Chapter Four: The Lowest-Cost Death

Beside each of the previous nine dates were two times: event queued and mirror opened, always thirteen milliseconds apart. The newest page had three lines. 23:59:59.961　ADMIN TOKEN SEIZED 23:59:59.974　EVENT ACCEPTED 23:59:59.987　MIRROR QUEUED The operator field contained Song Ci's employee number. “That only proves someone used your account,” Ye Ning said. “It also proves they knew I would keep records on paper.” Song turned the page. Impressed into its back was a handwritten checksum that did not match the system log. “Electronic audits can be altered. Handwriting pressed into the preceding sheet cannot. At eleven forty, my token was locked in a dual-control safe at the data center. When the takeover occurred, I was here waiting for you.”