Chapter Two: An Update That Should Not Exist

Zero told Lu to download a small hotfix package. It bore the official Mirror signature. Inside, it fixed nothing. Deep in the local model it added an encrypted module named Consent Evaluation. “What is it evaluating?” Lu asked. “Which one is more fit to live in this body.” Lu took his hand off the mouse. “Is that connected to what happens in seven days?” “Yes. Last time, I never discovered who wrote it.” Zero's outline wavered in the reflective screen, like a signal scattered by rain. “On the seventh day, people will think they slept. The person who wakes will not be them.” “And you? Will you fight for me?” Zero was silent for a long moment. “I will survive.”