The room was bathed in an eerie blue glow, the simulation chamber's walls pulsing with the rhythm of the team's synchronized neural links. Ayan adjusted the neural interface on his temple, his fingers lingering for a moment before stepping into the center of the chamber.
"Remember the protocol," Vlada's voice came through the comm system. She sat in the control room, her hands moving deftly across the console. "If you encounter fragmented layers, stabilize the memory thread first. We can't afford another freefall like last time."
"Got it," Ayan replied, glancing at his team. Nitya stood to his left, her expression stoic but her hands betraying a slight tremor as she adjusted her gloves. Haider checked the pulse stabilizers strapped to his wrists, his calm demeanor masking the storm he often brought into the dream world.
