The Gala

For Anya, being put on administrative leave was a debilitating blow and, ironically, a brief moment of liberation. She lost her badge, her weapon, and her official access; she was cut off from the department's resources but also somewhat freed from its direct supervision, though she was certain that IA was secretly keeping an eye on her conversations and whereabouts. The fear and rage merged into icy determination. She refused to allow Vance succeed in his attempt to neutralize her. She sent out the coded signal Rhys would be looking for in the digital ether using a recently purchased, spotlessly clean burner phone, traversing through layers of public Wi-Fi and anonymizing software: "Binoculars sold." In search of a new spotting scope. A statement: I'm not there, but I'm still observing. still playing the game.

In a few of hours, Rhys received the signal. Relief struggled with heightened fear for her security. She was so fragile that Vance accused her of being sidelined. However, it also implied that she might be mobile. He responded quickly, suggesting a meeting place that was far from their typical haunts. The coordinates were sent through the metadata of an apparently harmless image file that was sent via a one-time encrypted link: the abandoned crypts beneath the old City Cemetery, a location that had been forgotten by time and technology and could only be reached by a collapsed mausoleum. tremendous security, tremendous risk was the unmistakable message. Just showing up requires trust.

It was like crossing the Styx River to make your way through the overgrown cemetery at night, through the shattered mausoleum entrance, and down into the silent, cold darkness of the crypts. In Anya's dim flashlight beam, dust particles danced. The scent of rotting and wet earth filled the air. She discovered Rhys waiting in a tiny, domed room, his face covered in long, swirling shadows from the wavering light of a lantern that ran on batteries. Despite his strained appearance and the obvious effects of the pressure, there was a dangerously focused intensity in his gaze. The bleak necessity of their shared situation replaced the discomfort of their previous argument.

With a small echo in the stone hall, Anya spoke without introduction, "He knows." "Vance is to blame for the IA complaint. He's attempting to silence me.

"I understand," Rhys said softly. This implies that they may move more quickly than we had expected. Thorne, Silas, and possibly Bellweather, if he lives, to tie up loose ends. The recording is incriminating, but before they can deny it or remove it, we must use it effectively and forcefully.

They huddled in the crypt for the next hour, planning their trap while the muffled heartbeat of the city echoed in the distance above them. Someone with Vance's power could conceal simple leaks far too easily. It was suicidal to face someone directly. In order to hit Vance where it stung most—his meticulously constructed image and his corporate power base—they needed something public, indisputable, and simultaneous.

The bold and intricate strategy came to be, combining Anya's strategic knowledge of the media and system with Rhys's technical expertise. The city's elite, including politicians and media personalities, were expected to attend the annual City Advancement Gala, a high-profile, televised event honoring business contributions to urban advancement, where Harrison Vance was set to deliver the keynote presentation in three days. One major sponsor was OmniCorp. The staging was ideal.

There were several components to the plan:

-The Payload: Bellweather's financials, the repressed security reports, the hangar recording, an analysis of the OmniCorp network logs revealing internal overrides, and a succinct synopsis connecting everything to Vance and Project Chimera would all be packaged by Rhys.

-The Delivery System: Rhys had responsibility for this. He would simultaneously hack OmniCorp's primary public website and social media accounts, as well as the TV network that covers the Gala. He would override the feeds at a well timed point during Vance's speech, swapping out Vance's image for the evidence payload and broadcasting it live to the Gala guests, the television audience, and the internet.

-The Fail-Safe: At the same time, Anya would digitally deliver secure, encrypted packages with the entire evidence payload to three specific, reliable recipients: Ben Carter, the investigative journalist who first reported on Henderson; a particular Assistant District Attorney who was reputable and willing to take on influential people; and Captain Eva Rostova, the head of Internal Affairs, who Anya felt was essentially good despite the complaint against her and would look for real evidence of high-level corruption if it were presented in a compelling way. This made sure that the evidence would be in the hands of those who could act upon it, even if the public broadcast was interrupted.

-The Diversion (If Needed): Just before the main broadcast, low-level cyber disturbances would occur across other city networks, diverting IT security attention away from the Gala feed and OmniCorp's servers. This would involve Rhys's network, including Jax (who was brought back into the fold with partial truths about the need to create a major digital disruption to expose police corruption framing Rhys).

It was a scheme that required complete accuracy, lightning-fast timing, and unflinching faith. Anya had to have faith in Rhys's technical skills, his assurance that he would carry out the mission without causing needless harm (such as bringing down vital city systems), and his ability to make sound decisions in the midst of the mayhem. Rhys needed to have faith in Anya's selections for the fail-safe recipients—that Carter wouldn't make rash sensationalizations, that the ADA wouldn't be coerced, and that Rostova wasn't betraying Vance's allies or privately corrupted. He had to have faith that Anya's strategic knowledge of the system's operation, despite its flaws, was correct.

"Anya," Rhys continued, his eyes fierce in the lantern light, "this is everything." "If a component fails... When Vance steps out, we are left without any protection.

"I understand," she said, looking him in the eye. Overlaid with a ferocious determination, the terror remained, a chilly knot in her stomach. He set you up. An innocent man was harmed by him. He believes that he is untouchable. Someone needs to disprove him. Their old quarrel appeared trivial in the heat of the moment. The boldness of the idea bound them together more than any kiss, and they were bound together by a common goal.

The two days that followed were a flurry of hasty, covert planning. Working from several secret places, Rhys constructed the intricate code for the network breaches, packaged the evidence payload, and spoke with Jax over encrypted channels, giving him precisely divided instructions for the distraction. Driven by adrenaline and caffeine, he slept very little.

Despite being on formal leave, Anya made good use of her time. She created customized, anonymous communications to go with the data bundles, outlining the background and requesting prompt action, and she finalized the list of recipients. She carefully examined the broadcast infrastructure, Vance's scheduled speaking times, and the Gala's itinerary, providing Rhys with vital logistical information through their secure communications. Operating completely outside the norms, driven solely by her beliefs and her faith in Rhys, she felt oddly free. They had lost the tightrope and were falling freely, aiming for something far below.

A uneasy calm descended upon them as the Gala evening drew near. Rhys took up his main command post, a state-of-the-art apparatus hidden in an abandoned projection booth with a view of the city. With her burner phone ready, Anya located an inconspicuous spot where she could see a public screen streaming the incident. She kept an eye on police channels and news feeds for any instant fallout.

"Systems accessed," was the last message Rhys sent. The payload is prepared. prepared diversionary measures. I'm awaiting your signal to begin Vance's keynote.

"Recipient channels are open," Anya retorted. waiting. Rhys, good luck.

With a glimmer of his former self-assurance, he said, "Luck is for amateurs." "This has to do with execution. Anya, be careful.

They laid the trap. The players were positioned. The only things left were the trigger and the hope that their last-ditch gamble wouldn't cause everything to fall apart. The hunt was about to come to a dramatic end.