Debriefing

We're packing up the base and getting ready to move out.  For those of you who aren't in the habit of reading the comments on posts, know that He has raided our compound, and He gloated about it a good deal within the comments.

My fears about the infiltration team were true; they were compromised.  But the team leader, M, managed to escape before His influence could take over.  M pretended to be under His control, and managed to get deeper into His forces that way.  During the course of the raid on our base, M showed himself to still be my friend by way of a coded message; specifically he overrode the base's automated announcer through the blog's comments, rather than some other less obvious means.

M is a superb hacker, the best in our Organization.  M wouldn't reveal his presence in a system for so trivial a matter.  And the message he overrode the auto-reporter with was a request.  "You can't escape."  To Him it would look like simple gloating, but I've never known M to taunt his enemies like that.  Indeed; friendliness and a relaxed demeanor are part of his conditioning.  He was telling me to stay put and wait for help.

Once the infiltration team was just outside my door, M reactivated the base's internal defenses.  The team was situated right where the defenses were heaviest, with no way of escaping.  They didn't stand a chance.  It didn't feel like victory, it felt like murder.  All the more reason we can't let Him win.

I suppose I'll tell you all what M and the rest of the team found within His compound after I get word of the current puzzle being solved.  For now, I could use a little return to established routine, get my mind off of all the chaos of the packing around me.  I shall be here to answer requests for hints.