Chapter 15
ALEX
Alex stared at the laptop, his stomach churning as he spotted the code scrolling on the screen.
Lines of code scrolled relentlessly, a tangled web of commands and countermeasures. The screen flickered as Alex’s fingers flew across the keyboard, each keystroke trying to unravel a knot that only seemed to tighten further.
His machine hadn’t even completed downloading the files from the server, yet some of them seemed to be actively running.
He tapped on a few buttons, trying to snap the laptop out of whatever it claimed was happening.
“No, this can’t be. There’s no way transferring these files activated them.”
“Well, clearly, they are active,” Sebastian shot back. “Look at the dashboard that’s opened since these have gone live.”
Alex’s stomach twisted into a tight knot as he stared at the numbers rolling in from power stations up and down the east coast. It was obvious something was happening.
His nose wrinkled as his mind raced. “There wasn’t anything in my program that would have activated these files.”
He grimaced, his eyes falling on Sebastian. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he poked a finger at the man. “You did this.”
“What?” Sebastian screwed up his face. “Why would I do this?”
“You insisted we get in there and get these files. Why? So you could activate them? Is this some kind of coup over The Board?”
“It’s not,” Sebastian answered as Alex stormed into the living room, plopping down on the sofa. Maybe he could somehow stop everything that had started and save the power grid before it was too late.
“Yeah, well, when I wrote the code to transfer these using a host system from VoltTech, I had nothing in there what would have activated them. Did you open them or something?”
“No,” Sebastian answered with a shake of his head. “I didn’t access them, open them, compile them, or run them.”
Alex’s fingers danced across the keyboard as he tried desperately to stop the programs from running but found himself unable. He slammed his hands against the laptop as his frustration built.
“And you sent Ava to one of these power stations?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah, to the Farlow facility,” Sebastian said with a bob of his head.
Alex’s heart skipped a beat, his breath hitching. He found the numbers rolling in from the site, his stomach plummeting. “That site has a build-up of power that’s large enough to cause an explosion.”
“I know,” Sebastian said. “I sent her there to see if there was anything to do on site.”
Alex shook his head, shoving the laptop onto the coffee table as he dug into his pocket for his cell phone.
“What are you doing?” Sebastian asked.
“Calling Ava and telling her to leave. That place is a ticking time bomb.” Alex pressed his shaky thumb against the call icon, waiting as the line trilled before Ava’s voicemail sounded.
He hit the end call button and tried again, hoping to reach her. She didn’t answer again.
With a growl, he tossed the phone aside and yanked the laptop onto his lap. “We need to stop this.”
“I’m assuming they can’t do anything at the site,” Sebastian said.
“I have no idea. Doc, keep trying to get a hold of Ava and tell her to get out of there. If I can’t get this program stopped…” His voice trailed off as he refused to say the words aloud.
“Can’t you literally just shut down the laptop?” Kyle asked.
Alex shook his head, his fingers flying across the keyboard. “No, sadly, turning it on and off doesn’t work in this case. This is already running. Stopping it isn’t going to reverse the power buildup at these sites.”
“Power buildups? There are power buildups somewhere?” Grant asked as he strode in from the kitchen, a steaming coffee mug in his hand. “Where?”
Alex sucked in a breath, eyeing the man as an idea formed in his mind. He snapped his fingers. “Wait, that’s right. You own a power company. Maybe you can help.”
Grant set his mug down as he hurried toward Alex. “Of course. If there’s something I can do, just let me know.”
“We have a…slight situation. There’s a program called Project Eclipse. It was designed to take out the entire eastern seaboard–we think that means killing the power grid.”
Alex sucked in a sharp breath as he explained while continuing to attempt to reverse the damage that had been done.
“When we managed to get into VoltTech earlier, we grabbed the Project Eclipse files. But somehow, they activated. And now there’s a buildup of power at a few key facilities, one of which Ava is at. ”
Alex’s heart skipped a beat as he said the words, upset roiling inside him.
“So, there’s a program causing power to build up at a dispersion facility rather than continuing through the lines,” Grant said. “Is that right?”
“More or less, yes. I’m doing everything I can from this end to stop this, but I’m not having much luck.”
Grant pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll call my engineers. See if they have any suggestions.”
“Great,” Alex said as Kyle’s voice sounded behind him.
“Ava, finally,” Kyle said. “I’m putting you on speaker.”
“Babe?” Alex said, his voice breaking as he stared down at the phone, waiting to hear from her. He prayed she’d tell him they were on their way back here.
“Alex, are you home?”
“I am. I wish you were,” he said.
“Sadly, no,” she said through the alarm klaxons blaring. “This place is getting more unstable by the minute, but we can’t just leave. Babe, if this place blows…”
“I know, I know,” Alex said, returning his focus to his screen as he tried to override any aspect of the program and send the surge somewhere else. “I’m trying to stop this but…I don’t know how this could have happened.”
“Everything we try here is blocked by that program. Alex, how did this happen?”
“I don’t know!” His chest constricted as he tried again to make sense of what was going on.
Sebastian’s phone chimed, and he glanced at the display, his features twisting before he snapped his glance to Alex. “The Board activated it after identifying you at the VoltTech site.”
“What?” Heat washed over him. Was this some sort of punishment for not joining them or had this been the plan all along?
Was this how The Board planned to destroy him? Set him up as the villain, the one who took down the East Coast? Fury bubbled inside him, but there was no time for rage. He had to act before the trap closed around Ava and the rest of the country.
“They are planning to claim that you are responsible when this goes south.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ava growled on the other end of the line. “The files are theirs!”
Sebastian scrubbed his face as Kyle plopped onto the couch, his face pale. “But they’re sitting on your laptop.”
Alex huffed out a breath, shaking his head. They must have realized what they’d done while at the facility, and they were going to turn it around on him. He couldn’t let that happen.
His fists tightened. “All right, we need a solution here.”
“Can you hack this program and shut it off?” Ava asked.
“I’m trying, but this isn’t the easiest thing to work with,” Alex answered. “And I have Grant on the line with his engineers discussing potential solutions. Maybe he can give you some ideas for how to tackle this on site.”
“Let’s hope so, because we’re desperately trying to get this power released, but at these levels, even if we manage to send it through, the surge is going to be so big–”
“It’ll blow out everything after it. Yeah,” Alex said with a nod. “Yeah, I get that. It’ll not only kill the facility, but it may kill everything after it.”
Ava groaned. “This is a nightmare.”
“Tell me about it. Babe, I seriously think you need to get out of there. We can transmit information to the engineers there. You don’t need to be there.”
“I disagree. If there is something we can do on this end, someone needs to oversee it.”
“Yes, the people who work there!” Alex shouted. “Get a contact number, tell them to keep an eye on their phones. We’ll patch instructions through to them.”
“I don’t feel comfortable leaving,” Ava answered. “Chris and I are helping to try to stop these levels from reaching critical. They’re running a skeleton crew here.”
Alex’s muscles tensed as she said the words. They’d sent most of their people home, but Ava remained in danger.
“Babe, just concentrate on stopping this program, okay? That’s where your focus needs to be. If anyone can do this, Alex, it’s you.”
His fingers hammered against the keys, searching for a backdoor like a burglar hunting for an unlocked window.
But Project Eclipse was airtight—every attempt to stop it felt like pushing against a brick wall that kept getting taller.
“I really wish you were here to rub my shoulders and tell me that in person.”
“You got this, babe. I’ll rub your shoulders later. Now, come on. At least stop the power build-up. We’ll let Grant’s people help us with the release.”
“I’m trying, but so far, no luck. It’s like once it started, there’s no way to stop it from continuing.” Alex shook his head, the puzzle infuriating him. What was he missing?
A sudden shout, then a deafening bang, shattered the connection. Alex’s heart froze, a cold wave of panic sweeping over him.
“Ava?” he shouted, his voice raw with fear. Silence answered him, more terrifying than any alarm klaxon or power surge.
She didn’t answer, and a second later, the line went dead. His jaw tightened, and he snapped his gaze to Kyle. “What happened?”
“Call dropped,” Kyle said, already redialing.
“Get her back.” The tension in Alex’s voice made it rise an octave.
“I’m trying. I’m trying,” Kyle said, his tone panicked.
He cursed under his breath as he ended the call and dialed again. “She’s not answering.”
Alex gritted his teeth, a groan escaping him. “Get her back, Doc. I need an open line of communication with her to concentrate.”
“Mav, I’m trying. She’s not answering.”
Alex’s heart hammered against his ribs as he eyed the levels at the Farlow facility. It didn’t look like they had gotten worse–at least not enough to blow the facility. But that didn’t explain what happened with Ava. Why wasn’t she answering?
Finally, the trilling line cut off, Ava’s shaky voice answering. “Doc, tell me I’m not on speaker.”
“Uhhh…” Kyle’s eyes went wide as he shot a glance at Alex.
Alex shook his head, pressing a finger to his lips.
“Yeah, you’re good. It’s just me,” Kyle answered. “What’s up?”
“We have a major problem here, and Alex cannot know, okay? He’s under enough pressure.”
Alex’s throat parched at the words. What was happening that she didn’t want him to know about?
“What’s going on?” Kyle asked.
Silence. Then a sharp, unsteady breath. A chill inched up Alex’s spine.
“It’s Vanessa,” Ava finally whispered, her voice tight with urgency. “She’s here. And she’s got a gun.”
The words hit him like a physical slap. Ava was trapped in the Farlow facility with an unhinged woman who wanted to ensure The Board’s initiative killed the power to the entire east coast.
“Unless Alex can do something from his end…we’re sunk.”
He was sitting in a comfortable living room while Ava was trapped in a burning fuse. And the fuse was getting shorter by the second.