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 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 we

"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 inh 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 o 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...."

Chapter 101

"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.

"Then we'd better

****

had transformed. Blueprints covered every surface,vher desk, the conference table, even sections of the floor. Hannah had sketched diagrams on the glass

and a focused intensity. He now sat

floor, comparing circuit

mark to

targeting safety systems," Alexander added. "Nothing that would

spectacularly.

rubbed her eyes. "After people started relying

picked up another blueprint. "They

connects to the city's existing power grid. That's

chaos," Alexander said. "Maximum blame on Kane

moved to the window. "We need to identify who made these changes. Every modification should have a

out her laptop. "I can run a trace. But if they were smart enough to access

as they leaned over the same document. She found

any of this technical material?" she asked

"Not likely. But Herod might. Or

realized. "Someone on the construction crew. Someone with

from authorized terminals, but at odd hours. When the primary users weren't

her screen

3:47 AM. No one from the engineering

was here."

"Stolen credentials," Alexander suggested.

biometric scan registered as Louis Brown, one of our senior electricians. At 4: 30 AM on a

Chapter 101

head. "Not easily. Our system uses multiple

Louis is involved, or someone forced him to provide access." "Either way, we need to find him."

is working with Rose and Herod, and we

them," Alexander finished. "But we also can't

remain

between them. "I can create a new set of

specifications. Upload them as

than flagging the current

work?" Camille

procedure to issue

one would question it."

it," Camille said. "But keep the modified versions

Alexander pulled Camille aside. "We need to watch Walsh without alerting him.

to Rose

also need to check every other system. If

security protocols, testing procedures, and implementation schedules. The sabotage was comprehensive, clearly the work of someone with both technical knowledge

to

glass wall covered in

to destroy Camille's reputation, her future, possibly her freedom if the failures had been blamed on

collapsed onto her office sofa. The

blueprint sabotage, the knowledge that someone inside Kane Industries had betrayed

"We caught it in time.

Rose and Herod won't stop. They'll

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