Chapter 13 - The Lion's Den
The two Marines guarding the headquarters lobby raised their rifles the instant Marcus and Ava walked through the automatic sliding doors.
""Halt! Hands where we can see them!"" the lance corporal shouted, his voice cracking with tension.
Marcus did not raise his hands. He continued walking forward, his posture aristocratic and immaculate, his white dress uniform immaculate despite the storm. ""Stand down, Corporal. I am Commander Marcus Vance, reporting directly to Rear Admiral Hayes. Stand down and notify your post commander.""
The Marines blinked, visibly confused. Marcus wasn't running, dodging, or shooting. He was walking like a commanding officer conducting an inspection. The junior Marine reached for his radio, his hand shaking. ""Command, we have... we have Vance at the main lobby entrance.""
Marcus swept past them before they could make a decision, leading Ava straight into the executive elevator. He pressed the button for the top floor. The steel doors slid shut.
""Heart rate?"" Ava asked softly.
""Normal,"" Marcus lied.
The elevator climbed steadily. When the doors opened on the sixth floor, they stepped out into the carpeted silence of the Admiral's outer suite. Hayes's executive secretary gasped, dropping a stack of folders onto her desk.
Marcus pushed open the double oak doors to the Admiral’s private office without knocking.
Rear Admiral Hayes was standing by the panoramic window overlooking the naval dry docks, a glass of bourbon in his hand. He turned around, his expression freezing in complete shock as he saw Marcus and Ava standing before his desk.
""Marcus,"" Hayes murmured, setting the glass down. ""You actually came back.""
""Sit down, Hayes,"" Marcus said, drawing his weapon and laying it flat on the mahogany desk between them, pointing the barrel toward his own chest in a gesture of absolute contempt. ""Log into the JAG intranet.""
Hayes looked at the weapon, then at Marcus, and slowly shook his head. A cold, arrogant smile touched the Admiral's lips. ""You really are a fool, Vance. You think you can force me to testify against myself?""
Hayes reached beneath his desk, pressing a silent panic button.
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""I don't need your testimony,"" Marcus said. Ava stepped forward, slamming the encrypted flash drive into the Admiral's keyboard terminal.
Outside the double doors, the heavy clatter of tactical boots signaled the arrival of the base SWAT team.
