Deep beneath Arkenhall, past Tier Zero, past the sealed halls and forbidden labs, the containment sector breathed like a living heart.
Cold. Silent. Alive.
Seroi appeared at the center of a long black bridge. It stretched between two cliffs of metal, suspended over a pit of glowing crystal veins. The walls pulsed with red light. Dozens of mechanical arms moved through the dark, tending to reactors and shield locks.
At the far end, a door waited.
Tall.
Silent.
And guarded by two armored sentinels.
Seroi approached slowly.
The guards stepped aside without a word.
He placed his hand on the scanner. The metal under his palm grew warm.
"Identity: Commander Seroi. Authorization: Level Black."
The door hissed.
Steam rose.
Inside, the room was still.
A single capsule stood at the center. Glass. Covered in layers of seals. Floating slightly above a circular platform. Thick cables wrapped around it like vines.
Inside the capsule...
A girl.
Silver hair.
Pale skin.
