Reed ducked and his camera hit the floor. The muffled crack of the shot was so quiet it barely registered over the hum of the lights but Reed knew what it meant. He hit the ground and rolled behind the table for cover his mind racing.
The room erupted into chaos. Kessler’s security detail sprang into action. They had been trained to know what a gunshot sounded like even a silenced one. Their commands and movements sliced through the room. “Code Black! Secure the Secretary!” one of the agents barked. The lights overhead flickered once then stabilized casting long shifting shadows across the walls.
Reed stayed low his pulse pounding in his ears. He clenched his teeth trying to get his composure back but his mind wouldn’t stop replaying the sound of the silenced shot. His body trembled as he crouched behind the table.
Then he felt it—a tiny pinch on his right earlobe. He reached up and brushed against it. When he pulled his hand back his fingers were smeared with blood. Reed’s breath caught. The shot had grazed him. If he hadn’t ducked it would’ve been a clean kill.
So close. Too close.
His camera lay beside him the tripod collapsed. He grabbed it and held it like a lifeline his fingers shaking. He looked towards the center of the room where Barry Cox was standing unflinching. The red capped lens was still attached to the camera with a hole down the middle of the front glass its deadly secret hidden behind the shiny exterior. Barry lowered the camera slowly his smirk growing wider as if savoring the moment. His composure was unnerving a stark contrast to the chaos around him.
Reed’s earpiece crackled to life. Kranch’s voice came through sharp and urgent. “Reed status?”
Reed forced himself to breathe to push through the fear haze in his mind. “Barry took the shot. Barely missed me. Protect Kessler. Get him out and to safety now!”
“Got it. Extracting him now” Kranch replied his voice steady but tense.
Through the earpiece Carter’s voice came through. “Reed you good do you need help?” “No” Reed replied his voice steady now the adrenaline kicking in. “Protect the Secretary at all costs!”
Barry turned slightly his eyes narrowing as he caught Reed looking at him. His smirk faltered for a second a flicker of doubt crossed his face then it was gone replaced by his usual cool arrogance. He tilted his head as if to say Let’s see what you’ll do next.
Reed disconnected his camera from the tripod and slipped it into his bag and secured it tightly. His mind racing through the next steps each one calculated deliberate. Barry had made his move—and barely missed. Now it was time for Reed to counter.
The room suddenly got thicker. Kessler’s security team surged forward their movements precise but frantic a well-rehearsed choreography of protection. Kessler’s team fanned out their hands hovering near concealed weapons scanning the room for secondary threats.
Kessler and Kranch had left the ballroom just before Barry took the shot. They were on the move their strides quick but measured. Moving further away from danger now.
Reed stayed low his body pressed against the floor as he crawled towards better cover his mind racing. He risked a glance towards the door Kessler and Kranch were long gone hopefully safe. The security detail followed moments later. But by then it was as if the Secretary had disappeared into thin air. They reached the hallway only to find... nothing.
“What?” one of the Secretary’s men muttered his head snapping left and right scanning the corridor for any sign of Kessler. His comms crackled but no one responded. The hallway stretched out empty and eerily quiet.
“Where’s the Secretary?” another of the Secretary’s men demanded his voice rising with tension. He pressed his earpiece harder against his ear. “Anyone report! Do you have eyes on the Secretary?”
But there was no reply. The hallway cameras placed for extra security were suddenly offline their screens showing nothing but static. The team’s confusion turned to frustration their training barely holding their panic at bay.
Barry’s smirk grew wider as he watched the chaos unfold. His eyes searched for Reed who was still crouched behind the table. For a moment their gazes locked again. Barry with an almost imperceptible gesture of mockery as if to say, This is what happens when you play against me.
Reed’s earpiece crackled to life. Kranch’s voice came through low and steady. “I’ve got the Secretary. He’s safe.”
Reed breathed out slowly relief washing over him. Of course, Kranch had pulled it off—silent and seamless the extraction executed with precision. Kessler wasn’t just gone. He had disappeared a ghost slipping through Barry’s web of control.
Then the room went black. The lights flickered and died and the room was plunged into total darkness. Reed froze his breath catching in his throat. He couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face. The weight of the darkness all around him amplifying every sound—the scrape of a chair a distant murmur the faint shuffle of feet.
Through the earpiece Carter’s voice came through tense but steady. “I couldn’t stop it. Lights are down. Barry’s backup plan. We need eyes on him.”
Barry didn’t run—he didn’t need to. This wasn’t panic—it was control. His contingencies were layered and redundant. This was how Barry operated. While this scenario had been a long shot in his playbook it was still accounted for. He grabbed his camera bag his smirk faint but visible in the occasional flicker of light from frantic flashlights slicing through the darkness.
Kessler’s security was trained but clearly unprepared for this level of disruption and chaos. They scrambled to get it back together. Voices shouted over each other. Orders barked through comms were met with confused replies. The faint wail of an alarm somewhere in the hotel added to the pandemonium.
In the middle of all this Reed stayed calm his voice steady and sharp as he directed his team through their earpieces.
“Kranch get the Secretary to the fallback location.”
“On it” came Kranch’s response the sound of movement faintly audible in Reed’s ear.
“Carter, see if you can’t get those lights back on.”
“Already moving” Carter replied his voice a steady presence in the storm.
“Grimes” Reed commanded his tone carrying weight and urgency. “Eyes open for Barry. Grab him if you can. Keep him in the hotel.” Grimes hesitated for a second before responding his voice firm. “Understood. I’m on it.”
Barry took a slow step back he was enjoying the chaos. To him this wasn’t an escape; it was an exit. His eyes closed shut for a second as he mentally visualized the room. He knew every inch of it—the positions of the furniture the exits the likely blind spots. He moved with precision slipping past flustered security and panicked operatives with the ease of a ghost.
Flashlights swept the space briefly illuminating Barry’s form before he vanished into the shadows. Barry’s operatives blended seamlessly into the chaos their distractions subtle but devastating. Fire alarms began to wail triggered by smoke from tampered light fixtures. Power surges rippled through the hotel’s electrical system sending bursts of static through comms and dimming lights further. Smoke seeped into the hallway from a sabotaged air vent adding to the confusion.
Reed tracked the chaos his mind working faster than ever. Barry is staging his victory. He’s making this look like a mess we can’t clean up.
Barry’s smirk never faltered as he slipped into the stairwell disappearing into the mayhem he had orchestrated. In his mind the pieces were still on the board but the game was already his. Barry had time resources and layers of deception. As the door to the stairwell swung shut behind him Barry whispered to himself his voice carrying a quiet menace.
“Checkmate Sawyer. You just don’t know it yet.”
Barry’s far-flung contingency plan was executed flawlessly by Seth Gauthier his number one operative. Barry had anticipated their attempts to stop Seth from killing the lights so he had a kill switch installed—a tap on his phone and the room was plunged into darkness.
Gauthier wasted no time moving to the next phase of the plan. He headed directly to the private airstrip where he began preparing the jet for Barry’s escape from Vienna. Meanwhile a black SUV with an operative behind the wheel waited idly a short distance from the hotel ready to spirit Barry away the moment he slipped outside. Inside the hotel chaos erupted as people scrambled to make sense of the sudden blackout and the carefully orchestrated distractions that had thrown everything into disarray. Gauthier didn’t fully agree with Barry’s methods but he couldn’t deny the man’s ability to plan prepare and execute contingencies with precision.
It felt like only minutes had passed when the SUV pulled up to the private airstrip. Barry stepped out his face lit with a triumphant smile radiating the confidence of a man who believed he was untouchable. He knew his gun/lens had missed its mark but the look on Reed Sawyer’s face—stunned and pinned behind that table—had made it all worthwhile. The consequences of his actions would follow him back to the U.S. but Barry was unfazed. As always, he had a plan. He would clear his name and ensure his survival—just as he always did.
Barry’s polished shoes clicked against the smooth concrete of the private jet hangar the sound echoing faintly in the cavernous space. He ascended the steps to the jet his confidence unshaken despite the chaos left behind at the hotel. The Architect never faltered. He adjusted his cufflinks with precision his thoughts already focused on the next steps in his plan.
As he reached the top of the stairs his encrypted cellphone buzzed in his pocket. He paused pulling it out the soft glow of the screen illuminating his sharp features. The sender was unknown. The message brief and jarring:
“Your time is up, Architect.”
Barry’s eyes narrowed scanning the hangar reflexively. No one was there—just his operatives stationed dutifully around the perimeter. Deleting the message with a flick of his thumb he slipped the device back into his pocket brushing off the warning like a gnat.
He stepped onto the plane the soft hum of the engines masking his growing suspicion. But doubt fleeting as it was gnawed at the edges of his certainty. Who had sent that message? Minutes earlier back at the hotel Reed’s mind was racing even as his breathing slowed. Barry doesn’t just escape—he orchestrates every step. He’s always ten moves ahead.The room still buzzed with chaos but Reed’s thoughts were fixed on the one thing he couldn’t shake: “Section 3. Page: 16. Code: 105-B.” What does it mean? Why would Barry risk everything to keep Kessler from it? The code nagged at him like an itch he couldn’t scratch a piece of the puzzle just out of reach.
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Over the earpiece Reed’s voice came through steady and resolute. “As soon as possible regroup—service corridor beneath the hotel.”
The team began moving. Reed stayed low using the shadows and the cover of panic to slip through the chaos. He glanced toward the stairwell door Barry had exited through his nerves on edge. This doesn’t end here, Barry.
It didn’t take long for the lights to flicker back on and the chaos to subside. In the dimly lit service corridor, the team regrouped each member looking battered but resolute. Grimes arrived last his face pale and drawn though his jaw was set with determination. “I’ve got something” he said his voice unsteady as he held up his phone. “Barry’s Pro4uM messages—he didn’t even try to hide it. He was going to pin all of this chaos on you Reed. And eliminating Kessler you and me in the process? That was always the plan.”
Reed locked eyes with Grimes nodding. “Of course, classic Barry. What else?”
Grimes scrolled through the messages his finger trembling slightly. “This thread—it’s filled with coded instructions to his team but the language is unmistakable. He was going to set himself up as the hero. He was going to create the narrative where you’re the scapegoat I’m collateral damage and Kessler’s death was an ‘unfortunate consequence’. If this had gone down according to Barry’s plan, he gets away clean with more power than before.” Kranch stepped forward. “I’ve got something too. During the photoshoot I slipped trackers on Barry’s team. Most of them got shaken off but one still seems to be active.” He pulled up a map on his device showing a blinking dot moving through the city. “It’s heading toward a private hangar near the edge of town.”
Reed studied the screen his mind already working through the possibilities. “A private hangar…” He trailed off his thoughts turning darker. Of course, Barry would have an escape plan.
Carter, standing next to Grimes, frowned. “Do we call this in? Let the authorities handle it?”
Reed shook his head his expression hardening. “Not yet. This doesn’t end with Barry running—it ends with him exposed. We have evidence but it’s not enough to topple him. We need to show the world who he really is not just catch him in the act.” Reed continued. “We follow the tracker but we do it smart. Barry thinks he’s untouchable and we need to let him keep thinking that. When we take him down it has to be final. No loose ends no spin.”
They had evidence a plan and a trail to follow—but they were up against The Architect a man who had built an empire on deception and control.
Grimes asked. “Did the code ever come in?”
Reed’s expression twisted in frustration. “Yeah, it came in but it was too late to get it to Kessler. Kranch had already helped him get out.”
Reed’s eyes narrowed his mind racing. “That code has to be something big. The way Barry reacted—it was unbelievable. And the lengths he went to just to keep Kessler from seeing it—tells me it’s more than just numbers. Whatever it is it’s tied to everything. We’ll figure it out.”
Grimes shifted uncomfortably leaning against the wall of the dimly lit service corridor. His voice was low heavy with regret. “I hesitated back there. When I got Barry’s orders, I should’ve come to you immediately. If I had—” He stopped his words catching. “If I had maybe some of this could’ve been avoided.” Reed turned to him his expression firm and understanding. “You’re here now. That’s what matters. We’re going to expose him, my friend. Every part of him. You’ve got my word.”
Grimes met Reed’s gaze a flicker of resolve breaking through his guilt. “No more hesitation. Whatever it takes I’m in. Barry’s going down.”
Carter caught Reed’s eye and motioned for him to step aside for a moment. His voice was low but urgent. “Look we’ve got more than enough to take this to the Embassy. Audio video eyewitnesses—it’s airtight. Why not call it in now? Let them handle it?”
Reed let his eyes go distant for a moment before locking onto Carter’s. “Because Barry doesn’t just need to be stopped—he needs to be seen. Embarrassed exposed and forever remembered as the monster he is.”
Carter frowned shaking his head. “We can’t risk him slipping away while we wait for the perfect moment Reed. You know what he’s capable of.”
“I do” Reed said his voice steady but laced with fire. “And that’s why this has to be done the right way. If we just stop him quietly, he’ll find a way to spin it. Barry’s built his entire empire on controlling the narrative. This isn’t just about stopping him Carter—it’s about making sure everyone sees who he really is. No more shadows. No more facades.”
Carter studied Reed’s face the conviction etched into every line. Slowly he nodded. “Alright. But we’re walking a fine line here.”
Reed placed a hand on Carter’s shoulder. “That’s why we’re a team. Barry’s made mistakes tonight—big ones. Now it’s our turn to make sure he pays for them.”
Grimes overhearing their conversation stepped closer. “We’ll make it happen Reed. Whatever it takes.”
Reed nodded a faint but determined smile tugging at his lips. “Then let’s get to work controlling this mess before Barry can spin it his way.” Reed’s team worked with quiet precision in the service corridor the tension between them unspoken but detectable. Carter was working on digitally forged documents—a mix of fabricated witness statements, falsified security logs and doctored correspondence that would lay the groundwork for their plan. Each piece was crafted to do two things: clear Barry of direct involvement in the chaos while simultaneously exonerating Reed and his team from any suspicion.
“This has to be airtight” Reed said his tone clipped but focused. “Barry can’t suspect we’re the ones creating this narrative. If he smells even a hint of what we are doing here he’ll disappear before we can expose him properly.”
Kranch nodded receiving various documents being airdropped to his phone. “The narrative has to look clean—Barry’s plan backfired but not because of us. Just another chaotic event gone sideways.”
Grimes spoke up “I’ll admit this doesn’t seem to be what we should be doing. Seems opposite. Won’t this just give him another chance to regroup? Feels like we’re letting him off the hook.”
Reed shook his head his expression firm and resolute. “We’re not letting him off the hook” he said with a faint smile. “We’re just letting him run with it.” Reed’s smile deepened as he added “Once he feels safe free of all this ‘Kessler’ mess we’ll yank that hook back so hard he won’t know what hit him. We’re tightening the leash. The more comfortable he feels the more mistakes he’ll make. He’s a control freak—he can’t resist meddling. And when he does, we’ll be ready.”
Carter shared a small map of the hotel to everyone’s devices pointing to the exit routes. “Kranch and I will handle the ‘accidental’ discovery of these documents. Security will eat it up especially with the chaos upstairs. Grimes you stay low start leaking what we have here to the press. Reed, keep refining the timeline. Let the authorities think what we are feeding them is their idea. Everything needs to line up.”
Reed glanced at the forged papers on his phone a grim determination in his eyes. “This isn’t about clearing our names—it’s about setting the stage. We make it look like Barry was never involved but we also make him complacent. Let him think he’s won. And then we strike.” The team moved with precision each member executing their role with efficiency. Splitting up across the hotel they worked quickly to plant the evidence and shape the narrative. Using key Wi-Fi connections compromised computer terminals and security server logs they carefully released every piece of fabricated data. Each file each log entry was meticulously crafted to weave a story of mistaken identities and unfortunate coincidences. By the time they regrouped the false trail would be seamlessly in place leaving anyone following it chasing shadows.
Reed surveyed their work. “Barry thinks he’s untouchable. Let’s make sure he keeps thinking that just long enough for us to burn it all down.”
With everything accomplished the team regrouped their breaths still heavy from the chaos of the past few hours. Grimes leaned against the wall his expression thoughtful. “Reed earlier today you asked me about SYNC. Is that part of your master plan? I’ve been thinking—once things settle down for a day or two, I’ll send a formal invitation to Barry to be the keynote speaker. It could play perfectly into the ‘Barry is innocent’ narrative. Feeding his ego like that? He won’t be able to resist showing his face. He’ll think it’s all about him—his spotlight his moment. There’s no way he’d skip it.”
The idea of Barry showing up at SYNC had already crossed Reed’s mind. “A public stage” he murmured to himself. “It’s a bold move—risky—but if he’s looking for a way to make an impact that’s how he’d do it.”
Grimes straightened a spark of hope in his eyes. “I can set it up. Make him the center of attention. Use the platform to show everyone exactly who he is.”
Carter clasped his hands over his chest his expression skeptical. “You’re talking about putting the Architect in front of thousands of people and hoping we can control the narrative? If we screw this up, we’ll be the ones exposed. And Barry? He’ll spin it faster than we can recover.”
Reed nodded his eyes squinting. “Carter’s right. Barry will be expecting us. He’s paranoid by nature.” Kranch spoke up his voice calm and deliberate. “We can’t do this alone. We’ll need people on the inside—staff security and especially tech support. Barry’s too good at covering his tracks. We’ll need allies to keep him in the spotlight long enough to take him down.”
“This is all true.” Reed said “But, I have some intel I haven’t shared with ya’ll yet. PPI has a vulnerability in their servers in New York. There’s a chance they could be compromised by a physically implanted device.”
Reed continued “Combine these devices with a staged presence at SYNC and it could be lights out for Barry Cox. We could tell the story we have collected here to the world.”
Turning to Carter. “Do you know how we could make that happen?”
Carter nodded slowly his mind already racing. “It’s possible but we’d need highly specialized equipment—small discreet and easy to hide. And then there’s the real challenge: getting something like that into a building as secure as PPI headquarters. That’s no small feat.”
Kranch interrupted. “Leave the sneaking to me. I have a knack for making the impossible happen. It’s not gonna be easy, but it can be done.”
Reed again directed his thoughts to Carter. “As soon as we get back to the States, we’ll have you focus on designing the devices.”
Carter smirked a glint of determination in his eyes. “Got it. I’ll make it work.”
Grimes raised his hand slightly stepping forward. “SYNC is my turf—those people are my people, I know them well. I’ll reach out to them carefully. No one knows Barry’s true side better than I do. I’ll make sure we have the support we need.”
Carter looked at Kranch who nodded in agreement. “This could work. Barry thrives on control. If we make him believe he’s still the puppet master he’ll walk right into it.”
Reed’s mind was going a hundred miles an hour now, as the pieces of the plan began to take shape. He turned to Grimes. “Make the connections. Get us access to the SYNC stage and the staff. We need Barry to feel like it’s his show his moment. And when the time comes, we’ll flip the script.”
Grimes nodded. “Consider it done.” The room’s tension shifted as the uncertainty gave way to resolve. They had a plan a glimmer of hope. SYNC would be the stage and Barry Cox wouldn’t see it coming.
Reed leaned against the cold tile wall of the service corridor. He pulled out his camera and cradled it in his hands. It felt heavier than usual as if the events of the last few hours had seeped into its frame. He took a deep breath and turned it on and scrolled through the recent shots stopping on the one that mattered most.
Barry Cox poised like a predator his fingers still wrapped around the weaponized lens. The faint glint of the dangling red cap was unmistakable. The hole down the middle of the glass and a slight whisp of smoke a visual confirmation of Barry’s intent. The image was sharp, the perfectly captured image. It was just like the old cliché, “A pictures is worth a thousand words.” And this image was not only words, but it told a thousand stories too. Stories that could dismantle Barry’s empire in an instant.
But Reed thought a single photograph no matter how bad it made Barry look wasn’t enough. The world wouldn’t just believe an image. Not when Barry’s entire existence had been built on deception manipulation and carefully curated lies.
Kranch’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “Reed you good? Barry’s private jet took off a while ago.” Something everyone already knew.
Reed nodded but didn’t take his eyes off the screen. “Just a second.”
His thumb hovered over the playback button replaying the events in his mind: Barry’s calm smirk the silenced gunshot the chaos that followed. The image wasn’t just evidence—it was a piece of the puzzle. And puzzles only made sense when you had all the pieces.
Carter looked over his shoulder catching a glimpse of the photo. “That’s the money shot huh?”
Reed turned off the camera and slung it back over his shoulder. “It’s a start” he said. “But it’s not enough. If we want the world to believe it—if we want them to see Barry for what he really is—we need the whole picture.”
Grimes nodded in agreement his resolve growing. “And that’s what SYNC is for.”
Reed looked at his teammates all of them focused. “Negative space isn’t empty—it’s where the truth hides. And we’re going to show the world. Let’s go,” he said and pushed off the wall. “We’ve got a lot of work to do before the world sees this and Barry’s whole world comes crashing down.”