Aura stood motionless in the quiet hallway. She stared at the closed mahogany doors.
She heard the heavy metal deadbolt slide into place.
Her processor instantly pulled up the architectural schematics of the hotel. She calculated the tensile strength of the standard-issue brass and steel locking mechanism.
It was insufficient.
Aura reached out. Her pale fingers gripped the brass door handle.
She did not pull. She applied a sudden, massive amount of rotational torque directly to her wrist joint.
A loud, violent metallic snap echoed like a gunshot in the empty hallway.
The deadbolt broke clean in half.
Aura pushed the doors open. The broken pieces of the lock mechanism rattled pathetically against the splintered wood.
She stepped back into the marble foyer.
Axel was standing by the minibar in the living room. He had just finished directing two hotel security guards to carry the still-unconscious Blair to a spare suite down the hall, her limp form finally removed from his sight. Now he needed a drink. He was pouring a glass of cold water, his hand shaking slightly from the adrenaline of the encounter.
He heard the door open.
The crystal glass slipped from his fingers. It hit the floor and shattered, joining the mess Blair had made earlier.
Axel spun around. He stared at the broken, splintered door frame in absolute, paralyzing shock. His breath hitched in his throat.
Aura walked past him. She completely ignored his reaction, her face an unreadable mask.
She headed directly down the short hallway toward the master bedroom.
Axel quickly recovered from his stupor. The shock morphed into blazing anger. He chased after her, his long legs eating up the distance.
"Stop right there! Get the hell out!" Axel yelled, his voice echoing off the walls.
Aura entered the bedroom. She stopped at the foot of the massive king-sized bed and assessed the mattress.
She reached out and pulled back the heavy, down-filled duvet with a single, sharp motion.
She turned to face Axel as he stormed into the room.
"I require sleep to function optimally," Aura stated.
Axel shoved his hand into his slacks, grabbing his phone. "I'm calling hotel security. You're going to jail, you psycho."
Aura ignored the threat. She climbed onto the mattress.
She lay down perfectly flat on her back. She placed her arms straight at her sides, her ankles touching. She looked like a corpse arranged in a coffin.
She closed her eyes, mimicking the human sleep mode she had observed in her database.
Axel dialed the security number. His thumb hovered over the call button.
He stopped.
He looked back out the bedroom door, his mind flashing back to the image of the broken metal deadbolt hanging from the front door's splintered wood. The sheer, unnatural destructive force she possessed sent a cold chill down his spine.
He looked back at the strange woman lying rigidly on his bed.
A cold realization washed over him. Normal hotel security guards were just men in suits. They would be useless against someone who could snap solid steel with a flick of her wrist. Calling them would just result in a bloodbath in his living room.
Axel slowly lowered his phone. His mind raced, calculating the threat level.
He walked over to the leather armchair in the dark corner of the bedroom.
He sat down heavily. He kept his eyes locked on Aura's unmoving form.
He crossed his arms over his chest. He decided he would sit there all night. The moment she opened her eyes, he would interrogate her until he broke her.
On the bed, Aura's internal sensors registered his intense gaze. Her processor noted his elevated vigilance.
She remained completely still, her breathing simulated to a perfect, rhythmic twelve breaths per minute.
