"Less than three weeks after Jasper took full control of the specifications." Voss folded his hands. "The modified weapons failed every practical field metric the soldiers tested. Stock grip, scope calibration, magazine positioning, heat dissipation. Everything you had calibrated for real combat conditions was replaced with laboratory optimized parameters that looked impressive on paper and fell apart the moment a soldier picked one up.""I knew it would fail." Kevin leaned back carefully, minding the bandaging that still wrapped his ribs. "The moment Jasper touched the first specification, I knew. Those parameters were not numbers on a spreadsheet, Voss. They were the result of three years of field testing with actual soldiers in actual conditions. You cannot improve them by sitting in a laboratory and running simulations.""Jasper does not understand that." Quentina spoke from the kitchen doorway. Her arms were crossed and her tone was sharp. "Jasper understands how to impress Sarah

The military facility sat forty kilometers north of Milano, hidden behind a wall of dense pine forest and a perimeter of reinforced concrete barriers that did not appear on any public map.The road leading to it was unmarked, narrow, and monitored by cameras embedded in the tree line every fifty meters.Kevin Crown stepped out of the armored vehicle and looked at the facility entrance.The air smelled like gunpowder and machine oil, the same scent that had followed him through every military installation he had ever walked into. For a moment it felt like stepping backward through time.The facility commander, a stocky man named Colonel Renzi with a thick gray mustache and hands like engine blocks, was waiting at the entrance. He saluted crisply when Kevin approached."Commander Crown, welcome. We have prepared the briefing room for your inspection. All production reports and delivery schedules are ready for your review." Renzi gestured toward the main building. "If you will follow me,

It was not a warm smile. It was not a kind smile. It was the quiet, patient smile of a man who had just been given a reason to do something he had been considering for days."Do not respond." Kevin's voice was perfectly calm. "If someone wants to challenge GODsFALL, they can wait until the exhibition. Barking dogs do not deserve the dignity of a reply before I walk into that room."Voss stared at him for a long moment, then slowly nodded. The fury on his face did not disappear, but it settled into something more controlled. Something that looked like anticipation.At that moment, the facility entrance opened and a woman walked in unannounced.She was tall, early thirties, with sharp features and dark hair pulled back in a tight braid. She wore a fitted military style jacket over tactical trousers and carried a slim briefcase under her arm. Her eyes swept the room with the quick, analytical precision of someone accustomed to evaluating everything she saw within seconds.Colonel Renzi s

Sarah looked at the envelope without touching it. "Father, I have not even begun preparing for something like this. The company is in crisis. I need to be here managing the fallout from the military contract, not shaking hands at a cocktail party.""This is not a cocktail party." Richard placed both hands on her desk and leaned forward. "This is the largest defense exhibition in the world. Military officials from forty countries. International defense corporations worth more than our entire company. Government procurement officers with budgets that could rebuild Sterling Group three times over."He straightened and folded his arms."This is our only real opportunity to recover from what has happened, Sarah. If you can secure even one major contract at this exhibition, we can begin repairing the damage. If you cannot, then Sterling Group's reputation will continue bleeding until there is nothing left to save."Sarah picked up the envelope and turned it over in her hands. The golden emb

The woman typed the name into her system. Her eyes moved across the screen. Then her smile flickered, just barely, before settling back into place."One moment please, Mrs. Sterling." She typed something else. Checked again. Then looked up with an expression that was polite in the way that bad news is always polite. "I see that Sterling Group has been reassigned to the secondary delegation area on the lower level. I apologize for any inconvenience. If you follow the corridor to your left, an attendant will escort you to your section."The words landed like a slap delivered with a silk glove.Secondary delegation area. Lower level. The place where companies that no longer mattered were sent to sit quietly while the real business happened upstairs.Jasper's face darkened instantly. His jaw locked and his eyes narrowed as he stared at the young woman behind the counter."There must be a mistake." His voice carried an edge that had not been there moments ago. "Sterling Group has attended