CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45

A new sense of purpose had replaced the desperate silence in Unit B-17. This new energy came from having a plan. Evelyn was at her laptop, but she was doing more than just monitoring the Aegis dashboard. She had one new tab open to research "Business Registration Requirements - State of California," and another was comparing prices for bulk electronics on auction sites. On the other side of the workbench, Ace was intently studying a disassembled tablet instead of just fixing it. His focus was intense as he tried to understand the architecture of its circuits, silently willing the nanites inside him to learn alongside him. Their goal was no longer just to make seventy dollars at a pawn shop; it was to create a blueprint for their future.

This focused peace was suddenly shattered by the sharp buzz of the workshop’s new landline phone. It was a cheap, pre-paid model that Ace had bought for what he called "legitimate" Aegis business. They both froze because no one ever called that number.

Evelyn answered, keeping her voice carefully neutral as she said, "Aegis Solutions." Her expression quickly changed from caution to confusion and then to sharp annoyance. She held the phone out to Ace and said, "It’s for you."

Ace picked up the phone, and a sudden feeling of dread settled in his stomach. "Hello?" he answered.

A familiar voice came from the other end. It was his father, using a fake, overly friendly tone that made Ace uncomfortable. "Ace? Is that you?" his father said. "I heard a strange rumor, son. Someone said they saw your name online, connected to some kind of business."

Ace felt his blood run cold. His father was talking about the website. Silva had created a simple site for his new company, Silva had used a temporary, poorly made logo. He had told him it was just a placeholder to make the "Contact Us" page look less empty. He never imagined that anyone, especially his family, would ever actually find it.

"What do you want?" Ace asked. All the energy and hope he had felt earlier was gone, replaced by his old feelings of anger and bitterness.

His father’s voice was heavy with sarcasm. "What do I want? Can’t a father check in on his successful entrepreneur son? ’Aegis Solutions.’ It sounds very important. It sounds profitable. Your mother and I are struggling right now. Times are tough, and the family could really use some help. We need a loan, just to get by. You could think of it as back-pay for all those years we provided you with a home."

Ace was stunned by his father’s audacity. He vividly remembered the day they had thrown him out of the house with only thirty seven dollars. Now that they thought he had money, they were coming back to ask for it.

"There’s no money here," Ace lied, his grip tightening on the phone. "It’s a new startup. It isn’t even a real company yet."

"Don’t lie to me, boy," his father snapped, all the fake warmth gone from his voice. "Businesses have money. We know about your fancy workshop. We have your address. We want five thousand dollars. Consider it a consulting fee for using our family name."

Ace understood this for what it was: a shakedown. His family was no better than the thugs he knew, except they were hiding behind the name of family.

Ace felt a cold fury settle over him. The old Ace would have seethed, powerless. The new Ace, the one with access to Deke’s blackmail files and a System that could find anything, saw a move on the board.

"You’re right," Ace said, his voice becoming as calm and cold as it had been with Borland. "I do have a business now, and part of that business involves managing risk and reviewing financial records." He paused to let the silence make his father nervous. "For instance, I’ve been looking at public property records and tax assessments. It’s fascinating what you can find. I discovered that the property taxes on the house haven’t been paid in full for three years. I also found the second mortgage you took out without telling Mom and then lost at the racetrack."

The other end of the line went completely silent. He could practically hear the blood draining from his father’s face.

"What are you talking about?" his father stammered, his earlier confidence completely gone.

"I’m talking about leverage," Ace stated calmly. "Here is my offer. I will transfer five hundred dollars to you, one time only. In return, you will sign a document that my associate will email to you. This document will legally end all financial ties between us. You will never contact me for money again, and you will tell anyone who asks that your son is dead to you."

"Five hundred dollars only? That’s an insult!" his father spluttered.

Ace’s reply was icy. "It is still more than you ever gave me. You can take the five hundred dollars and this clean break, or I will send every financial secret I find about you to the IRS and to Mom. I wonder which will be more painful for you: the audit or the divorce?"

All he could hear was his father’s ragged breathing on the other end of the line. Ace knew he had won. His father was a bully, and bullies always back down when someone finally stands up to them.

"Fine," his father choked out, the word filled with bitter defeat. "Send the money. Send the papers."

"My associate will prepare the documents. You will get the money only after I have the signed agreement in my hand," Ace said. He did not wait for a reply and hung up the phone, gripping it so tightly that the plastic casing creaked in his hand.

The workshop was completely silent. Evelyn stared at Ace, her eyes wide with shock. "What was that all about?" she asked.

"My past was trying to send a bill to my future," Ace explained. He could feel the adrenaline from the confrontation finally fading, leaving him exhausted. Yet, he also felt a powerful and unexpected sense of closure. He had finally stood up for himself and won. "Right now, I need you to draft a basic severance agreement for me, something that is legally solid. I will get the five hundred dollars."

Evelyn let out a low whistle of admiration. "That is cold, but also very efficient. I am impressed," she said, a small, approving smile appearing on her lips. She immediately turned to her laptop, opened a new document, and began to type.

The tense moment was interrupted by the sound of the workshop door rattling open. Silva slipped inside, looking embarrassed and holding a bag of pastries. "Hey, guys! I brought breakfast!" he announced cheerfully. "I also had a new idea for the logo. I think we should use an eagle holding the shield, and maybe—"

"Silva," Ace interrupted him. His voice was tired but not angry. "Did you by any chance tell anyone about the Aegis website? The one with the logo on it?"

Silva’s excited expression immediately disappeared. He looked from Ace’s serious face to Evelyn’s, clearly sensing the tension in the room. "Well... I might have shown it to my cousin," he admitted. "I just wanted to show him I was doing some real design work! He said it looked great! Was that a bad thing to do?"

Evelyn lowered her face into her hands in frustration. "Your cousin told his friend, who told his brother. That brother happens to work with our CEO’s deadbeat dad. Silva, the internet is a very small and often terrible town."

All the color drained from Silva’s face. "Oh, no. Ace, I am so sorry!" he stammered. "I was just so proud of the work—"

"It is already over and done with," Ace said, stopping the apology before it could continue. "I have handled the situation. But from this moment on, you cannot show our work to anyone. Our business operations must stay completely quiet until we are ready to announce everything ourselves."

Silva nodded his head vigorously, looking utterly miserable. "No showing anyone. I understand. I am really so sorry," he said.

SYSTEM ALERT: NEW TASK

TASK: FORTIFY BASE SECURITY

PARAMETERS: PHYSICAL & DIGITAL. PREVENT UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS.

DURATION: 7 DAYS.

REWARD: SECURITY PROTOCOL LV.1. SYSTEM XP +100.

PENALTY FOR FAILURE: PERMANENT -20% SYSTEM EFFICIENCY.

Ace couldn’t stop staring at the blue text on the screen.. The timing was no coincidence. The System had seen the vulnerability. His family had found him because of a digital footprint. Ramos knew where he worked. The workshop was exposed.

He looked around the empty room, suddenly seeing how exposed it was. It had only one weak door, no security cameras, and no alarm system. Even their website was now a dangerous liability.

His voice was firm with new determination as he turned to his team. "Silva, forget about the eagle for now. Your new job is security. You have the right connections, so I need you to get prices for strong steel doors, heavy-duty deadbolts, security cameras—everything we need."

Then he turned to Evelyn. "I need you to take our website down immediately and erase any trace of us online. We have to become invisible again."

Ace hadn’t abandoned his bigger dreams of building apps and games. He had simply put those plans on hold. Their first and most important task was to build a strong fortress for protection. Before they could even think about building an empire, they had to make sure it wouldn’t be torn down by vultures—whether they were wearing suits or the skin of a family.