“We did it,” he said.

“We did,” I agreed.

We walked back toward the lab, our shadows stretching long and thin ahead of us.

When we entered the building, Priya was waiting in the hallway.

She looked up from her phone, her eyes anxious.

“Did you get it sorted out?” she asked.

“The DOE complaint is being withdrawn,” I said.

Priya let out a long breath, her shoulders sagging with relief.

“Thank God,” she whispered. “The board members were impressed, Sarah.”

“Dr. Thorne wants to schedule the contract signing for Monday morning.”

“Tell him we’ll be there,” I said.

She smiled, nodded, and walked back into the office to make the call.

Derek and I stood in the hallway, looking through the glass window into the lab.

The microgrid prototype sat on the bench, its green lights blinking steadily in the dimming light.

“It’s going to be a lot of work,” Derek said, leaning against the doorframe.

“We have to build the entire supply chain from scratch.”

“And we have to do it without their money.”

“I know,” I said.

“But we’ll do it together.”

I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder.

He placed his hand over mine and squeezed it briefly.

There was no need for long speeches or emotional displays.

We had stood alone against the storm, and we had survived.

We turned and walked into the lab, ready to begin the real work.