Gabriel stood at the edge of the laboratory, smoke coiling around him as he watched Lena suspended inside the capsule. The liquid lapped gently against her restrained body, wires glowing like veins of light across her skin.
His phone buzzed. He plucked it from his pocket, flicked the ash from his cigarette, and answered without glancing at the caller ID.
“What?” he muttered, his tone sharp with irritation.
A distorted voice came through, masked and low. “Have you confirmed her stability? You know exactly why she is crucial.”
Gabriel’s eyes slid back to Lena, his grin sharpening. “Yeah. The girl’s more valuable than she knows. Once we unlock what’s inside her, we’ll have the blueprint.”
The voice on the other end hissed, “Not just a blueprint. The weapon. The one thing the government c
