She sat at the edge of the bed, laptop open. Before emailing Josiah, she glanced at the clock: 3:14 a.m. She’d set up the email to come from a burner account, [email protected]. In the subject heading, she typed “Info about Rosalind.” She clicked the paperclip, attaching a document called “Rosalind_location.docx.”

Only a lunatic would open a random file from a suspicious account, but Josiah probably fit that description. Her entire plan hinged on his fanatical need for control outstripping his judgment. The man was so desperate for revenge that he might not be able to restrain himself.

Once he opened the attachment, the worm she’d created would infect the system, allowing her to explore the network.

Her body buzzed with excitement—or possibly caffeine overload. If she’d gauged this right, she had the potential to gain control over the entire security system. Finally, all the time she’d spent listening to Professor Carroll’s monologues would actually pay off with a stunning takeover of the Chambers.

Caine paced over the floor, clearly riled by the inaction. “You realize that we can only rescue Aurora before the sun comes up, right? I think we should revisit Tammi’s suggestion to use explosives.”

“Explosions would risk killing the people we’re trying to save.”

“I want to kill people. And you want me to wait while you tap away with your fingers.”

“There’s a point to this. I’ve created a computer worm.” She took another sip of Orcus’s weird, herbal coffee. Ignoring Caine’s fierce glare, she opened Terminal and typed tail -F access.log.

“You’ve created a worm,” he repeated in a tone that said she’d lost her mind.

“The US government used something like this to hack into Iran’s nuclear centrifuges. The worm will install itself, giving me access beyond the firewall. Through the server, I’ll be able to command the system. I can survey the network to see what’s there. I’ll be able to figure out how to control the building.”

Caine rested his palms on the table, staring down at her. “You’re not talking about a literal wall of fire, are you? That was the only thing I could picture from what you just said.”

She let out a sigh. “Let me put it this way: If this works, we can shut down the Chamber’s retina and ID scanners. Anyone will be able to get in the building. All the prisoners will be free to escape their rooms. And I can disable the sprinklers that spray iron dust, so anyone with magic can fight back.”

He straightened, suddenly interested. “If we went in, I could use my magic in the Chambers?”

“Assuming you can do it without destroying the place.”

“Destroying the place would be the whole point.”

She kept her eyes locked on the dark screen, waiting for an update. Everything—her chance to redeem herself, her friends lives—it all depended on one line of code. Come on, Josiah, you psychotic asshole. Open the email.

Her heart skipped a beat as a line of code updated in terminal—the Brotherhood’s server had made a request. She loosed a long breath. “It’s working. Josiah opened the attachment. Dumb fuck.”