Fall of the Core: Netcast 01 (The Frontiers Saga) by Ryk Brown Read Free Book Online Page B

you’d never become.”
    Hanna stared at her empty mug. “I never thought about it like that. Wait, you were an indie? But you’re like what, twenty-five, maybe?”
    “I got lucky early on,” Constance admitted. “Batted my eyelashes at a congressman. He wanted to sleep with me so bad he would have told me anything.”
    “Hadden?”
    “That’s the guy.”
    “That’s right,” Hanna remembered. “I forgot all about that guy.”
    “He was nobody, just another suit in a sea of suits, until he opened his big mouth to me.” Constance winked. “I made him famous.”
    “You ruined his life,” Hanna corrected.
    “He ruined his own life by taking bribes and screwing everyone in sight,” Constance retorted. “I just put the final nail in his coffin… and made my way into the bigs at the same time.”
    Hanna stared at Constance for a moment. It seemed such a harsh attitude, but she had to admit that she probably would have done the same thing in her place. In fact, she had dreamed of having such an opportunity for years.
    “That’s what we do,” Constance explained.
    “Not always.”
    “True, but often enough. You ruined Donovan’s life.”
    “Doctor Mesnard? I didn’t ruin his life. I’m sure it wasn’t his call to hide the truth about the implants from the public.”
    “Doesn’t matter. The public sees his face trying to defend the GDCO. He becomes the bad guy in their eyes. Besides, his job has got to be a lot tougher now.”
    “It’s not like I had any choice in the matter.”
    “Yeah, I heard about that,” Constance replied, her tone becoming sympathetic. “That had to suck, having that guy inside your head like that, knowing he could switch you off for good any moment.” Constance swallowed gulped down the last of her coffee. “I don’t know how you got the nerve to turn that thing back on, even without your nanites.”
    “Trust me, it wasn’t easy.” Hanna sighed. “But again, I didn’t really have a choice, did I?”
    “Yeah, I guess not,” Constance agreed. “Just another wonderful perk of our glorious profession.”
    “You don’t sound like you care for it much?” Hanna commented.
    “Are you kidding? I love it. If for no other reason than because I get to be in here most of the time, instead of out there . You’ve seen the chaos. The world is tearing itself apart. And all we have to do is peek our pretty little noses outside once a day, and then run back here and tell everyone about how awful they have it.”
    “They have a right to know,” Hanna said defensively.
    “Yeah, Brent’s idea of ‘hope’. The truth.” Constance looked at Hanna. “If you were stuck out there, wondering if you had enough food and water to make it through the week, wondering if you were going to be beaten, raped, or murdered if you stuck your nose outside, wondering if you were going to get infected and die… Would you really want to know the truth?”
    Hanna didn’t respond.
    “I’m not sure that I would,” Constance continued. “At least not all of it… But we’re Netcast News World , and we bring them all the news , and in full immersion.”
    “Not to be presumptuous or anything, but if that’s the way you feel, then why are you here?”
    “Like I said, it beats being out there. Besides, my parents, my brother and his wife, even my grandfather… They’re all upstairs just like your family. We’re keeping them safe by covering the end of the world.”
    “It might not be,” Hanna said halfheartedly. “There’s always a chance.”
    “Ah, hope. Yes, there is always a tiny glimmer of hope.” Constance sighed. “Listen to me,” she laughed. “I sound like a real bitch, don’t I?”
    Hanna shrugged, not wanting to agree or disagree.
    “I guess it’s been a rough week for all of us, huh?”
    “Yeah,” Hanna agreed, “I suppose it has.”
    Constance placed both hands on the table. “Well, speaking of hope, it’s time for me to give some to the masses, but first, I