Chapter 9 - The Trial and the TruthâStep away from the keyboard, Mr. Carter,â Arthur Vance commanded, holding a heavy ivory-handled revolver. His face was lined with age and cold, unyielding malice. âYou have no idea the magnitude of the economic empire you are attempting to ruin.â
âYour empire is built on the murder of unborn children and the poisoning of innocent women!â I shouted, stepping between his gun and Claire.
âProgress requires sacrifice!â Arthur sneered, stepping closer. âMy son made mistakes handling Claire, but I will not allow a mid-level auditor and an average real estate broker to tear down fifty years of my legacy.â
Richard stepped forward, reaching for the laptop screen. âThe upload is at ninety percent! Shoot him, Dad! Shoot them both!â
Arthur raised the revolver, aiming directly at my chest.
Click.
The progress bar on the screen hit 100%.
UPLOAD COMPLETE. BROADCAST TRANSMITTED NATIONWIDE.
At that exact microsecond, the roof of the cabin exploded downward in a hail of flashbang grenades and breaking beams!
BANG! BANG!
Blinding white light and deafening concussive blasts filled the small room.
âFBI! DROP YOUR WEAPONS! DROP YOUR WEAPONS NOW!â
A dozen heavily armed FBI Hostage Rescue Team operators, clad in black tactical gear, dropped from ropes suspended beneath two massive black military helicopters hovering above the swamp.
Marcus had alerted his federal contacts the moment our satellite uplink went live!
Arthur Vance was thrown to the ground, his ivory revolver clattering across the floor. Richard attempted to run out the back window, but an FBI agent tackled him through the frame, pinning his arms behind his back in zip-ties.
âClear! Clear!â the team leader shouted, securing the room.
Marcus walked through the shattered doorway, holding a tactical weapon, a broad grin spreading across his bruised face.
âTold you I had federal friends, Daniel,â Marcus chuckled, wiping mud off his jacket.
I sank to my knees and pulled Claire into my arms. She buried her face in my shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably as the mechanical roar of the FBI helicopters filled the Florida sky.
The nightmare was finally over.
Over the next three weeks, the fallout from Project Libra rocked the nation.
The broadcasted files triggered the largest federal investigation in modern pharmaceutical history. Arthur Vance, Richard Vance, and thirty-four senior executives at Aegis Biotech were indicted on federal charges of corporate conspiracy, illegal human experimentation, attempted murder, and high-level extortion. Aegis Biotechâs assets were seized by the government, and the corporation was permanently dissolved.
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The corrupt politicians and health officials who had accepted bribes to cover up Project Libra were stripped of their offices and dragged before grand juries in Washington D.C.
Claireâs name was completely cleared. She was hailed by national media outlets as a brave whistleblower who had risked everything to save countless innocent lives.
