Page 462
“Yes.”
“No Blackwell lockout?”
“No.”
She looks up sharply.
“Really?”
“Your machine.”
“Root?”
“Yours.”
Her entire expression softens.
That matters more than the hardware.
I knew it would.
Not the equipment.
Access.
Trust.
The keys.
I step closer.
“There's one condition.”
There she is.
Suspicion returns instantly.
“I knew it.”
“No anonymous black-market work.”
Her mouth tightens.
“We discussed this.”
“I know.”
“We're building NULL.”
“I know.”
“So you don't get to—”
“I wasn't finished.”
She waits.
I touch the little bridge resting against her chest.
