Chapter 15: The Spymaster's Cradle
Location: Miller's Radio & TV / The Cooper Attic
Date: December 15th, 1980
Status: Counter-Intelligence Operations
The Houston billionaire, a titan of the burgeoning petrochemical-computing sector named Silas Vane, had sent his "consultants." Through the [Miller-Node-01] uplink, I watched the thermal signatures of two men in charcoal suits idling in a black sedan across from Arthur's shop. They weren't just looking; they were using a primitive radio-frequency scanner to sniff out our Ethernet packets.
I chose The Spymaster Path. In the 1980s, talent is the only currency that doesn't depreciate. If Vane is hiring the best industrial spies, I don't want to beat them—I want to own them.
10:00 PM — The Intelligence Grid
While Mary was humming carols and George Sr. was snoring through a bowl of eggnog, I was in the [Attic Command Center]. I activated the [Miniature Fabricator].
[DAILY SIGN-IN PROTOCOL: AVAILABLE]
[LOCATION: THE COMMAND CENTER]
[ACTION: SIGN IN?]
Sign in.
[SIGN-IN SUCCESSFUL!]
[REWARD: +10 TO PSYCHOLOGICAL MANIPULATION]
[REWARD: NEW TRAIT: 'THE GHOST IN THE WIRES' (Your digital presence is undetectable)]
[REWARD: SKILL: 'DEEP-FAKE VOCAL SYNTHESIS']
[REWARD: ITEM: 'THE COMPROMAT FOLDER' (Contains the secret offshore debts of Silas Vane's spies)]
The [Compromat Folder] was a masterstroke of the System. It revealed that the lead spy, a former CIA signals analyst named Marcus Thorne, was $50,000 in debt to a Vegas bookie. He wasn't loyal to Vane; he was desperate.
02:00 PM — The Recruitment Meeting
The next day, I had Georgie wheel the [Mark I Super-Stroller] into the alley behind Miller's shop. I had Sheldon with me—the serum was already making him more focused, his eyes tracking the spies' car with eerie precision.
"Okay, Georgie," I whispered. "Thorne is going to walk into the shop to plant a bug. Intercept him. Hand him this." I handed Georgie a micro-cassette and a single gold coin ($1,000 value). "Tell him 'The Architect' knows about the Vegas debt."
Georgie gulped. "This feels dangerous, Ethan. These guys look like they kill people."
"They don't kill people who can pay their debts, Georgie. Go."
Georgie stepped out. Thorne, a man with a face like a hatchet, stopped mid-stride. Georgie didn't blink. He'd been practicing his "Executive" persona.
"Mr. Thorne," Georgie said, his voice steady. "My associate says Vegas is a bad place to lose fifty grand. He also says Silas Vane is a cheapskate who won't help you when the bookies come knocking."
Thorne's aura turned a Paralyzed, Static White. He looked at the gold coin, then at the cassette.
"Who do you work for, kid?" Thorne hissed, glancing around.
"The future," Georgie replied, gesturing toward the alley where the stroller sat. "Listen to the tape. If you want your debt cleared by Friday, you'll start feeding Vane the 'Garbage Data' we provide. You work for Gump-Cooper now."
[SKILL ACTIVATED: DEEP-FAKE VOCAL SYNTHESIS]
The tape played a perfect recreation of Silas Vane's voice "ordering" Thorne's termination once the job was done. It was a lie, but with my [Psychological Manipulation] boost, Thorne believed it instantly.
The Result: The Double Agent
Thorne didn't plant the bug. Instead, he walked back to the sedan and told his partner the shop was a "dead end." By that evening, Thorne had sent a coded signal to my attic node.
[NOTIFICATION: SPY CONVERTED]
[NEW ASSET: MARCUS THORNE (DOUBLE AGENT)]
[REWARD: +15 TO WORLD INFLUENCE; +$20,000 IN RECOVERED VANE RESEARCH]
In the nursery, Sheldon was scribbling on a notepad. The [Brain Development Serum] had accelerated his growth. He wasn't just doing math; he was helping me encrypt the "Garbage Data" for Vane.
"I-I-Irrelevant," Sheldon muttered, pointing to a string of code. "V-Vane is... slow."
"Exactly, Sheldon," I whispered. "We'll keep him busy with 1960s tech while we build the 1990s in Medford."
[ETHAN COOPER - STATUS REPORT]
Intelligence: 25 (College Freshman equivalent)
Psychological Warfare: 18
Assets: Arthur Miller (Tech), Georgie (Business), Marcus Thorne (Espionage)
Liquid Wealth: $75,000.00