on him.
“And you shot at my mother.”
I stared at the glowing buttons.
Release.
Delete.
Both terrified me.
Then I noticed a third option.
ARCHIVE SEALED — TRANSFER TO FEDERAL CUSTODY.
“What’s that?”
Margaret smiled slightly.
“I added it.”
Russell looked at her.
“When?”
“While you were busy pretending to be dead.”
For the first time, I saw something like respect between them.
I selected it.
**TRANSFER TO FEDERAL CUSTODY.**
Russell exhaled.
Hayes shouted, “Emily, don’t!”
I pressed CONFIRM.
The server room filled with mechanical clicks.
Hayes lunged.
Daniel tackled him.
The transfer began.
1%.
7%.
12%.
Then the power went out.
Complete darkness.
Margaret whispered, “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
A red emergency light flickered.
The transfer froze.
18%.
Then a phone rang.
Russell’s phone.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
“Rebecca.”
He answered.
“Where are you?”
Her voice came through the speaker.
“You should have
