Chapter 4 - The Prosecutor's Nightmare
Marcus Sterling was on his feet again, his face flushed a deep, angry crimson.
"Your Honor, this is a fabricated deepfake!" Marcus shouted, losing all semblance of his professional composure.
"The defense is desperate! They are playing manipulated audio files through an illicit device to subvert justice!"
"Mr. Sterling," Judge Harrison interrupted, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.
"I have not yet admitted this into formal evidence, nor have I ruled on its authenticity. So why are you panicking so desperately about a file you claim is fake?"
The courtroom fell dead silent again.
Marcus opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
He had walked directly into a judicial trap of his own making.
"Furthermore," Judge Harrison continued, turning back to the tablet on her desk.
"This file contains timestamped blockchain verification codes and encrypted metadata linking directly to servers registered under a federal prosecutor's secondary office."
She looked up, fixing her gaze entirely on the lead prosecutor.
"Mr. Sterling, would you care to explain how a file stored on a secure server assigned to your department ended up on a tablet carried into my courtroom by a seven-year-old child?"
Sweat was now visibly beading on Marcus's forehead, rolling down his collar as he realized his career, his freedom, and his intricate criminal conspiracy were collapsing in real time.
Across the aisle, Sarah Vance pulled her hands away from her face, staring at the front of the courtroom with a mixture of shock and dawning hope.
David stood frozen, finally beginning to understand the magnitude of what was happening.
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But the biggest question remained completely unanswered.
Who had left the tablet behind... and why had Toby been carrying it?
