The silence of the Cryo-Wing corridor was a physical weight. It pressed in on them, broken only by the soft scuff of their boots on the grated floor and the creak of the makeshift stretcher bearing Jin. The air was cold, carrying the sterile scent of recycled air and the faint, metallic tang of old blood.
"This way," Scarlett whispered, her voice a low, confident guide in the oppressive dark. She pointed to a section of wall that looked no different from the rest. "Collapsed service tunnel. It'll be tight, but it's off the main grid."
Sera nodded, her eyes scanning the shadows ahead. "Lead on."
The contrast between the two newcomers was a silent drama playing out beside them. Scarlett moved, her senses on high alert. Shūmei, on the other hand, clung to the stretcher, her face a mask of terrified devotion. She stumbled every few steps, her "clumsiness" forcing the others to slow down, her hand never straying far from Jin's still form.
