"Exactly," Zara confirmed. "You missed the problem because you weren't looking when the problem was happening."
Timer: 15 seconds.
The parking lot buzzed with urgent whispers as engineers realized the implications: their diagnostic approach had been fundamentally flawed not because of incompetence, but because of timing assumptions.
"The solution is simple," Zara announced to the stunned crowd. "Move the car fifty feet in any direction to break the direct line of sight, or install electromagnetic shielding around the AI processing unit."
She pointed to three different parking spaces within the complex. "Any of those locations would work. Or you could add a Faraday cage around the AI housing. That's a mesh barrier that blocks electromagnetic signals while allowing normal operation."
Carl Rodriguez exchanged shocked glances with his colleagues. "She's describing industrial-grade electromagnetic interference mitigation. How do you know about Faraday cages?"
"Public library," Zara replied simply. "Physics textbooks in the reference section. I've been reading them for three years."
Timer: 5 seconds.
"Test my theory," Zara challenged the assembled engineers. "Move the car and watch what happens. If I'm wrong, you've lost nothing. If I'm right, you've saved your presentation and everyone's jobs."
The crowd leaned forward in collective anticipation. Phones zoomed in on Zara's confident face. The live stream viewer count had exploded to over 10,000 people watching the showdown.
Timer: 0 seconds.
Dr. Vasquez's phone beeped. "Time."
Absolute silence blanketed the parking lot. Twenty world-class engineers stared at a 13-year-old homeless girl who just delivered a comprehensive diagnostic analysis, identified the root cause with mathematical precision, and provided multiple testable solutions—all in exactly 60 seconds.
Hawthorne's face had gone from smug confidence to shocked disbelief to something approaching panic. The video of his humiliation was already spreading across social media platforms at viral speed.
"That's... that's just theoretical speculation," he stammered. "Unproven assumptions!"
"Then test it," Zara said simply. "Science is about testing hypotheses, right?"
Dr. Vasquez looked at her team. Eight hours of failure had taught them painful humility. "Everyone, help push the vehicle fifty feet toward the east wall. Let's see if she's right."