The raised freight causeway climbs over the relay district toward Warehouse Fourteen. Rain shines on its concrete lanes, while a fortified toll booth blocks the approach beneath floodlights.
Three survivors watch from firing slits in the booth: an older woman in a patched raincoat, a broad middle-aged man with a knit cap, and a young man gripping a flashlight. Their weapons stay trained but lowered.
The Toll-Booth Survivors
Stop there. Batteries, rations, or one piece of your recorded proof. Give us something, and the causeway stays open.
Seven
This route avoids the exposed service blocks. We can pay a fair toll, but we do not surrender anything that identifies our target or endangers the crew.
Seven steps into the rain-slick approach, keeping the crew behind the concrete divider. Meech studies the booth windows, roofline, and shadowed access ramp for movement that does not fit the demand.
Meech
The booth is too quiet for three people holding a checkpoint. Watch the side access. If this is a trap, it will close behind us.
The Toll-Booth Survivors
Then decide quickly. Warehouse Fourteen is drawing infected toward the lower streets, and the causeway will not remain open all night.
“Settle in and get rest so everyone can heal”
SUCCESS (Good Health, rolled +1)
Chuck guides the crew beneath the toll booth's sheltered overhang, away from the rain and floodlights. The duplicated evidence and remaining supplies stay together, dry and accounted for.
The Toll-Booth Survivors
Use the lee side and rest. We will keep watch while the rain covers the approach.
Seven settles near the divider with the route marks secured beneath her jacket. Meech checks each resting place, while Lucose, Rasan, and Trapreem lower their packs and conserve their strength.
Meech
We rest together, keep the evidence close, and move only when everyone is ready.
Chuck drinks sealed water, eases his wrist onto a folded jacket, and lets the guarded shelter's quiet do its work. The crew settles into a steady recovery.
Seven
Everyone is breathing easier. We have a safe pause, and the crew is ready to continue when Chuck gives the word.
Time passes beneath the booth's shelter. Rain softens, muscles loosen, and the crew finishes resting with its supplies, evidence, and active relay lead intact.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish whether the toll-booth survivors can be trusted
“I negotiate passage without surrendering our evidence”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
Chuck steps into the shelter's edge, keeping his hands visible and the evidence secured behind him. His LED mask settles into a calm, attentive expression as rain ticks against the booth.
Chuck
We keep our proof. We can offer sealed rations, spare batteries, and a clear warning about Warehouse Fourteen. Let the crew pass, and nobody brings trouble to your booth.
Chuck holds the line without raising his voice. Steady Under Fire keeps his breathing measured, while the mask's readable expression makes the proposal look deliberate rather than desperate.
The Toll-Booth Survivors
Fair terms. Keep your recorded proof, leave the rations and batteries, and take the lee-side lane. We will not search your crew.
The older woman lowers her weapon first. The broad man unlocks the barrier, and the young lookout shifts his flashlight toward the sheltered lane instead of the crew.
The Toll-Booth Survivors
Pass through. Warehouse Fourteen is open ahead, and the causeway remains yours until the next junction.
The barrier rises fully. Chuck's crew gathers its evidence and supplies, then moves through the protected lane with the toll booth behind them and the relay investigation intact.
Quest Complete
Establish whether the toll-booth survivors can be trusted