mry writes

*a story fragment*

FitzHugh RedAlpha knew he would create a negative ion space when he crossed the border; his ionic structure wasn’t registered. The Structure didn’t like ionic anonymity, but he and his fellow Hughs accepted the risks. Fitz took pains to keep his identity, his mere existence, unknown to the Structure despite the restrictions it imposed on him.

The safest way to cross was to await a strong storm and ride the disruptions caused by lightning strikes. A good storm would allow him to get far enough beyond the control zones that he could blend his space with background static. His pocketable wave generator would create sufficient bending of the surrounding static to mask his presence, provided no one looked for a bubble of static moving purposefully. It was a risk he would have to take.

If he didn’t, the source of the coded signal the Hughs had been receiving might be discovered by the Structure, and they might be able to reverse engineer and determine its back propagation to Hugh Home despite the border. Might, and might. Still worth the risk of crossing, on the might-might chance of discovery.

FitzHugh RedAlpha was confident RoyHugh BlueBeta was the source of the signal, despite the many spins which had elapsed since BlueBeta crossed and disappeared. RedAlpha recognized a hidden code in the signal, one which they secretly co-created with BlueBeta when the border-crossing program was first set up. If BlueBeta was still active they might have amassed a trove of info, and even if they were gone the signal cell needed to be repatriated.

The Structure must not learn of the Hughs and their anti-ionic structures. Everything –everything– depended on it.