bChapter /bb305 /b

The room was a study, walls lined with leather–bound books and disy cases filled with antiques. A massive desk of polished redwood dominated the center of the space. On it sat a chessboard, pieces arranged in what appeared to be the middle of a game.

I scanned the room carefully, noting the subtle cameras hidden in the ceiling corners–all inactive now. My attention returned to the chessboard. The position looked familiar–a ssic endgame puzzle where white appeared to be in a losing position.

Unlessb… /b

I reached out and moved the white bishop diagonally across the board, turning an apparent checkmate into a winning position. A soft click emanated from the bookcase behind the desk.

The entire wall of books began to rotate, revealing a gleaming titanium security door behind it. Selene’s eyes widened in genuine surprise as she nced back at me.

The door was serious business–a sophisticated rotarybination lock with aplex mechanical system. This wasn’t something I could just shoot open.

I reached into my backpack and pulled out a modified headset. The headphones had been altered, with a metallic device attached to the cord that asionally shed red. The USB connector had been reced with a stethoscope–like sensor.

I ced the headset over my ears and pressed the sensor against the metal door near the lock mechanism. Slowly, I began to turn the lock, listening to the subtle clicks and whirs of the gears inside.

My fingers worked deftly, feeling for resistance and listening for the telltale sounds of pins aligning. After several minutes of intense concentration, I heard the final tumbler fall into ce. The digital disy shed green.

The massive door swung open with a pneumatic hiss—and immediately, a cloud of white gas billowed from the gap.

I jerked backward, but not fast enough. Even the small amount I’d inhaled was potent. My vision blurred instantly, legs buckling beneath me. As I copsed to the floor, I saw Selene holding her breath, her restraints suddenly falling away from her wrists.

Thest thing I registered before consciousness slipped away was the drone dropping from the air, disabled by some kind of electromaic pulse.

I woke to the sensation of weightlessness. My wrists and ankles were bound in electronic shackles, suspending me spread–eagle in the center of a reinforced ss cell. Beyond the transparent walls, I could see a vastboratory space, white–coated researchers moving between workstations filled with advanced equipment.

iShit/ii. /iiNot /iiagain/i.

The scene was horrifyingly familiar–too familiar. In my previous life, I’d been imprisoned in a simr facility on that Caribbean ind, the one that had gone up in mes with me inside it. Thatb had been built specifically for me, to extract and study my gic material.

This underground bunker was clearly cut from the same cloth.

“Finally awake, I see.” iA /iwoman’s voice, cool and cultured, came from beyond the ss.

8:21 Tue, Sep b30 /bfncd88 Get full chapters from Find?Novel/fncd88

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I struggled to lift my head, fighting against the lingering effects of the gas. Standing before my cell was a robust woman in herte forties, her muscr frame imposing despite her height. She wore a tailored emerald–green suit that emphasized her powerful physique. Her silver–streaked hair was pulled back in a severe bun. A retractable metal whip, also green with glinting metal ents, was coiled around her wrist like a bracelet.

Queen of Clubs. The youngest of the organization’s old guard.

“I must admit, I’m impressed,” she continued, circling my cell with measured steps. “You’re only the second person ever to find my hidden room, let alone manage to open it.” Her lips curved in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Very clever indeed.*

I remained silent, conserving my strength and assessing my situation.

“Unfortunately,” she added, “being too clever sometimes backfires, doesn’t it?”

I met her gaze steadily, a bitter smile forming on my lips. “Yes… clever people often outsmart themselves.”