Buster ducks into the maintenance shed with Mara and the Veteran Hero, and the door eases shut behind them. Dust hangs in the single bare bulb’s light. Outside, footsteps and distant voices drift past the containers, then thin away.
The shed is cramped, with a rusted chair, a stack of old filters, and a coil of hose on the floor. Mara stays against the wall, breathing slowly, eyes fixed on Buster like she is checking that he is real.
Mara
He kept me alive out there. I need to stop reaching for tactics and start telling the truth.
The Veteran Hero
We made distance. That is enough for one minute.
His tone is quiet, not harsh. He plants himself near the door anyway, listening for trouble while the tower’s faint glow leaks through gaps in the wall.
Mara
I keep waiting for you to look at me like I am still the job.
The words land softly in the close space. Mara’s shoulders drop a little, as if saying them costs her something. The room settles around them, still dusty, still tense, but no longer rushing.
✓ Quest Accepted
Decide whether to trust Mara with the future
“I look at the Veteran Hero and ask him to help us find a way out of this city for good.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Buster Jones
Buster turns toward the Veteran Hero. “Help us find a way out of this city for good.”
The older man goes still by the door, then looks from Buster to Mara and back again, weighing the question like it matters.
The Veteran Hero
Out for good means no clean exits. Just the best one we can make.
He steps away from the threshold and crouches over the floor, tracing a rough line in dust between the shed wall and the city beyond.
Mara
Tell us where to start, and I will follow it this time.
The Veteran Hero studies both of them, then gives a short nod, the kind that grants trust without pretending it is easy.
The Veteran Hero
South freight tunnel, if it is still open. If not, we make a new road and leave before dawn.
“I ask where the south freight tunnel starts”
SUCCESS (Fair Investigation, rolled -1)
Buster Jones
Where does the south freight tunnel start?
The Veteran Hero
Two blocks south, under the old loading dock. There is a service hatch behind a broken chain-link gate.
The Veteran Hero
If the gate is welded shut, follow the rust stain along the curb. It ends at the access stairs.
He taps the dust line once, then drags a thumb to mark the hatch, the curb, and the stairwell in one clean route.
Mara
Then we go together, and we do not improvise unless we have to.
The Veteran Hero rises from his crouch and folds the route into a quick, practical map in his head. Buster has the answer now, plain and usable.
Outside the shed, a distant engine note drifts past and fades. Inside, the rough line in the dust stays between them, waiting for a decision.
“I ask the Veteran Hero to cover our tracks as Mara and I escape”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Buster Jones
Buster asks the Veteran Hero to cover their tracks while he and Mara get out.
The Veteran Hero
He gives one sharp nod. “I can do that. I will drag attention north, then burn the trail behind us.”
Mara
“Then we move on his signal,” she says, voice low but steady. “No arguing, no heroics.”
The Veteran Hero crosses to the trembling door and sets his shoulder against it, listening to the street like it might speak back. The dust map underfoot looks suddenly less like a plan and more like a promise.
Buster Jones
He means it. So does she.
The Veteran Hero
“When I open this door, you take the south route. Do not look back unless you have to.”
Mara steps beside Buster and lays two fingers against his forearm, brief and careful. Outside, the engine noise returns farther off, then fades again, and the shed goes still for one thin, waiting breath.
Quest Complete
Decide whether to trust Mara with the future
New Gift: Heartfelt Intuition