“Yes.”
“And you’re willing to sacrifice thousands to preserve that control.”
His expression does not change.
“Sacrifice is inevitable,” he says. “The question is whether it is chaotic or directed.”
I let out a soft breath through my nose. “Directed by you.”
“Directed by those who understand scale,” he replies evenly.
“And Kael?” I ask. “He disrupts your scale?”
“He disrupts predictability,” Valen says.
There it is.
“You needed him radicalized,” I say quietly.
“I needed him clarified,” Valen counters.
“You mean framed.”
He tilts his head slightly. “Evidence was… arranged.”
There is no shame in his tone. Only pragmatism.
“You destroyed neutral ground to reinforce your thesis,” I say.
“I reinforced necessity,” he replies.
The words chill me more than the detention cell did.
“You think you’re the only adult in the room,” I say.
“I think I am the only one willing to accept the burden of stability.”
He leans forward slightly now, folding his hands on the table.
“You are intelligent, Ms. Vance. You see patterns others miss. You identified the rhetorical framework in my speeches. You compiled evidence. You nearly transmitted it.”
“Nearly?” I ask.
He allows the faintest smile. “We intercepted the primary relay node.”
My pulse spikes despite myself.
“The packet reached secondary channels,” I say, forcing steadiness.
“Partial fragments,” he replies. “Enough to raise questions. Not enough to destabilize.”
He pauses, studying my face.
“You can prevent further damage,” he says.
I laugh softly. “Damage to whom?”
“To yourself,” he replies.
