Chapter 15 - THE HANGAR
Federal agents surrounded the Wichita hangar before Maya entered.
Inside sat rows of boxed aircraft components, many relabeled with false serial numbers.
Counterfeit brake control units.
Hydraulic valves.
Sensors.
Millions of dollars in parts that looked legal until someone checked the metal beneath the paint.
Lena was there.
Alive.
She stepped from behind a shipping cage with both hands raised.
"I didn't know who to trust."
Maya hugged her before anger could win.
Then Lena showed them a ledger.
Northstar had paid Meridian executives to keep defective parts in service until replacement contracts were complete.
Victor's signature appeared on three approvals.
So did Nolan Pierce's.
And one more name.
Captain Daniel Price.
Maya stared at it.
"No."
Lena said, "I don't know what he did. I only know he signed something."
Maya called Daniel.
No answer.
She called Erin.
Erin answered on the second ring, whispering.
"Maya, Daniel is here."
"Where?"
"At my apartment. He says he needs to tell us what happened the night Jonah died."
Maya's pulse jumped.
Then Erin's voice changed.
"Someone's at the door."
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Agents photographed every crate in the hangar. Some parts had original manufacturer markings ground away and replaced with counterfeit laser etching. Priya held a valve under a flashlight and went pale. 'This alloy isn't even rated for the temperature range.' Maya imagined thousands of passengers sleeping, reading, arguing, ordering drinks above clouds while cheap metal flexed behind panels they would never see. The scale of it made Victor's arrogance seem less like a personality flaw and more like a business model.
The line went dead.
