Victor came the night before Vivian’s formal hearing.
Not at the usual operational hours. He came when the fortress had gone quiet, corridors carrying night's weight, when anyone moving was moving for reasons they had chosen.
He knocked.
I opened the door.
“The hearing is tomorrow morning,” he said once he was inside. He stayed near the center of the room, not pacing. “The council wants it internal. Quiet proceedings. Sealed record.”
“Of course they do.”
“It would be cleaner.”
“For the council.”
He was quiet.
“Victor.” I stepped back from the doorway. He went further in. “What are you actually asking me?”
He stopped in the middle of the room.
“The catalog. The buyer. The full scope of the data that was collected and sold.” He paused. “If this is sealed, none of that b
