Police lights strobe beyond the closed service gate, washing the rain-slick route red and blue. Moon Knight keeps the robber in the yellow raincoat pinned beneath him as sirens grind closer.
A smoking cargo manifest skitters from the burning van, catches against the gate, and unfolds in the wind. One line lists a sealed experimental core among the stolen items.
Harbor Police
Police! Release the suspect and show your hands!
The Robber in the Yellow Raincoat
The core. They said it was still sealed. If that shipment ruptures, this whole harbor becomes a graveyard.
The robber in the yellow raincoat's struggle stops. Her eyes lock on the manifest beyond Moon Knight's shoulder, and the color drains from her face beneath the rain and harbor glare.
The Robber in the Yellow Raincoat
You need to listen. That core cannot go through customs, storage, or anywhere near those officers.
Harbor Police
Moon Knight, step away from her now!
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep the experimental core from endangering the harbor
“"Core? what core." I interrogate her as the police make their way over.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
Moonknight
Core? What core.
Moon Knight leans closer without loosening his hold. Behind him, police boots splash through the service gate, but his attention stays fixed on the manifest and the robber beneath him.
The Robber in the Yellow Raincoat
An experimental power core, stolen from a research shipment. It is in the van, sealed inside a black transport cylinder under the false floor.
Her voice steadies as the confession leaves her. She nods toward the burning vehicle, then toward the manifest caught against the gate.
The Robber in the Yellow Raincoat
The seal is intact, but heat can compromise it. Darius arranged the theft. Leon knew the buyer. I only knew the handoff was tonight.
Harbor Police
We have the scene secured! Keep away from that van and let our hazmat team handle the cargo!
The approaching officers spread along the gate, weapons lowered but ready. Smoke rolls from the van toward the harbor, while the manifest flaps open to the line naming the sealed core.
The Robber in the Yellow Raincoat
They cannot move it until the cylinder is checked.
“"Your saying there is something in that burning van that will explode?" I had her over to the police, while doing so I tell them to get everyone off the dock as quick as possible. I rush to the van and using my armor and quick regeneration I brute force my way through the burning van, looking for the false floor tile.”
FAILURE (Fair Investigation & Deduction, rolled -2)
Moonknight
You’re saying there’s something in that burning van that will explode?
Moon Knight hauls the robber in the yellow raincoat upright and shoves her toward the waiting officers. They seize her arms and pull her clear of the gate as smoke thickens behind them.
Moonknight
Get everyone off the dock. Move, now!
Harbor Police
Evacuate the dock! Clear the route and keep civilians back!
With the robber in the yellow raincoat secured, Moon Knight turns toward the burning van and charges through the smoke. Heat rolls over his armor as flames crawl across the cargo bay and the false floor disappears beneath soot.
Moonknight
The smoke is hiding the seams.
He tears through warped panels and kicks aside burning cargo, searching by touch and sight. The van’s interior collapses into a confusing maze of buckled metal, and he finds no reliable false-floor tile before the spreading fire seals the compartment.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the experimental power core
− Scene Quest Removed
Keep the experimental core from endangering the harbor
“I use my cape to waft the smoke away from the floor allowing my to look for the false floor tile.”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled +4)
Moon Knight reaches behind his shoulders and frees the fastenings holding his hooded cloak in place, letting the cape spread wide across his back without tearing or removing it. He steps into the van’s heat and snaps the fabric downward in controlled sweeps, forcing smoke away from the warped floor.
The air clears in widening pockets. Soot-coated metal resolves beneath the flames, and a rectangular seam appears where the cargo floor should be continuous, its edges unnaturally precise.
Harbor Police
Moon Knight, get clear! The fire crew is moving in!
The Harbor Police hold the evacuated route beyond the gate while smoke streams around them. Moon Knight keeps the cape moving, preserving a clear view as loosened soot slides from the concealed panel.
Moonknight
There. The false floor is under the rear brackets.
The seam and its recessed latch are fully exposed beneath the van’s buckled cargo bay. Moon Knight has located the false-floor tile, with the black transport cylinder hidden directly below it.
“I quickly pull the hatch open and grab the case, getting out of the van with it as fast and careful as possible.”
SUCCESS (Superb Strength, rolled +2)
Moon Knight hooks his fingers into the recessed latch and wrenches the false-floor hatch open. Heat ripples over the exposed compartment as the black transport cylinder appears beneath the van.
He reaches down through the opening, grips the cylinder's handles, and lifts it free with controlled force. The sealed container is heavy, but its casing remains intact.
Harbor Police
Moon Knight, leave the cargo and get clear! The fire crew is ready to pull you out!
Moon Knight tucks the cylinder against his armored torso, turns through the cleared cargo bay, and steps over the buckled frame without jarring the load.
He emerges from the van into rain and cooler air, carrying the black cylinder away from the flames. Smoke pours behind him as the fire crew advances.
Harbor Police
Set it down there, slowly! Nobody touches the seal until hazmat confirms the container is stable!
Quest Complete
Secure the experimental power core
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Good→Great
+ New Item Acquired
Black transport cylinder