But this time there’s something colder behind it.
“You already know how this works, Boone.”
Sentinel.
He’s talking about Sentinel.
“You help people first,” he continues. “You build trust. You build loyalty.”
“And then?”
“Then you build something that lasts.”
I push off the wall.
“And what exactly is supposed to last?”
Eli’s eyes hold mine.
“Us.”
The word echoes in the hallway.
“We’re building a network that can survive whatever comes next,” he says calmly.
“Governments fail. Systems collapse. People panic.”
“And your solution is what?”
“Preparation.”
“That’s a generous word.”
“Is it?”
He tilts his head slightly.
“You’ve seen the world, Boone. You know how fragile it is.”
I don’t answer.
Because he’s not wrong.
That’s the dangerous part.
“You could help us,” he says.
There it is.
The offer.
“You think I’d join you.”
“I think you’re exactly the kind of man this network needs.”
“And why is that?”
“Because you understand the difference between order and chaos.”
