Chapter 21: Intellectual Trail
The morning light filtering into the library was thin and grey, doing little to chase away the lingering chill of the previous night. Zeta walked down the long, industrial corridor toward his workstation, his movements practiced and slow. He was acutely aware of the surveillance cameras tracking his path. His heart beat with a controlled, steady rhythm, and he kept his facial expressions neutral, a mask of total apathy that he hoped would deflect any scrutiny. He had made a mistake the day before, a lapse in judgment that had left the high-level encryption machine humming in perfect order, and he was now living in the shadow of that error.
He reached his desk and sat down, his hands moving to the terminal with deliberate, unhurried motions. He began his s
