The corridor leading to the MOA Complex's subterranean laboratory was brightly lit, sterile, and cold in contrast to the infected world above. Phillip stepped through the final checkpoint, his boots echoing against the reinforced floor tiles as two internal security guards opened the blast doors without a word. Beyond them, the lab was already alive with motion.
Inside, technicians moved in silent urgency—biosuit-clad figures shifting between containment hoods, cryogenic freezers, and digital analysis banks. The air buzzed faintly from the oscillating hum of filtration systems. On the left wall, a half-dozen high-resolution displays played thermal footage of the Bloom Nest. On another, a constant feed of bio-data scrolled vertically in rapid green script.
Thomas was already there.
He stood near the observation window, arms crossed, visor helmet clipped to his belt. Dr. Delgado, Overwatch's lead biochemist, was finishing a briefing with his assistants when he noticed Phillip enter.
