Chaos didn’t sound the way I’d imagined it would. There was no single explosion, no dramatic shattering moment where Genesis screamed and collapsed in on itself. Chaos arrived as layers, overlapping alarms, boots pounding in distant corridors, voices raised and cut off mid-command, the building’s careful hum stuttering out of rhythm like a heart skipping beats. The broadcast had ended, but its echo hadn’t. I lay on the bed in the temporary suite, hands braced against the mattress as another tremor rolled through the floor. Somewhere far above, something heavy crashed. The lights flickered once, twice, then steadied again. Emergency systems kicking in. Genesis was wounded. Not dead. Not even dying. But bleeding. Damian hadn’t left my side when security surged in after the cut feed. He’d mov
