The heavy steel chains bit mercilessly into Roxy's wrists and ankles, locking her flush against the cold metal of the chair.
The hidden laboratory beneath the antique bookstore was completely devoid of natural light. The only illumination came from the harsh, flickering green glow of the massive server monitors and a single, swinging bulb hanging directly over her head. The air was thick and suffocating, reeking heavily of ozone, damp earth, and copper.
Elias moved around her with terrifying, clinical precision. He did not speak. The eccentric, polite professor who had offered her an umbrella in the freezing rain was entirely gone, replaced by a cold, obsessed fanatic.
He stepped close to the chair, holding a tangle of thick black wires ending in flat, circular copper electrodes.
Roxy thrashed against the restraints, her breathing coming in rapid, panicked gasps. "Elias, please. Please let me go. I don't have what you want."
