Chapter 27 · The Order She Wrote

The signature was hers.

Seren stared at the screen in Ian's hand, the authorization timestamp glowing like a brand. Two weeks before the first loop. Two weeks before she woke up with a detonator and blood on her wetsuit. She'd signed off on her own reset.

"I don't remember," she said. Her voice came out flat. "I don't remember any of this."

Ian didn't answer. He was watching the dock access behind them, one hand still locked around her wrist. The federal perimeter was tightening. She could hear boots on metal grating, the buzz of comm units syncing.

"We need to move," he said.

"No." She pulled free. "You said Nora uploaded this. Where's the rest of it?"

He hesitated. That half-second told her everything.

"You've seen it already," she said. "Haven't you."

"Seren—"

"What else did I authorize? What else did I do?"

His jaw tightened. Then he swiped the screen and turned it toward her.

The next file was a memo. Internal. Dated three years ago. The header read MERIT MUNICIPAL MEMORY COMMISSION and the recipient line said Ian Mercer, Chief Engineer.

The message was three lines long.

*Approve deployment. Full override. No public log.