Chapter 14: The Intercepted Signal

👉 Previous Decision: You attempted to use a whistleblower’s gambit, but Arthur’s counter-malware wiped the evidence.

Frantic, I ducked into a public payphone booth near Metro Center, the heavy glass door closing out the sounds of the city. My heart hammered against my ribs. Digital evidence had failed. I needed to go analog. I needed to go official.

I dialed the emergency federal helpline, the numbers worn smooth on the old keypad. The call connected immediately. A soft click. A dial tone.

But instead of an official operator, Arthur’s quiet, smooth voice responded over the line. “Did you really think municipal emergency dispatch wasn’t routed through our telecom infrastructure, Julian?”

A cold dread seeped into my bones. My grip tightened on the plastic receiver.

“D.C. is run on our servers,” Arthur continued, his voice devoid of emotion, a cold, clinical statement of fact. “Every call, every signal, every whisper. We hear it all.”

I slammed the receiver down, the clatter echoing in the small booth. My hands trembled. Normal legal channels were completely compromised. He wasn’t just influencing politics; he was the political infrastructure.

There was only one option left. I had to return to the root source, to Aegis itself, during the evening shift change.

➡️ Read CHAPTER 15 to continue the story.