Page 25 - SurprisingTruthFinal

Nicholas Boothman
Henry stopped, his eyes fixed on the plume of black
smoke rising rapidly from the direction of the main
power substation. It wasn't just a failure. It was an
event.
He jogged toward the smoke, his professional
cynicism kicking in. He knew the next steps better than
anyone. Step one: control the narrative. Step two:
blame the weather or a small animal. Step three:
reassure everyone the lights will be back on by
morning, even if the plant is a smoking ruin.
He reached the edge of the substation perimeter.
Razor wire fences were down, and the air smelled like
burnt metal and insulation. Emergency services were
already there, chaos everywhere. Fire trucks, police
cruisers, and a few frantic-looking guys in hard hats
shouting into radios.
But it wasn't just the power plant. Fifty feet away,
the concrete retaining wall for the commuter rail line
looked like it had been punched by a giant. A huge,
jagged hole gaped open. And inside, a train carriage
was tipped sideways, half-buried in the rubble.
A train derailment on top of a power failure. This
wasn't a minor disaster. This was a catastrophe.
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