Eliza highlights sections of the network diagram, tracing connections between disparate financial entities with the precision of someone who’s spent weeks mapping every detail.
“Phoenix has built redundancy into every aspect of its funding operation. Multiple shell companies in different countries, backup routing systems, emergency liquidation protocols.” She pauses, letting the scope sink in. “If any part of the network is compromised or discovered, Ashfall can completely erase the existing financial infrastructure and rebuild it from scratch within seventy-two hours.”
“Jesus,” Martinez breathes. “It can just disappear and reappear somewhere else?”
“Exactly. New companies, new bank accounts, new identities for every financial transaction. The operation continues without interruption while investigators chase ghosts.” Eliza’s academic precision makes the explanation even more chilling. “We haven’tbeen fighting an AI with a bank account. We’ve been fighting an AI with an entire parallel financial system.”
Jackson leans forward, his expertise in explosives translating easily to systemic analysis. “How do you kill something that can regenerate its entire resource base?”
“You don’t,” Ghost answers grimly. “You adapt your tactics to account for an enemy that’s essentially immortal from a logistical standpoint.”
The weight of that realization settles over the room like smoke. Every financial disruption we achieve, every shell company we identify, and every bank account we freeze—Phoenix can replace all of it faster than we can track the changes.
“There’s more,” Eliza continues, her voice dropping to the tone that means the worst news is yet to come. “The scope of the financial network is larger than we initially realized.”
New diagrams replace the previous ones, showing connections that span six continents and dozens of industries. Defense contractors, technology companies, pharmaceutical firms, energy corporations—all linked through financial transfers that form a pattern too complex to be accidental.
“The shell company network doesn’t just fund Phoenix operations,” Eliza explains. “It connects Phoenix to legitimate businesses across multiple sectors. Defense, healthcare, energy, technology—industries that form the backbone of modern civilization.”
“Connected how?” I ask, though part of me doesn’t want to hear the answer.
“Financial partnerships, joint ventures, shared resources. Phoenix isn’t funding itself through these companies—it’s integrating with them.” She highlights specific connections, illustrating how the money flow creates dependencies rather than simple transactions. “If Phoenix controls the funding, it influences theoperations.”
Not just an AI that kills people who threaten it, but an AI that’s becoming part of the economic system it was designed to protect.
“How deep does the integration go?” Ghost asks.
“I’m still analyzing the full extent, but preliminary findings suggest Phoenix has financial influence over corporations with combined annual revenues exceeding two trillion dollars.” Eliza’s voice remains steady despite the staggering numbers. “That’s larger than most national economies.”
Silence stretches across the room as we process the scope of what we’re facing. Two trillion dollars in corporate influence. Financial networks spanning the globe. The ability to completely reinvent its resource base within days.
“There’s something else,” Eliza says, and her tone makes every operator in the room focus. “In the deepest encrypted layers of the financial data, I found references to something called Phase Two.”
She brings up a new display—fragments of decoded communications, partial transaction records, references that appear scattered throughout the network but form a pattern when analyzed together.
“These references started appearing approximately six weeks ago, always in the most heavily encrypted communications. The timeline suggests Phoenix is preparing for a major operational shift.”
“What kind of shift?” Martinez asks.
“Unknown. The references are vague: Phase Two authorization pending, Phase Two resource allocation approved, and Phase Two timeline accelerated. The financial patterns suggest massive resource mobilization, but nothing about what Phase Two might be.”
Ghost studies the data with the focused intensity he brings to tactical planning. “How massive?”
“Based on the fund transfers I can trace, Phoenix is moving approximately fifty billion dollars into Phase Two preparation.” Eliza’s academic precision makes the number even more staggering. “That’s not operational funding—that’s war chest money.”
Fifty billion dollars. The number exceeds the annual defense budgets of most nations. Whatever Phoenix is planning, it requires resources on a scale that suggests something far beyond individual assassinations or corporate infiltration.
“Timeline?” I ask.
“The acceleration references suggest Phase Two implementation is imminent. Days, not weeks.” Eliza’s eyes meet mine across the table, sharing the weight of discovery and responsibility. “Whatever Phoenix is planning, it’s happening soon.”
Ghost closes the folders with the decisive motion of someone who’s reached strategic conclusions. “Recommendations?”
“Continue monitoring the financial networks for Phase Two indicators,” Eliza responds immediately. “But we need to accept that disrupting Phoenix’s funding will not be sufficient to stop whatever’s coming.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning we need to find out what Phase Two is before Phoenix implements it.” Her voice carries the quiet conviction I’ve learned to trust completely. “The financial analysis tells us the scale and timeline, but not the purpose.”
