Page 48 of Cruel Master
And once I do my homework into Trent Bartley, he’s going to regret ever touching her. Exhaustion still claws at me, but I’m driven with new energy as I head outside. I really didn’t need anything else to add to my plate, but this might be a project I’ll enjoy.
I keep my back straight as I nod to the Gilda soldiers, and the older of the two steps forward. “Sir. Kendrick has asked us to escort you to meet him.”
Something in the way he says it gives me pause. Why didn’t he say “in his office?”
The soldiers set off, and the way they’re standing on either side of me feels different to before. I’m no expert in these things, but there’s a focused determination to their movements now. As if they’re expecting someone to attack any second.
“What is—”
“Please, sir. Kendrick will explain shortly.”
Unease creeps into my bones, and I shiver even though it’s a warm day. When the two men angle away from the main buildings, toward the forest, I stop dead. “Tell me what’s happening right now,or—”
“Mate. It’s okay.”
I turn to see Jacob waiting at the tree line. The soldiers and I angle toward him, and I’m both more and less nervous. I trust Jacob, so I can’t be walking into a trap. But none of this feels anywhere close to right. Why are we meeting out here?
In the forest. Away from cameras and electronics. A suspicion starts to form, and when Jacob holds up a piece of paper with the wordsHand your cell phone to the Gilda. Don’t ask questions, the suspicion solidifies into fear.
He’s worried someone is watching me. Someone with access to the Brotherhood electronics. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out they’re concerned about Candice. A cold, heavy stone lodges in my stomach at what this could mean.
Do they know something I don’t?
I let Candice loose on us. She knows the Brotherhood’s secrets. She’s a loaded gun pointed at the head of every man in the Compound, and most of them don’t even know it.
I’ve pictured what would happen if Candice decided to expose the Brotherhood to the world. The organization has powerful allies, but there’s a limit to what could be done if footage of dozens of supposedly dead women was sent to every news agency in the world.
The government would be forced to send the military against the Compound, and even we wouldn’t withstand that. With communication technology as advanced as it is, the Brotherhood’s continued secrecy and existence is built on a knife’s edge. If Candice decided to tip that balance to free all the Wards, she could.
I don’t think anyone besides me really understands that. Maybe Jacob and Kendrick have just figured it out.
Chapter Twenty
Hadrian
Istareattheportable DVD player with a built-in screen that Jacob and Kendrick have managed to unearth from somewhere. I haven’t seen one since my mother finally persuaded my father to throw his out fifteen years ago.
Jacob and Kendrick stepped back a respectful distance after directing me to the points they wanted me to view. I wince as Candice’s voice comes through the speaker, tinny but unmistakably her.
I don’t think he’ll be happy you did that.
Lie back down so I can restart the feed.
I’ll erase that last bit, where you called him an asshole.
No. It’s just you. I think he’d want me to let you know that, though I shouldn’t have said anything.
Candice, talking to Juliet. Tampering with her video feed. Telling her things that could compromise everything I’m trying to do. The familiar, sick feeling of betrayal leeches into my soul.
Logically, I know I shouldn’t be emotional about this. She’s not a person, she’s a construct, and she’s overstepping her boundaries in dangerous ways. I should be able to see this as justone more step in my research process, close her down, and move on to the next model with enhanced safety parameters.
Except the other models don’t come close to Candice, and I’m not sure why.
They function in similar ways and perform convincingly online. The Turing test is child's play for them now, and they’re making strides in their understanding of how to interact like humans.
But they lack the spark Candice has. Quinn has never warmed to them in the same way, and interacting with them still feels…fake? Like play acting with a toddler rather than conversing with a friend.
I haven’t been able to pinpoint what makes Candice different. But now I have to face the very real fact that what makes her different also makes her dangerous.
