All of Freya's life, she's consistently pushed to be just like her sister Artemis: Athletic, competitive, and strive to have a successful life. However, there was just one thing that separated between the two.
She was aiming to have a seat in the In...
Yolanda, Justin, and I follow after Rick and we quickly go down the stairs from Cindy's basement that led to the tunnels.
"Hey, guys, can you hear me?" Beth's voice rang through my comms.
"We hear you." Courtney spoke up.
"Loud and clear." I answer.
"I found some kind of countdown. I think we have thirty-five minutes before they turn it on." Beth explained as we cautiously walked further inside the tunnel. "Whatever they're going to make people believe in, they call it the 'New Constitution'. They wanna combat..." I hear something typing in the background until it stops. "global warming? Oh, wait! They want to force people to..."
"They're going to force people to what?" Yolanda asked with a bit of annoyance.
"Force them to embrace solar and wind power. They're going to eliminate discrimination over race, religion, sexual orientation..." Beth listed off.
"You're kidding me." Rick scoffed.
"And universal healthcare."
"That sounds good. Is—Is that not good?" Courtney curiously asked.
"Hey, Pat, are you sure we're on the right side?" Rick questioned.
"There's got to be something else." He answered, confusion filling his tone as well.
"I don't know, Mr. Dugan. The only other thing it says is that once the machine broadcasts, the process will take thirty minutes. If we don't stop them before then, it's permanent." There's more typing in the background of Beth's comms until she clears her throat once more. "Oh, here's more. It only affects fully-developed minds."
"What does that mean?" Yolanda questioned as she looked at Rick and I.
"Adults." I answer which caused their eyes to widen.
"Oh, no..." Beth whispered. "There are people who will fight too hard against the reprogramming process."
"And what happens to them?" Courtney hesitantly questioned.
"Their brains will shut down...they'll die." My eyes widen in shock.
That's the cost Brainwave was talking about.
"How many?" Yolanda questioned, gesturing for us to continue walking.
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"Twenty-five percent of their target audience...of one hundred million people."
"They're going to kill twenty-five million people?" Courtney exasperated.
"Give or take a few million, yes." A different voice spoke into our comms that I recognized all too well. "Good morning, everyone. You may be wondering what's just happened, so allow me to elucidate. Well, I've just hacked into your hack of our hack, young lady." The Gambler chuckled to himself. "And with who do I have the pleasure of speaking?"
