Chapter 5 - The Weight of Steel
The sidewalk descended into a suffocating, absolute silence. The only sound remaining was the rhythmic pulse of the police sirens flashing red and blue light across the dark brick walls.
Victor’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. The color drained completely from his face, leaving him looking like a ghost wrapped in a black trench coat. He looked from the four-star General saluting the old man, to the armed tactical team surrounding the street, and back down to the dusty cap on the ground. The reality of his catastrophic error began to crash down upon his mind with the force of a falling anvil.
Arthur slowly raised his own right hand, placing his fingertips against his temple to return the General's salute with crisp, unyielding precision. "General Vance," Arthur said softly, his voice steady. "You didn't need to bring the whole battalion, Marcus."
General Marcus Vance lowered his hand, his eyes softening for a microsecond as he looked at Arthur, before turning his gaze toward Victor. The temperature on the street seemed to drop to absolute zero as the General took one step closer to the auditor.
"Is this the man who was obstructing your service record update, Sergeant?" Marcus asked, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying growl.
Victor’s knees buckled slightly. "N-No! Your Excellency, there’s been a complete misunderstanding! I was simply executing standard bureau review protocol—"
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"Shut your mouth," Marcus commanded, the single phrase hitting Victor like a physical blow that froze the words in his throat.
Marcus reached down, picked up Arthur’s navy-blue cap from the pavement, and carefully brushed the street dust from its fabric with his thumb. He picked out the silver quarter Victor had dropped inside, looked at it with intense disgust, and tossed the coin into the nearby gutter, where it vanished into the drain with a hollow splash.
