feeds. I pick one and pull it out like taffy, revealing ten-minute sections. It’s of Pit 2 from day one-sixty-three. I expect the Q-net to find all the shadow-blobs and outline them, but it doesn’t. It waits until I have outlined each one, then the Q-cluster takes over and finishes the job. Then it’s only a matter of opening all the video files, outlining the blobs, and letting the Q-net do the rest. I send the altered files to Morgan so she can do…well, whatever analysis she plans.
Easy, right? Except a dawning realization hits me. Hard. That alarm in the lab won’t work. Not without me to point out the shadow-blobs. It seems the Q-net doesn’t recognize them until after I’ve outlined them. At least Radcliff was smart enough to keep security in the lab. I tell Morgan about the flaw in my shadow-blob alarm.
Make sure to inform Radcliff, is all she says, and then remains quiet until we disentangle.
“How did you find that cluster?” she asks me.
Oh boy. “I didn’t. It found me.”
“Can you clarify?”
I wish. “I was using various empty clusters to help with organizing data.” There’s a million of them. “I used one for my friend Lan’s research. She was working on translating the alien symbols on the Warriors before Xinji went silent. Lan sent me her files, I didn’t steal them,” I add, just in case. “I didn’t have time to do much with them before Jarren looted the pits and I was shot. But the Q-net kept sorting the symbols and making connections. After I tried and failed to find out how Jarren traveled to Yulin without anyone knowing, I was detoured to this Q-cluster where all the results were arranged.” I shrug. “Ever since then, it’s been rather…perceptive about what I want to accomplish.”
Morgan absorbs the information with a stillness that reminds me of a predator waiting for prey.
“Do you have any more of these perceptive clusters?” she asks.
“No. I—” A memory sparks to life. I’ve hidden files in a couple of clusters. I wonder if the Q-net has done anything with them. Then I remember— Oh boy.
“You?” she prompts.
“There may be other clusters.” One with files I accessed illegally.
“May? Either there are or aren’t.”
I debate what I should divulge. “There are, but Lyra might have been worming at the time she used one of those clusters.”
Her focus sharpens and I squelch the desire to duck. “Just tell me. We’ll worry about the consequences later.”
“Uh…okay. There’s a couple of files from Xinji that I copied to a cluster. This was after they were marked classified by DES.” I wait for the admonishment.
Instead, she asks, “What are the files about?”
“I did a search for Warrior hearts and any mention of an underground factory and had two hits, but I didn’t get a chance to read through them.” Because Niall caught me worming and threatened to arrest me. Obviously before we got together, but I called in a favor and then I promised not to rat him out. “The looters invaded the pits soon after.”
Morgan’s gaze turns inward. “You were tasked to recover those files before Jarren attacked the base.”
Nice loophole.
“What about the other clusters?” Morgan asks.
“Those are legit. Niall and I were sorting the alien symbols in Lan’s research notes, matching them to one of the eight rows of glyphs on that octagon we found on Xinji.” And we only completed five rows because, soon after, DES confirmed that everyone on Xinji died.
“Is there any way you can reach the Xinji files now?”
“Not with Jarren’s blockade, but as soon as we find a way through, I might be able to.”
That earns me a small smile. “You’re confident you’ll get through?”
I consider. Nothing is ever completely secure. There are gaps in the Q-net, but many are so tiny that not even the best wormers can find them. “Confidence isn’t a factor, Officer Morgan. Our lives depend on it and I’m staying optimistic about our chances.”
“Fair enough.” She leans forward and rests her elbows on her knees. “Since you marked those video files so fast, we still have another hour. Let’s go take a look at those files you recovered from Xinji.”
“Yes, sir.” I insert my tangs.
It doesn’t take long to find the hidden cluster and bypass my own security. In fact, it’s ridiculously easy and I make a mental note to fix all of Lyra’s protective measures.
The files aren’t big. Morgan opens the first one. It’s about hearts and it’s a bit disjointed with references to