Nigel got the email early the next morning. The timestamp confirmed the message was sent before 3 a.m. It was from Collective Systems and was titled: A secure message awaits you. Nigel followed standard decryption practices. He needed to know the contents of the message before leaving for school. If it took too long, he figured he could skip a shower.

The message read:

Greetings Nigel,

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I hope this note finds you well. As promised in your information package, your first assignment awaits. Reply with your acceptance if you wish to proceed with the assignment and details will be sent. You have the option to decline if the timing isn’t convenient. You have twelve hours to respond.

Nigel didn’t have to think long. He quickly typed, “I accept,” then clicked the send button. It took several minutes, but he received a confirmation email instructing him to view the details on the Collective Systems app.

Crap, I forgot to install the app, Nigel thought. He didn’t have time to install it now; it would have to wait until after school.