Chapter 7 - The Journey Forward
Three weeks later, the skies over the Seattle testing grounds were clear and bright.
On the observation deck of Hutton Aerospace’s primary launch facility, a crowd of engineers, military liaisons, and corporate executives stood in rapt attention.
Inside the central testing bay, the A9 propulsion prototype roared to life—not with the violent, shuddering scream of a machine tearing itself apart, but with the smooth, thunderous, musical hum of absolute perfection.
Down in the control bay, sitting at the primary engineering console in a crisp, clean shirt with his sleeves rolled up, Dr. Dean Miller watched the telemetry lines lock into a steady, unbreakable green.
Beside him, leaning against the console with a cup of coffee, Sloan Hutton watched the monitors, then glanced down at the little girl sitting happily in a rolling desk chair nearby.
Emma Miller, wearing a bright pink cardigan and a healthy flush in her cheeks, was busy sticking a glow-in-the-dark star onto the side of a spare carbon-fiber fuel tank.
"How does it look, peanut?" Dean asked, turning his chair to look at his daughter, his eyes shining with uncontainable joy.
Emma looked up from her star, smiled brightly, and held up both thumbs. "It's working, Dad! It sounds like music!"
Dean laughed, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
Sloan handed him a fresh cup of coffee, her fingers brushing against his calloused knuckles.
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"Looks like your diagnostics were right again, Dr. Miller," Sloan smiled softly.
"Machines always tell the truth, Sloan," Dean replied, looking from his daughter out toward the roaring plasma engine, and finally into the eyes of the woman who had helped him reclaim his life. "You just have to know how to listen."
