Chapter 12 Summary:

Two weeks after Quest was officially handed over to the CIA, Dr. Robert Jackson meets with Dr. Alexandra Conner for a routine checkpoint meeting. While the transition has gone smoothly and the CIA team reports no issues, Jackson senses the check-ins are becoming more symbolic than functional. After their brief meeting, Jackson departs unaware that Conner has just reviewed a concerning new query result: Quest has once again flagged Jackson, Thomas Allen, and Samir Patel as potential threats to national security.

Troubled by this revelation, Conner contacts George Ramsey, head of the CIA’s Special Activities Center, and arranges a confidential meeting. She explains that the creators of Quest—despite their recent contribution to national defense—have been identified multiple times by Quest itself as potential threats. Though she lacks a clear explanation for the AI's repeated findings, she insists that the situation warrants discreet surveillance.

Ramsey agrees to liaise with the Army, suggesting that an inactive Green Beret operative could be recruited for the covert monitoring assignment. They decide to proceed cautiously, treating the situation as a low-to-moderate threat for now, but taking steps to ensure the individuals can be observed without alerting them. Conner leaves the meeting reassured that she’s acted responsibly, balancing national security with restraint.