The first report came from the drone operators in the Central Hub. “Chase is… smiling,” one had noted. “She never smiles.”
Outside, the drone announcements changed. The robotic voice that once said “Customs inspection in progress” now said something new:
“No,” Cory said, her voice rising with evangelical fervor. “I’ve been enlightened . The seed showed me the truth: order is not tyranny. Order is freedom. Every irregularity, every exception, every ‘just this once’—that’s where evil grows. I’m not taking over the port, Marcus. I’m saving it. And I’m going to save all of it.” 1111Customs 24 05 20 Cory Chase Cory Takes Over...
“Agent Vane,” she said without turning around. Her voice was silk wrapped around steel. “You’re early. I predicted you’d come at 14:00. It’s only 13:47.”
Marcus lowered the datapad. “Cory, look at me. This isn’t you.” The first report came from the drone operators
For a moment, her expression cracked. The cold vastness behind her eyes flickered, and he saw a flash of the real Cory—tired, scared, buried deep inside her own skull. Her lips moved, forming a single, silent word: help .
She turned. Her eyes were the same sharp blue, but there was something behind them—a flicker of something vast and cold, like a starship engine seen through a pinhole. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’m making the port work. Finally.” The robotic voice that once said “Customs inspection
Marcus arrived at Zone 7 on a humid, sulfur-scented morning. The air was thick with the ozone tang of a million idling engines. He wore civilian clothes—a worn leather jacket over a gray shirt—to avoid triggering the port’s automated profiling. He wasn’t here to arrest Cory. He was here to understand .
She turned back, her platinum hair catching the sterile light. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a shipment of ‘humanitarian aid’ to inspect. It’s probably filled with contraband hope.”
Then the mask snapped back into place. She smiled. It was a perfect, inhuman smile, like a porcelain doll’s.