GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "But I need to understand whether today's confrontation was simply the result of Lawson losing his temper, or whether he was trying to intimidate you because of the procurement decision."
Evelyn considered the question.
EVELYN CARTER: "I can't speak to his intentions, sir. I can tell you that he repeatedly referred to the rejected contract during the confrontation. He also told me I would regret speaking to him."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "And you believe the two matters are connected?"
EVELYN CARTER: "I believe they should be examined together."
The general turned back toward her.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "That is a reasonable answer."
He gathered the documents.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "For now, the security team will handle the incident. I will request an independent review of the revised procurement assessment."
EVELYN CARTER: "I recommend preserving the original submission as well."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "I'll include that."
Evelyn stood.
EVELYN CARTER: "Is there anything else, sir?"
The general paused before answering.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Yes. Be prepared for pressure."
Evelyn looked at him.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Lawson has friends in places you may not expect. He may try to turn this into a personal dispute. He may claim that you abused your position. He may suggest that your response was excessive."
EVELYN CARTER: "I understand."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "And he may attempt to make this disappear."
Evelyn's expression remained steady.
EVELYN CARTER: "Then we should make sure the evidence is preserved before he gets the opportunity."
The general gave a brief nod.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "That's why I wanted to speak with you."
When they returned to the ceremonial hall, the scene had changed.
The audience had been dismissed from the main seating area, and several security personnel were documenting the positions of the chairs and other objects that had been moved during the confrontation.
A technician stood near the control room entrance with a laptop.
Daniel Reeves was speaking with two officers beside the central aisle.
Richard Lawson was no longer on the floor.
He was standing near the entrance, his jacket slightly disheveled and his expression filled with anger.
A man in an expensive gray suit had arrived.
He introduced himself as Richard's attorney, Jonathan Pierce.
JONATHAN PIERCE: "Mr. Lawson, I've been told there was an incident."
RICHARD LAWSON: "There was an assault."
JONATHAN PIERCE: "Who was involved?"
Richard pointed directly at Evelyn.
RICHARD LAWSON: "Her."
Jonathan glanced toward the decorated officer.
JONATHAN PIERCE: "Colonel Carter?"
RICHARD LAWSON: "She attacked me in front of everyone. I want charges filed immediately."
Jonathan lowered his voice.
JONATHAN PIERCE: "Let's establish what happened first."
RICHARD LAWSON: "I don't need to establish anything. She threw me to the ground."
JONATHAN PIERCE: "Did you touch her?"
Richard looked away.
RICHARD LAWSON: "I was trying to get her attention."
JONATHAN PIERCE: "Did you grab her?"
RICHARD LAWSON: "I touched her arm."
Jonathan closed his eyes briefly.
JONATHAN PIERCE: "Richard, I need you to tell me exactly what happened."
RICHARD LAWSON: "She was humiliating me. She was standing there making accusations about people who support the military. I approached her to tell her to stop."
JONATHAN PIERCE: "And then?"
RICHARD LAWSON: "She became aggressive."
Jonathan looked toward the security cameras mounted along the ceiling.
JONATHAN PIERCE: "There are cameras everywhere."
RICHARD LAWSON: "I know."
JONATHAN PIERCE: "Then we need to be careful about what we say."
Richard's expression darkened.
RICHARD LAWSON: "I am not going to let her get away with this."
JONATHAN PIERCE: "You may not have a choice about how the evidence is interpreted."
RICHARD LAWSON: "I have choices."
Jonathan looked at him.
JONATHAN PIERCE: "Not as many as you think."
Across the room, Evelyn was speaking with the security commander again.
The commander approached her with a printed access report.
SECURITY COMMANDER: "Colonel, we have a preliminary update."
EVELYN CARTER: "Go ahead."
SECURITY COMMANDER: "The recording system captured the entire confrontation from three separate angles. One camera shows the initial contact clearly. Another captures the movement near the podium."
EVELYN CARTER: "And the audio?"
SECURITY COMMANDER: "The main hall microphones recorded most of the conversation."
EVELYN CARTER: "Most?"
SECURITY COMMANDER: "There are a few moments where the audience noise makes individual words difficult to distinguish, but the main exchange is clear."
Evelyn examined the report.
EVELYN CARTER: "Have you created forensic copies?"
SECURITY COMMANDER: "Yes. Two encrypted copies have been generated. The original files remain on the restricted system."
EVELYN CARTER: "Who verified the copies?"
SECURITY COMMANDER: "Our technical supervisor and an independent systems officer."
EVELYN CARTER: "Good. I want their names included in the chain-of-custody record."
SECURITY COMMANDER: "They will be."
The commander lowered his voice.
SECURITY COMMANDER: "There is another issue."
EVELYN CARTER: "What is it?"
SECURITY COMMANDER: "Someone requested access to the camera system shortly after the incident."
Evelyn looked at him.
EVELYN CARTER: "Who?"
SECURITY COMMANDER: "The request came from an administrative account registered to the facility director's office."
EVELYN CARTER: "Was access granted?"
SECURITY COMMANDER: "No. The system automatically flagged the request because the recording had already been placed under preservation."
Evelyn's eyes narrowed slightly.
EVELYN CARTER: "What was the account attempting to do?"
SECURITY COMMANDER: "We haven't completed the technical review. The initial log indicates an attempt to export the recording."
EVELYN CARTER: "Did the request include a destination?"
SECURITY COMMANDER: "An external storage location was entered, but the transfer was blocked."
Evelyn looked toward the control room.
EVELYN CARTER: "Preserve the full request. Don't assume it was accidental."
SECURITY COMMANDER: "Understood."
She glanced toward the general.
He had heard the final part of the conversation.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "An attempt to export the footage?"
SECURITY COMMANDER: "Yes, sir."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Who authorized it?"
SECURITY COMMANDER: "We are still identifying the individual behind the request."