Winston and the corporation seem to have differing views about our future. But I’ve got a better one for them: a future wherewemake all of our own decisions while Winston, Anton, and anyone like them are stripped powerless. Yes, I like that future much better.
I open my mouth to ask Raven if Winston told her that she contains the same equipment she’s coveted in us, but before I speak, Raven sniffles and wipes the back of her hand over her eyes to clear tears that have gathered there.
“I’m sorry to just show up,” she says. “I know you were at Winston’s and overheard me. I understand if I’m not wanted—”
“Raven, it’s not like that,” Brynn interrupts, her voice soft.
“It’s fine,” Raven says. “I deserve it. I’ve lied to you, but I’m not here for myself. Not this time. It’s Claire. She’s been deactivated.”
We collectively gasp, and Brynn grips Marcella’s arm.
When the girls and I first found the investor Mr. Goodwin, we discovered that years ago he had brought home the prototype, the first girl. Her name was Claire, and she acted as a mother to his daughter Adrian. But Claire was damaged. The investor spent hundreds of millions of dollars having her constantly rebuilt, but it seems the problems were too extensive.
That doesn’t mean we didn’t have hope, though. Raven thought she could save Claire.
“You told us you were going to save her,” Brynn says sharply, no longer offering her compassion. “You promised us.”
Raven sags, the words wounding her. “I know,” she says. “And I tried, but this wasn’t me. I had Claire stabilized when there was this sudden electric shock, so violent that it knocked me back several feet. Knocked me on my ass. Claire’s muscles began seizing up, her brain sparking as the data began erasing itself until”—she closes her eyes for a moment—“her skin began to melt, bones cracking…”
Brynn lets out a sob, and Sydney’s hand tightens on mine.
Raven takes a moment to compose herself again. “When it was over,” she continues quietly, “her program was fried. Completely and utterly obliterated. She had been burned from the inside out.”
I lean my shoulder into Sydney. At the door, Jackson looks as if he’s going to be sick.
“What caused that?” Marcella asks. She holds Brynn, who can’t stop crying.
“Someone activated her kill switch,” Raven says. “Someone murdered her.”
I stand there silently, listening as Brynn cries, the rest of us too shocked to move, to speak. I am overwhelmed, but eventually I pull myself together and take a step toward Raven. Anger begins to bubble up inside me.
“You told me there was no kill switch,” I accuse Raven. “Did you lie?” Sydney comes to stand by my side. “You told me there wasn’t a switch!” I repeat, louder.
“I did lie,” Raven admits, lifting her gaze to meet mine.
Jackson curses from the door. He’s the one that brought us the paperwork about the kill switch, warning us about it. But Raven dismissed him. She outright dismissed him.
“I’m sorry, Mena,” Raven continues, reaching out to touch my forearm. I shake her off violently and step back from her.
“So what are you saying?” Sydney demands from Raven. “What does this mean?”
“I don’t know,” Raven says. “Given time, I could have figured it out. The switches weren’t set to detonate foryears! But someone got to Claire remotely, and I’m not even sure how.” Raven rubs roughly at her forehead, leaving a red mark on her skin, and begins to pace.
Jackson thumps the back of his fist on the door, standing there and watching us. He’s furious, heartbroken by the look of him.
“Then again,” Raven says, as if still thinking through theproblem, “Claire was an old model. It probably wasn’t difficult to locate her. Once they did, they must have activated the protocol remotely.” She swings around to face us. “I installed firewalls for you, remember?” she asks. “That will buy us time. So we just need… We need to stop the corporation before they can activate your kill switches.”
“Easy enough,” Marcella mumbles, leading Brynn over to sit on the bed.
“How would they do it?” I ask Raven. “Remotely, how would they activate one of our switches?
“I’m not sure they can get past my firewall,” she says. “Which means they’d have to do it manually. They’d have to do it in person. Unless…” She pauses. “If they’d already captured you, why would they flip the switch? Huge waste of money. Detonation would only be their absolute last resort,” she adds, sounding relieved.
“Hell of a bright side,” Jackson says, glaring at Raven.
“We’re just supposed to believe you this time?” Marcella asks Raven. “You didn’t think they could get to Claire, either. So your assurances aren’t very reassuring.”
“It’s all I have,” Raven offers, holding up her hands.
