{"id":12920,"date":"2026-09-18T10:09:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T10:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=12920"},"modified":"2026-09-18T10:09:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T10:09:13","slug":"part-3-the-owner-admitted-using-my-identity-in-secret-revealing-a-corporate-leak-that-had-begun-long-before-the-machine-failed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=12920","title":{"rendered":"PART 3 \u2013 The Owner Admitted Using My Identity in Secret, Revealing a Corporate Leak That Had Begun Long Before the Machine Failed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Samuel crossed Bay Three toward us.<\/p>\n<p>Nadia turned the laptop before he reached us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything all right?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinishing the network record,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>His eyes moved to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEthan?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe machine is stable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat wasn\u2019t what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I held his gaze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen ask the question you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A faint expression crossed his face.<\/p>\n<p>Interest, perhaps.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWalk with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard heard him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSam, Meridian\u2019s team will be here soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou prepare for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel did not wait.<\/p>\n<p>I picked up my folder.<\/p>\n<p>Before following, I looked at Nadia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSave everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel noticed the exchange.<\/p>\n<p>We walked through the factory without speaking.<\/p>\n<p>People watched us.<\/p>\n<p>News traveled quickly through manufacturing plants. Everyone had probably heard that I had been fired, returned as a contractor, and somehow become involved in an investigation around the company\u2019s most important machine.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel\u2019s office overlooked the production floor.<\/p>\n<p>He closed the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll stand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He moved behind his desk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill angry?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat depends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhether being fired was the worst thing somebody intended to happen to me today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you accusing me of?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He sat.<\/p>\n<p>I remained standing.<\/p>\n<p>Then Samuel surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShow me the photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I did not react.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat photograph?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe one Nadia showed you downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>He had noticed more than I thought.<\/p>\n<p>I took out my phone.<\/p>\n<p>Before closing Nadia\u2019s laptop, I had photographed the security still.<\/p>\n<p>I placed the image on his desk.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel looked at it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou admit it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou entered Engineering Records using a credential connected to my badge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause someone inside Horizon has been stealing confidential information.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was not the answer I expected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat information?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPricing. Customer programs. manufacturing processes. Bid packages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt least three months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He opened a drawer and removed a folder.<\/p>\n<p>Inside were competitor quotes and internal comparison sheets.<\/p>\n<p>He pushed one toward me.<\/p>\n<p>The competing price was fourteen dollars below Horizon\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>The part itself cost more than eleven hundred.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat close?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another quote showed the same pattern.<\/p>\n<p>Then another.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey knew your numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot approximately. Closely enough to underbid us without sacrificing margin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you started investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hired an outside firm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho knew?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlmost no one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy keep it from your operations director?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the information being leaked crossed departments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Engineering.<\/p>\n<p>Finance.<\/p>\n<p>Operations.<\/p>\n<p>Customer programs.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone with enough authority to see all of it had to be considered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat still doesn\u2019t explain my badge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe investigators needed discreet access to Engineering Records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo they cloned an employee credential.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey duplicated an access profile.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou had broad engineering access.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo did other people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were considered low-risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou weren\u2019t management. Your access to engineering areas was normal enough not to attract attention.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd if something went wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>I stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf somebody found suspicious access tied to that credential, whose name appeared?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The word landed heavily.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou created the mechanism somebody used to frame me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt appears so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I sat.<\/p>\n<p>Not because he had invited me.<\/p>\n<p>Because the problem had just become much larger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho knew the duplicate existed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe and two outside investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNobody inside Horizon?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot officially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen how did Tyler obtain it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour investigation is compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. You knew Horizon had a leak. Now somebody knew enough about your secret investigation to steal the tool you were using.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel looked toward the factory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is what concerns me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did you learn Richard was firing me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c10:58.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you approve it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou own Horizon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t approve every termination.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEleven-year senior engineer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard had authority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you try to stop it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI called him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImmediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t answer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said the meeting was already beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remembered walking toward HR at almost exactly that time.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt 11:15 Richard called me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat the Meridian machine had failed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said you had left angry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My attention sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe suggested you might have done something to the machine before leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>At 11:15, nobody had pulled the controller logs.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody had found my account.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody had checked the badge records.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had already suggested sabotage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew what the evidence would say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is one interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew because somebody had arranged the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel did not argue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas Richard part of your leak investigation?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe examined everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas he a serious suspect?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow serious?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI planned to restrict some of his system permissions this week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe shouldn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was not the same as no.<\/p>\n<p>Another thought came.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did Tyler work before Horizon?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalder Manufacturing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel opened another folder.<\/p>\n<p>A competitor name appeared.<\/p>\n<p>Calder Industrial Systems.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalder acquired Tyler\u2019s former employer,\u201d Samuel said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Calder has been bidding against Horizon?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRepeatedly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tyler suddenly made more sense.<\/p>\n<p>He could physically change machine parameters.<\/p>\n<p>He could follow instructions.<\/p>\n<p>He could enter Bay Three.<\/p>\n<p>But he could not see executive pricing.<\/p>\n<p>He could not approve terminations.<\/p>\n<p>He could not manipulate high-level security without help.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s not running this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI agree.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does Calder gain by sabotaging Meridian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel walked to a cabinet and removed an acquisition proposal.<\/p>\n<p>Calder Industrial Systems had attempted to purchase Horizon six months earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel had rejected the offer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Horizon loses Meridian?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur valuation takes a significant hit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much is Meridian worth?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the program life? Roughly one hundred eighty-four million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd jobs?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we win, we add around sixty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you lose?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel looked through the glass at the factory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Meridian falls through and two renewals go badly next quarter, eighty to a hundred positions could be at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The number changed the weight of everything.<\/p>\n<p>This was not only about me.<\/p>\n<p>Someone could be trying to weaken Horizon deliberately.<\/p>\n<p>Lose Meridian.<\/p>\n<p>Damage revenue.<\/p>\n<p>Create panic.<\/p>\n<p>Reduce the company\u2019s value.<\/p>\n<p>Then Calder could return with another acquisition offer.<\/p>\n<p>My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n<p>Nadia.<\/p>\n<p>COME DOWNSTAIRS. URGENT.<\/p>\n<p>I showed Samuel.<\/p>\n<p>We moved quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Nadia was waiting beside the controller with Mason.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGone somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She turned the laptop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere aren\u2019t just two copies of your badge identity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree cloned employee profiles total.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She opened the first.<\/p>\n<p>Mine.<\/p>\n<p>The second belonged to Claire Donnelly.<\/p>\n<p>The third belonged to Walter Briggs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy those three?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCreation time?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll within twenty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCreated by?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She opened the administrative record.<\/p>\n<p>ADMIN-02.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel Ross.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The security supervisor.<\/p>\n<p>The same man who had reported Tyler\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel called him.<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing.<\/p>\n<p>A moment later, the public-address system sounded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Langford, please contact security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel used the internal phone.<\/p>\n<p>We watched his expression change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t touch anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He hung up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeft the property?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mason blinked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe security supervisor disappeared without security seeing him leave?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered.<\/p>\n<p>Walter appeared at the end of the aisle.<\/p>\n<p>He was moving fast.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEthan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard and Claire are inside Engineering Records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel was already walking.<\/p>\n<p>We followed.<\/p>\n<p>The door to Engineering Records stood open.<\/p>\n<p>Richard was beside a filing cabinet.<\/p>\n<p>Claire held a document box.<\/p>\n<p>They both froze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d Samuel asked.<\/p>\n<p>Richard answered first.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPreserving documentation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Engineering Records?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were told there might be material related to Ethan\u2019s access.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at the box.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat material?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompany property.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel stepped forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPut it down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire obeyed.<\/p>\n<p>I entered the room.<\/p>\n<p>Several drawers had been opened.<\/p>\n<p>A black binder lay on the central table.<\/p>\n<p>MERIDIAN \u2014 QUALIFICATION MASTER.<\/p>\n<p>I opened it.<\/p>\n<p>The original commissioning baseline was inside.<\/p>\n<p>Servo gain: 122.<\/p>\n<p>Exactly as I remembered.<\/p>\n<p>Behind the baseline sheet was a printed email.<\/p>\n<p>From Richard Cole.<\/p>\n<p>To Tyler Brooks.<\/p>\n<p>Sent the previous night.<\/p>\n<p>The message instructed Tyler to verify attached values before qualification using a temporary maintenance profile.<\/p>\n<p>It also instructed him not to involve me unless necessary.<\/p>\n<p>I turned the page.<\/p>\n<p>Attached were the altered values.<\/p>\n<p>Every one of them.<\/p>\n<p>I carried the documents outside.<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel read the email.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese values caused the instability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t create the attachment,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour email sent it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was given the values.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Claire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy were you taking the box?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She glanced at Richard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was told there might be a legal hold.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere isn\u2019t,\u201d Samuel said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s in it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire lowered the box.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy termination file,\u201d I said after opening it.<\/p>\n<p>Performance records.<\/p>\n<p>Compensation.<\/p>\n<p>Access-removal checklist.<\/p>\n<p>Termination authorization.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had signed it.<\/p>\n<p>No higher approval appeared.<\/p>\n<p>Then I saw another document.<\/p>\n<p>A draft incident report.<\/p>\n<p>The creation timestamp was from the previous night.<\/p>\n<p>I read the first paragraph.<\/p>\n<p>The document described an event that had not yet happened when it was written.<\/p>\n<p>It claimed that after being terminated, I had intentionally altered the Bay Three machine, causing its shutdown and endangering Meridian qualification.<\/p>\n<p>My hands became cold.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel read over my shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>Richard said, \u201cI can explain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d love to hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was scenario planning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith my name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA template.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA template describing the time of a failure that hadn\u2019t happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Claire spoke quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat report wasn\u2019t in the file yesterday morning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard turned toward her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow would you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI prepared Ethan\u2019s packet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew yesterday that Ethan would be terminated?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was instructed to prepare it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>Richard went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen who?\u201d Samuel asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe board office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich board-office account?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire started to answer.<\/p>\n<p>Every phone in the room buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>A security alert filled the screens.<\/p>\n<p>UNAUTHORIZED REMOTE ACCESS.<\/p>\n<p>BAY THREE CONTROLLER.<\/p>\n<p>I ran.<\/p>\n<p>Nadia reached the machine first.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomeone\u2019s connected remotely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDisconnect the network.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The machine stopped.<\/p>\n<p>The remote session terminated.<\/p>\n<p>Nadia opened the connection history.<\/p>\n<p>The username appeared.<\/p>\n<p>EPARKER.<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>This time I was standing beside Samuel, Richard, Claire, Mason, and Nadia.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody could plausibly claim I had done it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExternal connection,\u201d Nadia said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrace it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She began working.<\/p>\n<p>Richard checked his phone.<\/p>\n<p>Then shoved it into his pocket.<\/p>\n<p>I saw him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you get?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShow me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel held out his hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reluctantly, Richard surrendered the phone.<\/p>\n<p>A text from an unknown number had arrived.<\/p>\n<p>YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HANDLE PARKER.<\/p>\n<p>Another appeared.<\/p>\n<p>THE OWNER KNOWS TOO MUCH.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>QUALIFICATION MUST FAIL TONIGHT.<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s face lost color.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re directing this, why is somebody giving you orders?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice was barely audible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I\u2019m not directing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, I believed that particular sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Not that Richard was innocent.<\/p>\n<p>He had sent Tyler the values.<\/p>\n<p>He had fired me.<\/p>\n<p>He had opened the gate.<\/p>\n<p>He had tried to establish me as the culprit.<\/p>\n<p>But somebody was above him.<\/p>\n<p>Another message arrived.<\/p>\n<p>This one contained a photograph.<\/p>\n<p>Tyler sat inside a car.<\/p>\n<p>Alive.<\/p>\n<p>Terrified.<\/p>\n<p>The caption beneath it was unmistakably a threat.<\/p>\n<p>Richard lowered himself into a chair.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel stood over him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell us everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard rubbed his face.<\/p>\n<p>Then he looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was ordered to fire you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey needed your access identity active until Tyler finished the changes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo my termination was part of the timing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho gave you the order?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked toward the conference rooms above the factory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe instruction came through the Meridian program review committee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not a person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen give me the person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>And before he answered, I understood from his expression that whatever name came next was going to make my firing seem like the smallest piece of the plan.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=12921\">Click here to continue reading: PART 4: A Report Written Before the Sabotage Existed Forced Richard to Reveal Who Had Been Controlling the Scheme from Above Him<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Samuel crossed Bay Three toward us. Nadia turned the laptop before he reached us. \u201cEverything all right?\u201d he asked. \u201cFinishing the network record,\u201d she said. His eyes moved to me. &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12920"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12944,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12920\/revisions\/12944"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}