Chapter 6 - The Strategy of the Playground
"This is industrial sabotage," Claire said, looking at the tiny piece of evidence in her palm. "If I present this to the board, Richard will claim it was a rogue technician. He’ll sacrifice a mid-level manager to save himself."
"Then don't present it to the board," Mason said, sitting down on the edge of the tool chest. "If you show your hand now, they'll have thirty-six hours to clear the secondary array and wipe the logs. You need the live data while the system is running."
Claire looked at the contractor with a new level of respect. "You're surprisingly good at corporate warfare for an electrician, Mason."
"I used to run communications infrastructure for the Navy," Mason said, a faint smile breaking through his tired expression. "Before Lucy's mother passed away, and I needed a job that kept my feet on the same soil as her school."
Lucy walked over, slipping her hand into Mason’s large, calloused palm. "Daddy can fix anything. Even the big broken things."
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Claire looked down at the stick-figure drawing still tucked into the side pocket of her chair. For four years, she had fought her battles using lawyers, financial levers, and institutional weight. She had forgotten the raw, human efficiency of simply finding the person who knew where the wires were buried.
"We have forty-eight hours until the Friday vote," Claire said. "Mason, I’m appointing you as the Interim Director of Campus Facilities effective immediately. You report directly to me. And your first task is to find that server."
