“No.”
Richard's smile disappeared.
“I inherited it.”
Daniel had not heard the name Atlas spoken aloud in six years.
He had buried the project so completely that even some of his closest employees had forgotten it existed.
Atlas had started as an ambitious idea.
A universal identity system.
One digital identity that could be verified across airports, hotels, banks, government buildings, hospitals, and transportation networks.
The concept had been revolutionary.
It had also been dangerous.
If one identity system controlled everything, whoever controlled the system could control who was allowed to move.
Who could enter.
Who could travel.
Who could access information.
Daniel had discovered the problem during testing.
The system didn't need to be hacked.
It only needed to be controlled.
He had shut the project down.
Deleted the servers.
Destroyed the documentation.
At least, he thought he had.
Now Richard Cole was telling him Atlas still existed.
Daniel stared at the screen.
Jonathan Hale remained seated in the dark room.
Richard stood behind him.
“Where is the source code?” Richard asked.
“I destroyed it.”
“No.”
“I did.”
“You destroyed the copy you knew about.”
Richard smiled.
“There was another.”
Daniel's stomach tightened.
Michael Reed.
The thought came immediately.
Richard continued.
“Your former security director understood the value of Atlas.”
“Michael.”
Richard smiled.
“Yes.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Michael had betrayed him.
But there was something that didn't make sense.
“Why kidnap Jonathan?”
Richard's expression became colder.
“Because Jonathan discovered what Michael was doing.”
Jonathan finally spoke.
“Daniel.”
Daniel stared at the screen.
His voice sounded weak.
“Don't give them anything.”
Richard struck him across the face.
Victoria screamed.
“Stop!”
Richard looked at her.
“You have ten minutes to convince Daniel.”
Victoria looked at Daniel.
“What can we do?”
Daniel thought.
Then he noticed something.
Jonathan wasn't looking at Richard.
He was looking slightly to the left.
At something outside the camera frame.
Daniel understood.
His father had always been careful.
If Jonathan was looking at something, there was a reason.
Daniel zoomed in on the image.
Behind Jonathan was a wall.
On the wall was a clock.
The time was 7:42.
Daniel checked the local time.
7:42.
Live feed.
He looked at the background.
There was a window.
Outside was water.
A harbor.
He zoomed further.
A red crane.
Daniel recognized it.
Seattle.
Pier 17.
Richard's private terminal.
Emily's voice came through the secure channel.
“Daniel.”
“I know.”
“Can you see it?”
“Yes.”
“We have a location.”
Richard suddenly turned toward the camera.
“You have five minutes.”
Daniel smiled.
“Why are you giving me a deadline?”
Richard frowned.
“Because I want the code.”
“No.”
“You don't have a choice.”
“Yes, I do.”
Richard's expression hardened.
Daniel continued.
“You've already made three mistakes.”
Richard said nothing.
“First, you used the airline system.”
Richard's eyes narrowed.
“Second, you used my own company to access Atlas.”
Silence.
“Third, you put Jonathan in front of a camera.”
Richard's face changed.
Daniel smiled.
“You gave us the location.”
Richard immediately cut the feed.
The screen went black.
Victoria looked at Daniel.
“Did we lose him?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
Daniel looked at Emily.
“Get everyone to Seattle.”
She understood.
“Federal team?”
“Yes.”
“Airport?”
“Yes.”
“Brooks Security?”
“Yes.”
“What are you doing?”
Daniel stood.
“Ending this.”
The aircraft landed two hours later.
Daniel and Victoria were immediately transferred to a secure vehicle.
The federal team had already located the warehouse at Pier 17.
But when they entered, it was empty.
No Richard.
No Jonathan.
No Michael.
Only a computer terminal remained.
Daniel approached it.
On the screen was a single file.
ATLAS
He stared at it.
“Don't touch it,” Emily warned.
Daniel nodded.
He looked around.
“This is a copy.”
“How do you know?”
“Because it's too obvious.”
He opened the terminal without executing anything.
Inside was a directory containing thousands of files.
Passenger identities.
Government records.
Banking information.
Medical information.
Daniel's expression hardened.
Richard had not stolen Atlas.
He had rebuilt it.
Using pieces from Daniel's original design and data stolen from multiple systems.
Victoria looked horrified.
“How many people?”
“Millions.”
Daniel closed the screen.
“We have to shut it down.”
Emily shook her head.
“If we shut it down incorrectly, we could lose evidence.”
“If we don't, they can activate it.”
A federal investigator approached.
“Mr. Brooks.”
Daniel turned.
“We found something.”
“What?”
“An underground room.”
They followed him.
The room was hidden beneath the terminal.
Inside were monitors.
Dozens of them.
One showed airline reservations.
Another showed banking systems.
Another showed government travel records.
Another showed private corporate networks.
And in the center was a chair.
Jonathan Hale's chair.
Empty.
Victoria began crying.
“He was here.”
Daniel looked around.
A small object sat on the floor.
A gold cufflink.
Victoria recognized it immediately.
“My father.”
Daniel picked it up.
“Fresh.”
“How do you know?”
“There’s still blood.”
The room went silent.
A monitor suddenly turned on.
Richard appeared.
“You found the room.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Where is Jonathan?”
Richard smiled.
“You're getting closer.”
“Where?”
“Ask Michael.”
Daniel froze.
The camera shifted.
Michael Reed appeared.
He looked older.
Tired.
And terrified.
Daniel stared at the man he had once trusted more than anyone.
“Michael.”
Michael looked at him.
“I'm sorry.”
Daniel's voice was quiet.
“How long?”
Michael swallowed.
“Six years.”
Daniel felt something break inside him.
“Atlas.”
Michael nodded.
“I kept a copy.”
“Why?”
“Because I believed you were wrong.”
“I wasn't.”
“I know that now.”
“Where is Jonathan?”
Michael looked away.
“Richard took him.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
Daniel stepped closer to the screen.
“You know something.”
Michael's eyes filled with tears.
“He's going to kill him.”
“Who?”
“Richard.”
“Why?”
“Because Jonathan discovered the real purpose of Atlas.”
Daniel frowned.
“What purpose?”
Michael looked directly into the camera.
“Atlas was never designed to control people.”
“Then what?”
Michael whispered:
“It was designed to predict them.”
Daniel went silent.
Victoria stared at him.
Michael continued.
“Richard didn't want access to identities. He wanted behavioral prediction.”
Daniel understood.
If someone could predict where people would travel, who they would meet, what they would buy, what they would fear, and how they would react, they could manipulate entire populations.
The stolen seat.
The coffee.
The fake upgrade.
The false security warning.
Everything had been predicted.
Richard had tested Daniel's behavior.
And Daniel had behaved exactly as expected.
Michael's voice trembled.
“There's only one person Richard couldn't predict.”
Daniel looked at him.
“Who?”
Michael smiled sadly.
“You.”
The screen went black.
Daniel stood motionless.
Victoria touched his arm.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel looked at the dark monitor.
“It means Richard has been studying everyone.”
“And you?”
“He studied me too.”
“Then why does Michael say he can't predict you?”
Daniel thought about the seat.
The coffee.
The flight.
The moment he had decided to help Victoria.
Then he realized.
Richard had predicted Daniel would become angry.
He had predicted Daniel would investigate.
He had predicted Daniel would follow the clues.
But he had never predicted one thing.
Daniel had chosen not to hate Victoria.
That had been the only decision Richard could not control.
Daniel turned toward the federal agents.
“Find Richard.”
“We're trying.”
“No.”
Daniel pointed toward the terminal.