Part 21
The wait was agonizing,
stretching out minute by minute,
testing their patience.
They stayed in a cheap motel,
on the outskirts of town,
paying with cash.
Julian watched the news channels,
flipping through them constantly,
waiting for Thorne's announcement.
Ten hours passed,
then twelve,
with absolute silence from the billionaire's camp.
"He is not going to do it," Julian concluded,
pacing the small room.
"He is looking for a way to break the switch,
or find the server."
"He can't find it,
you bounced it through too many nodes," Eleanor said,
trying to reassure herself.
"Nobody is unhackable,
Eleanor,
especially with his resources."
Suddenly,
the news ticker at the bottom of the screen,
flashed red.
'BREAKING: FBI issues arrest warrant for journalist Eleanor Pierce,
citing cyber-terrorism and extortion.'
Eleanor stared at the screen,
horrified,
as her own face appeared on the broadcast.
"He didn't surrender,
he flipped the board," she whispered,
realizing his strategy.
"If you are a wanted terrorist,
anything you publish is discredited,
written off as a malicious attack," Julian explained,
grabbing their bags.
"We have to move,
now,
every cop in the state will be looking for you."
They rushed out to the car,
keeping their heads down,
avoiding the security cameras.
As they drove onto the highway,
police sirens wailed in the distance,
growing louder.
"Where do we go?" she asked,
feeling a sense of hopelessness,
creeping in.
"We can't run forever,
we need to force the broadcast,
trigger the switch early," Julian decided.
"If we do it now,
while I am a fugitive,
will people believe it?" she worried.
"The data speaks for itself,
the bank records,
the flight logs,
it is all verifiable."
He handed her his laptop.
"Log in,
override the timer,
and send it."
She opened the screen,
typing in the complex password,
her hands shaking.
The connection was slow,
buffering over the mobile hotspot,
taking precious seconds.
"We have a tail," Julian warned,
looking in the rearview mirror.
A marked police cruiser was behind them,
its lights flashing,
gaining speed.
"Hold them off," she pleaded,
hitting the final execution command,
initiating the upload.
Julian swerved into the next lane,
cutting off a semi-truck,
putting a barrier between them and the police.
Horns blared,
tires screeched,
chaos erupting on the highway.
"Upload is at fifty percent," she yelled,
watching the progress bar,
willing it to move faster.
The police cruiser maneuvered around the truck,
pulling up alongside them,
the officer shouting through a megaphone.
'Pull over immediately!'
Julian ignored the command,
pressing the gas pedal to the floor,
accelerating dangerously.
"Eighty percent,
almost there," she prayed,
gripping the laptop tightly.
The cruiser bumped their bumper,
trying to spin them out,
sending a violent jolt through the car.
Eleanor hit her head against the window,
dazed,
but kept her eyes on the screen.
"One hundred percent," she screamed.
"Data sent!"
Julian slammed on the brakes,
skidding to a halt on the shoulder,
throwing his hands up in surrender.
They were caught,
May you like
but the truth was free,
and Elias Thorne was finished.
