Chapter 62Lucas sat in a corner of a diner two miles off campus, surrounded by financial printouts that were scattered across the table like pieces of a puzzle he was intent on fitting into place. His laptop had several open spreadsheets that each followed loose ends of what he was coming to refer to as the financial side of his targeting.It began as a question: if someone could hack his school transcript, could someone hack his fiscal transcript too? The mystery deposits that had ended up in his account—the ones billed "consulting services" he never provided—appeared to suggest so. But Lucas wanted to know how much.He'd written the past fourteen days sending formal notices to all financial institutions that'd affected his life. The bank he'd had his personal account with. The scholarship foundation who'd funded his freshman year. The university accounting office who handled his student account. Even the credit watch agency he'd been a part of when his identity had nearly been stol

Chapter 64Lucas had been taught by Dev that the best way to detect whether or not one was being surveilled was not to hide but to test to feed false information into the system and see where it ended up..Lucas was applying the same principle to something much more personal: his and Estelle's relationship."I've been considering transferring to a different university" Lucas said, cutting his meat and not looking at his sister.He felt Estelle's interest pique. Her hand paused on her papers for an instant before she went back to scanning through with studiously uninterested attention."Transfer?" she echoed, her voice was a bit low. "Why would you undertake that? You're getting along all right here."Lucas had practiced his argument well—he wanted it convincing enough so that Estelle would believe that he was sincere, but not so convincing that she'd attempt to discourage him from it immediately without revealing her manipulation techniques."I don't know if I'm doing any good," Lucas

Chapter 66The trust between them had developed into an unbreakable bond, built over weeks of shared gym sessions, library debates and intense conversations. It was a bridge that was connecting them together and Lucas knew that he was the one who bears the burden of the bridge staying in place. He had guided Thomas with gentleness as he was more of a listener than a questionnaire. They had spoken about the ills of the university system, about systems that they couldn't control, about the feeling of being a pawn in the game board that couldn't be seen. And tonight, something let loose.They were sitting in Thomas’ sedan parked in an empty store. The people who walked on the sidewalks did nothing to aid the gloomy atmosphere. Thomas turned on the music as the lyrics of the music seemed to resonate with him.Thomas had been quiet for a long time, his hands gripped at the steering wheel till his knuckles turned white. Lucas waited in silence as he had anticipated this day, he would not al

Chapter 68The digital map of the Aethelred-Sentinel network was imprinted in the back of Lucas' mind. He saw it when he closed his eyes to sleep; a combination of shell companies and non-profit organisations all orbiting the dark star, ‘Sentinel systems’. He had learned everything that he could from the outside. The public records were exhausted and their connections were mapped out. The words of Thomas and the silent testimony of the other students had painted a vivid image of the operation,but not the brain behind it. He needed to get to the root of this. He needed insider information.The decision was followed with action. On a Tuesday morning, Lucas began implementing the structures. The next step was to step into the forum; the academic expulsion, the scandals that lead to the withdrawal of students and the very entity that he was investigating. It was a risk, one which could lead to a devastating end if one is not careful enough, but he knew within himself that he had to take t

Chapter 70The encrypted data felt less like a trophy to him and more like a burden. His conscience pricked him like one who had committed a grievous offence that cannot be redeemed. For days, Lucas carried the information that he might be in danger and it weighed heavily on him. He had mapped the periphery, learned the rhythms of the sentry posts, but the citadel of Sentinel itself remained a silhouette against a dark sky. The project names—ACQUISITION, GOLDENROD, LONG BOW—were meaningless without context. The server paths were just digital addresses leading to locked doors.He had reached the limit of observation. The careful and reasonable questions, the joining together of public testimonies, the cultivation of sources like Thomas. It had brought him to a standstill. He cannot be stuck again, he needs to cross over.The decision was made not in a moment but was as a result of countless sleepless nights. It was a calculated move, one that he cannot afford to lose. The risk of him t