The corridors were cold and bright, lined with pale lights that never flickered.
Strange robots walked past him without acknowledgement, many-legged machines that scanned samples, tall, thin bots adjusting dials, carrying metal trays. They all felt alive yet strangely blind to him.
Eventually, he reached a reinforced door, taller than the others, humming with locked energy. As he approached, the scanner beside it lit up.
"Identity verification initiated. Please step forward."
Azrael blinked and hesitated for a split second.
The scanner swept across his face, then his palm.
A soft chime rang.
"Identity confirmed: Azrael Crescent Garcia. Access granted."
Azrael froze. "What?" But then he clenched his fists and grit his teeth, "This damn bastard. He even changed my identity and went to such lengths, giving his surname in order to convince me..."
