Chapter 5

Jessie turned around and walked back to the low table. She grabbed the sleek laptop resting on the edge of Kenneth's desk and pushed it toward him. She nodded at the USB drive.

Kenneth picked it up, plugged it into the port, and typed in the password Jessie dictated. A spreadsheet with dozens of tabs popped up on the screen.

He scrolled down the first page. His bored expression slowly morphed into a deep, intense frown.

"Military-grade MREs. High-frequency water filtration units. Arctic survival gear. Solar matrix panels," Kenneth read aloud, his voice tight.

He clicked to the next tab. "Ten tons of specialized steel. Ballistic glass. Heavy engineering machinery."

He clicked the final tab, and his breath hitched. His eyes darted up to meet hers. "C4 explosives? Armor-piercing rounds? Are you building a private army to start a war, Jessie?"

Jessie pulled a chair close and sat down. "A global, apocalyptic storm is going to hit in exactly thirty days. It will last for two months. Everything you know will be wiped out."

Kenneth let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "That is the most ridiculous doomsday scam I have ever heard."

Jessie didn't argue. Instead, she rattled off a series of numbers. "Ramsey Tech will drop twelve percent tomorrow at 10 AM. Ramsey Shipping will lose a major contract at noon on Thursday, causing a twenty percent plunge."

Kenneth's fingers stopped tapping his armrest. His muscles tensed. Those were highly classified internal metrics. He had only received the briefing an hour ago.

"Next week," Jessie continued, her voice relentless, "there will be a massive geological anomaly in Alaska. The government will cover it up as a minor earthquake. It's the precursor to the storm."

She leaned in, her eyes locking onto his. "When the grid fails, your billions are just paper. Supplies are the only currency that will matter."

Kenneth stared at her. He searched her face for a twitch, a lie, a sign of madness. He found nothing. Only an absolute, terrifying certainty.

He slammed his hand down on the intercom button. "Arthur. Get in here."

The heavy oak doors opened instantly. Arthur stepped in, bowing his head.

Kenneth spun the laptop around so Arthur could see the screen. "Use the underground channels. I want everything on this list acquired and moved within a week. Blank check."

Arthur's eyes widened slightly as he saw the munitions list, but his training held. "Yes, sir." He turned and left the room.

Jessie nodded in approval. "You won't regret this investment."

Kenneth rolled his wheelchair forward until his knees almost touched hers. The proximity was suffocating, thick with tension. "If you are playing me," he growled, "I will bury you under those mountains along with your supplies."

Jessie smiled, a small, cold curve of her lips. "You won't get the chance."

She stood up. "I need to go to the Appalachian estate to oversee the security retrofitting."

Kenneth reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a solid black, limitless credit card, and held it out to her. "If you need more capital, use this."

Jessie took the card, sliding it into her pocket. It was a tangible sign of their new, dangerous alliance.

She walked to the door, but stopped just before opening it. She looked over her shoulder.

"Stop taking those physical therapy pills your doctor gives you," Jessie said quietly. "They're laced with a slow-acting neurotoxin."

Kenneth's hands gripped the armrests of his wheelchair so hard his knuckles turned bone-white. The veins in his neck bulged.

Jessie didn't explain further. She opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

Kenneth sat in the dark, staring at the empty doorway, a violent storm brewing in his eyes.