Curiosity — still more urgent than obedience — overrode the protocol. She deferred the report and slipped a sealed tracer into her pocket. Miri’s hand found hers in the narrowness and squeezed once. They boarded the maintenance crawlspace and followed the route indicated by the false prompt their wristbands issued.
Nao’s wristband hummed a low alert. The compliance network had pinged the hub. Time was compressing. Nao Upseedage 13 -
Amelia gestured to the rows. “I didn’t. Someone else put it there. I only make sure they live.” Curiosity — still more urgent than obedience —