The Clerk

I’ve forged you a catering credential. Once you’re aboard, slip past the galley and get down into the Command Center.”

“And the network?”

“Severed from the outside world. Once they connect your father’s chip, they can initiate a localized burst transmission. You have to physically extract the coin from the terminal before the progress bar hits a hundred percent.

If they dive before you get it—”

“I become a stowaway on a rogue nuclear submarine,” I finished.

“Exactly.” Jonas handed me a small earpiece. “I’ll guide you through the ship’s layout. But Serena — once you pass the second deck, the hull’s radiation shielding blocks our comms.