He looked imposing in his tailored tuxedo, his silver hair perfectly styled.

Eleanor joined him, smoothing the front of her designer coat before handing it to a nearby assistant.

She smiled warmly at the mayor, her eyes showing none of the malice I knew lived inside her.

“They think they’ve won,” I whispered, my hand finding Ethan’s.

His grip was warm and solid.

“They haven’t,” Ethan said.

We slipped into the shadow of a concrete pillar near the tech booth.

The technician in charge of the presentation was a young man in a headset, staring at three different monitors.

Ethan stepped up behind him.

“Excuse me,” Ethan said softly.

The young man turned, startled. “Dr. Harrison. I didn’t expect you here.”

“There’s been a change in the program,” Ethan said, his voice calm but firm.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black flash drive that Maya had given him.

“I need you to plug this into the main media server.”

“I can’t do that, sir,” the technician said, looking nervous. “Mr. Harrison senior gave me a strict schedule.”