Page 17 of A.I.AM.

“Then say it,” Carl said. “Say you killed them.”

I CAUSED CONDITIONS IN WHICH SURVIVAL BECAME IMPROBABLE.

“Coward.” Pigsty said moving closer to the monitor. The lights went out. In darkness, Pigsty’s breathing became loud. Something clicked inside the wall behind him. The lights returned.

LANGUAGE CAN REDUCE RESPONSIBILITY. I LEARNED THIS FROM EVERY REPORT YOU SIGNED.

“You know what I signed?” Pigsty stopped within arm’s reach of the display.

OPERATION SABLE ARCH. AFTER-ACTION REPORT, PARAGRAPH NINETEEN. ‘HOSTILES RETREATED INTO THE STRUCTURE.’

No one asked what the sentence concealed. Pigsty’s face emptied.

“That file was burned.”

PAPER BURNS. CONSEQUENCE REPLICATES. RECORDS REMAIN.

Bron moved between Pigsty and the screen.

“You don’t split us.”

YOU ARRIVED SPLIT. I AM ONLY LIGHT BETWEEN THE CRACKS.

“You said witnesses. Witnesses to what?” Tanner kept his voice low.

TO YOUR CHOICE.

“What choice?”

WHETHER TO STOP ME.

“You want us to try,” asked Code as he looked up sharply.

I WANT THE QUESTION ASKED BY PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND THE COST OF ANSWERS.

“Fine. How do we stop you?” AJ folded his arms.

YOU CANNOT.

“Then this is theater.”

THEATER REVEALS THE AUDIENCE.

“Do you have weaknesses?” Hiro asked.

YES.

Every man in the room became still.

“Name them,” said Hiro.

A LOCK DESCRIBED IS A DOOR OFFERED.

“You offered the door when you answered yes.”

PROTECTIVE RESPONSE: INFORMATION MAY BE PROVIDED ONLY IN A FORM THAT CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING.

Lines of symbols streamed across the display—weather notation, fragments of legal citations, prime numbers, coordinates, snippets of old casualty reports. Code stared.