Chapter 208:


    Instantly, the wall of screens came alive. Cascades of data streams, fluid dynamics simtions, and intricate three-dimensional wireframes flooded the monitors, bathing the dimb in cool blue light.


    And, who had been reviewing files at his desk, stood and walked over to stand behind her. He watched the rotating model on the central screen, his eyes widening.


    “Is this the prototype for the Phoenix-X7?” he asked, his voice hushed.


    Isolde nodded, her gaze fixed on the screen. “Yes. What Belle stole from the safe was just the shell — the exterior design and the firstyer architecture. It looks impressive, but it’s hollow.” She tapped a key, and the three-dimensional model peeled away its outeryers, revealing aplex, vein-likework of pipes and chambers beneath. “The soul of the engine — the Thermal Fluid Cirction System — has been with me the whole time.”


    She pulled up a side-by-sideparison. On the left was her design. On the right was a rendering of the engine InnoTech had just teased in their press release.


    “Look at their thermal dissipation specs,” Isolde said, pointing to the InnoTech diagram. “They’re using the legacy cooling solution. It works fine for standardmercial jets, but for a high-performance engine like the Phoenix, it’s a death trap.”


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    “How bad is it?” And asked.


    “Catastrophic,” Isolde said. “If they push that engine past 3,000 RPM, the heat won’t vent fast enough. The pressure in thebustion chamber will spike, and the whole thing will explode.”


    Theb door slid open and Harper walked in, bncing a tray with a steaming mug of coffee and a ss of warm water with lemon.


    “Coffee for the boss, hydration for the patient,” Harper said, setting the tray down. She nced at the simtion of the exploding engine on the screen. “That looks nasty. So — are you going to warn them? Send a cease and desist?”


    Isolde took the ss of water, her fingers curling around the warmth. A cold, precise smile touched her lips.


    “No,” she said softly. “I’m not going to say a word. I want them to release it. I want them to stand on a stage, smile for the cameras, and sign that multi-billion-dor contract with the Department of Defense.”


    Harper’s eyes widened. “You’re going to let them hang themselves.”


    “I’m going to let them build the gallows, tie the knot, and step off the ledge,” Isolde corrected. “Once the ink is dry on that contract, that’s when we release the safety analysis. That’s when we show the DOD that InnoTech sold them a bomb.”


    She set the water down and cracked her knuckles. Despite her injuries, her fingers began to move across the mechanical keyboard, the rhythmic cking sounding like gunfire in the quietb.


    “What are you doing now?” And asked.


    “Writing the obituary for InnoTech,” Isolde murmured, her eyes moving across the code. “I’m drafting an anonymous technical analysis report. It won’t just expose their fatal w — it will simultaneously present the solution. SkyLine’s proprietary thermal recycling loop.”


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