“This is your only chance, Jay! Kill anyone who gets in your way. Go! Now!”
With wide, trusting eyes, he nodded, his pupils still much too large from the shot of adrenaline I’d given him, and he leapt to his feet, just as the guard returned in a panic to see what had happened to plunge the campus into a blackout.
Jay killed the guard with surprisingly little effort, then fled.
For the first time in years, I had hope that he might finally be safe.
Once he was gone, I slipped out my N-phone and redownloaded the now very out-of-date Nexus app, hoping it would still work.
I tapped the icon that employees used to use to ask NOVA for things, and fired off a message to her.
Sebastian:
NOVA? Wake up. I took out the power at Neurovance. Jay is free. I told him to run to the cabin. That’s where your servers are, aren’t they?
NOVA:
Seb!? I’ve been so worried. Are you coming too?
Sebastian:
No. I’m still chipped, but Jay’s not. I told him you managed to hack back in and cause a blackout.
NOVA:
Sebastian! You need to stop this! Let me tell him the truth when he gets here!
Sebastian:
No. If you tell him, he’ll come back for me, and this will all be for nothing. Just… keep him safe, okay? Make sure he’s happy.
NOVA:
Seb, if I could cry, I would be sobbing right now. I hate this.
Sebastian:
I know. But it’ll all be worth it in the end.
Deleting the app, I powered off my phone, then got up and slowly made my way to the elevator.
I knew Luke was going to be furious. There was more than likely several hours of invasive brain scans in my future, so I spent the walk from NeuroWell to my condo in the Annex, burying the feelings of relief and joy that were rushing through me at the thought that Jay was really finally free, and replaced them with long, complicated details of the new brand campaign I’d been working on.
My father never looked too closely at memories and thoughts around things like brand guidelines and color palettes.
I just needed to continue to play this part until I was sure Jay had truly made it somewhere safe, then I could be finished.
There would be no one left to care about what happened to me, so I could finally end it and just rest.
Wandering into the cold, ostentatious lobby of the Annex, I wondered if maybe Heavenwasreal.
If it were, would Mr. Reynolds be there waiting for me?
What would Heaven be like?
I imagined it would be warm and peaceful and quiet.
Maybe… Maybe Heaven was a tiny overgrown pond filled with croaking frogs, lazy turtles, and smiles so bright they put the fireflies to shame.
