As dawn began to break, Ethan and Sophie returned to Clara's safehouse, the weight of their discovery heavy on their minds. Between them on the table sat the bag containing the documents and Ethan's father's journal, a quiet reminder of the danger they now faced.
We have enough to blow Riverton out of the water," Marcus said, pacing the room. He looked worn visibly, as if the near encounter at the estate had dulled his sharpness. "But they won't go down without a fight.
"They are already hunting us," Sophie said as she pushed the strand of hair from her face. Her voice was steady but her fingers showed her anxiety by tapping against the table. "It is only a matter of time before they find this place too."
Clara sat back in her chair and her eyes narrowed. "We cannot afford to wait. If we are going to make this count, we need to blast everything all at once, in a way they can't shut down or spin.
Ethan nodded, flipping through his father's journal. "We'll need to be smart about this. Riverton has deep ties to the media and law enforcement. If they catch wind of what we're planning, they'll bury it before it sees the light of day."
Setting the Stage
Marcus, now entirely focused despite his exhaustion, started preparing the files for a mass leak. "We're going to drop it on multiple platforms," he explained, typing rapidly on his laptop. "Anonymous drops to independent journalists, whistleblower networks, and public repositories. If we spread it wide enough, they won't be able to contain it.
Sophie stood next to him, scrolling through the documents as he sorted through them. Her eyes rested on a name that seemed to appear everywhere: Elliot Cross.
"This keeps popping up," she said, reaching out and touching the screen. "Who is he?"
Marcus stopped his work and scrunched his face. "He's one of Riverton's key operatives. But there is almost nothing known about him. He is ghostly.
"Then we must find him," Ethan said firmly. "If he is that valuable to Riverton, he could know something we don't."
Clara crossed her arms. "It might not be safe to find him. If he is as evasive as Marcus says, it's because Riverton is keeping him out of sight."
Ethan locked eyes with Clara. "We have come this far. I am not retreating now."
An Unexpected Ally
As they ironed out their plan, Sophie's phone buzzed with an encrypted message. She hesitated to open it, thinking it must be another threat from Riverton. Instead, she saw a one-line text:
"I have information you need. Meet me at Pier 17 tonight. Come alone."
The message was signed with a single letter: E.
"Do you think it's him?" Sophie asked, showing the message to Ethan.
"It's possible," Ethan said, though his brow furrowed in suspicion. "Or it could be a trap."
Clara shook her head. "This is too convenient. Why would someone like Elliot Cross reach out to us now?"
Sophie bit her lip, weighing the risks. "If there's even a chance it's him, we can't ignore it. I'll go."
Ethan stepped forward immediately. "Not alone. If it's a trap, you'll need backup."
They locked eyes, and Sophie could see the resolve in his. "Okay," she agreed. "But we must be careful. If Riverton gets wind that we're onto him, we'll have no shot at all."
That night, Sophie and Ethan crept up to Pier 17 under cover of darkness. The pier was strangely silent, except for the gentle lapping of water against the docks and the distant hum of city traffic.
A lone figure stood at the edge of the pier, silhouetted against the faint glow of a nearby streetlamp.
"Stay back," Sophie whispered to Ethan as she approached cautiously.
The figure turned as she neared, revealing a middle-aged man with sharp features and a calm demeanor. "Sophie Carter," he said, his voice low but steady. "You've caused quite a stir."
Elliot Cross," Sophie said, the tone neutral. "You said you knew something."
He nodded, looking around as if to see that no one was watching. "I know what Riverton is planning. They've already begun preparing a counterattack against you and your team."
Ethan stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "Why are you telling us this? You're one of them.
"I was," Elliot admitted, his gaze steady. "But Riverton has gone too far. They've turned on their own people, and I'm not willing to be their scapegoat."
Sophie folded her arms, studying him carefully. "How do we know we can trust you?"
Elliot reached into his coat pocket and produced a small USB drive. "This contains the location of their main operations hub. If you want to bring them down, you need to hit them where it hurts."
Sophie hesitated before taking the drive. "Why now?"
"They are desperate," Elliot said. "And desperate people make mistakes. But if you don't act fast, they will wipe their records and disappear. You won't get another chance.
A Race Against Time
Marcus went back to the safehouse and began to analyze the data on the drive. It showed a heavily guarded facility in the outskirts of the city—a place where Riverton kept their most sensitive files and conducted their covert operations.
"This is it," Marcus said. "If we can get inside and retrieve their records, we'll have everything we need to take them down for good."
Clara looked at the team, her face stern. "This isn't going to be an easy thing. We're talking about penetrating one of the country's most secure facilities."
Ethan was on his feet, determination etched in his face. "Then we prepare well, and we move fast. Riverton's had control over our lives for too long. It's time to put a stop to this."
As the team prepared for the mission, the countdown began. Riverton was closing in, and the stakes had never been higher.
Would they finally take down the organization for good, or would Riverton's desperate revenge destro
y them before they could take action? The final confrontation had just begun.