Page 96 of Dose

WAGER PROTOCOL — RECURSIVE CONTAINMENT

The first visible page references Subject C-11.

Ezra.

The language is theoretical, clinical and obscenely familiar after the briefing three days ago. The protocol does not manipulate probability. It manipulates a subject who cannot stop calculating it. Rules change in response to predicted behavior. Correct choices become punishable without warning. Attempts to model safety feed the next round of conditioning until pattern recognition becomes its own cage.

A scanned photograph is attached.

The boy in it is perhaps ten. Dark hair. Bright blue eyes. I have seen those eyes every day for seventeen years, but never emptied of calculation, never made this blank.

Beneath the photograph is a recommendation for an “exploitation vector” built around persistent attachment.

The signature reads Dr. V. Marchant — Lead Researcher.

“Marchant,” Dominic says. His drawl is gone.

Another line resolves at the bottom of the cache.

Subject demonstrates ideal baseline for recursive containment model. Priority development recommended.

“Copy everything visible,” I say. “Photograph the cache. Redundant storage.”

“The encrypted remainder will take hours.”

“Then we leave it. Persistence may give us those hours later.”

I take photographs of the screen while Dominic duplicates the accessible files.

“Nikolai gets the full intelligence package,” I say. “But Ezra hears what concerns him before this becomes a room full of people discussing him as a subject.”

Dominic nods. “Agreed.”

The copy completes with three minutes left on our window.

I return to storage while Dominic closes the archive and restores the controller to its original state. Isla seals nothing because we opened nothing. The precursor remains on its shelf, its inventory untouched and its production schedule intact.

When Corbin returns, Isla is comparing his source records against the declaration summary.

“Unit conversion,” she says after making him wait long enough to believe her. She circles a line. “Your solvent total was entered in gallons here and liters on the supporting sheet. Correct the worksheet and retain both versions with today’s inspection record.”

Relief softens his whole body.

“So we’re all right?”

“You’ll receive a written follow-up. I also need electronic copies of the batch summaries and hazardous-waste filings uploaded through the portal listed on page four.”

The portal belongs to us. His compliance will explain the next day’s data traffic if anyone reviews it.

“Nothing requiring shutdown?” he asks.

“No.”

For once, the reassurance is true.

We leave through the front door at 1104. Isla thanks Deb and remembers to ask whether Sadie steals socks. Corbin watches from behind the desk, anxious but not suspicious.

Dominic remains inside for another nineteen minutes to close his service ticket and remove the cable. He departs in the contractor’s van while we circle the county road at a distance. Only after Marcus confirms that no vehicle follows either of us do I report withdrawal complete.