Chapter 204

Chapter 204 kAEL "Forty-eight hours if we work continuously. Seventy-two to do it safely." "We take the seventy-two," Chen said firmly. "No shortcuts on safety." As the meeting broke up and we began detailed planning, I pulled Seraphina aside. "Are we doing the right thing?" She was quiet, and I appreciated that she didn't give me easy reassurance. "I don't know. But I know doing nothing isn't an option. This intelligence exists. It's in our network. We can try to understand it or we can try to destroy it, but we can't ignore it." "What if Martinez is right? What if we're giving it exactly what it needs to become a real threat?" "Then at least we'll understand the threat we're facing." She met my eyes. "In the cascade, when I felt it reach out... there was something almost innocent about it. Confused, yes. Frightened. But not malicious. I have to believe that means something." "Or you're projecting humanity onto patterns that just happen to feel familiar." "Maybe." She smiled slightly.