Mamin’s fingertips hovered over the holo‑table. A cascade of code streamed across the display, each line a delicate filament of light weaving through the quantum lock’s defenses. “I’m in,” she said, voice tense. “Just… a little longer.”
Vargesh placed a steady hand on her shoulder. “We’ve got time. Just keep your head down.”
Inside the pod, Drax’s mechanical arm extended, its claw-like grip delicately prying the magnetic cradle free. The V-5 Core hovered in mid‑air, a faint blue aura pulsing from its quantum lattice. Drax’s fingers brushed the surface, feeling the faint hum of raw computational power.
Jarek slipped his boots off, rolling them onto the table with a soft thud. “The convoy’s on a loop, twenty‑four minutes from now. We’ll need to be in the undercroft before the first wave hits, or we’ll be caught in the crossfire.”