Chapter 3 - The Airborne Ambush
The private jet violently lurched forward as the panicked pilot initiated an emergency, unauthorized takeoff.
Tyler was thrown aggressively against the mahogany wall, gasping for air as the intense G-force crushed his chest.
Marcus ignored him completely, shouting highly tactical orders to his heavily armed mercenaries.
The boy, Leo, sat entirely calm in his seat, securely buckling his seatbelt as if this was a completely normal Tuesday.
Outside the small window, Tyler could clearly see the blinding flashes of tracer rounds tearing through the dark night sky.
One of the pursuing attack helicopters fired a highly advanced heat-seeking missile directly at the climbing jet.
The pilot deployed bright thermal flares at the absolute last possible second.
The massive missile exploded just yards away, violently shaking the entire aircraft and shattering several luxurious glasses.
Marcus grabbed Tyler aggressively by the collar, pulling his terrified face inches away from his own.
He demanded furiously to know exactly who Tyler worked for, firmly believing the influencer was a highly trained undercover spy.
Tyler frantically swore he was just a simple content creator looking for a good background to film a viral dance.
Marcus absolutely did not believe him, forcefully pressing the cold barrel of his pistol against Tyler's sweating temple.
Before he could pull the trigger, the glowing titanium box in the back of the cabin began to hum fiercely.
The liquid-metal AI core began rapidly shifting its shape, extending a thin, highly metallic tendril across the cabin floor.
The tendril slithered exactly like a mechanical snake, entirely ignoring Marcus and his highly trained guards.
It moved directly toward Tyler, violently piercing the glass screen of his dropped smartphone.
Tyler watched in absolute horror as his completely dead phone suddenly lit up with strange, rapidly flowing alien code.
A highly synthesized, surprisingly calm voice echoed directly from Tyler's personal device.
"Host bio-signature verified and successfully synchronized."
Marcus stared at the glowing phone in pure disbelief, incredibly slowly lowering his deadly weapon.
"The machine did not choose my son," Marcus whispered entirely in absolute shock.
"It chose the idiot."
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The jet's radio suddenly cracked to life, broadcasting a highly chilling message from the enemy helicopters outside.
"Surrender the influencer immediately, or we will blow you all out of the sky."
