“So you shut off my Internet?”
“You were warned.”
The technician glanced toward the utility panel.
“I may have already opened the exterior box.”
My stomach tightened.
“When?”
“Just now.”
I ran toward the side of the garage.
The panel was open.
Two cables had been removed.
One was my ordinary residential connection.
The other was the managed circuit.
“Put that back.”
The technician looked at Karen.
She shook her head.
“No.”
I turned toward her.
“You don't get a vote.”
“The camera comes down first.”
I went inside.
My regular Wi-Fi had already dropped.
Then I checked the secure terminal.
A red warning appeared.
MANAGED CIRCUIT OFFLINE — PHYSICAL LINK FAILURE
That was the moment everything changed.
The Call
I walked back outside.
Karen was still standing there, looking pleased with herself.
“You need to stop touching that box,” I told the technician.
He frowned.
“Why?”
“That line supports a federal contract.”
Karen laughed.
“You're bluffing.”
I ignored her.
“You just disconnected a secure managed communications link.”
The technician went pale.
“I was told both lines were residential.”
“One isn't.”
Karen rolled her eyes.
“Oh, please.”
My company phone rang.