Chapter 140
Chapter 140:
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.
“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.”
A cheer erupted from the exhausted team, the sound 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?”
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“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.”
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