The Insiders: Episode 16 - Turning Away

*"When loyalty becomes a weapon against those you're meant to protect, courage means choosing the harder path."*

In the polished chrome corridors of the Executive Suites, Walter's decades of faithful service crumble like sand through his webbed fingers. Miss Cripps's cane strikes her claw with surgical precision as she systematically dismantles his sense of worth: "Your strategic assessments? Redundant. Your threat analyses? Overly cautious. Your leadership potential? Non-existent."

Hidden in a maintenance shaft, Bran watches the toad-like First Officer's throat sac pulse erratically as stress floods his system. Each dismissed contribution, every curtailed presentation, years of overlooked expertise—it all crystallises into a devastating pattern Walter had been blind to see.

But when Bran emerges from hiding to offer genuine appreciation for Walter's work, something shifts. "Your contingency frameworks could save hundreds of lives," Bran says, and for the first time in months, Walter's question—"What about this?"—carries weight rather than desperation.

The psychological tide turns as Walter's analytical mind processes a crucial realisation: in Cripps's new AI-controlled order, what happens to decades of accumulated wisdom? What happens to someone who asks the right questions when machines provide all the answers?

TiGer's intelligence from the ventilation system brings urgent warnings—Cropper is mobilising Adreno Guards to remove Walter within the hour. Their window for recruitment is closing, but Walter's transformation from defeated bureaucrat to questioning ally offers hope.

The breakthrough accelerates when Creetnin emerges from the shadows, his withered crow form radiating malevolent satisfaction. The ancient antagonist's casual dismissal of Walter as "obsolete" and his cold assessment of TiGer as "collateral damage" crystallises the moral divide.

When Creetnin's zapper misfires—striking TiGer instead of Bran—the violence strips away all pretense. As TiGer's small form crumples to the deck, her silver uniform smoking, Walter witnesses the true cost of serving leaders who view crew members as expendable tools.

"She's just a child," Walter croaks, staring at TiGer's injured form.

"She's a tool that outlived its usefulness," Cripps responds with chilling indifference.

In that moment, Walter's decades of loyalty shatter completely. His quiet rebellion begins with subtle assistance—security overrides, medical bay access codes, critical intelligence about AI command modules. But as Adreno Guards swarm the corridors and their scattered team faces capture, Walter's choice to help comes with devastating cost.

With TiGer injured and their communication channels compromised, the resistance faces its darkest hour. Sometimes choosing the right side means losing everything you thought mattered.

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