Chapter 8 - The Price of Silence
""You are remarkably difficult to put down, Dr. Sterling,"" Eleanor said, her voice smooth despite the roaring train and the wind whipping her tailored hair. Her face showed no fear, only the cold calculation of an executive balancing a ledger.
""It's over, Eleanor,"" Clara said, leaning against the train's outer railing. ""Harrison is dead. The courtroom was witnessed by thirty people. You can't bury this.""
""Thirty civilians and a dead judge?"" Eleanor laughed, a dry, humorless sound. ""By midnight, the news cycle will report that a rogue soldier suffered a violent psychotic breakdown in Courtroom 4B, assassinated Judge Harrison, and abducted the key witness. Apex Bio-Defense will mourn the loss, assist the authorities, and secure their three-billion-dollar government contract tomorrow morning.""
Lucas stepped forward, subtly placing his body between Eleanor's barrel and Clara. ""Not with that hard drive in play.""
""The hard drive is already uploading to an encrypted off-shore server, Captain Vance,"" Eleanor smiled, tapping the satchel slung over her shoulder. ""At ninety percent, your entire military record will be rewritten. You won't be a decorated hero. You’ll be the sole traitor who authorized the chemical release that wiped out your own platoon.""
The revelation struck Lucas like a physical blow. The rage that surged through him was cold, absolute, and razor-sharp.
""You did that,"" Lucas whispered, his voice dangerously calm.
May you like
""Business did that,"" Eleanor corrected, her finger tightening on the trigger. ""And business requires balance.""
The train suddenly slammed into a sharp switchback curve. The violent lurch threw Eleanor off balance. Lucas lunged forward, closing the distance in a heartbeat, his hand clamping around the slide of the pistol, forcing the barrel toward the steel ceiling as a shot blew through the roof.
