There was this feeling that was all Jackie was, at this point. Nothing like fear taking over, worry and doubt drilling into one’s stomach, happiness making one’s heart swell. This was a tired aching, that robbed her body’s ability to have strength and cared not to muster any.

“Awww. Where’s that vinegar that you were spouting just a second ago, Ms. Jackson?” Mr. Davenport leaned forward in front of her, practically in choking distance, just to prove a point.

“Looks like ya’ sucked it clean dry outta her, sir~” Sinclair chirped, nails being hammered into Jackie’s eardrums.

“I knew that bringing that up would disarm her, but I wasn’t expecting the entire surrender…”

The robotic-suited man simply shrugged. “Well, guess I won’t distract him from his work after all—I’m sure given the news, he’s not doing it regardless… We’ll proceed to keep marching forward~”

“You… You overgrown manchild with too much power…”

Mr. Davenport turned and then flickered before Jackie again, who rose her head.

He was expecting a much more scary or angry expression radiating from this young woman. But instead, it was already drenched in tears, twisted in agony, and bathed in tangible sorrow.

“Why are you even doing this…? If you’re so flippant about life… If you simply don’t care about these things that doesn’t fit your fucked up world view… Why bother? Why not just digitize people and create some fucked up utopia of your dreams…?”

There was a vacant look in his eyes, as he stared down at Jackie. It truly scared her in that moment.

But the worst of it, was that he smiled. Trying to smile to hide or balance the feeling, leading to further dissonance.

“‘Count Zero’.”

Jackie just looked on, not even entertaining asking what that meant.

“It’s our current plan and final solution. I have created a sort of… Device. One of my older works when I was more moody… I call it a Paradox Machine. It absorbs Shift energies and let’s ‘reality’ compress it, at the same time. That sounds very dangerous, right? Well, our research shows that now that the Trends are capable of this ‘Paradigm Shift’ phenomena, and how they were able to warp things to their designs… Well. It’s about time we finally make that better world we’ve spent human history fighting over.”

The man was letting his arms swing, gesturing, expressing his resentment.

“Promise land, Heaven, Hell, Valhalla, Nirvana… All so focused on something that can never be achievable. We could’ve stripped our boots, rolled up our sleeves—make the world a better place so we can finally grow these concepts that only keeps us and sends us back to the Dung Ages every. Single. Time. It’s sad, really. That we’ve gotten to this point. I wished that we could’ve found a better way, but you weren’t there… When the fear and paranoia reached record heights, right after I fucking promised that we were finally moving…”

“…Y-you’re…” Jackier sputtered out of her tears-covered lips. “Sounding like we’re gonna die if this thing is used…”

“Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it?”

The words sunk in so fast, Jackie couldn’t understand what was happening.

“I don’t know what will happen, really. We could get what we’ve wanted, a world reset so we can start over. Or get rewritten and not know what happened to begin with. Or just simply erased, including us. And the funniest part? This isn’t classified information. I’m not lying to my citizens. They’re all for it. Because at least we have control over this.”

“…G…Just…”

Jackie just hung her head low.

“Just let my father speak to me… I don’t want to hear you talk anymore…”

“Oooh, well uh, got some bad news for you when you walk outta this building then—” Mr. Davenport smirked as he put his hands behind his back. “Very well. Air out all of those nasty emotions and when you want to talk business again, hey, I’ll be near~ Sinclair dear?”

“Yessir!” the bubblegum drone saluted and turned off his communication device.

Jackie didn’t pay attention, or rather, didn’t bother to. All she heard was a rushing of loud thuds, rush of cold air, before an all encompassing warmness.

She knew her father’s hugs from anywhere. But then being so unfirm and shaking was an entirely new thing.

“Help me, Dad,” the girl reverted back 7 years in that one sentence.

“I’m here, babygirl, I’m here this time, I promise you, I promise,” Jack tried to talk at once, expressing the same feeling.

“No, help me. I can feel it. That nothingness that N’atural and Nathan talked about… I’m becoming a Trend, at this rate. Help me, convince me, not to go and destroy this pathetic fucking world.”