“Now that we’re partners, we need to work on loosening you up. Let that hair down. Bottling up your emotions isn’t healthy.” He tugs on my stubby ponytail. “But first things first. Do you want to know what this says?” He holds up the packet.

“Yes.” Snatching it from his hands, I take off running and climb a nearby tree.

He’s after me in a flash, catching me around the waist before I fully get my footing and dragging me to the ground. Not letting me go, he yanks on a branch, and a door I had no idea existed opens in the base of the tree.

“Convenient,” I say, resisting the urge to relax against his chest. “You only won because you know all of Keystone’s secrets.”

“Even I don’t know all of its secrets,” he says, hustling us into the safe room. Closing the door, he plunges us into darkness. I hear him fumbling with something metal-sounding, and a lantern that sits in the middle of a small table illuminates his face. “I admit knowing the tunnels helped with transportation, but my real victory was getting you to steal the battery for me.”

Unable to deny the truth, I drop the subject. “What is this place?” I run my fingers along the smooth grains of the hollowed-out tree interior.

“A hideout. Disconnects pride themselves on being able to disappear.”

“Is this one of the hideout locations you learned about for winning the Quest?”

“No. This one is only level-one classified. Everyone can access this. Level-one hideouts exist all over the forest and the world. You just have to know how to recognize the signs.”

“I haven’t learned them yet.”

“They’re not something you’re taught. They’re something you figure out. But don’t worry—I’ll show you the ropes.”

“Lucky me…” Reluctantly, I hand over the documents.

He rips open the envelope, spreading its contents on the table. Curious, I nestle close to him, peering over his shoulder. We fall silent in concentration, squinting to read the papers in the dim light.

Target: Nicki Simon, 17-year-old socialite and Influencer—runs the popular San Francisco Society blog “Confessions of an Haute Hacker.”

Background: Only daughter of Collette Simon, reigning queen of the San Francisco Charity Circuit, and James Simon, CEO of Simon Technologies/creator of Quinn, Artificial Intelligence Cognitive technology. Quinn resides in nearly every household on earth, and the world adores her. Every Quinn has a unique personality she adapted from her family. She has learned her family’s beliefs and filters information so it is in line with their opinions and worldviews in order to keep everyone happy and free from conflict. But all Quinns have one thing in common: their knowledge base.