Ethan approached cautiously.
"How did you survive the station?"
Margaret gave a tired smile.
"Someone helped me."
"Who?"
She looked at Sophia.
"Your father."
Sophia froze.
"My father?"
"Michael Bennett saved my life seven years ago. He knew what was coming, and he arranged a way for me to disappear."
Sophia shook her head.
"But he died."
Margaret looked down.
"That's what they wanted everyone to believe."
Ethan stepped forward.
"Where is Daniel?"
Margaret removed a folded piece of paper.
"He's being held beneath the old Riverside facility. There's an underground laboratory that never appeared on the official construction plans."
Ethan studied the map.
"How do you know?"
"Because I helped design the archive system."
Margaret continued.
"Samuel is planning to destroy the entire facility tonight. He wants to erase the last remaining evidence."
Ethan looked toward the river.
"Then we'll expose him at the gala."
Margaret shook her head.
"You don't understand. Samuel has already infiltrated your plan."
"What?"
"Someone has been giving him information."
Sophia frowned.
"Who?"
Margaret hesitated.
Then she looked at Ethan.
"Someone close to you."
Ethan felt a chill.
"Who?"
Margaret didn't answer.
Instead, she handed him a small access card.
"This will open the underground entrance. But you need to be careful."
Before Ethan could ask another question, a car appeared on the bridge.
Margaret stepped backward.
"He's here."
A black vehicle stopped beside them.
The passenger door opened.
Richard Hayes stepped out.
"Margaret," he said. "You really should have stayed hidden."
Margaret turned to Ethan.
"Run!"
A gunshot rang out.
Ethan pulled Sophia behind the bridge support.
Margaret fell.
Hayes's men moved toward them.
Ethan and Sophia escaped through a maintenance path along the riverbank.
When they reached the car, Sophia was shaking.
"Margaret..."
Ethan looked back.
There was no movement on the bridge.
He wanted to return.
But he knew they would all be dead if they did.
They drove toward the hotel.
At 8:15 p.m., the Founders' Gala began.
The ballroom glittered beneath enormous crystal chandeliers.
Hundreds of guests filled the room.
Victor Hargrove stood near the stage, speaking with several politicians.
Mayor Caldwell smiled for photographers.
Richard Hayes walked among the security personnel.
Ethan entered through the service entrance wearing a black suit.
Sophia was already inside the surveillance control room.
She connected her laptop to the central system.
"All cameras are accessible," she whispered through her earpiece.
"Good. Start the upload."
Ethan moved toward the ballroom.
He reached the back of the stage and waited for the mayor's speech to finish.
Then he stepped forward.
"Before you celebrate this city, there's something you need to see."
The room fell silent.
Mayor Caldwell frowned.
"Who authorized this?"
Ethan raised a microphone.
"My name is Ethan Cole. Seven years ago, your government accused my father of causing the Riverside disaster."
He held up a photograph.
"But the evidence was fabricated."
Whispers spread across the ballroom.
Victor Hargrove turned toward the stage.
Richard Hayes immediately began moving through the crowd.
Ethan continued.
"I have original security recordings, financial documents, and photographs proving that the explosion was deliberately arranged."
He looked directly at the mayor.
"And I know who authorized it."
The large screen behind him suddenly turned on.
The first photograph appeared.
Samuel Cole standing inside the Riverside control room.
The second showed him disabling the emergency system.
The third showed him meeting with Richard Hayes.
Guests began shouting.
Reporters rushed toward the stage.
Victor Hargrove tried to leave.
But the doors had been locked.
Ethan raised his voice.
"The people responsible for twelve deaths are standing in this room!"
Then something unexpected happened.
The screen went black.
A new video appeared.
It showed Daniel Cole sitting in a chair.
His hands were tied.
Samuel stood behind him.
The ballroom became silent.
Samuel looked directly into the camera.
"Good evening, everyone."
He smiled.
"I see my nephew has decided to entertain us."
Ethan felt his stomach tighten.
Samuel continued.
"Since we're discussing the past, perhaps we should discuss the truth about Daniel Cole."
The screen changed.
A document appeared.
It was an original Riverside authorization form.
The signature at the bottom belonged to Daniel Cole.
Ethan stared at it.
The document showed that Daniel had personally authorized the shutdown of the emergency ventilation system.
The crowd erupted.
Victor Hargrove stepped toward the stage.
"Turn that off!"
Samuel smiled.
"Unfortunately, we cannot."
Then he revealed something even worse.
"Your beloved Daniel was not an innocent man. He helped design Project Nightfall. He knew about the experiments. He approved the early tests. And when everything went wrong, he tried to save himself."
Ethan shook his head.
"That's a lie!"
Samuel laughed.
"Is it?"
A new recording played.
Daniel's voice filled the ballroom.
"I knew the system was unstable. I should have stopped the project sooner."
The room fell silent.
Ethan looked devastated.
For the first time, he wondered whether his father had been hiding something much worse than he imagined.
Then the recording continued.
"But I never authorized the shutdown. Samuel used my credentials. He was the one who ordered the fire."
The video ended.
The ballroom exploded into noise.
Samuel's smile disappeared.
Then a second recording began.
This time, it showed Daniel speaking directly to the camera.
"Ethan, if you are watching this, I need you to understand something. There is a person inside your investigation who has been helping Samuel from the beginning."
Ethan looked toward Sophia's control room.
Daniel continued.
"I trusted this person with everything. I trusted them with my life."
The video froze.
Then the screen displayed a name.
SOPHIA BENNETT.
Ethan turned toward the control room.
His earpiece crackled.
Sophia's voice sounded frightened.
"Ethan, I can explain."
He stared at the screen.
"What have you done?"
Silence.
Then she whispered:
"My father made me promise."
Ethan felt his world collapse.
"Promise what?"
Sophia's voice broke.
"To keep your father hidden."
Suddenly, the ballroom doors opened.
Armed officers entered.
Richard Hayes raised his weapon.
"Everyone stay where you are!"
Ethan turned toward the stage.
Victor Hargrove was gone.
The mayor had disappeared.