The procurement committee's internal review began like a slow, grinding machine — meetings, memos, and polite requests for documentation. To an outsider it looked bureaucratic and dull. To Rafael, every delay was another second HydraCorp could use to tighten its net.
He arrived at the review hearing with his folder held steady. The room smelled of old coffee and paper. Reporters lingered in the hallway, hungry for drama. A few local activists sat in the back, clutching signs that read "Support Local Innovators."
Rafael felt the Codex humming in his mind, offering real-time counsel:
"Emphasize transparency. Present third-party lab results. Highlight community testimonials. Avoid direct accusations; rely on facts."
He took the chair offered and opened his folder. One by one he laid out the evidence: the contaminated shipments, the recorded intimidation attempt, independent lab reports proving AquaPure's filtration efficacy, and testimonials from relief groups whose lives had been touched. Each item was methodically presented, cold and precise.
Across the table, HydraCorp's counsel smiled with practiced ease and produced glossy brochures detailing their decades of service. They called in expert witnesses: engineers with polished credentials who spoke of scalability and infrastructure, and lawyers who emphasized procurement protocols and risk management.
The room became a battleground of optics versus facts. HydraCorp wielded their sleek history as armor; Rafael exposed dirty hands with measured strikes.
When it was his turn to speak, Rafael didn't fight theatrics with theatrics. He spoke plainly.
"This isn't about us against them," he said, voice steady. "This is about what works in the hands of people who need it. My product is cheap, portable, and effective. You can deploy it now where big systems cannot reach immediately."
A murmured agreement rippled through the back rows. The activist group nodded vigorously. Outside, the cameras flashed; the public was watching.
The Codex supplied a new simulation mid-speech: release specific contamination photos and the recorded phone clip to a neutral inspector at the hearing. It was risky—publicizing more evidence might intensify HydraCorp's ire—but it also forced the committee to choose between blind trust in a giant and tangible proof from a small operator.
Rafael authorized the release. The footage played. The faces in the room changed; some turned red with embarrassment, others scowled in anger. HydraCorp's counsel sputtered to life, denouncing the footage as "circumstantial" and "insufficient for legal action."
But the seed had been planted. Public sentiment, already leaning toward the underdog thanks to social media, pressed harder. The committee could no longer ignore the optics.
After hours of testimony, the committee chairman leaned forward, fingers steepled. "We will reconvene tomorrow for a final decision," he announced. His voice carried the tired authority of someone tired of being lobbied and lied to.
Rafael left the hearing with a quiet exhaustion that felt oddly like relief. The public had seen the footage. Activists amplified the story. A few small news outlets began asking uncomfortable questions about corporate influence in government procurement.
HydraCorp's executives met late that night, faces drawn. They hadn't expected such a public backlash. Their counsel warned of reputational losses and stock dips if the scandal worsened. The board demanded action—but not one that would draw the kind of heat the recorded evidence had already produced.
They planned subtlety: legal challenges to AquaPure's patent claims, anonymous audits aimed at AquaPure's suppliers, and quiet purchase offers to key committee members disguised as "consulting agreements."
It was a war of attrition now—money and influence versus grit and transparency.
Back at the warehouse, Rafael watched a live news feed on his phone. A small anchor's voice narrated the hearing highlights, and viewer comments scrolled rapidly. "Go AquaPure!" read one. "Big Corp bullying again." read another.
The Codex pinged softly:
"Public support metric: +28%. Legal risk: moderate. Suggested: Maintain transparency; prepare for legal countersuit if necessary."
Rafael leaned back, eyes tired but focused. "If they attack legally, we'll defend. If they intimidate, we'll expose. If they buy off officials…" He let the thought trail off. The Codex completed it without words: "…we document it."
Outside, thunder rolled in a low, steady drum. Inside, a small startup breathed, waiting to see if courage and evidence could outlast money and power.
He wasn't naïve. He knew wars like this were rarely won on two weeks of hearings. But tonight, as comments and messages flooded his phone with encouragement, Rafael allowed himself a small, private thought: maybe — just maybe — the Codex hadn't only given him technology. Maybe it had given him an ally in truth.
He closed his eyes for a moment and made a promise to himself:
No matter what HydraCorp threw at him next, he would meet it with precision, preparation, and an unflinching will to protect the people who had already begun to believe in him.