MAYA BROOKS: "The schedule will continue under an authorized replacement."
VICTOR HAYES: "You can't simply remove me because of an argument."
MAYA BROOKS: "This is not a punishment imposed because of an argument. It is a temporary measure to protect personnel and evidence while serious allegations are examined."
The duty officer acknowledged the instruction.
Two security personnel approached Victor.
He looked around the hangar.
Nobody offered to defend him.
The same technicians who had once lowered their eyes whenever he approached were now watching him leave.
Victor walked toward the administrative corridor without speaking.
But inside his mind, he was already searching for a way to protect himself.
He needed to contact Major Richard Calloway.
Calloway was the officer responsible for reviewing the maintenance department's operational reports.
He had approved several of the questionable certifications.
More importantly, he knew why the original documents had been changed.
Victor believed that Calloway would understand the seriousness of the situation and help him contain the investigation.
What he did not realize was that Calloway had already received a message about the confrontation.
And the major was beginning to worry about protecting himself.
Meanwhile, Maya remained inside Hangar Four.
A medical officer approached and asked to examine her injuries.
Maya agreed.
She knew that documenting the assault was important, both for her own welfare and for the integrity of the investigation.
The medical officer cleaned the blood from her lip and examined the swelling near her cheek.
MEDICAL OFFICER: "Colonel, you have a cut on your lower lip and some facial swelling. I'd like to examine you more thoroughly."
MAYA BROOKS: "Do what is medically necessary. I also want the findings documented accurately."
MEDICAL OFFICER: "Of course."
Daniel waited nearby.
He appeared troubled.
Maya noticed his expression.
MAYA BROOKS: "Officer Price, you look like there's something else you need to tell me."
Daniel glanced toward the maintenance office.
DANIEL PRICE: "There is, Colonel."
MAYA BROOKS: "Go ahead."
DANIEL PRICE: "The records you were asking about are not the only ones that have been changed."
Maya remained silent.
Daniel continued.
DANIEL PRICE: "For several months, technicians have been instructed to classify certain problems as resolved before the inspections were completed."
MAYA BROOKS: "Who issued those instructions?"
DANIEL PRICE: "Sometimes Sergeant Hayes. Other times the instructions came through Major Calloway's office."
MAYA BROOKS: "Did you personally receive any of them?"
DANIEL PRICE: "Yes."
MAYA BROOKS: "Did you keep the original messages?"
DANIEL PRICE: "Some of them."
Maya looked toward the investigation officer.
MAYA BROOKS: "Arrange a formal interview with Officer Price. Preserve any original messages he provides and document how they were obtained."
INVESTIGATION OFFICER: "Understood."
Daniel appeared relieved.
He had been waiting for someone to take the concerns seriously.
But Maya wanted to understand why he had not reported the matter earlier.
MAYA BROOKS: "You mentioned that complaints had been submitted before. What happened to them?"
Daniel took a breath.
DANIEL PRICE: "The first complaint was dismissed as a misunderstanding. The second was returned to the maintenance department for an internal review."
MAYA BROOKS: "Who conducted that review?"
DANIEL PRICE: "Sergeant Hayes."
Maya looked at him.
MAYA BROOKS: "The person named in the complaint was allowed to review it?"
DANIEL PRICE: "Yes, Colonel."
MAYA BROOKS: "And what happened afterward?"
DANIEL PRICE: "The technician who submitted it was transferred to overnight maintenance."
Maya made a note.
She had seen similar situations before.
When an organization allowed supervisors to investigate complaints about their own conduct, employees could lose confidence in the entire reporting process.
The problem was not simply whether the supervisor was guilty.
It was whether the process could be trusted.
Maya asked Daniel to identify every person who had submitted a complaint about the maintenance records.
He provided several names.
One belonged to a young technician named Aaron Mitchell.
Aaron had been assigned to the aircraft involved in the questionable certification.
According to Daniel, he had discovered a discrepancy in the inspection process and refused to sign the final clearance form.
Two days later, he had been reassigned.
Maya requested that Aaron be located and interviewed.
She also ordered an independent technical inspection of the aircraft.
Until the inspection was complete, the aircraft would remain grounded.
The decision immediately affected the hangar's schedule.
Several personnel looked concerned.
Maya understood why.
The installation had an upcoming operational evaluation, and grounding an aircraft could reduce its reported readiness percentage.
But she was not willing to accept a certification that could not be supported by accurate records.
MAYA BROOKS: "The aircraft will return to service when the required inspection is complete and the evidence supports its certification."
The maintenance supervisor nodded.
Maya then turned toward the administrative offices.
She wanted to examine the documents before anyone had an opportunity to alter them.
The investigation team entered Victor's office.
The room was unusually organized.
Inspection binders were arranged on shelves.
Several folders were stacked beside the desk.
A computer displayed the maintenance reporting system.
At first glance, nothing appeared suspicious.
But Maya noticed that the original inspection clipboard was missing.
She asked the duty officer where it had been stored.