The discovery of the threat to the data center snapped Lena out of her defensive posture. The smear campaign was a war of attrition, but this was a direct, physical assault on the heart of her legacy. They weren’t just trying to ruin her reputation; they were trying to commit cultural arson, to erase the film itself from the historical record.

“We can’t let them near that server,” Lena said, her voice stripped of all fatigue, replaced by a cold, commandeering clarity. ...