Chapter 32: The Heat Rises
A low, subterranean surge swept through the ductwork as the geothermal bypass valves seated into place, filling the reinforced corridors of Alderwood Manor with a steady river of hot, dry air. Within moments, the structural concrete beneath the floorboards absorbed the thermal energy, radiating eighty-degree warmth upward from the foundation and stripping away every trace of the coastal chill that had gathered during the electrical transfer.
Rowan Mercer unclipped his tactical vest, setting the heavy nylon carrier and sidearm onto the steel equipment bench beside the primary terminal. He peeled off his thick fleece jacket, tossing it over the back of an operator chair, and rolled the cuffs of his thin cotton shirt up past his elbows.
He walked barefoot across
