Chapter 5 The Weight of Expectations

Karim sighed as he signed the last of the documents on his desk. He leaned back in his chair, rolling his stiff shoulders before glancing at the clock. The day had slipped away faster than he realized.

He looked over at Nadia, who was typing away on her tablet. "It's late. Time to go home."

She nodded but didn't stop working. "Ryan hasn't shown up yet?"

Karim frowned. "I haven't seen him since we arrived this morning."

Nadia finally looked up. "That's because he hasn't left the Talon Project department since he got here."

Karim's eyes narrowed. He picked up his phone and called Ryan. The call rang several times before going to voicemail. He tried again. No answer.

A hint of irritation flickered across his face. "Still not picking up."

Nadia smirked slightly. "Would you have answered if you were deep in work?"

Karim exhaled, shaking his head. "Let's go."

The once-skeptical development team now sat around Ryan, completely engaged. The initial doubts that had clouded their expressions at the beginning of the day had been replaced with admiration-and even excitement.

Ryan stood at the table, scribbling diagrams and formulas onto the touchscreen display as he spoke. His ideas were unconventional, pushing past the boundaries of the team's previous attempts. But the most surprising thing?

They made sense.

Ethan leaned back, rubbing his chin. "So, you're saying if we tweak the servos this way and adjust the feedback delay-"

"-The suit could respond almost instantly to the pilot's movements," Ryan finished. "No more lag. It'd feel like a second skin, not just a machine."

Sofia crossed her arms, nodding. "I'll admit, I didn't expect this from you, kid. But if we pull this off... The combat efficiency alone would be a game-changer."

Malik, who had been silent for most of the discussion, finally spoke up. "Sure, if we pull it off." He leaned against the table, arms crossed. "But let's not forget-this project already failed once. And that was with years of work behind it. Now we're trying to fix it in a few months? That's insane."

Judith shot him a look. "You've been skeptical since the start, Malik. If you don't think it'll work, why are you still here?"

Malik forced a grin. "Hey, I never said I'm not helping. Just being realistic. We need to be careful who we put our trust in."

His eyes flicked toward Ryan for just a second-subtle, but enough to plant a seed of doubt.

Ryan, unfazed, continued working. Judith hesitated for a moment before refocusing on the schematics.

As she watched silently, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, she smiled.

"You might actually pull this off, Ryan."

Ryan didn't react to the praise. His mind was too focused, too alive with possibilities.

A few feet away, an untouched tray of breakfast sandwiches sat next to an empty coffee pot. No one had even glanced at it since morning.

They had been too busy.

The door suddenly swung open.

Karim and Nadia stepped in, their eyes sweeping the room.

The entire team was so engrossed in their discussion that no one even noticed them. Papers, blueprints, and digital models covered the tables. Screens flickered with data, and rapid discussions bounced around the space like electricity.

Karim's gaze landed on the uneaten sandwiches. They haven't stopped working all day.

For a brief moment, an idea formed in his mind-one he hadn't considered before.

Could this actually work?

Could Ryan really revive the project?

He dismissed the thought just as quickly, shaking his head. No. Impossible. Even if they had more time, there was nothing that could convince the army generals to back this project again. Talon was a dead end.

His voice cut through the room, firm and commanding:

"Ryan, let's go. The day is over."

The room fell silent.

Ryan looked up from the screen, blinking as if pulled out of a trance. The team glanced at Karim, their enthusiasm dampened by his tone.

But Ryan didn't move. His hands were still on the table, his mind still turning.

Because to him, the day wasn't over.

It was just beginning.

Karim stood at the door of the Talon Project department, waiting for Ryan's response.

"Ryan?" He repeated, his voice firmer.

Ryan, still absorbed in the display, responded without looking up. "Sorry, Dad, I'm busy right now. Can you please go? I'll finish what's on my mind and leave by myself."

Karim stared at him for a moment, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.

He looks just like me when I was his age...

A silence stretched between them before Karim exhaled, then gestured to Nadia to leave with him. Just as he reached the door, he called back, "Ryan, don't forget to eat."

Then he closed the door behind him and left.

Despite the time passing, the energy in the Talon Project department remained unchanged. The discussions, the frantic notetaking, and the refining of ideas continued with the same enthusiasm. Eventually, they reached a consensus-a concrete plan of action and a list of materials they needed the company to provide.

Ryan took the requests and left.

Later That Night – A Private Conversation

As the team wrapped up for the day, Judith stayed behind in the break area, sipping a cup of coffee and reviewing the project notes on her tablet. Malik casually slid into the seat across from her, stretching his arms behind his head.

"Long day?" he asked.

Judith nodded. "Ryan's ideas are pushing the project forward faster than I expected."

Malik chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah. Kid's got energy, I'll give him that. But don't you think it's a little reckless?"

Judith frowned. "What do you mean?"

Malik leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "I mean, he's making big promises. No hesitation. No room for failure. That's not how engineering works. If we rush this, the whole thing will collapse again-and guess who's going to take the fall for it?" He tapped the table. "Not him. You. Me. The rest of us who worked on this project for years before he even stepped in."

Judith's grip tightened around her coffee cup. "Ryan's smarter than you give him credit for."

Malik shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe he's just a kid playing genius, and we're the ones who are going to suffer when his 'big vision' turns into a disaster." He stood up, giving her a knowing look. "Think about it."

As he walked away, Judith exhaled, staring at her tablet. She shook her head, trying to push the thought aside.

But the doubt was there.