CHAPTER 62: STUCK BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

Los Angeles International Airport.

The Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge rolled smoothly across the private tarmac, weaving past other luxury vehicles until it slowed to a halt beside an elegant Gulfstream G700.

The aircraft sat there like a beast of the skies, its polished fuselage glinting under the California sun.

Nick killed the engine, and Mason immediately stepped out. He moved to Liam’s side of the car, pulled the door open, and bowed slightly.

"Sir," he said.

Liam stepped out, his leather shoes clicking against the smooth pavement. The private jet immediately caught his attention and gor a brief moment, he simply stood there, taking in the view.

The jet was massive, stretching longer than he’d expected, with wide oval windows and a sleek wing design.

A private jet, Liam smiled.

Even now, despite everything the system had given him, the sight of the private jet stirred something inside him. It was a mixture of awe and disbelief.

Two weeks ago, he couldn’t even afford to have a proper meal. But today, he was about to fly halfway across the world in one of the most expensive private aircrafts ever made.

The irony wasn’t lost on him.

The last time he’d been in the air was on the day of the yacht ride, when the chopper had carried them to and from Granworth Tower. That had been exciting, sure. But this? Without being told, he knew that this was definitely going to be something else.

Liam’s gaze shifted to the two beautiful hostesses standing by the open doorway of the jet. Both were dressed in tailored navy uniforms accented with subtle silver trim.

Their uniform complimented their looks and made them look even more professional, and high class.

Liam chuckled inwardly.

This is really another world.

He climbed the mobile stairs and aboard the jet.

The sight of the interior nearly made him gawk in shock but he immediately composed him. His World-Class Etiquette skill was really helping out here.

If it wasn’t for it, he would had definitely lost control of his emotions the exact moment his eyes fell on the private jet.

The aircraft’s interoior was beyond beautiful. Polished wood paneling gleamed beneath soft ambient lighting. Cream-colored leather seats, wide enough to rival recliners, lined the cabin. Gold-trimmed fixtures accented the tables and compartments, and the faint scent of leather and fresh flowers lingered in the air.

The entire cabin felt less like an airplane and more like a floating penthouse.

"Welcome aboard, Mr. Scott," one of the hostesses greeted, bowing slightly.

Her voice carried that perfect blend of respect and warmth.

"My name is Claire, and this is Emily. We’ll be taking care of you for the duration of your flight."

"Thank you," Liam said with a polite nod.

Emily stepped forward gracefully, gesturing to his seat.

"Refreshments are ready, sir. Would you prefer champagne, sparkling water, or perhaps fresh juice to begin?" she asked with her smooth voice.

"Water, please. Sparkling," Liam replied as he slid into his sear and slowly ran across the buttery leather armrest, feeling the texture of it against his skin.

"Of course."

Within seconds, Emily returned with a crystal glass resting on a silver tray, tiny beads of condensation sliding down its sides. She placed it gently on the table beside him, along with a neatly folded napkin.

Mason and Nick had already boarded and taken their places at the rear of the cabin, leaving Liam the expansive forward section to himself.

Claire leaned slightly, with her beautiful and professional smile.

"We’ll be taking off shortly, sir. Please make yourself comfortable."

Liam nodded, watching as the two women moved through the cabin, running through final checks on Mason and Nick, tucking the safety cards and inspecting their belts.

Minutes later, the door sealed with a gentle thud, and the faint hiss of cabin pressure filled the air. The engines began their low growl, reverberating faintly through the floor.

Liam turned his head toward the window.

The aircraft taxied, lined up on the runway, and then the roar began. The acceleration pressed him back into the seat, and he smiled to himself as the Gulfstream surged forward, faster, faster, until gravity seemed to slip away.

The moment of liftoff was exhilarating. The city fell away beneath him. The rows of buildings shrank rapidly, highways turned into threads of silver, and the endless sprawl of Los Angeles became a patchwork quilt of light and concrete.

Higher, and higher still the plane went.

The mountains blurred into distant ridges, the ocean stretched like an endless sheet of glass, and finally, the world below disappeared beneath a soft bed of clouds.

Liam leaned his head back and sighed, smiling to himself. For some reason, watching the earth shrink beneath him stirred something in his chest. Something like a reminder of how small everything really was.

He relaxed into the chair, intending to sleep through the twelve-hour flight. By the time they landed in Geneva, it would already be nighttime.

Or to be precise, due to the time difference between the Geneva and Los Angeles, they will arrive there early in the morning.

The plan was simple: sleep it out, wake refreshed, arrive ready.

But the unfortunately for him, the sleep never came.

Seconds trickled into minutes, and still he lay there, eyes closed but his mind racing. He sighed softly as he opened his eyes and turned his head to the window again.

The view was different now. No longer the shrinking city below, but the endless expanse of the sky. It was blue upon blue, stretching forever, broken only by the occasional cotton-like cloud drifting lazily.

Beautiful

His thoughts couldn’t help but return to his quantum ecosystem plan. He had already spent the night refining the idea and now, he now felt that the plan was ready to be executed.

The logic was simple, but the implications were massive.

Instead of releasing the quantum chip outright as a standalone product and placing a nuclear weapon of technology directly into the hands of corporations and governments, he would build a walled ecosystem.

The chip would be the foundation, yes, but no one would receive the raw foundation. What they would receive instead were products, platforms, and controlled applications that existed inside his carefully curated ecosystem.

The gear glass would be the flagship. A personal device, sleek and wearable, connecting users to the quantum network seamlessly. On the surface, it would look like the ultimate consumer gadget — social media, productivity, entertainment, communication, gaming.

But beneath the surface, it would be the gatekeeper.

He tapped a finger idly against the armrest, his eyes still fixed on the endless sky.

This way, I don’t have to say "no" to them. I just have to give them a version of "yes" that works on my terms.

If corporations or the governments came begging for integration? They could build apps and software inside his ecosystem, but only within the framework he designed. Like tenants renting space, not owners of the building.

He thought back to the problems he’d been dreading — the dark scenarios of his chip fueling advanced weapons or bioweapons. The ecosystem would cut that risk down by locking the raw power away.

But the truth was that the risk wasn’t entirely wiped out. It would always be there.

The thing about the glass gear and the quantum ecosystem is that they are dual-use. They can be used both civilian and military purposes. And there was no helping it.

The only two ways he can completely take out the risk would be to not release the tech in the first place. Or to take complete control of the world.

In other words, he either gives up helping humanity to advance by leaps and bounds, or he becomes a necessary evil.

Thinking about this, Liam sighed heavily. He was aware that even without the glass gear, the risk was already out there. And the device would only compound the already existing situation.

Global spending on defense now runs into trillions, with the US taking the lead. Weapons of mass destruction are being created on almost a daily basis and lots of people around the world are dying to these weapons.

But Liam knew the truth. He can’t do anything about it. Or maybe he can. Maybe he actually can but is he ready to bear the burden of the whole?

It’s not going to be an easy decision for a kid to make.

***

Hours slipped by. Claire and Emily moved through the cabin occasionally, checking on him, offering meals or drinks with polite precision.

Liam accepted a small tray of fruit and coffee at one point but otherwise kept to himself, as he was still lost in thought.

By the time the sun dipped low on the horizon, painting the clouds outside in shades of orange and crimson, Liam finally let out a long, slow breath.

He decided to stop thinking about the problem of the world and things out of his control, and just go ahead with his plans for the device and the quantum ecosystem.

The dark scenerios can’t be entirely avoided and that was something he would have to live with.

He closed his eyes as his eyelids were starting to feel heavy, and slowly, he finally fell asleep.