The hundred and tenth floor of the Acheron Corporate Spire did not open into a standard lobby. It was a vast, silent labyrinth of sleek black marble, matte-aluminium server banks, and vertical glass light-strips that glowed a cold, mechanical blue.Kaela stepped out from the private access maintenance shaft, her emerald-silk evening gown rustling quietly against the flawless stone floorboards. Her black wool coat was pulled tight to her ribs, while her left hand kept a firm grip on the reinforced handle of the titanium data briefcase. On her wrists, the permanent silver-blue veins were perfectly dark, and her biological radar was dialled down to a micro-simmer. Every time her heart beat, her academic training forced her mind to consciously regulate her pulse, flattening her hybrid frequency to avoid triggering the tower's automated biometric sensory rings."The secondary suppression sweep is running right above us," Kaela whispered, her voice dropping into a clear, clinical register t
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