Jessica's sobbing intensified. She understood now that this was not simply about her job. It was about everything she had been taught and everything she had accepted as normal.
Marcus's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and smiled grimly.
"Ms. Martinez, do you know who that was?"
Jessica shook her head.
"L'Auria Allred's law office. They want to discuss a class-action lawsuit representing every Black passenger who has been discriminated against by Southwest Airlines in the past five years."
The color drained from Jessica's face.
"How many passengers is that?"
"Based on our internal complaints, approximately 2,300 incidents. Average settlement value in discrimination cases: $400,000."
Emma did the math on her livestream.
"That's almost a billion dollars in potential lawsuits."
Marcus nodded. "Correct. Ms. Martinez, your 30 minutes of bias just exposed Southwest Airlines to the largest discrimination lawsuit in aviation history."
Morrison finally found his voice. "Sir, what can we do?"
"We?" Marcus gave a bitter laugh. "Captain, there is no we. You made your choice when you decided I was guilty before asking what I'd done wrong."
"Please, sir. I have a family, a mortgage. I'll lose everything."
"So do the 2,300 Black passengers you and your colleagues have humiliated over the past five years. Did you consider their families when you had them removed from flights?"
Morrison could not answer.
Marcus opened another document. "Southwest Airlines Crisis Management Protocol. Stock Price Protection."
He read aloud. "When facing potential discrimination lawsuits exceeding $100 million, immediately terminate responsible personnel to demonstrate corporate commitment to equality."
Jessica's voice cracked. "You're firing us?"
"I'm not firing anyone," Marcus said coldly. "The board of directors will vote on your termination at an emergency meeting in 90 minutes. I'll be recommending immediate dismissal with cause, which means no severance, no benefits, and no references."
The words hit like physical blows. Jessica doubled over, hyperventilating, while Morrison grabbed the back of a seat for support.
"But," Marcus continued, "there is one possibility for mitigation."
Both crew members looked up desperately.
"Full public confession. Live television interview. Complete acknowledgment of bias and discrimination. A commitment to become advocates for civil-rights training in the airline industry."
"You want us to humiliate ourselves on national television?" Morrison asked.
"You humiliated me in front of 150,000 people," Marcus replied. "Turnabout is fair play."
Emma's viewer count had reached 150,000. Major news outlets were now broadcasting her stream directly, and the Southwest discrimination story was trending globally.
Marcus's tablet chimed with an incoming video call. He accepted it and angled the screen so the cabin could see.
"Marcus, it's Robert Jordan."
The CEO of Southwest Airlines appeared on the screen, his face grim.
"We've been monitoring the situation. Legal is mobilizing. The PR crisis team is activated. The FAA is demanding immediate compliance reviews."
"Robert, meet the crew that just cost us nearly a billion dollars in market capitalization."
Jordan's eyes focused on Jessica and Morrison.