1 My wife, Wendy, was a titan of Manhattan’s elite finance. She had an adopted younger brother, Jackson, a brilliant but volatile hacker who existed only to cause chaos. For seven years, they had a very public dynamic: he would tear the world apart, and she would write the checks to rebuild it. Until he tampered with my car’s brake system, sending me over a cliff and leaving me hanging by a thread. As she signed the surgery consent form in the sterile hospital corridor, she offered only a weary sigh. “Don’t be angry with Jackson, Reid. He just thought it was a game. He didn’t actually mean to kill you. He knew I had secured the best medical team in the city for you; he was just trying to scare you.” Before the ink on her signature could even dry, her assistant reported that Jackson was being bullied by some rivals at a nightclub downtown. Wendy dropped the pen and ran. She left in such a frantic rush that she didn’t even notice she had checked the wrong box for my blood type. At that moment, the long-dormant system in my mind chimed. “Dying at the hands of the female lead will immediately complete your mission. Death by mismatched blood-type hemolysis is imminent. Do you accept this exit protocol?” I looked at the bag of blood the nurse was hanging, smiled weakly, and whispered, “Do it.” … “Mr. Beckett, this is Type A blood. Are you absolutely certain you want us to start this transfusion?” The male nurse held the IV bag, the veins on the back of his hand bulging slightly. His eyes were wide with hesitation, even a touch of panic. “Hang it,” my voice was flat, devoid of any emotion. “My wife signed the consent form herself. How could there be a mistake?” The nurse bit his lip, let out a slow sigh, and unpacked the sterile tubing. The thick needle slid cleanly into the vein on the back of my hand. The dark red liquid slid down the clear plastic line, dripping slowly into my bloodstream. The system’s cold, synthesized voice chimed in my head. “Mismatched blood type accepted. Fatal hemolytic reaction countdown initiated. Remaining time: seventy-two hours.” I closed my eyes, feeling the first quiet tremors of poison spreading through my organs. Within thirty minutes, a sharp, grinding ache flared in my lower back, as if a dull, rusty chisel were digging into my spine. My body began to shake with uncontrollable chills. I pulled the heavy hospital blanket tight, but my teeth still rattled violently. The heavy door was thrown open. Wendy stormed into the room, bringing a suffocating cloud of cheap liquor and cigarette smoke with her. The hem of her expensive designer dress was dusted with gaudy, colorful sequins from the club. Behind her stood Jackson, completely unharmed. He wore a sequined shirt, his eyes slightly pink as he clutched her sleeve like a frightened puppy. “What kind of tantrum are you throwing now, Reid?” Wendy stood over my bed, arms crossed, her brow furrowed with sheer annoyance. “The doctor said you only have minor abrasions. Who are you putting on this shivering act for?” I gritted my teeth against the mounting agony in my spine, cold sweat dripping down my temples. “I’m freezing.” Wendy scoffed, irritably tugging at her silk scarf. “Freezing? The thermostat is set to seventy-eight degrees. Stop acting.” She turned to Jackson, her voice instantly softening. “Jackson, go turn off the AC so your brother-in-law doesn’t have another excuse to complain.” Jackson nodded obediently and flicked the switch. He turned to me, looking timid and tearful. “Reid, I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to mess up your brakes. I just wanted to test my new exploit program. Wendy already chewed me out. Please don’t be mad at me, okay?” Big tears rolled down his cheeks. Wendy immediately pulled him behind her, shielding him from my gaze. “That’s enough, Jackson. You don’t owe him an apology. He’s lying here in one piece, isn’t he?” She glared at me. “Reid, Jackson was almost assaulted at that club tonight. He was terrified, yet he still rushed over here to apologize to you. You can’t even offer him a decent look. Don’t you think you’re being incredibly petty?” I stared at her self-righteous face, a dry chuckle bubbling in my throat. My brakes had failed on a winding mountain road, sending me crashing through the guardrails. I was dragged out of a crushed, bloody metal heap. And her only concern was whether her precious adopted brother got his feelings hurt at a bar. “He was terrified?” I rasped, my throat raw. “He was out drinking and partying at a club. You call that terrified? What about me? I almost burned alive in that car. What does that count as?” Wendy’s annoyance grew. “Can you stop talking about death? I hired the best trauma surgeons in the state for you. Besides, your car has a top-tier safety cage. Jackson calculated the physics; he knew you wouldn’t die.” Calculated? I glanced at the dark red blood dripping into my vein. The toxic, mismatched cells were already attacking my organs. He calculated it, alright. He calculated exactly how to end my life. “Wendy,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “What if I actually die?” She froze, then her expression hardened into disgust. “Are we doing this again? Every time Jackson makes a minor mistake, you play the victim and threaten me with your death. Don’t you get tired of being this pathetic, Reid?” She pulled up a chair and crossed her legs. “Stop the drama. If you’re really hurting, I’ll have the nurse bring you some painkillers. Jackson is shaken up, so I’m staying with him tonight. Take this time to reflect on your attitude.” I remained silent. My temperature was climbing rapidly, and my vision began to blur. My chest felt like a furnace, every breath searing my lungs. These were the classic early symptoms of acute hemolysis. My red blood cells were rupturing in mass numbers. “Is Reid really okay, Wendy?” Jackson murmured, peeking from behind her. “His face is so red. Is he running a fever?” Wendy glanced at me dismissively. “It’s not a fever. He’s just throwing a tantrum because I didn’t drop everything to stay by his side.” She stood up, looking down at me with cold warning. “Reid, I’m warning you for the last time. Drop these pathetic jealousy games. Jackson is my brother, and I will protect him. If you keep pushing this, don’t expect me to keep tolerating you.” I offered her a pale, empty smile. “Fine. You go ahead and protect him.” Wendy sneered, taking Jackson’s hand. “Let’s go. Leave him to his self-pity.” The door slammed shut. I looked at the near-empty blood bag and closed my eyes. “System, dial the pain blocker to maximum.” “Pain-blocking protocol at one hundred percent. Have a peaceful journey, Host.” The sound of leather shoes echoed in the hallway. The door clicked open again. Jackson was back, and Wendy wasn’t with him. The timid, tearful mask had vanished, replaced by an ugly, malicious sneer. I ignored him. The fever was leaving me entirely limp, and the scent of iron filled my throat. Jackson walked over to the bed, idly flicking the IV tubing. “Tsk, tsk. Look at you. Pathetic.” “You know what Wendy said in the hallway? She called you a dramatic, exhausting drag. She said you don’t even compare to a single hair on my head.” I forced my heavy eyelids open. “Are you done? Get out.” Jackson chuckled, completely unbothered. “You still have quite the attitude, Reid. But don’t worry, you won’t be talking like that for long.” He pulled out a compact, palm-sized netbook from his bag. His fingers flew across the keyboard as the screen cast a pale blue glow on his face. “Wendy thinks you’re faking, but I think you look a little too peaceful. Why don’t I help make your vitals look a bit more… realistic?” The moment his finger hit enter, the multi-parameter monitor beside my bed let out a deafening screech. The red warning light flashed violently. My heart rate jumped to 180 on the display, while the blood pressure readings crashed below critical thresholds. The alarm echoed down the sterile hallway. I watched him calmly. He wasn’t just a hacker; he was a sociopath with no concept of boundaries. Footsteps thundered outside. “What’s happening?!” Wendy was the first to burst in, her face pale. A swarm of panicked doctors and nurses followed closely behind. Jackson had already tucked the netbook back into his bag with practiced ease. He stumbled back, covering his ears, trembling like a leaf. “Wendy! I don’t know what happened! I didn’t touch anything! The machine just started screaming! It’s terrifying!” He buried his face in her chest, sobbing hysterically. Wendy held him tight, gently rubbing his back. The attending doctor, Dr. Collins, rushed to my bedside, checking the sensors. “This makes no sense. His pupils are normal, and his pulse feels steady. Why is the machine reading a cardiac arrest?” She rebooted the monitor. The readings instantly returned to normal. Wendy’s face turned dark as thunder. She calmed Jackson down, then spun around to glare at me with pure venom. “Reid, is there no limit to your desperation?” “You’re tampering with hospital equipment now? Just to force me to stay? Do you have any idea how many actual patients need these resources?” I lay there, staring at her furious face. “You think I did this?” I didn’t even have the strength to lift my arm, let alone hack a hospital network. Wendy let out a harsh laugh. “Who else could it be? You’re so consumed by your pathetic jealousy that you’ll do anything to frame him!” She marched to the bed and violently ripped the blanket off me. “Get up! Apologize to Jackson right now!” A wave of cold air hit my burning body, and a violent fit of coughing shook my chest. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, but I swallowed it down and looked up at her. “Wendy,” I said, my voice dead. “Are you out of your mind?” She froze. In our seven years of marriage, I had never spoken to her like this. I had always been patient, gentle, and yielding. “What did you just say to me?” she hissed. “I called you an idiot.” I reached out with the last of my strength and ripped the power cord of the monitor from the wall. The screeching alarm died instantly. “The next time you two want to play this pathetic game, leave me out of it,” I whispered, turning my back to her. “It’s disgusting.” Wendy clenched her fists so hard her knuckles cracked. “Fine. You want to act tough, Reid? Let’s see how long you can last.” She grabbed Jackson’s hand and stormed out. “Let’s go, Jackson. Leave this lunatic to himself.” I closed my eyes and swallowed another mouthful of blood. “System, how much time do I have left?” “Remaining time: sixty hours.” “Good,” I murmured. “Almost there.” The hospital television was on, the volume low. A breaking news report flashed across the screen. “Vanguard Holdings’ smart-driving system, Aegis, has suffered a catastrophic security breach. Multiple vehicles equipped with the system have reportedly lost control on major interstate highways. At least ten pile-ups have been reported, with numerous injuries.” I leaned back, wiping the thin trail of blood from my lips. My vision was double now, the hemolysis systematically dismantling my internal organs. Wendy was standing by the window, screaming into her phone. “What is the PR department doing?! I don’t care how much it costs, bury the story! Find a subcontractor and blame the code on them!” She tore off her scarf and threw it onto the sofa, breathing heavily. Jackson sat in the corner, staring at his hands with a practiced look of innocence. “Wendy, I’m sorry. I just thought the core logic of the system was boring, so I added a little backdoor exploit. I wanted to surprise them, I didn’t think it would cause actual accidents.” He shrugged, entirely devoid of genuine remorse. Wendy sighed, walking over to smooth his hair. “It’s fine, Jackson. I’ll handle it. Just don’t be so reckless next time. The media loves to blow things out of proportion. It’s just a few fender-benders, we can settle it with money.” Listening to her dismiss those human lives so casually made my stomach turn. I reached under my pillow, pulling out my slim laptop. The tactile feel of the keys brought a brief moment of clarity to my fading mind. My fingers flew across the keyboard. Wendy would do everything in her power to scrub Jackson’s digital footprint, so I had to act fast. I needed to package every bit of raw data proving his culpability before my body gave out entirely. The progress bar crawled forward. I was blind-typing now, relying entirely on muscle memory. “What are you doing now?” Wendy’s sharp voice cut through the room. She marched over and slammed my laptop shut. “The company is facing a crisis, and you’re lying here playing games on your computer? Do you even have a conscience, Reid?” I looked up at her frantic, angry face. “A conscience?” I let out a dry, rattling cough, spitting a dark glob of blood onto the floor. “Wendy, you are harboring a criminal who has endangered public safety, and you want to lecture me about a conscience?” Her expression turned dark and dangerous. “Watch your mouth, Reid! Jackson is just a kid, he didn’t know any better! Don’t think that just because you sit at home all day, you understand how to run a conglomerate!” Jackson smirked, leaning against her. “Reid, are you going to report me to the police? You don’t have any evidence. Wendy already had the server logs wiped. No one will believe you.” I pushed the laptop screen back open. “Is that so?” I tapped the enter key. An encrypted archive was instantly generated. It contained not only the files proving his sabotage of the Aegis system, but a comprehensive log of his cybercrimes over the past seven years, including corporate espionage and server intrusions against Wendy’s competitors. “Reid, don’t you dare!” Wendy lunged to grab the laptop. I pulled it back, staring at her coldly. “Relax. I’m not calling the police. I’m just writing my will.” Wendy’s hand froze. She looked at my deathly pale face, then let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “A will? For a few scratches? You are completely out of your mind.” She grabbed Jackson’s arm. “Let’s go. Let him play his pathetic games.” The door closed, and I fell back against the pillows, my strength entirely depleted. The scheduled transmission was locked. The payload would deploy automatically three days after my death. “System,” I whispered, my breathing shallow. “How long?” “Remaining time: twelve hours. Multi-organ failure has commenced.” I watched the light fade from the window. “Let’s end this.” The room grew dark. Every breath felt like swallowing shards of glass. My kidneys had shut down, and my lungs were filling with fluid. Outside, the distant boom of fireworks echoed through the sky. The system projected a virtual screen in my mind. Wendy had rented out the city’s largest amusement park for Jackson. Under a sky filled with brilliant colors, Jackson wore a custom diamond crown, smiling like a prince while Wendy looked at him with absolute adoration. “Congratulations on getting through this, Jackson,” her voice was incredibly gentle. “If you want to play with software, I’ll buy you an entire tech firm next week.” A soft alarm chimed as the male nurse burst into my room, his flashlight catching my grey face. “Doctor! We need help in Room Three! The patient is in shock!” Panicked shouts filled the corridor. A crash cart was wheeled in, and the blinding procedural lights flared above me. “Heart rate is dropping! Blood pressure is unreadable! Push epinephrine, now!” “Where is the emergency contact? Get the spouse on the line for a critical notice!” The nurse frantically dialed Wendy’s number. On my mental screen, I saw her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out, frowning at the caller ID: “St. Jude’s Memorial Hospital.” Jackson glanced at the screen, rolling his eyes. “Wendy, he’s playing the boy who cried wolf again. He’s just mad because you’re with me.” Wendy scoffed and swiped to decline the call. The nurse dialed again, but this time, the line was dead. She had blocked the hospital’s number. “I can’t get through! She blocked us!” the nurse cried. The doctor gritted her teeth, delivering chest compressions. “Keep going! Don’t stop!” I looked at their futile efforts, and issued my final command. “System, release the files.” “Command confirmed. Scheduled package locked. Deployment in seventy-two hours.” “Host, your vitals are flatlining.” I took one last look at the dark window. The final firework bloomed and died, leaving only empty darkness. Beside me, the erratic line on the monitor stretched into a single, flat green line. A sharp, continuous tone pierced the silence of the room. I felt my consciousness detach, rising slowly toward the ceiling. “Congratulations, Host. Mission completed. Exit protocol initiated.” Looking down, I saw the medical team slowly step away, pulling the white sheet over my face. “Time of death: two-fourteen AM.”
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