Chapter 84 – The Weight of Justice
May 19, 2014 – Monday – 6:37 AM
Pearson Hardman – Logan Moore's Office
The city was waking slowly. But for Logan, the last night had been mostly sleepless. He sat at his desk, reviewing what he already knew by heart: the closing speech. But it wasn't just about words. It was about meaning. About weight. About what he'd carried since day one: three lives lost and a system that pretended not to see.
Rachel came in with two mugs of coffee.
"Did you sleep?"
Logan shook his head, but smiled with his eyes.
"Tonight wasn't the night for sleeping. It was for remembering."
Rachel sat up.
"Are you ready?"
"Since I started listening to what no one wanted to hear."
8:42 AM – Federal Court – Room 3C
The press, Congress, universities, the public everyone was attentive.
The galleries were full. The reporters, their microphones lowered. Judge Matheson arrived at precisely 9:00 a.m. His face stern. His voice firm.
"This court receives closing arguments from both sides today. After that, the jury will be instructed. And the country will await your decision."
Silence. Only the sound of pent-up breaths.
"Defense, you may begin."
9:02 a.m. – Defense Closing Arguments – Peter Halvorsen
Halvorsen stood. Confident. Restrained. He knew this was his last chance to sow doubt.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury…"
"This case has been described as simple. But it is not. No international operation is simple. No tactical decision is clean. And no report tells it all. Behind every line is context. And context… is what protects us from hasty moral judgments."
He paced the space between the jury and the stand.
"Atlas Guardian operated with authorization, with protocols. And more: with trust. Trust from the government. From special units. From entire departments."
"We're not denying that there was a death. We're saying that, in a world where seconds decide between life and death, sometimes action... precedes process."
He turned to the judge.
"And the prosecution? It's based on partial interpretations, disconnected documents, and a whistleblower who, however brave he may seem, had his own agenda."
"If they convict Atlas for this... they condemn the very idea of acting. Of protecting. And of deciding."
He sat down.
Silence.
9:39 AM – Closing Arguments for the Prosecution – Logan Moore
Logan stood slowly. Unhurriedly. With the gravity of someone who speaks not to convince, but to reveal.
He walked to the center of the room, paused for a moment... and took a deep breath.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury…"
"When I started this case, I didn't know where it would lead. I only knew something was wrong. And over the course of these days, I've discovered what was wrong—and who chose not to fix it."
He took three photos from his inside jacket pocket.
"These are Mahdi al-Hassan, Karim Jabar, and Yousef Samari. Father. Student. Musician. Killed in their sleep, while they walked, while they lived."
Logan walked slowly across the courtroom.
"The defense wants you to believe this was an 'operational error.' But it wasn't an error. It was a choice. And that choice has had no consequences—so far."
He turned, facing each member of the jury.
"This isn't a trial of war. It's a trial of the license to kill without accountability."
"And if they say today that this is acceptable, tomorrow… no one will know the line between an act of defense and an act of unbridled power."
He took a step closer.
"Justice is not perfection. It is balance. And today, the world looks to you to decide whether we will continue to accept 'national security' as code for impunity."
Logan held out his empty hands.
"I brought no weapons. No threats. I only brought evidence. Facts. Names. And a broken silence."
"Now, I deliver all this... into your hands."
He returned to his desk.
10:12 AM - Jury Instructions
Judge Matheson stood.
"Members of the jury. You now have a responsibility that few will ever have: to decide not only the outcome of a case... but the foundation of a principle."
"Truth is not a matter of opinion. It is a matter of consistency with the facts. Evaluate with the weight of reason. With the caution of justice. With the courage that democracy demands."
The jury was removed from the room to deliberate.
11:25 AM – Prosecution Room
Silence.
Rachel paced. Mike shuffled notes, though nothing else could be done.
Jessica Pearson entered.
"The press is in meltdown. International channels are broadcasting the case live. Washington is on life support."
Harvey leaned against the wall.
"And Logan?"
He was silent. Sitting. His chin rested on his folded hands.
"He knows," Jessica said. "Whatever it is, he did everything he could."
1:02 PM – Jury Returns
The clock read two hours and thirty-seven minutes of deliberation. The jury entered. Everyone's hearts were in suspense.
The judge looked at juror number four.
"Ms. Jones. Has the jury reached a verdict?"
"Yes, Your Honor".
"Regarding the Moore v. Atlas Guardian case… how do you pronounce it?"
The juror took a deep breath.
"Guilty. Unanimously."
Silence. Then murmurs. Then muffled applause. Then tears welled up in his eyes.
Logan released the breath he'd been holding for days.
Rachel grabbed his hand.
Jessica smiled discreetly.
Harvey nodded.
The judge banged his gavel.
"This court thanks the jury. Justice has been served."
4:10 PM – Courthouse Exit
On the steps, hundreds of people waited.
Logan left. No security guards visible. No speech prepared.
Someone in the crowd shouted:
"Are you a traitor?"
He stopped. He turned. He looked for the speaker.
He found a man in a military beret.
"Are you a hero, then?"
Logan took a breath. And replied:
"I am a citizen. I have done my duty."
And he descended the steps.
One at a time.
With the weight of the truth vanquished... on the firm shoulders of one who did not bow.
Chapter 85 – Echoes of Truth
May 20, 2014 – Tuesday – 5:52 AM
Logan Moore's Apartment – New York
The sun had barely touched the tops of the buildings when Logan's cell phone vibrated unusually loudly. He was awake, sitting at the kitchen table, reading the New York Times editorial for the fifth time.
"The silence has been broken."
"With courage and law, Logan Moore brought to light what many wanted to keep buried."
The phone displayed a string of notifications:
CNN requesting an interview.
MSNBC requesting a special panel.
Two universities offering tenured professorships.
A federal number: Committee on Institutional Reform – Washington, D.C.
Logan took a sip of coffee. And took a deep breath.
8:10 AM – Pearson Hardman – Strategy Room
Jessica Pearson entered the room with three folders of documents in her hands.
Rachel, Mike, Harvey, and Donna were already gathered.
"Things have exploded," she said. "Congressmen from both parties are proposing investigative commissions to review the relationship between federal agencies and private security companies."
She handed one of the folders to Logan.
"Here are the bills that were introduced less than 24 hours after the verdict."
Rachel began reading:
"Domestic Arms Transparency Bill," "Outsourced Contract Accountability Act," "National Security Accountability Amendment"..."
Harvey looked up.
"This will rewrite the Department of Defense's playbook."
Logan held his gaze.
"This only happens... because three men died forgotten."
Jessica stepped closer.
"Logan... you didn't just win a case. You created a national scar. And now, they're waiting for you to keep talking."
Mike handed over an invitation.
"Senate Committee on Security Reform. They want you to formally testify."
Logan took the paper. He folded it carefully. And said:
"I will."
1:40 PM – United States Congress – Washington, D.C.
The Senate livestream already had millions of real-time views.
Logan sat before the committee. Cameras. Senators. The country.
Senator Elena March, the moderator, opened:
"Dr. Moore, you became, reluctantly or not, the voice that exposed a dangerous rift between the State and its military contractors. What lesson did you learn?"
Logan took a deep breath.
"That no one can be greater than the law. Not even those who claim to protect it."
"Do you believe these practices were isolated?"
"No. They were systemic. And they knew it. They just didn't expect to be challenged… by someone on the inside."
Another senator asked:
"Do you fear reprisals?"
"I fear silence more than any threat."
The session lasted two hours.
At the end, Senator March said:
"Your testimony will be annexed in full to the reform bill's record. History will not forget."
9:00 PM – Special Report – CNN Nightline
Excerpts from the Senate hearing filled primetime.
Cuts between questions, the faces of the jurors in the Atlas case, the images of the victims projected in black and white, and Logan's voice overlayed:
"Legality needs courage. Safety needs limits. And justice... needs people willing to listen when silence becomes complicit."
10:34 PM – Manhattan – Vigil for Truth
In front of the federal courthouse, dozens of people lit candles. Among them were activists, veterans, students, public defenders, and ordinary civilians.
Rachel and Donna were among them. Harvey watched from afar, discreetly.
A woman held a sign:
"There is no security where there is no justice."
Another, younger woman, approached Rachel.
"He's all that, isn't he, Logan?"
Rachel smiled.
"He's more than they think. And less than he believes himself to be."
"Will you continue?"
"He has no choice. The country… is already listening."
11:18 PM – Logan's Apartment
The night was silent, for the first time in days.
Logan sat at his desk. He picked up his recording diary. He pressed "Record."
"Today, senators asked me what comes next. But the truth is… I'm still figuring it out. I didn't prepare to be a symbol. I prepared to be useful."
"I know the name 'Logan Moore' is out there now, plastered across headlines. But I hope that, more than the name, what resonates is the gesture. The principle. The risk that must be taken... so that the system doesn't consume its very essence."
"And if one day all this disappears... may at least the question remain: 'Who are we protecting when we kill in the dark?'"
He stopped the recording. He closed the diary.
He looked out the window.
And there, finally, he took a breath... as if knowing the burden wasn't over—but the path, at last, was open.
---------------------------------------------------
WARNING!!!
Starting today, I'll start posting just one chapter of each story that's already finished. It'll just be a preview of the new stories I'll be posting soon. However, only paid members will have access to them. I already have 4 stories completed, so in 4 days you'll have 1 chapter of each story.
The stories that are already finished:
Hollywood Actor = A homeless man bumps into a famous film director and gets the opportunity to change his life. He auditions for the lead role in a film that later becomes a successful franchise.
Lioness: Ground Branch = follows the life of a former DEVGRU Red Squadron operator and current Ground Branch operator, Amanda Ellis' boyfriend. Throughout the story, we see his missions and interactions with Lioness unit operators.
NCIS: Son of Gibbs = follows the life of the eldest son of famous NCIS agent Jethro Gibbs, enlisting in the Army, graduating from sniper training like his father, his entry into the Army's most secret unit, Delta Force, and his relationship with a Mossad agent.
Hawaii Five-0: Commander = tells the story of the famous Hawaii Five-0 task force commander, from his time as a DEVGRU operator, leading the most famous special operations mission in history, to his interactions with the rest of the world. with his girlfriend, Catherine Rollins, his task force friends, and even interactions with other characters from other series.
See how many good things are coming soon, lol. That's why I recommend that subscribers who haven't yet subscribed, if they can afford to, subscribe now, as there's a 10% discount on the monthly membership fee until the 10th.
[email protected]/SHADOWGHOST07
Just replace the @ with an a
DO NOT subscribe to my Patreon through the iOS/Apple Store. Not only will they charge you 30% more, but they will also hold the funds for 75 days before releasing them to me, which is very detrimental to me. If you're reading this on an iPhone, please contribute via browser/PC.