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"Wil you grow tentacles and tusks?" Saim asked, with a hint of hu into a secure sector; however, a security forces laboratory is unlikely to have an active defense It doesn’t contain any of the financial or valuable data hacker psychers usual y want, so there is no need for a psycher to actively control it The laboratory will have passive defenses instead There are three types

First, the loop traps These are bionet connections designed to lock aits destination People typical y see these as quick sand, swaht in a loop, do not panic Clear yourIf that doesn’t work, picture fal ing through the trap and landing by the hub That usual y initiates the expel ing protocol You will land by the hub and will have to log off

"The second type of trap is the daeysers of molten lava, mud slides, and so on

These are the coded defenses They will activate when triggered but they have a liht in one of these, you will take dae Your mind may develop lesions or beco that looks like a gloorle of luminescent threads Soht to see the objects If you experience visual anoe event, you e is shorter than e distance, which means you will hear e and I do not respond, youoff as soon as possible"

She waited for everyone to nod

"The third type of traps are the chasers The chasers are the defense entities produced by the AI They are usual y perceived as sos, insects, sharks The chasers will actively pursue you If a large number of the chasers are destroyed, the AI will sound the peri psycher responsible for the security of the sector on our heads This is so ant to avoid at all costs"

"Why?" Saiht hi to alter data It is a non-violent offense," Claire said "If we confront a psycher, Ia human mind of a Rada citizen is a death sentence for everyone in this room"

Sudden silence claimed the room

Claire was the first to break it "This is why I need you

Your purpose is to fol ow me until we encounter chasers As soon as chasers find us, each of you e one of them and lead them away You must scatter and take the the alarht You just have to run and keep the to destroy the as they are fol owing you, I will be able to do everything I need to do"

"Hoe knohen you’re done and it’s safe to log off?" Charles asked

"You will hear a signal If you don’t hear anything or if you becoet you OneSecurity Force chasers Their bite will leave a mark on your mind

Eventual y it will dissipate - usual y in a feeeks - but until then if you log into the bionet, anyone there with you will instantly know that you’ve tried to break the law If you are unsure, now is the tiot up "I’ht," Claire told her "Nobody here will judge you It’s fine"

The young woman backed out of the circle and went into the other room

"Anyone else?"

Nobody moved

"We’re ready," Charles said

Claire took a deep breath and began to dismantle the shel over her es of the shel crumbled in her mind It felt unbelievable It felt as if she had been carrying a heavy burden, and chained to it for so long, she had forgotten it was there Noas gone Claire felt light, so indescribably light Herher tea a link

The five stared at her

"Wow," Kosta whispered

Claire sent a focused thought "Lay down and try to relax"

"I’ve heard that before," Mittali hed nervously

They lay on their backs, their heads toward the hub

Tonya approached, carrying bionet cognizance units, half-bands of ornate, inert plastic, each sealed in its own transparent wrapper Claire rose and approached Charles

"Are you ready?"