Chapter 7 Insider Trading

"How's the market looking, Cedric?" I asked, leaning over the obsidian table.

"It's a bloodbath, Boss," Cedric cackled. He was typing into a keyboard made of flickering blue light. "I just dumped forty million shares of Beaumont Tech. The algorithms think it's a massive sell-off from the inside."

"Can they trace it back here?" I asked.

"They can't trace what doesn't exist," Cedric said. "In their world, these shares just vanished into a ghost account. Literally."

"Thomas, are the server rooms ready?" I barked.

"Ready and waiting!" Thomas yelled from the hallway. "Oswin and I are standing right over the main data hub in the Grey Layer. One word from you and we pull the plug."

"Do it," I commanded. "If the stock is falling, I want the website to crash at the same time. Make them panic."

"On it!" Oswin’s deep voice boomed.

I watched the digital monitors on the wall. The Beaumont Tech stock ticker was a jagged red line diving toward the floor. This wasn't just business. This was a haunting.

"The servers are smoking, Cyprian!" Thomas shouted, reappearing in the boardroom. "Oswin literally bit through the spectral cables. The physical site is down!"

"Good," I said. "Cedric, what’s the damage?"

"Twelve percent drop in ten minutes," Cedric said. "Alaric is losing billions. He’s probably screaming at his IT team right now."

"He won't be screaming at them for long," I said. "He knows it's me."

"He’s not just sitting there, Boss," Cedric said, his voice turning sharp. "I’m picking up a new signal. It’s coming from our lobby."

"The Auditor?" I asked.

"No," Cedric said, his static-filled face pale. "It’s an Occult Security Firm. Vanguard Souls."

"Vanguard?" Thomas squeaked. "They cleared out the old asylum! They don't talk, Cyprian. They just burn everything!"

"Oswin! Get back to the penthouse!" I yelled into the air.

"I’m here, CEO!" Oswin said, bursting through the doors. "There are men in the lobby. They’re wearing white robes and carrying silver incense burners."

"Incense?" I scoffed. "Are they going to pray us to death?"

"It’s not incense!" Thomas screamed. "It’s powdered salt and silver! If that smoke touches you, it binds your essence to the floor!"

"They’re starting a sweep," Cedric said, his fingers flying across the light-keys. "They’re moving floor by floor. They’re coating the walls in spectral lead."

"Can we fight them?" I asked Oswin.

"I tried to lunge at the first one," Oswin said, looking at his charred hand. "The moment I got close to the smoke, it felt like acid. I had to retreat."

"We need to move the servers," I said.

"We can't!" Cedric shouted. "I’m in the middle of the final short! If I disconnect now, the trade cancels and Alaric gets his money back!"

"How long do you need?" I asked.

"Two minutes! Maybe three!" Cedric said.

"Oswin, Thomas, barricade the elevator," I ordered. "Don't let that smoke reach this room."

"I’ll do my best, Boss," Oswin said, his red static flaring up.

"I’m going to die again, aren't I?" Thomas whimpered, but he followed Oswin anyway.

I stood by the window, watching the street. Three white vans were parked outside my skyscraper. Men were jumping out, carrying heavy canisters. They looked professional.

"They just reached the fortieth floor," Cedric reported. "They’re moving fast."

"Finish the trade, Cedric!" I urged.

"I’m trying! The connection is getting spotty because of the silver on the walls!" Cedric yelled.

Suddenly, the vents in the ceiling began to hiss. A thick, sweet-smelling white smoke started to pour into the boardroom.

"It's here!" Thomas yelled from the hallway. "The vents! They’re using the AC system!"

"Cedric, get away from the desk!" I shouted.

"Almost... just... one... more... click!" Cedric screamed.

The smoke swirled around the obsidian table. It moved like it had a mind of its own. Cedric didn't move. He was staring at the final confirmation button on his screen.

"Cedric, move!" I lunged for him, but the smoke hit me first.

It felt like a thousand needles stabbing into my chest. I fell to my knees, my blue glow flickering. The smoke was heavy, pinning me to the floor.

"I got it!" Cedric yelled, his hand hitting the light-key. "The trade is locked! Beaumont Tech is bankrupt!"

"Run, Cedric!" I gasped, struggling to stand.

But Cedric was too late. The white smoke surged toward him, wrapping around his neck. A spectral trap, shaped like a glowing silver cage, snapped shut around him.

"Cyprian! Help!" Cedric cried out. His body began to shrink into the center of the cage.

"Let him go!" I roared, trying to crawl toward the cage.

"Target acquired," a voice echoed through the vents. It was a cold, professional tone. "Commencing extraction."

"You aren't taking my accountant!" I screamed.

I reached for my power, but the smoke in my lungs made it fizzle. I could only watch as the silver cage began to float toward the ceiling.

"Boss! I can't get through!" Oswin yelled from the door. He was blocked by a wall of white fire.

"They're taking him!" Thomas cried, hiding under the table.

"Cyprian!" Cedric’s voice was getting smaller. "The codes! Don't let them.."

The cage vanished through the ceiling. The smoke dissipated, leaving me shivering on the floor.

"Cedric?" I whispered.

The monitors were dead. The obsidian table was cold. The penthouse felt empty.

"They took him, Boss," Oswin said, walking into the room. His form was tattered. "He’s gone."

"No," I said, pushing myself up. My eyes were burning with a dark light. "They just stole from the CEO."

"What are we going to do?" Thomas asked. "Vanguard's headquarters is a fortress."

"I don't care," I said. "I’m going to find where they took him. And then I’m going to show Alaric what happens when you interfere with my business."

"How?" Thomas asked.

"We have the money now," I said. "And money buys a lot of weapons."

Suddenly, the door creaked open. A small, spectral bird made of blue flame landed on the table.

"If you want your friend back," a woman's voice played from the bird. "Bring the Relic to the Old Cathedral at midnight. Come alone."

"Isadora," I hissed.