Chapter 23 - The Midwest InitiativeTo stay ahead of the phantom consortium Marcus warned about, I packed my toolkit and hit the road again. This time, instead of reacting to corporate emergencies, I launched the Midwest Initiative—a proactive, hands-on audit of every single regional distribution node connected to the Silver Pine supply chain.
Ruby was older now, her ninth birthday approaching fast, and she understood that Daddy’s work kept people safe. Beatrice had taken to mentoring her on weekends, teaching her the fundamentals of corporate governance and botany in the sprawling greenhouse behind the Kesler estate.
My first stop on the Midwest tour was the Davenport facility—a massive, aging cold-storage depot situated near the Mississippi River.
When I pulled up in my sedan, the facility looked quiet, almost too quiet. No trucks unloading. No workers moving pallets across the loading dock.
I stepped out, adjusted my tool belt, and walked up to the main security office. The door was unlocked. Inside, the control monitors were completely dark, and a layer of fine dust coated the reception desk.
"Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing off the concrete walls.
Silence.
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I pulled out my diagnostic tablet, connected to the local network port on the wall, and ran a quick subnet scan. The facility's automated climate control had been completely disabled three days ago.
Inside the primary storage vaults, millions of dollars of perishable goods were sitting in sixty-degree ambient heat, rotting silently in the dark.
