**Departure Day - Blackwood Mansion**
Emily stood in the foyer, watching as staff loaded luggage into two cars. Timothy had insisted on driving them personally rather than using a driver more control, more privacy, more security.
Sebastian appeared carrying what looked like a small arsenal of electronics.
"Is all of that necessary?" Emily asked, eyeing the multiple laptops, tablets, and devices she couldn't identify.
"Absolutely," Sebastian replied. "Surveillance equipment, encrypted communication devices, signal jammers, GPS trackers, and one very illegal piece of tech that I'm not going to explain because plausible deniability is important."
"Sebastian," Timothy warned from the doorway.
"Fine. Two very illegal pieces of tech." Sebastian grinned. "But trust me, we'll need them."
Emily's phone buzzed. A message from Chai.
