Those seventeen, Tempest had verified, were the seventeen highest market share models out there. Together they accounted for more than ninety-five percent of all the chemreactors in use.

Normally those chemreactors were locked down. Censor chips ensured they couldn’t be used to synthesize patented pharmaceuticals, or dangerous explosives, or illegal street drugs.

But with the private key, you could override all of that.

A hack that broke one chemreactor model key would be a massive coup. But seventeen at once? Who could do that? Had someone hacked them slowly year over year and stockpiled those hacks?

Tempest’s suspicion was that the version of Nexus released along with the hack was a fake, with a back door, a vulnerability to exploit. He felt a pang of guilt at that. There were back doors in Nexus – back doors he and Kade had placed there. That Kade must have changed.

But when he checked and checked and rechecked the version of Nexus released with this hack… it was identical to what was in the public depots a few days back.

The recipe for synthesis was identical.

The source code was identical.

The compiled binaries were identical.

There was even the option to download the latest version from any of the most popular repositories and install that instead.

Whoever was doing this just seemed to want more Nexus out there, period.

Rangan was pondering this when the door to the Bunker slammed open.

He practically jumped out of his chair.

Cheyenne and Tempest came in, supporting Angel between them, gear bags slung over their backs.

He stepped forward, “Angel? You OK?”

She looked up at him. “No,” she said, a bit groggily, her arms still wrapped around her friends. “I’m pissed.”

“Somebody got there with Nexus before us,” Cheyenne said.

“And they’re a total asshole,” Tempest finished.

Breece stayed silent as Kate railed at him.

“That was a test?” She yelled. “It turned them into animals! I thought we were talking about a little encouragement! A little nudge! That was about revolution, alright, but it wasn’t about moving humanity forward!” She was livid. He’d seen her this angry before, but seldom at him. “Those protesters are on our side fighting for the same thing we’re fighting for!” She looked around the table at Breece and the Nigerian. “And we just helped someone violate them.”

Breece waited a moment to make sure she was done, then he held up his hands palms open.

“OK, I hear you, Kate. It was a test.”

“And you want to move forward!”

“I want to be ready, in case the Supreme Court rejects the case, or rules for Stockton.”

The Nigerian nodded at that.

“No,” Kate said. “If the court rules for Stockton, or if Kim wins, and he’s on the wrong side after all, then I’m all for direct action, but only against enemies of the cause.”