B-3

There was almost nothing about Min, anywhere. He seemed the perfect example of a loner. Friendless. Unremarkable. Somehow, he could understand how that would make the academy the perfect refuge, if he was in danger.

He was finally ready to accept that he was Min. If the bug or whatever he found was on his account, hidden in the logs, then he no longer had it. But was that the only copy he had? He thought hard. He was himself. Even with his memories lost, what made him and defined him would be unchanged. And so, if he thought hard, about it or anything else, he would be thinking the same as the him with the memories.

So, what would he do? Would he have only one copy?

Absolutely not.

If he made copies, would he save them on his account space on the server?

Absolutely not. He would ensure that the copies were somewhere safe, somewhere no electronic code could reach. He would keep copies written in hand, hide them where no one would think of searching.

The library.

He pulled up the academy map. He found the library easily enough. But where was he? Sure, he was in his dorm. But which hostel was it?

He committed the map to memory. Took some effort and time. But he had enough energy and patience. He made a mental note of how easy it was. When he was ready, he wore a blank face and walked out.

It was late in the morning. Most doors were closed shut, seeming like the dorms were empty. The few students that were in the hostel were all boys. And none of them showed any reaction to him, like they didn't even recognise him. They were all occupied with themselves. No one had the intent to spare a thought for any other.

Min was happy with the state of things. It meant he didn't have to spare the effort to learn of those who might have a relationship with him.

Leaving the hostel, he recognised where he was immediately. Green Earth Hostel. In the east of the academy grounds. The furthest from the library in the south.

The map in his head superimposed over the image in his eyes, and he walked with ease and familiarity toward the library.

It was a school day. Students were either in class or were studying. There were very few out walking or playing in the field. Min was recording every detail. No detail was too small.

It was a ten minute walk to the library. He didn't pause before entering. The library was a three story building, with two tall pillars in the front, in the middle of which was the wide entrance. There were no windows in the building. The inside was climate controlled. The library even had its own generator for emergencies. The setup was essential because there were precious ancient books, both printed and hand-written, inside. The library was among the buildings with the highest footfalls within the academy grounds, not considering the fact that over two thirds of the visitors were students of the advanced classes and teachers.

There were many in the sitting area of the first story, reading the books in the library and writing into their notebooks. Hardly anyone even noticed the presence of Min.

Min cleared his head, opened his eyes wide and walked where his legs took him. Nothing stopped him on the first story. He went up the stairs to the second story. There were more advanced books on the second story. He paused at the rack with the mathematics books. He walked into the aisle, eyes scanning the names on the spines, until he read one that pulled him to a stop.

Linear analysis of social clusters. Authored by Prof Wuchang.

Min pulled out the book and began reading where he stood.

**

Preface

Prof Winstrop couldn't be more true when he said mathematics was transcending. Today, we are at a point where the borders are blurred and subjects are less distinct.

As for the math around which this book revolves, it began with Dr Meer's proposal that ideas could be represented as two dimensional diagrams on a chart. As weird as it sounded at first, it worked. The immediately visible result was the spike in sociological programming and in enhanced reality.

Today, a major branch of human evolution is the enhancement of the reality we live in through integration of biological intelligence with electronic computation through sensory channels.

It is in that space that this book exists.

**

Min shut the book and returned it to the shelf. He could predict the words that would come next with the certainty of one who had read them before and memorised them. The familiarity he felt with the book and the math it explained was one that was born from true understanding. He might have forgotten it, but he was sure a quick read would bring it all back. But that wasn't what was pressing right now. What was important was that he understood how the book would direct his decision.

Sure, it was his area of interest. Anyone who read his student profile would know that. And that would bring them right to this book. But they would find nothing. No notes. No remarks. No clue. Nothing at all.

But that didn't mean the book wasn't important. On the contrary, the book was a marker pointing to the exact location where his notes were hidden. The book's title was the clue. Min smiled as if impressed with himself as he walked over to the social studies section and searched for books on social clusters. When he found them, he didn't pick any but walked to the aisle two racks away and picked the book directly behind the books on social clusters. It was a book on programming human languages by Prof Lushe, who too mentioned Dr Meer in the preface.

He studied the book carefully, and found a thin sheet of paper folded in half twice hidden underneath the book's jacket. He put the book back on the shelf and walked away with the sheet of paper to the sitting area. He grabbed a thick book along the way. Symbols - The origins of cryptology, by Prof Adkirn. He lay the book open in front of him while he actually studied the sheet of paper that he laid open on the book.

He didn't need long to decipher the key. It was his own code. Then, he began reading earnestly.