Chapter 133. Lady Sachel and Anshi.
Lucas’s vision blurred at the edges.
The cold steel walls of the chamber shimmered faintly under the low emergency lights, casting long shadows that curved around the floor like creeping fingers. His breath came slower now—ragged, shallow. He could feel the pressure in his head increase with every passing second. The oxygen in the chamber was thinning—intentionally so.
Above him, visible through the observation glass in the ceiling, Doctor Naehr watched.
"Humans always disappoint," Naehr said calmly, his voice echoing down from a speaker embedded in the wall. "Even you, Lucas. I had hoped your convictions would bring you to my side. I was wrong."
Lucas didn’t respond. He was too busy conserving air... and buying time.
The chamber, about the size of a medical morgue, had no vents, no exits, no visible panel. It was a sealed unit—a tomb disguised as a holding cell. On one side, metal clamps secured his wrists and ankles. The chair he sat on was bolted to the ground. Naehr was being careful.
"I could have simply used a scalpel," the doctor continued. "But this is more elegant. Hypoxia—low oxygen—will lull you into sleep. You won’t even feel it when your organs begin to shut down. A peaceful end, for someone who refused peace."
Lucas let his head loll slightly, breathing through his nose. He could already feel the symptoms. Lightheadedness. Cold fingertips. Dry mouth. He coughed once, soft and shallow.
And then he bit down.
There was a small click.
Between his molars, cleverly implanted months ago by the covert operations team, was a polymer-encased micro-chip. It was fragile—designed to break cleanly between human teeth with pressure. The moment it cracked, a chemical reaction activated a burst signal to all nearby encrypted police scanners. A breadcrumb trail that would override masking frequencies. A scream in the void.
Doctor Naehr wouldn’t hear it. The signal bypassed internal sensors.