Page 105 - DivineSparkRising II-TheMirrorofSilenceFinal

Nicholas Boothman
which kitchens held three decades of unanswered
questions. The algorithm’s solution pulsed in the
margins: pre-emptive flattening. Remove volatility
by silencing combinations of words before they
combine.
“Sofia didn’t kill debate,” Henry whispered
behind her. “She killed the possibility of debate.”
Carolina plugged in a drive and started a pull.
The download bar moved like treacle. “We get this
to air,” she said, jaw tight, “the city will know
exactly how it’s being cleaned.”
On the other side of the pillar, a Redactor
paused mid-gesture and turned his head the way a
deer hears a twig. The room’s blue pulse slowed.
Henry counted heartbeats. “We don’t have a
minute.”
“We have forty-two seconds,” Carolina said,
watching bytes cross a narrow bridge. “So buy me
forty-two.”
4 Noise
Zhara stepped out first—hands open, unarmed,
as if entering a church. “Salaam,” she said with a
voice like dry bread. “We brought a prayer.”
Two Redactors moved toward her. Their
mirrored lenses threw back a woman-who-wasn’t
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