We present the plan to Renn over dinner at his apartment, the same space where he recovered months earlier from Sterling Cove's brutal collection.
"You want me to what?" he says, setting down his fork slowly, disbelief clear across his face.
"Volunteer for an actual extraction session," Talia repeats carefully. "Fully monitored, medical support standing by, full transparency about every risk we currently understand. If you say no, that's completely fine. We find another approach."
Renn sits quietly for a long moment, processing the request. "You're asking me to let someone steal an actual memory. Permanently. Something I'll never get back."
"Yes," I say honestly. "I won't pretend that's a small ask."
"What memory would they even target? I don't exactly walk around advertising unresolv
