Chapter 2: The Walk to the Podium
The moment Arthur saw the silver casing of the flash drive, the color instantly drained from his face. His confident, commanding posture crumpled. He knew what was on that drive. It was the digital skeleton key to his entire empire—the unredacted files, the stolen patents, and the financial trails of a man who had built his fortune on the backs of student researchers he had systematically exploited and silenced.
"Put that away, you ungrateful little..." Arthur hissed, lunging forward to snatch it from her hand.
But Emily didn’t flinch. She stepped smoothly past him, her stride steady and unyielding. The university dean, paralyzed by shock and a sudden, creeping terror, sat frozen in his high-backed chair, unable to form a word. The crowd could feel the seismic shift in the air; this wasn't a graduation ceremony anymore. It was an execution.
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Every step Emily took toward the podium felt heavier, the silence of the ten thousand spectators pressing down like lead. She stepped up the wooden stairs, her eyes fixed on the master control console connected to the stadium's massive Jumbotron screens.
She plugged the silver USB drive into the port. A small blue light blinked twice, signaling the connection.
