"We've learned so much together, haven't we?" Spider says. "Believe me, I treat my Guardian partners well. Look at how high my last partner has risen in City authority. Always remember what Spider can do for you."

"Now, for Vesper Station…." Spider leans in conspiratorially, lowering his voice to a crackling whisper. "There's an ultimate control mechanism. Bray's personal key. And if you control the AI, you control the station. Vesper Central seems lonely up there. A bit out of control. She could use a guiding hand, don't you think?"

One hand flexes on the armrest of his throne.

"Now, my agents have turned up one little key on their search for the big one. You take it and you grab what you want—and you remember it was your old chum Spider who had you in his thoughts this whole time, all right?"

Spider waves to an agent of his in the back of the room. They tap at a console to transfer a fragment of data:

PERMISSIONS GRANTED:
TechAccess|Storage|Restricted|42