~Maya~
The data extraction device sat on my desk like a ticking bomb. Three days since Elara had smuggled it out of TechNova, and I'd barely slept, diving through layers of encrypted files, piecing together fragments of code like some digital archaeologist.
Lately, the rain has been a consistent presence, with droplets striking my lab windows as the Seattle sky dons a melancholic purple-gray hue that matched my mood. Perfect weather for discovering nightmares.
"Talk to me," I muttered to the screen, rubbing my eyes as another decryption sequence completed.
The holographic display above my workstation expanded, rendering a three-dimensional model of what appeared to be a neural implant. Not unusual in the medical tech world—except for the silver-infused microfilaments designed to penetr
