Admiral Moore’s eyes seemed about to pop right out of his head. Narang kept her face impassive, but she was embarrassed to realize that she was enjoying his discomfiture.

“So you’re saying Pritchard might try to contact whoever sent this thing?”

“It’s just speculation on Dr. Schulze’s part, Admiral. And it doesn’t speak to motive or consequences, even if it turns out to be reality. This could be an anthropological exercise, for all we know. Studying the natives.”

Moore snorted, his expression showing clearly how little he believed that. He changed the subject abruptly. “I understand you’ve been subject to some hacking attempts.”

Narang decided to be candid. “Well, not here, so much. We’re using your network, of course. But headquarters, yes. Fortunately, we have some of the most sophisticated security A.I.s in the solar system.”

“Drawbridge category?” Moore asked. At her nod, he continued. “Doctor, don’t get too complacent. They’ll keep at it until they get what they want. Or until it becomes irrelevant, which would mean things have gotten much worse.”

Narang paused to rub her eyes. Too many days with not enough sleep were catching up with her. “I understand, Admiral. But everything we’ve seen so far indicates that this is not a Gray Goo scenario.”

“What about Alien Invasion?” Moore smiled tightly.

“Depends on how you define invasion, I guess.” Narang stood. “Anyway, you have everything we’ve learned so far. Happy reading.” She gave him a nod and walked out. Bentley tried to catch her eye as she stepped past his desk, but she needed sleep more than she needed another conversation.

32.Status

32.Status

Admiral Moore blew on his coffee, then took a sip. The habitual action gave him an opportunity to look around the table without being obvious about it. He still didn’t have a good feel for the positions of the various committee members. Or, he admitted to himself, maybe those attitudes were shifting faster than he could get a handle on them. It seemed every day brought some new revelation about this Pritchard and his disease.

He put his cup down and rapped on the table with his knuckles. Conversations ceased as everyone turned to him.

Moore gave the committee members a pro forma smile. “I have received a request—or perhaps that’s not the right word, since she’s not asking for permission—from Dr. Narang for us to bring some more people into the project. We have a cybernetics expert, a xenobiologist, a couple of physicists, as well as some medical specialists whose fields I’m not sure I can even pronounce.”

“And that won’t set off flags, at all, no sir,” Admiral Castillo muttered.