Chapter 40 Lark
Lark
Location: Holding Room
Time: Same
The shift happens before anyone speaks.
Subtle.
But unmistakable.
The guard outside my door adjusts position.
Footsteps in the hallway change pace.
Voices lower.
Tighter.
Something has entered the system.
Not physically.
Structurally.
I sit up slightly.
Wait.
The door opens.
The same woman from earlier steps in.
But she’s different now.
Less composed.
More focused.
Concern has replaced control.
“Dr. London,” she says, “we need you to explain something.”
She doesn’t sit right away.
That tells me everything.
This matters.
She places a tablet on the table in front of me and turns it so I can see.
The list.
I don’t react immediately.
I read.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Everything inside me goes cold.
“This isn’t mine,” I say.
Immediate.
Certain.
No hesitation.
Her eyes flick up to mine.
“But it looks like it.”
“Yes,” I reply. “That’s the problem.”
I swipe through the entries.
My brain mapping it faster than my hands move.
“It’s a bad copy,” I continue. “Structural mimicry without underlying logic.”
She leans forward slightly.
“Explain.”
“They copied the appearance of predictive output,” I say. “But not the reasoning behind it.”
I point to a cluster.
“These don’t connect.”
Another.
“These escalate too quickly.”
Another.
“This one contradicts itself within twelve hours.”
Her expression tightens.
“You’re saying this is fake.”
“I’m saying it’s dangerous.”
I meet her gaze.
“And it’s going to get people killed.”
That lands.
Hard.
She studies me longer this time.
Weighing.
Reassessing.
“You believe someone is trying to replicate your system,” she says.
“I know they are.”
“And why would they do that?”
I hold her eyes.
Because this is the part they don’t want to understand.
“Because fear moves faster than truth,” I say quietly.
“And if they can generate enough of it…”
I let the rest hang.
She finishes it in her head.
“...they can justify anything.”
Yes.
Now she sees it.
The question is—
Is it too late?