The laboratory was cold, sterile, and silent.
I stood in the center of the room, staring at the equipment that surrounded me. Samir had spent the last three days setting it up, calibrating it, preparing it for what we were about to do. Lena was beside me, her face pale, her eyes fixed on the monitors. Elena was at the console, her fingers flying across the keyboard.
"You're sure about this?" Samir asked. "Once we start, there's no going back."
I nodded slowly. "I'm sure."
"Leon." Lena's voice was quiet. "If this goes wrong, it could kill you."
"I know. But it's the only way."
She was silent for a long moment. Then she nodded.
"Okay," she said. "I'm with you."
---
I lay down on the table and closed my eyes.
The equipment hummed to life around me. Needles pierced my skin. Machines
