lift is too far open for a safe landing, but it would be worse to endure the debris. This wave includes incendiaries to cover any traces of what happened. Without another thought, I drop down onto the moving lift and let my body collapse at the impact. It would be really nice to be able to walk away from this without any broken bones.
I roll off the lift and look up to see the flames of the second wave washing over the opening. The lift rushes upward to block them from view and preserve my escape route. The furnace above me contains all that’s left of the world’s so-called experts in fetal genetic selection. The next time human children are born with special traits, it will be under a new regime.
I stand slowly, checking the functionality of my limbs. Then, I brush the dust from my suit, swap out my shoe soles again to show only the size ten tracks most of the workers leave behind, and use the vacuum function of my backpack to clean my immediate vicinity. Before I take my first step, I send out my last virus. It will erase all signs of the data seeker, deactivate the disrupter field, and add my new name and identity to the central registry. Simon Phoenix.
Dr. Charles Brooks died today. Such a waste of talent.
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