Chapter 2 - The Smart-Home Lockout
David’s footsteps echoed heavily on the hardwood floor as he reached the garage door, yanked it open, and fumbled for the light switch. Nothing happened.
On my monitor, I watched him pull out his cell phone, turning on the flashlight app to illuminate the grey metal circuit box mounted beside the water heater. He gripped the heavy master handle and shoved it upward with all his might.
The switch clicked, but a small red LED on the smart-meter collar instantly flashed twice and locked it right back down.
“Dad! Come here!” David shouted back into the house, his voice tight with rising panic. “The breaker box won't stay engaged. There’s some kind of digital padlock on it!”
Susan hurried into the kitchen, crossing her arms defensively against the sudden chill creeping through the mountain windows. “What do you mean a digital padlock? It’s a house, David, not a bank vault!”
“I don't know, but the whole panel is lit up with red indicator lights,” David replied, pressing buttons on his phone in a futile attempt to override the system.
Dad marched into the garage, pushing past David to grab the handle himself. He wrenched it upward, grunting with exertion, only for the heavy spring-loaded mechanism to snap back down with a sharp, metallic clack.
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“This is absurd!” Dad yelled, his face flushing crimson in the dim glow of the phone screen. “Call an electrician! Call whoever manages this county’s grid!”
“There’s no point,” I murmured softly to the empty room in San Diego, tapping my fingers against my desk. “The grid doesn't belong to them. Neither does the house.”
