence connecting his department to a series of questionable certifications.
And Victor knew that several officers above him had participated in the process.
He had never expected those decisions to be examined by someone from senior command.
Maya turned toward the security team.
MAYA BROOKS: "Sergeant Hayes is to be relieved of his supervisory responsibilities while the investigation proceeds. Arrange for him to be escorted to the administrative office."
Victor immediately objected.
VICTOR HAYES: "Colonel, I have an entire maintenance schedule to supervise."