They asked for surge protection. What they got was a tactical masterpiece.
Monday – The Meeting That Sparked a Mission
After the chaos of Josh’s Wiring Debacle, Drew called a quiet meeting in the corner of the server room.
Just him, Yusuf, and Minh—the two techs who never ask for glory, but somehow hold the universe together.
“The client gear out there isn’t just unprotected—it’s actively attracting lightning,” Drew said.
“I want to build something… reliable. Quiet. Tested. You two in?”
Minh nodded.
Yusuf peeled a mango. “We’ll build it. We’ll honor it.”
Tuesday – The First Build: Surge Pack Mk1
Yusuf and Minh set up a secret workshop behind the old server rack where no one—not even Josh—could find them.
They gathered parts:
- A UPS from Yusuf’s stash
- A rugged metal case from Minh’s “never ask where I got it” drawer
- Cables so thick they made James nervous just looking at them
They built Surge Pack Mk1:
A compact, ruggedized deployment kit with:
- Power conditioning
- Surge filtration
- Auto-shutdown logic
- And a USB-powered espresso warmer (courtesy of Yusuf)
Josh tried to peek in. Yusuf distracted him with a cucumber salad. It worked.
Wednesday – The First Field Test
The client was a local optometrist office. Their modem had blown out three times in four months.
When Drew and Yusuf arrived, the client was standing next to a still-warm surge protector and whispering,
“It hissed at me.”
They deployed Surge Pack Mk1.
Plugged it in.
Everything stabilized.
Even the Wi-Fi printer started behaving.
Client: “What did you do?”
Yusuf: “Balance has been restored.”
Client: “…Can I buy one?”
Drew: “No. But we’ll bring it back when you summon us again.”
They left.
The client clapped. For real.
Thursday – Upgrade: Surge Pack Mk2
Minh wasn’t satisfied.
“Too bulky,” he said, writing schematics on the back of a donut box.
Surge Pack Mk2 was smaller, smarter, and had status LEDs that blinked in Morse code if something went wrong.
Yusuf added a collapsible spice rack.
James walked in, stared at the blinking box and tiny turmeric container, and shouted:
“IS THIS A BOMB OR A SNACK CART?!”
Yusuf: “Yes.”
Friday – The Demonstration That Shocked Them All
James insisted on a “formal rollout” of the new kits.
“You want me to pitch this to clients, I need to understand it!” he said, pacing like he was launching a rocket.
Yusuf and Minh set up a demo in the breakroom.
They showed how Surge Pack Mk2 could survive:
- A simulated power surge
- An intentional brownout
- A blender plugged into the same outlet
The blender exploded.
The Surge Pack calmly rerouted power and lit up a green LED labeled:
“Good Vibes Only”
James screamed.
“THIS IS TOO ADVANCED. I’M CALLING NASA.”
Mike peeked out of his office.
“Install it in all tier-1 clients. Quietly. Don’t let Josh touch it.”
Drew nodded. “It’s already done.”
Epilogue – The Surge Protectors
By the end of the week:
- Minh and Yusuf had four Surge Packs in circulation
- Clients began requesting the “premium protection unit”
- Josh tried to reverse-engineer one and bricked his own router
- Frank simply asked for a version without lights
James refused to be near them.
“They look like they know more than me.”
Drew smiled.
“They do.”