The video screen flickered to life, revealing Louis's face streaked with tears and fury that made her look beautiful and terrifying simultaneously. Behind her, Chen and Rebecca monitored the connection while international officials observed from a distance that suggested this communication was being analyzed by multiple intelligence agencies.
"Ral," Louis breathed, her hand reaching toward the screen as if she could touch him through digital distance. "Are you hurt?"
"I am alive," Ral replied, aware that every word was being recorded and analyzed. "Louis, what did Marcus give you? What documentation do you have?"
"Everything," she stated with quiet intensity. "Before the poison took effect, Marcus transferred files documenting thirty years of Russian intelligence operations in American
