The dawn light filtered through unfamiliar curtains as Maya woke in the small motel room they'd found near the outskirts of Meridian Bay. They had abandoned the compromised studio after gathering only essential equipment, paying cash for two adjoining rooms in a place too outdated to have wireless-enabled locks or security systems.
Her head still throbbed from the subsonic frequencies Verne had weaponized against them. Though she couldn't hear them, her body had responded viscerally—nausea, disorientation, and a pressure that seemed to compress her skull from all sides. She touched her temple gingerly, wincing at the tenderness.
The connecting door between their rooms stood ajar. Maya pulled herself upright, fighting a wave of dizziness as she moved to check on James.
He sat at the edge
