Chapter 12 - The Blackout
Two weeks later, the annual Boston Technology Summit was being held at a massive downtown convention center.
Ethan was scheduled to give the keynote speech to introduce his new philanthropic tech initiative.
Naomi was personally leading the security detail, completely unwilling to trust anyone else with his safety.
She wore a sleek black suit, a discreet earpiece tucked into her ear, and a concealed weapon holstered against her ribs.
The massive auditorium was packed with over a thousand wealthy investors and tech journalists.
Ethan stood at the podium, speaking passionately about using technology to track and dismantle illegal arms dealing.
Naomi paced near the side of the stage, her sharp eyes scanning the massive crowd for any micro-expressions of hostility.
Something about the atmosphere in the room felt incredibly wrong to her heavily trained instincts.
"Margaret, check the exterior cameras," Naomi whispered quietly into her secure radio channel.
"Everything looks completely clear on the perimeter, Naomi," Margaret's calm voice echoed in her ear.
Just as Margaret finished her sentence, the entire convention center was plunged into absolute, pitch-black darkness.
The crowd erupted into panicked screams as the main power grid completely failed.
Naomi did not hesitate or panic for even a fraction of a second.
She immediately shifted into her Tier-1 tactical mindset, moving through the darkness like a ghost.
She sprinted across the stage, grabbing Ethan by the back of his jacket and pulling him hard to the floor.
A split second later, three suppressed bullets shattered the wooden podium exactly where Ethan had just been standing.
"Stay completely down," Naomi commanded, drawing her weapon smoothly from her holster.
Someone had bypassed their million-dollar security system, and they were using military-grade night vision.
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Naomi realized with a chilling certainty that they were no longer dealing with simple street thugs.
They were being hunted by absolute professionals.
