Doug punched a hole in the wall. He wrenched his fist out, torn and bleeding, and punched a second hole next to the first. He let out a guttural yell. His bad leg was acting up, too. It always did when things weren't going his way. It was like a sixth sense—he knew he had bigger problems when his leg started hurting. The leg he'd stitched up on his own all those years before.
This was not okay. Not okay at all. How the hell did they keep getting away from him? His men reported that Phillip's house was indeed completely full of carbon monoxide. An amazing accomplishment by Gaia's Wrath. But no bodies. The kitchen was in disarray. There had been a struggle. But the front door and kitchen window were open and nobody was inside.
And now they couldn't be found.
What should have been a simple loose end had become a liability that could ruin everything. That could take down his masterpiece.
He opened one of the desk drawers. Blood poured from his right hand. A flap of skin hung loose. To a less-trained mind, such searing pain would be crippling. Instead, it helped Doug focus. He closed the drawer and turned to the keyboard.
Doug brought up the command input to Gaia's Wrath and began hitting keys slowly and deliberately, until they were so covered in blood he couldn't see the letters anymore. Maybe if he typed the names again, it would unlock some magic machine learning hack. Luna Valencia. Phillip Jones. Alex Sonne. Luna Valencia. Phillip Jomnes. Aklez Sppne. Fucking blood. His fingers were slipping too much in the warm, viscous fluid. He dashed the keyboard to the floor.
He was so close. He wasn't going to let anybody get in his way this time. Everything had fallen into place to make this happen. If it wasn't supposed to happen, he would have known by now. Thor wouldn't have died. The Chinese wouldn't have been interested in the acquisition. Gaia's Wrath would not be able to target individuals. Something would have gone wrong. Anything. But nothing had gone wrong. Goddamn it.
He opened the drawer again. This time, he pulled out the gun. Something had to be done to set things right again. To put the manifest back in the destiny. Nothing was going to stop him. Nothing. No thing.
YOU ARE READING
Big Data: A Startup Thriller Novel
Mystery / ThrillerIf you think artificial intelligence is dangerous, then you don't know the real threat to humanity's future... Luna Valencia is the founder of the hottest artificial intelligence startup in history. She's about to become incredibly rich and powerful...
