As dawn broke, a faint light spread over the water. The air at Lulu’s dockhouse felt brisk, infused with the aroma of wood smoke lingering from the previous night’s bonfire. Inside, a small group had convened around a worn card table—Sienna, Jack, Evelyn, Anya, and Lulu—each cradling a strong cup of coffee and the gravity of their impending tasks.
“First fragment,” Evelyn announced, placing a compact titanium drive in front of Sienna. “I’ve stored it in my personal safe deposit box in Geneva.”
Sienna acknowledged her with a nod, slipping the drive into her pocket. “Got it.”
“Second fragment,” Jack interjected, sliding another drive toward Anya. “It’s encrypted within my offshore account’s password vault. Distributed via blockchain—no single entity can retract it.”
Anya tapped her table
