Chapter 10 - The Final Command
Before Adrian could pull the trigger, the ship's loudspeaker crackled to life with a deafening roar.
"Commander Vale, this is Fleet Admiral Thomas of the United States Navy."
The voice echoed through every single corridor of the massive destroyer.
"You are relieved of your command immediately, and your vessel is now surrounded by two attack submarines."
Adrian lowered his gun, his hands shaking as the reality of his situation set in.
The door to the quarters burst open again, but this time it was not Adrian's mercenaries.
It was the ship's Executive Officer, flanked by loyal sailors who had heard the broadcast and realized their captain was a traitor.
They tackled Adrian to the ground, stripping him of his weapon and forcing him into heavy iron restraints.
The Executive Officer saluted me respectfully and immediately ordered the ship to turn back to port.
By morning, the nightmare was finally over.
My brother David was found tied up in a warehouse, rescued by a SWAT team based on the coordinates found on Adrian's hard drive.
He was entirely cleared of all charges, as the ledger proved Adrian had manipulated the logistics logs himself.
My mother met us at the hospital, weeping uncontrollably and begging for my forgiveness.
I hugged her, letting go of the resentment, knowing our family was finally safe from the shadows.
I was reinstated with a full promotion, given absolute authority over the corruption task force.
A week later, I walked into my new corner office at the Pentagon, feeling a profound sense of peace.
I sat at my mahogany desk and opened the final encrypted folder recovered from Adrian's safe.
I clicked on the profile picture of the mysterious foreign buyer who was supposed to purchase the launch codes.
My blood turned to absolute ice in my veins.
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The man in the photo was smiling brightly, shaking hands with a known terrorist.
It was Jax.
