A week had passed since the twins had arrived on Mars. Their arrival had caused more than a few ripples within the factions of human space. The Martian leaders quickly recognized the risk of keeping the twins a secret—most factions had already observed their ship arriving, and if they assumed the Martians had gained access to their technology, it could serve as a pretext for war.

To prevent this, each faction exposed a spy they had implanted on Mars, repurposing them as official observers. These ex-spies were now tasked with monitoring the twins’ activities, ensuring no faction gained an unfair advantage.

They were all currently observing what appeared to be a silent argument between the twins and Lisa, the senior science officer.

Lisa had spent the past week as the liaison between the factions and the twins. Their conversations were typically conducted via a communication device, allowing the observers to monitor the discussion. However, when the twins became too engaged, they would occasionally bypass the device, communicating directly through their mental link—which was exactly what was happening now.

It was a familiar argument.

“I’m bored! All you want to do is talk. Please, can’t you let us go out and train? Or at least let us use the pods to practice? We need to be in peak condition for the competition.”

Null’s complaints had been growing more insistent as the days dragged on.

Lisa sighed. “You know the answer. Until all the factions agree, you aren’t allowed off the base—and that includes access to the network. Everyone has seen your technology and is concerned about what would happen if you got into a pod.”

She rehashed what had become an old argument.

Lisa turned to Infy, preempting his usual response. “And before you say it, I know you think you can leave whenever you want. But you have to believe me, I am just trying to protect you. Now, do you have an answer to my proposal?”

“I don’t think—I know. And my answer is the same as always. Our technology is dangerous.” Infy’s voice was flat, unwavering.

Lisa opened her mouth to argue, but Null cut in first.

“Is it really?” Null’s tone was different—thoughtful, uncertain.

Infy turned to him sharply, but Null continued. “Don’t they already have this technology? We would only be improving it. Lisa, I will help you if Infy won’t. In exchange, I want to be allowed to train with other humans.”

Lisa froze.

This was the first time she had seen Null disagree with Infy.

And she wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.

Lisa nodded. "I’m sure it could be arranged, but you’ll need to complete the task first."

She had spent enough time around the twins to recognise they were having a private conversation. Null would zone out completely with his golden eyes unfocused. Infy was likely arguing his case. Lisa knew it was best to just wait it out.

Finally, Infy answered. "What you're asking for is worth more than just a few sparring sessions. However, I do believe training would be beneficial to Null's mental health. So, we’ll examine the device and see if we can improve it, but I promise nothing."

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The device in question was a QEC (Quantum Entanglement Communicator). Infy wasn’t entirely opposed to improving it. In fact, he saw great value in making communication more efficient for humanity. More importantly, he knew QECs couldn’t be weaponised or he at least hoped they couldn’t. His resistance wasn’t about the device itself but he was simply mirroring Null’s frustration. The difference was that Null whined about it, while Infy channelled it into defiance.

Once the QEC was delivered, Infy immediately exited Null’s body. It had been a disturbing sight the first time Lisa and the Observers had witnessed it with a glowing sphere of energy slipping free from Null.

Without hesitation, Infy phased into the device, his energy tendrils flickering as he scanned its inner workings.

Like most of their technology, understanding it required a combination of education, intuition, and, most of all, listening to the universe itself. Infy and Null both entered a meditative state, focusing entirely on the Voice of the Universe, allowing it to reveal the underlying mechanics of the system.

Hours passed as the twins looked for the answers.

The Observers grew restless.

One of them scoffed. "I knew it. They’re all talk. Their mentor must have built the ship and that’s who we need to find."

Another muttered in agreement. "Right? They’re not even doing anything. I doubt they have any idea how this works. I hope we didn’t give them anything in return."

Lisa didn’t share their scepticism.

She had spent the most time with the twins. She believed them.

And just as she had that thought, Null opened his eyes.

His voice rang through their mental link. "I need to peeeeeeee!"

Then, without another word, he bolted toward the bathroom.

Lisa facepalmed. Just when I was thinking good things about them…

A moment later, Infy’s voice entered her mind.

"We have a solution. It might not be helpful, but we need access to our ship’s lab."

Lisa folded her arms. "First, explain how it works. I can’t take your request to the General without details."

By the time Null returned, Lisa was still waiting for an answer.

Null grinned. "So! Did Infy tell you? It’s an easy fix. The particles in the QEC aren’t just in pairs like we thought. They’re in a tripartite entanglement—a third mediator particle exists in a stable superposition state that facilitates the connection. Any quantum state change in one particle affects the mediator, which then propagates to the twin. The solution is straightforward: instead of relying on natural triplet formations, we can artificially create programmable pairs with quantum gates. By mapping the quantum coordinates of both particles, we can encode specific communication protocols directly into their wave functions. See? Easy. So, can we go spar now?"

Lisa stared.

Her mind scrambled to process what he had just said.

Wait... isn’t he supposed to be the foolish one? Did I misjudge them that badly?

Still, even if what they were saying was true, she didn’t understand any of it. She exhaled. "Okay... but how does that actually help us? We can’t program quantum coordinates as we don’t know them or even have that technology."

Null rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish. "Well, that’s easy for us, but—"

Infy smoothly finished his sentence. "It’s not knowledge we can give you."

Lisa frowned. "And why not?"

"Because it’s dangerous."

Lisa exhaled sharply. She had expected that answer. It is all Infy would say when asked about technology.

Infy continued. "What Null didn’t include is how you would use it. The device would need to be in a fixed location. You would input numbers that correspond to the receiver’s location for one-way communication, or program in the location of a transmitter and receiver for two-way communication. This means you’d have one device capable of connecting to unlimited receivers, but only one at a time."

Lisa took a moment to process this. So, it wouldn’t allow real-time spying… just better communication range.

The Observers, however, were currently unimpressed as they weren’t part of the conversation.

Frustration buzzed through the room as they realised the twins had switched back to their private communication link.

Lisa quickly summarized their findings for the Observers, who, unsurprisingly, weren’t pleased.

The Earth representative spoke up. "That’s not good enough. They need to supply us with plans and full knowledge of how it works. Otherwise, they could use it to spy on us."

Lisa sighed. In principle, I get it… but they’re expecting too much.

"I understand your concerns," she replied, "but this is the first time in a week they’ve even shared any information. I will be recommending to the General that we allow them access to their ship’s lab. I hope you’ll do the same when reporting to your superiors.