Chapter 25 - THE FIRST GHOST
“He wants us to run it,” Jonah said.
He emerged from the dark maintenance tunnel with a bruise along his temple and Ward’s encrypted phone in his hand.
Gideon’s security team had intercepted him near Gate Zero. He escaped when Ward remotely unlocked a service door.
“Ward is helping us now?” Mara asked.
“He discovered Gideon plans to erase him.”
Jonah displayed the command architecture.
Separating identity from authority would prevent governments and corporations from using Orpheus records to grant access.
Passports would stop opening borders.
Employee badges would stop opening doors.
Bank identities would stop controlling money.
For several hours, the world’s identity systems would become useless.
Gideon wanted chaos.
During the confusion, his aircraft could land under any name he chose.
“He approved the command because it gives him the perfect escape,” Mara said.
Elias contacted them through Jonah’s phone.
“There may be another way. Orpheus trusts its first ghost more than its creator.”
Mara could change Gideon’s approval from global activation to local containment.
But she would need physical access to Gate Zero.
Lena refused to let the children go near it.
Theo stepped forward.
“We know the song.”
“You’ve already done enough,” Mara said.
May shook her head.
“Daddy said songs are promises.”
The children would remain behind while Mara, Jonah and Cass entered Gate Zero.
Before leaving, Mara gave Lena the cassette.
“If we fail, destroy it.”
They reached a hidden elevator beneath the baggage hall.
The control panel scanned Mara’s face.
WELCOME, EVELYN SHAW.
The doors opened.
Inside stood Celian Ward.
Bloodless and shaken, he held Gideon’s phone.
May you like
“He is not flying toward this airport,” Ward said.
“He is already beneath it.”
