Morning broke with the illusion of calm.

The city woke up unaware that by noon, one name would be bleeding across every screen.

Maya sat alone in her apartment, barefoot on cold marble, laptop balanced on her knees. The skyline beyond the window glowed pale gold, but her eyes were fixed on lines of code, message drafts, and scheduled releases ticking down to the second.

She hadn’t slept.

She hadn’t needed to.

Fear sharpened her better than rest ever could.

Her phone buzzed.

Rafael: You’re sure about this? Once it’s out, there’s no recall.

Maya typed without hesitation.

That’s the point.

She clicked open a folder labeled simply: CHESSBOARD.

Inside...