want the chance to think this through, to consider my options. But his priorities are his research, not me.
“Yes,” he agrees. “I’ll show you more, let you see all of what I do. Then you can make your decision.”
I nod, accepting that. “What about Torenze?”
Cash shrugs. “I hope his fascination with you will fade with time. We need him on our side, Sascha, but I’ll do what I can to keep him away from you. I want him to partner with us, but in the meantime, you have to stop engaging with him. He’ll come up with something far worse for you than what happened the other night, and it might not be for punishment. It might just be for his own sick enjoyment.”
I just stare at him. If he’s willing to work with this monster, what will happen to me if I don’t agree to work with him?
“I told you once that you’d think I was selling out,” Cash reminds me. There is no trace of regret on his face.
I do, but I don’t say anything. Until now, I thought my biggest danger was getting beaten or slapped, or sold to a brothel. Now that I realize exactly what my master is capable of, I’m not sure if those things are so bad. And yet, I’m still interested in the research.
Chapter 7
Going Forward
“What do we do now?” I ask, still trying to digest all the information. There’s so much, I want a day or so to just think about it all, to make all the connections. It’s what I’ve always excelled at, but I can’t do it with him staring at me.
“We start again,” Cash suggests, looking tentatively hopeful. “No more secrets. No more treating you like a dumb slave. And hopefully, once you stop being angry at me, we can be better than we were before. I enjoy your company, Sascha. There are very few people who I say that about. You’re smart enough to work with me, to challenge me, and now you know pretty much everything about me. There’s no one else who has that privilege. I want you to be a bigger part of my life, but more importantly, I want you to be a bigger part of my work. I’ve been limiting both of us.”
I nod. I feel his pressure: his desire to make me his researcher, his hacker, his spy, whatever he wants from me. It’s intriguing, but risky. “Can I see more of it?” I ask, nervous. I’m expecting him to demand some sort of loyalty oath or something before letting me go any further.
“Yes,” he agrees. He takes a step closer to where I’m sitting on the bed with his tablet, and then pauses. “May I sit?”
I nod, moving over to give him some room.
Suddenly, he’s in bed with me, comfortable next to me, like he belongs here. I try not to be too distracted as he pulls up plans and outlines for his research, explaining the testing process to me in great detail as well as the barriers that he’s facing. Some information he can’t access because it’s too heavily guarded; I can get through the barriers in a matter of days. Other information he can’t access because it’s simply not on any network. For those, he needs a spy, someone to listen at events, make sure the right people are interested and willing to pursue the same goals as he has. He’s staging a huge movement, drawing investors, owners of re-education center franchises, researchers, and more. He couldn’t ask me to do this much before; I would have found out his secrets, who his mother is and who he was. He seems pleased when I tell him how easily I can get through at least the technological barriers. He’s even more pleased when I grow more interested, asking him questions about how it will play out, the details, the tests that will be used.
“This is why you should never have been a slave, Sascha,” he mentions casually. “A waste of potential. You’re capable of changing things.”
I smile. I’m learning that slaves can change things, too, if they’re lucky. “What would you have done if you hadn’t found me?”
He shrugs. “Spent years working on this, struggling, waiting. Gotten exposed, probably.
“Yes,” he agrees. “I’ll show you more, let you see all of what I do. Then you can make your decision.”
I nod, accepting that. “What about Torenze?”
Cash shrugs. “I hope his fascination with you will fade with time. We need him on our side, Sascha, but I’ll do what I can to keep him away from you. I want him to partner with us, but in the meantime, you have to stop engaging with him. He’ll come up with something far worse for you than what happened the other night, and it might not be for punishment. It might just be for his own sick enjoyment.”
I just stare at him. If he’s willing to work with this monster, what will happen to me if I don’t agree to work with him?
“I told you once that you’d think I was selling out,” Cash reminds me. There is no trace of regret on his face.
I do, but I don’t say anything. Until now, I thought my biggest danger was getting beaten or slapped, or sold to a brothel. Now that I realize exactly what my master is capable of, I’m not sure if those things are so bad. And yet, I’m still interested in the research.
Chapter 7
Going Forward
“What do we do now?” I ask, still trying to digest all the information. There’s so much, I want a day or so to just think about it all, to make all the connections. It’s what I’ve always excelled at, but I can’t do it with him staring at me.
“We start again,” Cash suggests, looking tentatively hopeful. “No more secrets. No more treating you like a dumb slave. And hopefully, once you stop being angry at me, we can be better than we were before. I enjoy your company, Sascha. There are very few people who I say that about. You’re smart enough to work with me, to challenge me, and now you know pretty much everything about me. There’s no one else who has that privilege. I want you to be a bigger part of my life, but more importantly, I want you to be a bigger part of my work. I’ve been limiting both of us.”
I nod. I feel his pressure: his desire to make me his researcher, his hacker, his spy, whatever he wants from me. It’s intriguing, but risky. “Can I see more of it?” I ask, nervous. I’m expecting him to demand some sort of loyalty oath or something before letting me go any further.
“Yes,” he agrees. He takes a step closer to where I’m sitting on the bed with his tablet, and then pauses. “May I sit?”
I nod, moving over to give him some room.
Suddenly, he’s in bed with me, comfortable next to me, like he belongs here. I try not to be too distracted as he pulls up plans and outlines for his research, explaining the testing process to me in great detail as well as the barriers that he’s facing. Some information he can’t access because it’s too heavily guarded; I can get through the barriers in a matter of days. Other information he can’t access because it’s simply not on any network. For those, he needs a spy, someone to listen at events, make sure the right people are interested and willing to pursue the same goals as he has. He’s staging a huge movement, drawing investors, owners of re-education center franchises, researchers, and more. He couldn’t ask me to do this much before; I would have found out his secrets, who his mother is and who he was. He seems pleased when I tell him how easily I can get through at least the technological barriers. He’s even more pleased when I grow more interested, asking him questions about how it will play out, the details, the tests that will be used.
“This is why you should never have been a slave, Sascha,” he mentions casually. “A waste of potential. You’re capable of changing things.”
I smile. I’m learning that slaves can change things, too, if they’re lucky. “What would you have done if you hadn’t found me?”
He shrugs. “Spent years working on this, struggling, waiting. Gotten exposed, probably.
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