Chapter 8 - The Broadcast
Tariq smiled a cold, utterly terrifying smile as Mira froze in the doorway of the control room.
"I knew your stubborn sense of duty would eventually bring you right to me," he mocked arrogantly.
Mira gripped the silver pistol she had kept hidden in her jacket, her heart hammering violently in her throat.
She knew she only had one desperate, incredibly risky chance to save the entire kingdom.
She raised her weapon and fired blindly toward the heavy glass window overlooking the studio.
The deafening gunshot shattered the glass entirely, causing Tariq to instinctively flinch and duck for cover.
Mira sprinted fiercely across the room and dove completely behind the massive steel broadcasting console.
Bullets tore through the expensive leather chairs right where she had been standing just seconds before.
She desperately pulled the tiny microchip from her pocket with severely trembling, sweaty fingers.
She crawled along the floor, frantically searching for the main server upload port on the massive machine.
She found the slot, jammed the microchip inside, and blindly slapped the large, glowing transmission button.
A loud, automated voice echoed through the room, announcing that the national emergency broadcast was actively initiating.
The massive screens on the wall flickered to life, displaying Tariq's treasonous plans to the entire country.
A bright green progress bar appeared on the monitor, indicating the data upload was rapidly completing.
Tariq roared in absolute, unadulterated fury and charged aggressively around the side of the console.
He raised his heavy weapon and fired a devastating burst directly into the main computer server.
Sparks flew wildly into the air, and the upload progress bar instantly froze at exactly ninety-nine percent.
The broadcast had completely stalled, leaving the undeniable proof trapped inside the broken machine.
Before Mira could react, Tariq lunged forward and grabbed her violently by her bruised throat.
He lifted her entirely off the ground, choking the precious air completely out of her burning lungs.
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He dragged her struggling, helpless body toward the shattered glass window overlooking the high balcony.
He shoved her forcefully out the broken window, dangling her completely over the dizzying, fatal drop to the courtyard.
