Page 70 of Mission Shift

He was indifferent, as if I weren’t even his daughter.

The elevator hummed softly as it descended.

One floor.

Two.

Three.

The doors slid open, revealing a cavernous basement, the kind of place that only existed in nightmares. This was a place I’d never been allowed to see before.

Along the wall to my right, there were holding cells, each one reinforced with thick metal bars. A weapons rack stood to the left, stocked with firearms, blades, and instruments designed for inflicting various kinds of pain.

And further in—

A dentist’s chair.

A surgical table with a man standing beside it.

Dr. Goryachov—clad in a pristine white coat—had his back to us and his hands clasped neatly behind him as if he were nothing more than a physician preparing for an examination.

But the room told another story.

Everything smelled of bleach and…something darker. Something unmistakable.

Blood.

I didn’t think—I just moved.

I took an instinctual step backward, my heel pressing against the threshold of the elevator.

Oleg laughed.

I turned, ready to fight, to run, to do whatever the hell I had to do, but Oleg was waiting for it.

He caught my chain, wrenching me forward with so much force I stumbled into him. He grinned down at me, eyes bright with anticipation.

“Oh, you’re gonna be fun,” he mused, dragging me deeper inside the basement.

Dr. Goryachov still hadn’t turned around, but his voice was smooth and calm when he said, “Strap her down.”

I didn’t hesitate. I jerked back against Oleg’s grip, twisting as I swung my elbow into his gut. He grunted but didn’t let go. I brought my knee up fast, aiming for his groin and connecting with it.

Then there was a sharp pinprick of fire at the base of my throat.

I gasped, my eyes snapping to the doctor just as he withdrew the needle.

Fuck!

I wrenched away, my limbs responding more slowly than I wanted. My vision blurred, and Oleg caught me from behind, locking his arm around my waist as I sagged forward.

I tried to swing again, but my arms weren’t listening.

My legs buckled as paralysis set in.

The weight of my body became unbearable, my muscles going limp, the signals between my brain and my limbs severing one by one.

I fought.

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