Chapter 4: The Sound of Truth
Evelyn laughed. "You stupid little girl. That box is tamper-proof. It’s encrypted and steel-reinforced. You can't break into that."
Maya didn't say a word. She set the box on the edge of the bed, right next to the suffering boy. She pulled the box cutter from her pocket. With a sharp click, the blade slid out—bright, silver, and lethal.
She didn't go for the woman. She went for the seal on the medical crate. She jammed the blade into the seam of the reinforced polycarbonate casing, twisting it with raw, desperate strength. The plastic groaned and shattered. She ripped the lid off. Inside wasn't just data; it was the physical samples of the "medicine."
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She held up a vial for the room to see. It was clear, innocuous liquid. "It’s not medicine, Mark," she said, her voice shaking but loud. "It’s saline laced with synthetic capsaicin. It’s pure chili extract. It’s designed to burn the nerves from the inside out."
Evelyn’s smile vanished. The color drained from her face as she saw the girl holding the vial up to the light. The room was wired for audio—a standard hospital precaution—and the microphones were broadcasting every word to the monitoring station downstairs.
