It’s a glass-walled room on the mezzanine level, smelling of lemon polish and ozone. A row of desktop computers sits waiting.
I sit at the terminal in the corner, away from the door.
My hands are shaking as I wake the computer.
This is dangerous. I know it. Halo told me. Every log on is a ping.
But I’m not logging into my phone. I’m not turning on a GPS beacon. I’m accessing a secure cloud server via a public hotel network. Millions of guests do this every day. It’s noise.
According to Halo, noise is good.
I open the browser. Navigate to my firm’s secure portal.
LOGIN: C.BRENNAN
**PASSWORD: **********
I hesitate.
If Phoenix is watching my accounts …
But they think I’m dead. Why would they watch the cloud account of a dead woman?
I hit Enter.
ACCESS GRANTED.
My heart hammers against my ribs. I’m in.
I navigate to the Vanguard Defense / Discovery / Vendors folder.
I scroll fast. My eyes scan the file names.
Eagle Transport.
Eastman Chemicals.
Echo Logistics.
There it is.
I click the file. Echo_Svc_Agreement_2024.pdf.
It opens.
I scroll past the boilerplate legalese. Past the liability waivers. I go straight to the signature page.
SIGNED:
Robert Vance, CEO, Vanguard Defense
And below it …
SIGNED:
Julianna Stratton, CEO Stratton Financial
I stare at the screen.
