Chapter 30 Countdown to Crisis


    A light sheen of sweat had broken out on Zion’s forehead. This was getting out of hand.


    If the blood didn’t make it in time and the pregnant woman hadplications, AeroAir would be in deep trouble.


    Jonathan had only just returned to the country and taken his ce at AeroAir’s headquarters <b>a </b>month ago. As the young heir, he was already under heavy scrutiny. This was not the time for anything to go wrong.


    “The status on the helicopter?” Jonathan asked calmly.


    His voice was even, his expressionposed. There was no panic–just steady, focused control.


    “It’s already in the air, but it’s still at least ten minutes out. We’re not going to make <i>it </i>in time…”


    Jonathan turned toward Logan, the bespectacled engineer sitting at a nearbyputer. “What’s the update, Logan?”


    Logan Winters, somewhere in histe thirties or early forties, was dressed in a checkered shirt, thick sses perched on his nose–a textbook tech guy. He was mapping out drone routes, but so far, none of them were working.


    SB b b n k h P h g h M


    Sweat trickled down his temples, and his hands trembled slightly over the keyboard. Being singled out by name only piled on the pressure.


    “Mr. Fullbuster, I’ve tried multiple routes, but none of them get us there fast enough. The biggest issue is getting from here to St. Aurora Medical Center–we’d have to pass through the old housing district. The power grid over there is a mess. If we reroute around <i>it</i>, we lose over ten minutes. If we go through, we risk dys anyway…”


    “I want a solution, not excuses.”


    “I–I’ll keep trying, but I…”


    Sensing his hesitation, Jonathan turned swiftly to Zion.


    “Put out a citywide call–see if anyone near St. Aurora Medical Center has Rh–negative blood and can donate immediately. AeroAir will offer a generous reward.


    “Get the patient’s family to the hospital right away. Prep them for the worst, but do it gently- make sure they won’t have any regrets.


    “Tell PR to prepare two contingency ns. Monitor the media closely.


    “And send a motorcycle to Pinecrest Avenue. Try to get one of Nexa’s top engineers here–<b>fast</b>.


    Zion nodded and rushed to carry out the orders.


    Jonathan turned back to Logan, who was still working on the route. “What’s the farthest point we can realistically reach in time?”


    Logan wiped his face. “Maybe… Mistfall Avenue.”


    “If the dronends there, could someone drive the rest of the way to St. Aurora Medical Center in time?”


    Logan’s eyes lit up, but he soon shook his head. “Unlikely. That stretch of Mistfall Avenue is under construction…”


    His voice trailed off, and sweat started running down into his eyes.


    Then, from the back of the ce, a clear female voice rose above the tension.


    “Mr. Fullbuster? Can I take a look?”


    Jonathan turned and spotted her immediately–Anneliese, waving at him from the edge of the crowd.


    Her eyes sparkled, bright with urgency.


    “Ms. ude? What’s she doing here? Mr. Fullbuster, I’ll escort her out.”


    This was thest thing they needed–more chaos.


    Zion had just finished his call and was about to turn around when he heard Jonathan say, “Bring her over.”


    Zion froze.


    This was bad. Jonathan was clearly letting personal feelings interfere, but Zion had always been the type to follow orders without dy–even if he didn’t get it, even if he didn’t agree.


    So, without another word, he headed straight for Anneliese and signaled the others to let her through.


    She jogged up to Jonathan’s side, her eyes locked on theputer. “Mind if I try?”


    Logan looked up, his eyes pausing briefly on Anneliese’s striking, youthful face. His tone wasced with barely disguised contempt.


    “You know what you’re doing? This isn’t some game–if you waste time, you-”


    “Whether I do or not is beside the point,” Anneliese cut in smoothly. “What’s clear is–you don’t.”


    Logan opened his mouth to argue, but Jonathan’s voice sliced through the tension.


    “Stand up.


    Let her work.”


    Logan couldn’t believe what he was hearing–but deep down, he knew she was right.


    At this point, he was practically hoping someone would pull him out of the fire. And since Jonathan had given the order, he stood up without hesitation.


    Anneliese slid into the chair, eyes sharp with focus. Her slender fingers danced across the keyboard.


    “I’ll rebuild the environment model first, then try a different route nning algorithm…”


    Her hands moved fast. With each keystroke, the city’s streets spread across the screen like a web–dense, intricate, and alive with possibility.


    Zion stood frozen, watching her work, then nced over at Jonathan, who stood nearby with one hand in his pocket, observing in silence.


    He didn’t dare say a word.


    <i>Holy </i><i>crap</i><i>! </i><i>Okay</i><i>, </i><i>Ms. </i><i>ude </i><i>actually </i><i>seems </i>to <i>know </i><i>what </i><i>she’s </i><i>doing</i>. <i>And </i><i>that </i><i>calm</i><i>, </i><i>focused </i><i>energy</i>? <i>Way </i><i>more </i><i>professional </i><i>than </i><i>Logan </i><i>ever </i><i>was</i>.


    <i>Standing </i><i>next </i><i>to </i><i>our </i><i>CEO</i>, <i>she </i><i>doesn’t </i><i>look </i><i>out </i><i>of </i><i>ce </i><i>at </i><i>all</i><i>. </i><i>Honestly</i><i>, </i><i>they </i><i>look </i><i>good </i><i>together</i>.


    <i>Wait</i><i>, </i><i>what </i><i>am </i><i>I </i><i>thinking</i><i>? </i><i>No</i><i>, </i>no<i>–</i><i>Ms</i>. <i>ude’s </i><i>married</i>. <i>This </i><i>line </i><i>of </i><i>thought </i><i>is </i><i>seriously </i><i>out </i><i>of </i><i>bounds</i>.


    “All set! Let’s go!”


    Zion was still stuck in his moral dilemma when Anneliese’s cheerful voice snapped him back to reality.


    <b>3/3 </b>