The chilling message, "The Accountant is observed," hung in Elias's mind like a spectral accusation. He felt a profound violation, a sense of being laid bare before an unseen, omniscient gaze. His carefully constructed world of shadows and subtle manipulations was crumbling. He had become the watched, not the watcher.
His first instinct was self-preservation. He immediately initiated a full system wipe on his terminal, purging every trace of his recent activity, every coded log, every altered case file. He then, with a grim determination, began to plant false data, a digital breadcrumb trail leading away from his true purpose. He fabricated a series of inquiries into minor discrepancies in the Bureau's tax revenue reports, subtly suggesting he was investigating tax fraud, not the fundamental flaws of the Ledger itself. It was a clumsy maneuver, a blunt instrument compared to his usual finesse, but it was necessary to create a plausible alternative narrative.
He then, with a renewed sense of urgency, attempted to trace the origin of the message. He accessed the Bureau's internal communication logs, filtering for the precise time and digital signature of the warning. The origin was a Sutra Corps node, a high-level server within the Academy's tightly guarded network. But the node itself was even more disturbing: it had been officially decommissioned years ago. A ghost in the machine, a dormant terminal suddenly springing to life to deliver a cryptic warning.
This meant whoever had sent the message had not only deep access to the Ledger, but also the ability to bypass the Sutra Corps' own security protocols, to awaken a dead node and use it as a mouthpiece. This was power beyond anything Elias had encountered.
He needed more information, more access to the Sutra Corps' internal workings. And he needed to test Mei Lin's loyalty again, to see if her idealism could be bent to his purposes, or if she would break under pressure.
He summoned her to his cubicle, his expression grave. "Mei Lin," he said, his voice low, "I need your help with a delicate matter. I've discovered some anomalies in the Sutra Corps' network, potential irregularities in the decommissioning protocols for older AI nodes. I need you to retrieve the archival records for all nodes marked as 'inactive' in the last decade. Full access logs, maintenance reports, the works. This is a highly sensitive inquiry. The Sutra Corps is fiercely protective of its internal operations. Any hint of unauthorized access could have severe repercussions. Can I trust you with this?"
He watched her carefully, his Karma Lens subtly monitoring her spiritual response. He saw the flicker of apprehension, the weight of responsibility settling on her young shoulders. But he also saw the unwavering trust, the almost naive faith she placed in him.
"Of course, Analyst Thorne," she replied, her voice firm, despite the tremor in her hands. "If you believe it's important, I'll do it."
Elias nodded, a grim satisfaction warring with a pang of guilt. He was using her, manipulating her idealism, but he needed her. She was his only point of access to the Sutra Corps' inner sanctum, his only chance to understand the true nature of the threat that was now watching him.