Chapter 12 - The Federal Transport
The laboratory grew deathly quiet as the implications of the operative's report settled over the room like a physical weight. Marcus slowly dropped his hand from his ear, his mouth slightly open as he stared at his older brother with a mixture of disbelief and sheer terror.
"Federal transport?" Marcus whispered, the words tasting like ash in his mouth. "Dad didn't run to a hideout... he went straight to the Department of Justice field office."
"Dad was the legal counsel for Vance Global for thirty years before he retired," Liam said, his voice calm, steady, and utterly devastating. "He didn't just write the corporate bylaws, Marcus. He drafted the federal compliance framework that protects the company from antitrust investigations. If he hands the DOJ the master decryption keys, every offshore account Mother set up becomes an open-and-shut case of federal racketeering."
Marcus lunged forward again, but this time his desperation was palpable as he grabbed Liam by both arms. "You have to call him back! If the DOJ seizes the assets, the family name is destroyed forever! We'll spend the rest of our lives in federal prison!"
"You chose this, Marcus," Liam said, his voice devoid of pity as he forcibly broke his brother's grip and stepped back into the amber light of the server racks. "You and Mother treated human lives, legal contracts, and family like chess pieces to be sacrificed whenever it suited your bottom line. Now the board is empty."
Suddenly, the heavy glass window of the carriage house shattered inward as a second flashbang was thrown from the courtyard below—not by tactical operatives, but by a separate team wearing the dark blue windbreakers of federal marshals.
The door at the top of the stairwell was kicked wide open again, and this time, three federal agents poured into the room with their badges held high and weapons drawn, their voices echoing off the stone walls.
"Federal Marshals! Nobody move!" the lead agent commanded, his laser sights painting red dots across the chests of both brothers.
Marcus threw his hands up instantly, his panic spilling over into open hysteria. "He did it! My brother has the stolen trial data! He orchestrated the entire embezzlement scheme!"
Liam didn't raise his hands. He stood perfectly still, his eyes fixed on the lead federal agent as the man lowered his weapon slightly, recognizing the face from the corporate registry files provided by the DOJ’s primary informant.
The lead agent stepped past Marcus, ignoring the younger brother's frantic pointing, and walked directly up to Liam, holding out a heavy manila folder bearing the official seal of the United States District Court.
"Are you Liam Vance?" the agent asked formally.
"I am," Liam replied clearly.
"Your father, Julian Vance, is currently debriefing with our director downtown," the agent said, opening the folder to reveal a signed federal warrant. "We have a court order to secure all research assets and take you into protective custody as our primary cooperating witness in the Vance Global investigation."
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Marcus stumbled backward, his face turning an ash-gray as he watched the federal agent hand Liam the protective custody papers.
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