The Founding Principle

Chapter 13: "The Founding Principle"

Lin cracked the encryption at 4:17 AM on day four.

I know the exact time because she woke me by saying "Ethan" once—just the word, no urgency, no excitement—and I went from dead asleep to bolt upright the way you do when your body's been living on adrenaline so long that any stimulus triggers combat readiness. The cot groaned. The cabin was dark except for her laptop screen, which painted her face in blue-white light and made her look like a ghost. Or a prophet receiving revelation.