Darnell remains cuffed beside the barrier as Jade tracks the kernel signal toward the shaft. Beyond the chain-link, a young human man steps from the shadows in battered silver plate armor, bruised beneath tousled hair and carrying a weatherproof expedition container.
Calisto
Calisto. Knight, explorer, occasional professional mistake-maker. The missing expedition never reached its recorded destination.
He keeps the container tight against his armored side. Scratches score its dark casing, and a faded expedition seal has been deliberately scraped from the lid.
Officer Darnell
You were with them? Then put the container down and step away from the barrier.
Calisto
Absolutely not. The moment this reaches official hands, the route disappears, the records change, and everyone involved becomes very difficult to find.
Far above, tires hiss over wet pavement before a vehicle stops. Its doors do not open. Darnell turns toward the ceiling, while the kernel countdown sheds another block of missing digits.
Calisto
That vehicle is why I came through the tunnels. Whatever you are doing down here, decide quickly. I will not let them take this container.
Secure the expedition container
Learn the fate of the missing expedition