He had to play this cool.

Brent typed something into his laptop.

“Come on,” Jeremiah said, agitated by the idea that everything he said was being used against him. “Don’t you think this is overkill? I mean, you don’t need to ruin a man’s name to save the company’s image.”

“That’s his job, though,” Brent said. “That’s your job. Isn’t that what you’re paid to do?”

“I’m just saying, there’s no need to be so cavalier about it after a man has just died.”

On the wall, the clone wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and chewed on a pencil as he listened to the writers shoot off a series of ideas that wouldn’t work.

“Maybe he just has it in for ViMed,” someone said. “Maybe looking for a lawsuit.”

“Maybe the suicide note was a fake,” someone said. “A forgery.”

“What are we supposed to do?” the clone asked. “Prove it was murder? That won’t fly. We’re not detectives. No, we need to put the focus back on the idea that Meld is safe. That’s the key here. We need to keep the focus on safety—drive that point home.”

“I doubt the FDA is going to be much help there,” another writer said. “I don’t think they want to keep talking about how safe Meld is right now. And honestly, I don’t think people want to hear it.”

“Then we find another way to prove it’s safe,” the clone said thoughtfully. “Maybe it’s time we stop talking about it and start showing it.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” someone asked. “Take it ourselves?”

“Not you,” the clone said, looking up at the group with renewed energy. “Me. I can take it. I’ll take it on national TV, with a doctor. It’ll be all on the up-and-up. Supervised, monitored, everything. And I’ll let someone else select the doctor, someone independent. Christ, we’ll invite the FDA to oversee it themselves.”

“Could work,” someone said. “But wouldn’t it be better for some bigwig to take it? Someone higher up? Or maybe a scientist?”

“I don’t think so,” the clone said. “I think it says more if it’s just some regular joe who isn’t afraid to take the Meld. If I do it, I think it’ll go a lot farther to prove there’s nothing dangerous about it.”

“Is he out of his goddamn mind?” Jeremiah was stunned. After everything, the clone still believed in the Meld, believed the company was in the right. He was still toeing the line.

“I think it sounds like a pretty good stunt.” Brent laughed.

“I think it sounds like he’s an idiot!” Jeremiah stood up and turned away from the monitor. He paced back and forth in agitation. “After all these suicides and he wants to take the Meld? He’s crazy! He has a family to think of. My family! What if something goes wrong?”

“Obviously, he doesn’t think anything will go wrong, Jeremiah.” Brent looked genuinely confused. “Now you don’t trust the Meld, either?”