Chapter 107 - Flagged

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On the Mediterranean sea, a cargo ship filled with all kinds of consumer products was headed towards Port Said as their first stop to deliver daily necessities to the people of Egypt.

Most of the merchant marines onboard were left unaware of a hidden compartment in the lower deck containing 15 Blast and Sarin warheads to be transferred when the ship docked at Tartus Port on the way to Istanbul.

Ever since Future Security discovered the involvement of Russians in the armed escape of Ashkan, which resulted in a dozen dead CIA detention officers, Anthony had been monitoring odd movements in Russian airspace and ports using NetServ satellites.

At the FS offices within Future Tech Headquarters, a Filipino-American man in his early 30s was busy working on his Infinity Workstation until he was disturbed by a knock on the door.

It was a young but well-trained external nethunter, agents who focused on Future Tech's outside threats rather than internal problems.

Anthony logged off the propriety Future Security software before asking, "

What's up, Matthew?"

The young Taiwanese-American man dutifully explained, "We've come across a cargo ship which was flagged on our systems as it crossed the Gibraltar Straight. I've done a cursory investigation and found all their permits and licenses are legitimate, but the travel manifest noted a stop in Tartus Port."

Anthony took a moment to think and replied, "Tartus Port? Why would a commercial cargo ship dock at a Russian naval facility?"

"That was the sole reason why our system flagged it. Though, the cargo manifest seemed awfully normal, filled with stuff like toothpaste and toilet rolls." Matthew commented.

[There's something fishy going on here. We can't let the ship arrive at Tartus without an inspection for the sake of my sanity.] Anthony anxiously pondered.

"Thank you for your diligence, Matthew. Send me the details, and I'll speak to Director Price about a course of action we can pursue." Anthony stated before dismissing his subordinate.

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Meanwhile, on The Longhorn, It was a long and active night for the young couple, but the morning was the opposite for most of the party-goers, ending in tremendous hangovers.

Jaden treated the Bangtan Boys to a typical American Friday night, getting wasted on mixed drinks from the dutiful bartender.

Fortis challenged Elon to a smoking competition until they got so stoned and proceeded to join the others drinking at the bar and lounge.

They went easy on the younger BTS members, but Pdogg and the older ones had to keep up with Alice and Jaden.

The rager took everybody's attention, and no one noticed Vince and Hailee absent throughout the party.

Suga barely climbed out of bed and got ready for breakfast. His world was going round and round as he traversed the quarters' deck.

He found Elon eating at the dining area and curiously asked, "How are you looking fine after drinking so much last night?"

Elon pitied the young man, so he tossed a bottle of a foreign-looking blue liquid and replied, "That should clear up your hangover."

Suga wasted no time and drank the entire contents of the bottle in the hopes of stopping his mind from spinning.

He felt a sudden relief and quickly inquired, "What is this magic?"

Elon stopped eating for a moment and explained, "It's what my astronauts use to maintain their nutrition in the new spacesuits. The solution to any hangover is hydration, and that's one of its main functions."

Suge couldn't follow the detailed explanation, just thinking about the term 'astronaut', and said, "Cool. I would never have guessed it was for that kind of thing."

"Yeah, we don't publicize our joint projects with Future Tech for a good reason," Elon said before more of the guests arrived at the dining area.

They were looked awful from all the drinking and were lucky Elon had more bottles he swiped from the Future Med LA offices.

The boys appreciated the assistance and said their thanks as the young Caucasian-American APL MVP emerged from his quarters.

"Fortis, you need one?" Elon asked in support.

Fortis replied, "Nah, I waked and baked a second ago, so I'm good. Thanks for the bud, by the way."

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Meanwhile, in Vince's stateroom, he struggled to wake up his stubborn counterpart.

"Come on, let's get in the shower before the others go looking for us." Vince jokingly begged.

Hailee was hiding behind the bedsheets and replied, "Hey, it's your fault for keeping me up all night!"

Vince wasn't too serious as it was a Saturday, one of his days off from a busy schedule, and said, "Alright, you can sleep in for a little bit, Haiz."

He took a quick shower to wash all the sweat from the night before choosing an appropriate outfit from his vast Future Couture collection.

[Ah fuck. There's so much stuff in here. And it's mostly Hailee's.] So Vince thought as he combed through the glorious walk-in closet.

He joined the entourage around thirty minutes after and asked how everyone's night went while eating breakfast.

Alice noticed her best friend wasn't present and asked, "Vince, where's your girl?"

Vince honestly replied, "Sleeping in. You can try waking her up if you want, but she's too tired."

"Yeah, I bet," Jaden commented with a grin before Alice hit him in the shoulder to shut up.

Fortis and Elon were obviously chuckling in the background while the Bangtan Boys minded their own business out of respect for their CEO.

Vince was slightly amused by the banter and said, "All jokes aside, I'll be returning to Austin because I've accomplished my duties in LA. So feel free to join Hailee and me or do as you wish for the rest of your weekends."

Alice replied, "Jaden and I can work wherever as long as we bring our equipment, so I'm open to visiting Austin. How about you, babe?"

"Yeah, more vlog content would be good. Cuz, you're still on vacation for another week until the regular season starts, right?" Jaden stated.

Fortis raised his eyebrow and honestly replied, "Hecz won't mind if I'm out of state until next weekend. I might visit the University of Texas campus and find myself a nice southern chick."

Jaden gave him a look of approval, while Alice stared at him in confusion and disgust.

Pdogg represented the boys and interjected, "We've decided to stay in LA over the weekend and check out the local sights like Universal Studios and Rodeo Drive. We'll take regular flights back to Austin instead."

Vince appreciated the consideration but replied, "Regular flights? Nonsense. Our 787s regularly fly between LA and Austin, so you don't have to worry about flights. You guys deserve a little vacation in between recording your studio album. I forgot to praise you guys yesterday for a job well done during the Jimmy Kimmel Show, so enjoy yourselves on my tab."

The Bangtan Boys were ecstatic to hear about Vince paying for the rest of their trip and replied, "Thank you, Vince!" "You're the best boss ever!"

"Alright, calm down. Keep up growing your fanbase, and eventually, you won't have to worry about money anymore." Vince stated as a motivator.

While they speaking at the dining area, Hailee finally emerged from her deep slumber and was ready to eat.

Vince thought Hailee would be glad about the news and said, "Your best friend Alice will be joining us in Austin, with Jaden and Fortis."

"OMG! Sis, we'll be able to explore the city together!" Hailee excitedly said.

The two young women shared a moment of cheer while the rest continued their conversations and breakfasts.

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A few thousand miles from LA, Director Price had finished discussing the flagged cargo ship with Anthony over a NetServ conference call.

Price had plenty on his plate already; leading the initiatives in collaboration with the Afghanistani government but also pursuing leads to Future Security's long-standing investigation on a mysterious group called 'Anarchy', the only solid information they've uncovered so far.

Director Price was sitting in his spartan yet neo-modern designed office and thought, [Inspecting a private cargo vessel is no easy task without evidence. I'll need US military support before we even attempt to do anything.]

Price pulled up his contact list and searched for General John Dolan's secretary to schedule a meeting.

He took a personal escort and a FAV-1 to the local US Air Force base, arriving thirty minutes later.

The soldiers were accustomed to Future Tech vehicles going in and out of the base and allowed the FAV-1 to land without issue.

Lieutenant General Dolan greeted Director Price as they entered the meeting hall and asked, "What's got you troubled, Price?"

The director sat down and explained, "Future Security's database intelligence software red-flagged a seemingly normal cargo ship in the Mediterranean. We have reason to believe they're either delivering something sensitive to the Russians or the Syrians as they stop at Tartus Port."

"And no solid evidence, I would assume. I've heard about the run-in with unmarked Russian operatives in the Caribbean. Don't let it cloud your judgment." the general plainly stated.

Director Price was unyielding and replied, "Anthony and I are sure about this, General. We'll have fire teams in place to monitor the situation and simply require your political support when things get a bit dirty."

John Dolan was in a tough spot and thought, [Future Security had done so well and made my job much easier here in Afghanistan. So a small favor wouldn't be out of the question.]

He shook his head and reluctantly said, "Fine. Acquire solid evidence, and I'll consider having a potential international incident on my plate."

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Stats last time checked: 

Future Tech current valuation - $300 billion 

15 million BTC (currently trades at $25,000) 

$11 Billion cash in Future Tech 

105,000+ employees (FT AI, Future Studios, Hive Mind Manufacturing, FT Micro Devices, BitCash, FT VR, Future Tech F1, FT Investments, Future Arms, Future Med, Future Tech Robotics, Future Education, Epic Games, 60% of SpaceX, 10% of Tesla, 10% of Koenigsegg) 

20,000+ operators under Future Security 

Personal Vehicles: Klassen Phantom, Agera R, Agera SFV, Boeing Luxury 787 Dreamliner, The Longhorn, Flyga

Collaborators (Epic, Koenegisegg, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyundai C&E, Disney) 

Numerous subsidiaries under Future Tech Holdings (i..e., Instagram, Twitch, Big Hit Entertainment)