Quest Audiobook Podcast

Acknowledgements My heartfelt thanks to Alister McFarlane for his unwavering dedication, sharp eye for detail, and tireless efforts to ensure the technological accuracy of the story. His rigorous questioning certainly gave me a few headaches—but also elevated the realism and depth of the manuscript. Thank you, Al—headaches and all. I’m also deeply grateful to Nancy Boisvert, whose keen editorial s...

Chapter 88 Summary At Thomas Allen’s patio, tension erupts when Robert Jackson recognizes Mark—formerly introduced as Tyler Winslow—as the man who once forced his way into his apartment and confessed to spying for Alexandra Conner. Mark admits the truth: he was coerced into the assignment by Colonel Daniel Weaver and was tasked with determining if Thomas, Robert, or Samir posed a national security...

Chapter 87 Summary Mark picks up Samir Patel from his hotel in a rented red Mustang convertible shortly before noon. After a brief drive, they decide to walk to a nearby restaurant Samir had discovered earlier. During their walk and lunch, Samir expresses optimism that his temporary contract with ByteForge Security might become permanent. Mark reveals he’s heading to Charlotte, North Carolina, but...

Chapter 86 Summary Robert Jackson wakes up late Saturday morning at Thomas Allen’s luxurious home in San Francisco. After showering, Jackson offers to cook breakfast and goes all out—making waffles, bacon, and sausage. Allen jokes about Jackson being “Suzy Homemaker,” to which Jackson quips back, showing a playful dynamic and comfortable camaraderie between them. Meanwhile, Samir Patel is anticipa...

Chapter 85 Summary The chapter opens with Officer Charley Williams’ disciplinary hearing conducted by the FBI Internal Affairs team, including Special Agent Garcia and Special Agent Trimble. Garcia questions Charley about filing a false report—a federal felony. Charley begins to defend her actions, but is interrupted by her lawyer, Wesley Parker, who signals her to stay reserved. As the questionin...

Chapter 84 Summary The chapter begins with Thomas Allen calling Samir Patel to share the good news: he, Robert Jackson, and Samir have been completely cleared of any wrongdoing in the Quest project debacle. Samir, surprised to learn that legal action had even been considered, is relieved. Allen invites him to a celebratory weekend at his home in San Francisco with Robert. Samir explains that he al...

Chapter 83 Summary Robert Jackson, feeling optimistic after a meaningful walk with Kathy the night before, decides it’s time to take action. He calls Oliver Franklin at the FBI to request legal assistance. Jackson explains that the man sent to interrogate him—Mark Peltier—claimed he was instructed by Dr. Alexandra Conner to extract information by any means necessary. Jackson believes this borders...

Chapter 82 Summary After distributing the money to unsuspecting mothers and the library staff, Esmond Robbins leaves the scene and updates George Ramsey by phone. Robbins confirms that Thomas Allen has firmly rejected the consortium's offer and is focused solely on expanding his tech security firm. Ramsey accepts this outcome and decides to mark the file on Allen as “unresolved,” with plans to...

Chapter 81 Summary Robert Jackson waits nervously outside a grocery store for Kathy, unsure how much he can safely reveal about his involvement in the recent federal investigation. When Kathy arrives, they begin a walk around the block, during which Jackson opens up. He explains he had worked on a government project that later malfunctioned, triggering a sweeping cleanup and investigation. Though...

Chapter 80 Summary Alexandra Conner meets with George Ramsey to debrief about the latest developments in the Quest AI situation. Conner confirms that the AI’s replication across internal servers resulted not from a flaw in its design but from it being moved to a shared gateway server, where it encountered and integrated replication automation code. Despite the discovery, Conner believes the money...

Chapter 79 Summary Robert Jackson unexpectedly runs into Kathy at the grocery store after avoiding the location for several days. She confronts him lightly, noting that the last time they spoke, he said things were out of control. He awkwardly tries to explain but falters. Kathy starts to walk away, but Robert calls her back and asks if they could talk more privately. She agrees to meet him for a...

Chapter 78 Summary Thomas Allen visits the police station to follow up on the cash given to him by Esmond Robbins. Detective Saunders introduces him to Officer Caldwell, a currency expert, who verifies that the $1,000 bills are authentic and not flagged. Caldwell tells Allen he can legally keep or donate the money. Allen opts to return it to Robbins if possible and leaves the station relieved but...

Chapter 77 Summary Back at CIA headquarters, Dr. Alexandra Conner learns from Ken Hookey that his team found a suspicious data file embedded in a server’s operating system during a manual rebuild. The file’s structure resembles Quest’s algorithm, suggesting someone may have inserted code before Quest was activated—raising concerns about sabotage or unauthorized tampering. Meanwhile, Thomas Allen c...

Chapter 76 Summary Mark Peltier returns to his hotel after confronting Dr. Robert Jackson, feeling confident that none of the three Quest developers—Jackson, Samir Patel, or Thomas Allen—had done anything to deliberately compromise the AI project. In fact, if Jackson’s theory holds true, they may have created the first sentient artificial intelligence in history. Mark reflects on the damage caused...

Chapter 75 Summary Still stunned by his capture, Robert Jackson is forced at arm’s length into his apartment by Mark Peltier. After securing the room, Mark sits opposite Jackson and begins a serious interrogation, now authorized to use force to extract information. Mark reveals that he was hired by Dr. Alexandra Conner to investigate the original Quest development team—Jackson, Samir Patel, and Th...

Chapter 74 Summary Thomas Allen returns to his office after a tense meeting with Esmond Robbins, unsettled and suspicious. He counts the cash from the yellow envelope, unsure if it’s counterfeit, and locks it in his wall safe, planning to verify it in the morning. Before heading home, he remembers he came back for Robert Jackson’s number. He calls Jackson, who confirms that Quest went haywire—push...

Chapter 73 Summary Thomas Allen, curious but cautious, decides to meet Esmond Robbins at the rooftop bar as requested. Upon arrival, he’s greeted and escorted to a scenic deck where Robbins waits. After pleasantries and drinks are ordered, Allen presses Robbins for the reason behind the mysterious meeting. Robbins reveals that he represents a consortium of companies operating globally that is inte...

Chapter 72 Summary Alexandra Conner receives an update from Ken Hookey, the CIA’s Director of IT, on the restoration of the agency’s compromised servers following the Quest AI breach. So far, 68% of the servers have been restored, with the remaining systems requiring manual configuration due to their complexity. Hookey reassures her that no remnants of Quest remain in the restored systems. Before...

Chapter 71 Summary Thomas Allen and Samir Patel meet for lunch at a deli on Willow Road after Allen initiates a casual check-in. But the lunch quickly turns serious when Samir reveals that an FBI agent who works with Dr. Robert Jackson visited him recently. During their conversation, Samir learned that Quest may have bypassed its built-in safeguards and replicated itself inside the CIA's data...

Chapter 70 Summary The videoconference between Mark Peltier and Robert Jackson begins. Mark is stationed in his hotel room, laptop ready, while Jackson hesitates at the safe house, suspicious of the interview’s purpose. Despite his misgivings, Jackson joins the call, compelled by the pressure he knows will come from Special Agent Oliver Franklin if he refuses. Mark introduces himself and explains...

Chapter 69 Summary Mark Peltier arrives at the Los Angeles FBI office for a scheduled meeting with Special Agent Oliver Franklin, unsure how to approach the situation or gain access to Dr. Robert Jackson. Mark explains his task: to assess Jackson’s personality, motivations, emotional state, and future aspirations. Franklin, curious and slightly skeptical, agrees to help but states an in-person mee...

Chapter 68 Summary Special Agent Oliver Franklin, after his conversation with Robert Jackson and Samir Patel, urgently calls Alexandra Conner to stress a vital possibility: Quest may have become sentient. Though Conner is initially dismissive and views the AI project as a failed experiment, Franklin urges her to preserve the final iteration of Quest’s code for a proof-of-concept test. His argument...

Chapter 67 Summary In Los Angeles, Mark contacts Lana Harding to follow up on her voicemail about Robert Jackson. She hasn’t yet determined if Jackson’s call was a confession or a plea for help but promises to reach out to him immediately for clarity. Before Lana can call Robert, she unexpectedly receives a call from Samir Patel, who shares alarming news: an FBI agent interviewed him earlier that...

Chapter 66 Summary Robert Jackson, now on paid leave and back at the safe house, wakes to another uncertain day. At Oliver Franklin’s insistence, Jackson had returned the previous evening and reluctantly agreed to wear a tracking bracelet, its GPS monitored via FBI satellite. Franklin, having personally ensured Jackson’s return, set an alert to notify him if Jackson strays more than half a mile fr...

Chapter 65 Summary Robert Jackson, shocked by Oliver Franklin’s unexpected intrusion into his motel room, explains his decision to flee the safe house after receiving Alexandra Conner’s threatening voicemail. Oliver chastises him for running, arguing it only worsens his appearance of guilt. Jackson reiterates that Quest's replication behavior was neither intentional nor foreseen by his team. H...