Universal Shift - Chapter 2

Elias woke to tumbling chaos—stars cartwheeling past the cracked viewport. His leg burned; a jagged strut had sliced through suit and skin. Nanites surged, sealing the wound fast. Suit alarm screamed: pressure dropping fast. Atmosphere vented in white plumes. “Sam?” he croaked. “Sam, talk to me!” Static only. He pushed off the cradle, drifting through the spinning corridor. Personal fabricator on his forearm lit green—still live. He queued two air tanks; it hummed, extruding them in twenty seconds. He snapped them on. Breath steadied. “Sam! Come on—respond!” Silence. Hull breaches whistled. He grabbed a handhold as 0358 rolled. Main power bus dark, relay scorched. He traced the damage, found the shattered node. Fabricator whirred—new relay printed hot and fragile. He slotted it. Console flickered; lights stuttered on. EMERGENCY BEACON ACTIVE. LOCATION: UNKNOWN. “Sam…” No answer. He exhaled fog on the visor. He moved on, fabricator ready.