LSRO: Chapter 181 - Restricted Access (Patreon)

Excellent! I should mostly be back on my proper schedule. Back is still tweaked but definitely getting better.

Hope you enjoy this chapter as I begin weaving together a heap of threads to get to the end of Book 3! Probably another 8-12 chapters...ish

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Chapter 181

Restricted Access

The more Quinn digested the vision she’d experienced with Lynx, the more she realized how dire the ramifications were. If Korradine had wiped his memory every time he encountered anything suspect, that potentially meant a lot more damage to his memory files, banks, whatever they were - than they’d originally expected.

So many questions popped up in Quinn’s mind. Things they needed to know and sooner than later. A deep sense of foreboding began to form in her stomach, and she wasn’t foolish enough to think this reawakened memory was a coincidence.

It had definitely triggered something within Quinn’s Library equilibrium. But the only way she knew to extract more information was to pose the questions. And she wasn’t entirely certain Lynx was ready to answer any of them. Minutes were not enough to process the now irrefutable millennia of betrayal.

“After that vision, do you have any idea who she spoke to?” Quinn finally asked softly.

Lynx’s eyes rippled all through the sclera, like a wave passed over the surface. He shook his head, and his shoulders sagged in defeat. “I don’t know. I can’t remember ever seeing him before...”

Quinn hesitated to speak, the only reference that popped into her head, but then the Library itself nudged her.

If you have something you think is pertinent, please don’t hesitate. Despite the current power level we’ve achieved, Lynx and I aren’t personally operating at full capacity yet.

You’re still underpowered? Quinn asked incredulously.

Not like that. The power levels are fine for the moment and for us to maintain our current level of operation. However... It was like the Library had to figure out how to phrase what it wanted to say properly. The holes in our memory, in our data streams... will take time to restore. During this time, we’ll continue to be as vulnerable as we have been until now, and perhaps, for a time, even more so.

And just how long will this take? Quinn asked, trying not to lose her cool.

At our current rate of recovery, I would think perhaps a couple of weeks. I do think Cadre’s estimation of a month is on the high end. The Library finished it off as if what it said was reassuring.

All Quinn could do was pay attention to the swell of foreboding that threatened to engulf her. She tried to parse it in her mind. For the whole next fortnight, the Library and its manifestation would be even more vulnerable than they had been so far. Not ideal at all. Are you capable of protecting yourself?

The Library paused. As in the core? Myself? Lynx? My histories?

All the above... and perhaps the Library. 

Quinn could practically feel the entity that was the Library shake its head. It was just a sensation of the action mimicked in her mind. So that was a no. Then what can you currently protect?

My core, the essence of what I am, Lynx... and likely my vault. But right now, as it stands, there’s no way my power will extend to take care of more until this restoration and sequencing is complete. As long as I can hold out until then...

You’ll be able to make the culprits pay? Quinn asked hopefully.

That’s much nicer language that I was going to use. The Library said dryly. But essentially, yes. Just let us gain access to all of our nooks and crannies of information again, and we will be armed and dangerously ready.

Okay then. Since that’s all I have to do.

The Library, perhaps very wisely, chose not to say anything else.

It wasn’t as if the Library could change the past, or could have foreseen what seemed to be a very long in the making, extremely complex plan. Nor could they have avoided pulling her into this crap once they found her, considering the Library would have popped out of existence if they hadn’t pulled her in to help save it. Perhaps it was a gross over simplification to think of it that way, but it didn’t make it any less true.

Quinn mustered all the self control she could, all the lessons she’d learned on how to process her thoughts, how to segment them to allow her to analyze things in a more efficient way... and took a deep breath. None of them could change the past, so they simply had to deal with the results of it now in the present. 

The gut wrenching certainty in her body told her they couldn’t leave it to future Quinn and Co no matter how much she might want to take the easy way out.

She was careful while she watched Lynx in the light of the stars directly outside of the restricted vault. It felt like any sudden movement would startle him, and he seemed too lost in his own deep dive that she didn’t want to risk being the cause of any damage herself. 

Cautiously, she delved into her own mind, strumming her fingers lightly on the page of the book that was still open in front of her. This time, she was determined not to segment her emotions the way she had with the whole Tenejo affair. There was a mild twinge in the back of her mind that she was sad about. Even if he’d been mostly evil, some part of her wanted to believe everyone was redeemable, even if it was a tad idealistic. 

Segmenting her mind to run through different exercises was, in itself, a mental stimulation technique Milaro had taught her quite early on. The ability to multitask with several thought processes at once. The way the information filtered back into her, through to her, and allowed her brain to divide it up as relevant felt like a superpower. 

As long as she didn’t end up losing herself in the process as she’d so closely come to doing with Tenejo.

She set one part of her mind to work on her ice skills, honing them into sharper weapons, and to fend off overheating. To keep the pattern going on a continuous loop that would use her energy constantly and yet make sure she didn’t overheat until she got the fire element completely under her control.

That set up, it was time to go through the beginner exercises that had already saved her a lot of hassle since reading the books Milaro had assigned. Once the loop of fire control was set, she left that segment alone as well, and set about calibrating her mental and physical shields. 

Quinn was certain beyond any shadow of doubt that being able to reinforce and extend her mental and physical shields beyond her own self and to her party members, for want of a better term, could potentially save a life. It wasn’t quite prescience... but she knew it was something she must master.

Once all of her multiple tasks were set up and running, she opened her eyes and watched for signs of distress from Lynx. He’d been silent ever since the Library spoke up.

Is he okay? she asked, knowing the Library would hear her.

There was a pause, but it was one where Quinn instinctively knew the Library was trying to figure out how to respond, so she waited, watching him as surreptitiously as she could.

He’s trying to process. Even though we knew about Kor, he was still holding out hope that we were completely wrong. Plus, he’s trying to reestablish his own connections and the fact that some of them weren’t simply eroded maliciously but forcefully removed like this... he might need more time than I anticipated.

Quinn frowned, unable to help that feeling in the back of her mind that told her they didn’t have time for him to need more of it. That there were things coming to a head and he had to be, that they all had to be ready. But what about you? Can you push past that betrayal and be available sooner than him?

With absolutely no hesitation whatsoever, the Library answered with a clear and clipped Yes

Quinn nodded. Good then.

At that moment, Lynx’s eyes flickered, and he finally refocused on Quinn. “I left that note in the book.”

Quinn blinked at him. “What do you mean, you left that note in the book?”

He waved his hand toward the book she was still leaning on. “There. That note. About the pillar. I have a fragment of memory that’s resurfaced where I witnessed a conversation that mentioned it, followed by me coming to the restricted vault to take refuge and figure out what to do. But I can’t remember everything I heard. Just the name of the pillar, and the sensation that we were in danger. All I remember is that I came in here, and grabbed that specific book you were going through, and jotted the information about the pillar down.”

Lynx shrugged, his face contorting with the effort of trying to recall and access more of the data. Then his shoulders slumped again.

“Stop trying to force it. It’s not going to do any of us any good if you blow a fuse.” She tried to soften his frustrations with a smile.

He scowled. “Forcing won’t work, but if I can use events we already know of from the owl’s visions, from Carafax’s recollections, then perhaps I can simply jog those memories, those data points, and bring them to the fore.”

“Sound reasoning.” Quinn didn’t like the massive elephant in the room. But she honestly wanted him to bring it up first.

“Do you have any guesses as to who the spy is that’s still in our midst?” Lynx asked finally.

Quinn shook her head. “I was really hoping you might.”

Lynx laughed, but it was self-depracating in the worst way, tinged with a side of hopelessness. 

“It’s not that bad. We’re going to get out ahead of this now.” She said with much more determination than she currently felt.

He stopped and studied her for a second. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Good.” She grinned at him. This was more like Lynx.

“We could use the power of elimination for people we are certain it isn’t.” He offered.

“Good plan.” She looked around, and then let her senses reach into different nooks and crannies, to spread out and make sure no one was possibly watching who shouldn’t be there. “We’re clear in here for now.”

Lynx smiled tightly. “There are only a few people I’d say we can completely trust.”

Quinn’s interest piqued, and she let him mull over his thoughts.

“Us, of course. Milaro definitely...” a pause...

Milaro was high on Quinn’s list, too. The man had risked so much on a consistent basis and was even neglecting his own health. Malakai might have a lot of issues, but she really hoped Lynx would include him in the list, too.

“Malakai. He’s too young to really have been a part of this anyway, and Milaro has him quite well in hand.” Lynx frowned as he thought. “Eric, Dottie, and I’d extend the list to Nishpa, her niece, and Hal. I’m uncertain about every single other person, however.”

Quinn blinked at him. “Including Narilin? Cook?”

Lynx shook his head. “No. The golems should be above reproach...” 

But there was something about his tone at the end of the sentence that made Quinn question everything. 

Should be. 

There were a lot of things about the Library that should have been some way ever since she got there and were decidedly not functioning in those ways. 

“They should be.” He repeated and sighed. “You know, I don’t even know anymore.”

“Then what do I do, Lynx? Is there a spell, a book I can absorb, something I can concoct that’ll allow me to analyze people?” Quinn was starting to feel desperate. And a little impatient.

Lynx hesitated. “We don’t encourage the use of the Mind Capitulation Device.”

Quinn winced. “Well, we don’t even have it right now because we haven’t hunted it down yet and I doubt Milaro is going to create another one because he hated the original, so that’s neither here nor there. Isn’t there?”

But Aradie cut her off with a hoot.

Quinn blinked at the owl. “What?”

Aradie let out a series of hoots followed by rapid images that took Quinn several seconds to digest. 

“Really?” she said, looking at the bird dubiously.

Really. With substantial preparation, I’m capable of viewing aspects of people. It would require work to translate them and won’t be a hundred percent accurate. But I will teach you at the same time. And it should give us at least some measure of all the people around us past, whether or not they are lying or deceitful. The Owl sighed at the end of that very long sentence... or at least it was for her. 

“Excellent.” Quinn grinned. At least that was some good news. Now all she needed...

But Dottie spoke from the other side of the door as she knocked against it with her wooden little legs. “Librarian, we need you to come out, please. Jasper has something very important to share with you.”

Quinn hadn’t given Jasper restricted access yet. “Coming.” Even as she called out her answer, Quinn couldn’t help but hope Aradie didn’t find fault with the new assistant. 

As long as the disquiet making her entire skeletal structure tingle wasn’t because of Jasper, Quinn would figure the rest out.

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Lots of stuff looming over them all now. I'm excited... my brain is going into overdrive with everything that needs to happen.

Much love

KT