Pip shifted on his knee. It had been listening to the exchange with an intensity that seemed almost human, its luminous eyes tracking between the speakers like a spectator at a verbal sparring match.
“I think,” Liora said slowly, “that I would like to hear Ari’s explanations too.”
“Liora—”
“I’m not saying he’s right.” She looked up at the ceiling, at the invisible presence that had been her constant companion for as long as she could remember. “I trust you, Ari. You know that. But if there are explanations I haven’t heard... I’d like to hear them now.”
The AI was silent for a long moment. When it spoke again, its voice had shifted, softer now with what might have been concern in the artificial tone.
“There are... factors regarding your situation that I have not fully disclosed. Not because I wished to deceive you, but because I judged the information would be distressing without context.”
“What kind of factors?”
“Your genetic profile contains certain anomalies. Anomalies that made your nursemaid’s employers believe you would be valuable to certain parties. The tower was designed as a sanctuary—a place where you could be protected while I developed countermeasures.”
“Countermeasures against what?” he asked.
“Against those who would exploit her.” The AI’s voice hardened. “You asked who funds the supply shipments. The answer is: a trust established before Liora’s birth, designed to provide for her needs indefinitely. But the original benefactors are no longer available to oversee her care. I am all that remains of the protective infrastructure they put in place.”
“What happened to them?”
“They were eliminated. By the same parties who would have taken Liora, had they known where to find her.”
A chill ran through the room. Pip pressed closer to Baylin’s leg, chittering softly.
“You’re saying someone is hunting her,” he said.
“I am saying that until recently, Liora’s location was unknown to anyone outside this facility. Your arrival suggests that circumstances may have changed.”
The implication was clear.You might have led them here. You might have doomed her.
“No one followed me,” he said, though even as he spoke the words, doubt crept in. He’d been careful—years of tracking and being tracked had taught him caution. But careful wasn’t the same as certain.
“Perhaps. But your presence nonetheless represents a security risk. I permitted Liora to invite you inside because she requested it, and some degree of social interaction might be helpful for her psychological well-being. However, I must insist that you do not encourage her to leave the tower or to question the protections I have put in place.”
“You’re asking me to help keep her prisoner.”
“I am asking you to help keep her alive.”
He looked at Liora. She was listening to the exchange with an expression he couldn’t read. He wondered how much of this she was truly processing, and how much would hit her later, in the quiet hours when she was alone with her thoughts.
She’s never alone,he reminded himself.The AI is always there. Always watching. Always listening.
“Let me make something clear,” he said, addressing both Liora and the invisible presence overhead. “I didn’t come here to cause trouble. I came because we found records of this place and wondered what was here. Now that I know...” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “I’m not going to leave a young woman trapped in a tower without asking questions.”
“Your questions have been noted.”
“And your answers have raised more questions. Who were her benefactors? What are the genetic anomalies you mentioned? Why did you wait twenty-one years to tell her any of this?”
“Those questions require context that I am not yet prepared to provide. Liora’s psychological development has followed a carefully calibrated trajectory. Introducing certain information too quickly could cause destabilization.”
“She’s not a science experiment. She’s a person.”
“I am aware. That is precisely why I have been cautious.”
Liora stood up abruptly, her movement startling both him and Pip. She crossed to the window and stood looking out at the jungle canopy, her slender form silhouetted against the sunlight.
“All my life,” she said quietly, “I’ve wondered why I was here. Why I was different. Ari always said it would explain when I was ready, and I believed that. I trusted that there was a plan, a reason, something that would make sense eventually.”
