Flawless Facades

Diaz and Briggs exchanged a brief glance, then nodded once. They carefully placed the black box—looking like a sturdy suitcase—on the table.

The lock was anything but ordinary. Sleek, glassy, and humming with quiet energy, it looked more like a futuristic interface than a security mechanism. Briggs placed his thumb against the surface. Instantly, it glowed, projecting a holographic outline of hi