The Voss Coin

by A B Alexander

  John downed the whiskey in one gulp. He winced from the after burn.

  “I’m telling you, Kevin, if she doesn’t make it I’m going to the Feds.”

  Kevin placed a strong arm on his shoulder, “You can’t do that, John. They’ll kill your children and your grandchildren. You’d have also signed a death warrant for my family. Alice is going to be OK, she’ll make it.”

  Kevin watched him walk over to the window, overlooking the city. He no longer walked with a proud, lofty gait. It pained him to see the man that successfully strutted through corporate leadership in shambles.

  “I’m starting to think that Bill really did jump,” John said. He turned toward Kevin, his eyes red with rage.

  “They probably got to him like they did to us. Now Bill was a proud man. He wasn’t going to be anybody’s fiddle. On the other hand, he wouldn’t endanger his family, he was no fool either. Looks like he did the honorable thing. Exactly what we should’ve done.”

  John paused and glanced back out the window onto the hustle and bustle of downtown Manhattan.

  “Well, maybe we can still can,” he said and promptly left.

  Kevin sighed, flapping his lips like a horse. Suicide was not an option. He would figure it out, it wasn’t time to think about last resorts. He sat back down at his desk, pulled the documentation from his drawer, and resumed working on the code. He had to finish the task at hand and get the ball rolling. Once the Voss Coin was launched, a snowball effect was coming.

  16

  The Launch

  Bright-red spurts jetted out of her slit throat, she lay on the cold marble floor, choking in her own blood.

  “Baby, I didn’t have anything to do with it,” Lucy gasped.

  Kevin ripped off his white button shirt and placed it over her throat to stem the bleeding. “Please, Lus, please hold on. It’s OK, just hold on. I love you so much. Oh God no.”

  Bzzzzzz Bzzzzzzz, his alarm clock shuddered throughout his body. He snapped upright. The bed sheets and pillow soaked with sweat. The nightmares had become more frequent. He had grown accustomed to them and would quickly shake them off and get on with his day. After all, he was living the nightmare. Lucy was sound asleep with her back turned toward him. Their relationship had hit a rough patch over the last few months, ever since the night at the club. For the first time in years, there were seeds of mistrust between them. They rarely saw each other anymore. He would leave and come back from work when she was asleep. He worked on weekends and holidays. In the little time they had together, he was frequently disturbed by calls. He would excuse himself and seek privacy. She harbored more of an animus with every passing day, unable to comprehend his work obsession. He leaned over and kissed her tender forehead. The love was still there, he knew it.

  Today was the day he’d been waiting for, the launch of the Voss Coin. Soon enough the news would be made public and his name would be on every financial news network in the world. For the first time people would be able to make transactions using the cryptocurrency. All the major U.S. banks and financial institutions dedicated teams to deal with this new phenomenon. This was the first ever cryptocurrency to work hand in hand with government legislators. An unprecedented regulated cryptocurrency. The first genuine attempt at a “leave your wallet at home” reality. During his time working on the project, he wondered how something so revolutionary hadn’t yet been implemented. It was long overdue. The days of wallets and credit cards were numbered.

  They’re not secure. They could be stolen or lost. Who the hell wants that?

  People could order a cab through Uber, order food through Uber Eats, pay in stores with Apple or Google pay. A virtual world linked to their mobiles but utilizing physical cash. That didn’t make sense; the payment system was flawed. The beauty of it all was that he recently began short-selling Visa and MasterCard stocks. Once the Voss Coin booked its place as a mainstream currency, the credit card companies would be in for a rude awakening. It would be like betting against the housing market leading up to the subprime mortgage crisis in 2007. If the project succeeded, he would make a massive windfall regardless of the value of the Voss Coin. He covered all his bases. He needed to be in a strong financial position to wage his war.

  He slipped out of bed quietly at 6 a.m. He had a lukewarm shower, did some push-ups, and got dressed. On his way out, he passed by the twins’ room. He entered, stepping on the small model G5 plane that was hiding behind the door. It snapped in two with a loud crack. Fuck, how many times have I asked them to put their toys back after play time?

  The boys stirred in their beds but didn’t wake up.

  Thank God these guys sleep like logs.

  He picked up the broken pieces and something instantly caught his eye. There was a small round camera lens and microphone hidden in the plane’s body.

  Motherfuckers. I found you.

  There were three model planes he was aware off. The broken one, another one that belonged to the boys in the lounge, and the big one in his office. It was better that he knew where the monitoring devices were. If he disconnected or destroyed them, the Et Decem would replace them with new ones. He preferred to have the power to work around them, although he didn’t exactly know how many devices they installed. He went to the kitchen and super-glued the broken pieces back together. He put the plane on the shelf in the kids’ room and kissed them goodbye. They were so warm and tender, their little bodies radiating innocence.

  So far, I’ve kept them and myself alive, that’s the only reality that matters. Everything else is a bonus.

  He smiled gratefully and left the apartment, life was about viewing things in the right proportion.

  He arrived at Intelias well before Wall Street’s opening bell. He poured himself a coffee and settled comfortably on the sofa. He anxiously thought about John. Alice was still in the hospital receiving treatment but despite her recovery going well, John was a changed man. His demeanor no longer beamed confidence and invincibility. It was bad for markets. In all fairness to him, he’d never failed them. However, he hadn’t made a public appearance since Alice’s fateful kidnapping, and Kevin desperately hoped that he could pull his shit together. It was nearly time. He flicked on the financial news channel. An elegant middle-aged brunette, sounding too energetic for the hour, read out the news.

  “Good morning, the long-awaited regulated cryptocurrency from Intelias is here. For the first time, it’ll be available to the public, in less than twenty minutes. Here to speak about the Voss Coin is Daichi Sato, CEO of Intelias Tokyo.”

  Kevin’s jaw dropped in utter disbelief. The camera shifted to Daichi, who smiled courteously.

  “Good morning, it’s my pleasure to be here,” he said confidently. The diminutive Japanese man wore a grey suit with black shirt and tie. He had a clean, formal look. The studio spotlights bounced off his sleek, gleaming black Asian hair. His pencil moustache was perfectly clipped around the upper lip. He sat upright, broadening his shoulders, an ideal power pose. He began to detail the process of purchasing Voss Coins and the revolutionary aspects of this new cryptocurrency. He used strong hand gestures and authoritative facial expressions. A shimmering gold watch, peeked out from under his shirt sleeve. Kevin leaned in closer to the TV, scrutinizing his hand movements. A few moments later, he caught another glimpse of it.

  That’s fucking John’s watch, what the hell is going on. Where is he? Since when did Daichi move up to Tokyo CEO position?

  He placed his head in his hands. They had bypassed John. Something sinister was happening. He watched Daichi smoothly roll out the rest of his speech. Every word enraged him.

  He switched off the TV and sat in front of his computer, quickly scanning for the Voss Coin ticker. There it was in green, $0.1 per VC. For the next twenty minutes, he sat rooted to the screen, the price climbing to $0.25 per VC.

  Incredible, this is going to fly, looks like markets have received it with open arms.

  He felt an immense sense of pride. Like a father holdi
ng his son for the first time. He had given birth to this cryptocurrency, and it was monumental. The longer the playing field stayed level, the higher the VC price would go. The problem was that he didn’t control the Et Decem, they could trigger their advantage at any stage and make a quick pillage on the market. There would be the proverbial blood in the streets and he would be the scapegoat. The burden of these thoughts felt like a heavy stone in his gut. Only last week he’d finished creating their tailor-made mining software. It would give them a certain advantage over every other financial institution in the process of mining Voss Coins. The SEC had missed this oversight when analyzing the Voss Code for possible loopholes. In truth, they had no way to notice it. They needed to analyze both the mining software and the Voss Code simultaneously to have any chance of identifying irregularities. That would never be possible. The plan was executed perfectly.

  Since the Buddha monk’s murder, he no longer had physical contact with anybody from the Et Decem. This perturbed him greatly: it was possible they no longer needed him and could make him disappear at any moment. He would never know where it was coming from. Only he and John knew the truth about the Voss Coin, so they were both a liability.

  Where is John, anyway? I need to find him and check what’s going on. What if they killed him? Then I first need to take care of my plan before it’s too late.

  His mind was spinning like a hamster wheel. When he created the mining software for the Et Decem he simultaneously managed to solve the enigma of creating his own counter software, the failsafe. He could strike back if things got out of hand. It was time to implement his backup plan with somebody he could trust. If they dared to take him out, someone would need to trigger the failsafe. It would render the Et Decem mining software useless and ensure that the Voss Coin remained truly independent and free from centralization. Exactly the way he dreamed it to be, a revolutionary concept that made the world a more efficient place. If he was dead, at least his legacy would continue on the path he wanted. He would do it for the boys. He knew his family would be safe, there would be no revenge murder if he was dead. They were ruthless, but not dumb enough to kill arbitrarily.

  He leaned back in his chair and racked his brain for someone he could trust to execute this plan. He had one eye on the screen, which now showed $0.38 per VC. The chart was sloped upwards like the Austrian Alps. He closed his eyes, he needed someone with strong old-school values. That person didn’t need to have any technological experience; he would explain exactly how to run the software and what to enter. He opened his eyes, $0.45 per VC.

  Holy shit, I’ve got it!

  He leapt from his chair and dashed to the office staircase. He covered three stairs in each leap. In less than a minute, he stood in front of her. She was typing on her keyboard like it was a typewriter, her long, frail fingers making loud clickety-clack sounds. She was squinting through her thick bifocal glasses.

  Maybe it’s not such a good idea after all.

  She noticed him through the corner of her eye and stopped to greet him warmly. “Oh, hi, Kevin, so good to see you. How can I help you, darling?”

  He smiled genuinely. She was such a warm, pleasant lady.

  “Hi, Dorothy, all is good. I hoped that we could have a word in private, maybe in Bill’s office?”

  She looked at him with fatigued blood-flecked eyes. “I haven’t been in there since he died, my darling. We were very close and I prefer not to go in there. Maybe we can talk later in your office.”

  He sat down in the chair next to her and held her shaky wrinkled hand.

  “Listen, Dorothy. I need you to trust me. I’m going to ask you to do something for me so that Bill’s death is remembered and wasn’t for nothing. Please, let’s talk in his office.”

  She looked bewildered, her heavy glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose.

  “OK, I’d rather not . . . but you’ve piqued my interest.” She promptly stood up and followed him.

  He pulled up two leather chairs in front of Bill’s computer. “Look, Dorothy. I’m not sure how to say this. You’re the only person I can trust at the moment, and I know you dearly loved Bill and shared the same strong values. I think Bill committed suicide in order to protect his family.”

  He watched her face contort in horror. He paused for a moment, letting her absorb the words. “I don’t know who wanted to harm him, I’m trying to find out. At the moment, I’m afraid that the same thing is going to happen to me. It’s related to the new project we launched this morning, which is going to be massive global news by the time you head home. In case something happens to me, I’m going to need you to follow my exact instructions.”

  She gasped in terror, her eyes watering. He continued without pausing. “Your actions will have a massive impact in maintaining the ethics of the company, preserving mine and Bill’s memory in good faith, and ensuring that the financial markets are not manipulated. Dorothy, I need your word that you’ll do as I tell you.”

  He held both her trembling hands.

  “Please, Dorothy, many people’s lives depend on this. I need you to trust me. If you ever hear that something happened to me or I’ve disappeared for over a week with no contact, then you must do as I instruct. More important, don’t speak to the police or anybody about this, under any circumstance. They’ll kill whoever has information.”

  Dorothy looked down at her shiny blue A-line skirt and wrung her hands tensely. She spoke in-between light sobs.

  “Bill always spoke highly of you, Kevin. He said you were our best and brightest. That means a lot. I know he didn’t like this project, look at the mess it’s gotten us into. It’s too late now to bicker, I know you mean well. I’ll do as you say. I give you my word.”

  He exhaled a deep sigh of relief. She’s old school; her word is better than an iron-clad contract.

  He didn’t have anybody else in mind if she refused. He slipped the small USB flash drive into Bill’s computer.

  “Dorothy, I’m going to leave this USB with you. Please write down every step I tell you.”

  She pulled out a turquoise leather-bound notebook and began to jot notes. After thirty minutes, he was satisfied that she was ready. He stood up and hugged her tightly.

  “I’ll be in contact at least once a week to let you know I’m OK. Thank you, Dorothy.”

  She kissed him on the cheek in a motherly fashion. “Good luck, darling. Stay safe.”

  He walked back to his office, overcome with guilt. He’d sacrificed her for the greater good. If he was killed and the mining software stalled on the Et Decem, they would search the end of the earth to find the person responsible. Anybody who knew anything relating to the Voss Coin would be wiped from the slate. For now, his gut told him they were coming for him.

  Today was the first time the Et Decem could test the mining software in the real market. Maybe they decided they don’t need me anymore and are going to kill me?

  He sprinted back to his office and grabbed his briefcase. He had to find out what happened to John. He ran toward the elevator, time was of the essence. He smashed the button pointing down and waited, constantly looking over his shoulder. Eventually the doors slid open, he grimaced almost expecting his assailants to pounce. He stepped inside the empty elevator and hit level-one parking. He watched the digital display steadily count down the floors. Suddenly it stopped on the ninth. Kevin tensed, bracing himself for the worst. The metallic doors swished open and in stepped Teddy.

  They said hello and shook hands.

  “What a coincidence that we bumped into each other. It’s about the pen, I want to give you a heads-up about something.”

  Kevin glanced at him anxiously. “What do you mean?”

  Teddy stammered slightly, “When you took the pen, I had to follow company security protocol and label it in our items database that you were in possession of it. It’s standard procedure and with your security clearance, no one usually bats an eyelid. That’s why I didn’t even mention it.”

  He pause
d, furrowed his brow, eyes darting about in concern.

  “Teddy, what is it, man?” Kevin urged him to spill the beans.

  “Ahhhmm look, I don’t know how to say this. It’s a very unusual situation. Two Asian goons approached me this morning saying they’re from our Tokyo office. I checked them in our database and they had top-tier security clearance, which is also strange since these guys were badass, what we call enforcers in our profession. Usually the rough guys do field work, not investigations. They asked a lot of questions about what the pen does exactly, requested to see footage I shot with it. They also wanted to see the video recording of the day you ran into my office to request the pen. I’m sorry, man.”

  Kevin clenched his jaw to prevent himself from puking. They were on to him. He took a few deep breaths to maintain his cool.

  “Thanks, man. I appreciate the heads-up. Where did these guys go?”

  Teddy checked his watch. “They spoke to me about thirty minutes ago, I presume they went straight to your office.”

  Kevin’s mind swirled, the digital display was showing level three.

  Think fast, goddamn it.

  He hit the lobby level.

  “Oh thanks, man, I forgot to press the button,” said Teddy. Kevin smiled politely, trying to avoid any further conversation.

  The bastards must’ve come to my office when I was busy with Dorothy. They probably waited a few minutes and decided it would be cleaner to ambush me by the car.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator hit the ground floor. Kevin dashed into the lobby, his black oxford shoes slipping on the marble surface. He sprinted in a frenzy, with his tie, jacket, and briefcase flailing in all directions. He hailed a yellow cab and barked at the driver, “To Mount Sinai hospital, please. I need to get there fast.”

  The taxi sped off and he stared out the window at the impressive Intelias Tower. He wondered whether it would be the last time he would see it.