The humid air of the Neo-Spire Commute Terminal hummed with the high-frequency whine of magnetic rails and ambient holographic ads. Kaelen adjusted the strap of his chest rig, double-checking his wrist-display. Two minutes until the hyper-tube arrived.

A sudden, hard collision knocked him sideways.

“Hey! Watch it—wait a minute!”

A tall man in a glowing synth-leather jacket slammed his hand onto Kaelen’s shoulder. His cybernetic iris flared blood-red.

“My biometric vault!” the man yelled, his voice carrying clearly across the packed platform. “You just dipped my jacket!”