Chapter 6 - THE WHISTLEBLOWER
David spun toward Martin.
"What Altair waiver?"
Martin's face emptied. "I don't know what he's talking about."
Catherine's tablet screamed before David could answer.
FORWARD E-BAY TEMP ALERT - FLIGHT 227.
David grabbed Martin's coat. "We're not done."
Then he ran.
"Shut down auxiliary power," David snapped as he hit the cockpit.
The captain did not move.
"Captain."
"I heard you."
The first officer reached for a switch.
A chime sounded.
The raw temperature dropped from 119 to 82 in one second.
Then jumped back to 120.
David pointed at the line. "That's not a bad sensor. Something is feeding your primary display old safe numbers."
The captain pulled up another diagnostic page.
The timestamps did not match.
One feed was six seconds behind.
"Cached values," David said. "You're flying blind if you trust the green screen."
A knock hit the cockpit frame.
Mercer stood there. "We're done with this."
The captain turned. "Excuse me?"
"Corporate wants the aircraft moving."
David laughed once. "Corporate."
"This airplane passed dispatch checks."
"The live bay is at one hundred twenty degrees."
"Maintenance signed it."
"Then bring the technician here."
Mercer's jaw tightened. "Luis Ortega is not assigned to this aircraft."
David stepped toward him. "No. He just hid evidence under Seat 2A and got beaten in a service corridor."
Mercer's eyes flicked toward Martin, who had just reached the cockpit door.
Again.
That tiny look.
David saw Martin see it.
Martin pulled out his phone. "I'm calling our general counsel."
David caught his wrist. "Call engineering instead. Ask them for every Altair waiver you've signed in the last year."
Martin stared at him.
"David, not here."
"Here is exactly where."
The captain cut in. "Both of you out unless you have something that keeps this airplane from burning."
David released Martin.
"Check the cooling feed."
The first officer did.
A hidden maintenance page showed repeated heat spikes over six weeks.
Every spike had been closed with the same code.
REMOTE CLEARANCE - ALT-R77.
Martin whispered, "R77."
David looked at him. "You know it."
"Altair relay family."
"The waiver."
Martin rubbed his mouth. "I signed a provisional procurement variance. It was supposed to be bench-tested equipment for noncritical use."
"On Meridian aircraft?"
"No."
Mercer took one step backward.
David saw it.
"What did Vance do with your waiver?"
Martin's phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen and turned it facedown too fast.
David took it from him.
One message.
E. VANCE: KEEP JOHNSON OFF THE DRIVE. I WILL HANDLE ORTEGA.
Nobody spoke.
Martin's face drained.
"David, I can explain."
"Later."
David handed the phone to the captain. "Photograph that."
Mercer moved toward the aisle.
Catherine blocked him.
"Going somewhere?"
David's own phone vibrated.
Lena.
HOSPITAL CONFIRMED LUIS CONSCIOUS. FEDERAL AVIATION SECURITY EN ROUTE. CORPORATE COUNSEL TRYING TO BLOCK ACCESS.
David typed back.
KEEP HIM ALIVE. KEEP THEM OUT.
Then another message appeared from an unknown number.
WATCH THE TEMPERATURE NUMBERS.
The primary display still read NORMAL.
The raw page hit 123.
David looked at the captain.
"Ground the plane."
Mercer spoke from behind Catherine.
"You don't have authority to do that."
The captain's hand closed around the parking brake.
"I do."
A warning disappeared from the screen by itself.
Then another.
May you like
Someone, somewhere, was still inside the system.
