Chapter 9 - Dock Nine

The inspection pit connected to an old service tunnel that opened behind the warehouse. Nora, Adrian, and Luis crawled through dust and rust until they emerged into freezing air, coughing hard enough to hurt. The black module had survived, though its casing was scorched where Adrian’s sleeve had caught a spark.

Luis led them to a storage yard beside the river. He had worked with Marcus Bell before the crash and knew the contractor used Dock Nine as a private workshop.

“If Marcus is there, he’ll run,” Luis said. “If Richard’s people got to him first, we’ll find nothing.”

Nora slipped through a side door. The workshop was full of dismantled dashboards, old steering racks, and shelves of diagnostic equipment. On the wall, someone had pinned a photograph of Ethan standing next to the test prototype.

A man emerged from behind a curtain, holding a wrench like a weapon. His hair was gray at the temples, and his eyes darted to every exit.

“Marcus Bell?” Nora asked.

He backed away. “I don’t know that name.”

“You were paid the morning after my brother died.”

“I was paid to install a patch. I wasn’t told what it would do.”

“Did you know it could disable the brake fallback?”

He didn’t answer. That was answer enough.

Adrian stepped forward. “Tell her who ordered it.”

Marcus laughed shakily. “You think I’m stupid? Richard owns half the judges in this state.”

“Not all of them,” Adrian said.

Nora placed the black module on the workbench. “This came from Ethan’s test bay. If it shows you altered the system, you’ll be charged whether you talk or not. If you tell the truth now, you may have a chance to explain why.”

Marcus’s shoulders sagged. “Richard said the system was safe. He said they needed one clean run to impress Voss. Ethan found the override and threatened to stop the acquisition.”

“Did Richard know Ethan was driving that night?”

“Yes.” Marcus swallowed. “He told me the test would be empty. He said Ethan had gone home.”

A car engine growled outside.

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Marcus looked toward the window and whispered, “He found me.”

The workshop door blew inward. Two men in dark coats rushed through, and the first raised a pistol toward Nora.