The hatch slid open.

"Verification required," the voice said in clipped English with an odd cadence—an overlay, like an automated assistant modulating a human speaker. "State your purpose."

Maya exhaled. "I’m here for the file. hsoda030engsub."

She tucked the cassette and the recorder into her pack and stepped back into the corridor. Every shadow seemed to hold a camera. Every echo felt like a receiver. The tag—hsoda030engsub—was no longer a filename; it was a covenant.