“Wait a minute,” Lord Override said, “I thought you were simply looking to clear your name.”
“And take down the people who did this to me.”
“Who did what to you exactly?”
She sighed and leaned closer to him, talking in a hushed tone. “Look, I haven’t been completely honest with you. The reason I’m on the run is because the CIA is targeting a secret black ops organization I’ve been working with. They’re trying to pin a major snafu on our unit, but we were set up.”
“Whoa,” he said. “You’re working for the U.S. government?”
“Sort of. It’s complicated. But there was someone we were supposed to eliminate, and apparently we killed the wrong guy. It’s all in the news. But I know we were set up.”
Lord Override stared at her blankly.
“I’m really sorry about lying to you about this,” she said. “I knew you wouldn’t help me if I told you I was working for the government, even though it’s in a roundabout sort of way.”
His expression didn’t change as he remained silent.
“I know you’re probably mad, but would you at least say something?”
He nodded toward the door. She turned to see Shadow Lancer standing in the doorway with a gun trained on her.
“Hand over the flash drive, Helenos-9,” he said.
CHAPTER 15
Paris, France
AS FALCON SINCLAIR STOOD in the wings of the stage at the Pasteur Institute, he heard a murmur sweep through the crowd when the emcee announced the upcoming speaker. Sinclair peeked around the curtain to see a packed room. Among the sea of attendees, Sinclair knew there were people who could help him propel his newest idea into a worldwide phenomenon or label it a dud. Held rapt by the host’s recitation of Sinclair’s long list of achievements, a wide gamut of professionals awaited him, from scientists to journalists to politicians to curiosity seekers. And when the man welcomed Sinclair onto the stage, the audience exploded with applause.
Sinclair flashed a small smile as he waved to the people crammed into the lecture hall. He hated crowds, much less speaking in front of them. If he could just take over the world from his retreat on Great Keppel Island, he would do it. But sometimes sacrifices were required to become the most powerful man in the world.
He arranged his written speech on the lectern and then began.
“Good afternoon. I want to thank Dr. Girard for the invitation to share with you at this fantastic symposium on Science and the Future World. When he first reached out to me about sharing with this brilliant community, I must confess that I told him no. You’re all very intimidating.”
Sinclair paused as the line drew a collective chuckle from the crowd.
“After Dr. Girard’s third request and the gift of a vintage 1998 bottle of Domaine Leflaive Montrachet Grand Cru, I accepted. So, this is my public admission that even I can be bought.”
More laughter from the crowd.
“On a more serious note, I am honored to be here with the opportunity to share some of my latest ideas on how science will shape the future. And based on all the speculation I read online over the past few days, I believe that most of you came here expecting me to talk about space travel. Well, I always hate to disappoint, but I’m afraid that will not be today’s topic. In the near future, space travel will only be a luxury, a type of voyeurism vacation only accessible by the rich. Our team is working hard to figure out a way to reduce those costs in the future so more people can see our beautiful planet and breathtaking galaxy from another perspective. So, we’ll table that discussion for another day. What I do want to talk about might sound rather mundane, but if you’ll stay with me, I trust you’ll be rewarded.”
Sinclair picked up a small remote and clicked a button, revealing his first slide projected onto the large screen positioned high above the stage. The image of a simple, brick ranch house materialized.
“This is the house that I grew up in,” Sinclair said. “There’s nothing fancy about it. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small yard with a couple of trees. In short, my brother and I lived with my parents here, much like many of you did in your own homes. A simple structure adequately fulfilling the purpose of providing us with a warm shelter. Nothing fancy. Yet over the years, our society has become obsessed with building elaborate homes that do little more than gobble up precious natural resources.”
He paced across the stage as he laid the foundation for his talk.
“But as the world’s population continues to grow, we’re going to need something more out of our homes. No longer can we exist in the vanity of sprawling properties where we do little more than sleep and occasionally eat. We need something more practical, something that will allow us to live healthier lives and create the type of peace of mind necessary in this increasingly restless world.”
Sinclair clicked another button on the remote, replacing his boyhood home with a sketch of a futuristic house.
“Today, I came here to introduce you to what I’m calling Freedom Homes, replacing our line of smart homes. Now, in the past, I touted these houses that were technologically in touch with us. We used artificial intelligence to learn your habits and your preferences, creating a house that did what you needed it to do without you having to do anything. People liked this idea, though the system for the price tag was a tad beyond affordability for most. And as every one of us here knows, good technological advancements require being able to balance innovation with accessibility for the masses.
“That’s why we believe these new Freedom Homes are a game changer for the future of modern living. We have been able to extract features to allow an existing dwelling to be retrofitted using this new technology. Of course, shoehorning in
