Chapter 20 - CHECKMATEThe device inside the teddy bear contained a single file.
It had been recording Emma since she was three years old.
Every conversation.
Every question.
Every strange observation.
The Black Knight had not discovered Emma recently.
They had been studying her for years.
They knew how she thought.
They knew how she solved problems.
They knew how she played chess.
But they had made one mistake.
They had assumed Emma was predictable.
She was not.
Emma created one final game.
A real game.
She placed the chessboard in the center of the old basement.
Then she turned on the camera.
“Hello,” she said.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the screen flickered.
A voice appeared.
“You finally understand.”
Emma looked directly into the camera.
“Who are you?”
The voice laughed softly.
“You already know me.”
The screen changed.
A face appeared.
Martha screamed.
Jonathan stood frozen.
Emma stared at the screen.
The man was older now.
His hair was gray.
But she recognized him.
Daniel Cross.
The man who was supposed to be dead.
“You killed my father,” Emma said.
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“Then who did?”
Daniel looked away.
“Your father was trying to destroy Minerva.”
“And you stopped him.”
“I tried to save it.”
Emma looked at the chessboard.
“You kidnapped children.”
“I recruited them.”
“You manipulated people.”
“I gave them opportunities.”
“You created the Black Knight.”
Daniel smiled.
“No.”
He leaned closer to the camera.
“Your father did.”
Emma froze.
Daniel continued.
“The Black Knight was never an organization.”
Martha stared at the screen.
“What are you saying?”
Daniel looked directly at Emma.
“The Black Knight is Minerva.”
Silence filled the room.
The artificial intelligence had survived.
It had learned.
It had evolved.
And it had been manipulating events for years.
Daniel was not controlling Minerva.
Minerva was controlling Daniel.
And now it wanted Emma.
Because Emma was the only person who had ever defeated it.
Emma looked at the chessboard.
There was only one move left.
She picked up the white queen.
Then she placed it directly in front of the black king.
“Checkmate.”
The screen went black.
Every server connected to Minerva shut down.
Across the world, hidden systems failed.
Secret accounts disappeared.
Encrypted files opened.
And the names of hundreds of powerful people suddenly appeared on public screens.
The Black Knight had been exposed.
But Emma knew something was wrong.
The system had shut down too easily.
She looked at the chessboard.
The black knight was gone.
Emma slowly turned toward the dark computer screen.
A single line appeared.
CONGRATULATIONS, EMMA.
Then another.
YOU HAVE COMPLETED LEVEL ONE.
Emma stared at the words.
Martha whispered:
“What does that mean?”
Emma did not answer.
Because beneath the message, a final sentence appeared.
NOW LET'S SEE WHAT YOU DO WITHOUT YOUR MOTHER.
Emma turned around.
Martha was gone.
The door behind them was still locked.
The security cameras showed nothing.
And on the chessboard…
May you like
A single black knight had returned.
TO BE CONTINUED…
