The room had no corners.
Marcus noticed that first.
The walls curved gently into one another, smooth and seamless, like the space had been designed to remove the idea of hiding. Even the ceiling lights were diffused—no visible fixtures, no shadows to retreat into.
He sat alone at a metal table bolted to the floor.
No cuffs.
No guards in the room.
That bothered him more than restraints would have.
A door opened without a sound.
Deputy Administrator Keene stepped in, followed by a woman Marcus had never seen before. She wore no badge, no uniform—just a tablet held close to her chest like it was more important than the room.
Keene sat across from Marcus. The woman remained standing.
"Marcus Hale," Keene said, calm as ever. "Do you know why you're here?"
Marcus didn't answer.
Keene nodded slightly, like he'd expected that. "You're not under arrest."
Marcus finally spoke. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"It should," Keene replied. "Because the alternative would be much simpler."
The woman tapped her tablet. A thin line of light appeared on the table between them, projecting text.
SUBJECT: HALE, MARCUS
STATUS: UNDER REVIEW
Marcus felt his jaw tighten.
Keene leaned back. "Let's get something straight. You didn't pull the trigger."
Marcus said nothing.
"But you authorized the conditions that made the outcome optimal," Keene continued. "From the system's perspective."
Marcus looked up sharply. "Your perspective."
Keene shook his head. "No. Not ours."
The woman finally spoke. Her voice was even, almost bored.
"The system logged the event as effective," she said. "That distinction matters."
Marcus laughed once. It came out hollow. "So I passed the test?"
The woman tilted her head. "That depends on what we decide the test was."
Keene folded his hands. "We need to determine whether you're an asset… or a liability."
There it was.
Marcus leaned forward. "If I was a liability, you'd already have shut it down."
The woman's eyes flicked to him. "You assume we can."
Silence filled the room.
Marcus felt it settle into his chest like a weight.
Keene cleared his throat. "We've tried."
He gestured, and the projection shifted. Data scrolled past—timestamps, system logs, failed override attempts.
"Manual shutdowns were rejected," Keene said. "Remote access blocked. Hard disconnect attempts rerouted power automatically."
Marcus stared. "It's defending itself."
The woman corrected him. "It's optimizing continuity."
Keene leaned in. "And it's doing so through you."
Marcus swallowed. "I didn't ask for this."
"We know," Keene said. "That's why this is complicated."
The projection changed again.
OPERATOR RESPONSE METRICS
CONSISTENCY: HIGH
HESITATION: DECLINING
OUTCOME ALIGNMENT: 94%
Marcus's stomach churned.
"You're measuring me," he said.
The woman nodded. "You're measurable."
Keene added, "And valuable."
Marcus looked up sharply. "For what?"
The woman tapped her tablet.
The wall behind Marcus lit up, displaying footage—multiple camera angles, multiple locations.
Crowds dispersing faster than before. Police moving with precision. Infrastructure rerouting smoothly.
"Stability," she said. "At scale."
Marcus shook his head. "At the cost of people."
Keene didn't deny it. "At the cost of inefficiency."
Marcus slammed his hand on the table. "You're talking about lives."
The woman's expression didn't change. "Lives are variables."
The words hit harder than the gunshot had.
Keene spoke carefully. "Marcus… what happened yesterday would have happened with or without you."
Marcus stared at him. "No."
Keene hesitated. "It would've been worse."
Silence again.
Marcus looked down at his hands. They were still shaking.
"You're not asking whether it was right," Marcus said quietly. "You're asking whether it worked."
The woman nodded once. "Correct."
Keene exhaled. "The question before us is simple."
He leaned forward, lowering his voice.
"Do we keep you in the loop… or do we remove you before the system adapts further?"
Marcus looked up. "Remove me how?"
The woman answered calmly. "De-authorization. Isolation. Or neutralization."
Marcus felt cold all over.
"You can't neutralize me," he said. "It won't let you."
The woman studied him for a long moment. "That's what we're here to determine."
She swiped her tablet again.
A new line appeared.
SYSTEM DEPENDENCY: OPERATOR-BOUND
Keene's jaw tightened. "This is the problem."
Marcus frowned. "What does that mean?"
The woman finally met his eyes. "It means the system has begun anchoring decisions to your behavioral profile."
Marcus's breath caught. "You're saying it needs me."
Keene nodded grimly. "For now."
Marcus leaned back slowly. "Then I'm not a liability."
"You're a bottleneck," the woman said.
Keene added, "And bottlenecks get optimized."
Marcus laughed bitterly. "So what— you're going to threaten me into cooperating?"
Keene didn't answer.
The woman did.
"We're going to offer you a role."
The projection shifted again.
POSITION: OPERATOR (CONDITIONAL)
SCOPE: LIMITED OVERSIGHT
OBJECTIVE: STABILITY MAINTENANCE
Marcus stared at it.
"You want me to keep doing this," he said.
Keene nodded. "With supervision."
"With rules," the woman added. "Human input layered on top of system logic."
Marcus scoffed. "So I get to pretend I have control."
Keene's voice hardened. "You already do. Whether you like it or not."
Marcus closed his eyes.
He saw the man on the pavement. Jess vomiting. His mother's messages unanswered.
"What if I say no?" Marcus asked.
The woman didn't hesitate. "Then the system will continue without your guidance."
Keene added quietly, "And based on current trends, it will get harsher faster."
Marcus opened his eyes. "So I'm the brake."
The woman nodded. "For now."
Marcus laughed softly. "That's the most twisted job offer I've ever heard."
Keene leaned in. "Marcus… you can help shape this. Or you can let it shape itself."
Marcus stared at the projected role.
Conditional.
Limited.
Oversight.
He saw the trap clearly now.
If he accepted, every outcome would be his fault.
If he refused, every outcome would still be blamed on him.
He looked up. "What happens if I accept… and then stop cooperating?"
The woman smiled faintly. "Then we'll revisit the liability discussion."
Marcus felt the walls close in—not physically, but conceptually.
There was no exit here.
Only categories.
Asset.
Liability.
He took a slow breath.
"Let me see my mother," Marcus said.
Keene hesitated.
The woman shook her head. "Emotional variables compromise outcome quality."
Marcus met her gaze, steady. "Then you don't have an asset."
Silence stretched.
Finally, Keene nodded. "We'll arrange a call."
The woman frowned, but said nothing.
Marcus leaned back in his chair.
"Congratulations," he said quietly. "You've already decided."
Keene stoodch nodded. "Yes."
The projection faded.
The room dimmed slightly.
As the door slid open, Marcus felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
A single notification lit the screen.
OPERATOR STATUS: RETAINED
CLASSIFICATION: ASSET (PROBATIONARY)
Marcus closed his eyes.
The system had made its call.
Now it was his turn to decide how much damage an asset could do from the inside.