He stood up and walked to the terminal, his boots clicking softly on the concrete.

He tapped the keyboard, and the screen came to life, displaying lines of green and white code.

The intercom buzzed again, Vanessa’s voice cutting through the silence.

“Four minutes, Nathan,” she said.

“Julian is setting the fuel lines now.”

“It’s very loud out here.”

“I suggest you make your decision.”

Nathan did not look at the intercom speaker.

He kept his fingers hovering over the mechanical keyboard.

“Vanessa,” Nathan said, leaning toward the small wall microphone.

His voice sounded remarkably steady.

“I hear you,” he said.

“I’m at the terminal now.”

There was a short pause on the other end.

We heard the faint sound of wind, and then Vanessa laughed.

“I knew you’d be sensible,” she said.

“The proprietary software is all we want.”

“Once the transfer is complete, we’ll disable the jammer and leave.”

“You can have your quiet life with the girls in the snow.”

Nathan looked back at me over his shoulder.

His eyes were dark, but there was a sharp, cold light in them that I hadn’t seen since Claire died.