Chapter 12 - The Ghost Protocol
Victor lay on the medical bed, a collar device stabilizing his bruised spinal nerves while Thomas patched up the bleeding wounds on Evelyn’s feet. The quiet island paradise had turned into a tactical command room within hours.
"She used an encrypted satellite signal originating from an offshore oil platform in the North Sea," Thomas reported, projecting a holographic map onto the table. "It’s registered to an offshore entity called Chronos Holdings."
"Not Chronos," Victor spat, wincing as he sat up. "Chronos was my father’s secret slush fund. The board didn't own Project EOS. My father didn't own it either. They were just regional directors."
Evelyn stood up, refusing the pain medication Thomas offered. Her eyes were hard as steel, burned clean of fear or doubt. "Who is above them?"
"The Syndicate," Victor answered grimly. "A consortium of global oligarchs who funded human gene-editing thirty years ago. They didn't want heirs; they wanted biological master keys—children who could bypass biometric security, control AI systems through direct neural links, and infiltrate world governments."
"She took all five," Evelyn said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Why?"
"Because the neural link isn't complete with four," Victor realized, his eyes widening in horror. "The algorithm requires a primary node. Sophie is the primary node. Without her, the other four children are just isolated receivers. With her, Isabella commands a hive mind capable of breaking global financial systems."
May you like
Evelyn looked at her reflection in the dark glass of the monitor. Her face was identical to Isabella’s, but where Isabella’s eyes held cold, calculated malice, Evelyn’s held the unyielding fire of a mother’s love.
"Isabella thinks we share the same brain," Evelyn said softly. "She thinks because we have identical DNA, we think alike. She’s wrong. I know how to break her."
