"Chen won't do it just for money," Elara said.
The team sat in the vault, one week before the planned heist.
"You said he's desperate," Jax countered.
"He is. But paying his gambling debt isn't enough. I reviewed his psych profile. He's risk-averse, follows rules, terrified of authority. Giving us access means treason. He'd rather die than betray the SSS."
"So we're screwed," Marcus said.
"Not screwed. We need different leverage." Elara pulled up Chen's file. "He has a sister. Beta caste, chronically ill. The medical treatments she needs are restricted to Alphas only. She's dying."
Finn's eyes narrowed. "You want to threaten his sister?"
"No. I want to save her." Elara looked at Jax. "We have medical supplies at the Free Level clinic. Including the medication she needs. We offer him: help us, and we cure your sister. The life he can't save legally, we save illegally."
"That's extortion," Kalia said.
"That's revolution," Sera corrected. "Using their system's cruelty against them."
Jax thought about it. "We'd have to get the medication to her without revealing our location. Chen might try to follow the delivery, give us up to SSS."
"We do a dead drop. Medication first. When his sister's cured, then he gives us access."
"He could still betray us."
"He could. But his sister will die without us. And we have proof we can deliver what Authority can't. That builds trust better than money ever could."
Finn grunted. "Or we grab him, force him at gunpoint."
"That makes him do the bare minimum and sabotage when we're not looking. We need him cooperative, not coerced." Elara leaned forward. "I know this man. Worked with him for three years. Give him a way to save his sister while telling himself he's helping the oppressed, and he'll help us."
The team voted. Unanimous: try the sister angle.
Now they just had to approach him without getting arrested.
That was Elara's job.
Tomorrow, she'd risk everything.
Again.