Chapter Three: The Deleted Sister

Helix knows the physical release code. The Clocktower holds the regulatory certificate. Convergence controls cooling. All three are required.” Lin smiled. “They delivered the keys.” Su Lan frowned. “You plan to rob all three at once?” “No. I plan to make each believe the other two already succeeded.” He took control of the van’s broadcast unit and rearranged three authentic communications captured at the hotel. On the Helix channel, the Clocktower commander said, “Certificate deployed.” Clocktower received footage of a Helix operator entering half the release code. Convergence heard both factions preparing to disable cooling. Not one word was fabricated. Only the sequence was false.