Chapter 9: The encrypted breach

The cafeteria buzzed with activity as Marcus sat across from Jen Riley, absentmindedly poking at his lunch with a fork. Normally, he enjoyed these breaks—Jen was one of the few people at Stark Industries he felt comfortable enough to be himself around. But today, he found it hard to focus on the conversation.

"Marcus? Earth to Marcus," Jen said, waving her hand in front of his face.

He blinked, startled. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked if you're okay. You've been out of it all day."

Marcus sighed and set his fork down, leaning back in his chair. He wasn't sure how much he could say to Jen. The encrypted breach, the strange data he'd uncovered—it wasn't exactly something he could bring up casually over lunch.

"I'm fine," he said, though even to his own ears, his voice sounded unconvincing.

Jen raised an eyebrow. "Fine? You look like you're about to crack under pressure."

"It's just… everything with Tony, you know?" he said, deflecting. "The whole office is on edge."

Jen nodded, but her eyes narrowed in that way they always did when she knew he wasn't telling her the full truth. "Yeah, the news hit everyone hard. But this is more than that. What's going on?"

Marcus hesitated. He knew he could trust Jen, but he also knew that the more people he involved, the riskier things could get. His fingers absentmindedly drummed against the table as he thought about the encrypted breach, the suspicious activity that had surfaced around Tony's kidnapping. He hadn't told anyone yet. He wasn't even sure if he should.

It wasn't his problem. He was just a background guy, an IT consultant who made sure the network ran smoothly. Whatever this was, it was bigger than him. Too big.

"I've been going through some of the security logs," he started slowly, careful with his words. "Something doesn't feel right."

Jen's expression shifted from curious to concerned. She leaned in slightly, her voice lower now. "What do you mean?"

Marcus glanced around, checking to see if anyone was listening before continuing. "There was a breach in the system, right before Tony's convoy got hit. It was small—encrypted so well that it nearly slipped past unnoticed. But when the feed from Afghanistan cut out, it wasn't just some random glitch. Someone was tampering with it."

Jen sat back, processing the information. "You think it's related to what happened to Tony?"

"I don't know," Marcus said, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "That's the thing. I don't know if I'm just jumping to conclusions or if this really means something. But I can't shake the feeling that it's all connected."

Jen studied him carefully. "Have you told anyone?"

Marcus shook his head. "Not yet. I'm not even sure who to tell. If this goes as deep as I think it might…" He trailed off, the implications hanging in the air between them.

"Marcus," Jen said, her voice firm but supportive. "You're one of the smartest people I know. If you think something's wrong, then something's wrong. You can't ignore this."

Ignore it. That had been his plan, up until now. He wasn't a detective or a hero—he was just a guy who made sure the systems at Stark Industries didn't crash. And yet, everything inside him was telling him that this was something more. Something dangerous.

But taking the next step—actually investigating what he'd found—meant putting himself in the spotlight, getting involved in something that could have serious consequences. Marcus hated the idea. He hated the risk.

But he hated the idea of doing nothing even more.

"I don't know, Jen," Marcus said, running a hand through his hair. "If this is bigger than me, if it involves someone at Stark Industries—someone with real power—what can I do? I'm just an IT consultant."

Jen leaned forward, her voice soft but filled with conviction. "You're a lot more than that, Marcus. You've got the skills to find out what's going on, and maybe you're the only one who can see it. You might not have Tony Stark's flash or his name on the building, but you know how to dig into this kind of thing. You know how to solve problems."

Marcus looked at her, feeling the weight of her words settle on him. Could he really do this? He'd never been the type to jump into danger. He preferred solving problems behind the scenes, avoiding the spotlight and letting others take the risks.

But Jen's belief in him was unwavering, and a small part of him knew she was right. If he didn't investigate this, no one else might. And Tony Stark could be in even deeper trouble than anyone realized.

"I'll look into it," Marcus said finally, his voice quieter now. "But I need to be careful. I don't know who I can trust."

Jen nodded, her eyes serious. "Whatever you need, I'm here. But be careful, Marcus. If this really is something bigger, you're going to need to watch your back."

Marcus appreciated her support, but the knot in his stomach only grew tighter. He was about to dive into something that could get him into a world of trouble—something he wasn't even sure he was ready for. But at the same time, walking away didn't feel like an option anymore.

Something was wrong, and Marcus couldn't ignore it. Not this time.

After lunch, Marcus returned to his desk, his mind still racing with what Jen had said. You're more than just an IT consultant.

Maybe she was right, but that didn't make this any easier. If he was going to figure out what was really going on, he had to be smart about it. He couldn't just go digging around in the system without being careful. Someone was watching the network, and whoever it was had already covered their tracks.

Taking a deep breath, Marcus sat down and reopened the encrypted data he had found earlier. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he began working on a new encryption-breaking tool—something he had developed on the side during his free time, though he had never had a reason to use it until now.

As he worked, a thought crossed his mind: What if this led him to someone higher up in Stark Industries? Someone powerful enough to orchestrate an attack on Tony, to cover it up, and to make sure no one asked questions. What if this went all the way to the top?

His stomach twisted at the thought, but he pushed it aside. He couldn't think about that now. He had to stay focused on the task in front of him.

Hours passed as Marcus worked, isolating the encrypted data and tracing its origins. The deeper he went, the more disturbing the pattern became. The breach had originated from inside Stark Industries—from one of the upper-level accounts.

His heart raced as he stared at the screen. This wasn't just some random hacker. Whoever was behind this had access to the highest levels of the company's security. And they had used that access to send information out—information that could have led to Tony's kidnapping.

Marcus leaned back in his chair, his mind reeling. This was bigger than anything he had imagined. Someone at Stark Industries had betrayed Tony, and now Marcus was caught in the middle of it.

He took a deep breath, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. What do I do now?