The airlock yawns open on the transit spine, and red alert strobes hammer the corridor. Captain Kaelen waits in the center line, weapon raised, cutting off the escape route to the outer transit network.

Zoya and Serafina snap in front of Nahuli, shields up by instinct. Kaelen does not even flinch, his aim stays locked on Nahuli and the data shard in his hand.

Nahuli plants his feet at the airlock threshold. The corridor hums with sealed bulkheads and distant machinery, but the only opening left is the one ahead of Kaelen's barrel.

Kaelen shifts his stance, calculating the distance. Behind him, the transit spine stretches toward the spire city exits, the last route out if Nahuli can break this blockade.

Nahuli shifts his grip on the shard, his multi-tool a blur of motion against the housing. A rapid data burst transmits to his wrist display, a complete mirror of the shard contents.

With a final, sharp click, he reroutes the internal power cell, turning the harmless data crystal into a high-voltage surge capacitor.

Nahuli slides the shard across the slick metal floor. As Kaelen lunges to catch it, the device pulses with a violent, electric whine.

The shard snaps his trap shut. Kaelen jerks back as the charge kicks through him, and the deck lights flare in warning. Nahuli is already moving.

He darts past the captain’s reach, boots striking hard on the corridor metal. The transit spine entrance looms ahead, bulkheads strobing red.

Serafina shifts just enough to open a lane, eyes tracking the corridor behind Nahuli. Kaelen drops to one knee, snarling through the sting in his arm.

Nahuli slips through the gap and hits the threshold. The outer transit spine is there, sealed but clear, its rail line stretching into the dark beyond.

The blue arc still crawls over the data crystal as it skitters free near Nahuli’s feet, glowing against the floor.

Ahead, the transit spine access panel flashes amber, waiting for a hand or a hack, while Kaelen struggles back to his feet behind him.