Chapter 11: Unraveling the Web
Evelyn’s testimony lasted nearly three hours. She laid out the timeline with military precision, detailing her late husband’s initial warnings about Vanguard’s unauthorized mutagenic research, the systematic cover-ups orchestrated by corporate executives, and the terrifying night she and Chloe were cornered in the facility's corridors. She didn't rely on emotional theatrics; the raw, unvarnished facts spoke for themselves, corroborated by the crystal-clear security footage playing on the courtroom's main display monitors.
When the defense cross-examined her, attempting to paint her as a disgruntled military officer motivated by family bias, Evelyn met every question with calm, unshakeable composure, dismantling their arguments one by one with strict references to logistics, logs, and documented evidence.
By the time the prosecution rested its case, the legal consensus in the room was absolute: Senator Eleanor Vance was facing multiple counts of treason, conspiracy, unauthorized biological weapons development, and obstruction of justice.
As the court recessed for lunch, Evelyn walked back to the gallery where Chloe was waiting. The teenager stood up, throwing her arms around Evelyn’s waist and burying her face in the green fabric of her uniform.
""You were amazing, Aunt Ev,"" Chloe whispered, her voice muffled against Evelyn's chest.
""We did this together, sweetie,"" Evelyn replied softly, resting her chin on the girl's dark hair. ""The hardest part is behind us.""
Agent Thorne approached them, holding a secure encrypted tablet. ""I just received an encrypted flash report from our field units monitoring Vanguard's auxiliary corporate offices,"" Thorne said, his voice low so only Evelyn could hear. ""The board of directors is evacuating. They're trying to scrub their offshore accounts and board private flights to non-extradition jurisdictions before the indictments go public.""
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. ""They're running.""
""Not all of them,"" Thorne countered, tapping the screen to reveal a highlighted name and flight itinerary. ""The chief executive officer, Julian Vance—Eleanor's estranged brother and the primary architect of the Sector Four protocols—is booked on a private charter out of Dulles International Airport at 14:00 hours.""
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Evelyn looked down at Chloe, then back to Thorne. Julian Vance was the man directly responsible for her husband’s death, the man who had ordered the experiments that nearly killed Chloe. Letting him slip away across international borders was not an option.
""Get the federal marshals on the secure comms,"" Evelyn instructed, her voice dropping into command mode. ""We intercept the flight before it clears airspace.""
