The descent into the storm drain was a plunge from chaotic hell into damp, echoing silence. The sounds of the berserk Titan and the dying Arbiter faded above, replaced by the drip of stagnant water and the team's controlled breathing. They moved quickly, putting distance between themselves and the plaza, guided by Zoe's uncanny sense for clear pathways in the underground dark.
An hour later, they emerged into a different sector of the ruins, a derelict warehouse district. A pre-scouted safehouse, one of several Julian had identified, served as their temporary refuge—a reinforced office on the third floor with a single, defensible staircase.
The moment the door was barricaded, the questions erupted, though kept low and tense.
"A planetary sterilization? Pending?" Veronica was the first to give voice to the dread they all felt, pacing like a caged animal. "That's not a war. That's an… extermination notice. From who? The 'Gardeners'?"
