Sixty-seven people were watching now. The viewer count kept climbing. People were sharing Carlos's stream, tagging friends, spreading the video across platforms. Teterboro Airport started appearing in comments.
Tyler Morgan decided to escalate further. "You know what? I'm calling airport security right now. This is harassment."
He pulled out his phone and dialed, speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Yeah, we need security at the Bombardier Global on Tango 7. We have an uncooperative individual refusing to leave the area. Possible mental health issue."
"Mental health issue?"
Tyler was laying groundwork to dismiss anything Naomi might say as the ravings of someone psychologically unstable. It was character assassination in real time. Madison smiled. In her mind, they were winning.
Four aviation professionals against one confused woman. The math seemed simple. She had no idea that Carlos Mendez's live stream had just hit 200 viewers and was climbing rapidly. She had no idea that inside the FBO lounge, Patricia Williams was texting contacts at three major news networks.
She had no idea that Maria Santos's Instagram Live had been picked up by several aviation news accounts. Most importantly, she had no idea who she was actually talking to. Airport security arrived in the form of Officer David Martinez, 45, a former police officer who'd transitioned to private security after a back injury ended his patrol career. Martinez prided himself on de-escalating situations, but he also tended to trust aviation professionals over random civilians.
"What's the situation here?" Martinez asked, his hand resting casually on his radio.
"This woman is refusing to leave the aircraft area," Jessica explained quickly. "We've asked multiple times, but she's claiming to own the plane."
Martinez looked at Naomi with the practiced assessment of someone who dealt with thousands of disputed situations. "Ma'am, do you have documentation showing you're authorized to be here?"
It was the first reasonable question anyone had asked. Naomi reached into her medical bag and pulled out her wallet, removing a black American Express Centurion card and her driver's license. "Dr. Naomi Brooks," she said, handing both items to Martinez. "That's my aircraft."