The descent smelled of rust, old electrical wiring, and cold water. Each step echoed as if the staircase were holding its breath. Above them, the sky still crackled softly—the aftershock of the Zero Beat vibrating in their bones, a pulse that wasn't one.
Rhea led the way, flashlight pointed at the floor. Her shadow trembled across concrete and dirt. Lina followed, with Alaric close behind her. His hand rested on his weapon, though they both knew that shooting down here would hardly help.
"How far?" he asked.
"Until the first junction," Rhea answered curtly. "Then down into the Archive Network. If it's still standing."
"And if not?"
"Then we dig."
Lina breathed through her mouth. The air was thick, almost sweet with the mold of old posters that clung to the walls like dormant skin. Text was still legible: METRO 3 – Connection to the Center. Below it, half-swallowed by grime, the words Stay connected.
She had to smile. Connected. Irony had its own sense of timing.
