“That’s fine. Keep it with you.”
“Dad?”
“Maya, listen carefully.”
His tone was no longer parental.
It was the voice she heard when he spoke during work calls.
“Is Captain Kim nearby?”
Rachel looked sharply at Maya.
Maya covered the phone.
“My dad asked if you’re Captain Kim.”
Rachel’s expression changed.
“How does he know my name?”
Maya looked at her phone.
“Dad?”
Her father said,
“Tell Captain Kim to hold the aircraft at the gate.”
Grant laughed loudly.
“This is ridiculous.”
Rachel did not.
Her face had become completely still.
“Who is your father?” she asked.
Maya answered,
“Daniel Bennett.”
Rachel went pale.
Grant stopped laughing.
The aircraft door had begun closing.
Rachel turned instantly.
“Stop door closure.”
Claire froze.
Rachel raised her voice.
“Hold departure.”
The door stopped.
Passengers began murmuring.
Grant lowered his newspaper.
“What exactly is happening?”
Maya still held the phone.
Her father’s voice came through.
“Tell Captain Kim there may have been an unauthorized reservation override attached to your passenger record.”
Maya stared.
“What?”
Rachel heard enough.
She turned toward the cockpit.
“Claire, keep the cabin seated.”
Grant stood.
“I have a meeting in Seattle.”
Rachel looked at him.
“So do the other hundred and eighty people aboard.”
“You cannot delay this flight over a seating disagreement.”
Rachel’s expression hardened.
“We’re no longer discussing a seating disagreement.”
Maya looked at her phone.
“Dad, what is going on?”
Daniel Bennett answered quietly.
“I don’t know yet.”
Then he added,
“But somebody tried to move you out of 3A before you ever reached the airplane.”
Maya looked toward Grant Holloway.
For the first time that morning, he looked nervous.
The jet bridge was reattached six minutes later.
Nobody was allowed to leave.
That caused immediate complaints.
Phones came out.
Passengers started recording.
Grant Holloway stood beside Seat 3A.
“I’m not being detained.”
Captain Kim answered,
“No one said you were.”
“Then I’m leaving.”
“You may voluntarily deplane once airport operations confirms the aircraft can reopen boarding.”
“That is ridiculous.”
Rachel did not respond.
Maya sat temporarily in 3C across the aisle.
Claire brought her water.
“You okay?”
“Yes.”
That was not entirely true.
Her father remained on the phone.
Daniel Bennett was not the owner of Northstar Air.
Not the CEO.
Not a politician.
He was Senior Director of Safety Systems for Meridian Aviation Group, a consulting company that designed passenger-protection and operational software used by several airlines.
Including Northstar.
Maya knew his job involved computers and airlines.
She had never cared about the details.
Now those details were stopping an airplane.
“Dad.”
“I’m here.”
“Did you stop the flight?”
“No.”
“Then why did Captain Kim?”
“Because her flight system probably displayed a security flag after Operations reviewed your record.”
“Because of my seat?”
“No.”
Daniel hesitated.
“Because of how someone tried to take it.”
A man in a gray suit entered through the aircraft door.
Behind him came an airport security supervisor and another Northstar employee carrying a tablet.
The man introduced himself to Rachel.
“Evan Price, Operational Security.”
Rachel nodded.
They spoke quietly.
Grant said,
“I’d like everyone to remember that I have done nothing except sit in the wrong seat.”
Evan looked at him.
“That may be true.”
“May?”
“We’re verifying.”
Grant scoffed.
Evan turned to Maya.
“Miss Bennett?”
“Yes?”
“May I see your boarding pass?”
She remembered her father.
“Can I hold it while you look?”
Evan seemed surprised.
Then smiled faintly.
“Absolutely.”
Maya held it out.
He scanned the barcode using his tablet.
The screen changed.
Evan frowned.
“What?” Rachel asked.
He showed her.
Rachel’s expression darkened.
Grant said,
“What?”
Nobody answered him.
Maya asked,
“Can I see?”
Evan hesitated.
Then crouched beside her.
“Your seat was changed three times overnight.”
Maya frowned.
“But I’m still 3A.”
“Yes. Every change was reversed automatically.”
“Why?”
“Your booking has a youth-travel protection flag.”
Grant muttered,
“She’s traveling alone. Airlines move seats all the time.”
Evan nodded.
“That’s true.”
Grant looked triumphant.
Then Evan added,
“But not through an engineering administrator account.”
Silence.
Maya did not understand.
Her father did.
She heard him say,
“Oh no.”
“Dad?”
Daniel’s voice sharpened.
“Ask what administrator profile.”
Maya repeated it.
Evan checked.
His eyes narrowed.
“NX-17.”
Daniel swore quietly.
Maya had almost never heard him swear.
“What is NX-17?”
He did not answer immediately.
Evan did.
“It’s a testing profile.”
“For what?”
“Reservation-system maintenance.”
Grant folded his arms.
“This has nothing to do with me.”
Evan turned toward him.
“Did anyone tell you Seat 3A would be available?”
“No.”
Maya watched.
Too fast.
Evan did too.
“Mr. Holloway, think carefully.”
“I don’t need to think.”
Evan nodded.
“Then we’ll check your corporate booking communications.”
“You will not.”
“We won’t access your private device without consent.”
“Good.”
“But Northstar owns communications sent through its corporate travel portal.”
Grant went silent.
Evan tapped the tablet.
“Your travel manager requested Seat 3A yesterday.”
“That happens constantly.”
“Request denied.”
“So?”
“Then someone used NX-17 to attempt reassignment.”
Grant looked toward the window.
Evan continued.
“Three times.”
Rachel asked,
“Who has access to NX-17?”
Evan said,
“Very few people.”
Daniel spoke through Maya’s phone.
“Fewer than twelve.”
Maya looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“I helped design the access controls.”
Her eyes widened.
Grant’s face changed again.
Rachel asked Maya,
“Can I speak with your father?”
Maya handed over the phone.
Rachel moved toward the galley.
Grant watched her.
Maya watched Grant.
He caught her staring.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“No.”
“Could have fooled me.”
“I wanted my seat.”
“You’ve delayed an entire flight.”
Maya felt anger return.
“I didn’t refuse to move.”
Grant’s jaw tightened.
“You have no idea how the real world works.”
Maya answered,
“Maybe.”
Then glanced toward Evan.
“But apparently neither do you.”
Across the aisle, somebody laughed.
Grant sat down angrily.
Not in 3B.
Still 3A.
Evan checked another screen.
Then stopped.
“Captain.”
Rachel returned.
“What?”
“There was a corporate note added to Holloway’s account at 5:11 yesterday afternoon.”
Grant said,
“That’s normal.”
Evan read silently.
Then looked at him.
“Seat preference priority approved by VP commercial office.”
Rachel frowned.
“Which VP?”
Evan tapped.
The field was blank.
Daniel’s voice came faintly through the phone.
“Check metadata.”
Rachel put the call on speaker.
Evan opened another menu.