Chapter 71The Northern Mountains looked oddly like a jagged set of teeth biting into a sky that looked like it was begging to rain. The wind here didn’t blow, it practically screamed. It tore at the armored plating of the stolen Red Scorpion truck, now retrofitted with heavy-duty snow treads, and threatened to peel the paint right off.Inside the cab, the heater was blasting, but the tension between the couple was a little colder than the blizzard outside."Turn left at the glacier," Adrian said as he consulted the system's GPS and got the right direction. Selene gripped the steering wheel with gloved hands. She wasn't wearing her silk robes or her business suit anymore. She was dressed in a thick, white parka Adrian had bought from a military surplus store. She looked terrified, but her jaw was set in that way that said she was afraid but filled with some kind of grim determination."Left," she repeated, wrestling the heavy vehicle through a snowdrift. "Adrian, the sensors are p

Chapter 73Two days had passed since the raid on Ice Station Zulu. Joe was recovering in the guest wing, his mother safely tucked away in a private clinic under the watchful electronic eye of the System. The androids, Units 409, 410, and 411, stood sentinel at the perimeter, their sensors sweeping the darkness for any sign of Julian Sterling’s retribution.The kind of calm that settled over the Black Estate was deceptive. It was like the silence of a held breath, as if a predator was waiting in the long grass.But the threat didn't come from the outside. It was festering within the walls.Adrian sat in his study, the holographic map of the city floating above his desk. He was exhausted. The burden of being the Architect's heir was heavy, and his shoulders almost physically ached with it."System," he murmured, rubbing his eyes. "Status of the grid?"[ SYSTEM STATUS: STABLE. ][ CITY INFRASTRUCTURE: OPTIMAL. ][ THREAT LEVEL: MODERATE. ][ NOTE: ANOMALY DETECTED IN HOUSEHOLD COMMUNICA

Chapter 75No one warned Adrian that infidelity could also cause a husband to buy out a company he didn't need. But, Adrian had to solidify his power at every point. Little pests like Sebastian couldn't stand a chance against him, but still, it was better he put them in their place early enough. Now, he sat at the library of the Black Estate behind his massive mahogany desk, a single sheet of paper resting in the center of the blotter. He wasn't looking at the holographic map of the city or the stock market ticker that showed his net worth climbing by the second.He was looking at his wife.Selene stood on the other side of the desk. She was no longer wearing the terrified expression of a girl rescued from the slums, nor the guilty look of a woman caught trying to sell her husband out. She was wearing a tailored white suit that cost more than her uncle’s entire life earnings. Her hair was pulled back in a severe, elegant chignon. Adrian had to admit it, she didn't look bad. In fa

Chapter 77The drive back to the estate took an hour and Adrian spent the time planning.He would move Selene to the guest house. He would lock the doors. He would hire Arthur Pym, that snake of a lawyer, and pay him double to find a loophole in the System’s marriage clause. There had to be a way out."I'm going to end it tonight, Joe," Adrian said as they turned onto the private road leading to the estate. "I don't care about the risk. I can't live with a traitor in my house. I'll force a separation and deal with the System glitches as they come.""Are you sure?" Joe asked. "You saw the warning. 'City Wide Shutdown'.""I'll patch the grid manually if I have to," Adrian said. "I'm done being controlled."They rounded the final bend.Adrian slammed on the brakes."What the..."The gates of the Black Estate were open. But the driveway wasn't empty.It was a circus.Dozens of vans with satellite dishes were parked on the grass. Flashes of light popped like strobe lights. A crowd of repor

Chapter 79Kovacs stepped closer, towering over her."Ten years I sat in a cell because of Marcus Vane. Ten years I ate slop and fought off rats while he lived in a mansion and bought you ponies. Did you enjoy the ponies, Selene?""I... I didn't know," Selene stammered, backing away. "I was a child.""Innocence is a luxury bought with dirty money," Kovacs spat. "And now the bill is due.""My husband is Lord Black!" Selene blurted out, playing the only card she had left. "He controls the city! If you touch me, he'll hunt you down! He'll burn this place to the ground!"Kovacs stopped. He smiled, revealing gold teeth."We're counting on it."Selene froze. "What?""We know Black," Kovacs sneered. "We know he plays the hero. We know he saved you from the slums. We figured if we grabbed the little wife, the big bad Lord would come running."Kovacs gestured to the rafters."Look up."Selene looked up.Strapped to the support beams of the factory were massive charges of C4 explosives. Enough