Lori Jacobs studied the enigmatic man seated across the table from her in the concrete bunker. Casper Winterman's prematurely white hair was parted with laser precision. The benevolent smile on his face reminded her of an evangelical pastor, but instead of being lit with a passionate fire, his eyes were as colorless as dead ashes.

Benevolent, until someone crosses him.

She watched the Intelligence Operative steeple his fingers as he thoughtfully chewed on an expensive cigar. His low, raspy voice raised every hair on the back of her powerful neck. From what she'd heard, he was both feared and respected in the halls of power. She coughed and fought the urge to gag as odorous, ecru-colored smoke wafted past her face.

All of her life, she had presented an image of tough invulnerability. Right now, she was terrified. The secure underground location she had been directed to made her feel anything but safe. If it wasn't for Satoshi's whispered promises—her alluring touch—she never would have met with this Central Intelligence Agency monster.

What was that old saying? Out of the frying pan into the fire.

"We've heard chatter over the comms about PROJECT ICARUS." He grabbed his cigar between his thumb and forefinger and leaned back in his expensive leather chair, "What is it?"

Lori leaned back in her dented aluminum chair and matched his body language. They had probably tortured people to death tied to this banged-up piece-of-shit seat she now inhabited. She would have to bluff the bastard. "How the hell should I know? Sinclair keeps his pet projects up his metaphorical ass crack. Do you think I wanna go sniffing around there?"

And who was this mysterious WE the evil dick referred to?

He slid a palm-sized device across the table to her. The high-tech screen displayed glowing, cobalt-blue symbols. "You recognize this code?"

Lori guffawed, "I helped invent this code."

"Good," he grunted. "Tell me what this software does."

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, I can't. This is partially encrypted—I'd need the decryption key to decipher it." She pushed the device back towards him. "Listen, I was never privy to Sinclair's classified work." She smoothed her tie with the palm of her hand. "I've made my choice." She raised her chin. "I've submitted my notice and I'm getting the hell out of there at the end of the month."

"Then the timing is perfect." A satisfied smile formed on his reptilian lips. "Before you go, I need you to do something. We have a new agent embedded in CENTIEN. She's been trying to compromise Sinclair, but after his relationship with Satoshi Nakamoto flamed out, he's been skittish with women." Casper leaned forward and flicked ashes from his cigar into a heavy round, glass ashtray. "I need you to work with her to get our people super user access to CENTIEN's security system. Will you do that for your country?"

Winterman's reference to Sinclair's paramour brought back the memory of her first kiss with Satoshi in CENTIEN's rooftop solarium dome. At the center of the holographic room, a massive circular waterfall ran from floor to ceiling and provided CENTIEN's perpetual hydropower. The mix of living plants and simulation had the effect of a 3D holographic movie theater with interactive capabilities. The SIM adapted to the emotions of visitors as they traversed the solarium and projected 3d holograms of creatures that mirrored and interacted with the individual's moods. As Lori had strapped herself into the control station in the center of the room and accessed the virtual software, Satoshi had hacked into the program.

A lush canopy of verdant branches and man-sized leaves swallowed her. Overhead, the leafy canopy chattered with colorful birds. She followed a switchback footpath path similar to a lighted runner in a darkened theater. The room was eighty degrees with ninety percent humidity and she was sweating profusely.

"Raymond's secret work is on Level Three. I would kill to see it." Lori spun in surprise to find one of Satoshi's avatars, a sleek, black panther, positioned ahead of her on the path. Her eyes were liquid pools of onyx."

"This is a restricted holographic reali. How did you get in here?"

Why was it so damned hot? Sweating profusely, Lori removed her headgear and gestured at the dense jungle. "I'm trouble shooting the interface. Sinclair's Queen of Sheba orchids are being delivered today and they're delicate little bastards—you shouldn't be here."

Being near Satoshi in the verdant landscape, the animal noises and humid temperature, all of it stirred her primal emotions.

"Why don't you undress? You know I'm good in bed." When she blinked the sweat out of her eyes, Satoshi herself stood before her.

The stunning black-haired beauty slowly removed her clothes from her glistening, toned body, then turned revealing a thonged backside showing off tanned buttocks.

"What's in Level Three?"

Lori gaped at the other woman's enticing nudity. Was she being seduced by her own software? Or by Sinclaire's hot girlfriend?

Nervous, she mumbled, "Virtual workers creating CENTIEN's next generation technology. PROJECT THEMIS is too advanced to be brought to market. That's why the company's going broke." Her remote body started sweating. Dark spots formed on her T-shirt between her breasts and her pits.

"What about the techs working in CENTIEN's R&D section?" Satoshi traced Lori's collarbone with her fingertip.

Fuck.

Lori moaned as Satoshi slowly sucked her hardened nipples. Her nimble hands moved lower.

They're decoys." Self-replicating AIs are driving CENTIEN," she gasped as Satoshi found the sweet spot and dexterously moved her fingers. Her body arched as a hot tongue slide into her.

I'll show you CENTIEN's future. Satoshi stood up and kissed her deeply. "Together, we can save this company... I just need you to..."

The Howler monkeys screamed and leapt overhead from branch to branch, drowning out her words.

She banished the erotic the memory from her mind and cleared her throat. Maybe Winterman would get the hint and extinguish his cigar. In response, he opened his mouth and blew a perfectly formed smoke ring into the air between them. She flinched as the wraithlike object kissed her face.

Cancerous prick.

"I don't know the details of Sinclair's new project. He didn't give me clearance to access his work. All I know is that the new code he wrote will override CENTIEN's existing software. The one he's currently selling to the military."

Casper froze. "You mean our satellite upgrades?" The expression on his face confirmed her suspicion. The satellites were the agency's Achilles heel.

Lori didn't attempt to explain the complexity of CENTIEN's technology. She broke it down in simple terms. "Your surveillance satellites and control of every system under it will be at his fingertips."

Winterman ripped the cigar out of his mouth. "That son of a bitch." His voice cut like a whip.

"Couldn't you arrest him?" Hope stirred in her chest. She imagined Sinclair staring out from behind cold, stainless steel bars as he sobbed hysterically.

He needs to be broken. Toppled from his unholy pedestal.

Winterman's voice dripped with venom—loud, but in complete self-control. "No. He's smart enough to have a dead man's switch built into his software. If we moved on him, he would retaliate. We've been slowly weaning ourselves off our reliance on CENTIEN. The satellites upgrades are the last part of our departure from his technology, but they're the most important. They're tied to our national defense."

"Satoshi told me he wouldn't give her joint control of his project. Is that why you bankrupted CENTIEN?"

Casper smiled. "You've figured out we financially interfered with the company once our agent failed. I knew my instincts about you were correct. Nakamoto and her father are two of our best assets. Sinclair was putty in her hands, but she failed to complete her mission. He refused to give her free reign in the company."

Lori scoffed. "Why would he? Grand chess masters never train their replacements. That would be counterintuitive. The trophy has to be ripped from their cold, dead hands." Her eyes softened.

Sinclair hadn't been the only one who'd been putty under the drop-dead-gorgeous woman's nimble hands and mouth.

"Our other asset in the intern program was a complete failure at seducing him."

"Other asset?"

Did he mean, Evelyn?

Casper leaned forward and she instinctively inched back in her seat. "Do you know why we selected you? I read your background—it's impressive. You joined CENTIEN when you were twenty years old. The company was still in the startup stage. Despite being female, you became one of the highest Research and Development VPs in the company. Early on Sinclair and you were close. What happened? Why doesn't he trust you anymore?"

Lori shifted in her seat. She couldn't divulge that her affair with Satoshi Nakamoto was the real reason behind her rift with Sinclair. Jealousy and lust for his girlfriend had driven her to hate the man who had once been her mentor and a close friend.

Casper interrupted her thoughts. "The Government needs to secure PROJECT ICARUS as a matter of national security."

Bullshit.

A part of her secretly laughed with disbelief at Casper's comment. The bastard acted as if he was trying to help the world, instead of spinning it out of control. She compartmentalized her emotions. "Sinclair's father was involved with developing the infrastructure behind the internet. He shared enough intel with Sinclair to give him a roadmap to the future of telecommunications. That allowed him to position himself to topple the competition. I helped him because he never wanted that unimaginable power in the wrong hands."

"So that's why you're willing to betray him? He's become the thing he swore to destroy?" Apparently, he believed it was easier on her ego if it appeared it was her decision to join a terrorist organization disguised as a government body.

Lori thought of Satoshi and the thrill she'd felt in her belly as the woman's warm tongue had expertly slid down her throat. She looked up." Revenge is a common denominator we share. You're right, that much power shouldn't be under one person's control." She wiped her sweating palms on her thighs.

Casper nodded, satisfied with her answer. "Sinclair's unstable and dangerous." Get us the intel on Project ICARUS and we'll put you in charge of your own R&D department with an unlimited budget."

Her eyebrows rose. Working for the Deep State, she could win Satoshi's approval and see Sinclair humbled at her feet. "I can help you, but I'll need access to the fiftieth floor."

Fuck Sinclair and his third-level super user access. I should be running CENTIEN.

She licked her dry lips. "How are you going to get the password to the project? Only Sinclair has it."

"Two of our best agents are working on it right now. They'll wait for the opportune moment and then have a conversation with him. Whether or not he survives," he shrugged, "that's his choice."

Lori's head snapped up, "What do you mean, whether he survives?"

"Let us worry about that." Winterman stood and up ended the conversation.

She frowned, uneasily. Sinclair was the ultimate corporate warrior. Ruthless when it came to his rivals. Coldly competent and without scruples, he was superbly versed in the cutthroat politics waged by the high and mighty. As cunning as he was, he wouldn't prevail over this psychopath who knew jack shit about technology.

Satoshi was Winterman's henchman, sent to recruit her into the dangerous world of espionage. She hated herself for allowing them to effortlessly bring her into the fold like a lamb to slaughter.

People didn't retire from this organization. They were killed once their value expired.

Her nails left red indents as she curled her hands into fists. A deep sadness filled her, knowing that her usefulness to these sadists was short-lived.