Chapter 7 - The Collapse of the Dynasty
With the hardware key in our possession, Ariana executed phase two of the operation.
Disguised in a courier uniform with a surgical mask covering my bruised jaw, I slipped past Capitol security using a forged press credential and made my way to Rhys Hale’s private office during a late-night subcommittee vote. The room was empty, smelling of leather and expensive cigars.
I walked straight to the mahogany credenza, dropped to my knees, and plugged Ariana's bypass key into the legacy router port hidden behind the wood paneling.
Back in the Arlington safehouse, Ariana’s fingers flew across her keyboards. "In... bypassing firewall... downloading primary server logs... Got it! I have every offshore transaction, every illicit campaign donation, and every piece of blackmail material Rhys has used to control his political donors for the past decade."
"Dump it all," I whispered into my comms headset. "Send it to the Department of Justice, the FBI's public corruption unit, every major news outlet, and the House Ethics Committee."
"Executing dump in three... two... one... sent."
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Within minutes, the digital dam broke. By sunrise, major news networks dropped the bombshell investigation: HALE FILES: LEAKED DOCUMENTS EXPOSE SENATOR'S MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR KICKBACK SCHEME AND COVER-UPS.
The financial markets reacted instantly. The corporate backers and defense contractors funding Patriot First abruptly pulled their funding. Within hours, Rhys Hale’s political coalition evaporated like morning mist. Donors distanced themselves, and his campaign manager resigned live on MSNBC.
