Chapter 4 - The Network Activated
The news of Ethan Prescott’s arrest warrant hit the local media by 1500 hours, but by 1530, the narrative had already been twisted. The major local news networks, heavily funded by Prescott real estate advertisements, ran segments focusing on Emily’s "alleged mental instability" and framing the arrest as a routine procedure sparked by an "overzealous military parent out of touch with civilian law."
I watched the broadcast from a secure briefing room inside Fort Liberty. Beside me stood Major Vance, who had flown down from Washington with two encrypted servers, and Sarah Jenkins from CID.
"They're using their media assets to control the damage," Vance said, tapping his keyboard to bring up a massive, interlocking digital map of the Prescott family's financial connections. "But they don't see what's happening underneath. Look at this, Colonel. Over the last four years, Prescott Commercial Shipping has been moving heavy machinery through the Port of Wilmington. Nothing illegal on the surface. But we cross-referenced their customs declarations with the actual weight of the containers recorded by the port cranes."
"A discrepancy?" I asked, leaning closer to the monitor.
"A massive one," Vance smiled, a dangerous, intellectual look in his eyes. "The containers are consistently twenty to thirty percent heavier than the manifested cargo. We ran a deep financial audit on their primary logistics partner in Panama. It’s a ghost company owned by a suspected international money launderer. Ethan Prescott wasn't just hiding money from his investors; he was using the family shipping lines to move undeclared, high-value assets—likely illicit precious metals or unregistered currency—into offshore accounts to evade federal taxes and mask an impending corporate bankruptcy."
"This isn't a domestic issue anymore," Sarah Jenkins noted, her eyes wide. "This is a full-scale federal racketeering operation."
"Exactly," I said. "And the Prescotts are using their political influence in North Carolina to keep the state regulators from looking too closely at the Wilmington docks. Brandon Prescott’s primary function in the family is to maintain those political shields. He’s currently coordinating a fundraiser for the state attorney general's re-election campaign."
I stood up, walking to the whiteboard where I had written the names of the Prescott family members. I drew a thick, black line through Ethan's name.
"Ethan is the weak link," I stated. "He’s volatile, arrogant, and relies entirely on his mother’s protection. His arrest today was a flesh wound, but it will make him panic. When an arrogant man panics, he makes mistakes. Marcus, I want a full tap on Ethan’s public communication lines under the federal wiretap authorization we just secured through the Department of Homeland Security via our maritime security mandate."
"Already active, Colonel," Vance said. "We're intercepting his encrypted messaging apps as we speak. He’s already reached out to his brother three times in the last twenty minutes, complaining about the police report."
"Good. Let him sweat," I said. "Now, let’s talk about Margaret Prescott. She is the commanding general of that family. She controls the purse strings and the political alliances. If we want to dismantle this network, we have to isolate her from her assets."
My phone buzzed on the table. It was a secure line from the Pentagon. I answered it immediately.
"Colonel Hart, this is General Brooks," the voice came through, authoritative and heavy. Brooks was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and an old mentor of mine from my days in Germany. "Victoria, I just received an inquiry from the Senate Armed Services Committee. It seems a senator from North Carolina is asking questions about your current assignment, hinting that your personal conduct in Charlotte is interfering with civil-military relations. They are threatening to put a hold on your promotion star."
I drew myself up, standing at attention out of pure habit. "General, the family in question held my daughter against her will and physically assaulted her to cover up a multi-million-dollar federal shipping fraud. They are attempting to use political leverage to force my silence."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Then, General Brooks let out a low, grim chuckle. "They picked a fight with a brigade commander who managed the logistics for the entire Surge in Kandahar? They really are fools, aren't they, Victoria?"
"Yes, sir. They are."
"Your promotion remains on track, Colonel. I’ll handle the committee. You secure your objective. Just make sure your paperwork is immaculate."
May you like
"It always is, General. Thank you. Out."
I hung up and looked at Vance and Jenkins. "The enemy is trying to cut off our supply lines in Washington. That means they are terrified. Tomorrow, we strike their financial base."
