237 Ks Zero Fs Chapter 11
The next morning, he sat in front of his computer, eyes swollen and bloodshot.
Still wearing last night’s shirt. The blood on the collar had dried to a crusted brown.
He logged into the American Institute of Architects’ internal system with his partner-level access. Posted a notice:
“Former engineering intern Hailey M. Carter, during the Cascade Range I-90 tunnel project, caused her mentor Maya Grant to fall into a life-threatening crisis due to severe data negligence. Internal review has revealed data fabrication in her graduation project. Effective immediately, this firm terminates all cooperation and submits a permanent barring application to the AIA Integrity Committee.”
Send.
Within forty-eight hours, the notice had circulated through industry mailing lists across the entire West Coast.
Hailey lost her job.
Her EIT certification application was rejected. The UW engineering department suspended her alumni referral privileges.
She logged onto LinkedIn and found that at every top-fifty engineering firm in the country, her resume status had changed to the same gray tag:
“Under Review.”
Not blacklisted. Under review.
It meant every HR manager who clicked on her name would see that abbreviation—I-90. Mudslide. Negligence. Data fabrication. More vicious than a blacklist. It ensured she would forever be scrutinized.
And Maya knew none of it, in London.