CHAPTER 4 — THE BRIEFCASE HELD MORE THAN A PROSTHETIC
CHAPTER 4 — THE BRIEFCASE HELD MORE THAN A PROSTHETIC
Within minutes, the celebration transformed into a war room.
The dining hall's thirty-foot table disappeared beneath holographic displays, encrypted laptops, and satellite communications.
The world's most influential investors watched as engineers from four continents joined an emergency conference.
Red warning alerts flashed across every screen.
SERVER BREACH DETECTED
AI SECURITY COMPROMISED
UNKNOWN ACCESS POINT
The attack was spreading faster than anyone expected.
A cybersecurity director looked at me.
"They're using military-grade adaptive malware."
"It learns every time we block it."
Another engineer added,
"They're already inside the European network."
"If they reach the neural calibration database..."
"Every prosthetic currently connected to our system could shut down."
The room fell silent.
Thousands of patients.
Veterans.
Children.
Accident survivors.
Every life depending on Phoenix was suddenly at risk.
Liam turned toward me.
"What do you need?"
"My original briefcase."
Without a word, one of his guards retrieved the biometric case that had carried my prosthetic.
He placed it on the table.
Everyone assumed it contained spare components.
It didn't.
I unlocked a hidden compartment beneath the titanium frame.
Inside rested a slim black drive labeled only:
A.H. — OMEGA
Professor Brooks smiled knowingly.
"You kept it."
"I never throw away insurance."
The cybersecurity team exchanged puzzled glances.
I inserted the drive into the command console.
Immediately, every warning screen froze.
Then a new interface appeared.
No logos.
No graphics.
Only one line of text.
FOUNDER ACCESS VERIFIED.
The lead engineer stared at me.
"I've worked here eight years..."
"I didn't know this system existed."
"It wasn't built for employees."
I rested my fingers on the keyboard.
"It was built for emergencies."
Lines of encrypted code streamed across the monitors faster than anyone could read.
The attacking malware suddenly stopped advancing.
Then...
It began moving backward.
One engineer gasped.
"My God..."
"You're hacking the hackers."
"No."
I answered calmly.
"I'm letting them find me."
Liam smiled.
"They just walked into her trap."
Across the room, a tracking map lit up.
One signal.
Then three.
Then twelve.
Every attack node revealed itself simultaneously.
Countries.
Servers.
Hidden data centers.
Whoever orchestrated the cyberattack had just exposed their entire network.
The cybersecurity director whispered,
"We have them."
I shook my head.
"No."
"We have the computers."
"I want the person giving the orders."
At that exact moment, another alert appeared.
Not from outside.
From inside the mansion.
AUTHORIZED DEVICE CONNECTED TO LOCAL NETWORK
Everyone looked around.
Someone in this house...
Was still transmitting data to the attackers.
And the signal...
Was moving.
May you like
Slowly.
Toward the back hallway where Natalie had disappeared just moments earlier.
