Chapter 18
The federal penitentiary loomed out of the darkness like a concrete fortress. It took Agent Cole exactly three hours to secure clearance for an emergency midnight visitation. Adrian Vale sat on the opposite side of the reinforced glass, wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. He looked thinner, his hair entirely gray, but his eyes retained that familiar, arrogant spark.
He picked up the heavy black telephone receiver. I mirrored his action on my side.
"I didn't expect a visit from you," Vale said smoothly, his voice slightly raspy from disuse. "Have you finally realized that your moral crusade ruined the country's security infrastructure?"
"Someone used a Northstar Meridian override code tonight," I said, cutting straight to the point. "They breached Hale Systems and downloaded a file targeting Celeste. Who is running your network?"
Vale’s expression didn't change, but his fingers tightened slightly on the plastic receiver. It was a micro-expression, but after years of fighting him, I recognized it immediately. He was surprised.
"Northstar is dismantled," Vale replied calmly. "The Senate saw to that. You saw to that."
"Don't lie to me, Adrian," I snapped, leaning closer to the glass. "You built a backdoor. You left a contingency plan in case you went to prison. Who holds the leash now?"
Vale let out a slow, chilling laugh. It echoed hollowly through the receiver.
"You really think I was the top of the pyramid?" Vale asked softly. "My father and your father built Northstar, yes. But they didn't fund it alone. There was always a silent partner. Someone who designed the architecture while we managed the politics."
"Give me a name," Cole demanded, leaning in beside me so Vale could hear him through the microphone.
Vale shifted his gaze to the federal agent.
"He calls himself The Architect," Vale whispered. "He doesn't care about political influence or corporate espionage. He cares about absolute control. And if he has triggered the ghost code, it means he is looking for the Apex Key."
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"What is the Apex Key?" I demanded.
"The one thing Thomas Hale created that could permanently delete Northstar’s core algorithm from the global network," Vale said, his eyes darkening. "Your father hid it before he died. The Architect wants it destroyed so he can rebuild the network without vulnerability. If he’s going after Celeste, she must know where it is. You're already too late."
