Crimson strobe lights bleed through the thick, toxic smog, painting the rooftop in frantic, rhythmic pulses of red. The Disavowed Operative
drags his twitching frame across the corrugated metal, his optics flickering like dying fluorescent bulbs. He ignores the scream of plasma fire overhead, his fingers digging into the scorched armor of the deceased Enforcer (ID:2).
Disavowed Operative
Kaine, you scav. Do not think that data belongs to you.
Disavowed Operative
My neural link is searing, but I can feel the encryption key under his gauntlet. Once I pull this drive, the grid won't matter. Nothing will matter.
Cafari Kaine
Step away from the body, ID:1. That drive is the only reason I am still breathing.
Cafari Kaine
He is moving faster than he should. If he locks that drive to his personal rig, the intel is as good as encrypted. I need to close this distance before the next turret volley hits.
The Disavowed Operative wedges a jagged pry-tool into the Enforcer's wrist port, his jaw locked in a rictus of sheer, agonizing effort.
+ Scene Quest Added
Retrieve the encryption key from the Enforcer's body
“Shoot agent”
SUCCESS (Great Firearms, rolled +0)
Cafari Kaine fires once. The bullet whistles through the rain, punching a clean hole through the operative's shoulder just as he yanks the drive free.
Disavowed Operative
Nngh!
The operative spins violently, the force of the impact hurling him backward. His fingers lose their grip, and the glowing encryption key sails through the air, tumbling end over end toward the edge of the roof. Below, the factory floor is a dark abyss, the drop steep enough to shatter even the most reinforced cybernetic chassis.
Cafari Kaine
He is going to lose the drive. If I don't catch it before it clears the ledge, the data is gone for good. But the turrets are locking onto my heat signature again. I have a heartbeat to choose between the recovery and the cover.
High above, the turret swivel locks into place with a mechanical grind, the charging whine of plasma building to a deafening, high-pitched shriek.
+ Story Quest Added
Recover the encryption key before it falls
+ Scene Quest Added
Retrieve the falling key and escape the rooftop
“Dive after jey”
FAILURE (Superb Agility, rolled -1)
Cafari Kaine lunges, his boots skidding on the rain-slicked ferro-concrete. He pushes his body to the limit, fingers clawing at the empty air as the encryption key slips just past his reach. His center of gravity betrays him. Instead of snagging the prize, his momentum carries him over the lip of the roof, his chest slamming hard against the jagged edge of the parapet.
Cafari Kaine
Pain, white-hot and blinding, flares through my ribs. The impact jars the breath from my lungs. I'm dangling halfway off the edge, and the key... it's gone. It’s falling into the dark.
The plasma turret tracks the movement, its barrel glowing with an ominous, building ultraviolet light. With Kaine pinned to the edge and the drive tumbling toward the abyss, the automated defense system finishes its target acquisition. The hum of the weapon hits a soul-piercing crescendo.
Cafari Kaine
If I don't pull back now, I’m going to be ash.
Quest Complete
Recover the encryption key before it falls
Quest Complete
Retrieve the falling key and escape the rooftop
+ Story Quest Added
Escape the rooftop before the plasma turret fires