Page 149 - DivineSparkRisingFinal

Nicholas Boothman
In the Chorus compound, the Curator leaned
over the console as numbers slid.
“What’s happening?”
An aide didn’t look up. “They’re choosing the
messy signal.”
The Curator’s hand slammed down.
“They shouldn’t want a mess.”
But they did.
Because it was real.
Then Jinji’s voice broke through on the
emergency channel.
“Status report: I’m in. I’ve stitched the real spiral
as a watermark into the False Word feed. Anyone
watching their message is now seeing ours.”
Henry let out a laugh that caught in his throat.
“You’re a legend.”
“Tell the world I’m fine,” Jinji said. “And then
blow it wide open.”
Carolina stepped into the frame of their own
broadcast. No script. No protocol. Just herself.
“This isn’t about language. It’s about choice.”
“You’ve been told who you are your entire life.”
“Maybe it’s time to decide for yourself.”
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