Chapter 6 - The Ultimatum
Down in the security control room, Thomas Vance stared at the paused frame of Room 404 on the central monitor, his expression unreadable. He tapped his index finger against the wooden desk in a slow, rhythmic pattern that echoed like a ticking clock in the quiet room.
"Well, Marcus," Thomas said softly, not turning around to face the security guard. "It appears my son has been spending his after-school hours looking into digital files he has no business accessing. Kids are so curious these days. They stumble into things they don't understand, and then they misinterpret what they see."
"He was assaulted, Mr. Vance," Marcus said, his voice hard as iron. "That wasn't a misunderstanding. That was a teacher striking a minor across the face on camera."
"Words can be taken out of context," Thomas replied smoothly, finally turning his head to look at Marcus with eyes devoid of any parental warmth. "And cameras can capture incomplete narratives. Now, here is how this is going to play out, Marcus. You are going to export the last ten minutes of footage onto this encrypted flash drive, and hand it directly to me. In exchange, your security contract with the district—which expires next month, as I recall—will be renewed for five years with a very generous salary increase."
Marcus stared at the small silver flash drive resting on the desk between them. The temptation of financial security weighed heavily against his professional ethics. "And the kids?"
"The kids will receive counseling for their distress, and Mrs. Vance will take a mandatory leave of absence for personal reasons," Thomas said, flashing a sanitized, corporate smile. "Everyone walks away happy, employed, and safe. That sounds like a remarkably humane resolution to an unfortunate situation, doesn't it?"
"And if I refuse?" Marcus asked quietly.
May you like
Thomas’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling stillness. "If you refuse, Marcus, you will find yourself out of a job by morning, facing a fabricated charge of gross negligence and data tampering that will ensure you never work in this state again. Choose your next words very carefully."
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