Chapter 9 - The Alliance of Snakes
While my father and I shared quiet reflections, dark forces were conspiring in the cramped visiting room of the Manhattan Correctional Center.
Adrian Cole sat on a bolted metal stool, wearing a standard-issue orange jumpsuit. Across the reinforced glass partition, Vanessa Reed leaned against the metal frame, speaking through the static-filled handset.
“We need a new strategy, Adrian,” Vanessa said, her voice sharp with desperation. “Your court-appointed lawyer says we’re facing mandatory prison time!”
“We have no leverage, Vanessa!” Adrian shouted against the glass. “Every account is frozen!”
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“We do have leverage,” Vanessa hissed. “Before my apartment was raided, I downloaded a backup archive of Halcyon’s proprietary quantum encryption patents onto an encrypted flash drive. I hid it in a locker at Penn Station. If we leak those to Vanguard Global, their CEO will bail us out.”
What Vanessa didn't know was that every conversation was recorded, and the flash drive at Penn Station had already been flagged by our security team.
