Chapter 6: The Missing Payload
Director Sterling held the revocation order out, letting the paper flutter slightly in the warm suburban breeze. Vance stared at the signature at the bottom—it bore the seal of the Deputy Attorney General, dated only three hours prior.
"This is an emergency override," Vance muttered, his jaw tightening. "You fabricated this document just to cover up the municipal land grabs."
Sterling didn't blink. "You can argue legality in front of a secret tribunal in Washington, Agent Vance. Right now, step away from the vehicle."
Marcus looked past Sterling toward the classic blue Chevrolet. The sunlight caught the side mirror, reflecting a tiny red blinking light near the windshield wiper—a light that hadn't been flashing five minutes ago. The remote upload sequence had just been initiated.
"You're too late, Director," Marcus said, his voice eerily calm as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
Sterling paused, his eyes narrowing. "What did you say?"
"The payload isn't in the engine compartment," Marcus replied, stepping backward toward the sidewalk. "It was never stored on the physical hard drives."
Captain Hayes panicked, turning to the tactical team behind him. "Search the truck! Tear the dashboard apart! Find the physical media!"
Before the tactical officers could take a step toward the vintage pickup, the streetlamps along the suburban block suddenly flickered and died. Every smartphone held by the onlookers on the sidewalk simultaneously flashed bright white, displaying a frozen frame of the municipal bank accounts tied to Hayes and Sterling.
Sterling’s personal encrypted phone buzzed violently in his coat pocket. He pulled it out, staring at the screen where a single progress bar was ticking upward: Data Transfer: 98% Complete.
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"Stop them!" Sterling screamed, lunging forward.
Marcus turned and sprinted toward the open sidewalk, but before he could clear the curb, a pair of heavy hands grabbed him from behind, slamming him down onto the hood of a police cruiser.
