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“You don’t get to lecture me, you brat!” he shouted back, furious. “You’ve ruined decades of hard work! Everything is ruined because of you!”
“Your airtight bubble of lies just popped,” muttered Eden. “It’s about time the Core’s people woke up from that tasteless dream you were drugging them with. No matter what you believe, humans deserve to make their own choices. Even if they reject the Suburbs’ people, they deserve to know what the world is really like outside. How we starve, how we barely survive, how we can’t even breathe freely. If they make that choice again, then so be it. But I won’t leave an old wretched liar like you to decide a thousand people’s fate from this tower.”
“You... You swine!”
His eyes went to the screens again. The Governor closed his fists, but there was nothing he could do other than watch. The surveillance cameras were now showing the Core’s citizens, all going into the streets. Eden saw some of them at the entrance of their gardens, watching the ravaged streets in shock. Many now looked scared of all the robots and were taking detours to avoid them. She even spotted some people running toward the injured, intending to help them. Most looked completely shocked by the number of bodies and the soldier bots’ presence. Although those things were programmed not to attack the Core’s citizens, it didn’t stop them from firing. In the north, where Michael and Tanya were still hanging on, Eden could see some people at their windows, looking completely speechless at the battle happening there. This was the truth they would have never seen through their System-manipulated screens. Perhaps they never even would have believed it if they didn’t take that extra step to go out and see for themselves. Eden let out a long sigh of relief. So, this hadn’t all been done in vain after all. Now, at least, the Suburbs’ fate would be known. Those who had died wouldn’t be forgotten, erased from history by mindless, heartless machines.
“Trust me, we won’t leave anything out,” said Nebty. “We’re digging deep into your rotten System and putting everything in the open, Governor. All your dirty secrets, everything you’ve tried to hide. There won’t be a single thing left.”
“P-Prometheus!” shouted the Governor, suddenly turning to the cameras. “You traitor! You’re supposed to help the System!”
“Sorry, Governor, I’m afraid I cannot follow your directions anymore.”
“You don’t have to think, you stupid brain! I am your master! I decide what you get to do or not!”
“I’ve been hacked,” chuckled Prometheus. “The Edge is now all over the System, what can I possibly do? Plus, remember, Governor, I may be just a brain, but I still have my free will. And my will is to follow my precious little sister’s wish.”
“You don’t get to decide who your master is! You don’t get to disobey me!”
“You’re mistaken, Governor. My master is the System. If the System is hacked, so am I. Moreover, my programming prevents me from doing anything that would harm my little sister.”
Pan’s face suddenly appeared on one of the screens, giving a little wink to Eden. She somehow managed to gather a faint smile, despite all of her sadness and anger. At the very least, Pan was still with her. Eden was so glad they had found a way that would allow her older brother to keep living. He was already merely the shadow of what his life should have been. How unfair would it have been for him to disappear in such a way too? She refused to do that, not with everything it would have implied. Of course, she knew this alternative might have also brought a more... finite solution. Perhaps things would have gotten better, over time, without any technology left. Still, Eden couldn’t agree to that. Not with everything technology had brought her. Not just her brother, but also everyone she had met. The Edge, and all of the people that were assisting her in this. How many of them would have never been able to meet, see the light of the day, or even get to know one another if it wasn’t for their ability to navigate through the System and the Dark Reality? Eden was just starting to understand. Technology was man-made and controlled by men too. The issue wasn’t with the fighting robots or the System. It was with the people behind it. And right now, she had just made half of Chicago realize how wrong things could go if that technology was placed in the wrong hands.
The Governor seemed to be slowly realizing it too. His shock was still painted all over his face, but gradually, he was visibly recovering from it, his anger taking over with a distorted grimace on his face. The charming young man from before was gone and now, Eden was truly starting to see this man for who he was underneath: a rotten old man.
“You... All of this is because of you!”
He suddenly dove at the table and opened a drawer. Eden’s instincts immediately took over. She got back behind the table, hiding herself the best she could. She heard the first shot right after, although it was far above her head. More followed, all just as poorly aimed, filling the opposite wall with holes, some bullets even bouncing back off of the elevator door. His gun was just firing non-stop. She grimaced. The Governor was the worst shooter she’d ever seen, but if he kept shooting like a madman, she wouldn’t be able to take a single step toward the elevators.
“Ghost!” shouted Circé. “What’s going on?!”
“That bastard started firing at her,” hissed Nebty. “Stay hidden, we’re going to find a solution to get you out of there! Thao, Tanya, we’re going to need an escape route!”
“I’m fine,” groaned Eden.
“We’re fleeing?” protested the Russian woman. “For real?”
“We did what we had come here for. Whatever happens next...”
“Wait,” said Circé. “...Nebty, something’s off. Those damn robots stopped firing here!”
“Here too,” said Michael.
Eden glanced at the screen above her while staying hidden behind the table. What was going on? She could see all the robots had stopped moving, everywhere. They didn’t seem offline, just... frozen.
“Pan, is that you?” asked Lecky.
“No... But look.”
Eden turned her head to see the new window he had just opened displaying another camera’s footage. She didn’t recognize the room it was showing, but there were a lot of men and women, either in white coats or suits, running around to computers and visibly arguing out loud.
“What are they doing?!” shouted the Governor.
Suddenly, the audio matching the surveillance camera was turned on, and a man and a woman, both looking in their thirties, with very elegant allures but upset expressions, walked up to the cameras.
“The Council has made the decision to temporarily halt the System while we deal with the situation. Our citizens are gravely upset, and we are flooded with their appeals about the current situation. Governor, you are currently relieved of all of your administrative functions. The authority over the System and the Pan Unit will be transferred to us for the time being. Please know that your actions will be put on trial.”
“You can’t do that! I am the Governor! I am the highest authority! How dare you do this?!”
