Contents
61. Harrison
Overview
Harrison prepares to flee but first tries to retrieve Diana from The Manor. He reveals Thanatos’s unethical origins, its failure to predict his own heart attack, and sells it to shut it down, insisting he didn’t kill Eden. When The Manor says Diana is missing, a childlike presence appears in his car, escalating the peril.
Summary
Harrison loads two heavy suitcases into a Mini and drives through foggy country lanes, intent on leaving but needing to accomplish one last task before heading to the airport. As he drives, he reflects on a lifetime of ambition that cost him his family, realizing too late that his daughter, Diana, is all that truly matters.
He recalls a heart attack that left him clinically dead for ten minutes, an event that shattered his faith in Thanatos when its algorithm repeatedly failed to predict his own death. He details Thanatos’s data-mining origins and targeted recruitment of likely soon-to-die subjects, and admits Olivia Bird’s visit reignited old rage and upended his plans. Concluding Thanatos would unleash chaos by removing consequences, he sells the company and intends to destroy it to protect Diana’s future.
Harrison insists he did not kill Eden, though he once wanted to, and focuses on securing Diana. He calls The Manor after midnight, orders staff to prepare his daughter, then speeds toward the facility through the fog.
Minutes later, The Manor calls back to report Diana is missing from her locked room. Furious, Harrison hangs up and grips the wheel. A moment later, he feels a small, cold hand on his shoulder and hears a girl whisper, “I love you to the moon and back,” leaving his flight plan and Diana’s fate in ominous uncertainty.
Who Appears
- Harrison WoolfNarrator; prepares to flee, sells Thanatos to shut it down, denies killing Eden, and seeks missing daughter Diana.
- Diana WoolfHarrison’s daughter; reported missing from The Manor, possibly present in Harrison’s car at the end.
- Olivia Bird (Birdy)Her visit to Thanatos rekindled Harrison’s rage and helped trigger his decision to sell and end the company.
- Eeden WoolfHarrison’s wife; he admits wanting her dead but claims he didn’t kill her.
- The Manor staff memberCalls Harrison to report that Diana is not in her locked room after midnight.