Ch 70: The Hidden Grid

Kael wasn't stupid.

Digging too deep into classified power drains was a quick way to disappear, and he had no intention of ending up in an unmarked grave. He had learned that much in the Blanks. People who asked the wrong questions—especially about things they weren't supposed to know—tended to vanish without a trace.

But that didn't mean he was going to stop looking.

As he sat at his workbench, tools spread across the surface like the pieces of a half-finished puzzle, he went over the facts again. Something didn't add up. The energy distribution numbers weren't just off—they were deliberately manipulated. It wasn't just some rogue industrial sector stealing extra power for production. The drain was systematic, calculated, and hidden within the city's infrastructure like a second circulatory system, pulsing beneath the surface.

The question was: Who was doing it?

A rogue faction? Unlikely—Gron's governance was tight, and unauthorized projects tended to be crushed quickly. The Bank? Possible. They had their hands in everything, and if anyone had the resources to manipulate an entire city's power grid without drawing attention, it was them.

But there was another possibility that Kael couldn't ignore. What if Gron's self-sufficiency was a lie?

The city prided itself on being independent, untethered from the Consortium's grasp, yet somehow maintaining a stable power supply despite its high energy consumption. That never quite sat right with him. If they were truly self-sufficient, there wouldn't be any need for hidden power networks. And yet, here they were.

Kael exhaled, pushing away the unnecessary speculation. He needed proof before drawing conclusions.

He turned his attention to the devices in front of him.

First was an optical relay scanner, originally meant for detecting faulty wiring in tight spaces. It was a common tool in electrical work, using a combination of light pulses and frequency shifts to map wiring layouts. But Kael had modified it to pick up energy fluctuations in real time, allowing him to scan for unregistered power conduits.

Second was a portable EMP pulse tracker. Normally, an EMP device was meant for short-range bursts to disable electronics, but Kael had rewritten its feedback system. Instead of outright frying circuits, it would send out low-frequency pulses and measure the returned signals, effectively allowing him to track hidden electrical pathways.

The problem?

Both devices were calibrated for standard industrial infrastructure. If the hidden grid used non-traditional materials—like insulated alloy wiring or phased energy routing—his readings could be skewed.

He would need to conduct a test.

Gron's power infrastructure was a strange blend of salvaged pre-war technology and modern decentralized innovations. Unlike the Consortium, which relied on centralized fusion reactors and energy cores, Gron had built a network of independent substations that distributed power across the city.

Officially, this system allowed for redundancy—if one station failed, the others compensated, ensuring uninterrupted supply. It was efficient, but it also meant power routes weren't always linear. Energy could be siphoned from multiple stations, making it difficult to track a single drain.

More importantly, the system was overseen by a Council of Engineers, a group that supposedly maintained the balance of power distribution. But even they had limits on what they could monitor.

Kael knew this because he worked under Lora, who answered directly to the council. And yet, even she wasn't fully aware of where all the energy was going. That was telling.

This wasn't a simple case of unreported energy consumption. Someone had designed the system to function with invisible redundancies, feeding power to something off-record.

Time to find out where.

Kael chose a controlled environment for his first scan—Substation 4, a mid-level power hub that was one of the lesser offenders in terms of energy draw. If his modifications worked here, he could move on to the higher-drain locations.

Under the cover of night, he made his way to the substation, carrying a compact toolkit and his devices. The facility was semi-automated, with only a skeleton crew on duty at night, making it easy to slip inside unnoticed.

He crouched near a junction box and powered on his optical scanner. The device hummed softly as it pulsed light signals through the wiring.

The results came in quickly.

As expected, most of the energy flowed through the main relay circuits—but there was another channel, barely detectable, running parallel to the official conduits.

Kael frowned. That's not normal.

He activated the EMP tracker and sent out a low-frequency pulse. The return signal was immediate, but instead of bouncing back through the main grid, it fragmented—split across multiple locations.

It was a relay network.

Someone had gone to great lengths to hide the true destination of the power draw by scattering its flow across multiple substations.

But now, Kael had a lead.

He quickly saved the data and packed up his equipment. He needed to check Substation 7 and 9 next—the ones pulling the most power. If the pattern was the same, he would have confirmation that this was an organized operation.

He turned to leave—

And then he noticed something.

A figure in the distance. Watching.

Kael didn't react immediately. He had spent too much time in the Blanks to make that mistake. Instead, he made his movements casual—adjusting his jacket, stretching his arms as if just another technician finishing up late-night maintenance.

He flicked a glance toward the figure.

They were standing near the perimeter fence, partially obscured by the shadows of an abandoned loading dock. Too far to make out any details, but close enough to be deliberately positioned.

They know I'm here.

Slowly, Kael adjusted the strap on his bag, making sure his devices were secured. If this was just a random loiterer, he could walk away without issue. But if someone had been following him, then the moment he left the substation, they would act.

A test, then.

He casually stepped away from the junction box and walked along the outer wall of the facility, taking a route that would naturally force the observer to reposition if they wanted to keep an eye on him.

Sure enough, the figure moved.

Professional.

Kael exhaled slowly. This wasn't paranoia. Someone was watching him.

He wasn't sure yet if they were working for the Council of Engineers, the Bank, or something worse, but one thing was certain—

He wasn't the only one interested in Gron's missing power.

And that meant he had even less time than he thought