Chapter 41

Beckett’s eyes widened, and his blood ran cold when Edward Brandt revealed himself. “Brandt?” he said after recognizing the voice that was ordering him to the sofa in the middle of the living room.

Just hearing him say his name was enough for Brandt to put a forty-five caliber round through the forehead of the man sitting across from him on the sofa. He raised the weapon and used his dominant eye to intimidate Beckett through the sights. It would have been so easy and quick to make it all end at this very moment. He lowered the weapon again but kept the muzzle aimed at his enemy’s chest. He knew most of the story already. Jean had given him quite a bit of revealing information before his trip to the data center, and some of the gaps were offered up from his friend Smith. But there were answers that he was seeking. “Tell me why you did it, and I’ll make this quick and painless.”

Beckett’s hands were shaking as he had never expected to be in this situation. Through all of the brilliance that he claimed to possess, he was powerless against the man who threatened his very existence. “Why? If you’re here, then you already know. I’m dead.”

Brandt motioned the handgun’s muzzle as if it shook its head in disapproval. “Let’s pretend that I don’t. If you lie to me, I shoot one of your feet. If you lie a second time, then I shoot one of your kneecaps. Are we clear?”

Beckett nodded his trembling head as he whimpered, “Hurst offered me everything that I could have hoped for if I agreed to spy for him. You made a fool out of him; it was his vengeance that got you to where you are, not mine.”

Brandt tilted the muzzle down and pulled the trigger. The result was astonishing to him. What was intended as a warning was rewarded with the explosion of leather followed by the flow of blood coming from Beckett’s toes.

Beckett screamed in pain as he attempted to reach down and tend to the vicious wound. “It is the truth!”

“Sit back!” Brandt yelled out as he aimed the handgun at Beckett’s head again. “I know. That was a warning shot. Now collect yourself. There’s more to the story than what you are telling me. I know it. You know it. Jean knew it. Hell, even Avery probably knew it.”

The tear rolled down his cheeks along with the drool from his lips as Beckett tried to understand what Brandt wanted from him. “Avery? What do you mean? He was a monster. We all did what we could to end his terror.”

Brandt smiled. “Yeah, but you unleashed that monster.”

“No, I didn’t. That was Nyx, or Sorren, or whatever he was called.”

“Ah. A lie, thank you.” Brandt aimed at Beckett’s right knee and pulled the trigger.

The resulting pain had sent Beckett into a frenzy, flailing his arms, and clenching his entire body to regain control over himself. “Fuuuck!” he screamed.

“If you want to continue playing games, then there are many more joints in the human body. We can work through each one systematically and then begin work on the more fun parts of your anatomy.”

“Okay. Just please, no more.”

“Then tell me what I want to know. Let’s start again with who really killed Andrew.” Brandt was emotionless and stared intently into Beckett’s eyes.

“It was Av—” Beckett began to say Avery but was beginning to realize that Brandt might provide another correction to his words. “It was me. I set up the contract.”

“Good. You are finally being clear and cautious with your words. Why, and how did you do it?”

“Andrew was working on something that I couldn’t create myself. An Artificial Intelligence. Avery. I hacked into his personal computer and observed him for months, only to realize that what he was working on was never accessible remotely. The academic value of the system alone was extremely valuable to me, just as it would’ve been worth billions to the government.”

“You’re doing good so far. Keep going.”

“I sent a contract to Nyx, impersonating Avery’s name in order to secure the data as my own. I just couldn’t anticipate what would happen once the connection to the internet was established.”

“You lost control.”

“Yes. I only wanted to download the data. I didn’t know that Avery would jump and destroy what he left behind. I didn’t mean to unleash a terror upon the world. It was for my own selfish needs. Nobody needed to get hurt. Nyx didn’t even need to kill Andrew.”

“When you hire an assassin, did you really think he would sing his target to sleep with a lullaby? You chose your actions poorly, and for that, a lot of people suffered. You will not get sympathy from me, but you at least have the opportunity to be free of your secrets. What happened next?”

“When we retrieved the remains of Avery from Andrew’s house, I tried my best to salvage what I could. Nothing was usable from the mess, and I felt like a complete failure. The only option I had left was to plant the link to Nyx’s site on the dark web to cover my involvement.”

Brandt fired another shot, now directly at the toes of Beckett’s left foot.

“Fuck. Please. Please. I am telling you everything. It’s the truth. I beg of you.”

Brandt rested the handgun back onto his lap. “I know, but it doesn’t mean that I like what you are saying.”

“Then how the hell do I please you, you psychotic bastard?”

“Language. You do so by telling me the rest of the story. It doesn’t end there. We both know it. Jean knew it.”

“I was depressed, but I saw another opportunity. A second chance, when you invited us over and asked us to recover Jean. But I knew that if it was possible, Avery would need to be stopped first, so I gave it my all to bring her back. I was genuinely happy when our plan was successful.”

“So… Noble and nefarious. What an interesting combination. Were you the one that ultimately destroyed her?” Brandt didn’t know the answer but knew that enough pain had been inflicted to get him the correct answer.

“No. I wanted a copy for myself. I just never had the opportunity. You used the thumb drive I wanted to clone, and when Hurst called me back to the office, I lost my final chance to secure her program.”

“Are you lying to me?” Brandt stood up and aimed the handgun intently at Beckett’s head again. “You do not have another copy around here?”

“No. I am telling you the truth. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that everything turned out the way it did. I truly am.” Beckett looked up to face the eyes of his intimidator once more and sniffled.

“I’m not the one you need to apologize to. And say hello to Sorren for me.”

Beckett’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull before Brandt pulled the trigger one last time to put a high caliber bullet through his brain. The back of his head exploded, sending chunks of tissue and seared blood across the back of the sofa.

Brandt tucked the weapon into the back of his belt. The lifeless body of Beckett weighed more than he thought it would as he started to pick him up. The pain in his shoulder and back still existed in some form, so dragging him to the fireplace was his next best option. He reached down to the valve that controlled the flow of natural gas and turned it to its full opening. To him, it was not enough as he went into the kitchen and turned the dials for the stove burners just before the spark was about to actuate.

He walked through the front door to search Beckett’s BMW. There, in the console, he found what he needed. A cylindrical plunger that, when pushed, would cause electricity to heat up a coil that could ignite a cigarette, but in this case, Brandt had a better use for it. The odor from the gas filling the cabin started becoming apparent as it leaked from the small opening under the front door and reached the car.

He quickly pulled the lighter from the socket and held the glowing plunger in his fingers. “It’s all for you, Andrew and Jean.” He backed up several more feet and threw the object directly through the front window of the cabin. The gas ignited, and flames erupted from the interior of the home. The pressure blew out the remaining windows, allowing more oxygen inside to fuel the raging inferno.

Brandt looked into the flames one last time. It’s over. He turned around and calmly walked back to the white pickup truck and onto a destination he had not planned.