Chapter 12 - THE COMPANY HOSTAGE
Matthew had placed destructive code inside NexusCore’s infrastructure.
If activated, it could erase customer data, financial records, and research files.
The company served hospitals, logistics networks, and public agencies.
A total shutdown would harm more than shareholders.
It could disrupt systems used by emergency departments.
Matthew was threatening innocent people to regain his title.
The board contacted federal cybercrime agents.
I joined the response team despite my injuries.
The chief technology officer, Priya Raman, remembered that the original platform contained a recovery architecture I designed.
Matthew had later claimed the system was unnecessary.
He ordered engineers to disable it.
They never fully did.
A hidden backup remained inside an old server environment registered under my founder account.
The account had not been accessed in six years.
It still recognized my authentication key.
The key was stored on a metal drive inside a music box at the penthouse.
Police had sealed the apartment as a crime scene.
Detective Ortiz authorized retrieval.
Arthur carried the music box to the command center.
It had belonged to my mother.
Matthew never understood why I kept it.
Inside was the first prototype drive from the Queens apartment.
I connected it.
The system asked one question.
FOUNDER NAME.
I typed CLARE STERLING.
Access granted.
For the first time since Matthew erased me, NexusCore recognized my identity.
Priya and the federal team used the recovery architecture to isolate Matthew’s malicious code.
At 11:47 a.m., he attempted to trigger the shutdown.
Nothing happened.
At 11:49, every active session connected to his credentials was blocked.
At 11:52, customer systems entered protected mode.
At noon, the board received another message.
This one contained no threat.
Only four words.
YOU HAVE TAKEN EVERYTHING.
I answered from the company account.
NO.
YOU THREW IT AWAY.
The connection revealed Matthew’s location.
He was inside an abandoned NexusCore testing facility in the Bronx.
Federal agents surrounded the building.
Before they entered, a fire began on the third floor.
Matthew had poured fuel through the records room.
He intended to destroy the founder archive.
I watched the live security feed.
Smoke filled the corridors.
Then another figure appeared.
Lauren.
She had left police protection and gone to him.
She carried her son in her arms.
May you like
Matthew had summoned them before the fire.
He was holding his own child inside a burning building.
