Not precisely.
It’s…
Messy.
“They’re not using her system,” I say slowly.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re imitating it,” I reply. “But they don’t understand it.”
I highlight the inconsistencies.
Timing gaps.
Priority errors.
Connections that don’t hold under pressure.
“This isn’t predictive modeling,” I continue. “This is guesswork dressed up as certainty.”
Aaron goes quiet.
“Meaning?” he asks.
I look at the list again.
At the scale of it.
At the people already reacting to it.
“Meaning they’re about to get people killed.”
And not by accident.
40
Lark
Location: Holding Room
Time: Same
The shift happens before anyone speaks.
Subtle.
But unmistakable.
The guard outside my door adjusts position.
Footsteps in the hallway change pace.
Voices lower.
Tighter.
Something has entered the system.
