The Northvale Key

Episode 17

Cassian stared at the blinking coordinates on his secret phone screen. The blue light from the device illuminated his hardened face, casting sharp shadows inside the silent car cabin. Beside him, Lianna was still fast asleep, her steady breathing the only soothing sound in the middle of the storm that had just begun.

Mr. Northvale?

Agent D's voice whispered through an almost invisible earpiece in Cassian's ear.

I hear you, Cassian replied, his voice incredibly low, barely vibrating the air. Send a shadow protection unit to Lianna's house immediately. Do not let a single insect get near her when she arrives.

Understood, sir. What about the coordinates for Pier 9?

Cassian glanced at Lianna once more. He brushed his wife's hair with his fingertips, a touch filled with a painful promise of protection.

Pier 9 is a trap, Cassian said coldly. They want me to rush in. They want me to play on their chessboard. But tonight, I am changing the board.

What are your next orders?

Set this car's route to the Ashworth main house automatically. I will get out once Lianna is safe inside. Prepare the mainframe at the sector seven secret warehouse. I want the Northvale system running at full capacity in ten minutes.

Ten minutes, sir? That will attract the attention of global cyber monitors.

Let them look, Cassian hissed. Let them know that the one holding the throne is no longer just watching.

Thirty minutes later, Cassian stood before a rusted iron door in a deserted part of the city. After ensuring Lianna was safe under Agent D's covert watch, he had sped to this location. Behind this door, which looked like a junk warehouse, lay the digital heart of the Northvale Syndicate.

Click.

A retinal scanner swept across Cassian's eye. The door opened with a smooth hydraulic hiss. Inside, rows of massive servers hummed, their indicator lights blinking like thousands of demon eyes waiting for a command.

System active, the Syndicate AI's voice echoed through the vast room. Welcome back to the nerve center, Mr. Northvale. All liquid assets are ready under your control.

Activate the Liquidity Trap protocol, Cassian commanded. He sat at the main console, his fingers dancing across the mechanical keyboard. Target: Mr. Gage's entire regional portfolio and the Coven's supporting assets in the mid-tier financial sector.

Protocol activated. Commencing target asset scan. Sir, Gage's assets are spread across eight international banks and two commodity exchanges.

Destroy the foundation, Cassian said. Buy up all their maturing debt. Use forced margin calls. I want him to feel poor before the sun even rises.

Executing. Sir, Madame North is on an encrypted communication line. She wishes to speak.

Connect her.

The large screen in front of Cassian flickered, showing the silhouette of Madame North standing on a high balcony overlooking the sea.

You are moving too fast with absolute power, Cassian, Madame North's voice came through the speakers. Gage is just a watchdog. If you cut off his food source now, the Coven will send a bigger wolf.

I am tired of watchdogs, Madame, Cassian replied without looking away from the data stream on his screen. They threatened Lianna. They planted a bomb at her house. Do you think I should remain polite?

A good revenge is one served slowly, Madame North remarked.

Not this time, Cassian pressed the enter key firmly. I gave him seven days. But I will make sure every second of those seven days feels like financial hell for him.

Seven days? Madame North let out a small laugh, her voice dry like falling leaves. Very well. Let us see how far you can go in erasing a man's footprint from civilization.

Just watch your screen, Madame, Cassian said. At this very second, Gage has just lost the rights to his private hilltop estate due to a system-engineered payment failure.

An aggressive move. What is your move for day two?

Day two? Cassian stared at the stock graphs that were beginning to dive vertically. On day two, I will buy the bank that holds his pension funds. I will close his accounts citing a money laundering investigation. He won't even be able to buy a glass of water with his credit card.

The following days were a silent but deadly m******e. Cassian never left the warehouse for more than a few hours. At the Valerian office, he remained the quiet Cassian, yet every time he touched his laptop in the corner of the room, a building belonging to Gage on the other side of the world changed hands or was seized.

Cassian, did you see the economic news this morning? Lianna asked on the fourth day. Her face looked confused as they sat in the CEO's office.

What news, Lianna? Cassian asked while handing over the usual administrative reports.

Mr. Gage. The man you called a ghost from the past, Lianna pointed to the television screen broadcasting news about a tycoon's mass bankruptcy. His entire empire is collapsing. His stocks have been declared junk by the exchange. People are saying there is a shadow predator hunting down all his assets.

Perhaps he simply had many enemies, Cassian replied flatly.

But this is too fast, Lianna muttered. Yesterday he was still threatening our family, and today he is reported to be fleeing from debt collectors. Do you know something?

I only know that justice sometimes comes through numbers, not bullets, Cassian answered with a thin smile.

Lianna stared at her husband for a long time. There was something different in his gaze. Cold, yet fiercely protective.

I am glad he isn't bothering us anymore, Lianna whispered. But I am scared, Cassian. If someone can destroy a man as powerful as Gage in four days, what would they do to us if we got in their way?

They won't touch you, Lianna, Cassian said with absolute certainty. I guarantee it.

By the seventh day, Gage's destruction was complete. Cassian stood before the large glass window of the Valerian building, looking toward the front gate. He had just received a report from Agent D.

Sir, the target is at the front gate, Agent D's voice sounded in his ear. He has lost everything. Even his lawyers are refusing his calls because there is no money left for fees.

Good, Cassian said. Let him into the lobby. I want to see my handiwork.

Cassian walked down to the main lobby just as a commotion broke out. A man with filthy clothes, disheveled hair, and a face shattered by depression was trying to force his way in. Security guards held him back roughly.

Let me in! I have to talk to your leader! the man screamed. His voice was hoarse; the authority Mr. Gage once possessed was entirely gone.

Sir, you do not have an appointment, the Valerian head of security said. And you are barred from this property.

I have information! I know who did this to me! Gage roared.

Cassian stepped forward, his hands tucked into his pockets. He stood just a few steps away from Gage, who was kneeling on the marble floor of the lobby, held down by two guards.

Is there a problem here? Cassian asked in his usual gentle voice.

Gage looked up. His bloodshot eyes met Cassian's. For a moment, silence enveloped the luxurious lobby. Gage recognized that face, but he saw something far more terrifying behind the mask of the humiliated son-in-law.

You... Gage whispered, his body beginning to tremble violently. It was you... you are that predator...

"I don't know what you're talking about, sir," Cassian said. He leaned in slightly, his voice now only audible to Gage. "I'm just a record-keeper, remember? And like I told you seven days ago, you won't even have money to buy a newspaper today."

"Forgive me..." Gage whimpered. "I'll tell you everything. Who ordered me... who the real King of Pier 9 is..."

"Too late," Cassian hissed. "I already know everything from the server I dissected last night. You're useless now, Gage."

"Please, Cassian! The Coven will kill me if I fail!"

"The Coven won't kill you," Cassian replied as he stood tall again. "They will ignore you. And in this world, for people like them, being invisible and poor is a punishment worse than death."

Cassian signaled the security guards. "Take him out. He's disturbing our guests' comfort."

Gage was dragged out of the lobby, still screaming like a madman, but his voice was soon swallowed by the hustle and bustle of the city streets. The people in the lobby only looked on in disgust, dismissing him as a beggar who had lost his mind.

Lianna stepped out of the elevator and stood beside Cassian. "Who was that just now? His voice sounded exactly like..."

"Just a lost stranger, Lianna," Cassian answered, putting an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Come on, we have a meeting with the board of directors."

"Cassian, you look very satisfied today," Lianna observed her husband's face.

"I'm just glad our little problem is over," Cassian murmured.

However, as they walked toward the meeting room, the secret phone in Cassian's pocket vibrated again. He took a stealthy glance at the screen. A new video message had arrived.

The message showed a live recording from Pier 9. There, under the dim harbor lights, was a middle-aged man tied to an iron chair. His face was covered in wounds, but Cassian recognized him instantly.

It was Mr. Breyer, the loyal executive who had just helped him fix Valerian's finances.

The text below the video read:

This poor pawn of yours has thirty minutes before high tide drowns him. You destroyed Gage, so I took Breyer instead. Come alone to Pier 9, Mr. North. Let's see if your money can buy oxygen.

Cassian's jaw tightened. The anger that had just subsided now exploded again with even greater intensity. He turned to Lianna, trying to maintain a smile on his face.

"Lianna, you go on in first. I forgot to leave an important document in the lobby," Cassian said.

"Again, Cassian? We're already late," Lianna complained.

"Just for a moment. I promise," Cassian kissed his wife's forehead, then turned and ran toward the exit with a speed Lianna had never seen before.

Outside the building, Cassian immediately jumped into a waiting black car. Agent D was behind the wheel.

"To Pier 9," Cassian ordered. "Now!"

"Sir, that's clearly a death trap. They've already set up snipers there," Agent D warned.

"I don't care," Cassian hissed, pulling a firearm from the dashboard drawer. "They just made their second mistake. They touched the people under my protection."

The car sped through the city traffic toward the dark harbor area. Cassian stared at his weapon, then at his ticking watch. Twenty-five minutes left.

Breyer must not die, Cassian thought. And whoever is at Pier 9... tonight is the last night they'll see the moon.

Just as their car approached the pier entrance, a massive explosion erupted from the direction of the sea, lighting up the night sky with blazing fire.