Suddenly, Margaret’s sharp voice cut through the room.

“Ethan!” she snapped.

“What are you whispering to her about?”

“Get away from her.”

Ethan flinched, stepping back into the alcove.

“He’s making a choice, Mrs. Lawson,” Samuel said, stepping between Margaret and our alcove.

“And I suggest you stay right where you are.”

Just then, the red flashing light on the tablet stopped.

The high-pitched alarm went silent, leaving only the sound of the rain drumming against the roof.

Julian walked back into the room, his forehead slick with sweat.

He was holding a thick, dust-covered binder in his hands.

“I bypassed the manual shutdown,” Julian said, breathing heavily.

“The backup systems are secure.”

“And I found these.”

He set the heavy binder down on the desk.

The plastic cover was yellowed and smelled of old paper.

Samuel stepped forward, his eyes locked on the document.

“What is that?” Samuel asked.

“These are the original hard-copy patient files from five years ago,” Julian said.

“The ones that were supposed to be shredded.”

“My father kept duplicate physical copies of everything in a locked fire safe in the basement.”