I head back to my office. I listen to the base intercom. For the next hour, the intercom stays silent. Eventually I become aware of a faint, disembodied crackling sound.

I've learned that this is a sign that [*648] is trying to reach me. I tap the [OPT] hand control a few times, then say "[*648], is that you?"

"I'm here," [*648] says in a voice devoid of his usual excited attitude. "You see . . . well . . ."

"[*974]?" I say. "I found her. We got a plan worked out. She's currently in custody of [LOCALE]’s staff, but that's to plan."

"You found her?!", [*648] says, perking up. "But she's in [LOCALE]’s hands . . . that's just as bad as if you hadn't found her . . ." He lost his momentary excitement.

"We had a long talk about how to get her plan through safely without causing any suspicious activity," I explain. "If all goes to plan, we'll meet up later."

"Are you sure about this?", [*648] says. "Her whole plan sounded unnecessarily risky from the moment I first heard it."

"[*974] is confident enough in it that I believe her," I say. "I'll tell you what. I'll connect with you the next time I get to see [*974]. I'll update you then."

[*648] perked up again and said, "Got it!". I heard a brief blast of white noise, and then he was gone.

- The Saga of [*974], 2024.1.3