The cottage in the suburbs was quiet. The sound of crickets had replaced the hum of servers, and the light of the moon was no longer filtered through reinforced glass.Anthony sat on the porch steps, watching his mother through the window. She was arranging flowers in a vase, her movements slow and peaceful. For the first time in her life, she wasn't the Legacy Host. She was just Evelyn.A car pulled up the gravel driveway. Mark stepped out, carrying a thick folder."Working late?" Anthony asked."Always," Mark said, sitting down on the steps next to him. "The Board just finished the first audit of the Silicon Valley holdings. We found a few shadows, but nothing we couldn't handle.""You're getting good at this, Mark.""I had a good teacher," Mark replied. He looked at the folder in his lap. "I brought you the final report on the Vane trial. Silas is refusing to speak. Helena is cooperating, but she’s losing her mind in isolation. It turns out, being a 'sovereign individual' doesn't m

The Board of Integrity was supposed to be the beacon of the new world. Instead, it was becoming a prison. When Anthony and Fenrick arrived at the temporary headquarters—a refurbished glass tower in the financial district—the atmosphere was noticeably different. ICJ "advisors" were stationed at every door."Lord Jodah, you aren't scheduled for a visit today," a security guard said, blocking the elevator. He was wearing an ICJ badge, but the way he held himself suggested military training."I don't need a schedule to visit my own foundation," Anthony snapped, pushing past him. "Where’s Mark?"He found Mark in a small, windowless conference room, surrounded by David and Sarah. They weren't looking at financial ledgers; they were looking at a series of non-disclosure agreements."Anthony, thank god," Mark said, his voice frantic. "Dr. Rostova just left. She told us that for 'national security reasons,' the Integrity Reports have to be vetted by the Aegis Collective before they go public.

The plan was a symphony of chaos. Julian Jodah’s "private militia"—a group of ex-operatives who had been living in the mountains—initiated a series of coordinated cyber-attacks and physical distractions at ICJ hubs across the East Coast.While the Aegis Collective scrambled to protect their headquarters, Anthony, Mark, and Ronan’s team approached the lighthouse by sea. The water was choppy, the salt spray stinging Anthony’s eyes as they neared the jagged rocks."We have ten minutes once we breach the junction," Anthony said, checking his watch. "Mark, you have to be ready to upload. The file is huge.""I'm ready," Mark said, his face determined. "This is the final Integrity Report. The one that actually matters."They breached the lighthouse basement, finding the hidden terminal behind a false brick wall. It was ancient technology—vacuum tubes and heavy copper wiring—but it was connected to the heart of the world’s data."I'm in!" Mark shouted, his fingers flying across the keys. "I’m

The safe house in the Appalachian foothills felt less like a sanctuary and more like a bunker at the end of the world. Mark, Chloe, and the rest of the Board of Integrity were huddled around a series of monitors, their faces illuminated by the frantic scrolling of global stock tickers."The London Exchange just suspended trading," Chloe announced, her voice trembling. "Tokyo never even opened. The Aegis revelation has created a complete liquidity freeze. Nobody trusts the ledgers anymore."Anthony sat in a high-backed chair, his hands wrapped in thick, medicinal bandages. The neuroparalytic had worn off, but the physical toll of the surge had left him with a permanent tremor in his right hand."They’re calling it the 'Jodah Jolt' on the dark web," Julian said, walking in with a tray of coffee that smelled more like battery acid. "The ICJ is trying to claim the video was a deepfake, but Rostova has disappeared. She’s either in a hole or she’s run to the Aegis primary vault.""Where is

The interior of the Aegis Alpha Bunker was a masterpiece of mid-century brutalism—grey concrete, low ceilings, and the constant, oppressive hum of deep-earth ventilation. Ezekiel Vance led the way down the corridor, his guards trailing behind, while Anthony followed at a distance, his weapon leveled."You won't shoot me, Anthony," Ezekiel said without looking back. "If I die before we reach the inner sanctum, the biometric lock defaults to 'total purge.' The White Ledger will be vaporized in a thermite fire. You need me to keep the history alive just as much as I need you to unlock it.""Why are you doing this, Ezekiel?" Anthony asked. "You were a King. Now you’re just a puppet for the Aegis Collective."Ezekiel stopped in front of a massive, circular vault door, the Jodah and Vance crests etched into the steel. "Aegis isn't a master, Anthony. It’s a tool. I’m the one who suggested the Fourth Chair. I’m the one who brought the ICJ into the fold when your grandfather got cold feet in t