Chapter 10 Summary:

As the team prepares to hand off Quest-AI to the CIA, Lana leads a demonstration for Dr. Alexandra Conner. To her surprise, the query she had run the previous day no longer lists her three teammates as extreme national security threats. Flustered, she reruns the query with the same results. Jackson smoothly takes over the meeting, explaining how Quest identifies high-risk individuals. Dr. Conner is impressed and agrees to take over Quest's operation, requesting that Team Q remain available for future support. She promises to recommend their release from seclusion to the President, acknowledging the mental toll of their confinement.

After the meeting, Lana privately informs Jackson of the discrepancy in the query results. Though none of the men made changes knowingly intended to affect the list, Jackson asks Samir and Thomas to review all recent algorithm updates. Working late into the evening, the three men meticulously verify each change. They conclude that Quest likely reevaluated them based on new data and no longer sees them as threats. Though mentally exhausted, the team feels a renewed sense of hope as they anticipate returning to their normal lives after the project’s official hand-off.