She turned to face him, a cruel smile touching her lips. In her hand, she held a small, crystalline vial filled with glowing blue liquid—the Matrix’s core extraction.
"Nathaniel Sterling," she said, her voice like grinding glass. "The Queen has been waiting for you."
"Put it back," Nathaniel growled, the silver fire erupting in his palms, brighter than it had ever been.
"I think not," the woman said. She tapped a button on her wrist, and the air around her began to shimmer. "Consider this a down payment on your family's debt. We'll be seeing you very soon, little Sterling."
With a flash of light, she vanished, leaving only the scent of ozone and the sound of the server’s dying hum.
Nathaniel fell to his knees, his hands hitting the cold floor. He had saved the company, but he had lost
