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I watch my team work. They’re good, but they’re struggling. The attack is evolving faster than they can respond, and every time they get close to a solution, the attacker shifts the code and closes the vulnerability.

After twenty minutes, it’s clear we’re not going to solve this quickly.

“Get me everything we have on the attack signature,” I say. “Clear the room.”

The analysts look at me, then at each other. They know what’s coming, and they don’t like it.

“Everyone out,” Kirill says. “Now.”

They file out, leaving me alone with Kirill and Andrei. The screens are still flashing, the alerts still pinging, but the room is quieter now.

“Maxim.” Andrei’s voice is careful. “What are you thinking?”

I don’t answer immediately. I’m thinking about Davina. I’m thinking about how she adapted in real time, how she found pathways my own people didn’t know existed.

I’m thinking about how much I want to see her work again.

“Bring the woman to me,” I say.

Andrei hesitates. “The hostage?”

“She’s a cybersecurity specialist. She breached our systems before. Right now, we need someone who can think like the person who’s attacking us.” I turn to face him. “Bring her.”

They bring her to the security hub ten minutes later.

She looks different than she did in the holding room, more alert, more present. Her hair is pulled back from her face, and her eyes move around the room with the same analytical attention I saw when I first watched her on the security feed.

She’s also clearly confused. She didn’t expect to be brought here, didn’t expect to see me surrounded by screens showing an active crisis.

“What’s going on?” she asks.

“Someone has compromised our communication network,” I say. “They’ve locked us out of our financial movement protocols, and we can’t regain control. I want you to fix it.”

Her expression shifts. “You want me to help you?”

“I want you to solve a problem. In exchange, I’m willing to discuss improving your living conditions.”

She stares at me. “You’re holding me captive, and you want me to do you a favor?”

“I’m offering you an opportunity.” I step aside, giving her a clear view of the screens. “Your situation can improve, or it can stay the same. That’s up to you.”

She looks at the screens, and I can see her mind working. She’s reading the data, processing the attack patterns, understanding what’s happening faster than anyone else in this room could.

“It’s a ransomware variant,” she says. “Custom-built, probably designed specifically for your systems. Someone did their research.”

“Can you break it?”

She’s quiet for a moment. Then she looks at me with an expression I can’t quite read. “Why should I?”

“You’re bored and you’re curious. Do it for your own curiosity; I don’t care.” I gesture at the screens. “If this system stays compromised, it won’t just affect us. There are civilians tied to this network—people who use our financial services for legitimate business. If the system crashes, they lose everything.”

Her jaw tightens. She hadn’t considered that.

I watch her process the information, weigh her options, come to a conclusion. It takes her less than thirty seconds.

“Fine,” she says. “But I want something in return.”

“No—”