The First Crisis
242 Words
The alarm wasn't a sound; it was a vibration that Leo felt in the soles of his feet before it reached his ears. A low, rhythmic thrumming began to pulse through the concrete floor of the Control Hub, followed by the sharp, panicked wail of a localized siren near Bay 14.
"What is that?" Leo asked, his hand instinctively going to his hip where his U-lock used to be.
Sterling checked his tablet, his brow furrowing. "Gantry Crane 4. It’s locked in 'Emergency Stop' mode. It was mid-hoist with a forty-ton container of medical isotopes for Oakhaven General."
Leo looked out the window. High above the docks, the massive blue crane had frozen. A forty-foot steel box dangled precariously over a line of idling transport trucks. If the hydraulics failed or the wind picked up, the "isotopes" wouldn't just be late—they would be a radioactive smear across the South End.
"The automated system should override it," Sterling muttered, his fingers flying across the screen. "Unless..."
"Unless someone pulled the manual override from the ground," Leo finished. He looked down at the floor. Gus and the other dockworkers hadn't moved. They were standing in a semi-circle, arms crossed, watching the glass tower. This wasn't a malfunction. This was an initiation.
Leo didn't wait for Sterling to call maintenance. He turned and bolted for the stairs, his cheap dress shoes skidding on the metal treads.
- Writer
