The door to the restricted surgical corridor burst open with a crash that echoed off the sterile tiles. Not the soft swish of the automatic doors, but the violent, manual force of something being shouldered aside.

Three men filled the doorway, dressed head-to-toe in black leather and tactical gear. Their presence was a physical shock in the quiet, antiseptic space. Between them, a fourth man was half-carried, half-dragged. His leather jacket was soaked through on one side, a deep, glistening black under the harsh light.