Chapter 18 – Summary

FBI agent Robert Jackson rushes back to his office after lunch with Joe Carter, disturbed by the claim that Quest, the AI system he helped create, has flagged him as a national threat. Wanting to confirm this without revealing Carter as the source, Jackson carefully calls Dr. Alexandra Conner under the pretext of discussing theoretical false positives in the AI’s threat identification. Conner hesitates but says she'll review the latest reports and keep him informed, raising Jackson’s suspicions further. Anxious and sweating, he flees the building and takes a walk to calm down, now unsure if Conner is hiding something—and whether being on the list puts him in real danger.

Meanwhile, Dr. Lana Harding’s private jet lands in Washington, D.C., and she’s escorted by CIA Officer O’Neill to Langley for her mysterious meeting with Conner. After passing through tight security and navigating the CIA headquarters, Lana meets with Conner, who reveals that Jackson and two other Quest team members had initially appeared on the AI’s list of potential threats. Conner challenges Lana’s assumptions about intellectuals not posing threats, referencing the Unabomber as an example. When asked if any of her teammates should remain flagged, Lana is taken aback, uncertain how to respond to Conner’s probing questions—sensing deeper implications behind the inquiry.