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Chapter 11: The Code and the Cipher
The basement of the old arcade smelled like burnt circuits and soda syrup.
Rina tugged her hoodie low and knocked twice on the hidden panel near the claw machine.
A hum answered. Then the door slid open.
Inside: flickering neon lights, tangled cables, and a man hunched over six monitors, typing like the devil was on his heels.
"Kilo," Rina said.
He didn't look up. "Maxwell. Thought you died."
"You always say that."
"Well, if you keep poking Kane Corp, I'll be right eventually."
She held up the USB. "I need this decrypted."
Kilo finally turned. His eyes danced. "Oof. That logo alone is radioactive. You trying to get us both buried in firewalls and lawsuits?"
"I'm trying to find the truth."
He sighed and gestured to a rolling chair. "Sit down. If this bricks my system, I'm blaming you in my will."
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Meanwhile, Eliot watched from the alley.
He didn't like this. He didn't like Kilo.
But more than anything… he didn't like how Rina looked with him.
Relaxed. Like she trusted him.
Inside, Kilo muttered something under his breath. "This isn't just encrypted. It's buried. Military-grade signatures… Kane Corp really didn't want this seen."
He paused. "Hold up."
A file had opened.
Rina leaned forward. Her father's signature. An internal memo. Dated two months before the crash.
> "Project Calyx is a cover. Phase III is human testing. I won't authorize it."
Kilo stared at the screen. "This isn't just corporate crime. This is biological warfare. If this is real… people are going to die."
Outside, Eliot's phone buzzed.
Unknown number:
> "We know where she is."
He looked up.
And saw the red laser dot appear on Kilo's window.
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