shouldn’t have missed this in our first reading, but somehow, we all had. We’d been so eager to track down Ellison Corp’s secrets and expose them to the world, that no one had bothered to wonder whether it was all legal. No one had noticed the few little sentences in the laws that changed everything.
I pressed a hand over my mouth as I reread the words, but they didn’t change. Their meaning didn’t change. And there was no hiding now. We were in over our heads, and I needed to tell the rest of them.
It wasn’t illegal, it turned out…if you were doing research for the government.
***
“Jesus,” Edward whispered, a few minutes later. He was staring at the pictures on my phone, his face screwed up.
I felt a wash of pride, a feeling that had become entirely alien to me. Somewhere in the sneaking around and the lying and my own dangerous game, I’d forgotten what pushed me to start this. In Edward’s revulsion, I had my reminder: we started this because Ellison Corp was doing something unjust, something that trampled over the rights of human beings. We were doing this because no matter how dangerous it was to expose them, what they were doing was wrong—and we wanted to stand up and show the world the truth.
Something kindled in my chest and I let out a deep, slow breath. We could do this. I could do this. I managed a smile when he looked up at me.
“Do we have something to smile about?” He frowned at me, gesturing at the pictures, at the phone, at his computer.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “I’m not afraid.”
“You should be.” His voice was flat.
“It’s more important now for us to tell the truth than it was before.” I shook my head, trying to find the right words. “You should…put something in writing. Tell me to stop doing what I’m doing. You need to be able to deny this later, all of you. You have a family, Ed.”
“Cat—your parents, your—”
“I don’t have a husband or kids.” I talked over him. “My parents…will be okay.”
“Cat, listen to me, you have no idea what this will do to them. You don’t understand what it means to have the government come after you. Ellison Corp was dangerous on its own, but I want you to understand that this is worse—you don’t have what it takes to get away from the Secret Service. And don’t think they won’t send someone. They will.”
“It’s okay,” I said simply. I lifted one shoulder. “No, Ed, listen to me—you think I don’t know what I’m doing. But what’s the point of not showing this to the world?”
“You get to live. ”
“For what?” I leaned forward. “So I can do more journalism and uncover more secrets I won’t tell? What’s the point of living if you don’t stand up for what’s right? People need to know. ”
He sank his head into his hand and rubbed at his forehead. He sighed, and when he looked up, I saw the weary acceptance in his face.
“You’re not doing this alone.”
“Ed—”
“No. I’m drawing a line. You’re going to go in there today and quit, and then you’re going to come back here and we are going to work out a plan. There’s got to be someone we can find, someone high up, who will break this story for you. Don’t tell me no. If you care about the truth, then you’ll let it come from someone who can’t get dragged through the mud. Because they’re going to find out everything about you, Cat. And do you honestly think they won’t find something that discredits you?”
I froze. It was there, in his gaze. He knew everything. Fury kindled in my chest.
“Nate told you.”
He hesitated. “Yes.”
“Listen, I—”
“I’m not interested in hearing about it.” He cut me off with a gesture. “I believe you. I still believe you. But no one else will. Do you hear me, Cat? No one else will. So we need to figure out how to break this story. Come back here when you’ve quit at Ellison Corp and we’ll work it out.”
***
I was nearly out
I pressed a hand over my mouth as I reread the words, but they didn’t change. Their meaning didn’t change. And there was no hiding now. We were in over our heads, and I needed to tell the rest of them.
It wasn’t illegal, it turned out…if you were doing research for the government.
***
“Jesus,” Edward whispered, a few minutes later. He was staring at the pictures on my phone, his face screwed up.
I felt a wash of pride, a feeling that had become entirely alien to me. Somewhere in the sneaking around and the lying and my own dangerous game, I’d forgotten what pushed me to start this. In Edward’s revulsion, I had my reminder: we started this because Ellison Corp was doing something unjust, something that trampled over the rights of human beings. We were doing this because no matter how dangerous it was to expose them, what they were doing was wrong—and we wanted to stand up and show the world the truth.
Something kindled in my chest and I let out a deep, slow breath. We could do this. I could do this. I managed a smile when he looked up at me.
“Do we have something to smile about?” He frowned at me, gesturing at the pictures, at the phone, at his computer.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “I’m not afraid.”
“You should be.” His voice was flat.
“It’s more important now for us to tell the truth than it was before.” I shook my head, trying to find the right words. “You should…put something in writing. Tell me to stop doing what I’m doing. You need to be able to deny this later, all of you. You have a family, Ed.”
“Cat—your parents, your—”
“I don’t have a husband or kids.” I talked over him. “My parents…will be okay.”
“Cat, listen to me, you have no idea what this will do to them. You don’t understand what it means to have the government come after you. Ellison Corp was dangerous on its own, but I want you to understand that this is worse—you don’t have what it takes to get away from the Secret Service. And don’t think they won’t send someone. They will.”
“It’s okay,” I said simply. I lifted one shoulder. “No, Ed, listen to me—you think I don’t know what I’m doing. But what’s the point of not showing this to the world?”
“You get to live. ”
“For what?” I leaned forward. “So I can do more journalism and uncover more secrets I won’t tell? What’s the point of living if you don’t stand up for what’s right? People need to know. ”
He sank his head into his hand and rubbed at his forehead. He sighed, and when he looked up, I saw the weary acceptance in his face.
“You’re not doing this alone.”
“Ed—”
“No. I’m drawing a line. You’re going to go in there today and quit, and then you’re going to come back here and we are going to work out a plan. There’s got to be someone we can find, someone high up, who will break this story for you. Don’t tell me no. If you care about the truth, then you’ll let it come from someone who can’t get dragged through the mud. Because they’re going to find out everything about you, Cat. And do you honestly think they won’t find something that discredits you?”
I froze. It was there, in his gaze. He knew everything. Fury kindled in my chest.
“Nate told you.”
He hesitated. “Yes.”
“Listen, I—”
“I’m not interested in hearing about it.” He cut me off with a gesture. “I believe you. I still believe you. But no one else will. Do you hear me, Cat? No one else will. So we need to figure out how to break this story. Come back here when you’ve quit at Ellison Corp and we’ll work it out.”
***
I was nearly out
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