"And the system rejected it."
"You could have returned it."
"You don't need it anymore."
Daniel studied her. There was no anger in his face. That seemed to make Claire more uncomfortable. He simply asked:
"Do you know who I am?"
Claire gave a small, dismissive smile. "No."
Daniel nodded. "Good."
Claire frowned. "Excuse me?"
"You don't know who I am."
"No."
"That's useful."
She stared at him. Daniel turned away from the counter. He didn't argue. He didn't threaten her. He didn't call anyone. He simply walked toward a nearby seating area and sat down. Claire watched him. She seemed confused. Perhaps she expected him to shout. Perhaps she expected him to demand a manager. Instead, Daniel sat quietly. He looked at his watch. 9:18. Then he waited. Five minutes passed. Ten. Claire continued checking in passengers. Daniel watched. A few people glanced at him. One elderly man whispered to his wife. "Did she really tear his ticket?"
The woman nodded. "Yes."
Daniel heard them. He said nothing. At 9:31, a man in a navy airline uniform hurried toward Counter 17. He was in his forties. Tall. Clean-shaven. His badge read:
ROBERT KLINE — DUTY SUPERVISOR
He approached Claire. "What happened?"
Claire pointed toward Daniel. "Passenger doesn't have a confirmed reservation."
Robert looked toward the seating area. "Name?"
"Daniel Cross."
Robert froze. Only for a fraction of a second. But Daniel saw it. Robert typed the name into his terminal. The screen loaded. Then stopped. Robert frowned. He tried again. The computer froze. A blue security window appeared. Robert's expression changed. "What is this?"
Claire leaned over the counter. "What?"
Robert didn't answer. The screen suddenly went black. Then a new interface appeared. Not the airline's normal reservation system. A secure airport interface. Red letters appeared across the screen. EXECUTIVE CLEARANCE VERIFICATION
Claire stared. Robert stepped backward. A second line appeared. IDENTITY CONFIRMED
Then:
DANIEL CROSS
Claire's face went pale. Robert looked toward the seating area. Daniel was still sitting there. The system continued loading. AUTHORIZED ACCESS LEVEL: OMEGA