"Yes."
"And you're part of that team."
"Yes."
"You're vice-president of Quality Assurance at Norton Aircraft."
"Yes."
"Been with the company five years."
"Yes."
"They call this room the War Room, don't they?"
"Some do, yes."
"Why is that?"
She paused. She couldn't think of any way to describe the arguments in this room, the flares of temper, the outbursts that accompanied every attempt to clarify an aircraft incident, without saying something he could take out of context.
She said, "It's just a nickname."
"The War Room," Reardon said. "Maps, charts, battle plans, pressure. Tension under siege. Your company, Norton Aircraft, is under siege at the moment, isn't it?"
"I'm not sure what you're referring to," Casey said.
Reardon's eyebrows went up. "The JAA, Europe's Joint Aviation Authority, is refusing to certify one of your aircraft, the N-22, because they say it's unsafe."
"Actually, the plane's already certified but - "
"And you're about to sell fifty N-22s to China. But now the Chinese, too, are said to be concerned about the safety of the plane."
She didn't get angry at the innuendo; she focused on Reardon. The rest of the room seemed to fade away.
She said, "I'm not aware of any Chinese concerns."
"But you are aware," Reardon said, "of the reason behind these safety concerns. Earlier this week, a very serious accident. Involving an N-22 aircraft."
"Yes."
'Transpacific Flight 545. An accident in midair, over the Pacific Ocean."
"Yes."
"Three people died. And how many injured?"
"I believe fifty-six," she said. She knew it sounded awful, no matter how she said it
"Fifty-six injured," Reardon intoned. "Broken necks. Broken limbs. Concussions. Brain damage. Two people paralyzed for life ..."
Reardon trailed off, looking at her.
He hadn't asked a question. She said nothing. She waited, in the glaring heat of the lights.
"How do you feel about that?"
She said, "I think everyone at Norton feels very great concern for air safety. That's why we test our airframes to three times the design life - "
"Very great concern. Do you think that's an adequate response?"
Casey hesitated. What was he saying? "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm afraid I don't follow - "
"Doesn't the company have an obligation to build safe aircraft?"
"Of course. And we do."
"Not everyone agrees," Reardon said. "The JAA doesn't agree. The Chinese may not agree ... Doesn't the company have an obligation to fix the design of an aircraft which it knows to be unsafe?"
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean," Reardon said, "is that what happened to Flight 545 has happened before. Many times before. On other N-22s. Isn't that true?'
"No," Casey said.
"No?" Reardon's eyebrows shot up.
"No," Casey said, firmly. This was the moment, she thought. She was stepping off the cliff.
"This is the first time?"
"Yes."
"Well then," Reardon said, "perhaps you can explain this list." He produced a sheet of paper, held it up. She knew from across the room what it was. "This is a list of slats episodes on the N-22, going back to 1992, right after the plane was introduced. Eight episodes. Eight separate episodes. Transpacific is the ninth."
"That's not accurate."
"Well, tell me why."
Casey went through, as briefly as she could, the way Airworthiness Directives worked. She explained why they had been issued for the N-22. How the problem had been solved, except for foreign carriers that had failed to comply. How there had not been a domestic incident since 1992.
Reardon listened with continuously raised eyebrows, as if he had never heard such an outlandish thing before.
"So let me see if I understand," he said. "In your view, the company has followed the rules. By issuing these air directives, which are supposed to fix the problem."
"No," Casey said. "The company has fixed the problem."
"Has it? We're told slats deployment is the reason people died on Flight 545."
"That's incorrect" She was now dancing on a tightrope, working a fine and technical line, and she knew it If he asked her, Did the slats deploy? she would be in trouble. She waited breathlessly for the next question.
Reardon said, "The people who told us the slats deployed are wrong?"
"I don't know how they'd know," Casey said. She decided to go farther. "Yes, they're wrong."
"Fred Barker, former FAA investigator, is wrong."
"Yes."
"The JAA is wrong."
"Well, as you know, the JAA is actually delaying certification over noise emissions, and - "
"Let's just stay with this for a moment," Reardon said.
She remembered what Gershon had said: He's not interested in information.
"The JAA is wrong?" he said, repeating the question.
This called for a complicated answer, she thought. How could she put it briefly? "They're wrong to say the aircraft is unsafe."
"So in your opinion," Reardon said, "there is absolutely no substance to these criticisms of the N-22."
"That's correct. It is an excellent aircraft."
"A well-designed aircraft."
"Yes."
"A safe aircraft."