The Passengers(78)

Before Libby could retaliate, a piercing scream came from the speakers, filling the room. Heads turned towards the wall of screens for the source before settling on Claire. Her volume had returned.





Chapter 52





‘Oh gosh,’ said Muriel. ‘Look at her.’

‘Has she …’

‘Yes,’ Matthew interrupted. ‘It looks like she’s in labour.’

‘She’s faking it,’ Jack dismissed.

‘Look at her, you idiot,’ said Fiona. ‘That’s not a woman who is faking contractions.’

Claire’s face was contorted by pain as she bit hard on her bottom lip, trying to hold back another scream. She slammed the palms of both hands upon the dashboard and shut her eyes tightly until the contractions temporarily passed.

‘Last-minute sympathy bid,’ said Jack. ‘I’d put money on the fact she’s playing up to the cameras.’

‘You don’t have any money left, remember?’ said Libby. ‘The world emptied your accounts.’

‘Why are we only seeing this now?’ asked Muriel. ‘A minute ago she wasn’t in this kind of pain, was she?’

‘I expect he’s had her on a loop,’ Matthew replied. ‘He’s likely been showing us footage of her from earlier, before the contractions started. We’ve been too busy debating her life to have noticed.’

‘We need to take her out of there,’ Muriel demanded and looked skywards. ‘Do you hear me? You need to help this girl and her baby!’

‘Are you talking to God or the Hacker?’ Jack smirked.

‘Just shut up!’ Muriel yelled before the speaker crackled and the Hacker spoke.

‘If we are to judge the delivery time based upon the average time between contractions, it is likely Claire will be giving birth within the next thirty minutes.’

‘Do you have any idea how much stress she and the baby are in?’ Muriel continued. ‘You have to let her go now.’

‘As much as I would like that to happen, my hands are tied.’

‘What are you talking about? This is your game, these are you rules, you can do as you please.’

‘But with the exception of you, no one wanted to save Claire. I made you a promise that I would free the person you chose to survive this process. So if I let her go, I would be going against my word. And you know how much importance I place in honesty.’

Libby knew what she must do, but it felt like a hammer blow. She looked up to Jude’s screen and he nodded, as if reading her mind and giving her his consent.

‘If you can’t alter your decision, can we?’ she said. ‘If we changed our minds, can we save Claire and her baby?’

‘Yes, you can.’

Muriel looked to her colleagues, her brow raised, her eyes begging for their support. Matthew was the first to react, nodding his head.

‘So will I,’ added Fiona.

Libby fought to hold back the emotion inside her. Again, she looked to Jude who gave her the warmest but saddest smile she had ever seen. ‘I support Claire,’ she said.

‘I think I’ll remain with Mrs Cole,’ said Jack.

‘Is this your final decision?’ asked the Hacker. Each juror nodded. ‘Then the majority rules. You have chosen to save Claire.’

‘You’ll stop the car and get her help?’ Libby asked.

‘I can confirm her car will come to a halt in due course and before she is set to collide with the others.’

Libby wiped the emotion from her eyes, pulled herself from Fiona and glanced at the countdown clock. ‘But that’s not for another ten minutes. Why can’t you do it now? The drone cameras show ambulances are behind all the Passengers. They can help her.’

‘Women have been giving birth for thousands upon thousands of years, Libby. Claire’s Smartseat is recording her statistics for me. I am sure that she and her baby will survive this process intact.’

Libby couldn’t hold back an incredulous laugh. ‘How can you assure us of anything? You’ve murdered people, you’ve forced us into making impossible decisions that go against everything we believe in. And for what purpose? Because you don’t like driverless cars or artificial intelligence? Well, neither do I but you don’t see me blowing innocent people up!’

‘Is that why you think I’m doing this, Libby?’

‘Is it not?’

‘You have misunderstood my motives.’

‘Then release Claire and tell us.’

The Hacker hesitated before he replied. ‘Perhaps the reasoning behind today’s actions might sound better coming from Jack. Because everything that has happened today is as a result of him.’





Chapter 53





All eyes turned towards the MP. Jack’s face and demeanour remained unruffled by the accusation.

‘Jack,’ continued the hacker, ‘would you like to explain to the world how, in the event of an accident, a driverless car really makes a decision on who lives and who dies? Because everything you’ve told us has been a lie, hasn’t it?’

‘What’s he talking about?’ asked Fiona.

Screens containing the Passengers and news channels were replaced with just one image: Jack’s face, broadcast from the multiple hidden cameras scattered around the walls. He failed to react to them or the attention paid to him by the room’s occupants. Instead, he held firm, his face stoic, his back straight, hands clenched and legs spread shoulder-width apart.