Chapter 12 - Returning to the Horizon
Two days later, Leo and I returned from our trip to Spain.
Stepping off the plane in Austin felt different this time. The anxiety of being hunted had completely dissolved, replaced by the cold, sharp clarity of a player who now controlled the board.
My downtown headquarters was humming with synchronized productivity when I walked through the glass doors on Monday morning. Marcus and Elena met me in the main R&D lobby, both wearing knowing grins.
“Word on the street is that Vanguard Tech’s infrastructure suffered an unexplained system lockup right around the time you boarded your return flight,” Elena remarked casually, leaning against a workbench. “Their lead executive team is currently scrambling to figure out how their servers got watermarked with military fighter silhouettes.”
“Tell them it was just an atmospheric anomaly,” I replied, tossing my jacket onto my desk. “And let them know that if they ever try to test our flight path again, the next system reboot won't be remote—it’ll be permanent.”
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Elena laughed, handing me a fresh slate of enterprise client orders. “Welcome back, boss. The system is yours.”
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