Chapter 3 - The Federal Warrant
The harsh glare of the hallway’s fluorescent lighting spilled into the small entryway as Evelyn pulled the heavy wooden door open, revealing two grim-faced federal marshals flanked by a military police captain. The senior marshal, a weathered man with sharp gray eyes and a crisp gray suit, held out a folded parchment document without a moment of hesitation.
"Captain Evelyn Vance, you are ordered to accompany us downtown immediately," the marshal said, his voice flat and devoid of any professional warmth. "We have received an emergency injunction filed thirty minutes ago by Vance Enterprises legal counsel, alleging the theft of classified corporate assets and military intelligence."
Julian stepped into the light behind Evelyn, his jaw clenched so tightly that a muscle twitched violently in his cheek. "On whose authority? That injunction requires the direct signature of the Deputy Attorney General, and it cannot be executed without a preliminary military review."
"The signature is authentic, Commander," the marshal replied, stepping past them into the cramped living space with the confident swagger of a man backed by overwhelming institutional power. "Furthermore, the charge includes unauthorized access to secure Pentagon servers linked to the Vance Foundation defense contracts. You’re both implicated as co-conspirators."
Evelyn stared at the document in the marshal's hand, her mind racing through the legal labyrinth Eleanor must have constructed in the brief window between the ballroom confrontation and their arrival at the base. It was a masterpiece of desperate self-preservation—a preemptive strike designed to flip the narrative before the real audit could even begin.
"She didn't just protect her accounts," Evelyn murmured, the realization dawning with chilling clarity. "She wiped the primary server at the foundation headquarters and blamed the data breach on my military unit."
"Precisely," the marshal said, gesturing toward the door. "Now, please put your hands behind your back, Captain. We don't want to make this a court-martial matter if we can avoid it."
Julian moved to block their path, his military uniform serving as a shield of rank and authority. "You cannot detain an active-duty officer without notifying the Inspector General first. This is an unlawful seizure of personnel."
"Step aside, Commander, or you'll be joining her in a holding cell before the clock strikes two," the marshal warned, resting his hand casually on the grip of his sidearm.
Evelyn placed a calm, steady hand on Julian’s forearm, stopping him from escalating a situation that had clearly been engineered to provoke them. She met the marshal’s cold gaze without flinching, her posture as rigid and composed as it had been on the parade grounds of West Point.
"I will go willingly," Evelyn said, her voice steady and resonant in the confined space. She turned to Julian, her eyes holding a silent message that only he could understand. "Make sure the secondary backup drive is delivered to General Whitaker before dawn."
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As the steel cuffs clicked securely around her wrists, the phone in Julian’s jacket pocket began to buzz insistently, vibrating with a cryptic text message from an unknown number containing a single line of text: Check the financial registry.
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