Page 48 of Dose

For the next hour, they work in a language made of batch codes, freight intervals, and confidence values. Isla distinguishes what she saw at Site Nine from what she learned through validation reports. Ezra challenges every assumption. She changes two. He changes four.

It is the closest thing either of them has to play.

“This routing is inefficient,” Isla says, highlighting a precursor shipment that changes custody three times before reaching Atlanta. “Every transfer adds contamination and temperature-excursion risk.”

“It also obscures the manufacturer and prevents any one carrier from seeing the full route,” Ezra says.

She studies it again. “Control over efficiency.”

“Project Architect’s preferred design principle.”

“Mine too, until recently.”

Ezra turns his tablet so she can see the unfiltered model. Until now, he has kept that screen angled toward himself. From Ezra, the gesture carries more weight than praise.

“Atlanta has the cleanest access path,” he says. “A refrigeration contractor maintains a remote diagnostic channel into the warehouse controls. Different network from production, but the credentials overlap at the administrative layer.”

“Can you enter without interrupting temperature control?” Isla asks.

“Yes.”

“Without changing a log entry?”

“If I could not, we would not be discussing it.”

Her mouth lifts.

The objective is not to stop production. It is to copy destination records, implant persistent access, and leave every shipment moving until medical teams can reach the children who depend on them. If Atlanta notices the intrusion, the program will change codes across the network and the six days of work in this room will begin decaying immediately.

The door opens. Darius enters with sealed lunch containers, Damon behind him.

“Food for people who have forgotten it exists.” Darius puts the containers on the small table outside the equipment boundary. “Ezra, I’m disappointed. I expected more screens.”

“The redundant displays are below.”

“Of course they are.” Darius turns to Isla. “How is the criminal masterclass?”

“We confirmed seven endpoints through Atlanta,” she says.

“She also found three false assumptions in our route model,” Ezra says. “It was useful.”

Darius presses one hand to his chest. “Careful. She’ll think you like her.”

Then he notices the mark on Isla’s neck.

It is not the same fading bruise she wore to breakfast six days ago. I put this one there last night.

Darius’s eyes come to me. “I assume that is your work.”

“You assume correctly.”

Isla’s hand rises to her throat. Color spreads above her collar.

“Subtle,” Darius says.

“I wasn’t attempting subtlety.”

“Clearly. Very territorial. There’s probably an entire⁠—”