The phone sat between us, small and black and patient enough to be insulting.
I looked at it for another second before I looked back at Yuki. “Are you about to ask me to defect?”
“No.” No hesitation. No performance of moral conflict. That made the answer cleaner, not safer.
“Then what?”
“I’m asking you to decide whether you would like him to believe you’re still operating alone.”
I said nothing.
Yuki’s gaze didn’t move. “Davis will ask you to turn the bond into access. He’ll want emotional leverage, private information, vulnerabilities, anything that lets him pressure Ashenmere or the Norwegian delegation through you.”
The phone sat between us. Patient as ever.
“And you’re offering?”
“A controlled channel and a choice. You can let Davis believe he’s directing you, or you can decide what he receives.”
“As your double agent.”
“As yourself.”
“That’s a very pretty distinction.”
“It’s also the only one that matters.”
I looked at the phone again.
If I said no, Davis stayed blind and the council kept deliberating without me. If I said yes, Davis got access to me again, but only through a channel Yuki controlled. Not freedom. Not safety.
“What happens if I say no?”
“Then the phone leaves with me. Davis remains blind. The council continues deliberations without your cooperation.”
“And if I say yes?”
“Then Davis receives what you choose to send him. The council receives what you choose to let us see.” She paused before she added, “And you stop being the only person in this room without acommunications channel.”
A good line.
“You would monitor it,” I said.
“Yes.”
“Edit it?”
“No.” Her hand hadn’t moved from the folder.
“Block it?”
“If it risks immediate war, yes.”
I took one breath. “At least you’re honest.”
“I have found it saves time when dealing with women.”
I didn’t smile though the temptation was there.