Page 66 (2/2)

"Well, that limits my options," Blackburn rera sure I can’t knock Sysevich out"

Wyatt neutralized the virus keeping Toht, his legs shaking They discovered that Yuri was still holding his distance, across the roo of Yuri there Just this cold, sharp blankness

"What’s happened to hi like that?"

Blackburn kept his eyes on the large boy He seeure out what to do "Because that’s not Yuri Sysevich, Enslow My guess is, you triggered a seround of his system until it perceives a threat Then it launches and assunty--full control of his mind--and attempts to neutralize that threat In this case, the three of you"

"Wait, so it’s like an artificial intelligence, then?" Vik said, his voice hoarse "There’s some AI in control of Yuri?"

"There’s no self-awareness" Blackburn walked to the side, to survey Yuri head to toe "It’s a preprogra et into his processor and knock hi attention to this situation nowWhat were you three doing when it triggered?"

"We asked hierov," Vik admitted, "and if he’d let us rescramble him"

"Rescramble," Blackburn repeated, acid in his voice "And here it is, then The source of the breaches Sysevich And you three Did you think I put that program in his processor for fun?"

"I only wanted to help him," Wyatt mumbled

"I trusted you with my encryptions, Enslow," Blackburn snapped "You are the only person I shared those with Do you knohy I never suspected Sysevich? Do you? It’s because you’re the only person in the world who could have done this without rew impossibly more pale "I’m so sorry"

"It’s too late for that now"

Wyatt was visibly shaking, the adrenaline wearing off They all hung back as Yuri, or whoeveror whatever it was, regarded them steadily from the other side of the darkened Census Cha now?" Vik whispered

"Because," Blackburn said, a strange note in his voice, "it’s been prograorithe It’s determined its former approach to physically overpower you won’t contain the situation anymore, and I’er, depending on e do next Perhaps it’s even awaiting instructions from its remote administrator"

"So let’s wipe it out," Wyatt whispered "We have to get that program out of him"

Blackburn shook his head "Can’t be done"

"If it’s some sort of virus, we can take care of it! I can do it!"

"This isn’t rogue software I have told you many times, Enslo many backdoors I found in this system when I took over the installation I patched those security vulnerabilities, one by one--except this one This one, I couldn’t fix"

He paced back in the other direction, still aze followed his every raiven how vast the solar system is, why are we able to coht-hours away?"

Vik’s brow furrowed He seelement, sir"