BonerFart and the others reach the drainage steps, and stop. Two guards block the way down, heads bent over a ledger instead of the stair. One page is spread between them, and the mark on it matches the plan on Merrin’s table.
Joe tightens his grip on his weapon, Steven goes still beside the wall, and Garrick shifts weight toward the opening. Merrin’s eyes flick from the guards to the map in their hands, then to BonerFart. Edrin draws a slow breath, watching the stairwell.
The nearest guard taps the ledger with a knuckle. He is waiting for a name, or a signal. The second guard scans the dark above the steps, just a little too late.
BonerFart
Their map is a copy of ours.
That thought lands hard. If Barack has the route, then the trap is already laid, or the leak is inside the circle. The drainage path, the choke points, the timing, all of it now points straight back to him.
For one narrow heartbeat, the guards are distracted by the ledger, and the stair stands open. BonerFart has a chance to strike first, slip away, or turn this ambush into proof that Barack is reading their every move.
✓ Quest Accepted
Neutralize the guards at the drainage steps
✓ Quest Accepted
Expose the leak in Barack’s circle