Ch 58: Entering the Core

The soft hum of machinery filled the cramped workshop as Kael pushed the rolling stool toward the workbench. It was early—before sunrise—but he had already been awake for hours. Routine had become his anchor in Gron, a structured rhythm of labor, learning, and the occasional dive into things he probably shouldn't be poking at.

He reached for a plasma regulator, the metal casing still warm from the night shift's work. The device, about the size of his forearm, was one of the countless components that kept Gron's decentralized power grid functional. Unlike the rigid, centralized networks the Consortium used, Gron's energy system was built in layers—each district generating, storing, and distributing power independently.

Most days started like this: repairs, diagnostics, and modifications.

Kael set the regulator onto the workbench and pried off the outer casing with a micro-lathe, careful not to damage the delicate graphene heat sinks underneath. Inside, he found what he expected—signs of wear, misaligned inverters, and carbon buildup from plasma cycling inefficiencies.

The work was tedious, but it gave him time to think.

After finishing up, he stacked the repaired regulators into a crate and stood, stretching the stiffness from his shoulders. The workshop smelled of ozone and metal—a scent he was beginning to associate with quiet stability.

Then came the next part of his day.

Midday – Factory District

By midday, Kael was out in the industrial sector, following Lora through the labyrinth of stacked steel corridors and raised walkways that made up Gron's power hub. The heat was oppressive, radiating off the massive heat exchangers that bled excess thermal energy from the generators below.

"We've got another surge report from District Five," Lora muttered, flipping through her datapad. "They're pulling more power than they should be."

Kael exhaled slowly. This wasn't the first time they had noticed discrepancies in the system's energy flow. On paper, each district had a regulated consumption rate, but the actual numbers didn't add up. Some sectors were drawing more than was recorded.

"You think it's just inefficiency?" he asked.

Lora gave him a look. "No. But officially, we're just checking for 'losses.'"

Kael understood. The real work—the kind that kept cities like Gron running—was never in the official reports.

As they walked, Kael's gaze drifted toward a set of containment towers—tall, reinforced structures designed to store excess energy in the form of compressed plasma cells. Unlike traditional battery storage, plasma cells were more volatile, but they allowed for higher energy density.

A few technicians worked on one of the towers, their exosuit frames clanking against the metal as they secured a panel. Kael filed the sight away. If there was an imbalance in power distribution, it would likely be connected to those storage sites.

Afternoon – Underground Work

After his shift in the factory district, Kael's second job began.

He stepped into the lower sectors of Gron, where the lines between legal and illegal blurred into something more fluid. Here, small workshops and hidden labs thrived beneath the city's infrastructure. This was where tech went when it was no longer under regulation—where salvaged Consortium devices were repurposed, and outdated systems were given new life.

Tonight's request was a security bypass for an old relay module.

Kael set up his tools, connecting the device to a diagnostic slate. The small screen flickered to life, running through the relay's base protocols. He adjusted the connection, inserting a quantum key injector to simulate an authorized user's access. The security node flashed yellow—partially decrypted.

A few more tweaks. A slight bypass of the firmware handshake.

The light turned green.

His client, a woman with augmented hands, grinned. "Efficient."

Kael unplugged the slate, setting the module aside. "It's standard encryption."

She tilted her head. "You always this quick?"

Kael shrugged, already moving to pack up. "I have other places to be."

The woman chuckled, but she didn't press. Deals like this weren't built on trust—they were built on results.

Evening – The Questions That Linger

By the time Kael returned to his small rented room, the artificial glow of Gron's night-lights had already bathed the skyline in hues of orange and blue. He sat by the window, watching the flickering power grid in the distance.

His mind was already cycling through the inconsistencies he had seen.

The city's infrastructure was impressive—more stable than most—but something wasn't adding up. Where was the extra energy going?

He'd keep digging.

For now, he had a routine to maintain.