Buster Jones
Take the mask off. Show me who you are.
Mara
She freezes, fingers on the clasp, and for the first time her control slips.
The shaft shudders hard. Sparks spit from the seams as the hunters stare, too shocked to move.
Mara
If I do this, there is no going back.
Her hand lifts the mask free in one trembling motion. Beneath it is a battered human face, pale with strain, eyes red from dust and fear.
Leo
They blink at her, then at Buster, relief and disbelief fighting across their face.
A fresh groan tears through the shaft. A cracked panel caves inward behind them, opening a jagged route toward the service spine and the only way out.
✓ Quest Accepted
Escape the failing facility with the Teenager and the Hunter Captain
✓ Quest Accepted
Help the Hunter Captain commit to the escape
“I grab the Captain's and Teenager's arms and pull them toward the jagged opening.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +2)
Buster hooks one arm around the Captain and the other around the Teenager, then he hauls. Their boots scrape metal, and the three of them surge toward the jagged breach together.
Mara
She catches her balance by reflex, mask dangling from one hand, eyes fixed on the opening.
The shaft groans again. Sparks rain past Hunter One and Hunter Two as the torn panel widens under Buster's pull.
Leo
Now, now, go!
The Captain stumbles through first, then the Teenager, both yanked into the bright service spine as the broken shaft buckles behind them.
Hunter One
Captain!
Hunter Two
His rifle stays low as dust and light swallow the gap.
Behind them, the collapsing shaft seals the hunters off in a storm of twisted steel. Ahead, the Captain turns back, mask still in hand, facing Buster with the first clear choice of her own.
Quest Complete
Help the Hunter Captain commit to the escape