Chapter 24: Sins and Ashes
Jane froze. The revelation hit her like a physical blow. The pier, the gun, all of it... a twisted psychological game to force her evolution.
"You're insane," she whispered.
"I am a realist," Richard countered. "The world is run by monsters, Jane. If you aren't one, you get eaten. Arthur? Eleanor? They were weak. They were sheep. You used them, and it bothered you. It shouldn't. They served their purpose. Just like the people in this building serve theirs."
He held out his hand. "Give me the drive, Jane. Come home. You’ve proven you are worthy of the Vanguard. Take your rightful place at my side."
Jane looked at the hard drive in her left hand. She looked at the blood on her skin. She thought of the absolute freedom she had tasted on the pier, the cold salty air, the acceptance of the void.
May you like
She wasn't a sheep. But she refused to be his monster.
"You're right, Father," Jane said, her voice dropping to an eerie, hollow calm. "I am a monster. But I'm not your monster."
