The flickering neon sign of the all-night kebab shop cast long, distorted shadows across the rain-slicked streets of London. Liam stared blankly at the swirling meat, the aroma doing little to soothe the gnawing anxiety churning in his stomach. Anya’s defection to the Council had been a blow, but the implications of it, the nagging feeling that something even more sinister was at play, refused to leave him alone.

He hadn’t touched his food. It lay in a greasy pool, mirroring the unease spreading through him. He’d been so focused on the tangible rewards and consequences presented by the Decision Engine, he’d failed to consider the possibility that he was being played.

"You okay, mate?" the burly kebab vendor asked, his voice thick with a Balkan accent. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Liam managed a weak smile. "Just thinking. Long night."

He needed to think clearly. He needed to re-evaluate everything. He replayed every decision the Engine had guided him towards, every supposedly 'free' choice he had made. The failing hospital he had saved. The business ventures he had been subtly nudged towards. The contacts he had made along the way, all seemingly leading him closer and closer to the Council.

It was like a breadcrumb trail, perfectly laid out, leading him directly into their gilded cage.

He pulled out his phone, the screen reflecting his haggard face. He navigated to the encrypted messaging app he used to communicate with Chloe.

Liam: Need to talk. Emergency.

The reply was instantaneous.

Chloe: Where?

Liam: My place. Now.

He barely registered the journey back to his small, cramped flat. The city noise, usually a comforting hum, now felt like a mocking chorus. He unlocked the door, the familiar creak sounding alien and ominous.

Chloe was already there, pacing anxiously. Her face was etched with worry, her normally vibrant eyes shadowed.

“What is it, Liam? You sounded terrified.”

He didn’t waste time. He laid it all out – the creeping suspicion that the Council hadn’t just stumbled upon him, that they had engineered his entire journey, from the initial infidelity scare to his current precarious position.

Chloe listened in stunned silence, her initial agitation giving way to a chilling understanding. When he finished, she walked to the window and stared out at the city lights.

"It… it makes sense," she finally said, her voice barely a whisper. "Remember how you got that anonymous tip about the hidden laptop with the Engine's source code? How the 'anonymous benefactor' money just appeared in your account?"

Liam nodded, the weight of her words sinking in. He'd always assumed it was some kind of… test. A reward for his supposed ingenuity. He hadn’t considered the possibility that it was manipulation, pure and simple.

"And the hospital," Chloe continued, turning back to face him. "That was a completely altruistic choice, with no direct benefit to you. It was designed to show them your… compassion. Your willingness to act for the greater good, even without a reward."

He felt a cold wave wash over him. They hadn't just been observing him; they had been actively shaping him, molding him into the perfect candidate.

"But why?" he asked, the question heavy with despair. "Why all this elaborate charade just to get me to join their ranks?"

Chloe sighed. "Think about it, Liam. You're intelligent, resourceful, and… you have a strong moral compass. The Engine is incredibly powerful, but it needs people to interpret its data, to make the final decisions. They need someone who isn't completely ruthless, someone who can rationalize their actions to themselves and to the world. Someone like you."

He ran a hand through his hair, the strands sticking to his forehead with sweat. It was horrifyingly logical. He had been so proud of his ability to navigate the complex choices presented by the Engine, so confident in his own judgment. But it had all been a meticulously crafted illusion.

"And Anya… she knew?" he asked, the question barely audible.

Chloe hesitated. "I… I don't know for sure. But I suspect she had an inkling. She's always been ambitious, but I never thought she’d be willing to… to compromise her own values like this."

The betrayal cut deep. He had trusted Anya, confided in her. Now, she was a pawn in the Council's game, willingly or not.

Suddenly, Liam felt a surge of anger, a burning resentment that eclipsed the despair. He had been a fool, a puppet dancing to their tune. But he wasn't going to let them control him any longer.

"We need to find proof," he said, his voice hardening. "Proof that they've been manipulating the Engine, proof that they've been deliberately influencing my choices. We need to expose them."

Chloe nodded, her eyes blazing with determination. "I have some ideas. Remember that meeting I was supposedly attending? The one that led to all this… mess?"

He nodded, recalling the initial lie that had sparked his suspicions.

"It wasn't a business meeting. It was a recruitment session. I was approached by one of the Council members. They offered me… incentives to keep quiet about something I had accidentally uncovered while working on a project for a pharmaceutical company. Something… unethical."

Liam’s heart pounded. "What was it?"

"They were suppressing a potentially life-saving drug, because it threatened the profits of another, more expensive medication. They used the Engine to calculate the potential impact of both drugs, and then… manipulated the data to justify their decision."

"And you have proof?"

"I managed to copy some files. They're heavily encrypted, but I think I can crack them. It will take time, and it will be risky. But it's our best chance."

He stood up, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. The truth was a dangerous weapon, and they finally had a lead.

"We're going to need help," he said. "Someone outside of this mess, someone we can trust implicitly."

He thought for a moment, then a name came to mind. A contact from his university days, a brilliant hacker with a penchant for anonymity and a deep-seated distrust of authority. He hadn't spoken to her in years, but he knew she would be the perfect person to help them unravel the Council's web of deceit.

"There's someone I know," he said. "A hacker named… Shadow. She owes me a favour."

He knew contacting her was a risk. It would expose them further, draw them deeper into the conspiracy. But he saw no other choice.

He picked up his phone, his fingers trembling slightly. He scrolled through his contacts, searching for a long-forgotten number. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the unknown.

"It's time to call in a debt," he murmured, his voice barely audible above the rain. "It's time to bring down the Council."

The kebab lay forgotten, a greasy testament to the lies that had shaped his life. The real fight was just beginning. And this time, he wasn’t going to be anyone’s pawn. He would be the one making the choices, the one pulling the strings. He would expose the Council, not for the reward, but for the truth. For himself. For Chloe. And for the world that they had tried to manipulate. He looked at Chloe with firm look and said "we must do this carefully, their resources are beyond ours and we need to be prepared".