"I'm all for keeping Chloe out of a fight when she's in this state, but Sato's the boss. There's only so much we can do." Claire let out a tired sigh and leaned back against the wall opposite Maria. "At some point, we either trust his judgment or we don't. And whether we like it or not, he hasn't steered us wrong before."
The basement corridor was dim and narrow, built from raw concrete and weak fluorescent lights that buzzed with an irritating, uneven hum. The air carried the stale smell of dust, damp stone, and too many people living too close together. A plain metal door sat at the end of the hall, shut tight, its surface scratched and scuffed from age and use. Behind it, silence pressed like a held breath.
