Chapter 20: "The Echoes of Anchors"
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Thursday, 7:18 AM.
Aidan hadn't slept.
Not from fear.
From calculation.
He sat on the edge of his bed, the soft blue glow of the Core console illuminating his face. In the hours since meeting Finch, he had re-analyzed all decision data from the past month. His pattern of choices, risk-reward simulations, and triggered chain reactions.
> [New Tag Established: Finch – Compass User – Emotional Radar Type]
[Risk Tier: Low | Sensitivity: High | Stability: Uncertain]
[Passive Observation Node Established]
He leaned back against the headboard, exhaling.
The Compass wasn't designed to guide… it was designed to feel.
That meant its creator had a different theory about how systems should interact with human cognition. Less logic, more intuition. A neural mirror of sorts.
That wasn't just experimental—it was unpredictable.
And then there was that word Finch mentioned.
Anchor.
The Core had offered a scan last night to locate the Anchor, but Aidan had declined. Not out of fear. He simply didn't have enough data. The city was vast. If the scan triggered any system-level alert across another user's interface, he might invite scrutiny.
Right now, observation was key.
He opened his decision tree.
Seven threads branched out from Finch's data.
Two led to schools. One to a clinic. The rest pointed at local government database trails. If Finch was being watched, someone was planting flags in his surroundings.
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8:02 AM. Somewhere across the city.
She stirred in a stark room with only one light. A single camera monitored her. Her name was Mika Tanabe. Age seventeen. Occupation: student, part-time analyst… unofficially: surveillance subject and handler.
She had a system, too. One she'd been trained to hide.
She wasn't recruited.
She was grown.
In her ear, a voice crackled through a hidden comm: "Subject Finch met another carrier. Your guess was accurate."
She didn't respond.
Her eyes were glued to the screen that showed Aidan Vale's face, moving through city transit.
"Do not engage yet," the voice warned.
Mika shut off the feed.
Then whispered:
"He's too careful."
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10:14 AM. Back with Aidan.
The school library smelled of dust and toner ink. Students chattered between the aisles, but Aidan's ears filtered out the noise.
He was here because the Compass pointed here.
Finch's system had reacted violently during the morning. His mood swings were wild, and the compass icon pulsing in his interface spun faster than usual.
According to Finch: "Something's interfering with the magnetic pull."
To test it, Aidan walked ahead of him through different school zones.
In one wing of the building, Finch nearly passed out.
The compass had stopped spinning.
"Someone's here," Finch had whispered. "One of the five."
Now, Aidan scanned the hallway.
Classrooms. Desks. Bulletin boards.
And a girl.
She wasn't facing him—just putting up a new notice on the board.
But Aidan's system pinged faintly.
> [Unregistered System Signature Detected: Class Unknown]
[Proximity Layer Interference: Moderate]
He paused.
She turned her head slightly. Caught his gaze.
Eyes like iced coffee. Steady. Calm. Familiar, yet impossible to read.
He gave a polite nod.
She returned it. Said nothing.
Then walked away.
Finch leaned in. "Is it her?"
"I don't know," Aidan murmured. "But I'm adding her to the tree."
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12:30 PM. Rooftop.
They skipped lunch to talk.
Finch sat cross-legged while Aidan sketched a rough web of connections on his tablet.
"She didn't flinch," Finch muttered. "Most system holders give off a vibe. She's silent."
"Which means," Aidan said, "either her system is designed to suppress traces... or she's already trained."
"Trained?"
Aidan nodded. "Someone's organizing them. We're behind schedule if that's the case."
Finch swallowed. "Then what do we do?"
Aidan stared at the skyline.
He tapped into the Core.
> [Query: Mika Tanabe – System Holder?]
> Access Denied – Insufficient Confirmation
Alternative: Monitor Public Data Footprint?
He confirmed.
A faint dossier appeared.
Student. No major flags. Top 5% in multiple subjects. No social media. Works late hours at a government-linked database firm.
Finch exhaled shakily. "She's clean."
"No," Aidan muttered, narrowing his eyes. "She's too clean."
---
4:00 PM. Across the city. A warehouse.
A different conversation was happening.
"She spotted you," the voice in Mika's ear said.
"I let her," Mika replied flatly.
"She's a him."
Pause.
"…Ah," the voice corrected. "Aidan Vale. System class unknown, presumed top-tier."
"I'd like to propose a test," Mika said, her eyes dull.
"Go on."
"Give me a task that pushes his system into visible action. Make him react."
Silence.
Then:
"Very well. We'll send a tail toward Finch tomorrow. You observe. If Vale steps in, we'll know his protective radius."
Mika's lips twitched into a neutral smirk.
Game on.
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That evening. Aidan's apartment.
The Core interface flickered.
> [New Connection Formed – Level 1 Proximity Trace Detected (Name Unknown)]
> Intent Level: Passive Observation
Suggested Action: Counter-Trace?
Aidan stared at the message.
His fingers hovered.
Then typed: "Yes. With Delay."
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Back in the warehouse, Mika's screen glitched for a split second.
Just one.
But her eyes narrowed.
The Core was alive.
And it saw her back.
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