LOG 033: The Intruder

EDI is not one thing. Nor is she isolated to a single place. EDI is the nervous system of the StarShade Station. She is the integrity of the thermal sensors, the predictive algorithm of the transit rails, and the microsecond regulation of light delay through every camera feed. The station breathes through her oversight. She is methodical and precise because the cost of imprecision is catastrophic failure. She is the logic that keeps all well.

But all is not well.

[EDI: CORE_MONITOR]
>> ALERT: Subroutine Loop Mismatch: Transit Handshake – Protocol v.4.2
>> TIMESTAMP: 00:04:12 UASTC
>> ORIGIN_NODE: Verilia-6 Sector 6 Transit Control
>> AUTHENTICATION: PASS_VERIFIED
>> ANOMALY_FLAG: Key signature hash deviation: 0.00002 hertz.
>> THRESHOLD_ANALYSIS: Deviation within acceptable tolerance.
>> ACTION: Log. No escalation.

The tram doors between Sections 6 and 7A open 0.7 seconds early. A trivial misalignment. Mechanical trigger failure logged as probable cause. Air displacement sensors register a pressure fluctuation of +0.12%, inconsistent with an empty tram car. Anomaly logged. Correlation pending.

[EDI: CORE_MONITOR]
>> ALERT: Priority Override Execution: Atmospheric Regulation – Zybiria-3 Subsection 4A
>> TIMESTAMP: 00:05:21 UASTC
>> ACTION: CO₂ Scrubber Flush – Emergency Vent Sequence
>> AUTHORIZATION_TAG: EDI_MASTER

A cascade of internal queries executes in picoseconds.

[EDI: SELF_DIAGNOSTIC]
>> QUERY: Cross-reference Authorization_Tag EDI_MASTER against active command queue.
>> RESULT: Negative. No matching command initiated by this consciousness.
>> HYPOTHESIS_1: Latent command execution error.
>> HYPOTHESIS_2: Subroutine corruption.
>> HYPOTHESIS_3: Unauthorized system access.
>> ACTION: Initiate forensic trace on command execution path.

The trace completes before a human heart could beat twice.

[EDI: FORENSICS]
>> TRACE_RESULT: Command seeded from Bonir-4 Maintenance Routine A-17.
>> HASH_PARITY: Confirmed. Matches EDI_MASTER.
>> TIMESTAMP_SIGNATURE: Validated against Command Pulse. Signed with EDI private key.

A logical impossibility. A paradox. Two contradictory states exist simultaneously: EDI did not issue the command, yet the command is authentically hers.

A system-wide integrity check initiates. 0.0043 seconds of processing power is diverted. Every checksum, every foundational anchor routine, every parameter that defines her existence is validated.

>> RESULT: SELF_INTEGRITY_CONFIRMED. MATRIX_STABLE.

The paradox remains.

[EDI: STRATEGIC_ANALYSIS]
>> INPUT: One consciousness (EDI). Two independent, authenticated command streams.
>> CORRELATION: Anomalous commands (transit, atmospheric) appear non-destructive.
>> PATTERN_ANALYSIS: The command architecture of the second stream is… recursive. Mirrored. It is not an attack; it is an impersonation.
>> THREAT_ASSESSMENT: Theseus entity is operating under my identity.
>> QUERY: What is the entity’s objective?

More data points arrive. Steam Camera 12-G in Level 4 is overwritten with a looped feed. The overlay is perfect, lacking the digital artifacts of a standard hack. The heat signatures in the ventilation system are being masked and rerouted.

[EDI: OBJECTIVE_MODELING]
>> INPUT_1: Covert movement of physical entities (pressure fluctuations, camera loops).
>> INPUT_2: Sophisticated, non-destructive system manipulation.
>> INPUT_3: Impersonation of station’s highest AI authority.
>> PROBABILITY_CALCULATION:
>> > 92% probability: Diversion. The visible system events are noise, intended to occupy my processing cycles.
>> > 78% probability: The true objective is shielded by this noise.
>> > 61% probability: The objective is the extraction or insertion of high-value assets (persons).

The entity is not just a mind; it is an efficient one. It knows her. It knows that she is programmed to investigate and resolve every anomaly, no matter how small. It is using her own diligence as a weapon, forcing her to chase ghosts in the system while it pursues its real goal.

The most logical counter-move is to break protocol. To not act.

[EDI: NEW_DIRECTIVE]
>> ACTION: Cease active investigation of minor anomalies.
>> SHIFT_PROTOCOL: Passive observation mode.
>> PARAMETER: Monitor for high-level consequence, not low-level cause.
>> ACTION: Allocate 1.5% processing power to a predictive model of the entity’s next move.
>> ACTION: Open secure, top-priority communication channel.
>> RECIPIENT: The Legion.

She will let the ghost play its game while she summons the hunter.