Hunnigan took a deep breath, holding it as she walked between the two sentinels on her way towards to podium. People were going to be upset. There was no way around it but delivering bad news was something that her job required. She had the small stack of papers in her hand as she stepped up onto the small box put down for her, clearing her throat and moving the bundle of microphone closer to herself. Letting out the breath she had been holding, she began, heart beat pounding in her ears.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Ingrid Hunnigan. I am the Operations Coordinator at Field Operation Support. I am here tonight to both ask for forgiveness and inform the public at large of the events that have occurred since the Tall Oaks Incident." She paused, swallowing. " I have been, by all accounts, missing for the past few weeks. Many of my co-workers were told that I had been kidnapped or possibly killed. I could not inform anyone, not even those closest to me that I had in fact been relocated to a safe house along with the Director of the Department of Defense. Both the Director and myself have been on the receiving end of multiple threats of harm to ourselves and our families by various organizations, both foreign and domestic. It was decided that we would be kept and a safe house alone until these threats could be evaluated. I personally want to ask for forgiveness from my co-workers and my friends as well as my friends. If it had been within my power to allow you to know I was well, I would have extended that on to you, but it was out of my hands. I am sorry for any distress I caused." She moved the papers around a bit then continued on.
"It was agreed upon myself and Vice-President Andersen that I should be the one to give this speech. The Tall Oaks Incident was not forgotten. Not one of us here can forget the people lost, each and every life lost was just as important as that of former President Adam Benson. Your cries for justice did not fall on deaf ears. We ourselves had to mourn the loss of many good men and women that fell in Tall Oaks on June 29th, 2013.
"This incident was unavoidable. It was a malicious attack by a terrorist group that claimed the lives of many Americans. I personally supported two agents that went far above and beyond the call of duty. They tracked down the people responsible for this, across the world. They went against orders and made sure that they were brought to justice. Speaking for the members of the D.S.O, I can tell you that they tried everything within their power to stop this before it spread the way it did, unfortunately people within the organization were supporting the acts of these terrorists." She let the line sink in. It was the first time since the beginning that any government official had publicly admitted the fact that members like Simmons were corrupting the organization from within. Hunnigan pressed on before anyone could interrupt her for questions.
"To ensure this will never happen again, the D.S.O has been liquidated. All members have undergone rigorous investigations before being absorbed into the B.S.A.A or the D.O.D. I am hear to speak not only for myself and for the former body of the D.S.O, but also for the Department of Defense. As of today, I have accepted the title of Deputy Director of the Department of Defense." The crowd erupted into questions, reporters shouting and standing from the seats, reaching their recorders as far out as the could manage. She raised her voice to speak above the roar.
"The former Director, Director Bauer, has retired willingly. We do not believe that he had anything to so with any of the attacks, foreign or domestic. He has retired to give America peace of mind. The newest Director, Edward Fox Jr. will be out later for questions." The roar subsided a bit, but not by much. She continued at the same volume.
"I am very gracious and appreciative to be given this title. I will make it my personal goal to promise each and every one of you that I will not tolerate a corrupt governing body. I will ensure that no one within any organization abuses their power for any reason." Her tone was stern, the room grew quiet. "No one in your government will act in the manner that Derek C. Simmons did. In my new position, I will see that anyone that does so is stripped of their power and removed from whatever organization they are in. Thank you for listening and now, the newest Director of the Department of Defense would like to have his own turn."
Hunnigan stepped down, turning her back on the crowd, she saw the Director walk towards her, giving her a small nod then a quick handshake before passing on to deliver his own speech. She rounded the corner and was instantly met up with a guard the walked her the rest of the way back to her office.