Chapter 27 - The Fallout Begins
By 6:00 AM, the digital shockwave detonated across global media outlets and federal internal networks alike. Major news networks flashed emergency bulletins detailing the massive corruption scandal inside the federal oversight committee, putting Assistant Director Robert Vance squarely at the center of a criminal conspiracy.
Inside the command center at the Lake Forest estate, three separate monitors displayed live feeds of mainstream news broadcasts. Reporters scrambled to make sense of the leaked financial ledgers, encrypted audio logs, and direct wire transfers linking federal authority to the Vanguard Syndicate.
Marcus stood before the wall of screens, holding a cup of black coffee while watching a live press conference from Washington, where federal spokesmen stumbled over their words trying to deny the authenticity of the leaks.
"Well, it's safe to say Robert Vance is having a very bad morning," Marcus remarked, taking a slow sip. "Internal Affairs just raided his office in DC twenty minutes ago. His own task force turned on him the moment the global dead-man's switch triggered."
Emma sat at the mahogany table, calmly typing a series of encryption protocols into her terminal to secure their own network nodes against any desperate counter-hacks. She didn't look up, though a quiet sense of satisfaction hummed in her chest. They had neutralized a federal threat without firing a single shot in Washington.
Adrian stood nearby, his hands clasped behind his back, watching the cascading data streams on the primary monitor. His expression remained completely unreadable, a mask of cold discipline that had kept him alive at the top of the Chicago underworld for decades.
May you like
He pulled his legal pad closer, picked up his pen, and wrote a clean, decisive line before sliding it toward Emma.
The federal shield is broken. That leaves the Vanguard remnants scrambling in the dark. Time to clean house.
