The sterile hum of the hospital room was drowned out by the beeping of the scanners, their sharp tones rising in urgency as Claus worked quickly with his officers to contain the situation.
"His vitals are dropping rapidly!" one of the officers yelled, adjusting the settings on a compact, high-tech medical scanner hovering over Orien's body.
The glowing red lines pulsing beneath Orien's bandages flickered violently, twisting like living veins of molten lava beneath his skin. His body trembled, his breath ragged as Claus gritted his teeth.
"We have to neutralize it now," Claus ordered.
"If the infection reaches critical mass, we won't be dealing with just a patient—we'll be dealing with an anomaly."
The second officer activated a containment field, a shimmering blue barrier forming around the bed, pulsing in sync with Orien's erratic heartbeat.
But the moment it locked in place, the bio-scanner emitted a shrill alarm.
"Sir—!"
