Then they stopped.
For ninety minutes, I answered every question.
Methodology.
Bias.
Validation.
Failure cases.
Clinical limitations.
Cost.
When Dr. Mercer finally smiled, I knew.
“Congratulations, Dr. Voss.”
I did not cry until I reached the hallway.
The university filed complaints. The company that received the stolen material fired the consultant and cooperated with investigators. Because the files were watermarked test versions, no usable code had left university control.
That was my hidden advantage.
Weeks before the defense, after noticing signs of intrusion, I had replaced every sensitive local file
