Chapter 22 - The Dead Man's Switch
Chloe analyzed the intelligence provided in Sterling’s letter. Utilizing her extensive network of white-hat hackers, she began probing the deep web for any automated financial triggers linked to Thorne’s remaining shell corporations.
"Sterling is right," Chloe announced grimly, her fingers flying across multiple keyboards in the foundation’s server room. "It’s a dead man's switch. When Thorne's final appeal was struck down by the Supreme Court, a smart contract on the blockchain was executed. It dispersed ten million dollars in untraceable cryptocurrency into the accounts of three professional fixers."
"Fixers?" Mark asked, pacing the room. "You mean assassins."
"Or worse," Reynolds added, his face a mask of professional concern. "Kidnappers. Thorne wants you to suffer, Sarah. He wants to leverage Lily to force you to recant your testimony and dismantle the Phoenix Initiative."
Sarah felt a primal, maternal rage eclipse her fear. "Can we freeze the crypto?"
"No," Chloe shook her head. "Blockchain is decentralized. Once it’s in their wallets, it’s theirs. But I can trace the IP addresses of where the wallets are being accessed. One is in Paris, one in Dubai... and one is right here in New York."
Reynolds drew his weapon. "Give me the New York address."
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"It’s not a physical address yet," Chloe corrected, typing furiously. "It’s a mobile relay. They are moving. And based on the GPS triangulation..." She looked up, her face pale. "They are heading toward Lily’s daycare."
Sarah didn't wait to hear another word. She sprinted out of the server room, Mark hot on her heels. The foundation’s private security detail mobilized instantly. The nightmare was no longer a corporate battle in boardrooms; it was a physical threat barreling toward her child.
