At minute twenty, the test ended normally.
For the first time in six weeks, the prototype had completed the test cycle without triggering the harmonic disruption warning.
Priya covered her mouth with one hand.
Cole stared at the display as though he expected the warning to appear late.
Arthur Whitmore looked toward Jamal.
Victoria did not move.
"Run the verification sequence," Cole said finally.
They repeated the test after the engine had returned to the required starting conditions.
The results were similar.
The replacement sensor's response discrepancy was now strongly implicated in the failure. The team still needed to complete the full validation program, but the immediate failure pattern had disappeared with the calibrated reference unit installed.
Cole removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
"Six weeks," he muttered.
Priya looked at the graph.
"Six weeks of repeating the same test without comparing the right response curve."
Cole did not respond.
Jamal stood quietly near the observation line.
He felt relief, but not triumph.
The test had established an important result. It had not proved that every aspect of the engine was ready for commercial use. Nor had it explained why an unverified component had entered the development program.
The technical issue was only one part of the problem.
"Mr. Washington," Victoria said.
He turned.
"Yes?"
"Would you join us in the conference room?"
"Certainly."
This time, no one looked surprised when he walked beside the CEO.
The conference room contained the same long table where Victoria had humiliated him the day before. The same executives had gathered, along with several engineering managers who had been summoned to review the results.
The display at the front of the room showed the test graphs.
Victoria stood at the head of the table.
"Before we discuss the next steps," she said, "I want to make one thing clear. The sensor discrepancy was identified through a collaborative investigation. Mr. Washington raised the initial question, and Dr. Cole, Ms. Raman, and the engineering team verified it through controlled testing."
Jamal looked at the table.
He appreciated the acknowledgment, but he did not need it to be exaggerated.
Victoria continued.
"The prototype has completed two controlled verification runs with the calibrated reference sensor. The results support the conclusion that the replacement sensor's response contributed to the repeated harmonic disruption. We will continue testing before making any commercial commitments."
A board member named Richard Sloan leaned forward.
"How did someone in facilities maintenance identify what the engineering team missed?"
The question sounded polite.
The implication was not.
Jamal answered before Victoria could speak.
"I looked at the timing of the failures and asked to compare the raw data with the sensor's expected response. The initial pattern suggested that something changed before the warning appeared. The engineers had already collected the relevant information. We needed to examine it from a slightly different angle."
Sloan frowned.
"You're saying the engineers simply overlooked it?"
"No, sir. I'm saying the investigation had focused on several other possibilities. A complex system can produce many symptoms, and different people may notice different relationships in the same data."
Priya nodded.
"That's accurate."
Cole sat with his hands folded.
After a moment, he added, "The team should have completed the dynamic comparison earlier. I take responsibility for that oversight."
The admission surprised several people.
Victoria glanced at him but did not interrupt.
Arthur Whitmore spoke from the far end of the table.
"Now we must understand how the replacement was approved."
The room changed.
The graphs remained on the display, but the discussion shifted from engineering to procurement.
A vice president of operations explained that Meridian Instruments had supplied the replacement sensor under an expedited purchasing agreement. The component had been listed as equivalent to the original, and the procurement system had accepted the supplier's certification.
"Who verified the certification?" Whitmore asked.
The vice president hesitated.
"The documentation was entered by the supplier and reviewed by our procurement team."
"Which individual?"
"We're retrieving the audit record."
"Retrieve it today."
Victoria turned toward the company's general counsel.
"Preserve every document associated with the replacement order, including emails, supplier communications, approval logs, and calibration records."
The counsel nodded.
"Understood."
Jamal remained silent.
He had no evidence of deliberate wrongdoing. An incorrect document date might reflect a clerical error. A supplier could have made a legitimate mistake. A procurement manager might have relied on information that appeared trustworthy.
But the company needed to establish the facts before the prototype moved toward commercial deployment.
Victoria looked toward him.
"Mr. Washington, is there anything else you believe we should examine?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Go ahead."
"The sensor's performance is one question. The process that approved it is another. Even if this was an honest mistake, the system should make it difficult for a component to enter a critical prototype without the required validation."
Whitmore nodded.
"Agreed."
Jamal continued.
"Someone should also review the earlier test records to determine whether the discrepancy was present before the failures became obvious. If the data exists, it might tell us when the response began to change."
Priya opened her notebook.
"I can add that to the review."
Sloan leaned back.
"And what would you like in return for your contribution?"
The question landed with a familiar heaviness.
Jamal looked at him.
"Nothing unusual, sir."
"Nothing?"
"I would like the company to evaluate the findings fairly, correct the process, and make sure the people responsible for the investigation have the support they need."
Sloan appeared unconvinced.
"Most people would ask for a promotion."
"I might apply for one if an appropriate position becomes available."
"And a substantial salary increase?"
"I wouldn't refuse fair compensation for work I'm qualified to do."
A few people smiled.
Jamal continued before the conversation could become a joke.
"But I'm not asking the company to reward me for solving a problem that hasn't been fully resolved. The engine still needs validation, and the approval discrepancy needs investigation."
Arthur Whitmore watched him carefully.
Victoria felt something uncomfortable shift inside her.
She had expected the man to use his unexpected success as leverage. She had assumed that his refusal to play along with her marriage remark was an act of wounded pride.
Instead, he was treating the situation as a technical responsibility.