Pitbabe S2, Chapter 24 pg 8

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 24 pg 8

   “Then we need to move faster.”

   “We’re hurrying,” Dr. Chris replied, his face clearly heavy with worry. As a researcher, he’s probably under just as much pressure as anyone else. I know that well. “We can do this. You just need to buy us a bit more time.”

   “How much time?”

   “As much as you can manage.”

   Honestly, that answer didn’t make me feel any better. I don’t even know what “as much as I can manage” means. Given how everything’s closing in on us right now, it might just be a day or two.

   “Hey! Look, Charlie’s here!”

   Phii Touch’s voice came from the staircase. He poked his head down to look at me and Dr. Chris before shouting back upstairs, like he was reporting to someone. Then came the sound of heavy footsteps stomping down from the second floor to the ground floor in just a few seconds.

   “Hot off the press,” Liu said with a calm expression, though I could sense that what she was about to say wasn’t something to be calm about. “Lots of details, but I’ll sum it up simply: Charlie, you are being sued for defamation over your criticism of their operations. All of us, including Charlie, are being hit with charges for spreading false information. We’re also banned from social media—any posts from us will be deleted. New accounts? Deleted. Using someone else’s account? Deleted. News outlets are barred from publishing anything about us, and we’re blocked from all platforms starting today.”

   “Wow,” Dr. Chris let out a dry laugh before turning to me, his look practically saying, “What’s the plan now, genius?”

   “They’re really trying to cut us off at the knees,” I said.

   Even if I don’t want to admit it, the truth is we’re surrounded on all sides. They’re trying to cripple us, stop us from moving forward, and block any escape. This is a full-blown crisis, no exaggeration. The lawsuits are one thing, but trying to shut me out of the media space is a clear sign that my actions are getting under their skin. Those old bastards are desperate to cut off our communication channels.

   “So, does that mean everything we prepared can’t be released?” Phii Touch said, his face full of disappointment. “I was so ready to show off the good stuff.”

   “Can we focus on surviving first, Phii Touch?” Liu said slowly. “We don’t know what’s waiting for us out there. The mailbox is already stuffed with threats, just so you all know.”

   “It’s fine. We still have options,” I cut in before everyone could get any more discouraged.

   “How?” Dr. Chris asked with a slight laugh, probably because the situation is so dire it’s hard to believe there’s any hope. “Which problem are we tackling first?”

   “We need to get back on social media no matter what,” I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket. I opened my contacts and scrolled to the first name that popped into my head. “I think there’s someone who can help.”

   “Who?” he asked, surprised that a faint glimmer of hope seemed to appear in our dark situation. “You know someone else?”

   “Don’t underestimate me,” I replied, raising the phone to my ear after dialing the number, hoping this person would be my savior in a time like this. “I may not look it, but I’ve got family too.”

   “Family? You mean Jeff?”

   The three of them exchanged glances as if silently asking each other, “Do you know who he’s talking about?”

   (Hello?)

   And while everyone was caught in confusion, the call was answered with a cheerful tone I knew all too well.

   (What’s up, kid… miss me?)

   

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