Chapter 7 - The Sabotage at Harbor PointOn Thursday night—eight hours before the critical shareholder vote—the Harbor Point luxury resort complex was quiet. The forty-story oceanfront skyscraper was nearly complete, awaiting its final safety clearance.
At 11:00 PM, Rowan was at home tucking Bram into bed when his company phone buzzed violently.
It was an automated alarm from the Harbor Point central control grid: CRITICAL PRESSURE DROP - MAIN WATER HEATER MATRIX - BASEMENT LEVEL 3.
Rowan’s eyes widened. A sudden pressure drop in a high-rise matrix could rupture the main lines, flooding the electrical sub-station and causing tens of millions of dollars in structural damage—effectively destroying the project before Friday’s vote.
Rowan called Maris immediately, then grabbed his jacket and rushed to his truck.
Twenty minutes later, Rowan pulled up to the darkened Harbor Point tower. Heavy rain was pouring down, echoing the storm from eighteen years ago.
He unlocked the basement access doors and sprinted down three flights of concrete stairs into the subterranean maintenance facility. Water was already pooling on the floor, ankle-deep and rising fast.
Thump! Thump!
The massive industrial boilers were groaning under extreme pressure. Rowan threw open the main control panel and froze.
This wasn't a mechanical failure.
The primary pressure relief valves had been manually locked shut, and the emergency bypass wires had been deliberately cut. It was sabotage.
Suddenly, the heavy steel security door behind him slammed shut, locking with a loud metallic click.
Rowan spun around, running to the door and pounding on the reinforced glass window. Outside stood Vance’s chief security officer, holding a master key card.
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“Sorry, Hail,” the officer said through the intercom, a cold smile on his face. “Vance’s orders. In ten minutes, the main line blows, the basement floods, and Maris loses her company. And you’ll be trapped down here to take the blame.”
The officer turned off the lights and walked away, leaving Rowan in pitch darkness as water rose around his knees.
