If the backup log hasn't been wiped. And if it has. " He looked toward the cockpit where the red light still blinked like a countdown. Then whoever did this is smarter than I thought. Victoria removed her white cashmere coat. Tell me what to do.
Caleb blinked. You You said if your hand shakes, people die. Mine won't. For the first time that night, respect moved through Caleb's eyes. He handed her the flashlight.
Hold this exactly where I point it. And Miss Hayes, what if I say run, don't argue. She crouched beside him on the freezing concrete. If I say fly, don't doubt me. Caleb gave one sharp nod, slid back under the plane, and guided her light into the torn open belly of the aircraft.
Deep inside the system behind clipped wires, a second device began blinking green. The green blink pulsed once, twice, then disappeared behind Caleb's shoulder as he shifted his body deeper under the jet. Victoria held the flashlight exactly where he had told her, but the beam shook anyway, catching on silver wiring, black insulation, and the tight muscles in his jaw. "Is it armed? " she whispered before she could stop herself. Caleb did not answer immediately.
He reached in with two fingers, not touching the device, tracing the root of the wire through the factory harness. "It's awake," he said. "That's worse," Mara asked from somewhere behind them. Caleb's eyes stayed on the panel. Awake means it's listening.
Victoria felt the cold floor through the thin fabric of her trousers. 10 minutes ago, she would have demanded clearer language charts, numbers, somebody to blame. Now she understood enough. Something hidden inside her aircraft was waiting for the wrong sound, the wrong command, the wrong moment. Captain Reed moved closer, his pilot's calm almost gone, listening for what Caleb slid a small mirror into the panel, angling it toward the green pulse.
Could be an electrical cycle. Could be engine ignition. Could be altitude recognition. Whoever put it here knew enough to make sure nobody found it during a normal inspection. Victoria's breath shortened.
Could Derek have someone with that kind of access? Caleb finally looked at her. People with money can buy access. People with power can make access disappear afterward. The words carried no accusation, but Victoria felt them as one.
Her life had been built on rooms where access was everything. Who entered, who waited, who spoke, who signed? She had never wondered how many people were invisible until one of them held her life in his wounded hands. Her phone buzzed again. This time, Mara picked it up from the cart and read the screen.
Derek sent a message to the full board. He says, "You are refusing all safety reporting protocols and allowing an unknown contractor to compromise evidence. " Victoria let out a bitter breath. He moves fast. Caleb's mouth tightened. He moved before tonight.
What does that mean? Caleb pulled his hand back and sat up, his shoulders brushing the underside of the fuselage. For a moment, the hard fluorescent lights aged him. Victoria saw not just oil and exhaustion, but years of being cornered by a story he could not correct. "The Reno incident? " he said.