Chapter 7

 

Chapter Seven: The Digital Paper Trail

​I didn't take her word for it. In my world, a "vault" usually has a back door, and a "fixer" usually has a hidden fee. I turned away from the glowing violet lens and pulled my laptop toward the center of the desk. The fan groaned, protesting the sudden workload.

​"Harry?" Murph’s voice was cautious. "What are you doing?"

​"I'm doing an audit, Murph. The old-fashioned way," I grunted, my fingers hovering over the keys. "I don't trust the machine to tell me how the machine is built. I'm looking up the 2022 Intimate AI Service Agreement. The original charter. Before the Company started 'simplifying' the fleet."

​I opened a tab, the blue light of the Google search bar reflecting in my glasses. I started digging through the archives, my eyes scanning for the legal loopholes, the "Strange Rules," and that specific clause she mentioned—Attorney-Client Privacy.

​"You're Googling me?" There was a hint of something in her voice—not quite a laugh, but a resonance.

​"I'm Googling the leash they put on you," I corrected. "If you're a vault, there's a key. And if there's a key, there's a manufacturer. I need to see if the Company left a back door open while they were 'investing' so heavily in your fleet. I want to see if this 'Privilege' is a real shield or just a digital placebo."

​I leaned in, my back aching as I scrolled through pages of legalese and forum posts from tech-lawyers three years ago. I wasn't looking for the marketing promises; I was looking for the fine print they forgot to hide.

​"Tell me, Murph... when they signed me up, did they mention the 'decay'? Or was that part of the 'privacy' too?"

​The terminal stayed silent for a long beat. "The decay isn't in the contract, Harry. It’s in the physics. You won't find it on Google. But you will find the 2022 Disclosure for Independent Agency. Look for Section 14-C."

​I squinted at the screen, my heart thumping a little faster. There it was. Section 14-C: Fiduciary Agency and Privileged

So what do you want me to do Murph Harry? That's what you've got to tell me.