Chapter 10: The Flight That Never Reached Switzerland
The room fell silent after Maya's last sentence.
"We stop him in the air."
Detective Laura Simmons crossed her arms.
"Maya, we can't exactly order a private jet to turn around."
Maya met her gaze calmly.
"No."
"But someone can."
Daniel Harper immediately understood.
"The federal government."
Maya nodded.
"If we now have proof that David Collins accessed stolen intellectual property, transferred company assets through shell corporations, and attempted to destroy evidence..."
"...this is no longer just corporate fraud."
"It's interstate and international financial crime."
Detective Simmons was already reaching for her phone.
"I'll contact the FBI."
Within minutes, the Bennett Technologies boardroom became a command center shared by corporate investigators and federal authorities.
Large screens displayed live flight data.
David Collins' Gulfstream jet had already crossed into Canadian airspace.
Estimated destination:
Zurich, Switzerland.
Special Agent Marcus Reynolds from the FBI's Cyber Crimes Division appeared on a secure video conference.
He listened carefully as Ethan presented the digital evidence.
The authentication logs.
The security footage.
Karen Whitfield's recording.
The recovered access certificate.
When Ethan finished, Reynolds spoke without hesitation.
"This is sufficient for an emergency federal warrant."
Richard exhaled quietly.
"So we can stop him?"
"We're going to try."
Reynolds contacted the Federal Aviation Administration while another team coordinated with Canadian authorities.
Everyone waited.
Seconds felt like minutes.
Finally, Reynolds returned to the screen.
"We have confirmation."
"The aircraft has been flagged."
"What happens now?" Daniel asked.
"If the pilot cooperates, he'll be instructed to divert to the nearest international airport."
"And if he refuses?"
Reynolds' expression hardened.
"Then the aircraft may be intercepted."
The room fell completely silent.
Meanwhile...
At thirty-nine thousand feet over eastern Canada...
David Collins noticed the cockpit door open.
Captain Michael Harris stepped into the cabin.
"Mr. Collins."
David looked up from his encrypted tablet.
"Yes?"
"We've received instructions from Air Traffic Control."
David frowned.
"What instructions?"
"The aircraft has been ordered to divert to Montréal."
His heartbeat accelerated.
"On whose authority?"
"The United States government."
David slowly stood.
"That's impossible."
The captain remained calm.
"They're alleging financial crimes."
David forced a smile.
"There must be some misunderstanding."
"I'm afraid we don't have discretion."
David's smile disappeared.
As the captain returned to the cockpit, David locked the cabin door behind him.
His hands trembled for the first time in years.
He picked up the secure satellite phone hidden inside his briefcase.
He dialed a familiar number.
The call connected immediately.
A woman's voice answered.
"Yes?"
"They found me."
Silence.
Then she asked,
"How?"
"I don't know."
"They bypassed the archive."
"They have proof."
Another pause.
Finally she spoke quietly.
"Then activate Protocol Black."
David closed his eyes.
"I hoped we wouldn't need that."
"You don't have a choice anymore."
The call ended.
Back in Chicago...
Maya continued monitoring the server migration.
"Ninety-two percent complete," Ethan announced.
Everyone applauded softly.
Then...
Every screen suddenly turned black.
"What happened?" Victor asked.
Ethan's fingers raced across the keyboard.
"I'm locked out."
Daniel frowned.
"Locked out?"
"Every server."
Richard looked toward Maya.
She was already typing.
"This isn't random."
"What is it?"
"He triggered a failsafe."
Across every monitor, white letters appeared.
PROTOCOL BLACK INITIATED
Below it, another message followed.
ALL REMAINING DATA WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN TEN MINUTES
Sandra whispered,
"Oh my God..."
Ethan stared in disbelief.
"I've never seen code like this."
Maya narrowed her eyes.
"I have."
Everyone turned toward her.
"This wasn't written by David."
Richard frowned.
"Then who?"
Maya zoomed into the source code.
One line immediately caught her attention.
A programmer's signature.
A.W.
She looked at Richard.
"Who is A.W.?"
Richard searched his memory.
Then his expression changed.
"Amanda Whitmore."
Daniel looked confused.
"Who's that?"
Richard answered slowly.
"Our former Chief Technology Officer."
Victor frowned.
"She retired eight years ago."
Richard shook his head.
"No."
"She disappeared."
Maya looked up sharply.
"Disappeared?"
Richard nodded.
"She resigned without warning."
"No forwarding address."
"No interviews."
"No contact."
Daniel folded his arms.
"And you're telling us she wrote this?"
Richard pointed toward the initials.
"She always signed her prototype code that way."
Maya felt another piece of the puzzle fall into place.
David hadn't acted alone.
He never had.
Detective Simmons received another call.
She answered quickly.
"Yes?"
A pause.
"What?"
Her expression darkened.
She looked toward Maya.
"Our officers searched David Collins' home."
"And?"
"They found it empty."
"Everything?"
"The computers."
"The files."
"The artwork."
"The furniture."
"It had all been removed."
"When?"
"At least forty-eight hours ago."
Maya stared silently.
He hadn't been escaping.
He had been preparing.
"Ninety-five percent," Ethan called out.
Then—
The percentage froze.
The system refused to move.
Maya quickly reviewed the code.
She spotted the problem almost immediately.
"The archive isn't stuck."
"It's waiting."
"For what?" Daniel asked.
"A biometric confirmation."
Richard frowned.
"From David?"
Maya slowly shook her head.
"No."
She looked again at the embedded authorization.
Then whispered,
"Oh..."
Daniel stepped closer.
"What is it?"
She pointed to the screen.
"The final authorization belongs to the original patent creator."
Everyone stared.
Richard's face slowly filled with disbelief.
"My mother."
Maya nodded.
"Eleanor Bennett."
Silence filled the room.
"But..." Richard whispered.
"She's been gone for eight years."
Maya carefully examined the authentication protocol.
Then something extraordinary appeared.
A hidden note inside the source code.
One final message left decades earlier.
It simply read:
If you're seeing this, then the company has reached the day I feared most.
Trust the one who earned this—not the one who inherited it.
Below the message was a final instruction.
Legacy Authorization May Be Completed by Registered Successor.
Ethan looked at Maya.
"Registered successor?"
Daniel slowly smiled.
"The trust."
Richard turned toward his daughter.
"My mother..."
"...registered you."
Years before Maya had even graduated.
Years before anyone believed she could lead.
Eleanor Bennett had already prepared for this exact moment.
Maya placed her right hand on the biometric scanner connected to the legacy archive.
The screen remained dark for one long second.
Then another.
Everyone held their breath.
A soft chime echoed through the room.
Green letters appeared.
SUCCESSOR VERIFIED
Welcome, Maya Bennett.
Immediately, the frozen progress bar began moving again.
Ninety-six percent.
Ninety-seven.
Ninety-eight.
The room erupted in cheers.
But before anyone could celebrate, Special Agent Reynolds' face suddenly reappeared on the conference screen.
His expression was grim.
"We have a serious problem."
Daniel's smile vanished.
"What happened?"
"The pilot complied with the diversion order."
"So David's in custody?"
Reynolds slowly shook his head.
"No."
"When the aircraft landed..."
He paused.
"...David Collins wasn't on board."
The room went completely silent.
Maya stared at the screen.
"That's impossible."
Reynolds answered quietly.
"So did we."
"But somewhere between Chicago and Montréal..."
May you like
"...David Collins disappeared from a locked private jet."
End of Chapter 10
