Chapter 110
Chapter 110
The clock on the wall of the control room read 3:17 AM as Camille stood by Hannah Zhao’s workstation, watching streams of code flicker across multiple screens. A faint blue glow bathed the room in ethereal light, casting long shadows across the faces of the twelve engineers who had been working without pause for nearly thirty–six hours.
“It’s time,” Hannah said, looking up at Camille with red–rimmed eyes that nonetheless sparkled with determination. “The first section of the Grid is ready for activation.”
Camille nodded, her heart pounding against her ribs. “Everyone in position?”
Through her earpiece, Alexander’s steady voice confirmed, “Security teams are in place. The suspected saboteur is working on the east junction, thinking he’s alone while preparing the final circuits.”
“And whoever it is has no idea we’ve replaced everything?” Camille asked Hannah.
Hannah’s lips curved into a smile that held no humor. “Not unless they actually test the components, which doesn’t appear to be part of their instructions. Whoever it is, they‘ re following the sabotaged plans to the letter, installing modified circuits that would trigger a cascade failure seventy–two hours after full activation.”
Camille took a deep breath, steadying herself against the edge of the desk. This wasn’t just a business venture or even a simple triumph over Rose and Herod. The Phoenix Grid represented something more profound–her rebirth from the ashes of Camille Lewis into someone new, someone who created rather than destroyed.
“Let’s bring it online,” she said quietly.
Hannah’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “Initiating power sequence to Section A. Substation One coming online in five, four, three, two…”
The room fell silent as the main display showed a schematic of the Grid’s first section, a network of intersecting lines spanning six city blocks. For a heart–stopping moment, nothing happened. Then, one by one, the connection points illuminated, bright blue dots spreading through the network like stars appearing in the evening sky.
“Power flow stable,” called out Rishabh from his monitoring station. “All junction points green. Transformer loads at expected levels.”
“Voltage regulation is holding,” added Elena, her voice tight with concentration. “No fluctuations detected.”
“Security protocols active,” said Marcus, his fingers moving rapidly across his keyboard, “No unauthorized access attempts.”
Camille found herself holding her breath as the indicators continued to light up across the display. This was it, the moment they would discover if their countermeasures
had worked, if they had truly managed to outmaneuver Rose and Herod’s sabotage.
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“Section A fully operational,” Hannah announced finally, swiveling in her chair to face the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have successfully brought the first section of the Phoenix Grid online.”
Cheer erupted from the exhausted team, the sound of it washing over Camille like a wave. She closed her eyes briefly, allowing herself to feel the victory.
“Remarkable work,” came Victoria’s voice from the doorway. Camille hadn’t heard her enter. “But I presume we’re maintaining appearances?”
“Yes,” Hannah confirmed, suddenly serious again. “From the outside, it appears we’re following the sabotaged blueprints exactly. Our corrections are invisible unless someone physically inspects the components we’ve replaced.”
Victoria nodded, her silver hair catching the blue light from the screens. “And what about our mysterious installer?”
Alexander’s voice came through the speakers. “Currently packing up his tools, looking rather pleased with himself. He just made a call, encrypted, but our team picked up the word ‘complete.‘ He thinks his part is done.”
“Let him think that,” Camille said, moving to stand beside Victoria. “The more confident Rose and Herod feel, the more likely they are to be at the launch ceremony.”
Victoria studied the displays, her expression unreadable. “I’ve known many enemies in my time, but few as persistent as the Prestons. Herod’s father would be proud of his son’s dedication.”
“We have something they don’t,” Alexander replied through the comm system. “We know they’re coming.”
Hannah gestured toward another screen showing complex data flows. “I’ve implemented what I call ‘honeypot errors‘ deliberate minor issues in the system that appear to be part of the normal startup process. If anyone’s monitoring our systems remotely, they’ll see exactly what they expect to see; a grid with hidden flaws preparing to fail catastrophically.”
“And the backup power systems?” Victoria asked.
“Triple redundancy, just as you requested,” Hannah confirmed. “If anything goes wrong, we can shift to alternate circuits in milliseconds. No interruption, no explosions, no chaos.”
Camille felt a strange mixture of emotions as she watched the blue lights of her creation pulse with life. Pride in what they had built. Anger at those who sought to destroy it. And something else, a quiet satisfaction that went beyond revenge.
“I need a moment,” she murmured, stepping away from the group and walking to the large windows overlooking the city.
Dawn was still hours away, but New York never truly slept. Lights twinkled in office buildings and apartments, people going about their lives unaware of the battle being
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waged in the shadows. Somewhere out there, Rose and Herod were waiting, watching, planning.
Camille’s reflection stared back at her from the glass–a woman transformed by pain and purpose, harder than she once was but perhaps stronger for it. She barely resembled Camille Lewis anymore, that trusting woman who had signed divorce papers with quiet dignity before walking into a trap.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Alexander’s voice startled her. He had arrived in person, his reflection appearing
beside hers in the window.
“I was just thinking about who I’ve become,” she admitted. “When Victoria found me, all I wanted was to make them pay. Now…”
“Now you’re creating something that could change millions of lives,” he finished for her. “That’s the difference between you and Rose. She can only destroy what others build.”
Camille turned to face him. “Do you think she knows? That we’ve discovered the sabotage?”
Alexander shook his head. “If she knew, she’d be panicking, changing plans, making mistakes. Everything suggests they still believe their trap is set and waiting.”
“Two more days until the official launch,” Camille said quietly. “Everything we’ve worked for comes down to that moment.”
“Not everything,” Alexander countered, taking her hand. His touch was warm, grounding. “This project is extraordinary, but it’s not your whole story, Camille.”
She looked down at their joined hands, remembering the hospital room where they had first met years ago, though she hadn’t remembered until he told her. How strange that their paths had crossed twice, once when she was simply kind to a stranger, and again when that stranger had become her ally against those who sought to destroy
her.
“Ms. Kane?” Hannah called from across the room. “You should see this.”
Camille and Alexander returned to the central console where Hannah had pulled up a new display.
“We’re detecting an unauthorized access attempt on the main server,” Hannah explained, pointing to a flashing indicator. “Someone’s trying to view the activation data from Section A.”
“Can you trace it?” Victoria asked sharply.
Hannah’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “It’s bouncing through multiple proxies, but..
yes. The origin appears to be a penthouse in Tribeca.”
“Herod’s building,” Alexander confirmed. “They’re wondering if their sabotage is working as planned.”
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“Let’s give them exactly what they want to see,” Camille said, her voice hardening. ” Show them the honeypot data. Let them think everything is proceeding according to their plan.”
Hannah nodded and initiated the protocol. “Feeding them the false telemetry now. They’ll see minor fluctuations that appear consistent with their sabotage timeline.”
“Perfect,” Victoria said with grim satisfaction. “Let them believe they’re winning.”
On the main screen, a notification appeared indicating the unauthorized user had downloaded the doctored data and disconnected.
“They took the bait,” Hannah confirmed.
Alexander’s phone buzzed. He checked the message and looked up. “That was my team watching the installer. He just got into a car with dark windows. Looks like a pickup.”
“Follow him?” Camille asked.
Alexander shook his head. “Better to let him go. If we spook their operative now, Rose and Herod might realize something’s wrong.”
וו
Victoria turned to the engineering team. “Proceed with bringing the remaining
sections online according to schedule. Remember, from the outside, everything must appear to be following their sabotaged blueprints precisely.”
As the team resumed their work with renewed vigor, Camille felt a strange calm settle over her. For so long, she had been reacting to Rose’s machinations, scrambling to catch up. Now, finally, she was a step ahead.
“You should rest,” Alexander said quietly. “You’ve been here all night.”
“I couldn’t sleep now if I tried,” Camille replied, her eyes fixed on the glowing blue network that represented her vision made real. “Besides, I want to be here when Section B comes online.”
Victoria approached them, her expression softer than usual. “He’s right, Camille. The next twenty–four hours will be crucial. You need to be at your best.”
Camille hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. “Wake me immediately if anything changes.” “Of course,” Victoria promised. “Alexander, see that she gets home safely.”
As they walked toward the elevator, Camille cast one last glance at the control room, at Hannah directing her team, at Victoria standing tall and vigilant, at the screens showing the first heartbeats of the Phoenix Grid.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said quietly.
Alexander followed her gaze. “Yes, it is. And they can’t take it from you.”
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. As the doors closed, Camille leaned against the wall, suddenly aware of the bone–deep exhaustion that had been lurking beneath her focus,
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“When this is over,” she said, “when Rose and Herod are dealt with… what comes next?”
Alexander considered her question carefully. “Whatever you want. That’s the point of all this, isn’t it? To reclaim your choice.”
The elevator descended smoothly, carrying them away from the pulsing heart of Camille’s creation. But even as the physical distance grew, she could feel it, the Grid, alive and awakening, its power flowing through the veins of the city like blood through a body.
Two days until the launch ceremony. Two days until Rose and Herod made their final move. Two days until Camille would face her sister one last time.
But tonight, for the first time, she wasn’t afraid. Tonight, the Phoenix had risen from the ashes, and its wings were made of light.
