“No.”
“Crew?”
“Normal.”
“Manifest?”
“Normal.”
Daniel frowned.
“That worries me.”
“Why?”
“Because Richard wants me to notice something.”
Emily sighed.
“You're impossible.”
“So I've been told.”
A boarding announcement began.
Daniel walked onto the plane.
The same seat.
2A.
He sat down.
Nothing happened.
No confrontation.
No nervous flight attendant.
No stolen coffee.
No mysterious woman.
The aircraft doors closed.
Daniel waited.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Nothing.
He looked at the seat beside him.
Empty.
He smiled.
“Too easy.”
Emily answered through the earpiece.
“I heard that.”
“Check the manifest.”
“I already did.”
“Check again.”
A few seconds passed.
Then Emily's voice changed.
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“There's a passenger listed as 2B.”
“Who?”
“Victoria Hale.”
Daniel's eyes widened.
“What?”
“She wasn't supposed to be on the flight.”
He stood immediately.
The aircraft door had already closed.
Victoria walked through the aisle.
She wore a simple gray coat.
Her face was pale.
She stopped at 2B.
Daniel stared at her.
“What are you doing here?”
She looked at him.
“I was told to come.”
“By whom?”
“My father.”
Daniel stood.
“Your father is missing.”
“I know.”
“Then how did he tell you to come?”
She handed him a piece of paper.
Daniel read it.
If Daniel Brooks boards, sit beside him.
His heart sank.
“Where did you get this?”
“It was left in my hotel room.”
Daniel looked at Emily.
“Someone accessed her room.”
Emily replied, “We had security outside.”
“Apparently not good enough.”
Victoria sat down.
Daniel remained standing.
“Get off this plane.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because the door is closed.”
He almost laughed.
“Right.”
Victoria looked nervous.
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“I think someone followed me.”
Daniel looked toward the rear of the cabin.
A man in a blue jacket was sitting near the emergency exit.
Daniel recognized him.
One of the three men from Portland.
He whispered to Emily.
“We have a problem.”
“I see him.”
“Who is he?”
“I'm checking.”
Daniel watched the man.
The man was reading a newspaper.
But he hadn't turned a page in ten minutes.
Daniel stood.
“Stay here.”
Victoria grabbed his wrist.
“Don't.”
“Why?”
“He wants you to.”
Daniel looked at her.
“What?”
“He wants you to confront him.”
Daniel paused.
She was right.
Everything about the operation was designed to make Daniel react.
Daniel sat down again.
The man eventually looked up.
Their eyes met.
He smiled.
Daniel's phone vibrated.
A message.
You still don't understand.
Daniel showed Victoria.
Then another message.
Look at 2B.
Daniel stared at her.
“What?”
Victoria checked her seat.
Nothing.
Then Daniel noticed the seat pocket.
A small black envelope.
He pulled it out.
Inside was a photograph.
Jonathan Hale.
Alive.
Sitting at a table.
Daniel flipped it over.
A handwritten sentence was on the back.
He knows why you were chosen.
Victoria began crying.
“That's my father.”
Daniel nodded.
“He's alive.”
The plane reached cruising altitude.
The man in the blue jacket stood.
He walked toward the bathroom.
Daniel watched him disappear.
Emily's voice came through the earpiece.
“Daniel, don't follow him.”
“Why?”
“His identity is clean.”
“That isn't possible.”
“It is.”
“Who is he?”
“I don't know.”
Daniel stared at the bathroom door.
Then the aircraft lights flickered.
The entire cabin went dark.
Passengers gasped.
Emergency lighting illuminated the aisle.
The pilot's voice came over the speakers.
“Please remain calm.”
Daniel immediately knew something was wrong.
The cockpit door indicator flashed.
Locked.
Then unlocked.
Then locked again.
Someone was trying to access it electronically.
Daniel stood.
“Emily.”
“I see it.”
“Can you stop it?”
“Trying.”
The cockpit door opened two inches.
A flight attendant screamed.
Daniel moved toward it.
Then the door slammed shut.
The man in the blue jacket appeared behind him.
Daniel turned.
The man held a small device.
“Don't.”
Daniel stopped.
The man smiled.
“You're very predictable.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Richard?”
“No.”
“Then who are you?”
“My name is Adrian Cole.”
Daniel's expression changed.
“Richard's brother?”
“Yes.”
Adrian smiled.
“You've been looking for the wrong man.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Where is Richard?”
Adrian shook his head.
“You still think Richard is in charge.”
Victoria stood.
“Where is my father?”
Adrian looked at her.
“Safe.”
“Where?”
“You'll know soon.”
Daniel stepped forward.
Adrian raised the device.
“Don't.”
“What does that do?”
“It disables the aircraft's communications.”
Daniel looked at the device.
Then smiled.
“You think that scares me?”
Adrian frowned.
Daniel reached into his pocket.
He pulled out his phone.
“I don't need the aircraft's communications.”
He pressed a button.
The phone displayed a secure connection.
Emily's voice filled the cabin speakers.
“Adrian Cole, you're being recorded.”
Adrian froze.
Daniel smiled.
“You made the same mistake Richard made.”
“What mistake?”
“You assumed I was fighting alone.”
Suddenly, the cockpit door opened.
Two federal agents stepped out.
The passengers gasped.
Adrian looked around.
There was nowhere to go.
Daniel walked toward him.
“You were never trying to hijack this plane.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“No.”
“You wanted me to think you were.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I needed you to open the system.”
Daniel frowned.
“What system?”
“The one you built.”
Daniel understood.
The aircraft security system.
Adrian wanted Daniel to authenticate himself.
His biometric identity would unlock the system.
But Daniel had never authenticated.
He had deliberately remained outside the network.
“You needed me to access it,” Daniel said.
Adrian nodded.
“And you used Victoria.”
“Yes.”
“And Jonathan.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Adrian looked at him.
“Because your company built the lock.”
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
“And you built the key.”
Adrian smiled.
“Now you're beginning to understand.”
Then Victoria suddenly screamed.
“Look!”
Everyone turned.
The cabin screens had activated.
A live video appeared.
Jonathan Hale was sitting in the same dark room.
But this time, he was not alone.
Richard Cole stood behind him.
And Richard was holding a gun.
Daniel's heart dropped.
Richard looked directly into the camera.
“Mr. Brooks.”
Daniel stepped forward.
Richard smiled.
“You have one hour.”
“One hour for what?”
“To decide whether you want to save Jonathan Hale.”
“What do you want?”
Richard leaned closer to the camera.
“The original source code.”
Daniel stared at him.
“What source code?”
Richard laughed.
“The one you deleted six years ago.”
Daniel's expression changed.
That was impossible.
Or so he had believed.
Because six years ago, Daniel had built a prototype security system called Atlas.
Atlas had been designed to create a universal identity layer across transportation networks.
He had abandoned it after discovering that it could be abused.
He had deleted the project.
Or thought he had.
Richard smiled.
“You didn't destroy Atlas.”
Daniel felt cold.
“You stole it.”