Chapter 6 - The Federal Blockade
The two federal agents stood up as Caleb and Malik entered the small apartment.
"Are you Caleb?" the taller agent asked, flashing a silver badge.
Caleb nodded slowly, gripping the MP3 player tightly inside his jacket pocket.
"We received a tip that your sister is in possession of stolen, classified school district files," the agent lied.
Maya crossed her arms, looking furiously at the agents.
"I told you, I am a journalist, and the photo I received was sent voluntarily," Maya argued.
The agents ignored her and turned their attention entirely to Caleb.
"We need to confiscate any electronic devices you have on your person," the second agent demanded.
Caleb realized Chief Baxter had used his political connections to call in massive favors.
The corrupt police chief was using federal intimidation to bury a local civil rights violation.
"I do not have my phone, my principal took it," Caleb answered truthfully.
The agents searched Caleb and Malik, but Caleb had cleverly slipped the MP3 player into Maya's umbrella stand by the door.
The agents found nothing and eventually left the apartment with a final, stern warning.
Once the door locked behind them, Maya collapsed onto the sofa in pure frustration.
"They wiped my secure cloud servers remotely using a federal warrant," Maya cried.
"The photograph is completely gone, and we have absolutely no evidence left."
Caleb walked over to the umbrella stand and retrieved the vintage music player.
"We still have the audio," Caleb smiled, holding the device up triumphantly.
Maya's eyes lit up with renewed determination as she grabbed an adapter cable.
She plugged the MP3 player directly into her encrypted laptop.
"I am not waiting for the morning paper," Maya declared fiercely.
"I am going to upload this audio file directly to every major news outlet in the country."
She clicked the upload button and watched the progress bar quickly fill the screen.
May you like
Just as the bar reached ninety-nine percent, the laptop screen suddenly went completely black.
The lights in the apartment flickered and died, plunging the entire room into absolute darkness.
