Adanna's grip around the flashlight tightened until her knuckles ached.
Across from her, Vanessa's hand hovered near her coat pocket — and Adanna didn't need to guess what was hidden inside. A weapon? A syringe? She didn't know. She didn't wait to find out.
She lunged.
The flashlight connected with Vanessa's hand, knocking her backward into a crate of broken pots. The sharp crash echoed through the greenhouse as shards of glass and clay scattered across the ground.
Vanessa hissed and reached again, but Adanna kicked the coat pocket hard. A pistol clattered to the floor.
"Back up," Adanna barked, picking it up and pointing it at her. Her hands shook, but her voice didn't.
Vanessa sat up slowly, blood trickling down the side of her face. Her smile returned — sinister now, smug even in defeat. "You don't know what you're doing."
"I know enough," Adanna snapped. "You're not here to protect me. You were monitoring Malcolm. Feeding him lies. And now you're here to clean up the mess."
"I was sent to contain him," Vanessa said, voice low. "But I liked you. I still do. That's why I told you to walk away."
"Then tell me the truth," Adanna demanded. "What is Red Clay really about?"
Vanessa's smile faded.
"You think it's just data and weapons?" she said. "No. Red Clay is a map — not of cities or countries, but of people. Their thoughts. Reactions. Patterns. Emotions. Every click, every message, every hesitation on a screen… it builds a profile. And those profiles are sold. Or worse — they're used to control people before they ever make a choice."
Adanna's stomach twisted. "That's not technology. That's slavery."
Vanessa nodded. "Exactly. And Malcolm was one of the lead architects. Until he tried to double-cross the system that made him rich."
"He said he didn't know."
Vanessa chuckled darkly. "Of course he said that."
Adanna stepped closer. "Then why fake his death?"
"Because they were going to kill him — and they still might."
She lowered the gun an inch. "What happens if I hand you this drive?"
"You disappear," Vanessa said. "No more threats. No more Red Clay. You get to live your life — if you keep your mouth shut."
"And if I expose it?"
"You die before the upload finishes."
They stood in silence, broken only by the creaking glass above them.
Then Adanna stepped back and turned.
"I'll take my chances."
It was almost dawn by the time she made it back home, adrenaline still racing through her system.
She locked the doors, double-checked the windows, then powered up the secure laptop Malcolm had given her and inserted the flash drive again.
She ignored the list of names this time.
She clicked the file labeled FAILSAFE.
Are you sure you want to initiate public upload protocol?
This action is irreversible.
Her hand hovered over the mouse.
Then she clicked YES.
Progress bar: 1%… 12%… 38%…
Her heart pounded with each jump in numbers.
Then the screen flickered — a warning:
Connection interrupted. Threat detected.
Her blood ran cold.
She reached for her phone — and that's when the lights in her house went out.
Total blackout.
Outside, an engine revved.
Then footsteps.
Not one pair. Several.
Someone had found her.
Or rather, they had.
And they weren't going to knock.