THE HEIRESS IN OVERALLS のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 91 - チャプター 100

Chapter 92: The High-Velocity LoopThe peace and quiet of the Manhattan executive suite did not last long. By 4:00 AM Avery was back in her world standing inside the high-security technical hub of the Thorne-Sterling transit terminal in Newark.The air was cool and crisp. It hummed with the power of the big machines that supplied the automated cranes along the shipping channels. Avery had changed out of her suit and was now wearing dark utility trousers and a charcoal tank top. Her hair was pulled back into a knot. Her leather boots made a sound as she walked on the steel catwalk. She was checking the digital screens that showed how fast the cargo was being loaded."The cranes at Berth 4 are slowing down the container locks by seven seconds, " Avery said loudly. Her voice was sharp and clear. She was using her slate to run a special test on the terminal's pressure loops. "The old contractors used a type of fluid that gets thinner when the pumps are working hard. If we do not change th

Chapter 94: The Chesapeake NetworkThe strong winds from the Atlantic Ocean disappeared as we entered the Chesapeake Bay. It had been more than twenty-four hours since the main ship arrived at the harbor. Now Avery was standing inside the hot technical area of the Baltimore rail terminal that they had just bought.The air was full of the smells of metal, strong electrical insulation and new track grease. Avery was wearing a canvas top and dark utility pants. Her leather work boots were firmly on the metal floor of a high-voltage machine. She had a tool in her left hand and was adjusting a newly installed magnetic switching grid."The power going to the automated container shifters is changing by five percent when it is at load, " Avery said loudly and clearly. She had an authority in her voice that no one could replicate. She adjusted the calibration dial with a twist. "The old operators were taking power from a substation grid that is very old. If we do not separate the transformers

Chapter 96: The Atlanta HubThe mountain air of the Blue Ridge gaps dropped away as the rail corridor plummeted south into the sprawling red-dirt industrial heart of the Atlanta transit hub. It was midnight but the terminal was a blazing island of sodium-vapor lights humming with the continuous power grid of forty interlocking classification tracks.Avery stood on the concrete apron between two massive switching bays, her heavy canvas vest unzipped against the heavy southern heat. She wore her grease-smudged tank top and dark canvas utility trousers, her leather work boots coated in a layer of iron filings and yard dust. In her hand she held a high-frequency sonic diagnostic probe, its sensor array pinned to the housing of a newly installed magnetic switching rail."The hydraulic switching gates at Junction 9 are lagging by twelve milliseconds under peak load " Avery called out her voice hard, clear and carrying that structural authority that could never be simulated by a corporate pu

Chapter 98: The Long Island MandateThe Manhattan tech scene was a world away from the rain-soaked streets of the Vance estate in Southampton. The smell of flowers and perfectly cut bushes filled the air. It was a kind of silence that came with old money.Avery sat in the passenger seat of the black SUV. She stared at the iron gates as they swung open. She had taken off her work vest. Was wearing a simple black tank top and a dark jacket. Her boots were firmly on the floor. Silas was driving, his hands tight on the wheel. His jaw was clenched so hard that a muscle was twitching."You do not go into that house Avery " Silas said, his voice. Serious. He did not look at the house at the end of the driveway. He looked at her. "Viviennes father did not set this up just to get some assets. He did it to get me to come here where the Thorne name still means something. It is a trap to make you feel like you do not belong."Avery turned to him, putting her elbow on the armrest. She could see wh

Chapter 100: The Sovereign LedgerThe room was really quiet. It was like you could hear a pin drop. Outside the rain was coming down hard against the windows but inside the fireplace did not feel warm anymore.Lady Vivienne put her tea down on the table. It made a loud noise. She was sitting up straight but then she got stiff."You would not do something like freeze a ship in the water " Vivienne said, her voice was not nice and calm like it was before. "The people in charge of the ships would get really mad. Make you pay a lot of money. You would be in trouble.""The people in charge of the ships care about safety, " Avery said. She was talking slowly. She got out her computer and started touching the screen. "If a ship does not follow the rules the people in charge have to make it stop and not let it come into the port until they can check it out."She looked up at Vivienne, her eyes staring at her."Our list of ships to check is really long; it will take three weeks. I can make sur