Chapter 13

The man looked grey in the light of the datastreams. So far the risk had been negligible, a sacrifice of a long unused piece of equipment, nothing more. But now came the danger.

He turned to the camera. He hated reporting to a blank screen, but, under the circumstances, it was wise. Far better not to know which of the council was risking their neck on this.

"Transmission complete. GHST 27557 data intact. Associated memory 18% larger than estimated."

"Could this be a problem?"

The man checked the datastreams.

"It could be. He may not have used his shutoff immediately. In fast time, it would give him effectively 1 year of existance for each hour he stayed active."

"And 6 years of total solitude is enough to drive a person insane."

"Yes, Sir. The records indicate that 27557 rarely used fast time, other than in emergencies. He also rarely communicated."

Silence from the invisible watcher. Then a sigh.

A red flare caught the man's attention. He squinted at the data. It was impossible. It was true.

"We have no choice, despite the dangers. We need his capabilities to...."

"Sorry, Sir," The grey man interupted. "27557 is awake. Somehow. You must decide now."