The atmosphere in the interrogation chamber was sterile and cold, much like the one Warden Hayes had faced moments earlier, but the air of the room was different. Here, the tone was less accusatory and more focused on clarification.

A man in his mid-fifties, Director Andrew Brown, looked visibly stressed, fiddling with his tie as he was escorted into the room. A different federal agent sat waiting for him. This was Special Agent Mark Wilkerson, a sharp-featured man with an analytical gaze and a deceptively mild demeanor.

"Director Brown, please," Agent Wilkerson said, gesturing toward the empty chair opposite the table. "Have a seat. Thank you for coming in."

Brown sat down, visibly nervous. "I—I cooperated immediately. I have nothing to hide," Brown said.

Wilkerson nodded calmly, placing a small audio recorder between them and pressing the record button.

"We appreciate your cooperation, Director," Wilkerson said. "Let's be candid. You are currently the subject of an internal security inquiry, primarily concerning your movements and activities over the past forty-eight hours. My name is Special Agent Wilkerson, and everything you say is an Official Sworn Statement."

Wilkerson opened a file marked 'BROWN, A.' and immediately went to the core issue.

"Director Brown, we have records showing that you were present at the Lexington Correctional Facility yesterday afternoon. Can you confirm your presence there?" Wilkerson asked.

"Yes, that's correct," Brown said.

Wilkerson picked up his file. "Our records indicate that while you are a federal official, you normally hold no direct authority over Lexington. We found documentation that suggests you arrived with the intent to assume control. Why were you present at a facility where you held no official standing?"

Director Brown frowned, clearly prepared for this line of questioning.

"Agent Wilkerson, I did have official standing," Brown said. "Congressman Vance, utilizing his executive liaison privileges within the Department of Corrections, issued a Temporary Executive Order bearing his signature and the official seal of the Congressional Oversight Committee."

Brown continued, his voice signing up. "That order mandated an immediate audit and granted me full operational oversight of Lexington, effectively supervising Warden Hayes's authority. Furthermore, Warden Hayes had been served a formal notification of my arrival two days in advance."

"And yet you left," Wilkerson said, his voice neutral. "Why did you withdraw from the facility, rather than taking command during a crisis?"

"I was reviewing the operational documents with Warden Hayes when the news of the attack on the transfer convoy broke," Brown said. "We were reviewing the transfer documents and immediately noticed serious, glaring irregularities in the authorization protocol and the security routing. The non-standard route was highly suspicious."

Brown's face turned pale. "I realized the gravity of the situation and immediately suspected a high-level setup. I didn't stay there because I feared being incriminated by the very people who had put me there."

"And what action did you take upon withdrawing, Director?" Wilkerson asked.

"I immediately drafted a formal, signed, and sealed letter addressed to Federal Prosecutor L. Wilson," Brown confirmed. "In that statement, I detailed the irregularities I observed, the political maneuvering by Vance, and my immediate withdrawal from Lexington."

Brown made a final, decisive statement. "I also confirmed that Warden Hayes was simultaneously retrieving all relevant surveillance video footage to prepare a report. All that evidence was immediately sent to Prosecutor L. Wilson."

Wilkerson made a final, neat note on his pad and looked up. "So, you are claiming that Congressman Vance not only sent you to take control, but that he simultaneously set you and Warden Hayes up for failure by utilizing forged or suspicious documents for the transfer."

"That is my sworn statement," Brown said. "He is the one who wanted those inmates out and Warden Hayes out of the picture."

"So, to be absolutely clear," Wilkerson said, picking up the official line of questioning, "you were at the prison to take control, yet discovered severe security breaches, and upon learning of the terrorist attack, you fled the facility rather than taking command, citing fear of incrimination?"

"I left to ensure my testimony remained untainted," Brown said. "My jurisdiction was legally ambiguous at that point. Staying would have been reckless and would have only complicated the ensuing investigation by tying me to the security failure."

"Let's move to the irregularities you mentioned," Wilkerson said, circling back to a detail. "What exactly did you notice in the transfer documents that raised your security concerns, Director Brown?"

Brown swallowed hard. "The authorization signature was highly questionable, and the planned route was unnecessarily circuitous, exposing the convoy to risk. I noted this to Warden Hayes, and she confirmed that it was not the standard protocol she had been briefed on."

Wilkerson made a final, neat note on his pad and looked up.

"No, we did not coordinate," Brown said. "We were both alarmed by the irregularities, and Warden Hayes was focused on securing the internal evidence—the surveillance footage. I simply drafted a statement of what I had personally witnessed and immediately dispatched it. I have nothing to hide, Agent Wilkerson."

Brown gestured around the room. "You can review the surveillance videos from Lexington. I arrived, reviewed the documents with Hayes, and left the moment the news of the attack broke. I caused no disruption and did nothing outside of normal procedure for an executive officer in a state of alarm."

Agent Wilkerson leaned back in his chair, his expression neutral. He tapped his pen lightly on the table.

"Very well. If that is your final statement, we will proceed on that basis," Wilkerson said. "I remind you, Director Brown, that lying to the federal government is considered a very serious felony, punishable by significant time in federal prison."

Wilkerson slid a document across the table. "If you are certain, then please sign this document. It is a Sworn Affidavit Agreement confirming the truth and completeness of your testimony. Once this is signed, you are free to leave the premises."

Director Brown immediately grabbed the pen. He quickly reviewed the document—confirming it was a summary of his sworn declaration—and signed it with a trembling hand.

"Thank you for your time," Brown said, standing up.

"An agent will escort you back to your vehicle," Wilkerson said.

Brown was escorted out, leaving the chamber silent once more. Agent Wilkerson sighed heavily, slumping back in his chair and looking up at the sound-dampening ceiling tiles. The intricate web of political deceit was even thicker than they had anticipated.

A moment later, a sharp, authoritative knock sounded on the steel door.

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