I married a man forty-one years my senior for his fortune—After his funeral, his lawyer handed me a box and said, “He made sure you received exactly what you deserved.”…

“Most?”

“Nearly all.”

Daniel sat down.

“That’s why the will wasn’t read.”

“Correct.”

Claire laughed once.

“So Emily

really wasn’t getting the fortune.”

Russell looked at me.

“Not exactly.”

I folded my arms.

“What did I get?”

Russell smiled.

“The farmhouse.”

I stared around.

“This?”

“And everything beneath it.”

The archive.

Margaret nodded.

“Legally, this property belongs to you now.”

My mouth fell open.

“You gave me the most dangerous thing you owned?”

Russell’s smile faded.

“I gave you a choice.”

“A choice about what?”

“What survives.”

The sirens were louder now.

Margaret looked at the terminal.

“There are two master commands.”

One button read RELEASE.