the ultimatum ↬ elliot alderson ✔

<d33pweb13.aac>

I hear the door open. Ray's back. I close the tab quickly, my head still spinning from what I just saw. I know quite a lot of shitty people, but Ray is one of the worst. I knew I couldn't trust him. I'm glad Mr Robot told me to lie. 

People like Ray should not be allowed to exist. He spends hie life sitting at his desk while others do evil things. It reminds me of something Mr Robot told me. 

"You see, Elliot, there are people who do evil things. And there are people who see evil things and don't do anything. Those are the worst people." 

He's right. Should I hand him in, the way I did with Fernando Vera after Shayla died? 

Or should I let it go, and be one of the people who see evil and do nothing? 

Ray controls the inmates. He has power within prison. I'm sure he's scored a few deals on his website off the inmates. Son of a bitch. 

If I hand him in, what will happen to me is worse than the imaginable. But if I don't, hundreds of lives will be destroyed. His network of selling young Thai girls from one guy to the next will continue. 

I get up from the seat, my mind racing. My hands shake. Shit. I have to stay calm, or he'll know what I've seen. I let Ray take a seat back at his desk. His eyes scan the terminal I've been working on. 

"Good," is all he says, smirking at me briefly. "I never doubted you could do it."

Ray lets me out of his office, my heart pounding in my chest. The large guy from before has disappeared. I walk back to my cell, wishing I still had my hoodie to avoid people. 

Mr Robot is sitting on my bed, the mythology book in his hands. 

"How'd it go?" he asks, but I know he knows everything. 

"Give me the book," I say, scratching my head. 

What did I just do? 

Did I really open up a deep web site? 

I'm supposed to be the one closing those down. 

Mr Robot hands me the book, clicking his tongue. I hate it when he does that. 

I walk away from him, hoping he doesn't follow me. But I know that no matter what, he always will. I feel a sudden wave of nausea. I opened up a deep web site. My hands are shaking, but I know I can't hand him in. 

I head to the courtyard, where I know Leon will be. Maybe what I need to hear right now is some bullshit theory about Seinfeld. Maybe just for a while, until I forget about the Tor website. 

I sit down next to Leon, who notices me. 

"What up, cuz? Still readin' that book?" he asks, eyeing the red cover of the mythology book. 

He probably thinks I'm a freak. But then again, everyone does. 

"What's so intriguing about it?" he asks, meeting my gaze for a second. 

"Curiosity," I say, but Leon laughs. He doesn't believe me. 

"Don't worry, cuz. I won't bug you with it." 

***

I haven't stopped thinking about what happened yesterday. I shouldn't have trusted Ray, but did I really have a choice? 

I need to close the site down. It's the only way to stop this. Once it's been closed, it will be impossible for Ray to make another site. Why? Because the IP address would be his current one if he started another site. It would make him easily traceable.