C-2

"What do you want?"

The question sounded very right in the cold voice. What did he want? Even though that was the question, what the words were actually asking was something else entirely.

What could he ask?

He smiled as he closed his eyes. Men was silent while waiting. And every silence told him something.

"Was I often like this?"

"What do you mean?" Came the prompt question.

"Like this," he said, expressing everything in his voice. "Resting on my back. Eyes closed. Lost in thought, as if plotting deeply."

"Planning, yes. You were often like this. This is how you think."

He nodded. Men certainly did know a lot about him. He left the thread aside for now. And caught onto another.

"Tell me about Sia."

"What do you want?"

"I do not want her student profile," he said with certainty. "Tell me about my relationship with her."

Silence again. He knew it was a silence bearing not ignorance but reluctance. Why? He wasn't sure he would get the answer to the question. But he could get the answer for his question about the relationship. He only had to wait.

The wait was long. The cold voice sounded as if conceding.

"You were friends. Similar circumstances. Similar expectations. Similar futures. More than enough ground to be close. In a different class, another social setting, you would make a popular couple. Your line."

"Futures. Tell me about that."

"You're both Topher Graces. Graduating from the sponsorship program, you would be presented with a choice. Two options. Accept the employment offer from Of Hearts, the organisation supporting Topher Grace. Or, join Topher Grace as program staff. The two of you discussed the choice to considerable detail."

"Would you happen to know what our choices were?"

"No."

And that was it. The reason for the reluctance. He wanted to smile, but he couldn't. Not in the face of the lie.

"Why would I ask myself to be wary of Sia?"

"I don't know."

Are you sure, he wanted to ask. But didn't. Instead, he looked at the puzzle in his head that was Sia. He concentrated on another side of the puzzle.

"Another social setting?"

"Yes," came the reply immediately, proceeding to answer the question he was going to ask next. "If you weren't in Modern Evolution. If you weren't burdened by the sponsorship. If you were able to be like other students. You, the two of you, would probably be able to reach for a normal joy."

"My words?"

"Yes."

And here they were. At what mattered most.

"Why would I tell you those words? Was it like me?"

"I don't know. You spoke of what you chose to."

It was an answer he was expecting. And it was an answer that told him a lot, as it was supposed to.

He smiled, and caught onto the next thread.

"What's the relationship between the academy and Gaia?"

"There is no direct relationship. But there could be one just as much there couldn't. Pshi academy is among the leading institutions in the country. The principal, Mr Daksh, is an honorary member of several societies and organisations, many of which also entertain as members employees of Gaia at various levels of organisational hierarchy."

"Did that have an impact on my participating in the Beta Testing?"

"Maybe. The criteria and process of selection wasn't revealed."

"Do we want to know? No, I don't think so. What was the process of my application?"

"You applied on the portal, passing through the public process, declaring it as your research project."

"And I made it."

It wasn't a question, and there wasn't an answer.

"What does Gaia know about the bug?"

"Can't say with certainty."

"What is out there about the bug? In dark sky? What is dark sky?"

"Dark sky is the unregulated wide web. A high price has been placed on the head of Bug, who is supposed to be someone with sensitive information. Rumour is that the information is about Gaia. The interest is high on the bounty."

"Is it available for everyone to discover?"

"The bounty was advertised widely. Ensuring maximum exposure."

"So, anyone on the dark sky would find it. That brings us to two questions. Why was Sia on the dark sky? And why did the bounty send her running to me in worry?"

"Sia is a student of data programming. Course syllabus requires her to have an appreciation for dark sky. Her circumstances demand greater understanding of dark sky of her. As for why she came running to you worried, I don't know."

Interesting. Too few pieces were yet discovered. But every step of progress, no matter how small, was a source of some joy.

He needed sleep. Just one last thing before.

"Draw up any and all conflicts of Dark Horse with any one person or party on dark sky. Can it be done by morning?"

"Will be."

"Good night."

And there was silence.