Eon’s entire body seized.
The woman looked half-dead. Probably not much older than forty, but the years had not been kind to her. Her skin was mottled with sunspots and wrinkles, the left side of her face slack. And beneath her dark hair was a blotchy scar along her temple. I realized she couldn’t move that side of her face, like she’d suffered a stroke, her left eye trailing behind the right. Both eyes were laced with terror.
“Mama!” Eon screamed, lunging toward the screen like she could tear it down with her bare hands. “Mama, mama!”
Her mother.Not killed by a gunshot, as I’d assumed, but broken. Broken, then hidden away by a little girl who threw away everything to support her.
I wanted to run to her, but Maddox held me back.
“That’s quite enough of that. Chuck, if you would,” Levi said—though he gave Tex’s first name a strange pronunciation, more likeChalk. Onscreen, Tex tightened his grip on the woman’s arm, pressing his gun harder against her temple.
But I’d seen it—before he moved, he hesitated. It was barely noticeable. Most would’ve missed it. But I knew Tex, knew his robotic obedience. And for the first time ever, he’d hesitated.
The woman started moaning incoherently, her eyes rolling.
Eon’s face was streaked with tears now, and between sobs she called out, “Mama, it’s all right. It’s me. You’re all right. You’re all right.”
“She can’t hear you, Eon,” Levi said, brushing nonexistent dirt off his shoulder.
Eon spun to him. “Stop it! Can’t you see she can’t handle this, she—”
Levi cut her off. “Well then, let’s not drag this out, shall we? You know what you have to do. Sign the contract. Join ourteam, and you’ll have more than you ever dreamed. Your mother will be transferred to the best medical facility on the planet—no longer hidden away at some ramshackle clinic. You’ll have all the resources you’ve ever wanted. Not to mention the salary…” He grinned, and it was all menace.
“Sign the contract and have it all—or your mother and friends can all die. It’s your choice.”
A contract? He wanted to…hire her?
I clenched my fists. He wanted her.
She hesitated—but looking at the woman on the screen, I knew she’d give in. How could she not? She’d already given everything she had to protect this woman who barely recognized her. There wasn’t a choice here at all.
“I’ll do it,” she said, barely a whisper.
“Excellent!” Levi snapped back into C-suite charm. He waved his hand causally, like he wasn’t blackmailing her in front of dozens of people. Not that it mattered.
“Now, you’ll see this isn’t a standard contract. Code of conduct has been modified to show the extended repercussions of any actions that would harm POM Enterprises.” He gestured toward the sorry group of rebels at my feet. “Feel free to take your time reviewing it.”
She didn’t. She already knew the truth: POM owned her now, just like it owned the rest of us.
She placed her hand on the contract, and her biometrics were scanned, sealing her fate.
“Welcome to the family, Eon Ibarra. Now, this isn’t standard procedure, but I think you understand, given the circumstances. A little test of loyalty. Asset Hoshina, if you would.”
I didn’t let my shock show. Instead, I stepped up behind her, my hands on her arms. I didn’t see a move yet, but being next to her was better than being separated. I gave her the smallest pulse. She didn’t return it. Just stood there, unmoving.
“What do you want me to do?”
“What you and your friends came here to do in the first place.”
What the hell was this guy on?
Eon’s expression must’ve reflected my thoughts, because Levi added, “Go ahead. Release the data your little band uncovered. It won’t matter. We have an army of data engineers ready to spin it into oblivion. Your story will be buried within twenty-four hours. A fleeting blip in the endless stream of data you flood your brain with every day.”
He smiled like it was all inevitable. “Humans have always been easy to manipulate. Your brains evolved to outwit predators. Feed them properly, and they light up—dopamine flooding synapses. Feed them the right things, and they’re easier to program than the AIs you’re all so proud of. You’ve been letting your leaders manipulate you into believing whatever they want for so long.”
This guy was fucking insane. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised—you had to be to get where he was, with no pieces of your soul left. And that was saying something, coming from me.
She didn’t move. Levi’s face contorted in frustration.
