Chapter Five: The War for Reality

“You sent me thirteen resignations this morning. Every one gave a different reason.” “Which sounded like me?” “All of them. That's how I knew none of them was you.” Luna flagged her pupils for deception. Sumi judged her useful. Falcon found bureau drones closing in through public cameras. Gu opened the passenger door. “Get in.” Lin did not move. “First answer something only the original would know. During our first all-nighter at university, what did we run on the server?” Gu remembered three answers. Zero remembered a prime-number search. Flame remembered illicit generative art. Nanny remembered no program at all—only a coffee pot that overloaded the circuit. Then he understood that the test itself was a trap.