Chapter 17 - THE FALL OF EMPIRES
Instantly, the dark night sky above the naval station erupted into brilliant, blinding white light as six military illumination flares ignited high overhead.
From the surrounding waters, two high-speed Coast Guard interceptor craft surged out of the fog, their heavy machine guns trained directly on the pier. Simultaneously, the doors of the abandoned warehouses burst open, revealing dozens of state troopers and internal affairs tactical agents led by Agent Hayes.
"DROP YOUR WEAPONS! FEDERAL AGENTS! DROP YOUR WEAPONS NOW!" Hayes’s voice boomed over a bullhorn, echoing off the iron walls of the coaling station.
Sterling’s mercenaries panicked, dropping their rifles to the wet planks and raising their hands into the air. Sterling stood frozen, his face draining of all color as he looked from the gunboats to the dozens of red laser sights dancing across his chest.
"You're insane," Sterling whispered, his hand shaking as he looked at me. "You brought Internal Affairs here?"
"I didn't just bring Internal Affairs, Director," I said, stepping forward until the barrel of his lowered gun was inches from my coat. "The moment you stepped out of that car, my laptop was streaming live audio and video of your confession to the Inspector General, the US Attorney’s office, and three national news networks."
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Sterling let out a strangled gasp, dropping his weapon to the wooden planks. As tactical officers swarmed the pier, slamming him face-down into the salt-stained wood and snapping steel cuffs onto his wrists, I turned my back on him and looked out at the ocean.
The trap had sprung cleanly. The corrupt shield protecting Marcus Vance had been shattered beyond repair.
