The heavy blast doors hiss open, and the white fog swirls as a squad of security officers enters. They move with practiced precision, securing the chemist and dragging the unconscious clown toward the exit. Jala Dube adjusts her lab coat, her expression shifting from panic to a cold, calculated composure as the hazmat team activates the emergency scrubbers.
Jack Slay
Security, you can file your report, but I have a department to run. I am done here.
Jack Slay
She is moving too quickly, and there is still that missing vial in her pocket. If I let her walk out now, the truth goes with her.
Jack Slay
Hold it, Dube. You aren't leaving until I get a full inventory of what you were trying to hide in that vent.
Jack Slay
Talk to the Warden, Jack. I am sure he will find your suspicions as tiresome as I do.
Jala Dube turns on her heel, striding past the security squad and disappearing into the hallway. The blast doors hiss shut behind her, leaving Jack Slay alone with the lingering scent of ozone and the silence of the clearing Medbay.
+ Scene Quest Added
Recover the missing vial from Jala Dube
“Make the report, but insist heavily that she's up to no good and should be detained, explain what you saw, time is of the essence, if the Head of security lets her go you're certain the evidence won't be in play anymore”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +3)
Jack Slay
Wait! Warden, hold the line!
The Warden stops, hand hovering over the door override. Jack lunges forward, his heavy boots skidding on the slick floor. He plants himself firmly between Jala Dube and the exit, ignoring the Warden’s annoyed glare.
Jack Slay
Check her pockets, Warden. Now. I saw her stash a sample in that vent. If she leaves with that vial, we lose the only evidence of what she was brewing.
Jack Slay
The silence in the room is heavy. If I am wrong, my career on this station is finished. If I am right, I might actually save a few lives today.
Warden
Dube, empty your pockets. Slowly.
Jack Slay
This is harassment, Jack. You are making a massive mistake.
The chemist stiffens, her hand trembling as she reaches toward her lab coat pocket. The Warden steps in, his grip tightening on his baton, ready to force the issue.
“Explain plainly that, if she's right, she has nothing to worry about, only he does.”
FAILURE (Mediocre Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Jack Slay
Look, Jala. If you are innocent, this is just a quick procedure. If anyone is in trouble here, it is me. I am the one putting my badge on the line based on a hunch. Just comply.
Jack Slay
Why did I say it like that? I sound desperate. She is looking at me like I am a glitch in the station software.
Jack Slay
A hunch? You are a paranoid drunk, Jack. I am not letting you rifle through my personal belongings because you have a bruised ego.
Jala suddenly lunges, not for the door, but for the heavy medical cart to her left. She slams it into the console, triggering an emergency lockdown. The blast door shudders, accelerating downward with a violent mechanical groan.
Warden
Down! Get back!
The heavy durasteel plate slams into the deck plating, separating the Warden from the pair with a resounding boom, sealing Jack and Jala in the suffocating chemical fog.
+ Scene Quest Added
Escape the sealed Medbay
“Well that was dumb of her, arrest her now, if there were any doubt of her guilt, there isn't any now. *Take down*”
SUCCESS (Superb Strength, rolled +0)
Jack Slay
She made her choice. I am done asking.
Jack lunges through the thickening fog, his combat training overriding his hesitation. He pivots, hooking his arm around Jala’s midsection before she can scramble away from the console. With a sharp, practiced rotation, he hauls her off her feet, slamming her firmly against the bulkhead.
“*Hip throw, her back to the ground, handcuff*”
SUCCESS (Good Military martial training, rolled +1)
The sound of air hissing through the vents is drowned out by the thud of bodies meeting steel. Jack pivots on his heel, catching Jala mid-stride. Her feet leave the floor as he plants her spine against the reinforced bulkhead. She gasps, the air punched from her lungs, but Jack maintains a firm, immovable hold. He draws his regulation cuffs from his belt with his free hand, the metal clicking sharply in the confined, chemical-choked space.
Jack Slay
She is quick, but she is sloppy. No more games.
Jack Slay
You are done running, Dube. Give me the vial, or this becomes a lot more painful.
Jala’s eyes widen as she struggles against his grip, her hands frantic, searching for leverage that isn't there. The fog swirls around them like a shroud, obscuring the blinking red lights of the emergency alarm.
Quest Complete
Recover the missing vial from Jala Dube
Skill Upgrade: Chemistry Knowledge Mediocre→Fair
“Raido the AI to open the damn door”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled +0)
Jack releases his hold on Jala just long enough to key the emergency frequency into his security radio. He keeps a sharp eye on her as he speaks, his knuckles white against the plastic casing.
Jack Slay
AI, this is security officer 0. Override Medbay lockdown. Open the bulkhead. That is an order.
Jack Slay
If that machine stalls, I am going to tear its logic board out of the main server myself.
The radio emits a static-filled crackle. Somewhere deep in the station core, mechanical gears grind in protest. The heavy blast door shudders, its locking pins retracting with a sharp, pneumatic groan. As the steel slab begins to slide upward, a sliver of light from the corridor pierces the chemical gloom, illuminating Jala’s defiant, sweat-streaked face. She shifts her weight, her eyes darting toward the opening gap.
Quest Complete
Escape the sealed Medbay
Item Acquired: Advanced Medkit