Executives in expensive suits were watching him.
Military officers were watching him.
Engineers were watching him.
Jacob shrugged.
"They're probably wondering why I'm here."
"Are you famous?"
"No."
"Then why are they staring?"
"Because they don't know me."
Victoria approached.
She looked Jacob over carefully.
Faded coveralls.
Worn boots.
Scratched toolbox.
Calm expression.
Nothing about him suggested that he belonged in the middle of a billion-dollar military program.
"Mr. Turner?"
"Yes."
"I'm Victoria Hayes."
They shook hands.
"Thank you for coming."
Jacob nodded.
"Where's the aircraft?"
Victoria gestured toward the fighter.
"Right there."
Jacob looked at it.
He didn't move.
He simply stared.
Thirty seconds.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Victoria finally asked, "See something?"
"No."
"Then what are you doing?"
"Looking."
She frowned.
Robert stepped forward.
"We can provide the diagnostic logs."
Jacob nodded.
"I'd like them."
Robert handed over a tablet.
Jacob looked at it briefly.
Then he gave it back.
"I don't need that yet."
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
"You don't?"
"No."
"Why?"
Jacob walked toward the aircraft.
"Because the computer can tell me what it thinks is wrong."
He placed one hand against the fuselage.
"I want to know what the aircraft thinks is wrong."
Several engineers exchanged confused looks.
Jacob walked underneath the aircraft.
He examined the landing gear.
Then the hydraulic lines.
Then the engine housing.
Then several control surfaces.
He didn't rush.
He didn't speak.
He simply observed.
Victoria watched him carefully.
For the first time, something about Jacob's behavior made her curious.
He wasn't pretending to know everything.
He wasn't trying to impress anyone.
He wasn't intimidated by the aircraft.
He wasn't intimidated by her.
He was simply working.
After ten minutes, he asked:
"When was the last major hydraulic service?"
Robert answered.
"Three weeks ago."
"Who performed it?"
"Our maintenance division."
"Same team that replaced the pressure regulator?"
Robert frowned.
"Yes."
Jacob looked at him.
"How long ago?"
"Five days."
Jacob nodded.
"And the problem started?"
"Four days ago."
"Interesting."
Victoria stepped closer.
"What are you thinking?"
Jacob didn't answer.
Instead, he crouched beside the aircraft.
He ran his fingers along a hydraulic line.
Then he looked toward the access panel.
"Can I open that?"
Robert immediately said no.
"That panel requires authorization."
Jacob stood.
"Then get authorization."
Victoria looked between them.
"Why?"
Jacob pointed toward the panel.
"Because I think the problem is behind it."
Thirty Minutes of Silence
The atmosphere in the hangar changed.
People who had previously been amused by Jacob were now watching closely.
Robert Collins contacted security.
Authorization was requested.
While they waited, Victoria approached Jacob.
"You seem confident."
"I've seen something similar."
"On what aircraft?"
Jacob looked at her.
"A long time ago."
"Military?"
He didn't answer.
Victoria noticed.
"You don't talk much."
"I talk when there's something useful to say."
Robert returned.
"You have five minutes."
Jacob nodded.
The panel came off.
He leaned inside.
His flashlight moved slowly across the components.
One engineer stood beside him.
"What exactly are you looking for?"
"A pressure regulator."
"We checked the hydraulic regulators."
"Not this one."
"We tested it."
"Did you remove it?"
"No."
"Then you didn't test it."
The engineer looked offended.
Jacob didn't notice.
He continued examining the system.
He touched one fitting.
Then another.
He tapped lightly against a metal housing.
He listened.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Victoria watched.
"What does that do?"
Jacob pointed.
"That."
"The regulator?"
"Yes."
Robert shook his head.
"That regulator is secondary."
"That's what the manual says."
"It doesn't control the primary system."
"Not directly."
"Then it can't cause the warnings."
Jacob looked at him.
"It can if the pressure drops at the wrong moment."
Robert paused.
Jacob continued.
"The system sees unstable pressure. The control computer interprets that as multiple failures. It shuts down several functions to protect the aircraft."
Robert stared at him.
"That's impossible."
Jacob looked back into the compartment.
"No."
He touched the regulator.
"It's damaged."
Robert stepped closer.
"How do you know?"
Jacob pointed at the metal surface.
"See that?"
Robert leaned in.
A tiny vibration mark was visible near the connection.
"What caused that?"
"Pressure oscillation."
"That could be from another component."
Jacob shook his head.
"No."
He reached for a small mirror.
"There."
A hairline crack appeared near the regulator housing.
The hangar became silent.
Robert whispered:
"That wasn't there yesterday."
Jacob looked at him.
"Maybe it was."
He removed the regulator carefully.
Inside, a small internal seal had partially failed.
The component was damaged.
Victoria looked at Robert.
"Replace it."
Robert hesitated.
"We don't have another."
Jacob opened his toolbox.
"I do."
Everyone stared.
Jacob removed a sealed component from his toolbox.
Robert took it.
"Where did you get this?"
"I keep spares."
"For this exact aircraft?"
Jacob shook his head.
"Not this exact aircraft."
Robert examined it.
"It's compatible."
Jacob nodded.
"Mostly."
"Mostly?"
"With one modification."
Robert stared at him.
"You've worked with this system before."
Jacob didn't answer.
The replacement took less than ten minutes.
The team reassembled the access panel.
Robert stood at the controls.
"Ready?"
Victoria nodded.
General Grant moved closer.
The engineers gathered around the diagnostic displays.
Robert initiated the startup sequence.
The aircraft came alive.
One system.