Chapter 8: The Digital Panopticon
Back in Seattle, David’s fingers flew across his keyboard as he monitored the local police dispatch radio feeds through an encrypted software scanner running on his second monitor. When the automated text alert popped up on his screen—*DISPATCH: WELFARE CHECK - MILLER ROAD PROPERTY*—his blood ran cold.
"Evelyn," David spoke sharply into the desk microphone connected to the farmhouse audio system.
Down in the living room, Evelyn jumped at the sudden sound of his voice echoing from the smart speaker on the wall. She tapped her phone to open the direct channel. "I'm here, David. What is it?"
"The old man called the cops," David said, his voice chillingly calm, though his jaw was clenched so hard it ached. "A welfare check has been dispatched. They'll be at the property within twenty minutes."
Evelyn’s face drained of all color. Her phone slipped slightly in her sweaty palm. "What do we do? We can't let them inside. They'll see the logs, they'll see the isolation protocols—"
"Listen to me very carefully," David interrupted, cutting off her rising panic with absolute authority. "You are not going to answer the door. Activate the diversion protocol in the northern pasture. Let the smoke canister go off near the old tractor. When the deputy arrives, he'll investigate the smoke first. That will buy us at least fifteen minutes to move Leo to the root cellar."
"The root cellar?" Evelyn’s voice trembled. "David, it's damp down there, and there’s no network signal—"
"I don't care about the signal right now!" David shouted, his control slipping for a fraction of a second before he reined it back in. "If the police find him in that bedroom with the smart locks engaged and the windows shuttered, we are finished. Every year of work, every biometric model, every financial asset tied to the research foundation—gone. Move him now."
Upstairs, Leo heard the shouting through the speakers. He didn't understand all the technical terms, but he understood the word police, and he understood the terror in Evelyn’s voice as she sprinted up the stairs toward his room.
The heavy brass bolt slid back with a loud, mechanical clatter. The door swung open violently, revealing Evelyn standing there with wild eyes and a frantic expression.
May you like
"Get up!" she snarled, grabbing his arm and yanking him off the bed with brutal force. "If you make a single sound when the police get here, I swear you will never see the light of day again."
Leo didn't fight back. He let her drag him toward the dark, narrow stairway leading down to the basement, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs as the countdown to his rescue—or his doom—began.
