The heavy thud of a steel door sealing shut wasn't just a sound; it was a finality. Arto slammed his shoulder against the seam, his fingers clawing at the non-existent handle, but the lock was electronic, pulsing with a faint, mocking blue light."Lara!" he screamed, his voice swallowed by the thick, sterile walls of the infirmary corridor. "Dammit, Lara!""Quiet, boy," a voice rasped from the shadows of the doorway.Arto spun around, hand diving for his hidden blade, but his wrist was caught mid-air with surgical precision. A man in a blood-splattered apron stood there, his eyes shielded by thick, magnification lenses that made him look like a giant, uncaring insect."You’re making a scene," the man said, shoving Arto back toward the wall. "In this building, silence is the only thing keeping your companion from becoming a permanent patient."Arto breathed hard, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. "Where did they take her? The guards—they dragged her toward the w

"Her name is Lara, correct?" The doctor leaned in, the magnification lenses of his goggles distorting his eyes into terrifying, watery spheres. "She is currently in Surgical Suite Four. They are not treating her, Arto. They are extracting information. The Magistrate is very interested in where you’ve been hiding the ledger."Arto froze, his pulse thumping in his ears like a drum. The cold barrel of the guard’s pistol pressed harder against his temple, threatening to break the skin. "You're a doctor. You took an oath, didn't you?"The man chuckled, a dry, rasping sound that lacked any warmth. "Oaths are for people who can afford the luxury of a conscience. I am a realist. I repair what is broken so the city can continue to function. If the city requires someone to be broken in order to function, then I am merely an instrument of that design. My name is Vesper. And you, Arto Halloway, are currently standing in the way of a very important procedure.""Kill me," Arto hissed, his gaze locke

"The butcher they put on her case is incompetent," Vesper said, turning toward a stainless steel cart laden with gleaming, terrifying instruments. "He’ll turn her brain into scrambled eggs before he ever finds the location of your precious ledger. I’ve spent twenty years perfecting the art of biological extraction, and I refuse to watch an amateur ruin a perfectly viable subject with sloppy technique."Arto’s mind reeled, trying to parse the cold pragmatism beneath Vesper’s professional disdain. "So, you aren't doing this for the Magistrate? You’re doing this because you’re a perfectionist?"Vesper selected a slender, serrated blade from his cart and held it up to the harsh, sterile light. The edge caught the glow of the overhead lamps, casting a jagged shadow across his pale, sunken face. "I am a scientist. Science requires precision. The Magistrate’s man, a clumsy brute named Thorne, is currently trying to bypass Lara’s natural neurological defenses with a drill that belongs in a sh

"Keep your head down," Vesper commanded, his voice a dry, rasping whisper that didn't travel further than a few inches from his lips. "Thorne has the security detail guarding the inner chamber. If they see you, they’ll shoot first and ask the Magistrate for a promotion later. Do not speak. Do not make eye contact. You are a surgical assistant who has seen too much and cares too little."Arto pulled the mask tighter over his nose, the scent of antiseptic and stale iron filling his lungs. "What about Lara? Is she awake?"Vesper paused, his hand hovering over the heavy, reinforced door of the infirmary’s main operating theater. He glanced back, his eyes cold and devoid of any human warmth. "She is in a chemically induced stupor. Thorne is trying to force a confession out of her, but his methods are barbaric. If she wakes up during his procedure, the pain will be—let’s just say, quite profound. Your urgency is noted, but stay silent, or I will hand you to Thorne myself."The door swung op

"Step away from her, Doctor," Thorne rumbled, not bothering to look back from the diagnostic console. He tapped a glass slide against the metal tray, the clink-clink-clink sounding like a death knell in the sterile silence. "I didn’t call for assistance. I called for the report on the toxin's chemical breakdown. Why are you bringing a shadow into my operating room, Vesper?"Arto’s pulse hammered against his ribs, a frantic, uneven rhythm that threatened to betray his presence. He kept his gaze fixed on the sterile floor tiles, his knuckles white as he gripped the tray of instruments Vesper had forced into his hands.Vesper didn't miss a beat. He stepped forward, his boots clicking with rhythmic, terrifying precision. "This one is a new intern, Thorne. Thick-headed, slow, but he has steady hands for the cleanup. And he’s deaf in one ear. He won’t hear a word of your little interrogation.""I don't like company while I work," Thorne grunted, turning slowly. He was a mountain of a man, h