The auditorium filled on presentation day. Elena sat in the front row, hands clasped tightly, her heart pounding harder than it ever had in her life.

Adrian walked onstage, small against the towering screen. No notes. No script.

He explained the propulsion logic with clarity beyond his years. Everything flowed perfectly—until the live activation.

“And now we initiate the core,” he said, pressing the command.

The screen flashed red.

“CRITICAL FAILURE. OVERHEATING IMMINENT.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Whispers sharpened. Daniel went pale. Elena covered her mouth.

Richard, standing near the back, allowed himself a thin smile.

Adrian did not move.

He closed his eyes briefly, inhaled, then stepped to the console.

“This isn’t a design error,” he said into the microphone, voice steady. “The parameters were manually altered twenty minutes ago.”

The room went still.

“Someone reversed the cooling sequence.”

He pulled up the activity log and projected it for everyone to see.

User ID: R. Cole – 9:42 AM.

Chaos erupted. Security moved in. Richard’s face drained of color as he was escorted out.