Chapter 4

But stacked next to a 1590, a 1280 turned into a punchline. Charlie sat on the couch, his face getting darker by the minute.

The celebration cake had already been bought and brought home, a two-tier one with "Danny's #1" written across the top. Then Alpha's light suddenly turned red.

"Warning. Candidate 985's problem-solving pathway shows anomalies. Predictive analysis indicates a 93.7 percent probability of cheating."

The living room went silent. Dad looked at Alpha, and Mom looked at me.

Charlie jumped to his feet and bolted into my room. 30 seconds later, he came running back out holding a stack of papers. "Look at this! He had it hidden under his mattress!"

It was a printed answer key for the mock college entrance exam, perfectly organized, every answer marked in red pen, and identical to my test sheet.

Mom's fork slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor. She grabbed me by the collar, hauled me out of my chair, and dragged me to the middle of the living room.

My knee caught the edge where two floor tiles met and split open. Dad kicked me behind the knee, and I dropped to the ground.

Charlie covered his face and started sobbing, gasping for air between words. "I told you, Mom and Dad, I told you! He spent a year at that school, and all he learned was how to cheat!

"It's no wonder he turned in his test so fast. He copied the whole thing! He's humiliated this entire family!"

Mom's palm cracked across my face. "Why would you do this? Say something!"

I knelt on the floor without moving. The only thing left in my head was a single line from the school's regulation handbook, page 117, section 3. "Candidates do not have self-defense authorization."

So, I didn't speak, because no such command existed.

Dad pulled a belt from the cabinet and brought it down across my shoulder. Mom crouched in front of me, grabbed my chin, and forced my face toward hers. "Open your mouth. Admit what you did. Say you were wrong."

My vocal cords vibrated once, but no words formed.

Charlie stood nearby with tears still streaking his face when he suddenly turned to Alpha. "Alpha, what's the protocol for something like this?"

Alpha's indicator light blinked twice. "According to database analysis, physical punishment cannot correct cheating logic. Recommend removing the source of cheating."

Charlie jumped on it immediately. "See? Mom, Dad, it's right. Dan cheated with his right hand. If you don't cut it off, how is he ever going to learn? That's the only way to prove he's actually sorry."

Dad was panting, so blinded by rage that he wasn't thinking straight. The words came out before he could stop them. "Then go chop off that cheating hand of yours!"

My brain began running an automatic search.

"Command source: Father. Authorization level: Highest. Command content: Remove right hand.

"Execute."

I stood up and walked toward the kitchen. My strides were still exactly 12 inches apart. Mom and Dad were still in the living room trying to catch their breath, and neither of them noticed where I'd gone.

I stood in front of the counter and pulled open the knife rack. The paring knife was too small, but the chef's knife was too thin. The one in the back was the cleaver, seven inches of blade with a thick steel spine.

That would do.

I placed my right hand flat on the cutting board, fingers spread wide, palm facing down. My left hand gripped the handle and lifted the cleaver over my head.