Setting: A cramped corner in the Riverside Prison craft workshop. The smell of glue and old paint fills the air. Fluorescent lights flicker slowly.

Time: Tuesday evening, an hour after lockdown.

NATALIE: (Her voice calm and commanding, placing her hand on a rickety table) We go no further than this. Tonight is "The Senator's" night.

ELENA: (Adjusting her glasses, leaning closer to the table) Review the rules again, Natalie. We don't want to get hit with a new federal charge because of a desire for revenge.

NATALIE: There is no revenge here. There is financial engineering. The message is ready, Elena. You reviewed the legal phrasing yourself ten times. We are not demanding blackmail; we are expressing "deep moral concern and suggesting a private donation to a charity" on our behalf. That way, when an FBI agent comes calling, they won't find an explicit threat of extortion. They'll find merely a donation request wrapped in satire.

ELENA: That is the trap. The threat is implicit, but the demand is legal. If Woods goes to the FBI, they won't be able to prove direct coercion. But... (She looks at Jia) ... are you certain the video's pathway leaves no footprint?

JIA: (In a low voice, examining a neglected Ethernet cable) The footprint is always there, Elena. The question is: can they trace it within 24 hours? (She shrugs) The cable I'm using now is slower than dial-up from the eighties. But it's hidden. The video will pass through three layers of encryption and old servers in Iceland before it hits his private account. By the time their tech expert can decrypt the source, we’ll have changed everything. It’s the NSA’s system they’re trying to crack, not mine.

KENDRA: (Chuckling softly, cynically) Woods won't call the FBI in the first place.

NATALIE: Why are you so certain, Kendra?

KENDRA: (Leaning against the wall, her eyes sharp) Because I know him. Not personally, but I know his type. I heard him talk in my salon about "national duty" while he was cheating on his wife with his young associate. The secret we're sending him, that short video, proves he's not just a corrupt man, he's a liar, and his society won't forgive him for lying. The fear of scandal is stronger than the fear of prison for these men.

NATALIE: (Nods slowly) The amount, then. (She looks at Jia) Are the encrypted accounts ready to receive the first payment?

JIA: The first payment is ready. It will be converted into three different cryptocurrencies, then into our new accounts in the Cayman Islands. It will be faster than their attempt to stop it.

ELENA: (Sighs) Don't forget, we need proof of payment. It's our only guarantee of safety.

KENDRA: (Cutting in sharply) Our only guarantee of safety is proving to him that we can destroy him at any moment. Once he pays, he'll know we're serious.

NATALIE: (Bangs her fist on the table, not loudly, but decisively) Enough. All elements are in place. Jia, send the message now. Release "The Glitch." We have exactly 24 hours to find out if our game is worth all this effort.

JIA: (Taps a small, hidden keypad) Sent.

KENDRA: (Looks at Natalie with an inquiring smile) Will he pay?

NATALIE: (Looking toward the locked iron doors) I don't know if he will pay. But I know we have changed the rules of the game for those men.