Chapter 3 - The Ghost in the ServerThe courtroom was brought back to order, though the air remained thick with electric tension. Ryan sat slumped in his chair, handcuffed to the defense armrest after his outburst, glaring at me with eyes full of pure, unadulterated venom. Evelyn sat frozen in the witness box, staring straight ahead like a statue carved from salt.
Arthur Vance stood up, adjusting his tie with newfound confidence. "Your Honor, in light of the perjury committed by Mrs. Evelyn Cross and the fraudulent documents submitted by Mr. Ryan Cross regarding the estate of Arthur Cross, the defense moves for an immediate dismissal of all civil fraud claims against my client, Claire Cross, as well as an emergency injunction freezing all corporate and personal assets belonging to Ryan and Evelyn Cross."
"Motion granted," Judge Harrison said immediately, not even bothering to look at the stunned prosecution team. "Furthermore, this court is forwarding all transcripts of today's perjury and financial irregularities to the United States Attorney’s Office for immediate federal indictment. Court is adjourned for a ten-minute recess while marshals prepare Mr. Cross for transport."
As the judge stepped down, reporters scrambled out of the room to file their breaking stories. Major Walker walked over to my table, his expression softening as he looked down at me.
"You held out longer than I expected, Captain," Ethan said quietly, using my old rank. "When the Pentagon liaison called me this morning saying you finally gave the green light to declassify, I thought you might have cracked under the pressure."
"I never crack, Ethan. You know that," I replied, standing up and buttoning my blazer. "Dad’s safety switch was the only thing holding me back. He knew Evelyn and Ryan would try to strip the company the moment he passed. He made me promise to let them dig their own graves first."
"Well, they didn't just dig a grave," Ethan murmured, glancing over at Ryan, who was being hauled to his feet by two federal marshals. "They dug an abyss."
Before the marshals could drag Ryan and Evelyn through the back doors, Ryan suddenly jerked free for a split second, spinning around to face me. Saliva flew from his lips as he pointed a shaking finger in my face.
"You think you’ve won?!" Ryan screamed, his voice cracking hysterically. "You think Dad loved you more?! He left you nothing! The core patent—the quantum encryption algorithm that actually gives Cross Meridian its multi-billion-dollar valuation—isn't in the company vaults! I downloaded it, I encrypted it, and I sold the primary decryption keys to an offshore buyer last night! Without those keys, the company is an empty shell! You inherit a pile of burning garbage!"
Arthur Vance froze. The prosecutors stared in horror.
Even the marshals paused.
Evelyn gasped, covering her face with her hands, finally realizing the sheer scale of the disaster her son had unleashed.
I didn't flinch. I didn't look surprised. I simply looked at my brother with a cold, pitying calm that enraged him even further.
"You sold the decryption keys to the Titan-7 server?" I asked softly.
"That's right!" Ryan laughed maniacally, tears of rage in his eyes. "And the buyer already locked down the main network! By tomorrow morning, Cross Meridian Systems will be bankrupt, and you’ll be holding worthless stock!"
Ethan crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at me. "Looks like your brother didn't read the fine print on Dad's original military contracts, did he?"
"Never," I replied, pulling a small, encrypted thumb drive out of my pocket and tossing it lightly in my hand. "Ryan thought he was stealing corporate code. He didn't realize Dad built the Titan-7 server using military-grade redundant fail-safes. The moment an unauthorized external IP address attempts to alter core encryption protocols..."
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I tapped the side of my temple.
"...the system doesn't just lock. It traces."
