Chapter 14 - The ChoiceThe city became a heartbeat.

One pulse.

Then another.

Then another.

Hospital telemetry systems started sounding simultaneously.

I stared at the monitors.

"You activated all of them."

Avery nodded.

"For five minutes."

"Why?"

"To prove what Orchid can do."

"You could kill them."

"I could."

Nate stepped between us.

"Michael, stop."

Avery raised his gun.

"Move."

"You've lost."

"No."

Avery smiled.

"She's here."

He pointed at me.

"That's all that matters."

I looked at Jonathan.

"How do I shut it down?"

He whispered,

"You have to enter the core."

"How?"

"Blood."

I looked at the platform.

Then at Nate.

"How many people could die?"

"If the system overloads..."

"How many?"

"All connected patients."

I stepped toward the platform.

Avery watched.

"Good."

Nate grabbed my arm.

"No."

"Let go."

"You don't understand what it will do."

"I understand enough."

"If you connect, I can't remove you."

"Then don't."

He stared.

I climbed onto the platform.

Sensors attached to my wrists.

A needle entered my arm.

Blood filled a glass tube.

The machine scanned me.

GENETIC MATCH: 100%

ORCHID SUBJECT ONE CONFIRMED

The room shook.

Data flooded the screens.

My heartbeat appeared on every monitor.

Then I heard voices.

Hundreds.

Patients.

Fear.

Pain.

Confusion.

I could feel their bodies.

Every pulse.

Every breath.

Every heartbeat.

I nearly screamed.

Jonathan shouted,

"Hannah!"

I couldn't answer.

Avery laughed.

"She's connected."

Nate looked horrified.

"Get her out."

Avery shook his head.

"No."

The system displayed two options.

TERMINATE

ASSUME CONTROL

My hand hovered.

Avery stepped closer.

"Choose control."

"Why?"

"Because termination destroys years of research."

"People will die."

"Some."

He shrugged.

"But imagine what you could accomplish."

I looked at the patients.

Their fear became louder.

I saw Eleanor.

I saw children.

Old men.

Women.

People who had trusted doctors.

People who had signed forms without understanding.

I chose termination.

The system rejected it.

AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED

I frowned.

"What?"

Jonathan shouted,

"Only the creator can authorize termination."

I turned.

"That's you."

Jonathan shook his head.

"No."

"Then who?"

He looked at Nate.

My husband stepped forward.

"I can."

I stared.

"You?"

"The system was transferred to me eight years ago."

"Why?"

"My family made me the administrator."

Avery laughed.

"Nathaniel doesn't know the final code."

Nate looked at him.

"I do."

Avery's smile disappeared.

Nate walked to the control panel.

"I learned it years ago."

He entered a sequence.

The system paused.

Then:

AUTHORIZATION ACCEPTED

Avery raised his weapon.

Nate turned.

"Run."

Gunfire exploded.

The screen shattered.

Nate collapsed.

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And the system changed one final time.

TERMINATION IN PROGRESS.