Chapter Thirteen: A Curious Walk
Quinn Parker stepped out of his cramped apartment, the brisk morning air hitting his face as he locked the door behind him. He had an early class to attend at NYU, though his mind was hardly focused on academic pursuits. Nexus had planted a seed in his thoughts—an island, a legitimate operation. It was an idea that he couldn't quite shake off, even as he tried to push it aside to focus on his classes.
As he turned to walk down the hallway, he heard a familiar voice call out to him. "Quinn! Wait up!"
It was Lisa, his next-door neighbor and classmate. She had been nothing but friendly since they met, always smiling and offering casual invitations to grab coffee or hang out. Today was no different. Quinn gave her a nod, barely masking his preoccupation.
"Hey, heading to class?" she asked, adjusting the strap of her backpack.
"Yeah," he replied. "Just on my way out."
"Mind if I join you?" Lisa asked, falling into step beside him. "It's always nicer to walk with someone, don't you think?"
Quinn shrugged, keeping his gaze forward. He wasn't in the mood for small talk, but he couldn't exactly blow her off either. "Sure."
The two of them walked in silence for a few minutes, their footsteps echoing down the quiet street as they made their way toward campus. The city was just beginning to stir, students and office workers alike flooding the sidewalks as New York came alive with its usual hustle and bustle.
Lisa, ever the social one, broke the silence. "So, how's everything going with you? You seem a little...distracted lately."
Quinn kept his gaze straight ahead, considering how to respond. He couldn't exactly tell her that he was managing an illegal arms trade while trying to avoid the FBI's notice. "I've just been...busy," he said vaguely. "A lot on my mind."
Lisa nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "Yeah, I get that. Classes have been killer lately."
They rounded the corner onto campus, and soon a few more classmates joined them. Quinn recognized them—students he had shared lectures with, but never really gotten close to. He preferred to keep his distance, blending into the background whenever possible.
As they walked, one of the group members, a guy named Andrew who had once been Quinn's roommate during his dorm days, brought up a random topic. "Man, I've been thinking. What if someone wanted to hide a business from the world? Like, say you're running something really shady but don't want anyone to know."
The question piqued Quinn's interest. He shot a sideways glance at Andrew, wondering where he was going with this.
"Hypothetically speaking, of course," Andrew added with a chuckle. "I'm not doing anything illegal. But seriously, what would you guys do if you needed to hide something big?"
Quinn's curiosity was now fully engaged. This kind of hypothetical was too close to his current situation. Without giving anything away, he remained silent, listening closely as his classmates started to toss around ideas.
"I don't know," Lisa said, frowning slightly. "Maybe hide it in plain sight? Like, make it seem so normal that no one would even question it."
"Nah, that's risky," one of the others chimed in. "You'd still be on the radar, just less obvious. I think I'd move to a different country and operate from there. Less heat."
Andrew shook his head. "That wouldn't work for me. You still have to deal with local governments and laws, even if you go off the grid."
Quinn's mind raced as he considered the possibilities. He couldn't just up and move to another country—not with the attention he was already starting to draw from the authorities. But Andrew's next words made him stop in his tracks.
"You know what I'd do?" Andrew said with a grin. "I'd find an uninhabited island, somewhere remote, where no one could bother me. Then I'd develop it myself. Build everything from scratch, declare my sovereignty, and say it's my island. That way, no one could interfere. No taxes, no regulations. Just me and my operation."
Quinn's eyes widened slightly as the idea took root in his mind. An island. Remote, uninhabited, and completely under his control. It was the perfect solution—he could reduce costs, avoid taxes, and operate without oversight. No one would suspect a thing if everything was done discreetly. And with Nexus and his army of robots, he could build the infrastructure himself, without needing any external help.
It was a brilliant idea.
Quinn's excitement grew as they approached the campus. His thoughts swirled with possibilities, already envisioning the blueprint for his new operation. An isolated island would give him the freedom to do whatever he wanted, without worrying about prying eyes.
Lisa nudged him gently as they reached the entrance to their lecture hall. "Earth to Quinn? You okay?"
Quinn blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Yeah," he said, forcing a smile. "Just thinking about something."
They made their way into the classroom, finding seats as the lecture began. But Quinn's mind was elsewhere. Throughout the entire class, he couldn't focus on the professor's words, nor the equations scrawled on the whiteboard. His mind was racing with ideas, turning Andrew's hypothetical scenario into a concrete plan.
The thought of owning an island, of creating a self-sufficient empire away from the reach of governments and authorities, thrilled him in a way he hadn't felt in years. He could see it now—factories hidden underground, robots working day and night to produce cutting-edge weaponry, all while he maintained a legitimate front for the world to see.
By the time class was over, Quinn was practically buzzing with excitement. He didn't even bother saying goodbye to his classmates as they filed out of the room. He needed to get home. He needed to talk to Nexus about this.
As he walked back toward his apartment, his pace quickened. The potential was too great to ignore. If he could pull this off, he would be untouchable. His operations would grow exponentially, and no government would be able to stop him.
By the time he reached his building, he could barely contain his eagerness. Quinn entered his apartment, locking the door behind him, and immediately booted up his computer. Nexus' presence hummed in the background, ready and waiting.
"Nexus," Quinn said breathlessly, "we need to talk. I've got an idea."
"I'm listening, host," Nexus replied, its voice as calm as ever.
"I want to create a base of operations on an island," Quinn began, pacing the room. "Somewhere remote, uninhabited, and completely under our control. We could reduce the cost of buying an island and just claim it as our own, like Andrew said. All the work would be done by your robots, and we could run everything without interference."
Nexus was silent for a moment as it processed the idea. "Your suggestion is feasible," it finally said. "However, certain legal and logistical challenges will arise if you intend to claim sovereignty. We must carefully select an island that is not currently under the jurisdiction of any government."
"I know," Quinn said, excitement building. "But if we pull this off, we'll have total freedom. No oversight, no regulations. Just us."
Nexus hummed again, considering the possibilities. "I will begin searching for suitable locations immediately."
Quinn sat down at his desk, his mind still buzzing. The pieces were falling into place, and his empire was slowly beginning to take shape.
This was just the beginning.