her

Once she’s finished with the list of names, you quickly type out a secure message to an old Army buddy you trust with your life. “Critical and dangerous. To be watched only if you don’t hear from me in the next 24 hours!” You attach the video, hit Send, and then delete the email from your Sent folder.

“I’ve just uploaded the video to a secure site. As long as I keep checking in regularly, it’ll stay there. But if I give the word, or if I don’t check in on schedule, it goes out to the entire internet.”

“You can’t do that!” she says, her expression furious._ _“When I get free…”

“Even if you somehow got free, you can make me tell you who has it but you can’t make me tell him to erase it.”

Despite her anger, she tries to make her tone conciliatory. “Lives would be ruined. People would die!”

“People die or have their lives ruined every day. Maybe it’s time the powerful experience what that’s like.”

"And what happens the next time there’s an alien invasion or a natural disaster or a demonic incursion? And there are no heroes left to resist because they’ve all been killed or driven underground? Millions could die. Not that you’d live to see it, because as soon as the information is out there your life is over.”

“Then it seems we both have good motivation to come to an agreement.”

Her expression becomes more guarded and you can see the wheels turning behind her eyes. “What sort of agreement did you have in mind?”