Dusk was fast approaching and Stephanie was halfway through annotating a schematic when a sharp knock landed on her office door.
"Come in," she said, without looking up.
Maria stepped in.
Her posture was rigid—too rigid. The tablet in her hands was clutched a little tighter than necessary, knuckles faintly pale. Her expression wore professionalism like armor, but something underneath it was… unsettled.
"Ms. Rogers," Maria said. "My team is ready."
That alone made Stephanie pause.
She looked up. "Ready for…?"
Maria hesitated. Just a fraction. Enough.
"The walkthrough," she said stiffly. "The logic validation of our latest tactical platform. The results indicate it won't require retooling."
Stephanie blinked once.
Then she set her stylus down slowly.
"That was fast," she said, genuinely surprised.
Maria didn't answer immediately.
"That's because," Maria continued, voice clipped, "your optimization framework worked."
There it was.
Stephanie stood. "It did?"
