Chapter 41
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The scene outside the Whitmore Foundation that afternoon was a chaotic media circus. Silas Mercer had caught wind of the foundation's impending press conference and had preemptively staged a rally of his own right outside the iron gates. He had bussed in dozens of paid protesters holding signs that read "Whitmore Denies Cures" and "Let the Children Walk."
When Noah’s car pulled up to the gates, the protesters swarmed the vehicle, shouting angrily. Noah didn't flinch. He calmly stepped out of the car, leaning on his crutches, followed closely by Maya and David Collins in his wheelchair.
Evelyn and Marcus were waiting on the other side of the gates. The press, seeing Noah arrive, immediately rushed forward, shoving microphones in his face.
Silas Mercer, standing on the bed of a pickup truck with a megaphone, smiled a deeply arrogant smile. "Mr. Whitmore! Have you finally come to your senses? Are you ready to step down and let these children receive the miracle they deserve?"
Noah ignored the reporters. He walked directly toward the iron gates, looking through the bars at Silas.
"I am not stepping down, Dr. Mercer," Noah’s voice boomed clearly, amplified by the dozens of news microphones surrounding him. "I am here to show the world exactly what your 'miracles' look like."
Noah gestured for the security guards to open the gates. He turned to the crowd of reporters and protesters, his presence commanding absolute silence.
"Dr. Mercer has spent the last week claiming that Aegis Therapeutics has a safe, revolutionary cure for spinal trauma, and that I am maliciously keeping it from my patients," Noah declared fiercely. "He is lying. He is a fraud who manipulates data and ruins lives for profit. And I brought proof."
Noah stepped aside, allowing David Collins to roll his wheelchair forward into the center of the media circle. Maya stood firmly beside him, resting a supportive hand on his shoulder.
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Silas Mercer’s arrogant smile vanished instantly. The color drained completely from his face as he recognized the former firefighter.
"This is David Collins," Noah introduced him. "He was one of the early test subjects for AT-7. Silas Mercer paid him to disappear. David, tell them the truth."
