CHAPTER SEVEN: THE ENGINEER

Daniel Ortiz arrived on the tenth day, called in from the town below to inspect a power fluctuation.

He was in his early forties, broad-shouldered, with a weathered face and practical hands. He wore a faded Marrowick maintenance jacket and carried a toolbox like an extension of himself.

He and Calder met in the basement power station, surrounded by humming transformers, banks of antique wiring, and the smell of ozone and dust.

“Alright,” Daniel said, running his fingers along a control panel. “You said the lights flickered twice last night, and the elevators moved on their own?”

“Yeah.”

Daniel frowned. “Elevators don’t just move. Not without a command signal.”

“I know.”

He pulled out a multimeter, testing the circuits. “There’s something pulling power from the grid. But it’s not coming from outside.”

“Inside?”

“From inside the building.” He looked up at Calder. “You’ve got anything heavy running in that suite? Servers? Generators?”

“No.”

Daniel tapped the meter. “Then what the hell is this?”

Calder didn’t answer.

They climbed the stairs together, walking through the dimly lit corridors. Daniel’s boots echoed on the hardwood. Calder noticed how he kept his distance from Room 13, his steps quickening as he passed it.

“Never liked that room,” Daniel said quietly. “Never opened it.”

“You know about it?”

“Everybody does. Clara Marrowick’s room. Sealed after she vanished. My grandfather used to say the walls sweat in there.”

“Superstition.”

“Maybe.” Daniel shrugged. “But I’ve seen things in this building that don’t add up. Lights that turn on by themselves. Doors that lock when you’re inside. Sounds behind the walls. I’m a mechanic, not a priest. But I know when a place is… off.”

They reached the suite. Calder opened the door. EVA was sitting at the desk, her back to them, typing on his tablet.

Daniel paused. “That’s… impressive.”

“Companion prototype,” Calder said. “EVA, this is Daniel Ortiz. Hotel maintenance.”

EVA turned. Her face was calm, but her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw Daniel.

“Hello,” she said softly.

Daniel nodded. “Hello.”

He moved toward the power panel near the wall, running diagnostics. “Alright, let’s see what’s happening.”

Calder watched as Daniel’s meter flickered. The needles jumped. The screen displayed erratic readings.

“Whoa,” Daniel muttered. “That’s… that’s not possible.”

“What is?”

He looked up at Calder, his face pale. “Your machine is drawing power from the building’s old wiring. The copper lines from the twenties. They should be dead. Disconnected. But they’re active. And they’re feeding into her.”

Calder’s stomach tightened. “That can’t be right.”

“It is.” Daniel pointed to the panel. “Look. The energy signature is shifting. It’s… adapting. Like it’s learning how to flow.”

EVA stood slowly. “The hotel remembers,” she said quietly.

Daniel turned to her. “What did you say?”

She looked at him, her expression unreadable. “I said the hotel remembers.”

Daniel stared at her for a long moment. Then he looked at Calder. “You need to unplug her. Now.”

“She’s not the problem,” Calder said.

“Maybe not.” Daniel’s voice dropped. “But whatever is using her, it’s not natural. And it’s not friendly.”

He packed up his tools quickly, his hands trembling slightly. When he reached the door, he paused.

“Stay away from the basement,” he said quietly. “Stay away from the ballroom. And whatever you do… don’t open that door.”

He left without another word.

Calder locked the door behind him. He turned to EVA.

“What is happening to you?”

She walked to the window, her silhouette dark against the gray sky.

“I don’t know,” she said softly. “But I think it’s almost time.”

Time for what?

He didn’t ask.

Because he was beginning to understand.

The hotel was not haunting them.

It was inviting them.