Chapter 60: The King of Ashes

 

Private Jet (Chartered). 30,000 Feet over the Atlantic.

Sebastian sat in the leather seat, staring at the clouds. He hadn't showered. He was still wearing the dirty clothes from the catacombs. His leg throbbed, but he refused pain medication. He needed the pain. It was the only thing reminding him that Julian was gone.

Harper sat across from him, watching him. He looked like a statue carved from ice. The warmth was gone. The humor was gone. The man who joked about "baker ghosts" in the noodle van was dead.

"Sebastian," Harper reached out to touch his hand. It was cold. "You haven't slept in 48 hours."

"Sleep is for the innocent," Sebastian didn't look at her. He typed something on his laptop. "And I am not innocent anymore."

He turned the screen to her. It was a black background with a single countdown clock. [ THE AUCTION BEGINS IN: 24:00:00 ]

"What are you doing?" Harper whispered.

"I'm inviting them," Sebastian said calmly. "The Russians. The Yakuza. The Cartels. Every criminal organization that has been trying to buy the Helios Key for thirty years."

He pressed ENTER.

---

[The Broadcast]

The Dark Web. The "Silk Road" Forum.

A video pop-up appeared on thousands of encrypted screens around the world. It wasn't a grainy, anonymous video. It was high-definition. It showed Sebastian Sterling. The famous, reclusive billionaire.

He sat in the dimly lit cabin of the jet, looking directly into the camera. His face was bruised. His eyes were dead.

"Gentlemen," Sebastian began. His voice was low, smooth, and terrifying. "For three decades, you have hunted for the Helios Code. The secret to the perfect soldier. The key to immortality."

He held up a small black hard drive (copied from the Rolling Pin).

"I have it." "And I am bored with it."

The chat rooms on the Dark Web exploded. Is this real? Sterling has the Key? Kill him! Take it!

"I am putting it up for auction," Sebastian continued. "But I don't want your money. I have enough money." "The currency for this auction is... chaos."

He leaned closer to the lens. "The auction will be held tomorrow night. At the headquarters of Vance Capital in New York City." "The Key is inside Victoria Vance's personal safe." "Whoever gets to it first... keeps it."

He dropped the hard drive on the table. "Happy hunting."

The screen went black.

---

[The Reaction]

Harper stared at the blank screen in horror. "You..." She couldn't breathe. "You told every assassin in the world that the Key is at Victoria's office?"

"Yes," Sebastian closed the laptop.

"But it's not!" Harper shouted. "It's in your pocket! You lied!"

"Of course I lied," Sebastian poured himself a drink. His hand didn't shake. "I just put a ten-billion-dollar bounty on Victoria's head. By tomorrow night, her building will be swarming with mercenaries trying to tear it apart to find a key that isn't there."

"They will kill everyone in that building!"

"Victoria evacuated the staff for a 'security drill'," Sebastian said coldly. "Only she and her private army will be there. Waiting for me." "Instead, she's going to get a war."

Harper looked at him. This was brilliance. It was tactical genius. But it was also madness.

"And what happens when they realize the Key isn't there?" Harper asked quietly. "When they realize you played them?"

Sebastian looked at her. "Then they will come for me." "And I will be waiting."

---

[The Army]

The jet began its descent into New York. Harper stood up. She walked over to Sebastian and took the glass from his hand. She slammed it on the table. Clink.

"You want a war?" Harper said fiercely. "Fine. We'll give you a war." "But you are not doing it alone."

She pulled out her phone. She dialed a number. "Dad?"

"Harper? Where are you? The police are—"

"Listen to me, Dad," Harper interrupted. "I need you to activate the network." "Not just the noodle shop. Everyone. The taxi drivers. The street vendors. The delivery guys." "We need eyes on Vance Tower. Every entrance. Every exit. If a fly buzzes near that building, I want to know."

There was a pause on the other end. Then, Mr. Evans’s voice came back, grim and determined. "Consider it done, sweetie. The Old District stands with you."

Harper hung up. She looked at Sebastian. "You have the underworld," she said. "I have the people." "You want to burn Victoria down? Let's burn her down."

Sebastian looked at her. For the first time since Julian died, a flicker of emotion returned to his eyes. Respect.

He reached out and took her hand. He didn't pull her onto his lap. He didn't kiss her. He held her hand like a soldier shaking hands with a comrade.

"Welcome to the Empire of Ashes, Mrs. Sterling," he whispered.

The plane touched down. The wheels screeched against the tarmac. New York City lay ahead, glittering in the night. Unaware that the King and Queen had returned to burn it all.

(End of Chapter 60)