Chapter 10 - The Sovereign Account
""Attention rooftop occupants,"" a voice boomed from the gunship's external megaphones. ""By order of the International Financial Stability Tribunal, surrender the ledger immediately.""
Officer Vance raised his weapon, stepping between the aircraft's spotlight and the young boy. ""This kid just exposed the biggest corruption syndicate in human history! Back off!""
""He is an unlicensed sovereign entity,"" the voice replied mechanically. ""He has no legal personhood under modern state codes. He is classified as volatile cargo.""
""Volatile cargo?"" Leo stepped out from behind Vance’s legs. The spotlight reflected off his large, expressive blue eyes. He pulled a thick, antique brass fountain pen from his breast pocket. ""You're reading from the 1994 Treaty of Basel, gentlemen. You should have checked the updates.""
He uncapped the pen and twisted the barrel. A high-frequency transponder clicked inside.
On the gunship's cockpit display, warning sirens suddenly screamed. The aircraft lurched sideways, its engines cutting to half-power as its automated fly-by-wire system was remotely hijacked.
""What's happening?"" Claire yelled over the roar of the wind.
""The Tribunal's fleet runs on proprietary guidance chips manufactured by BabyCorp's aerospace subsidiary,"" Leo explained shouting through the gale. ""I built an override into every single board shipped after the third quarter. Gentlemen, you are trespassing on private airspace!""
May you like
The helicopter slowly settled onto the warehouse roof under Leo's remote command, its rotors spinning down to a slow, whistling halt. The cabin doors burst open, and the flight crew stepped out with their hands raised.
""Vance,"" Leo commanded, pointing toward the aircraft. ""Take the stick. We have a flight to Switzerland.""
