“Exactly. Change, move, or die, right, Tom? That’s evolution. No one knows evolution better than The Sovereign. So, I ask you, do you want to be right and dead like the dinosaurs? Or alive and able to do your elephant stories?”

“Right and alive would be my choice, Sharon.”

“I thought so.”

Reif stood up. She put her hands on the back of her chair. “The Sovereign’s the most trusted media brand in the world. Did you know that?”

“I did.”

“Not its most profitable,” she continued. “That’s for sure. But its most trusted. We’re going to leverage that trust to get new products out. Do you have any idea how much money we’ve left on the table not patenting the discoveries our people have made over the years? New species? Tribal remedies? Genes?!” She looked at him. “Billions! I’d like you to stay on, be a part of this. Mentor a new generation. Would you like to?”

“I’m just a field guy with a pen, Sharon.”

“That’s content! We need content, Tom. It’s our competitive edge, the piece our competitors would kill us for. Our challenge is to package our content better, to deliver it dynamically.”

Klay didn’t respond.

Reif gave him the chickadee look again. “So, what are you telling me, Tom? What? You want to leave us?”

Us.

The word echoed. It was true. He was an outsider now, evicted but invited to return as a Perseus Group tenant. He ground his teeth. It was the choice Bernard had been given as a ranger—join Perseus Group or find some other way to support your family.

He looked down at his security badge. He was collared now, too.

“I just want to do my work, Sharon.”

She clapped her hands. “Excellent! We’re agreed then. It won’t be what it was, Tom. It will be better. Smells a little better already, right?” She waved a hand in front of her nose. “Whew! Right? Okay, I think we’ve covered everything for now. Any questions?”

“The obvious one,” he said. “We’ve been taken over by a mercenary.”

She raised an index finger, eager to respond.

“This is Perseus Group Media,” she emphasized. “Different companies. Totally different! That’s important to understand. Also, Perseus Group, our parent organization, will have no say at all on the editorial side. The board assures me of that. It’s my team. But I’m thrilled to know you’ll be staying with us.”

She checked her watch. “Okay. Look, we’ll be making a lot of changes. Which reminds me.” She walked to her desk. “I know you and Vance were close. He was your mentor, they tell me.”

“He was a good man.” Klay corrected himself: “Is.”

“And I don’t want to intrude on that, but I must ask that you eliminate all contact with him moving forward.”

“I’m sorry?” he said.