Which means the system sees me as the last verified authority.
The last person who successfully controlled it.
Boone glances over again.
“You’re thinking about keeping it.”
“No.”
“But you’re thinking about using it.”
“…Maybe.”
He nods slowly.
“That sounds dangerous.”
“It is.”
“But destroying it blindly could collapse parts of the infrastructure grid.”
“So you need to shut it down properly.”
“Yes.”
“And the only way to do that…”
“…is to take control first.”
Boone exhales.
“That’s a hell of a position to be in.”
I close the laptop halfway.
“I never wanted this kind of control.”
“Most people who deserve it don’t.”
The truck exits the highway toward the airport road.
Planes cross the sky overhead.
My mind races through every scenario.
Every risk.
Every outcome.
If I take control of the system—
I become the only person who can shut it down safely.
But if anyone else learns that…
They’ll come for it.
For me.
