Humanity's Shadow

[Fairchild]

She cracked a crooked smile and shook her head, her black hair reflecting the natural light of the library.

"That's its purpose. This is just files, data. A shared copy. You're not the only one, you're merely the first. If you choose to keep this for yourself, or just for your agency, all you're doing is wasting my time, not creating any measurable loss. There will be other ones who would be interested in this technology. All you'd be doing is accelerating the clock for Cryer and giving them more time to come up with their own version. And once people have their new doodad, well that's it. Because they will be reluctant to change, even if you spread the news that it can be used to restrict their freedom. Sure, some would listen to you. But most wouldn't, because people hate change."

She crossed her legs. "I'm not doing this for myself, Mr Reeves. You don't have a guarantee beyond what's on that diamond. But growing up where I did I understood that not everything you do in life should be for your personal benefit. And I will stick by that."