Chapter 3 3

Duke woke up with a groan.

His neck was stiff.

The couch spring was digging into his hip like a blunt knife.

Sunlight streamed through the grimy window, illuminating dancing dust motes in the air.

Gus was already up.

He tossed a bagel wrapped in foil at Duke.

It hit him in the chest.

"Eat," Gus said, holding a mug of coffee that smelled like burnt rubber. "You need the carbs."

Duke sat up, unwrapping the bagel.

It was stale, but he was starving.

"I was thinking," Gus said, sitting on the arm of a chair. "You should file for unemployment today. The website crashes if you wait until afternoon. And maybe... I don't know, take a few days before you look for anything else."

Duke nodded, chewing slowly.

"Yeah. Unemployment."

He looked at his phone on the floor.

It was plugged into Gus's charger.

He picked it up.

He pressed the power button.

The Apple logo appeared.

Then the home screen.

The phone started to vibrate.

It wasn't a normal buzz.

It was a continuous, angry spasm.

Notification after notification cascaded down the screen.

Emails.

Alerts.

And one text message from Chase Bank.

Duke's finger hovered over the glass.

He swiped.

Chase Fraud Alert: An inbound wire transfer of $1,000,000.00 has been detected from an offshore source. Account Frozen Pending Investigation.

Duke felt his stomach drop. Of course. It was a scam, or worse, money laundering. He was about to go to jail. He stared at the screen, panic rising in his throat, when the Midas Protocol app opened itself.

It didn't ask for permission. It just maximized.

A terminal window appeared over the banking app, lines of code scrolling faster than Duke could read.

_Intercepting SWIFT Protocol..._

_Injecting Shell Company Verification: 'Apex Consulting LLC'_

_Forging KYC Documentation..._

_Bypassing Federal Hold..._

The screen flashed green.

A second text popped up immediately after, overriding the first.

Chase: Transfer Verified. Funds Available. Thank you for banking with us.

Duke dropped the bagel.

It landed face down on the rug, cream cheese smearing into the fibers.

"Duke?" Gus asked. "You okay?"

Duke didn't answer.

He opened his banking app.

His hands were shaking so hard he mistyped his password twice.

Login Successful.

He stared at the number at the top of the screen.

Available Balance: $1,000,042.18

The comma.

The two commas.

He counted the zeros.

Six.

He felt lightheaded.

The room seemed to tilt.

"Duke!" Gus stood up. "You look like you're gonna puke."

Duke stood up abruptly.

"Bathroom," he choked out.

He scrambled into the tiny bathroom and slammed the door.

He locked it.

He sat on the closed toilet lid, breathing hard.

He refreshed the page.

Still there.

Refresh.

Still there.

$1,000,042.18

The Midas Protocol app sent a push notification.

System: Starter Capital Delivered. Don't spend it all on candy.

Duke laughed.

It was a hysterical, jagged sound.

He stood up and looked in the mirror.

His eyes were wide, frantic.

This wasn't a game. This wasn't just luck. The App had just hacked one of the biggest banks in the world in under three seconds. It had manufactured a reality where he was a legitimate millionaire.

He grabbed the sink, his knuckles turning white.

This was power.

This was a weapon.

He splashed cold water on his face, gasping as the chill hit his skin.

He needed to calm down.

He couldn't tell Gus.

A warning box flashed in his mind from the App's terms of service he had skimmed the night before.

Protocol Rule 1: Silence is Golden. Disclosure to non-users results in immediate account termination.

He dried his face with a towel that smelled like damp dog.

He took three deep breaths.

In. Out.

In. Out.

He unlocked the door.

Gus was standing right there, looking worried.

"Dude, seriously, are you sick?"

Duke forced a smile.

It felt tight and unnatural on his face.

"No," Duke said. "Just... checked an old crypto wallet. I had some leftover coins from years ago. They... uh... they went up a bit."

"Really?" Gus's face lit up. "Like how much? A couple hundred?"

Duke nodded. "Something like that. Enough to cover rent for a while."

Gus punched him on the shoulder.

"That's awesome, man! Pizza's on you tonight."

"Yeah," Duke said, his hand clutching the phone in his pocket. "Pizza's on me."

He looked around the cramped apartment.

He looked at the peeling paint on the walls.

"I'm going to head out for a bit," Duke said. "Need to... clear my head."

"Cool," Gus said, going back to the TV.

Duke grabbed his coat.

It was still damp from yesterday.

He walked out of the apartment building.

The sun was shining now.

The puddles on the sidewalk reflected the blue sky.

Duke pulled out his phone.

He opened the Midas Protocol.

He tapped on the Inventory.

The Nemesis Card was glowing.

Analysis Complete.

Target: Simon Thorne.

Primary Weakness: Narcissistic Personality Disorder / Double Life.

_Secondary Intel: Subject is currently maintaining a public engagement to Linda while legally married to Victoria Thorne. Exposure Risk: Critical._

Duke stopped walking. The air in his lungs turned to ice. He had suspected it, but seeing it confirmed in cold, digital text was different. Simon wasn't just a cheater; he was a sociopath juggling two lives. And Victoria-the legitimate wife-was the weak link.

Recommended Entry Point: Victoria Thorne (Wife).

Mission Generated: The Good Samaritan.

Objective: Establish contact with Victoria Thorne.

Reward: Access to 'Coincidence Generator' (One-time use).

Duke stared at the screen.

Using a woman.

Manipulating a wife to get to the husband.

It was dirty.

It was something Simon would do.

Duke closed his eyes and saw Linda's face again.

He saw the way she looked at Simon.

He saw the way Simon looked at him-like he was dirt.

Duke opened his eyes.

His eyes were hard.

He tapped Accept.