The impact was a bone-jarring crunch of reinforced steel against chain-link. They abandoned the vehicle in a cloud of steam and ozone, sprinting toward the primary airlock.
Inside, the silence was louder than the thunder. The air tasted of copper and bitter almonds—the signature of the Catalyst agent.
"Stay sharp," Leon warned, his hand on Ashley's shoulder as they moved through a hallway of cracked glass and flickering neon.
Suddenly, the floor beneath them hummed. A holographic interface flickered to life in the center of the hall. It wasn't a map; it was a DNA spiral.
"Welcome home, Subject 04," a synthetic voice echoed.
Leon flinched, a sharp pain lancing through his temple. "Who said that?"
"The house AI," Lily muttered, her fingers dancing over a wall panel. "And it thinks you live here."