Page 28 of Rescuing Ally: Part 2

“We might find the source,” I conclude, the implications already forming in my mind.

“And possibly the method of infection,” Doc Summers adds. “Which could give us a way to neutralize it.”

“Do it,” Sam orders. “Mitzy, reconfigure your approach. I want a complete timeline of every electronic failure for as far back as you started noticing an on-going issue. Locations, affected systems, and personnel interactions. Everything.”

Mitzy nods, already redirecting her team. “I’ll access the logs for all electronic equipment malfunctions. Maintenance records. Usage patterns.”

Doc Summers steps closer to the table. “There’s something else to consider. If this behaves like a virus or pathogen, we need to consider transmission vectors. How is it spreading from system to system?”

“Physical contact?” Walt suggests. “Someone manually tampering with each device?”

“Too time-consuming,” Gabe counters. “And too visible. Security cameras would have caught that.”

“Network connections?” Blake offers. His voice is flat, controlled, but I catch the tension underneath. Sophia might be safe, but the thought of her nearly being taken again has him on edge.

“Some of the affected systems aren’t networked,” Mitzy shakes her head. “The coffee grinder at Guardian Grind,for instance. Completely stand-alone device. Same for their register.”

“Wireless transmission?” Rigel suggests. “Could be broadcasting on frequencies our security doesn’t monitor.”

“Possible,” Mitzy concedes, “but our radio frequency sweeps are comprehensive. We’d have detected unusual signals.”

“What about something more—exotic?” Carter speaks for the first time, his detective’s mind working differently than our tactical training. “Something biological, maybe. Or a hybrid.”

The room goes quiet as everyone considers this possibility.

“Like what, exactly?” Sam asks, skepticism heavy in his voice.

Carter shrugs. “I don’t know. But in my experience, when conventional explanations fail, it’s time to look for unconventional ones.” Sam may have had reservations about Carter, but he thinks like a detective, and that’s what we need right now.

“What about proximity?” I ask. “Could it jump from one device to another when they’re close enough?”

“Like airborne transmission in a biological pathogen,” Doc Summers says slowly. “That would explain the pattern we’re seeing—clusters of failures in the same locations, spreading outward.”

“Start with the timeline,” Sam decides. “Find patient zero. Then we’ll determine how it’s spreading.”

The meeting breaks. Teams form. I remain still, processing the new tactical approach and recalibrating.

Six hours later, we’ve made no progress.

The command center has transformed into a war room dedicated to tracking electronic failures. Wall displays show timelines, device locations, and personnel movements. Red markers indicate affected systems spread across the virtual map of Guardian HQ like a disease.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Mitzy says, frustration evident in her voice. “I’ve tracked back seventy-three separate equipment failures over the past three months. No consistent pattern in system types, no logical progression. Just random malfunctions.”

“Nothing’s random.” I study the display. “We’re missing something.”

Gabe paces behind me, energy rolling off him in waves. We haven’t spoken much in the past six hours, both focused on the mission, but the shared purpose binds us. Finding Ally. Our woman. The one we swore to protect.

We failed her once. We won’t fail her again.

“What about Mike?” Gabe asks, stopping his pacing. “The maintenance guy who kept ‘fixing’ the espresso machine at Guardian Grind?”

“We’ve interviewed him twice,” Sam reports. “Nothing suspicious. His background checks out, his movements around the facility match his work orders, and his technical knowledge is limited to basic repairs.”

“What about environmental factors?” Doc Summers suggests. “Changes in temperature, humidity, power fluctuations?”

“All within normal parameters,” Mitzy responds. “And they wouldn’t explain how isolated systems with separate power sources are affected.”

I study the timeline, looking for patterns others might miss. The failures started appearing approximately three months ago. Small issues at first—devices losing power, communications dropping momentarily. Then escalating in frequency and severity.