Jerry moved across the war room like a man threading through invisible tripwires, every step measured. His eyes flicked from the digital map on the wall to the string of open files on the central table. “This won’t work unless we make them think they’ve already won.”
Aria didn’t move from her post by the window. The skyline blinked in the distance, but her gaze was inward, sharp. Her arms stayed folded, jaw tense. “They’ve already sniffed out the tech wing,” she muttered. “It won’t take much to sell the illusion. But that’s not enough for me.”
He paused, watching her.
“I want names, not shadows,” she continued. “I want them dragged out, not just scared into silence.”
Jerry turned, his voice low but pulsing with edge. “Then we give them exactly what they’re looking for, a fracture. Just
