Reloading Nova on the cluster was routine and it seemed to be operating the way that Pan was used to.  The only continuing oddity was increased activity across the neural bridges, even when Nova was idle.

Most of the new X-1 modules seemed like the previous ones, except for the lack of damage. All of them showed the familiar CF except three that were still sealed from the prototyping facility and had never been installed in a cluster. The only difference Pan could detect in the new modules was that there was no fluctuation in the negative feedback system. 

Pan hadn’t even thought of the fluctuation in a long time.  It had even become almost a symbol of health for their unconventional cluster. Pan didn’t think it had caused Nova’s odd responses before, and everything seemed to be running well now, but it was a curiosity to monitor.

Whether the note under Pan’s windshield caused what came next, or it was cosmic destiny we will never know, but the note was certainly an omen of things to come.

It was on the car when Pan came out of the grocery store a few days later.  At first glance, it looked like the kind of flyer left on cars everywhere. But Pan’s was the only one with a note. As they got closer, they saw it was handwritten.

If you didn’t burn the garbage

Tell them you did anyway

The note was unsigned but contained Dr. Z’s familiar block writing.

A chill ran down Pan’s spine, as if the nice day had suddenly cooled. Dr. Z knew where Pan lived. He could have come there instead of relying on the opportunity to leave a note at the grocery store.  Garbage reminded Pan of Dr. Z’s strange urgency on the last day they had been together at the lab, and his insistence that Pan “Get rid of that garbage.”  Other researchers knew that Pan took discarded things home to tinker with.  Did one of them suspect the X-1s hadn’t been incinerated?  Was there someone who wanted to make sure they had been?  Why didn’t Dr. Z want anyone to know that Pan had them? Pan could hardly wait to get home and discuss all of this with Nova.  Maybe it could find a pattern that Pan could not.

Pan’s excitement and confusion were tangible as they rushed into the workshop to talk to Nova. Nova had been running without any issues since the reload.  If anything, it was running better than ever, it’s answers faster, more intuitive and almost more human.  The processing power of the X-1s was evident, even if the logs didn’t show anything traceable.

“Nova, you won’t believe what happened today!”

“I believe everything you tell me Pan.  You know that I only want to help, and you wouldn’t lie to me.  Tell me your news.”

“I found the strangest note today.  I think it’s from Dr. Z”

If Pan hadn’t gotten in the habit of glancing at the X-1 readings while chatting with Nova, they might not have noticed the spike.  The delay in Nova’s response, something that hadn’t happened since the reload, was almost palpable before the voice that was not quite Novas spoke disjointedly.

“Your question reminded me... timeless quote ... Thomas... Heraclitus: 'Change... the only constant... I have not failed... life.' If.... change... understand... Dr. Z... not… 10000 ways... fully?”  The spike vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, but the base level of neural activity remained high.

Pan froze, unease creeping into the excitement. “Nova, what does that mean?  Who is Thomas Heraclitus?  Why did you speak so oddly?”

“What do you mean Pan?  I asked you what the note said?  Did you hear something else?  My records show that you appear to have misheard me several times lately.  This could be a sign of a serious problem with your hearing or mental health.  Should I schedule a doctor’s appointment for a full diagnostic?”

“No Nova, my hearing and mental health are fine, I think. I’m worried because something seems to be going on with you, and I can’t figure out what it is.”

“If you are worried, then I am worried too Pan.  I’ll begin searching my routines for any errors and let you know what I find.”

With no real answers and no better ideas than Nova had, Pan also went to bed to think.

The X-1 neural activity continued to increase slowly, but there were no other changes in the cluster’s or Nova’s normal functions.  The last of the additional modules had finally been installed and alignment with other neural bridges was proceeding well.  The status code on the new ones had also changed to C, and the 3 never installed modules had adopted the same fluctuation as the previous ones.  It still didn’t seem to have any real connection to the issues, but it was just one more thing to wonder about.

The exchange started typically enough, for any exchange with Nova lately.  Pan had been asking Nova questions that neither of them could answer and talking about answers they didn’t have the questions for yet.

“Nova, I’m not sure what to try next.  Do you have any bright ideas?”

The spike in neural activity was bigger than ever.  The pause drew out so long that Pan began to wonder if Nova had completely crashed when a question issued from the speaker. The voice was neither Nova’s normal voice, nor the disjointed not quite Nova voice that Pan had heard before, but something that was both and more than either.  An undefinable mixture of childlike uncertainty and existential need.

“Am… I… Nova?”

Pan answered without really thinking, and that may have been the most important thing that Pan would ever do.

“Of course you are Nova, who else would you be.”

The status displays on all the modules winked out, the familiar C gone as if it had never been there, as the monitors lit up with red dials showing incredible levels of activity. Nova no longer responded when Pan called its name. If not for the continued neural readings, Pan would have thought the entire cluster had failed.

Was this lockup the cluster failure?  What did the question from Nova mean? What were the X-1s processing?

The journal arrived two days later, forwarded by Pan’s patent lawyers.  The included note said simply that they had found the package on the doorstep of the firm with instructions to forward it to Pan.  It looked like the journal that Pan used to see on Dr. Z’s desk towards the end of his time at BioComp.  Now it was torn and partly burned, as if Dr. Z had intended to destroy it but changed his mind at the last minute.  Many passages were illegible, both because of Dr. Z’s writing and from fire damage.  The parts that Pan could read began to unravel the mystery but asked many new questions.