The message arrived without encryption.No masking, no delay.A plain-text transmission, routed through ten obsolete satellites, printed in a single line across a disposable terminal in the Lancaster war room:“He was never meant to be your enemy. Only your replacement.” – C.Silence followed.Sophie stared at the monitor. “It’s not a bluff. The code is clean. No virus, no trap.”Robert muttered, “Then it’s bait.”Julian said nothing.He stood in the corner of the room, eyes locked on the line, his mind still and unblinking.Charlotte stepped beside him.“What do you think he wants?”Julian’s voice was quiet.“He wants a conversation.”Two hours later, Crane’s face appeared on the screen in a secure channel.It wasn’t a broadcast.It was a call.One-to-one.Julian sat alone in the chair, the lights dimmed, the rest of the family watching silently through an adjacent room behind a soundproof wall.Crane looked older.His silver hair was pulled back, his suit immaculate, expression unre
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