The gavel's final, virtual clang still echoed in the chilled air of Aegis Prime. Mark Kross's digital presence, which moments ago had been a raging inferno, had dimmed to a pathetic, flickering ember on the monitor, a ghost of his former self, legally and financially neutered. Sato's quiet triumph radiated even through the holographic feed, a stark contrast to Mark's pixelated scream of impotent fury.
"He's finished, Leonard," Elaine said, her voice a low murmur beside me, a hint of awe in its tone. She watched the screen where Justice Vance's ruling was displayed, definitive and absolute. "Justice has been served."
A cold, hard satisfaction settled in my chest, a sense of completion that was profound yet strangely hollow. The long, arduous journey of vengeance had culminated, but the fi
