A warm golden dusk settled over the re‑purposed Reid estate as Nova Jin and Xander Reid stepped through the grand archway into the gardens of the newly inaugurated Phoenix Institute's flagship lab. The air carried the soft hum of clinical machinery beyond the hedgerows—an orchestra of innovation now playing in service of life rather than death.
Selene Park greeted them at the entrance, her cheeks flushed from overseeing the day's opening ceremonies. “The first Phoenix labs are officially open," she announced, sweeping her arm toward clusters of young researchers in white coats, milling between transparent bioreactors and data consoles.
Nova's gaze tracked the lines of solar panels overhead, the sign above the main door reading **“Phoenix Institute: Transparency and Healing"** in brushed
