Concrete stairs drop into a buried service corridor, all humming lights and old damp. Elihjah Hunter reaches the lower landing as a metal blast door shudders ahead.
Beyond it, orange sparks spit from the steel seam. Heavy cutting torches are chewing in from the other side, fast.
Marcus
Eli, move. I have the drive, but I can’t hold this door much longer.
A panel beside the door crackles with comm static. Marcus is somewhere behind it, breathing hard, with no room left to retreat.
Marcus
If they get this memory, they keep hunting you. If they don’t, you still have a chance.
The torches flare brighter. A hot ribbon of metal warps outward, and the lock housing starts to buckle.
A thin spill of smoke curls under the door, and the corridor fills with the smell of scorched steel. Marcus coughs once, then pounds the other side for emphasis.
Marcus
Pick a side, Justice. Open the door, or tell me to run.
✓ Quest Accepted
Save the forensic analyst
“I slam my shoulder into the blast door to help Marcus hold it shut.”
SUCCESS (Superb Strength, rolled +1)
Elihjah Hunter drives his shoulder into the buckling steel. The door jolts, and the seam stops widening.
Marcus
That works. Keep pressure on it!
Heat washes over the corridor in a blistering wave, but the warped edge settles instead of peeling open.
Marcus
I have the drive in hand. I am coming through.
The lock housing groans, then holds. Smoke thins into a harsh ribbon under the threshold.
Marcus
Door is open. Take the analyst and move, now!
A side hatch beside the blast door clicks free, and a frightened forensic analyst stumbles into the corridor, blinking against the light.
Quest Complete
Save the forensic analyst