SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 135

A thunderous boom shook the early morning quiet. Orange flame shot into the dark sky as Substation 12 of the Phoenix Grid exploded. Pieces of metal and concrete flew in all directions. The night security guard, having stepped outside for a cigarette moments earlier, stared in shock from the parking lot.

Three blocks away, Rose watched from the passenger seat of a stolen van, her facit by the distant flames. A small smile played on her lips as smoke rose into the night sky. “Beautiful,” she whispered. "Just like I planned.”

Beside her, Herod gripped the steering wheel, his face tight. "Drive now, admire later," he said, shifting the van into gear." Security cameras might have caught us."

As they sped away, emergency sirens began to wail in the distance. Fire trucks and police cars raced toward the burning substation.

"Phase one complete," Rose said, her voice filled with satisfaction. "Now we wait for phase two, the system collapse."

Herod kept his eyes on the road, his mind racing through escape routes, contingency plans. There was no going back now. They had crossed the final line.

*** **

Camille jolted awake to the sound of her phone ringing. She fumbled for it in the darkness, Alexander stirring beside her.

"Camille Kane," she answered, voice still thick with sleep.

Her body tensed as she listened. "How bad?" she asked, already climbing out of bed. "How many injured?"

Alexander sat up, instantly alert at her tone.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," Camille said, ending the call. She turned to Alexander, her face pale in the dim

light. "Someone bombed Substation 12. No one hurt, but the Grid is destabilizing."

"Rose," Alexander said. It wasn't a question.

"Has to be." Camille pulled clothes from her closet with shaking hands. "Hannah's

already at control headquarters. The backup systems are holding for now, but if we don't reroute power soon, we could lose the whole eastern sector."

Alexander was already dressing. "I'll drive you."

They raced through the pre-dawn streets, the city still quiet

except for emergency vehicles heading toward the

smoke rising in the distance. Camille clutched her phone, watching real-

time alerts from the Grid's monitoring system.

"Junction 17 showing stress, she muttered. "Power loads increasing on the northern relay."

Her phone rang again. Hannah's voice came through, tight with panic.

"It's spreading faster than we predicted," she said without preamble. "The safety protocols are shutting down relays

to prevent overload, but that's pushing too much power to the remaining

stations."

"Can you bypass the safety protocols manually?" Camille asked.

"Too risky. We'd burn out the whole system. We need to redirect the power flow from the damaged substation."

"I'm almost there," Camille promised.

The Grid control center hummed with frantic activity when they arrived. Engineers rushed between workstations. Warning signals flashed on screens. Hannah stood in the center, issuing instructions, her usual "Camille!" Relief washed over Hannah's face. "The situation's getting worse."

moved immediately to the main control panel. Displays showed the Phoenix Grid as an

12 and its connecting relays. Yellow warning indicators spread

points throughout the

fail next?" she asked, eyes scanning

pointed to three junctions. "Any of these could go. When one does, it will

Alexander studied the

over Camille's shoulder. "Can you isolate

power

whole eastern sector," Camille

typed commands into the system. On the main display, the connections to Substation 12 went dark. Warning lights across the board flashed as the Grid adjusted to the sudden change. "Power load redistributing," Hannah reported. "Junction 24

percent capacity.

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Chapter 135

Camille leaned

the keyboard. "Rerouting through the western

lights for Junction 24 shifted from red to yellow, then

Hannah said, not quite believing

cautioned. "But we've

*

away to answer, his

reported when he

fists clenched. "She's escalated. This

already at the scene," Alexander added.

work, all their success, Rose had managed to cast a shadow over the Grid's triumph. If public confidence in

called

turned to the main display. Junction

for the northern sector-flashed

surging," Camille said, rushing back to the controls. "We rerouted away from

her keyboard. "Someone's tampering with the load balancers remotely. They're forcing power

down!" Camille

responding!" Hannah's voice rose

to another terminal. "It's a secondary attack. They're hacking the system while we're distracted by

cold dread spread through her

physical attack, she'd coordinated a cyber attack to follow, hitting them when their

override," Camille decided. "We need to physically disconnect Junction 17 before it overloads and takes down the northern sector." "That would

said. "The junction box is in the

"I know." Camille grabbed

stay here and coordinate with Hannah.

her arm. “It could

"But if we lose

held her gaze for a long moment, then nodded. "Take security

time," she said, already moving toward the door. "Send them after me. And keep working on

get control back, shut down Junction 17

The drive

minutes. Camille kept

at one hundred ten percent capacity," Hannah reported. "Safety systems failing. We're losing

pressed the accelerator harder, weaving through early

Riverside facility loomed ahead, a

Camille screeched to a halt at the gate, swiping her security card. The gate slid open too slowly. She drummed

percent," Hannah's voice crackled through

building entrance. Inside, red emergency lights bathed the corridor in an eerie

as she approached the main control

disconnect?" she asked

You'll need your override

pushed through the door into the control room. The

and digital readouts showing dangerously high numbers. She spotted the blue panel and ran toward it. Her fingers trembled as