Dale's face darkened.
“Eleanor—”
“No.”
She straightened.
“For nineteen years, you've been responsible for making sure this department finds correct answers.”
“I have.”
“Then explain why the person with the correct answer was the person you worked hardest not to hear.”
Dale said nothing.
Eleanor looked at Elijah.
“Effective immediately, I want to offer you a senior maintenance engineering position.”
A murmur went through the room.
“Full technical access. Reliability authority. Compensation at the appropriate engineering level.”
Elijah stared at her.
She named the salary range.
It was nearly four times his current pay.
For several seconds, he heard nothing else.
Four times.
A different apartment.
No fear over inhaler costs.
Savings.
A better school district.
A reliable car.
No calculating groceries in the checkout line.
No wondering whether he could replace Theo's old bedroom window before winter.
Then Eleanor said, “The role is dayshift with rotating on-call coverage.”
Elijah's excitement died quietly.
“We're also opening a second site next quarter,” she continued. “I need experienced people there during commissioning. There would be travel during the first several months.”
Everyone expected him to say yes.
Dale actually laughed once under his breath when Elijah remained silent.
Eleanor noticed.
“Elijah?”
He looked at her.
“May I think about it?”
The room went still for the second time.
One engineer stared openly.
Eleanor studied Elijah.
“How long?”
“A day.”
“Of course.”
Dale shook his head.
Eleanor turned toward him.
“We're not finished.”
The smile disappeared.
“I've authorized an outside review of engineering diagnostic practices and maintenance escalation procedures.”
Dale's posture stiffened.
“An outside review.”
“Yes.”
“Because we misdiagnosed one machine.”
“No.”
Eleanor looked toward the whiteboard.
“Because your division appears to have created an environment where rank can erase evidence.”
Dale sat very still.
Eleanor continued.
“A person drew a technically sound theory on this board.”
“You erased it because of the color of his coveralls.”
“That concerns me more than the ninety-four-thousand-dollar purchase order.”
She gathered her papers.
“The review begins Monday.”
Then she left.
The engineers filed out gradually.
Priya remained seated.
Elijah wiped the board clean.
Not the way Dale had.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Priya approached.
“I'm sorry.”
Elijah glanced at her.
“For what?”
“Yesterday.”
He waited.
“I should have said something.”
“You didn't agree with him.”
“I didn't disagree out loud either.”
Elijah folded the cleaning cloth.
Priya looked toward the door.
“Dale controls assignments.”
“I know.”
“Promotions.”
“I assumed.”
“I've been trying to make senior for two years.”
Elijah looked at her.
“You don't owe me an explanation.”
“Yes, I do.”
He shook his head.
“No.”
She looked confused.
Elijah continued.
“You owe yourself one.”
Then he left.
That night Elijah returned to Bay Six before starting his facilities rounds.