Dallas slips deeper into the ribbed maintenance corridor, the routing log tight under his arm. Behind him, Jackson’s gunfire snaps once, twice, and the bulkhead shudders under pressure.
Ahead, the scraping stops. A silhouette peels out of the yellow gloom, not a guard, but a man in a maintenance coat, one hand raised and the other clutching a battered key ring.
Maintenance Coat Man
Don’t shoot. I know the service spine. I can get you to the exterior hatch before they seal the lane.
Dallas Fontaine
Then talk fast. Which hatch?
The man flinches at the voice behind Dallas, then points past a grated bend where the corridor narrows toward a wet, low draft. Somewhere behind them, Jackson barks a warning and the pursuit surges closer.
Maintenance Coat Man
Lower cargo run. Two doors, one blind camera, and a dead latch if the power stays out. They’re cutting the tunnel from the other side.
The key ring is stamped for archives access, newer than the coat.
The route is clear now, escape through the cargo run, or stay here and let Jackson be overrun.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the exterior hatch
“I tell Clara keep this guy right here. I've gotta get Jax. Murderbone and I back up jax”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +1)
Dallas snaps the order back toward Clara, then pivots hard and drives for the breach with Murderbone at his flank. The routing log stays pinned tight as gunfire pops behind the damaged bulkhead.
Jackson Temple fires from the opening, shoulders locked, holding the line while the security team pounds the frame from the far side.
Dallas reaches the bulkhead in a sliding step, plants one hand on the metal, and leans in beside Jackson. Murderbone lowers his head and braces at the gap, all teeth and muscle.
Jackson Temple
Good. Take the left side. They’re trying to push through the frame.
A baton slams the door seam. Paint flakes. The red alarm lamp keeps flickering over the corridor, making the corridor look like it is breathing.
Clara stays behind with the maintenance worker, both of them framed by the bend, while the route to the cargo run remains open behind Dallas.
Dallas squares up beside Jackson, the log still safe, as the next удар hits the bulkhead and the frame groans under the pressure.
“I joke to Jax "I can't get married if my best man gets himself killed. Reverse cover and move. So we can keep them at bay on the way to the exit. Of course if you get a clean shot take it." We retreat toward Clara.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +0)
Dallas Fontaine
I can't get married if my best man gets himself killed. Reverse cover and move, Jax. If you get a clean shot, take it.
Dallas backs off the frame in a tight sidestep, drawing the fight away from the breach. Jackson shifts with him, muzzle tracking the opening while the security push loses the direct angle on the log.
Murderbone pivots with Dallas, shoulder low, turning the corridor into a moving shield. The red alarm lamp stutters over their coats as they give ground together.
The maintenance worker flinches at the bend, then jerks a thumb toward the lower cargo run. Clara sees it too, already moving to clear space ahead.
Jackson Temple
Move. I have the door.
Dallas takes the line of retreat, keeping his body between the log and the breach. One sharp shot cracks back through the frame, then the corridor opens in front of him.
Clara and the maintenance worker are now ahead in the run, with the damaged bulkhead behind Dallas and Jackson. The scrape from deeper in the tunnel keeps working its way forward.
“I keep moving toward the cargo run”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -3)
Dallas keeps moving, shoulders tight around the routing log, and the corridor widens into the lower cargo run. He gets there clean, but the escape burns a precious second while the bulkhead bangs behind him.
The maintenance worker skids back against the wall ahead, eyes on the hatch route, while Clara snatches the log’s corner to steady it between them. The path is real, and it is open.
Jackson Temple
Go. I am not losing you to a door.
A shot slams into the frame behind Jackson, showering the tunnel with paint flakes and hot dust. He holds position, but the impact knocks a fresh dent into the damaged bulkhead.
Murderbone
Grrr.
Murderbone presses in closer to Dallas, blocking the lane with his body as the scraping from deeper in the tunnel carries forward again. This one sounds closer than before.
Clara
Cargo hatch is ahead. Move now, before whoever is coming reaches this junction.
“I keep moving toward the cargo run”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -3)
Dallas keeps moving, slipping past the bend with the log hugged tight. The cargo run opens ahead, and he gets through it, but the rushing footfalls behind him force him to keep his head down.
Murderbone crowds his flank, shoulder hitting Dallas’s knee as they clear the corner. The dog’s body blocks a loose angle from the breach, forcing the chase to funnel narrower.
Jackson Temple
Go. I am not losing you to a door.
A shot cracks into the bulkhead frame behind Jackson. The metal rings, paint and dust bursting into the lane, and the fresh dent splits the panel wider.
Clara
Cargo hatch is ahead. Move now, before whoever is coming reaches this junction.
Dallas gets the route under control and the path stays open, but the impact costs him, a hot sting cuts his shoulder where debris skims skin.
The scraping deeper in the tunnel drags closer, almost at the mouth of the run now, and the whole corridor seems to hold its breath.
“I push for the exterior hatch”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +0)