The Voss Coin

by A B Alexander

  Time heals all wounds and she’ll resume her carefree life, eventually.

  He would do whatever it took to ensure that a sense of normality ensued.

  Over the next few days, he spent the majority of his time with the boys and taking care of all the household chores. In the evenings he cuddled with Lucy, they both sought comfort in each other’s arms. Gradually, she returned to doing mundane tasks. The full days spent with Kevin and the boys helped her cope with the loss of Amalia. She flourished from the cocooned loving environment of her family. To her, their bond was unbreakable and they would get through thick and thin together. Kevin, on the other hand, struggled to carry the heavy burden set by his captors. On the surface, he went about the day as normally as he could, but the stress was weighing on him. He had to get back to work urgently and get started with the project. This deadline was literal.

  Late one evening after the twins were asleep, they settled down on the sofa for a glass of wine. She kissed him softly on the cheek and said, “Baby, let’s go down to Miami for a long break. The warm weather will be great, and we need this.”

  He took her silky-smooth hand, intertwining his supple fingers with hers. He looked away from her eyes, knowing that she was going to be desperately disappointed.

  “I can’t go away right now, Lus. I have to get back to work tomorrow. The confidential project I was working on in Japan is still not finished, and it’s the most important project of my life.”

  She snapped her hand away and sat upright.

  “We’re supposed to be the most important project of your life, Kevin. We don’t need the money. You have an incredible reputation; your job won’t disappear if you take some time off. Especially after losing Amalia, you should realize life is short. We both need this! You’re the smartest person I know, but I just don’t get you. You need to reassess your priorities.”

  He struggled to find a suitable answer; she was absolutely right but couldn’t know the truth. All their lives depended on the success of this project. He racked his brain for a suitable response. It would not be easy to appease her. He took a few deep breaths, shook his head, and puffed his cheeks, conveying that the frustration was mutual. Suddenly, the answer illuminated his mind like a flash of lightening.

  “Lus, it’s not about money, my career or about what I want. This time it’s very different. If this project doesn’t succeed, then Intelias will collapse and more than eight thousand people will lose their jobs. While I’m not solely responsible, you know that I’m their leading expert and they’re almost fully dependent on me. If I don’t dedicate myself properly and finish this, all these people will be out of a job because I didn’t do mine.”

  She stared at him stone-faced. “How long is it going to take?”

  “I have six months maximum.”

  She lifted herself up from the sofa and said, “So do it then, I’m going to bed.” She strutted toward their bedroom, glancing back. “You know I’m actually starting to wonder if that CIA thing is true. I don’t know who you are anymore, you’ve changed.” She swiftly turned around and disappeared from view, leaving him alone. He looked at the half-empty Burgundy wine bottle, resting on the coffee table. He stood up and guzzled its contents straight from the bottle. He dropped the empty bottle in the trash.

  Definitely going to have a good night’s sleep now.

  He headed to bed.

  Early the next morning, he managed to slip into the office relatively unnoticed. It was a gloomy day in New York City, the surrounding skyscrapers obscured by fog. The windows were covered in water droplets, the night’s drizzle continuing unabated. He placed the large model G5 Jenny had given him on the oak corner cabinet next to his bar. If his dedication ever wavered from the project, the sight of the plane would trigger his memory of what was at stake. He sat down in his impeccably crafted executive chair. It was upholstered in premium grey nubuck leather. He was confident and glad to be reunited with his throne. He loved coming to work. For him it was a game, one that he’d mastered. He reached down and slid open his cabinet drawer. Just like they had instructed him, there was a large sealed clasp envelope. John wouldn’t arrive until 9 a.m., so he had at least two hours to go through the documents before the storm kicked off. He carefully unclasped the envelope and removed the large pile of papers. It was entitled The Voss Coin Protocol. He flipped through the first few pages, a simple introduction to Bitcoin and the blockchain technology. It mainly contained charted diagrams of the Bitcoin network and how the process worked in practicality. He laid the papers on the desk and picked up the empty envelope. He turned it upside down and a micro tape recorder clanked onto his desk. He hadn’t seen one of these in years.

  Out of curiosity, he immediately clicked play. A British documentary-style female voice began to narrate.

  “In the days prior to computing, people would choose a bank they trusted to store their money. The bank would then register each transaction and exact amount in its physical accounting ledger. Only the bank was allowed to make changes to this ledger. So, we could say it was an internal, centralized ledger where all the transactions that went through the bank were visible only to the bank. The bank kept its trust with the people and the system worked well. Let’s use this example to explain blockchain technology.

  The blockchain is just an accounting ledger to record transactions, but it is not operated or controlled by a single entity. Rather it is a public or decentralized ledger where all the transactions are visible to everyone. There is no third party involved, like the bank in our example. Instead of physical money it is purely digital and everyone can see all the transactions. However, all the transactions are encrypted, meaning that the receiver and sender remain anonymous and only the amount and time of transfer is known. Each transaction that goes through the Bitcoin network is recorded in this public decentralized ledger and these entries are broken down into blocks. Each block is linked to the previous one, hence the name blockchain. The main feature to ensure that this entire system works is a process called mining. This is the verification of each transaction that is entered into the blockchain. Miners use mining software to solve a complex mathematical problem that is part of the Bitcoin program in order to validate transactions. The validated transactions are stored in a sealed block. The miners get rewarded with new Bitcoins for creating sealed blocks of validated transactions and storing them in the blockchain. Mining is the only way for new Bitcoins to enter into circulation. The maximum number of Bitcoins that will ever exist is twenty-one million. They’re all expected to be in circulation through this process by the year 2141. Once all the Bitcoins have been mined, the miners will no longer be rewarded with new Bitcoins and will only receive transaction fees. The reason why this process is called mining is because it is similar to mining precious metals. For example, gold already exists beneath the earth and the process of mining is to locate and unearth it. Similarly, for Bitcoin mining, there are twenty-one million Bitcoins in the system and for each new block of validated transactions that is created in the blockchain, the miners bring new Bitcoins into circulation.”

  CLICK, Kevin switched off the tape recorder. He’d heard enough. He picked up the pile of papers again, this time skipping the introduction. Straightaway he delved into analyzing the Bitcoin Core, which is the name of the open source software behind Bitcoin. He spent the majority of the next two hours studying the code and understanding the cryptographic rules. He realized it would take him at least a few weeks to fully wrap his head around the details. For the moment, what he was really interested in was why did they want the Voss Coin and what did it actually do?

  He flashed through the middle section of the papers, which began to detail the process of the Voss Coin network. At first glance, its basic protocol seemed very similar to Bitcoin. However, its fundamentals were completely different. While Bitcoin was designed to escape modern crony capitalism and create an independent financial system, essentially bypassing Wall Street, the Voss Coin protocol embraced it
. Its main purpose was to ensure that today’s payment system underlying banking became more efficient by the application of the blockchain technology. It would virtually eliminate inefficiencies and greatly reduce cost. Instead of there being anonymous miners verifying transactions using their own computers and hardware, banks and regulated financial institutions would take over this capacity. They would be responsible for verifying each transaction according to the cryptographic rules of the Voss Coin protocol. They would likewise be rewarded with Voss Coins and marginal transaction fees for every new sealed block of verified transactions in the blockchain. It would revolutionize global financial transactions in terms of processing speed, cost and efficiency. The purpose of the Voss Coin was to replace money, not the financial system. For Bitcoin, it was the exact opposite and that’s why it failed. It was an impractical dream chased by libertarians seeking to establish a financial Elysium. Indeed, the Voss Coin was based on the original idea of Bitcoin but it would work from within the financial system instead of outside it, revolutionizing the current payment system. It would be a reputable and regulated cryptocurrency embraced by the entire world. A practical and safe solution to remove physical cash from our digitally dependent society. It would not be blighted by illicit activities, money-laundering scandals, terrorist funding, tax evasion, and large-scale fraud that have plagued the reputation of Bitcoin since its inception. The Voss Coin’s regulatory nature would effectively ensure that any financial misconduct was impossible.

  The hair on his arms tingled; the idea was brilliant. However, he still hadn’t found the catch, there was always a catch. The way his captors behaved, their objectives were malicious, of that he was certain. He was also skeptical regarding the success of the project. He didn’t see a plan for the Voss Coin to get regulated and gain enough popularity to be successfully integrated into the financial system. In addition, why would they want to name it after him?

  He was no closer to knowing who they were. They had exhibited both ruthlessness and brilliance and he feared them now more than ever.

  He swiveled in his chair, turning toward the floor-to-ceiling window. He watched the rain drops patter against the glass. It was a calming, monotonous sound. He closed his eyes and it soothed him.

  My job is to develop the code, the rest is their problem.

  He hoped that once he was done they would let him return to his normal life, but his instincts told him otherwise. Either way, it didn’t matter, he wasn’t going to let his family end up like Amalia. Suddenly, his phone rang. He abruptly swiveled around toward his desk.

  “Hello, it’s Kevin Voss speaking,” he answered.

  “Good morning and welcome to your first day of work. We’re pleased to see that you’ve started to analyze the task at hand.”

  The same fucking disguised voice. How the hell do these people know my every move?

  “Every day you complete the pile of papers, you’ll leave them in your drawer. We’ll ensure that the old ones are collected and that new ones are waiting for you with feedback and instructions about your progress. You’ll not copy these papers in any form. They must be one hundred percent untraceable since you’ll be credited as the founder of the Voss Coin, and there must be no evidence indicating otherwise. More important, you’ll pitch the idea of the Voss coin to your CEO, John Lukach, as the next big project for Intelias.”

  Kevin interrupted, “What’re you talking about? We’re not a financial company, that’s not our business. It’s also not just John’s decision, a project like this needs to be approved by the board of directors. I’m telling you, that’ll never happen.”

  “You can sell it whichever way you like, but this is an obligatory condition for this project to work. I don’t believe I need remind you what’ll happen to your family if you don’t follow instructions.”

  Kevin hung up without another word and laid the phone on the table. He was more than capable of creating the code and improving the protocol. He was also confident that it would be ground-breaking. Under different circumstances, he probably would’ve even volunteered for a project like this. It interested him and challenged his abilities. Something that he hadn’t experienced at Intelias for a long time. However, getting approval to develop the Voss Coin through Intelias was a different challenge altogether.

  Brriiinnng Briiinnnggg. Kevin’s phone rang again. He watched it buzz and vibrate for a few seconds on the table.

  “I understood your message the first time. I’ll get it done,” he answered aggressively.

  “Oh, so sorry to disturb you, Kevin. It’s Meghan. John would like to see you in his office.” The sweet upbeat voice of John’s secretary surprised him. She normally called on the office line. He figured it must be pretty urgent if she dialed his mobile directly.

  “Sorry, Meghan, I was expecting someone else. Good to hear your voice again, please tell John I’ll be right over.”

  He hung up and rushed over the remainder of the documentation. He marked the documents that he required for later use and placed the entire pile in his drawer as instructed.

  Ten minutes later he walked into John’s swanky office. The space was illuminated by the modish Viabizzuno aluminum profile lighting system, creating an elegant ambience. The dark, gloomy New York Skyline was sprawled behind John’s impressive frame. He was leaning back in his chair with his bulky arms crossed, staring wide-eyed at his computer screen.

  “Hi, John, how are you? It’s good to be back,” Kevin said, getting comfortably seated in the leather chair opposite him. Without saying a word, John swung his computer screen around. The browser was open on a live Intelias stock chart. A bright green arrow indicated another 10 percent gain. It was only twenty minutes after the opening bell on Wall Street. Kevin analyzed the chart in bewilderment, small drops of sweat accumulating on his brow. One thing stood out clearly: the sharp climb in stock prices had started just after he left for Japan.

  “Do you know anything about this?” John said.

  Kevin shook his ahead, maintaining an oblivious expression. Inside his stomach was churning, the rapidly rising stock price was going to stir the interest of the entire financial market.

  “Tell me the truth, goddamn it!” John shouted, smashing his fist against the wooden desk. He glared at Kevin. He was an experienced man and had developed a natural instinct to detect employee lies. Kevin sat absolutely still, maintaining eye contact. He had nothing to say; the lives of his family were more important.

  “Don’t give me that bullshit look, Kevin. I’ll tell you what I do know. Since you landed in Tokyo, our stock price has been climbing exponentially. There have been hundreds of companies from China, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea buying our stock like hotcakes. Despite our amazing growth numbers in the region, there’s nothing to justify this. We’re no fucking Google, right?” He studied Kevin for any reaction but he got none. He continued, “You need to understand that a lot of these shares are voting shares, meaning that if this continues we could have Asians influencing our corporate policy. My gut tells me it’s linked to whatever you’ve been doing down there. Now I’m sorry about your maid, Amalia. That’s another horrific story, and my condolences to you and Lucy.” John took a deep breath to compose himself and shook his head in frustration. “We have a history together, Kevin, and I’ve always trusted you, but I need to know what the fuck is going on now!”

  Kevin remained expressionless but the penny dropped, everything was crystal clear. The part that John didn’t comprehend is that these hundreds of Asian companies were certainly linked to his captors. A single entity with a single dangerous objective. It was a meticulously disguised joint lobby to gain majority controlling interest under the radar of regulation. The reason they wanted the Voss Coin to be launched through Intelias, a Fortune 500 company, was because it would have to be approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). That would give the Voss Coin instant and unprecedented credibility. A privilege that no other cryptocurrency had ever had. The med
ia coverage it would attract would be enormous and global demand would follow like sheep to the slaughter. Secondly, by gaining a controlling interest in Intelias, they would have both hands on this digital oil pump. He had no doubt that his captors were masters of the U.S. company takeover code and drilled through the related legislation. When the time came, they would execute the takeover flawlessly, an inevitable passive aggressive move. They owned him, they planned to own Intelias, and soon enough they would own John as well. It was just too early, and he was still oblivious to it. If their plans came to fruition, they could effectively become the main player in the world’s financial system. They would be the queen of the chessboard, dictating the pace of the game, a privilege currently held by the U.S. government, not a bad thing when the policies were right.

  Are they willing and capable to compete with that? Have I grossly underestimated the people with whom I’m dealing? Who the fuck are these people?

  Kevin lowered his gaze, staring at his hands. He swirled the white-gold wedding ring around his finger, his life dependent on the outcome of this meeting. He focused intensely to measure his words.