"I will be reviewing technical specs loudly," Euan agreed.
"And I," I said, "Am the overworked engineer who is sick of your shit."
"Method acting," Kit smirked.
The tension broke, just a crack. A sliver of light in the siege.
I walked over to the nest, grabbing my own tablet this time. I opened the browser. I typed in my own name.
Zia Vale.
The results populated instantly. Photos I hadn't seen in years. A yearbook picture where I looked terrified. A shot from a panel discussion I sat on once, looking angry.
She looks like a bitch.
Bet she thinks she’s too good for a Pack.
Failed producer trying to ride Riot Theory's coattails.
I read them. I let the acid burn.
Then I looked at my pack.
Alfie, putting on his stage boots, humming a war march.
Kit, taping his knuckles, checking the door locks.
Euan, building a digital cage for the man trying to hunt me.
Let them talk,I thought.Let them type.
I logged into the server where Alfie’s vocal track, the Manifesto, was stored.
File:For The Engineer (Final_Mix_v2).wav
I right-clicked.Send to: Public Release Queue.
I set the timer. 8:00 PM tonight. Right when we hit the stage.
If they wanted Zia Vale, they were going to get her work first.
"Pack," I said.
They snapped to attention.
"We're not just trapping Miles," I said. "We're launching the Rider."
"Tonight?" Rowan’s voice came through the speakerphone, sounding wary.
"Tonight," I confirmed. "While Miles is watching his little spy cam, while the internet is tearing apart my yearbook photos...we drop the Omega-Safe Rider. We confirm the policy. We verify the bond."
"Verify the bond?" Alfie choked. "Publicly?"
"No," I said. "Legally. Rowan, I want the papers."
"Which papers?" Rowan asked carefully.
"The claiming papers. The civil partnership. The LLC structure. Whatever you call it."
