Page 6

“Alright, then,” Suri said. “As you all saw this morning, a very interesting video involving one of our own has surfaced. It’s the perfect segue into today’s discussion about the power and danger of misinformation. Today, I’m going to show you how such tools are used, not just here but in real-world scenarios where the stakes are life and death.”

Payton, along with the others in his class, stared in silence as a large screen descended from the ceiling at the front of the room. Suri stood to the side, remote in hand, looking slightly less put together than usual, like she’d dressed that morning in a hurry. To be fair, she likely had. Payton was sure there had been some kind of emergency staff meeting the moment that video surfaced.

The footage appeared to come from a drone flying over a desert city. Beside him, Gift sucked in a breath as the building evaporated before their eyes in a cloud of dust. A moment later, more drone footage appeared, this one showing people crowding the streets, being trampled, being crushed, being assaulted by guards. That faded to a third—and final—video: a convoy of trucks struck by missiles, scraps of metal and body parts littering the dirt around them.

When the screen went black, Suri stepped in front of them, then sat on her desk, crossing her legs.

“Can anyone tell me what these videos all have in common?” she asked.

When nobody raised their hand, she continued, “Every one of these events happened due to misinformation. Intelligence often uses false flag operations to turn a situation to our advantage. However, our enemies deploy the same tactics.”

She looked around at each of them, eyes lingering on Drake’s sleeping form where he sat just behind Gift. She looked, for a moment, like she was considering waking him, but then she just shook her head.

“In the first video, an innocent family died due to false intel that they were harboring known terrorists. In the second, a group of insurgents used social media to spread rumors of an impending disaster, leading to mass panic in the streets. They then detonated a bomb there, increasing the number of casualties by hundreds. The third was a humanitarian convoy taking a route they believed was safe after being fed false information by an asset they believed could be trusted.”

She hit a button on the remote and the screen slowly retracted into the ceiling.

“So, are we seriously going to just ignore the elephant in the room?” Lennon asked.

“I’m sorry?” Suri said, brow furrowed as she looked at Lennon.

Lennon folded his arms across his chest. “Remi. The video? Are we just all going to pretend we didn’t see it?”

“Discussing it feels a bit disrespectful, given what was in the footage,” Suri said, hesitantly tacking on, “Don’t you think?”

“It’s not like Remi’s here,” Diego retorted.

Payton craned his head to see if Drake would wake to say something useful, but he didn’t stir. Nice to see he wasn’t letting his handler’s devastating video premiere get in the way of his beauty sleep. Asshole.

Persephone looked at her handler, voice cold as she asked, “Does that make it better or worse?”

“Worse,” Gift answered, the condemnation in his tone making Diego flinch.

Payton knew he should back Gift up. Talking about Remi without his consent—especially behind his back—did seem wrong. But this was a class on propaganda and misinformation and they were watching the consequences of potential misinformation play out in real time. It seemed like Suri would be remiss if she didn’t talk about it.

“Fine, let’s put it to a vote. Who wants to discuss this morning’s email?” Suri asked.

All but four hands went up. Gift, Morgan, Dove, and Drake. At this point, Payton was almost positive Drake was faking being asleep to get out of being a part of the discussion, even though he’d starred in one of those clips himself.

Suri sighed. “Alright then. If we’re going to discuss it, let’s analyze the video critically. What elements might suggest it’s a deep fake? Consider the voice, the background, the lip-syncing. Why might someone create a deep fake of a fellow trainee?”

“Revenge?” Jay suggested, looking up from his phone for the first time since class started.

“What could someone like Remi have done that would cause anyone to want to go to those extremes?” Dove asked.

“Navy was pretty butt-hurt that Remi wouldn’t give her the time of day,” Luca said.

“Sure,” Gift countered, “but on the video, she slipped him drugs. If she was behind this, do you think she would have implicated herself?”

“Gift has a point,” Morgan agreed. “Besides, if this is a deep fake like the video implies, Navy definitely doesn’t have the training to pull something like this off.”

Morgan was right.

“Yeah, that vapid, shallow twat couldn’t even install Chrome on her laptop without help,” Diego muttered.

“Yeah, and isn’t she failing West’s class in cybersecurity?” Mos asked.

“Yeah, I heard her whining about it the other day in Justice’s class,” Persephone said.

“Do you believe then that everything you saw on the tape was real?” Suri pressed.

“No,” Gift said. “Remi said it was fake. He looked devastated.”

“Anyone would be devastated if their sex tape leaked, baby,” Dove murmured.

“Well, except for Park and you, maybe,” Morgan teased, earning a soft chuckle from the others in the class.

Gift blushed, but there was conviction in his voice when he retorted, “Remi said that wasn’t him and I believe him.”

Suri cleared her throat. “Do you think Navy would sacrifice her own reputation just to ruin Remi’s?”

“No,” Jay said. “She’s too selfish.”

“She was the first to jump up to condemn Remi, though,” Persephone reminded him.

“Yeah, but that’s just self-preservation. The video made her look bad. She wanted to paint herself as the victim. She’s an attention whore and an opportunist, but she wasn’t the one who did this,” Payton said.

“Who do you think is responsible then?” Mos asked.

Payton shook his head. “I don’t know that any student has the skills to do this. Other than Remi himself,” he tacked on begrudgingly.

“Are you saying you think Remi did this himself?” Dove asked, scowling.

“Of course not,” Payton answered. “I’m just saying that creating deep fakes like this takes time and training. Nobody in our student body—as far as I know—has that kind of skill.”

“I still don’t get why they went after someone like Remi. It’s like kicking a puppy,” Morgan said. “Doesn’t it make them look worse than Remi?”

The last twenty minutes of class was just a circle-jerk of speculation with no resolution in sight. Nobody knew anything. Maybe that was the ultimate goal of this Lady Watchtower person. To simply sow chaos and discord amongst the students. If so, it was working.

Suri ended the class with this. “As future agents, the ability to discern what’s real and what’s fabricated is both a great weapon and a heavy burden. It’s your responsibility to use them wisely.”

Everyone was packing up when Gift sighed, glaring daggers at Drake’s still sleeping form. “I really hope Remi is okay. He’s not the confrontational type. You know?”

“We won’t let anything happen to him, baby,” Dove promised. “Nobody fucks with Peregrine pod and gets away with it.”

Payton wondered if that was really true. He glanced at his phone, half-hoping that he would see a video embedded in a text message. One of Boone getting himself off to thoughts of Payton. But no. It seemed his future husband was a bit camera shy. Maybe all former assassins were.

“Come on. We’re gonna be late for International Law and you know how cranky Brogan gets when we’re late,” Payton said, hooking his arm through Gift’s.

“The vibes are still way off,” Morgan said as they exited the classroom. “I feel like we haven’t seen the last of this craziness for the day.”

Payton feared Morgan was right. This day was definitely not passing any vibe checks and it wasn’t even lunch time.

The rest of the morning classes flew by in a flurry of rumors and accusations, with both the instructors and students struggling to stay on task. Payton had also been too distracted to really pay any attention to his studies. Not due to the hacker, but Boone and their office encounter. Payton had tried to make contact with him, flirting via text, but his messages had gone unread.

He only put aside thoughts of the headmaster once they were all back at the dining hall for lunch, the din of knives and forks on china filling the silence surrounding Peregrine pod. They were all in their usual seats minus Remi, Drake, Dove, and Gift. Their absence left a hole in the flow of their usual meal-time conversation.

“You think Remi will come eat?” Morgan finally asked, worry causing little wrinkles between her brows.

Diego paused mid-bite. “You think someone should go check on him? Someone has to be giving him food, right?”

“Did anyone talk to him at all today?” Jay asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

“Someone said he was hiding in his room,” Luca said. “But then another person swears they saw him in the halls around first period.”

“Weird,” Jay muttered. “Maybe he went to talk to West? He’s canceled our afternoon class today.”

Payton listened to them volley questions back and forth, realizing for the first time that Remi had become a big part of their group. He’d always been part of their pod, hanging out on the fringe, seemingly happy just to be there. But Payton had never considered him part of his and Gift’s inner circle. Mostly, the circle was a square, which included Dove and Morgan. Drake, once he’d arrived, had entered their bubble by default since he was their roommate.

And with Drake came Remi. Well, a version of Remi. Gone was the animated but introspective chatterbox Payton had seen in classes. In his place was this quiet little mouse, content to sit at Drake’s feet and feast on the scraps of his attention. Now, seeing the worry on Morgan’s face and hearing the others in the pod fret over his well-being, it was clear that, somewhere along the way, they’d all grown fond of the boy.

It was hard not to like him. He was always eager to help others, Payton included. He seemed to accept people just as they were, even if those people were cold-blooded psychopaths like Drake. And Payton.

Like Gift, Remi seemed like a soft kid—and maybe he was—but Payton suspected there was far more to him than anyone knew. Especially now. Remi was one of the smartest people in the school. He had a mind like a computer. Maybe that was why hacking came so easy to him. If they wanted to find this hacker, it would be smart to just set Remi loose on them.

Payton was impressed by how Remi was handling the situation. Sure, he’d been upset this morning, but he hadn’t fallen apart the way Payton would have expected. He used to wonder why Drake hung out with someone like Remi. Now, he wondered why someone like Remi would hang out with an asshole like Drake. Drake who, like Remi, was also suspiciously absent from lunch.

“I wouldn’t come to lunch after a tape like that. Would you?” Lennox asked, dragging Payton from his thoughts.

Diego snorted. “It’s all so stupid. Like what we talked about in class. What’s the point of all this? Some tech nerd feels slighted and wants to flex their skills?”

Mos made a sound of agreement. “And why start with Remi? Hardly makes this person seem like a formidable opponent to go after someone so soft and quiet. It makes all their so-called evidence look like bullshit.”

“ Do you think they made it up?” Persephone asked around a bite of her burger. “It sure looked real to me.”

“That’s the problem with this deep fake shit,” Luca said. “It all looks so fucking real. It’s so fucked. Like there are no non-nefarious reasons for a technology like this to even exist.”

“Still, lucky for us it does,” Jay said with a shrug. “It makes our jobs easier. When you have no evidence, you can just manufacture it.”

Morgan’s lip curled. “It should be illegal for just anyone to have access to this type of technology. In the wrong hands, it could ruin people’s lives.”

“I’m pretty sure that most people would consider us the wrong hands,” Diego said with a laugh.

“But we’re doing it for international security,” Jay said magnanimously.

“Yeah. We’re not like those sleazeballs using it to make revenge porn and shit,” Persephone said. “But now, thanks to this kind of tech, we can’t even trust our own eyes and ears. We can’t believe anything this fucking hacker says. They’ve all but said they’re lying about some, if not all, of the shit they said. I’m choosing to believe it’s all lies.”

“Persephone’s right. If we just don’t believe this hacker person, we take away their power and render them utterly useless,” Diego agreed. “Maybe they’ll just go away.”

Morgan scoffed. “When, if ever, has ignoring a problem made it go away?”

Diego never got a chance to answer. The chatter in the cafeteria swelled around them until the combined voices sounded like the low hum of electricity. That could only mean one thing: Remi had decided to come eat.

The boy appeared next to the table, carrying his tray, with his head down and his hoodie up. He didn’t sit, just hovered anxiously, looking at each of them like he was waiting for them to reject him.

Morgan gave him a weird look. “What are you just standing there for? Sit.”

Remi’s shoulders sagged. He slipped into the seat beside her, the one usually reserved for Dove.

“Where is Dove?” Payton finally thought to ask.

“She and Gift were finishing up a project. She said they’d meet us before lunch is over.”

Had Gift told Payton that? Was he so far gone on Boone that he’d forgotten a whole conversation? In Payton’s defense, he’d been after Boone for months and now, finally, he’d made progress.

His heartbeat spiked as he remembered being on his knees for the older man, the heavy weight of him on his tongue, the sounds he’d made while Payton sucked him off. And tonight, Payton would finally know what it was like to feel Boone’s cock splitting him open. He almost felt guilty having the best day of his life while Remi was having the worst.

He bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from getting a very awkward erection while surrounded by his friends. He picked up his fork, playing with his food more than eating it. Mostly, he just watched the others in the room as they watched them. They pointed and laughed. They whispered behind their hands like that somehow made them seem less suspicious.

Payton was so caught up with people-watching that he almost missed Drake’s entrance. He was easy to spot as he towered over the others. Even from this distance, Payton could see the damage from Remi’s punch that morning. Drake’s nose was swollen and he had bruises under both eyes. Payton bit back a smile as he tracked him through the room, following his blond head as he grabbed his food. It was only once he was headed towards the table that Payton noted he wasn’t alone. Gift and Dove surrounded him, gesturing emphatically, faces animated.

When they reached the table, they fell silent, glowering at him. The same couldn’t be said for the rest of Peregrine pod, who snickered at Drake’s swollen and bruised face, injuries they’d easily missed in morning classes as he’d chosen to sleep with his face buried in his arms for all of them.

Drake went to take his usual spot beside Remi, but Dove put an arm out, barring him from doing so. “I don’t think so. You can sit at the end of the table until you remember how to human, creep.”

She pointed to the end of the bench, then slid in beside Remi so she and Morgan flanked him.

Morgan nodded, wagging her finger at Drake. “Yeah. Bad psycho, no Remi for you.”

Remi didn’t acknowledge Drake in any way. He didn’t really acknowledge any of them, just ate silently. With the whole pod where they belonged, Payton allowed himself to study Remi. He looked worse for wear. He’d changed out of his uniform at some point and now wore baggy jeans and an oversized black Dartmouth hoodie. He kept the hood up, casting most of his face in shadow.

Remi hadn’t gone to Dartmouth. He’d attended MIT. Payton’s gaze darted to Drake. Drake had attended Dartmouth for his undergrad. Was Remi sitting there wrapped in Drake’s sweatshirt while he ignored him, looking for some level of comfort from the psychopath even when he refused to give it? Something about that made Payton livid. He stared hard at Drake’s swollen nose and blackened eyes, contemplating punching him even harder than Remi had.

Drake truly didn’t deserve Remi.

Gift shifted restlessly beside Payton, looking from Remi to Drake then to Payton, expression pained. Payton just nodded, acknowledging that he really didn’t know what to do either. Unsurprisingly, none of them seemed to know what to do. The problem with a school like this was that even the neurotypicals were more or less just diet neurospicy. They didn’t really do feelings well either.

Even Remi.

It was Morgan who spoke first. She placed an arm around Remi, who jumped at the contact, her tone shockingly gentle as she asked, “Did you get any rest?”

Remi glanced up just long enough to say, “No, I was working,” before he continued to shovel food into his mouth.

His pretty green eyes were bloodshot, and he looked pale beneath his tan. Payton’s temper flared. The others were right. It was fucked up to go after someone like Remi when there was a whole school full of people far more deserving of torment.

“Working?” Jay asked.

Remi didn’t answer him, just stuffed another forkful of food into his mouth, chewing aggressively, like he was in a hurry. Maybe he was. It wasn’t like the dining hall was the friendliest place at the moment. Remi deserved a medal just for showing up. It took balls to face a bunch of prying eyes.

Payton heard Luca mutter an exasperated, “Here we go,” a moment before Navy stopped at their table directly behind Remi.

Two girls stood behind her, expressions smug. Payton didn’t know them. He didn’t want to know them.

“Can we help you?” Dove asked, giving the girls a cold look.

A mean little smirk appeared on Navy’s pinched face. She had something in her hand. She approached Remi, tapping him on the shoulder. He didn’t startle this time, just glanced up at her, looking her up and down before dismissing her to return to his food.

Her face fell comically fast. She was clearly flummoxed by Remi’s lack of response. “Here, I’m returning your Inter-Governmental Relations notes.”

She attempted to drop the notebook straight into Remi’s food, but Payton snatched it from the air, glaring at the girl, who huffed out a breath like a pouting toddler. Remi didn’t even glance up.

“I don’t need them anymore,” she said breezily.

“Why, did that house finally fall on your sister?” Gift said sweetly.

Navy flinched but otherwise ignored Gift’s comment. “Though, I suppose once the board finds out about everything you’ve done, you won’t need them either. Did they meet yet?” she asked, her voice equally saccharine, her friends tittering behind her.

Payton rolled his eyes. “What is this, middle school?”

“What?” Navy said, voice full of mock innocence. “I’m just saying…he’s probably going to get kicked out after the dirty things on that tape. Even if they are fake.” She turned to glare at the back of Remi’s head. “The enemy could use it to blackmail you into selling our secrets. Oh, wait. You already do that.”

“Funny…” Drake said from the end of the table, his tone implying it was anything but.

Navy did a double-take. Maybe she’d expected him to be on her side after that morning, or maybe she just hadn’t noticed him sitting there, straddling the bench, arm resting on the table.

“What’s funny?” Navy asked, giving Drake a cautious look.

For all her bluster, she was more than a little afraid of Drake. He was the worst when it came to hiding the monster lurking underneath the mask. His cold eyes often gave even the teachers pause.

But Payton wasn’t afraid of Drake. He shot him a warning look, but he missed it, eyes locked on Navy. If Drake made this situation worse, Morgan and Dove were going to take a cheese grater to his dick and Payton would hold him down.

Gift’s leg bumped Payton’s under the table, giving him another uneasy look, like he wanted him to fix this. But Payton had no idea how to defuse the situation or if Remi even wanted him to. He was still eating as if he couldn’t hear the conversation swirling around him. To his credit, his lack of attention seemed to be making Navy crazy.

Drake shrugged, his expression amused. “I just admire your ability to not give a fuck.”

Navy’s shoulders deflated, her smile returning. “It’s hardly the first time I’ve been cheated on. Men are trash,” she said, earning another giggle from her two friends.

Drake gave a humorless laugh. “I agree. Men are trash. But I was referring to your lack of fucks given your current predicament.”

“Predicament?” Navy echoed, smile fading into a frown of confusion.

“Mm,” Drake said. “It takes a truly astonishing level of psychopathy to bully your victim…in public…in front of witnesses. Witnesses who may be called to testify.”

“What are you going on about?” Navy’s friend snapped.

Navy’s eyes bugged as she practically screeched, “Victim?”

A smile played at Drake’s lips. “People say I’m cold-blooded, but I think even I might be a bit nervous if I were in your shoes.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Navy said through clenched teeth, peering down her pointy nose at him.

Drake shifted on the bench, his finger dancing around the rim of his water bottle. “I’m talking about how cool you’re being when you, yourself, are—at best—going to be expelled and—at worst—going to federal prison. I thought I was unbothered, but you’ve taken it to the next level. Are you sure you’re in the right program? You’re awfully reptilian for a handler.”

Payton’s brows went up, riveted just like everyone else in the room. They all seemed lost as to what was happening. But nobody more so than Navy herself.

“Wh-What?” Navy asked, her stutter giving away how unsure she was. “What are you talking about? I’m the victim here.”

Drake made a face like he was impressed. “Wow. I hope you keep that same energy in the courtroom.”

“Courtroom? Are you high or something?” the girl on the left asked.

Payton was about to start referring to them as Thing One and Thing Two.

Drake shrugged. “Funny you should say that. Picture this…a girl confesses to the entire school that her supposed ‘boyfriend’ cheated on her right after a video surfaces of her drugging said boyfriend the same night he is assaulted on camera by four strangers.” He looked her up and down like she was an insect. “That doesn’t sound like you’re the victim.”

Dove nodded, lip curling before she said, “I never thought these words would leave my mouth, but Drake’s right. It kind of looks like you planned to have your boyfriend drugged and raped on camera as a form of revenge.”

“Holy shit,” Gift whispered.

Morgan’s arm went around Remi’s shoulders, and she glowered at Navy, whose eyes were locked on Drake.

Payton smiled meanly, enjoying the way the color drained from Navy’s face, leaving her with an unpleasant pallor.

Drake continued on. “But hey, good for you. I’m sure a pretty girl like you will do just fine in prison.”

Remi didn’t look up, but his fork had stilled, hovering above his plate.

“First of all, my dad would never allow me to go to prison—” Navy blurted.

“That’s the spirit,” Drake said, winking at her.

She clenched her fists at her side. “Second, he’s not my boyfriend. And third, I never drugged him. Th-That never happened,” Navy shouted, pointing at him with a shaky hand. “And you’re on that tape, too. You of all people should know it’s fake.”

“But this morning you said he was your boyfriend, no?” Persephone asked, faking confusion. “And you just said he cheated on you.”

“You also said you saw Drake and Remi together that night,” Jay added.

“Yeah,” Dove said. “While he was your boyfriend . Remember?”

“That part’s real,” Navy snapped.

“Which part?” Morgan asked. “The Drake part or the boyfriend part?”

Navy was seething. “Shut up, all of you.”

“We’re just trying to get the whole picture here,” Morgan said patiently. “So, to be clear, the parts that make you look like a victim are real, but the parts that make you look like a vindictive fucking monster are fake?”

“How convenient,” Persephone muttered.

Navy spun in a circle, addressing the other students. “They’re twisting my words to make me look bad.”

“You were the one standing there shouting to the whole student body that Remi was your boyfriend and that he cheated on you with Drake. You said if that part was true, it must all be true,” Diego said. “That is what you said, isn’t it?” He looked at the others. “That is what she said, right?”

Navy’s color had returned in full force, her whole face bright red.

The others nodded, making hums of agreement.

“So, by your own logic,” Mos said, his words sounding almost musical in his South African accent. “If Remi is a cheater…you are a rapist.”

Navy’s chest was heaving like she might be hyperventilating. She kept looking at other students like she was pleading for help, but nobody said a word. Finally, she seemed to snap. “Fine. I lied. I lied about him being my boyfriend. But I’m telling the truth about Drake and Remi in the parking lot. Ask them,” Navy said, desperate.

“What else are you lying about?” Persephone asked, popping a cherry tomato into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “Seems like we can’t believe anything you say.”

“Not surprising from a sex offender,” Dove said in a stage whisper.

“Don’t call me that!” Navy shouted. “This isn’t about me. It’s about him. He’s the one who’s been selling secrets to someone. Why are you all turning this around on me? When he’s guilty of-of…treason.”

“Because you are a pick me girl,” Morgan said. “And I hate pick me girls. And you’re the worst of the worst. It didn’t matter so much when you were only annoying your pod, but now, you’ve brought it to ours and we protect our own.”

“So, you admit you’re protecting him?” Navy said, like this was her gotcha moment.

“Our friend was drugged and assaulted and his assailant is slandering his name. Of course, we’re protecting him,” Gift said, narrowing his eyes at the girl.

“Stop calling me that. I’m not the one who put him in that bed with four guys at once,” Navy said, looking two seconds away from rupturing a neck vein.

“You did if you drugged him,” Drake retorted, voice flat and eyes cold.

“And if you didn’t drug him, and he isn’t your boyfriend, then chances are the rest of it is bullshit, too,” Luca pointed out.

“Doesn’t it bother you that someone is clearly setting you up, too?” Diego asked her. “They are literally making you look like a deranged sexual predator.”

“Which means you should be protecting Remi, too,” Persephone added. “Because he’s the real victim here.”

“You all should be protecting him,” Payton said, raising his voice to be heard by the other students. “Because that thing in the video isn’t done yet, and tomorrow, that deep fake could have your face pasted onto it. Do you want the whole school turning on you?”

The other students looked at each other, chatting low like they hadn’t thought of that. They probably hadn’t. But the fact was this was only the beginning. Whoever or whatever was behind this cyber attack definitely had some kind of agenda.

But Payton couldn’t imagine what it might be.

“I don’t get it,” someone said from one table over. “You keep saying it’s a deep fake, but then Morgan talks like Remi was actually assaulted and Drake definitely confirmed he made out with Remi in the parking lot. So, are you saying the gang bang was real, too, but it was non-consensual, or are you saying it’s all bullshit?” a guy asked from right behind Navy.

Remi dropped his fork onto his plate where it clattered, startling those close by. “I don’t even know why I’m bothering, but I will tell you the truth,” Remi snapped. He stood, then stepped up onto the bench just like Navy had that morning. “Yes, Navy drugged me that night at the club.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he held out his hand. “But it was just molly.”

There was a small gasp at that revelation, but Remi wasn’t done yet. “No, Navy and I were never dating, though she definitely wanted to. Yes, I did make out with Drake in the parking lot. Again, I was high. And despite what Drake may have said about me, we’ve never had sex.”

A guy in a black and gold hoodie raised his hand like he wanted to ask Remi a question. Remi ignored him. “That was not me in the video with those…men. I don’t know who that was. And while it was me in the parking lot giving an envelope to someone, it had nothing to do with anyone’s secrets.”

“Then why make the exchange in the parking lot?” someone yelled from deeper in the room. “Are you dealing drugs?”

Remi rolled his eyes. “Oh, my God. No, I’m not.” He sighed. “I write specialized encryption software and sell it to interested parties. All that was in that envelope was a micro SD card and the instructions on how to use it. It’s not illegal, just security sensitive. My…clients don’t like paper trails.”

“Would the school think it’s legal?” Navy asked, staring up at Remi, who now towered over her.

“The school is well aware, Ms. Grimes.”

Payton’s head snapped around, eyes going wide when he saw Boone standing there. Navy turned around slowly, like she dreaded what she’d find when she completed her rotation. “A-And what do you plan on doing about that?” she asked primly.

“About what?” Boone asked. “Remi worked on that software as an extra credit assignment with West. Since Remi created the code for the tech, he can do as he pleases with it. It’s not proprietary. There’s nothing in the software that puts the school or the program at risk.”

“Oh…” Navy muttered lamely.

“Oh, indeed,” Boone said, shaking his head. “I came to let you know that we’ve called your father and informed him of the allegations against you. He asked to be present when you go before the board, so he’ll be arriving tomorrow.”

“What?” Navy gasped. “Me? I’m the one in trouble? Over his word?”

“And your own,” Boone said. “You’re on restriction until the meeting tomorrow. Please, return to your room. Your meals will be brought to you there until then.”

With that, Boone turned and walked away, leaving Navy standing there, mouth gaping. “What are you looking at?” she screamed before running from the room.

“Well, that was dramatic,” Mos said, picking his fork back up.

Drake stood, walking to where Remi still stood on the bench, flicking his gaze upward. “We need to talk.”

Remi glowered at him. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Can we not do this here?” Drake asked, his tone irritated but his eyes imploring.

“We can not do it at all,” Remi countered.

Drake huffed out a breath through his nose. “For fuck’s sake…”

Before anyone could even guess his next move, he grabbed Remi behind his knees and tossed him over his shoulder, turning and marching out the door with him, while Remi swore a blue streak, his fists hitting his back.

“Should we…do something about that?” Gift asked.

Payton shook his head. “Remi can take care of himself.”

Better than anyone thought he could twenty minutes ago.

“This day just gets weirder and weirder,” Gift muttered.