Chapter 8 - The Press Conference
By three o'clock that afternoon, news of the Mercer Tech raid had sent shockwaves through Wall Street and the defense industry.
Mercer Tech stock plummeted eighty-two percent in four hours, trading was halted on the Nasdaq, and a dozen secondary sub-contractors were scrambling to sever ties with the collapsing giant.
Inside the Pentagon Press Briefing Room, over one hundred journalists, camera crews, and military correspondents packed the rows of seats.
I stood behind the seal of the Department of Defense, flanked by the Secretary of Defense and the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. My dark blue service uniform was immaculate, the three silver stars resting proudly on my epaulets, the rows of medals catching the bright television lights.
"Good afternoon," I spoke into the cluster of microphones, my voice clear, steady, and commanding. "At zero-eight-hundred hours today, federal law enforcement authorities executed multiple search warrants at the corporate facilities of Mercer Defense Technologies in Austin, Texas."
The room erupted into a barrage of camera flashes.
"This action follows an exhaustive six-month counter-intelligence audit conducted by the Defense Intelligence Agency," I continued. "Which revealed systemic, intentional supply-chain fraud designed to bypass federal hardware safety standards on primary national security architecture."
A veteran reporter from the Washington Post raised his hand immediately. "Director Mercer! Is it true that the CEO of Mercer Tech, Arthur Mercer, is your biological father?"
The room fell dead silent. Every camera focused squarely on my face.
I looked directly into the primary network camera lens.
"Twenty-six years ago," I said, my tone flat, unyielding, and measured, "I swore a sacred oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That oath does not contain an exemption for personal relationships, corporate wealth, or family surnames."
A quiet murmur of profound respect rippled through the press corps.
"The Department of Defense will not tolerate those who prioritize corporate profit over the lives of American service members," I concluded, resting my hands flat over the podium. "The investigation remains ongoing, and full criminal charges will be processed through the Department of Justice. Thank you."
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I stepped away from the podium without taking questions, leaving the press corps in a frenzy as the Secretary of Defense stepped up to confirm the immediate cancellation of all pending Mercer Tech government contracts.
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