The air in Anya’s cramped apartment, usually thick with the scent of burnt coffee and desperation-fueled code, now reeked of ozone and fear. Liam stood by the window, his vibrant graffiti-covered jacket a stark contrast to the grey, functional space, his gaze fixed on the neon-drenched cityscape below. Sirens wailed in the distance, a discordant symphony that felt intimately connected to their predicament.