Kill the Truth

Chapter 5: Trojan

The basement archive smelled of ink and ozone. Elara held a scalpel over Damian's collarbone. The blade shone under the light of a single desk lamp.

"Are you sure about this?" Elara asked. Her fingers trembled as she adjusted her grip on the scalpel handle. "If they find this during the scan you won't make it past the processing floor. They will kill you in the holding cell."

"They won't find it " Damian said. His voice was flat and rhythmic. "The outer casing of the micro-drive is made of an alloy. It doesn't contain metals or high-density polymers that would trigger a standard scan."

Damian looked at his chest. A dark purple bruise was forming over his cracked ribs.

"Make the incision three centimeters below the clavicle " Damian instructed. "Just deep enough to clear the layer. Slide the drive horizontally beneath the skin then seal it with adhesive."

Sophia turned her face away. "You are completely insane Cross " she muttered. "You are treating your body like a piece of contraband."

"It is the logical path forward " Damian replied. "The Directorate is an organization. If you try to hunt it from the shadows it will eventually isolate you. Erase your existence."

Elara took a breath. She pressed the scalpel against Damian's skin. Sliced downward. Dark crimson blood welled up from the cut.

Damian didn't flinch. His jaw muscles tightened,. His breathing remained slow and regulated.

Elara used tweezers to pick up a black ceramic rectangle from the desk. She carefully inserted it into the pocket of flesh.

"It is done " Elara whispered. "The code is active. You have three days to reach the mainframe, Damian."

"Three days is more than enough " Damian said.

He turned to Sophia. "The success of this operation doesn't just depend on me getting. It depends on what happens out while I am locked away."

"What do you need from me?" Sophia asked.

"I need you to force the government's hand " Damian explained. "I need my arrest to be a spectacle. If the arrest is broadcast live to millions of people, the Directorate cannot afford to let me die in transit."

"How do we trigger a response without getting shot on sight?" Sophia asked.

"We use the data we took from Vance's accounts " Damian said. "Elara has built an automated transmission loop. At eight o'clock this morning the data will be blasted to the Department of Justice and every major broadcasting network."

Sophia smiled. "The local cops won't have jurisdiction anymore. The federal authorities will have to step in."

Damian nodded. "The federal field office is located downtown. I will be standing on the steps of the courthouse at exactly eight-fifteen. You will be there with a camera crew."

At seven-forty-five in the morning Damian stood in the shadows of an alleyway. The morning fog was dense. The towering glass and concrete monolith of the courthouse loomed through the mist.

He wore a stolen canvas coat. His hands were buried inside his pockets. He didn't have his weapon anymore.

He watched the SUVs parked along the perimeter of the square. Men in suits and tactical vests were already moving through the lobby of the courthouse.

Damian pulled his hand from his pocket. Checked his watch.

Eight-fourteen.

Through the fog, he saw Sophia Bennett step out of a white news van. She was accompanied by a cameraman carrying a broadcasting rig. The red tally light on top of the camera was already glowing.

Damian took a breath. He felt the pull of the adhesive patch, beneath his collarbone.

He stepped out of the alleyway.

His boots clicked sharply against the concrete of the plaza as he walked toward the grand granite staircase. The square was relatively empty.

"Hey! You! Stop there!"

The shout came from a marshal stationed near the entrance. Within three seconds the entire plaza erupted into movement.

Federal agents came out of the courthouse doors their guns drawn and pointed directly at Damian's chest.

Tactical vehicles sped up from the curbs screeching their tires as they blocked any escape path.

Hands on your head! Drop to your knees! Do it now!

Damian stopped on the step of the granite staircase. He didn't run. He didn't reach for his pockets. He slowly put his hands above his head interlocking his fingers behind his neck. He looked past the guns. Stared directly into Sophia's camera.

My name is Damian Cross! he shouted. I am surrendering to the Federal Bureau of Investigation! I have given evidence of Policy Commissioner Vance's corruption to the Department of Justice! The local police are compromised!

Get down on the ground! A senior agent yelled, rushing down the steps and kicking Damian's knees.

Damian fell hard onto the stone steps. His cracked ribs hurt,. He didn't make a sound. Three agents jumped on his back pinning his legs to the ground. His arms were pulled behind his back and handcuffs were put on his wrists.

Keep that camera back! An agent shouted, pushing Sophia's lens away. This is an operation! Clear the area!

Is Damian Cross a whistleblower or a terrorist? Sophia asked into her microphone. The public has a right to know if the Ashbourne Police Department has been funded by people!

Damian was pulled to his feet by his collar. A black cloth hood was put over his head. He was marched down the steps. He was then pushed into a metal compartment of an armored vehicle.

The steel doors closed loudly. The engine. The vehicle sped away.

The journey took forty-five minutes. Locked in the dark Damian used his clock to figure out the route.

Finally, the vehicle stopped. Damian was pulled out into the air. He could feel a structure before him.

Blackgate Penitentiary.

The hood was taken off. Damian saw the prison. It was made of volcanic rock and rusty iron plates. There were three layers of walls with razor wire and machine guns on top.

Move a guard said, pushing Damian forward.

The inside of Blackgate was noisy and dirty. Damian was led into a room with a scanner.

Strip the officer said. Put all your clothes in the bin.

Damian took off his clothes. Stood under the fluorescent lights. He then stepped into the scanner. A ring of light scanned his body.

On the side of the glass, the officer watched the monitor. The scanner found a lump under Damian's skin but it didn't trigger an alarm.

The glass doors opened.

Step out the officer said, giving Damian a jumpsuit and rubber sandals. You are inmate number 8442. You are a national security threat. You are under segregation.

Two guards took Damian to a corridor. They reached an iron door marked Block Sigma.

The door. Damian was led to a small cell. The door slammed shut behind him.

Damian stood in the center of the cell listening to the guards leave. He was alone within the prison.

He walked over to the steel door. Listened to the vibrations of the building. He could feel a hum from a machine below him.

The machine was a mainframe. It was processing a lot of money that kept The Directorate in power.

Damian touched the lump under his collarbone. He sat down on the steel bunk closed his eyes and planned his move. He was, inside the fortress. Now he just had to wait for night to fall.