Chapter 17: Awakening in Hell
She woke up strapped to a metal chair in a sterile, windowless room. The air smelled of ozone and bleach. Across from her sat a man in a bespoke suit, tapping a tablet.
"Evelyn," he said, his voice devoid of inflection. "Or is it Elena now? No matter. The Thorne accounts are locked behind a biometric cipher. A cipher tied to a sequence only you know."
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Elena tasted blood in her mouth. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Julian was arrogant, but he wasn't stupid," the man replied. "He knew you would betray him. He tied the master cipher to your vocal patterns and a ten-digit sequence you used to access his private server. Speak the sequence, and we grant you a quick death. Refuse, and we will peel your mind apart layer by layer."
