Chapter 9 - The Reckoning
The massive, heavily gilded doors of the grand ballroom finally swung open, revealing a sickeningly lavish, incredibly opulent display of absolute, grotesque wealth and false philanthropy.
Hundreds of New York's absolute elite mingled casually under massive, sparkling crystal chandeliers, sipping expensive champagne while completely ignoring the gigantic, mocking banners praising Vanguard's supposed heroism.
Elias Thorne stood proudly at the grand podium positioned at the front of the massive room, eagerly preparing to deliver his highly anticipated, completely hypocritical keynote speech.
"We need to securely reach the main audio-visual control room located directly directly above the main balcony," Hayes whispered urgently, his sharp eyes constantly scanning the dense crowd for hidden security.
I tightly gripped Leo's small hand, completely blending into the massive sea of elegant evening gowns and sharply tailored suits as we moved stealthily toward the hidden service staircase.
We completely bypassed the highly distracted waitstaff, quietly slipping through a heavily disguised, unmarked door that led directly to the elevated technical booth overlooking the entire event.
A single, highly bored technician was sitting lazily at the massive control board, completely engrossed in his mobile phone.
Hayes stepped silently up directly behind the young man, firmly pressing the cold, unforgiving steel barrel of his weapon directly into the base of the technician's spine.
"Do not make a single sound, do exactly what I tell you, and you will get to go home to your family tonight," Hayes ordered in a terrifying, deadly calm whisper.
The terrified technician frantically nodded, his hands visibly shaking as he aggressively typed in the main override passwords for the massive, room-spanning projection screens.
I rapidly plugged the tiny silver micro-drive directly into the main system hub, my sweaty fingers slipping desperately on the slick metal as I inputted Marcus's final coordinate password.
Down below, Thorne confidently adjusted his microphone, completely unaware of the absolute devastation about to rain heavily down upon his entire empire.
"We are incredibly proud to highly honor the ultimate sacrifices made by brave soldiers like Marcus Vance," Thorne boldly lied to the completely enraptured, silent crowd.
"Now," I fiercely commanded the terrified technician, completely bypassing all remaining security protocols.
Suddenly, Thorne's incredibly smug face entirely vanished from the massive screens, instantly replaced by the highly classified, incredibly damning footage of him illegally selling deadly weapons to insurgents.
The incredibly clear, undeniable audio of his treasonous, highly illegal negotiations boomed loudly and aggressively through the state-of-the-art concert speakers, completely drowning out his frantic protests.
The massive crowd initially gasped in absolute horror, highly confused murmurs rapidly turning into angry, outraged shouts as the horrific, undeniable truth finally became universally known.
Thorne frantically screamed loudly at his bewildered security team to immediately cut the main power, but the heavy steel doors to the control room were securely barricaded from the inside.
Federal agents, who had been secretly monitoring the highly publicized event from the outer perimeter, forcefully stormed the main ballroom, their bright badges gleaming in the chaotic, flashing lights.
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They forcefully tackled the highly corrupt CEO violently to the polished marble floor, aggressively snapping heavy steel handcuffs tightly onto his wrists as he screamed massive obscenities.
I looked deeply down at the chaotic, beautiful destruction of Thorne's massive criminal empire, hot, relieved tears finally streaming completely freely down my exhausted face.
