2026-03-08 19:12:08
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CHAPTER 203
Shaw leaned his back against the mirrored wall, looking down at Vance with a pitying smirk.He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver tin. Popping a mint into his mouth, the scent of wintergreen filled the small space."You guys in the Chimera are so proud of your labs," Shaw said. "You think you’re the only ones playing with chemistry?""My boss spent five years in a hole in Siberia with nothing to do but study how to make the human body do things it isn't supposed to. You injected me with a 'Sting.' I've had worse reactions to bad shellfish."He stepped over Vance’s mangled legs, the tip of his boot barely an inch from a jagged piece of bone."The thing about you, Director, is that you believe in your tech more than you believe in the people who use it. You saw me collapse because I wanted you to see me collapse.""I needed to know what you’d do with a five-minute head start. And look at you… you didn't even make it to the driveway before the house decided it didn't l
CHAPTER 202
Robert sat paralyzed on the threshold, the line between the golden foyer and the cold stone portico feeling like the edge of a cliff. The screams echoing from the bottom of the stairs were wet and primal, the sound of a man who had finally realized that a ‘Director’ title didn't make his bones any harder than a common street thief's."You didn't shoot," Robert whispered, his eyes fixed on Shaw’s empty hands. "You didn't even move.""Told you," Shaw said, finally looking up from his manicure with a long, bored sigh. "I’m the nice one, Robert. I’m the one who makes bone broth and stitches wounds. My job was to keep you entertained until the automated perimeter woke up."Robert’s head whipped around, scanning the treeline. He saw no guards, no hidden snipers. Then, he looked up at the ornate stone gargoyles perched on the roof of the portico. Their eyes weren't stone; they were darkened glass lenses, tracking his every tremor with a soft, electronic hum."Vance was right about one t
CHAPTER 201
Vance froze, his heart dropping into his shoes. He turned slowly, staring back toward the dark maw of the basement stairs.Shaw was leaning against the foyer’s doorframe, looking remarkably upright for a man who should have been in full respiratory failure. He was casually wiping the tiny bead of blood from his jaw with a thumb, a wide, mocking grin splitting his face."You guys," Shaw chuckled, the sound bubbling up with genuine amusement. "You really are special, aren't you?"Robert’s eyes widened in dawning horror. "The toxin... the Sting... it’s enough to kill a bull elephant...""Yeah, well," Shaw said, pushing off the doorframe and taking a slow, predatory step forward. "A bull elephant doesn't have a Riggs-funded internal filtration system and a metabolic rate that burns through neuro-toxins like they're cheap tequila."Shaw’s laugh grew louder, a sharp, barking mockery that made the hair on Vance's neck stand up."You really thought I’d let you prick me without a reason? I n
CHAPTER 200
As he reached the bottom of the stairwell, the heavy basement air thick with iron, sweat, and stagnation hit him like a physical weight. Shaw stayed in the shadows for a heartbeat, watching Vance through the gap in the heavy steel door. The Director was back in his trousers, but he was huddled near the bars of Robert’s cage, his hand closed tightly around his prize.Shaw stepped into the light, his shadow stretching long and jagged across the floor."You guys are awfully chatty for two men who haven't had a cracker in twenty-four hours," Shaw said, his voice a low, dangerous drawl.Vance jumped, nearly dropping the micro-syringe. He shoved his hand into his pocket with a violent jerk, his face turning a shade of grey."Shaw," Vance wheezed, struggling to steady his breath. "We... we were just discussing the Board. Robert thinks they've forgotten us. I was telling him he's wrong."Shaw walked right up to the bars, stopping just out of arm’s reach. He tilted his head, his blue eyes
CHAPTER 199
Vance wiped his nose with his sleeve, his eyes glassy and unfocused."A way out? Look at me, Robert! I’m in a cage! He took my phone, my credentials, my dignity...""The syringe, you idiot," Robert interrupted, his voice a sharp hiss. "The emergency neuro-paralytic you used to carry. Did they search you? Did that mercenary strip you down?"Vance blinked, a spark of memory flickering behind the terror. "I... I was wearing the lab coat when they grabbed me. They checked the coat. They checked my trousers." He paused, his face contorting into a mask of sudden, frantic realization. "Wait. They didn't check everything."Vance scrambled to his feet, hands shaking as he fumbled with his belt. He ignored the last of his dignity, peeling back the layers of his expensive clothing with desperate fingers."What are you doing?" Robert whispered, leaning closer to the gap between their cages.Vance didn’t answer. He dropped his trousers to his ankles and reached deep into his boxers, groping wit
CHAPTER 198
CHAPTER 198In the darkness of the second cage, Director Vance was a ruin of a man. His white lab coat was a map of sweat and floor dust. He sat huddled in the corner, his stomach letting out a roar so visceral it seemed to rattle the bars."I had it in my hand," Vance wheezed, his voice cracking with a hysterical edge. "The Thai takeout. It was right there on my desk. Spicy basil beef.”“I didn't eat it because I wanted to finish the quarterly projections first. Now, I’d kill... I’d kill everyone in this room for a single grain of rice."From the adjacent cage, a low, wet laugh bubbled out of the shadows. Robert didn't move; he was nothing more than a pair of sunken, glinting eyes in the dark."Projections?" Robert croaked. "You were projecting the future while the past was coming to slit your throat, Vance. You pathetic pencil-pusher.""Shut up!" Vance screamed, lunging at the bars. "How was I supposed to know? How was anyone supposed to know there was a Riggs left alive? We were
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