Behind the main relay, the little monitor wakes up in Buster's hand. The catwalk feed is still live, crisp and distant, and the map window still marks his exact spot at the tower base.
Then the image shifts, not to a recording, but to Mara. She is on the catwalk above, watching the screen, watching him, her face gone tight with sudden dread.
The monitor is a two-way mirror. Mara was never just tracking the warehouse, she has been seeing Buster react in real time, from the van, from the catwalk, from somewhere just out of reach.
Buster Jones
So that was the trap. Not a lock, a live feed.
Buster's wounded hand throbs under the light, the scrape around it red and angry. The infection has crept past the cut, making his grip feel hot and wrong.
Above him, Mara starts down toward the platform, one hand raised, torn between apology and urgency as the tower hums around them.
✓ Quest Accepted
Confront Mara about the live feed
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn why Mara watched Buster in real time
“Has this entire time together been just another part of your assignment?”
NO (Likely, rolled 74)
Mara
No, Buster. I was a handler, yes, but the moment I saw you in that basement, the assignment died. Everything since then has been me trying to find a way to be someone else.
Mara
He looks at me like I am a bomb about to go off. I just need him to see that I am not the one holding the detonator anymore.
“I demand Mara explain the live feed”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Buster Jones
Buster keeps the monitor low and asks Mara to explain the live feed.
The cracked screen reflects only fragments of their faces, and Mara flinches as if the broken device still has ears.
Mara
I watched because they made me. The feed was supposed to keep me on you, to report every move. I kept it running because I was afraid they would know if I stopped.
Buster Jones
So the tower was tracking him the whole time.
Mara swallows hard and lowers her gaze to the face-down monitor on the concrete, her hands still open, empty, and shaking.
Mara
That first day in the basement, I saw you protect people who had every reason to run from you. After that, I started lying to my handlers, then to myself. I wanted a way out, and you were the only honest thing in reach.
Her voice thins on the last word. Above them, the tower hums through its metal skin, distant but constant, while the note on the bench and the old surveillance habits of the city hang between them like ghosts.
Mara
If you want to call it a betrayal, I will not dodge it. But I need you to know why I kept looking, Buster. I was trying to choose you over them, one failed second at a time.
Quest Complete
Confront Mara about the live feed
Quest Complete
Learn why Mara watched Buster in real time