CHAPTER 1: THE LEAK

The shatter of glass echoed the sudden crack in Ava Thorne's composure. Not the quiet, controlled break of a carefully considered decision, but the explosive shattering of a carefully constructed facade. A dark figure, silhouetted against the city lights, stood in her office, a single, cold pistol pointed directly at her.

"The envelope," the figure rasped, their voice a low growl barely audible above the city's hum. "Give it to me."

Ava's mind raced. This wasn't part of the plan. The anonymous leak had been a calculated risk, but this...this was a direct threat. She glanced at the manila envelope on her desk, the incriminating document a silent witness to the unfolding drama. Her hand instinctively went to the emergency button under her desk, but the figure anticipated her move.

"Don't even think about it, Senator," the figure hissed, their finger tightening on the trigger. "This is about the information, nothing more. Hand it over, and no one gets hurt."

Ava's gaze locked with the figure's, a silent battle of wills playing out in the tense silence. She knew she was outnumbered, outmatched. But she also knew the stakes. This wasn't just about the President; it was about the future of the country. She had to buy time.

"Who sent you?" she asked, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "Who wants this information?"

The figure hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty in their eyes. It was a small opening, a crack in their hardened exterior. Ava seized the opportunity, launching herself across the desk in a desperate bid to reach the emergency button.

The shot rang out, the bullet whizzing past her ear, embedding itself in the wall. Ava scrambled for the button, her fingers fumbling in the frantic search. She pressed it, the alarm blaring, shattering the tense silence with a deafening roar. The figure, startled by her sudden move, turned and vanished into the night, leaving Ava shaken but alive, the fate of the nation hanging precariously in the balance.