Chapter 4 - The Lower Levels
The basement levels of Northstar Robotics were the antithesis of the rooftop terrace. Here, the air was thick with the scent of ozone, hydraulic fluid, and industrial grease. Cable trays hung like metal vines from the concrete ceiling, and the roar of the ventilation system was a constant drone.
Claire navigated the narrow corridors with an ease that surprised the assembly workers she passed. She found Mason in the main junction room, surrounded by a mountain of blue protective schematic drawings and tools.
Lucy was sitting in the corner on a clean plastic crate, diligently drawing another picture on the back of a discarded test report.
"Mason," Claire called out as she approached.
Mason dropped his wire strippers, turning around quickly. His shirt was damp with sweat, and a smudge of black grease lined his jaw. "Ms. Whitmore. I mean, Claire. Is everything all right? Did Lucy leave something upstairs?"
"Lucy is fine," Claire said, looking at the massive, open electrical panel behind him. "I need to know the truth about the morning power failure in Lab 4. The board is claiming it was a routine maintenance neglect."
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Mason looked at the panel, then back at Claire. His tired eyes held a complicated mixture of professional pride and economic fear. "I'm just a contractor, Claire. My supervisor told me to sign the log as a standard surge and leave it alone."
"Your supervisor doesn't own this building, Mason," Claire said, her voice firm but not unkind. "I need the forensic truth. If I don't get it, the project that funds the very grid you're fixing is going to be wiped out by Friday."
