Chapter 4 - The Ultimatum
"I got out early," Marcus said smoothly. "Good behavior. And a lot of free time in a concrete cell to figure out exactly how you bypassed my security protocols to frame me for the data breach in 2023."
Three years ago, Marcus Vance and Sterling Croft were partners. Marcus was the genius architect behind the code; Croft was the charismatic salesman. When Marcus realized Croft was planning to sell user data to foreign intelligence agencies, he threatened to pull the plug. Croft beat him to it. He framed Marcus for a massive cyber-crime, stealing the code and rebranding it as Aura.
Marcus lost his company, his reputation, and three years of his life.
"Grab him!" Croft yelled to his guards, panic overriding logic.
"I wouldn't," Marcus said, his finger hovering over the Enter key on his laptop. "This terminal is hard-wired into your mainframe. I’ve initiated a localized dead-man switch. If my heart rate spikes, or if my fingers leave this keyboard for more than ten seconds, the encrypted worm will permanently delete the Aura source code. You will lose everything in exactly... fifteen minutes."
Croft threw his hand up, stopping his guards in their tracks. He was sweating profusely, the pristine white suit clinging to his back.
"Marcus, listen to me," Croft pleaded, shifting instantly into his salesman persona. "We can fix this. You're angry. I get it. I’ll wire fifty million dollars into an offshore account right now. You can disappear. Live like a king. Just... just undo the encryption."
"Fifty million?" Marcus chuckled, a dry, hollow sound. "You're about to IPO for fifty billion, Sterling. You think I’m here for a payout?"
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"Then what do you want?!" Croft screamed.
"I want what you took from me," Marcus said, his eyes turning to ice. "I want my life back. And I want the world to know exactly what kind of monster they’re investing in."
