The Sunnyvale warehouse was freezing at 5:45 AM. The industrial HVAC system was working overtime to keep the massive Avalon server racks cooled, pushing a steady stream of chilled air across the concrete floor.
Grayson Knight stood behind the U-shaped command center holding a cup of black coffee. He wore his charcoal suit trousers and a crisp white shirt, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows.
"Check the subscriber bounce rate," Grayson commanded, looking at Toby Miller's monitor.
Toby typed rapidly, his eyes glued to the screen. "David Cross published The Bay Observer newsletter at exactly 5:30 AM. The email blast hit forty-five thousand retail investors."
"Are they reading it?" Quinn Harper asked, standing next to Toby with her own coffee.
"The open rate is spiking," Toby confirmed. "
