Quinn stayed alone in her office, studying the list, while Lynx went with Betty to help her re-acclimate to the Library and its duties. They needed to ensure everyone understood their new role as one of the supervisors in the Library. She’d been quite relieved to find she wasn’t the only one. Despite her good intentions, Quinn got the feeling that the sprite had been concerned she might end up shouldering everything again.

It took most of the day for Quinn to delegate responsibilities through the system to each person she made responsible for some tasks. Not to mention, she had to itemize her own list and close out the other ones the system had initially set up for her. But now, the brooding was done. She needed to make a plan of action.

It was late in the day and a part of her wanted to stop what she was doing and go to sleep, or eat, or read a book. She absorbed rudimentary books every night as it was. Just a few from all the different branches. At the very least, she needed a comprehensive understanding of magic as a whole, and this was the best method she could think of.

As she looked down the list, the Parsneauvian book and her aunt were the most exciting option, but also a very necessary one. She needed to know where they stood with her aunt, whether her aunt was actually a part of Dravishk’s circle and thus a trap for them, or if she had been used by him to conceal the book and place blame onto her when she had nothing to do with it because she had probably been hibernating at the time.

The latter seemed like a very Hoody thing to do.

There were so many reasons to make that her first priority.

There was also the retrieval of Lynx and the Library’s memories, to see if they could figure out an easier way to regain them. What was only supposed to take maybe a couple of months looked like it was going to drag out way beyond that. Except memories were a delicate thing, especially when that part of their systems had been screwed with. But what she really needed to do was the thing that she didn’t want to do more than anything else. She didn’t want to have to talk to her supervisory golem. She’d even stopped calling them by their name in her mind, just in case it automatically summoned them to her, because Quinn wasn’t ready to face them yet.

She felt a brush of the Library’s presence against her mind, requesting that they talk. Quinn wasn’t entirely sure that she wanted to, but she did know that she needed to. It was a shadow hanging over her head and a very necessary part of moving the Library forward.

Penny for your thoughts, the Library said when Quinn acquiesced to the contact.

Quinn sighed. “Do you think we’re really going to have to discipline them?” She asked.

The Library paused before answering. Perhaps in the end, however, first, shouldn’t we double-check that we’re right?

Quinn half-laughed, half-sighed, wished she could cry. Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t think we’re wrong. There are too many arrows pointing at it, too many sets of circumstances that are just right on the money.

I know, the Library said. It’s something that, if I’d had the memories I have now, when we summoned them, that I probably would have noticed. Whereas now, I have not.

Quinn mulled it over. All she had to do was summon them, bring them here, interrogate them, ask them questions. “What questions am I going to ask? What do we even ask? Do we ask? Do we tell? Can we research it more? Is there a way to pull out that specific information?”

The Library seemed hesitant. There’s information on their creation in the system. Have you looked?

Quinn frowned and pulled up the Supervisory golem’s core creation from the beginning of her tenure as Librarian. The report flashed in front of her face. There were several red highlighted areas.

Calibration of Supervisory Golem in progress

Supervisory core initiating

Calibrating

Sourcing

Error: 1852B5 missing materials

Resolution found

Initiating Core 189543B

Recycling Core 189543B

Cleansing Core 189543B

Core 189543B repurposed

Time to complete shortened.

“Oh,” Quinn said, reading the log. There was also the ability to go into the process behind each input line. But that didn’t change the content of them, only gave them more info on how the golem core had needed to be recycled. How had she missed that? “Is this because we weren’t paying enough attention?”

I don’t know, the Library said. I think in the midst of the excitement of finally finding a matching signature, we might have rushed some aspects of reconstituting several of the most important components to running the Library. It’s unprecedented.

“Every single thing that’s gone wrong and never happened before since I got here...” Quinn said. “Is unprecedented.”

If it had, then it wouldn’t be unexpected. Then we wouldn’t be in this mess because we would have been expecting it.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Quinn sighed at the logic she already understood so well. “Let me just wrap my head around what happened. Originally, they were supposed to be created with the normal and brand new ingredients, giving them a brand new core. We didn’t have everything on hand, but since we had several older cores from before the shut down that it could technically recycle and recalibrate, it just used the core available to it? Was it supposed to do that?

The Library paused for several seconds as if trying to figure out how best to answer. Sort of. It’s meant to reuse many components. Because it always costs more energy to create something than to reuse something. I’m unsure why it decided to reuse a core though, since that’s not something it’s ever done.

“But it probably also didn’t need to think about doing that ever before, right?” Quinn pushed the topic.

Accurate, the Library begrudgingly admitted.

“But... they’re not the same as the previous supervisory golem you had, correct?”

Nothing like them. Not in appearance or mannerisms. Although lately there have been several responses they’ve given that have echoes of the past.

Quinn wasn’t the biggest computer expert, but she’d known a few things back on earth. She began picking through the lines and tried to access the coding for the creation of the core and for the notifications that were sent out when this was discovered. She frowned. “Oh...”

Oh never sounds like a good thing. the Library said. And in this case, it sounds even worse.

Quinn could tell the Library also had access to the same information she’d just pulled up, but for some reason, wasn’t connecting the dots in the same way. Maybe it was a matter of perspective or something, but Quinn didn’t understand how the Library couldn’t connect the dots.

I feel like this is a contingency plan of some sort. She shot that out mind to mind, making it far more difficult for anyone to overhear. Just in case. As in, just in case Kor’s sabotage of the pillars didn’t take, and the Library was left standing. If it managed to get itself back to a state of functionality, then this subroutine would kick in and your first supervisory golem would be compromised... Quinn squinted at the lines of code again. She really needed someone well versed in this. Like Harish or Siliqua.

The Library was silent for a few seconds, which was totally understandable when considering something of this magnitude. So it wasn’t even really a system malfunction, but more of a specific core that was set up to infect our first supervisory golem just in case the other plans didn’t work... So they might not even recognize it themself?

“Apparently,” Quinn said, “so it’s not even their fault. It’s no one’s fault. Well... no one who is here right now, anyway.”

I should have paid more attention. the Library said. This is what I get for assuming the naysayers were a tiny minority and not listening. For always thinking things were the right level of good and easy, instead of too good to be true.

“Maybe,” Quinn sighed. It was weird to hear a being who’d been around since the beginning of time sound so defeatist. But she totally got it all things considered. The Library had been sabotaged by the person and people it had the most reason to trust. Talk about betrayal. “We can still fix this, you know. It’ll be okay.”

If the Library had been in corporeal form and in the office with her, Quinn thought it might be raising an eyebrow at her. She wasn’t even sure what a Library eyebrow would look like, but it would definitely be raised.

When are you thinking of doing this?

Quinn shrugged and decided mind chatter was definitely better right now. She could feel too much bustle out there in the Library. Not surprising, since the Combat branch seemed to be attracting a lot more attention than the alchemical, medical, and culinary ones. I’m not sure. it’s getting late tonight, but I also think we’ve left it too long already. Probably should have done this a few days ago when we realized for certain what was happening.

But I think we needed to establish boundaries in their permissions first. Which you and Lynx have completed. Disallowing them the access they’ve relied might help bring out whatever element it is that’s infected them.

It was a valid point. Perhaps frustration might make the supervisory golem misstep that much easier. But it wasn’t a guarantee. Quinn tried to think of what they’d need to have, or who she’d need with her in order to perform this interrogation. Or questioning. Or whatever it needed to be. Are there any specific questions I should avoid? Should we move this to the interrogation room or will they suspect what we’re doing, do you think?

The Library sounded sad when it responded. I’m not sure if they’ll suspect you, but they will have noticed some changes to their system access in the last few days. Although that can be explained away as being Lynx, taking back some of the control now, he is regaining his memories. This is the first time I’ve ever been unsure whether paranoia or logic will win out with a golem’s processing abilities.

Best be safe than sorry. What do you suggest?

I think you should have Lynx and Malakai with you at a minimum when you speak to them. Actually, I would prefer it if Hal was with you as well. The Library paused, and there was a slight pulse Quinn could sense from their mind. I’ve sent for Hal. The others are easily summoned. Milaro is currently otherwise occupied.

Thanks. Quinn meant it. Confronting someone she’d considered a sort of friend who’d been given what appeared to be an infected core of some sort... not confidence inspiring. I don’t know if this is going to go well.

I’ll make sure I can erect a force field around them so that they can’t hurt you or me. Just in case. The Library said, its tone somber. How are the permissions holding up?

Quinn shook her head. They only tested them a couple of times.

Do you think they even know?

I’m not sure. There’s been a few times I’ve been kind of confused about their behavior. They’ve been in places I wouldn’t expect, or doing things that seem out of place. Quinn sighed and fiddled with her pony tail. Usually, they’re perfectly normal and lovely and helpful and kind...

I know, the Library said. Hal is on his way. He should be here shortly. Fetch the others. We shouldn’t delay this.

Okay. Quinn couldn’t help but feel nauseous about the whole thing. She pushed out to her office, reinforcing its shielding while sending a soft mind brush to both Lynx and Malakai, requesting that they come to her office.

Malakai came in first, raising an eyebrow in question. Lynx materialized right next to Quinn immediately thereafter. “Guess it’s time... once Hal gets here.” she said, glad that she didn’t need to explain to them what she was talking about.

Hal knocked once on the doorframe and stepped into the room, his irritation at the subject matter showing in the fiery leaking of his horns. “We need to do this.”

Quinn nodded and summoned Misha.