Her eyes narrowed. "To be lived."
"And that's all?" Sin asked. "Because I got the impression this part is a test."
"If you would like a longer answer, then I can tell you there is no universal purpose of life. It is something that would be unique for every individual, from plant to animal, and more. A bacteria does not strive to make great art. A human might not be able to reproduce to carry on their own legacy. Our circumstances dictate the rest, and everything lives under different circumstances." She exhaled, the sound almost a sigh. "Often, people hope I can give them simple and universal answers to things that are neither simple nor universal. I believe I also know why he asked."
He leaned forward, lifting his head to meet her eyes and a smile took over his mouth. "Yeah?"
She pressed her lips together, debating the wisdom of her next words. "He knows there's a problem in your Legion, and it's bigger than I guessed."
His smile faded, and she saw the muscles of his jaw tense. "I thought we were doing well for a minute there."
"We are," she said. "That's why you need to know this. Sin, the answer isn't always the one you want. My answer also isn't a judgment."
He nodded, gesturing for her to go on.
"Something's going on with the Legion, and I think you know that."
He nodded, but only barely. Rissa reached up to touch his arm, but he moved away. "What are you getting at, Ingénue?"
She lowered her hand, unsure of how to break this to him. "Sin, I'm trusting you, possibly with my life, because I think you need to know this. The data? That encrypted, illegal data? There's only one possible correlation between the companies transporting it."
"The Legion," he breathed.
"ThePraetor," she said. "It all ties back to him, consistently. It's covered pretty well, but I've had a week to think about this. TelGen was clean, but SiSec wasn't."
"Benedict wouldn't do this," he insisted. "Riss, he's a good man!"
"I believe you," she said. "And his question helps to prove it. A correlation is not a sign of guilt. It merely means I do not have enough data to make any extrapolations. There isatie. It does not necessarily mean he is involved."
"So, it might not be him?" he asked just to clarify. "Could it be, say, the Censor?"
Her eyes went blank for a moment. "It could. My concern is that if it is not your Praetor – and all I've been able to find onthe man makes me believe it's not – then he may be blamed for it regardless. In fact, the intention maybeto blame him."
"Ok," Sin said, nodding to show he'd heard. "So, what is he getting blamed for, then? What kind of illegal data are we talking about? Do you have any idea?"
She bit her lip again, trying to summarize the massive amount of information she'd sifted through. "SiSec makes medical adaptations, and the Chairman of the Board is one of the largest donors to the church. ViriSys-Global designs patent applications. The CEO's daughter is an Ordane with the Legion. Charles Marbios is a renowned biochemist who was friends with the Praetor when they were children. There's more, but those are the most notable examples."
"I need to know what they'redoing,Princess," Sin said. "Not the who, but the what."
She caught her breath. Her news hadn't shocked him at all! "How long have you known?" she asked.
"Seven months, give or take," he admitted, lifting the cigarette to his lips. "There's five of us who've been watching things change. Your risk for mine, right?"
Reaching up to his throat, Sin pulled out a long, delicate chain and let it fall against his chest. The metal was silver in color, but it looked more like stainless steel than actual silver. Hanging from it was a chunky pendant made from the same metal. In the center of that almost-shield shape was a stone that resembled an open eye. It was the sort of yellow-brown color often called "gold."
"The only people I trust wear one of these."
In the flickering subway light, Rissa touched the pendant. She timidly reached up and carefully caressed the small shape. "The eye is open. Does that mean something?" she asked.
"Does to me," he admitted. "Well, us."
"It is not the official symbol of your faith."
"No." He tilted his head to catch her eyes. "But it's the symbol that fits best with what we've been seeing."
She nodded, aware of his word choice. "You see what you should not, and likely fear the damage that may come from it. Sin, being right doesn't mean you're falling from grace."
His hand closed over hers, the pendant held inside. "Are you sure of that, Ingénue?"
