CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUR – HELD FOR RANSOM

As she made her way deeper into the complex, the adrenaline began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of relief and something else – a strange flutter in her chest whenever she thought of Logan. She pushed the feeling aside, focusing instead on the task at hand. In the dimly lit confines of their hideout, Laura set to work decrypting the data they had risked everything to obtain. Line after line of code flickered across the screen as she typed furiously, her brow furrowed in concentration. Hours ticked by, punctuated only by the occasional sip of lukewarm coffee. Finally, with a triumphant grin, Laura leaned back in her chair as the decryption completed. The data was a veritable goldmine – detailed schematics, experimental logs, and personal notes from Dr. Carter himself. Laura's eyes widened as she pored over the information, piecing together the full scope of his work. It was far more sinister than she had imagined, delving into realms of genetic manipulation and human augmentat