Cold night air hits Sally as she and the Cutoff Man clear the lab entrance. The open seam behind them spills a hard white slash of fluorescent light onto the pavement.
A muscle car skids to a stop at the curb, tires hissing on wet asphalt. The driver door throws open.
Devlan Mitchel
Easy. Pistol stays down. Who are you two?
Devlan Mitchel steps out in a brown leather jacket and aviator sunglasses, gun held low but ready. He checks the busted door, then Sally, then the Cutoff Man, reading the scene fast.
Elias
She is the one we came for. She needs help, not a cross-examination.
Sally
I... I don't remember anything.
Devlan’s expression softens a fraction. He shifts his grip, still wary, but the muzzle dips closer to the ground.
Devlan Mitchel
Then you are coming with me before anyone else from this place shows up. We talk in the car.
✓ Quest Accepted
Decide whether to trust Devlan Mitchel's guidance
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what kind of facility this is
“I look at the lab entrance one last time to see if there is a sign or logo.”
SUCCESS (Fair Perception, rolled +1)
Sally turns back to the lab entrance. In the white spill of light, a peeled metal placard sits beside the frame, half-scorched but still readable.
Sally
Portland Research Facility. Biological Containment Wing.
The lettering is stenciled over older paint, with a small black warning stamp beneath it, the kind used on restricted government work.
Devlan Mitchel
You recognize that mark?
Devlan keeps his pistol low, but his eyes stay on Sally, waiting for the answer while the car door hangs open behind him.
Elias
That is enough for now. She saw what she needed to see.
Quest Complete
Learn what kind of facility this is
“I ask Devlan what he knows about this facility”
SUCCESS (Good Investigation, rolled +0)
Sally lowers her gaze from the placard and asks what this place is to him.
Devlan Mitchel
Portland Research Facility, back when it still had a clean name. Biological Containment Wing means they kept living subjects here.
Devlan Mitchel
The warning stamp is federal. Old work, buried after the ban. That is why I came when my friend pointed me here.
Elias
And that is why she needs to leave with us, now.
Devlan nods once, then adds the part he has been holding back.
Devlan Mitchel
I have seen facilities like this vanish records, false names, people too. If you remember anything, this lab is where I would start looking.
The open car door creaks in the cold while both men wait on Sally's answer, each for a different reason.
“Is Devlan telling me the whole truth?”
YES (Unlikely, rolled 14)
Sally
His eyes are steady, and he does not flinch when I look for the lie.
Devlan Mitchel
I know it is a lot to take in, but I have spent my life chasing the truth behind these masks and metal men. I am not here to play games with your life, Sally.
Elias
He is telling you the truth. My name is Elias, and I would not have brought you to him if I did not trust his word above all others.
“I ask Devlan why he knows about the facility”
FAILURE (Fair Persuasion, rolled -2)
Sally
Why do you know about this place?
Devlan Mitchel
Because I have been here before, after the first sweep. Not inside, not this close, but close enough to learn what they were hiding.
Devlan does not step forward. He keeps his hands open, and the cold from the open car door hangs between you like breath.
Devlan Mitchel
A friend of mine pointed me at the facility records, then at the people trying to bury them. That is how I found your file.
Sally
He knows more than he said before. He said file.
Elias
You see? He did not come here blind.
Devlan Mitchel
No, and I am still not asking you to trust me blind. I am asking you to let me show you the paper trail, if you want it.
“I ask Devlan to show me the paper trail”
SUCCESS (Fair Persuasion, rolled -2)
Sally
Show me the paper trail.
Devlan nods once, relief flickering across his face. He reaches into the open car door and pulls out a thin folder, then a second, heavier envelope with grease-dark corners.
Devlan Mitchel
It is not pretty, but it is real. Copies, notes, names, dates. Enough to start pulling on the thread.
He flips the folder open under the yellow car light, and the top page shows a stamped facility memo with Sally's file number circled in red.
Sally
He really has it.
Elias
Let her see the whole thing, Devlan. No tricks.
Devlan slides the folder closer without crossing the space between you, but a corner of paper catches on the car door and tears clean through. He winces, and the sound seems louder than it should in the cold.
Devlan Mitchel
There, that is my cost for being tidy. I can replace the copy. I cannot replace the names in it.
“I read the file number aloud”
SUCCESS (Good Investigation, rolled +0)
Sally reads the circled number off the page. The cold air hangs still as Devlan and Elias both go quiet, waiting for what the number means.
Devlan Mitchel
That is the one. I found it on three different copies, all tied back to the same file.
Elias shifts closer to the car, eyes on the torn edge of the folder, then on Sally's face.
Elias
He brought the proof, Sally. That is enough for me.
Devlan lowers the folder a little, giving her the pages instead of guarding them.
Devlan Mitchel
Take your time. If you want, I can point out every name before we leave.
The muscle car idles beside them, door still open, headlights washing the wet pavement and the lab wall in pale gold. The route out waits, but only if Sally steps with them.
“I am exhausted. Devlan has earned my trust. I need a place to sleep. I can go over the files ine the morning with a clear mind.”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled -2)
Sally lets the folder dip in her hands, the tension in her shoulders easing at last. The night feels suddenly heavier, and Devlan waits without pushing.
Sally
I am too tired to keep fighting this alone.
Devlan Mitchel
Then let’s get you somewhere warm. We can sort the papers in the morning.
He closes the gap to the open car door and takes the folder back only long enough to tuck it safely onto the seat, careful with the torn page.
Elias
I’ll ride with her, if that helps.
Devlan gives a short nod, and the two men make room for Sally to choose the back seat or the front. The headlights hold the wet pavement in a bright lane, while the lab behind them stays dark and sealed.
Devlan Mitchel
There’s a room I know, quiet and private. No questions tonight unless you want them.
Quest Complete
Decide whether to trust Devlan Mitchel's guidance
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Fair→Good