Claire whispered:

"What does that mean?"

Robert didn't answer. The screen displayed one final message. AUTHORIZED EXECUTIVE — DANIEL CROSS

Then the airport system automatically unlocked a series of restricted functions. Gate control. Passenger security. Operations command. Emergency systems. Everything. Claire slowly turned toward Daniel. For the first time that morning, she looked frightened. Robert walked toward him. "Mr. Cross."

Daniel looked up. "Yes?"

Robert swallowed. "Could I speak with you?"

Daniel stood. "About my ticket?"

Robert looked at the torn pieces in the trash. Robert Kline lowered the monitor's brightness, but the words EXECUTIVE CLEARANCE remained visible in the reflection on the office glass. Daniel spoke deliberately. "Do not call this an emergency simply because my name is on the screen. Call it an emergency because the network may have been compromised." Claire watched the exchange from the doorway. She had thought that the man in the gray jacket wanted an apology. Now she understood that he wanted an explanation, and the difference terrified her. Outside, the normal boarding announcements went on, bright and cheerful, as if nothing beneath them had changed. "I didn't mean to humiliate anyone," Claire said finally. Daniel did not challenge her intention. He asked a different question. "When you saw that woman struggling with her bag, did you know she needed help?" Claire's silence answered him.

Chapter 03 — Omega Clearance

The clearance screen looked almost theatrical in the blue light of the supervisor's workstation. Claire read the letters OMEGA twice. “Is it real?” she asked. Robert's fingers remained above the keyboard. “The authority is real. The session is not.” Daniel moved the screen away from the public queue. “Do not announce my credentials,” he said. “And do not suspend every flight. Safety first, evidence second, reputations last.” Robert pointed to a timestamp earlier than Daniel's arrival. That single line disturbed him more than the apparent power on the screen. Someone had prepared a stage for his visit. “They wanted me to use my authority in public,” he said. “Why?” Claire asked. “Because then I would have confirmed that their stolen access worked.”

"About something much bigger than your ticket."

Daniel glanced at Claire. Then at the monitor. "I think so."

Robert lowered his voice. "Why didn't you tell us who you were?"

Daniel's expression remained calm. "I wanted to know how you treat people when you don't know who they are."

Robert said nothing. Daniel looked toward Counter 17. "The ticket isn't the problem."

He paused. "The way you treated me is."

Claire looked down. Daniel continued. "And that's why I'm here."

Robert stared. "Here for what?"

Daniel reached into his jacket. He pulled out a small black access card. Then placed it on the counter. "I've been reviewing the complaints from this terminal."

Robert's face changed. "You're..."

Daniel looked directly at him. "Director of Airport Operations."

Claire stopped breathing. Daniel picked up the torn pieces of his ticket from the trash. He placed them carefully on the counter. Then he said something that made Robert's blood run cold. "I'm not here to punish Claire Donovan."

Claire looked up. "I'm here to find out who taught her that this was acceptable."

Nobody spoke. Then the airport's secure system beeped again. A new alert appeared on the monitor. Robert read it. His face slowly lost its color. UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED. Below it was another line. SUBJECT: DANIEL CROSS

Daniel looked at the screen. For the first time that morning, the calm expression disappeared from his face. Because the system had just reported something impossible. Someone else was already logged into the airport network... using his identity. And the access had been granted from somewhere inside Terminal Four. Daniel looked toward the restricted corridor. Then toward Robert. "Lock the terminal."