Hm, How can I deal with Karis? From what Marcus said, tomorrow they will assess my ability and map my neural pathways. Can I give them a false image of my pathways somehow?

  The idea comes to me suddenly, like a flash of insight cutting through the haze of exhaustion. Parallel pathways. Like the layers of tunnels and pathways in this facility, I will bury my true enhancement pathways under a false version. If I can pull this off, I can mislead their assessments, shaping how they perceive my growth on my own terms.

  I return to my quarters, the cramped space almost welcoming after navigating the facility's political web. Tonight's meditation must go deeper than ever before.

  I secure the access panel and check for surveillance before settling on my thin mattress. The facility's night cycle has reduced lighting to minimal levels, creating suitable conditions for deep meditation. I regulate my breathing. slow, measured inhalations followed by controlled exhalations, as my consciousness begins detaching from immediate surroundings.

  As sleep approaches, I maintain a thread of awareness, entering the liminal state where my telekinetic abilities flow unrestrained by physical limitations or conscious doubt. In this dream-meditation, my neural architecture becomes visible to my enhanced perception, billions of connections pulsing with electrochemical signals, the alien enhancements glowing brighter among the organic pathways.

  Tonight's work requires unprecedented precision. I begin by mapping my current neural topology in perfect detail, every enhancement pathway, every telekinetic junction point, every connection that facilitates molecular manipulation. This is my true architecture, the foundation of abilities I've been developing since enhancement.

  With the map complete, I begin the delicate process of neural camouflage, building parallel pathways that will be visible to facility scanning while embedding my actual abilities deeper beneath this surface structure. The concept is similar to creating a false bottom in a drawer, what appears to be the foundation is actually a carefully constructed deception.

  I create new neural pathways just below the surface level of my brain, connections that channel telekinetic energy in visible, detectable patterns. These pathways demonstrate impressive but conventional telekinesis, object manipulation, kinetic force projection, standard applications that would register on facility monitoring systems.

  The issue is, I don't actually know what they're looking for, what if this fake pathway I've built is exactly what they want?

  The only way to find out is to undergo their assessment tomorrow. Since the Integration Program has 3 phases, even if I pass the first phase I'll still have time to deliberately sabotage my fake neural pathways when they confirm my compatibility in the second phase. The crucial part is to make it look like a natural development, not deliberate sabotage.

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  I deliberately introduce subtle flaws into my newly built surface pathways, micro-fractures in myelin sheaths, slightly misaligned synaptic junctions, neural bridges that appear functional but contain fundamental weaknesses. To facility scanning, these would register as still growing enhancement pathways. Pathways that can develop into any number of fatal flaws given time.

  Sweat beads on my forehead as I maintain focus on this delicate work. Creating neural architecture precise enough to fool facility scanning while ensuring it remains fundamentally unstable requires extraordinary concentration.

  Beneath this deceptive layer, I embed my true abilities, molecular manipulation, neural optimization, the precise control necessary for Desta's repair work. These pathways sink deeper into my neural architecture, protected by the camouflage of surface structures. I reinforce these connections, optimizing efficiency while minimizing energy signatures that might penetrate the surface deception.

  The process feels bizarre, like building a house while simultaneously digging a bunker beneath it. My consciousness splits between surface construction and deep embedding, maintaining coherence between systems while ensuring fundamental separation.

  Most challenging is creating appropriate connections between the surface and deep architectures, channels that allow me to access true abilities without revealing their existence. These connection points must appear as random neural noise to scanning systems while functioning as precise control mechanisms for my telekinetic applications.

  Hours pass in this state of divided consciousness. The facility's recycled air grows cooler as environmental systems adjust for night cycle, but I barely notice, lost in the intricate neural engineering. My telekinetic awareness extends beyond my body, monitoring nearby surveillance systems to ensure they register nothing unusual about my sleep patterns.

  By the time my meditation nears completion, I've created a masterpiece of neural deception, surface pathways that demonstrate impressive but conventional telekinesis with strategic instabilities, and deeply embedded architecture that houses my true capabilities behind this camouflage.

  The final step involves creating neurochemical markers that will respond appropriately to facility scanning technologies. These markers will present the expected signature of a telekinetic at my enhancement stage, powerful but still developing, with specific limitations and control issues consistent with the surface architecture I've constructed.

  As consciousness begins returning with the approach of morning cycle, I feel fundamentally changed. My telekinetic abilities now exist in two parallel systems, the visible capabilities that facility monitoring will detect, and the hidden architecture that contains my true potential.

  Tomorrow's assessment with Director Karis will test this neural deception. If successful, the Integration Program will evaluate capabilities that appear impressive but fundamentally limited by the structural instabilities I've deliberately introduced. Meanwhile, my true abilities remain accessible but invisible, preserved for my own purposes rather than facility extraction.

  The facility's morning cycle begins, lighting gradually increasing as my tablet chimes with notification of the day's schedule, including the 1100 hours assessment with Director Karis. I rise from my bed, physically exhausted but mentally prepared for whatever comes next.