Cold night air knifes through the opening hatch. The archives groan behind Dallas Fontaine, while Jackson Temple braces in the corridor, firing into the dark to buy one last minute.
Jackson Temple
Move, Dallas. I’ll hold them.
Clara hovers at the threshold, then shoves the routing log into Dallas's hands. Murderbone plants himself at his side, all teeth and patience, watching the black mouth behind them.
Clara
Take it and go. Make it count.
Dallas Fontaine
The hatch is clear enough to escape through. Jackson is outnumbered.
A surge of boots pounds the corridor. Jackson fires again, and a shouted order breaks apart under the gunfire. The exterior leaf opens wider, spilling night across the floor like ink.
Jackson Temple
Dallas. Now.
Dallas stands at the lip of the exit, the log in one hand, the revolver in the other. Behind him, Jackson keeps the line. Ahead, the dark waits. The choice is his.
“I cover Jackson and fire down the corridor”
SUCCESS (Legendary Firearms, rolled +1)
Dallas snaps the revolver up and sends a clean burst down the corridor. The closest officer jerks back into the dark, and Jackson gets a moment of room.
Jackson uses the opening, firing from cover while the pursuit bunches and stumbles. Their line breaks under the crossfire.
Jackson Temple
That buys us air. Keep them pinned.
Clara flinches at the muzzle flash, then looks past Dallas to the open hatch, the cold night waiting beyond it.
Clara
Go. Now, before they regroup.
Murderbone holds low at Dallas's knee, teeth bared toward the corridor, then shifts toward the hatch as if counting the distance out.
Dallas Fontaine
The corridor is breaking. The exit is open.
A final shout cracks from the dark behind Jackson, but it does not form into a charge. The path to the hatch stays clear for the moment.
“Is the corridor clear enough to escape?”
YES, AND MORE (VeryLikely, rolled 3)
The corridor falls into a sudden, heavy silence as the security team retreats into the shadows of the archives. The path to the exterior hatch is completely unobstructed, and the cold night air rushes in to meet them.
Jackson Temple
They are pulling back. The route is wide open, Dallas. Go.
“We all exit the hatch”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -1)
“We all exit the hatch”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +3)
Dallas steps through first, the routing log tight in one hand, and the others move on his signal. Clara slips after him with a sharp breath, Murderbone close at her knee, and Jackson brings up the rear with his pistol still ready.
They clear the hatch together, one after another, boots striking the outer landing as the last of the corridor light spills behind them.
Jackson leans back into the opening and fires a final covering burst down the corridor, then pulls away as the threat stays out of sight.
Clara
We are out. Close it if you can, and keep that log dry.
Dallas lands on the exterior walkway and the open night takes him in, cold and salt-heavy. Below, the archives yard sits quiet and empty, but a fresh scrape from deeper inside the complex carries through the frame of the hatch.
Jackson Temple
Move. We have what we came for.
Murderbone plants himself between Dallas and the hatch, calm but watchful, while Clara catches sight of the log in Dallas's hand and the tension in her face eases into hard relief.
Quest Complete
Get clear of the archives pursuit
Clara
We made it. Dallas, go. Go now.
Murderbone
Path is clear. Move like you mean it.
Dallas Fontaine
I am. And I am bringing this home.
Jackson Temple
Then quit staring at the dark and take the hatch, Fontaine. I have this.
Dallas crossed into the night with the routing log tight in hand, while the archives behind him fell silent at last. The conspiracy had lost its grip on the evening, and the wedding still waited for him beyond the city lights. For now, there was only the cold air, his companions at his back, and the hard-earned relief of a future still intact.