He almost snapped at her. Instead he bent, hands on his knees for one stolen second, coughing into the crook of his arm until black flecks hit the white floor. The stain looked obscene in this place. He straightened too fast, the corridor swaying around him, and forced his eyes to work. "There will be emergency routing. Internal evac maps. Secondary vent trees. Towers this size always carry-"

"Find them while walking," Mara said, moving ahead at a fast, flat pace, knife low in one hand though there was no one in sight.

She moved ahead at a fast, flat pace, knife low in one hand though there was no one in sight. Elias followed with a hitch in his step, one palm pressed to his side, his satchel thumping against his hip. His wrapped hand slipped when he touched the wall for balance. The panel was cold enough to sting.

Displays woke as they passed. Thin lines of text slid under the surface, so sharp and bright they looked etched in light. He caught pieces only because his eyes were desperate and trained: FIRE RESPONSE ACTIVE. SECTIONAL ISOLATION. CALM WINDOW LIMITED. Then a branching tower map flashed up and folded away before he reached it.

"Wait." He lurched back, stabbed at the surface with his good hand, and the map returned in layers. Service trunks. Occupancy nodes. Lift wells. No public route from the perimeter. The core sat sealed in the center like a bone inside flesh.

He searched for auxiliary exits, refuge chambers, smoke channels—anything that could show how Lina might have cleared the fire line.