Day thirty arrived without fanfare.
At exactly 00:01, the biometric locks on the external doors disengaged with a soft, synchronized chime that echoed through every corridor of the NexusTech compound. The perimeter drones powered down. The red emergency overlay vanished from all screens, replaced by the standard blue interface and a single government notice: Quarantine lifted. Proceed with caution. Wear masks in public spaces. Negative PCR results on file.
The city outside woke slowly—traffic horns faint through the dome, the Third Mainland Bridge lights flickering back to life after the night’s rain. Freedom had returned.
None of them moved to leave.
Vicky woke first, tangled in the master bed’s sea of white sheets. Ethan’s arm was slung over her waist from behind, Caleb’s hand restin
