Rain needles the motel lot, turning the asphalt into a black mirror. Sally and Devlan step out just in time to spot The Courier by their car, a waterproof packet in hand. He does not look surprised to see them.
The Courier
The Department has moved your scientist. Secondary location, this morning. I brought the route before it gets buried.
He lifts the packet slightly, careful and tense. Devlan angles himself between Sally and the car, reading The Courier’s face for a trap. The motel room key swings from Sally’s damp hand.
Sally
They are already moving him because of us.
The Courier
This is bigger than one case file. If you want the truth about the lab, you need to follow the transfer chain, not the dead end they left you.
Thunder rolls over the lot. Somewhere beyond the office windows, a clerk ducks the noise and keeps pretending not to watch. The packet looks thin, but the weight of it changes everything, the hunt has a direction now, and the Department is still one step ahead.
✓ Quest Accepted
Follow the transfer chain to the scientist
“I step toward the courier and hold out my hand for the packet.”
SUCCESS (Great Persuasion, rolled +0)
Sally steps into the rain and reaches out, palm open. The Courier hesitates only a beat, then puts the packet into her hand as if handing over something fragile and already late.
The Courier
Keep the route dry. If the Department sees you with it, they erase the trail again.
Sally
I have it. Tell me what moved with him.
The Courier
A sealed transfer, warehouse first, then rail intake. The scientist is alive when they load him.
Devlan Mitchel
He is giving them a path, not a gift.
Devlan lowers his blocking arm a fraction, eyes still sharp on the lot. The motel window glows behind them, and the red pulse from the van outside flashes once across the glass like a warning sign nobody wants to name.
The Courier
If you go after him now, you follow their handoff. If you stall, you lose him for good.
The packet rests in Sally's wet hand between them, route sealed and waiting. The Courier watches her face, then glances toward the road, leaving the choice hanging in the rain.
Protect the route from Department tracking
Quest Complete
Follow the transfer chain to the scientist