Chapter 101
Chapter 101
The clock on Camille’s office wall ticked past eleven. Most of Kane Industries had emptied hours ago, but Camille, couldn’t rest, not with Victoria’s revelations about Herod Preston still echoing in her mind.
A soft knock pulled her from her thoughts.
“Come in,” she called.
Hannah Zhao, the Phoenix Grid’s chief engineer, entered clutching a stack of rolled blueprints. Her normally neat appearance had frayed, hair escaping its bun, dark circles under her eyes.
“Ms. Kane, I’m sorry to bother you so late, but…” Hannah hesitated.
Camille motioned to the chair across from her desk. “It’s fine. What’s wrong?”
Hannah sat, placing the blueprints between them. “I’ve been going over these since the groundbreaking ceremony.
She unrolled the top sheet. “Something feels… off.”
“Off how?”
“After finding those modifications to the safety protocols last week, I started comparing every version of the blueprints.”
She pointed to a section showing the Grid’s main junction box. “This is what I designed originally,” Hannah said, then unrolled a second blueprint. “And this is what’s currently on file for construction.”
To Camille’s untrained eye, they looked identical.
“What am I missing?” she asked.
Hannah retrieved a magnifying glass. “Look at the temperature sensors here, here, and here. The specifications are off by tiny increments. Half a millimeter in placement. Two degrees in the trigger threshold. A slight delay in response time.”
Camille examined the areas Hannah indicated. “These are very small changes.”
“Individually, yes. But collectively? These modifications would allow the junction boxes to overheat without triggering the emergency shutdown protocols. The system would continue operating as if everything were normal, even as temperatures reached dangerous levels.”
“How dangerous?”
Hannah met her eyes directly. “Catastrophic failure. Potential explosions at multiple sites. Massive power outages. And the modifications would make it look like design flaws, like Kane Industries had built an inherently unsafe system.”
Camille sat back, the implications hitting her. This wasn’t just sabotage, it was character assassination.
“When did you first notice these discrepancies?” Camille asked.
“I caught some before the groundbreaking, the ones I showed you and Mr. Pierce last week. We fixed those. But these are different. More subtle. It’s like someone went through twice, making different kinds of changes.”
Or two different people made changes,” Camille murmured, thinking of Rose and Herod.
“Maybe.” Hannah looked uneasy. “What I can’t figure out how anyone got access. Our system requires multiple authorizations, biometric verification….”
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“Someone on the inside.” Camille stood abruptly. “Keep this between us for now. I’m calling Mr. Pierce, and then we’re going through every blueprint. Every specification.”
“That could take all night,” Hannah said.
Camille nodded grimly. “Then we’d better get started.”
****
By one in the morning, Camille’s office had transformed. Blueprints covered every surface,vher desk, the conference table, even sections of the floor. Hannah had sketched diagrams on the glass wall with erasable markers.
Alexander had arrived within thirty minutes of Camille’s call, bringing coffee and a focused intensity. He now sat cross–legged on the floor, comparing circuit diagrams.
“Seventeen distinct modifications,” Hannah announced, adding another mark to her tally. “All made within the last three weeks.”
“All targeting safety systems,” Alexander added. “Nothing that would affect performance during testing or initial operation.”
“They wanted it to fail spectacularly. After we’d declared it safe.” Camille rubbed her eyes. “After people started relying on it.”
Hannah picked up another blueprint. “They focus on the intersection points, where our system connects to the city’s existing power grid. That’s where feedback loops could create the most damage.”
“Maximum chaos,” Alexander said. “Maximum blame on Kane Industries.”
Camille moved to the window. “We need to identify who made these changes. Every modification should have a digital signature.”
Hannah nodded, pulling out her laptop. “I can run a trace. But if they were smart enough to access the system…” “They were smart enough to cover their tracks,” Alexander finished.
While Hannah worked, Camille joined Alexander, examining the circuit diagrams. Their shoulders touched as they leaned over the same document. She found comfort in his steady presence.
“Do you think Rose understands any of this technical material?” she asked quietly.
Alexander shook his head. “Not likely. But Herod might. Or they’ve hired someone.”
“The electrician,” Camille realized. “Someone on the construction crew. Someone with access and technical knowledge.”
“Found something!” Hannah interrupted. “The system logs show blueprint access from authorized terminals, but at odd hours. When the primary users weren’t in the building according to security logs.”
She turned her screen toward them. “See these timestamps 2:14 AM. 3:47 AM. No one from the engineering team
was here.”
“Stolen credentials,” Alexander suggested.
“Maybe. But look at this entry. The biometric scan registered as Louis Brown, one of our senior electricians. At 4: 30 AM on a Sunday.”
“Could someone have faked his biometrics?” Camille asked
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Hannah shook her head. “Not easily. Our system uses multiple validation points, fingerprint, retinal scan, and voice recognition.”
Camille and Alexander exchanged a look. “So either Louis is involved, or someone forced him to provide access.” “Either way, we need to find him.” Alexander pulled out his phone.
“Wait,” Camille placed her hand over his. “If he is working with Rose and Herod, and we confront him directly…”
“They’ll know we’re onto them,” Alexander finished. “But we also can’t let these modified blueprints remain in the system.”
Hannah looked between them. “I can create a new set of blueprints with the correct specifications. Upload them as an ‘updated version‘ rather than flagging the current ones.
“Would that work?” Camille asked.
Hannah nodded. “It’s standard procedure to issue revisions. No one would question it.”
“Do it,” Camille said. “But keep the modified versions for evidence.”
While Hannah worked, Alexander pulled Camille aside. “We need to watch Walsh without alerting him. If he’s their inside man, he could lead us to Rose and Herod.”
“I agree. But we also need to check every other system. If they compromised the blueprints, what else might they have accessed?”
For the next hour, they reviewed security protocols, testing procedures, and implementation schedules. The sabotage was comprehensive, clearly the work of someone with both technical knowledge and access to Kane Industries‘ most secure systems.
By three in the morning, Hannah had uploaded corrected blueprints. Alexander had arranged surveillance on James Walsh using his own resources to avoid potential leaks.
Camille stared at the glass wall covered in Hannah’s markings, each representing a potential disaster averted. Rose hadn’t just tried to destroy the Grid, she’d tried to destroy Camille’s reputation, her future, possibly her freedom if the failures had been blamed on negligence.
“We should get some rest,” Alexander said softly. “Hannah’s nearly asleep at her keyboard.”
After Hannah left, Camille collapsed onto her office sofa. The weight of everything, Victoria’s revelations about Herod, the blueprint sabotage, the knowledge that someone inside Kane Industries had betrayed them, crushed down on her.
Alexander sat beside her, taking her hand. “We caught it in time. The Grid is safe now,
“This time,” Camille said. “But Rose and Herod won’t stop. They’ll try something else.”
“Next time we’ll be ready,” Alexander assured her. “They think their sabotage is still in place. That gives us an advantage.”
Camille wanted to believe him. But the nagging feeling that they were missing something crucial wouldn’t leave her.
“What if the blueprints are just one part of their plan?” she asked. “What if there’s something else we haven’t found yet?”
Alexander squeezed her hand. “Then we’ll find it. Together
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As Camille gathered the scattered blueprints, a thought struck her. “These modifications are incredibly technical. But they also required intimate knowledge of our security systems. That suggests two people, a technical expert and someone with inside knowledge of Kane Industries.”
“Walsh could be the technical expert,” Alexander suggested. “But who’s the insider?”
Camille stilled. “Someone high enough to access secure systems. Someone who’s been here long enough to know all our protocols.”
“You’re thinking of a specific person.”
Camille nodded slowly. “Damon Greene. Head of Special Projects. He worked with Victoria for fifteen years. He has access to everything, including biometric systems.”
“Why would he help Rose?”
“I don’t know. But he always seemed to resent Victoria bringing me in. And he was traveling last month when the first modifications appeared. Supposedly at our Tokyo office, but…”
“I’ll have him checked out,” Alexander promised. “Discreetly.”
Camille nodded, though unease still prickled along her skin “What if Rose and Herod have allies throughout Kane Industries?”
He rose, crossing to her. “Then we trust no one except each other and Victoria.”
His face was set in determination, but his eyes held a softness reserved only for her.
“I won’t let them hurt you,” he said quietly.
Camille leaned forward, resting her forehead against his chest. She felt his arms encircle her, solid and secure. “Promise me something,” she whispered.
“Anything.”
“Promise me we won’t become them. That in fighting Rose and Herod, we lose ourselves to hatred. To
revenge.”
His arms tightened around her. “I promise.”
Outside, the first pale light of dawn touched the horizon. A new day beginning, bringing new dangers. But for the first time since learning about Herod Preston, Camille felt something besides fear and determination.
She felt hope. Small and fragile, but present nonetheless.
Together, they had uncovered the sabotage in time. Together, they would face whatever came next.
But as Camille gathered the last of the blueprints, doubt echoed in her mind. They had found these modifications, but what if there were others, hidden deeper? What if this discovery was exactly what Rose and Herod wanted, to give them false confidence?
She glanced at Alexander, now arranging surveillance on Brown and Greene. She wouldn’t share her doubts yet. Not until she had something concrete.
For now, they would proceed according to plan. Correct the sabotage. Track the traitors. Draw Rose and Herod into the open.
But Camille couldn’t shake the feeling that the real danger till lurked unseen, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
