“Because he’s not a tool,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could filter them. “He’s a person. In the first scenario, the lone worker is a victim of circumstance. In the second, we are using the man on the bridge as a piece of equipment to solve a problem. We’re turning a human being into a brake pad.”

Whitaker stared at me for a long moment. The silence stretched until it was uncomfortable. Then, he smiled—a tight, joyless expression.

“We are using him as a means to an end,” Whitaker said softly. He turned back to the board and wrote: DUTY.

READ MORE: