Chapter 25 - Samir Walks Free
Voss pulled Samir backward.
Megan watched his grip.
His balance.
The angle of his shoulder.
Daniel recognized the expression on her face.
It was the same calm he remembered beneath the wreckage.
Megan spoke to Samir.
“When I say move, drop left.”
Voss tightened his hold.
“Do not.”
Megan threw the empty evidence pouch toward his face.
Samir dropped left.
Daniel kicked the weapon from Voss’s hand.
Robert pulled Samir away.
Local officers entered.
Voss was arrested without a shot being fired.
His two guards surrendered.
Outside, Coast Guard vessels surrounded Blue Harbor.
The crew attempted to destroy files, but the ship’s automated backup system had already transmitted copies to remote servers.
Voss kept duplicates because he trusted no one.
That paranoia preserved the evidence.
Samir was taken to a hospital.
Before the ambulance doors closed, he held Megan’s hand.
“I thought you hated me.”
“I did for a while.”
He nodded.
“I deserved it.”
“No one deserves what he did to you.”
Samir began crying.
Daniel stood nearby.
For nine years, each survivor carried a different version of guilt.
Megan blamed herself for failing to save everyone.
Daniel blamed himself for needing rescue.
Samir blamed himself for surrendering information under threat.
Voss built power by keeping them separated.
The moment they stood together, his story collapsed.
Robert watched the ambulance leave.
Then he turned to Megan.
“What happens now?”
May you like
She looked toward the approaching dawn.
“Now the truth becomes expensive.”
