Chapter 2 - THE NEW ROSTERBy 8:00 AM the following morning, the atmosphere on the executive floor of Ellsworth Dynamics was electric with gossip.
Clara arrived at human resources wearing simple, tailored grey trousers and a dark navy blouse—clothing provided by Nathan’s executive assistant. She was no longer carrying a mop bucket; instead, she held a brand-new encrypted security access badge that granted her entry to Level 5: The Advanced Prototyping Division.
As she walked into the central lab, thirty senior engineers looked up from their workstations. The resentment in the room was palpable.
"Look who made it," Dr. Thorne murmured from the central console, surrounded by his team of lead researchers. "The cleaning lady turned senior consultant."
"Dr. Thorne," Clara said calmly, stepping up to the central display screen. "I didn't ask for this desk. But as long as I'm here, we need to talk about the thermal calibration on the primary arm's fiber-optic bundle."
Thorne chuckled patronizingly, crossing his arms. "Listen to me, girl. You found a stuck pin. That’s basic mechanics. Don't flatter yourself into thinking you understand high-frequency laser telemetry or micro-vascular stitching software."
"I know that your laser array is running three degrees hotter than the heat sink design allows," Clara replied smoothly, tapping a digital schematic on the wall monitor. "If you run the surgical arm for more than forty-five minutes during a live arterial bypass, the optical insulation will melt, blinding the surgeon mid-operation."
Thorne’s smile instantly froze. He looked at the telemetry numbers on the board.
"How... how do you know the thermal tolerance limit of that specific fiber-optic blend?" Thorne demanded, his voice cracking. "That alloy was patented by a Swiss research firm three months ago!"
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Before Clara could answer, the glass doors opened. Nathan Ellsworth walked in, surrounded by his legal team and private security detail.
"She knows," Nathan announced coldly, "because Miss Bennett spent three years as the lead mechanical designer for Aethelgard Medical in Zurich before she vanished from the industry."
