Chapter 15 - THE NIGHT AMERICA FOUND OUTBy morning, Washington was in chaos.
News stations broadcast emergency reports.
Federal agencies denied everything.
Senators demanded investigations.
Military officials held press conferences.
The White House issued carefully worded statements.
But the files were already everywhere.
Journalists downloaded them.
Lawyers copied them.
Independent investigators mirrored them.
Ordinary Americans watched the names appear on their screens.
Atlas could not erase the truth fast enough.
Robert stood in a hotel room watching television.
Emily sat beside him.
Daniel stood near the window.
Sarah reviewed documents.
Margaret had disappeared again.
Cole was missing.
Victor had been arrested.
Marcus had been killed during the escape.
But one question remained.
Who had uploaded the files?
Emily looked at Robert.
“I thought I did.”
Sarah shook her head.
“You started the transfer.”
“Then who completed it?”
Nobody knew.
A journalist appeared on television.
She held up a document.
“This file appears to show that Atlas wasn't simply a private organization.”
Robert watched.
The journalist continued.
“It appears to have connections reaching into several federal administrations over nearly three decades.”
Emily whispered:
“It goes higher.”
Robert looked at her.
“How high?”
Sarah answered.
“Higher than the Pentagon.”
Robert's phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A distorted voice spoke.
“You did well.”
Robert frowned.
“Who is this?”
“You don't know me.”
“What do you want?”
“Nothing.”
The voice paused.
“Not yet.”
Robert stood.
“How did you get this number?”
“You've been asking the wrong question.”
“What question?”
The voice answered:
“Who started Atlas?”
Robert's blood ran cold.
He looked at Emily.
The call ended.
Sarah rushed over.
“What happened?”
Robert told her.
Sarah looked disturbed.
“That's impossible.”
“What?”
“Atlas wasn't started by Cole.”
“Then who?”
Sarah opened an old file.
There was a photograph.
Robert stared at it.
The picture showed three men.
Adrian Cole.
Thomas Hayes.
And Robert.
But the photograph had been taken thirty years earlier.
Robert did not remember it.
Sarah pointed to the fourth person.
A woman standing behind them.
Margaret.
May you like
Robert's world collapsed again.
“She was there from the beginning.”
