"And who authorized stopping the machine?"
"We have records identifying the internal approvals. Our counsel will provide responsive information through the proper process."
The answer was careful, and Hollis disliked it. But it was the first careful answer she had received from a person willing to take responsibility for resolving the immediate equipment problem. She asked for the restoration report, inspected it with Mara's guidance, and signed only to acknowledge receipt of the service documentation, not to release any claim. Then she climbed into the S780 cab.
For several seconds she did nothing. She sat with both hands on the wheel and looked across the field. The cab was cleaner and quieter than Roland's old tractor. Its screens displayed yields, moisture, machine status, and field guidance. She had loved its efficiency before the hold and resented its dependence on distant digital permissions afterward. Both feelings could exist at once. Modern technology was useful. It also needed fair rules, clear responsibilities, and real avenues for correcting mistakes.
She started the harvesting system according to procedure. The mechanism spun up smoothly. The familiar rumble filled the cab. Hollis closed her eyes, and tears slid down her face before she could stop them. Then she looked at the rows ahead and engaged the header.
The first stalks disappeared. Corn flowed into the machine. The monitor began reporting yield data again, as though nothing had happened. Hollis wanted to laugh at its indifference. Three days of fear, exhaustion, and desperate improvisation had passed while the machine waited for someone to change a status entry. Now it worked exactly as it had before.
She radioed Wes. "We're moving."
His answer came through a burst of static and engine noise. "I see you. Keep a sensible pace. We've got acres to finish, not a race to win."
Ruth added, "And somebody make sure the girl eats lunch."
Hollis smiled. "I can hear you."
"Good. Then listen."
The three modern combines moved across the accessible fields with disciplined spacing and separate unloading routes. Grain carts followed along planned lanes. Trucks delivered loads to the approved receiving locations. Hollis operated the S780 during the daylight, then handed it over to a qualified relief operator she had arranged so she could rest. She did not try to make up for lost time by ignoring fatigue. She had learned too much during the weekend to confuse exhaustion with determination.