“We should be going by now,” Jade said, interrupting my thoughts as she approached the door. “The rest of the group is waiting for us.” 

She walked to the door, and I followed her, still feeling a little blurry from reality. Jade opened the door with a purposeful movement, and before I could do anything else, she closed it behind us with a firm click. 

The sound of the door closing seemed like a reminder that we were about to leave the temporary safety of the room to face something much bigger than she and I. The hallway in front of us was a long stretch of darkness and cement, lit only by the flashing emergency lights. 

The floor was covered in a layer of dirt and dust, and the environment felt as labyrinthine as the subway I knew. As we walked through the dark hallways, a question kept ringing in my head: How long had I been asleep? My sense of time seemed distorted, and the urgency in the air made me feel as if every second was precious. 

Jade led the way confidently, her watchful gaze searching every corner, as if every shadow might hide a new danger. We walked down a narrow hallway, lit only by the occasional flashing emergency lights, casting a flickering light over the graffitied, dirt-covered walls.

"How long have I been asleep?" I muttered to Jade, feeling my uneasiness growing. Just then, my stomach growled loudly, making me feel a little self-conscious.

Jade looked at me and gave me a small smile. "It seems the answer to that question might be 'quite a lot,'” she says amusingly. "Let's try not to make too much noise and hurry to the meeting. Later after that, I'll make something for you and your rumbling belly."

We turned a corner and found a small group gathered near a rusty metal door. They were in a bare space, strewn with equipment and boxes. Their expressions were a mix of tiredness and determination, each bearing their own marks of time and struggle.

Jade gave a brief introduction. "This is Violet," he said, drawing the group's attention. "She's decided to help us." A tall, muscular man stepped forward. Marcus was a white man, and he had an imposing presence, with his muscular arms, bushy beard, and shiny bald head. His face was scarred across his right eyebrow, a constant reminder of the hardships he had faced.

"I'm Marcus," he said, his tone grave. "Nice to meet you, Violet. We were afraid the way Phoenix picked you up might have scared you away." Beside him, a woman with long, blond hair and intense blue eyes approached. Lena was a confident figure, with a scar on her neck that looked like a deep cut. Her arms were blue cybernetic prosthetics, with designs of a Japanese dragon, typical of the clandestine prosthetics sold by White Lotus. 

She kept a serious expression, without a hint of a smile. "I'm Lena," she said in a firm tone. "It's good to have you with us." 

Next to her, a frail-looking young man with alert eyes introduced himself. Tom looked a little nervous, his glasses were equipped with a cybernetic visor that blinked occasionally. 

"I'm Tom," he said, adjusting the glasses on his nose. "I need to do an analysis of the Biotech data, if that's possible."

Another member of the group caught my attention. Maya wore a metal mask that covered her face, shaped like a rabbit, and a hood that hid her short, black hair. She approached, her presence marked by an air of confidence that could not be ignored, with a black windbreaker stained with spray paint of various colors.

"I'm Maya," she said with a tone that mixed firmness and friendliness. "We will make a difference together."

Marcus looked at Maya with a serious expression and shook his head. "Maya, please, take off that mask before the meeting," he ordered, patting her head lightly. "The meeting is about to start and we need to see all the faces."

Maya grimaced in pain and then smiled at me, as if the pain were a minor inconvenience. "Oh, Right, right, Marcus!" She removed the mask with a fluid gesture, revealing an Asian woman with blind eyes, without the slightest expression of resentment. Her short black hair fell softly around her face, further accentuating her enigmatic appearance.

"Greetings, Violet," Maya said with a genuine smile. "Don't worry about it. I hope we can work well together." I looked at Maya, feeling a mixture of surprise and admiration. 

"It's nice to meet you, Maya," I replied, trying to hide the uneasiness that still haunted me. "Hope I can be of service." 

Before Maya could answer, a noise in the background caught our attention. Bryan and Phoenix entered the hallway, Bryan with a wide smile and a carefree air. 

"Good morning, my little ones!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands and giving an exaggerated bow. "I hope you're ready for an exciting reunion!" 

Phoenix came right behind him, his expression stern and his eyes critical. His gaze fixed on me, assessing me with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. His arm was covered in bandages and bloodstains, indicating that he had been through some recent confrontations. The contrast between Bryan and Phoenix was striking, with Bryan radiating an almost contagious energy and Phoenix maintaining a rigid and controlled posture.

The atmosphere in the hallway was charged with a new tension, with Bryan trying to lighten the mood and Phoenix adding a touch of formality and pressure. The group seemed to be gearing up for something big, and I was about to be a part of this pivotal moment.

With a deep sigh, I felt the tension in my shoulders ease a little. There was something comforting about Jade’s presence and the support of the others. I was entering a world that was unfamiliar, but with the promise of a greater purpose.

Bryan smiled at the group and gestured toward the metal door. “Come on, guys. The meeting awaits.”

Everyone responded in some way, with nods, murmurs of agreement, or smil
es. Slowly, each of them began to enter the room, passing through the metal door that Bryan had opened.

When everyone was inside, Jade stepped forward, stopping at the entrance to the room. She looked back, fixing her gaze on me with a look of reassurance. “It’s going to be okay,” she said, trying to comfort me with her words.

So I took courage and took the next step.