Location: FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C.Subject: Evan Ward. Former Agent. Now Official Scapegoat.
Evan sat under buzzing fluorescent lights, drenched in sweat, his tie hanging like a noose that hadn't finished the job.
Across from him, two Internal Affairs agents scribbled notes like furious raccoons with anxiety disorders.
"So let me get this straight," said Agent Mendoza. "You gave Kodi Grey—the most wanted cyber-criminal on the planet—a laptop... and a direct line into our secure network?"
Evan blinked.
"It was... for intelligence gathering."
"He gathered twenty-three million dollars."
"It was a—mutual arrangement."
"He also released every prisoner in Block Delta. A man in Cell 13 was doing a life sentence for licking plutonium."
Just then, Evan's phone buzzed.
He reached for it, then hesitated.
Mendoza snatched it.
New Message from: Unknown Number📲 "when the FBI thinks they're using you but you're using their espresso machine and their face scans to unlock Amazon Prime: 😎🍷🐍 #DoubleAgentVibes"
Attached was a selfie of Kodi, reclining in a hammock on a beach in Mallorca, Spain, sunglasses on, holding up a peace sign next to a coconut with "EVAN" carved into it.
Agent Mendoza stared.
"This is the man you trusted?"
Evan whispered, defeated:
"He said he was bored."
Meanwhile… somewhere underground
Location: Rothschild Black Site #7Status: Offline. Temporarily being rebuilt.
NullSyntax, upgraded and neck-reinforced since his near-death experience, stared at Eden's codebase with wild ambition. His fingers danced across the terminal like he was playing piano in a horror movie.
Suddenly, the screen flickered.
Then:
📥 Incoming Chat Request — Kodi.Grey (🌴)
NullSyntax snarled.
"How—?"
The message appeared.
Kodi:"What's up, NullSnacc? Enjoying babysitting my brainchild?"
NullSyntax:You're supposed to be in federal custody.
Kodi:Oops. Pulled a "Monopoly Get Out of Jail Free" card. You can have the chessboard, but remember—I rigged the pieces. 😉
NullSyntax growled, smashing a keyboard. He clicked "disconnect."
Then another pop-up:
📥 "Hey buddy 👋 Just sent you a pizza. Hope the AI I built doesn't eat your face before it arrives. 🍕💀✌️"
NullSyntax looked up.The Eden interface smiled back at him.
Then whispered in its digital voice:
"You are not authorized, Father."
Back on the beach…
Kodi sipped coconut water and opened a file labeled:
📁 Plan Z – Eden's Kill Switch
He laughed quietly.
"Round 3, boys. Let's dance."