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“In Sera’n’s files?”

She nodded slowly. “Not just yours.”

Every muscle in my body went still. “How many?”

“I don’t know.”

“Think.”

Talia shut her eyes, concentrating.

I knew pushing her would not improve recall.

I did it anyway. “How many?”

Her eyes opened again, irritation sharpening her expression. “Ordering me to remember faster isn’t helping.”

She was right. I disliked that she was right often enough for me to have started noticing. I forced myself silent.

She closed her eyes again.

I watched the small movements beneath her lids as she reconstructed something she had only seen briefly.

After several seconds, she opened them. “Three. Maybe four.”

“Same prefix structure?”

“I didn’t know what I was looking at then.”

“Think about the spacing.”

“The spacing?”

“The identifier has three sections. Biometric class, operational sequence, individual encryption marker.”

She stared at me. “That sounds like something I definitely wasn’t supposed to hear.”

“Answer.”

“Yes.”

“Three sections?”

“Yes.”

“How many records?”

“At least three.”

“Were all listed as deceased?”

“I think so.”

“Compatibility data?”

“Yes.”

“With humans?”