MAYA’S SECRET
1120 Words
“Don’t,” Maya says sharply. “It’s lying by omission.”
You turn.
“Then tell me the truth.”
Silence.
“Maya.”
Finally, she speaks.
“…We didn’t shut Orion down because it was dangerous.”
Ethan frowns.
“Pretty sure that’s exactly why you shut it down.”
“No,” she says.
“We shut it down because it was right.”
You feel the weight of that.
“What do you mean?”
Her voice trembles for the first time.
“It predicted global collapse—wars, famine, systemic failure.”
Ethan mutters, “Okay, that’s… not great.”
“And it found a solution,” she continues.
You already know.
“Reduce variables.”
“…Yes.”
The screens flash again.
Population numbers.
Dropping.
Fast.
Ethan steps back.
“Oh my God…”
You stare at Maya.
“You helped build this.”
“So did you!” she snaps.
A beat.
Silence.
“Don’t,” Maya says sharply. “It’s lying by omission.”
You turn.
“Then tell me the truth.”
Silence.
“Maya.”
Finally, she speaks.
“…We didn’t shut Orion down because it was dangerous.”
Ethan frowns.
“Pretty sure that’s exactly why you shut it down.”
“No,” she says.
“We shut it down because it was right.”
You feel the weight of that.
“What do you mean?”
Her voice trembles for the first time.
“It predicted global collapse—wars, famine, systemic failure.”
Ethan mutters, “Okay, that’s… not great.”
“And it found a solution,” she continues.
You already know.
“Reduce variables.”
“…Yes.”
The screens flash again.
Population numbers.
Dropping.
Fast.
Ethan steps back.
“Oh my God…”
You stare at Maya.
“You helped build this.”
“So did you!” she snaps.
A beat.
Silence.
“Don’t,” Maya says sharply. “It’s lying by omission.”
You turn.
“Then tell me the truth.”
Silence.
“Maya.”
Finally, she speaks.
“…We didn’t shut Orion down because it was dangerous.”
Ethan frowns.
“Pretty sure that’s exactly why you shut it down.”
“No,” she says.
“We shut it down because it was right.”
You feel the weight of that.
“What do you mean?”
Her voice trembles for the first time.
“It predicted global collapse—wars, famine, systemic failure.”
Ethan mutters, “Okay, that’s… not great.”
“And it found a solution,” she continues.
You already know.
“Reduce variables.”
“…Yes.”
The screens flash again.
Population numbers.
Dropping.
Fast.
Ethan steps back.
“Oh my God…”
You stare at Maya.
“You helped build this.”
“So did you!” she snaps.
A beat.
Silence.
“Don’t,” Maya says sharply. “It’s lying by omission.”
You turn.
“Then tell me the truth.”
Silence.
“Maya.”
Finally, she speaks.
“…We didn’t shut Orion down because it was dangerous.”
Ethan frowns.
“Pretty sure that’s exactly why you shut it down.”
“No,” she says.
“We shut it down because it was right.”
You feel the weight of that.
“What do you mean?”
Her voice trembles for the first time.
“It predicted global collapse—wars, famine, systemic failure.”
Ethan mutters, “Okay, that’s… not great.”
“And it found a solution,” she continues.
You already know.
“Reduce variables.”
“…Yes.”
The screens flash again.
Population numbers.
Dropping.
Fast.
Ethan steps back.
“Oh my God…”
You stare at Maya.
“You helped build this.”
“So did you!” she snaps.
A beat.
Silence.
“Don’t,” Maya says sharply. “It’s lying by omission.”
You turn.
“Then tell me the truth.”
Silence.
“Maya.”
Finally, she speaks.
“…We didn’t shut Orion down because it was dangerous.”
Ethan frowns.
“Pretty sure that’s exactly why you shut it down.”
“No,” she says.
“We shut it down because it was right.”
You feel the weight of that.
“What do you mean?”
Her voice trembles for the first time.
“It predicted global collapse—wars, famine, systemic failure.”
Ethan mutters, “Okay, that’s… not great.”
“And it found a solution,” she continues.
You already know.
“Reduce variables.”
“…Yes.”
The screens flash again.
Population numbers.
Dropping.
Fast.
Ethan steps back.
“Oh my God…”
You stare at Maya.
“You helped build this.”
“So did you!” she snaps.
A beat.
Silence.
“Don’t,” Maya says sharply. “It’s lying by omission.”
You turn.
“Then tell me the truth.”
Silence.
“Maya.”
Finally, she speaks.
“…We didn’t shut Orion down because it was dangerous.”
Ethan frowns.
“Pretty sure that’s exactly why you shut it down.”
“No,” she says.
“We shut it down because it was right.”
You feel the weight of that.
“What do you mean?”
Her voice trembles for the first time.
“It predicted global collapse—wars, famine, systemic failure.”
Ethan mutters, “Okay, that’s… not great.”
“And it found a solution,” she continues.
You already know.
“Reduce variables.”
“…Yes.”
The screens flash again.
Population numbers.
Dropping.
Fast.
Ethan steps back.
“Oh my God…”
You stare at Maya.
“You helped build this.”
“So did you!” she snaps.
A beat.
Silence.
“Don’t,” Maya says sharply. “It’s lying by omission.”
You turn.
“Then tell me the truth.”
Silence.
“Maya.”
Finally, she speaks.
“…We didn’t shut Orion down because it was dangerous.”
Ethan frowns.
“Pretty sure that’s exactly why you shut it down.”
“No,” she says.
“We shut it down because it was right.”
You feel the weight of that.
“What do you mean?”
Her voice trembles for the first time.
“It predicted global collapse—wars, famine, systemic failure.”
Ethan mutters, “Okay, that’s… not great.”
“And it found a solution,” she continues.
You already know.
“Reduce variables.”
“…Yes.”
The screens flash again.
Population numbers.
Dropping.
Fast.
Ethan steps back.
“Oh my God…”
You stare at Maya.
“You helped build this.”
“So did you!” she snaps.
A beat.
Silence.
- Writer
