Rain-slicked corridors hummed with fluorescent light as Celeste Su guided Leo through LuTech's basement level. The storm outside rattled metal shutters, and the soft whir of ventilation mingled with the child's quiet sobs.
“Almost there, sweetheart," she murmured, pressing a fingertip against his clammy palm. Leo's slate-gray eyes glistened with residual tears, but he nodded bravely.
They reached a security door etched with “Nanobot R&D – Authorized Personnel Only." Celeste produced Adrian's override keycard. The lock clicked, and the door swung open into a narrow hallway lined with observation windows.
“Stay close," she whispered. They moved swiftly past labs where biotech researchers hunched over microscopes. Every head turned—but the look in their eyes was clinical curiosity, not ala
