ACT II · HOT ENTRY · SECURITY ACTIVE
Please Remain for Your Arrest
The factory wakes with a metallic cough. A speaker announces: “Unauthorised compassion detected. Please remain for your arrest.”
“At least their diagnostics work,” Paddy says. Armoured Naught troopers step onto the upper gallery. Romeo raises a shield as the first stun bolts strike.
Maddie points at the relay display: “Cooling, doors, beacon. 214. Useful for next time. We still have a route.”
Below the gallery, a maintenance robot marked PIP is trapped under a trolley. A crane can lift the wreckage if Romeo holds the incoming fire. Alternatively, the core door is open, or a coolant passage offers temporary shelter.
A setback is not the end. You can still rescue the voice. Decide what risk to take now.
Security is awake: You can save Pip, race to the core, or protect the team in cover. No option is risk-free.
Your move: