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DATA LOSS // LOG 08: Dangling Over the Abyss
The Labs sound like another high-security maze, and frankly, my brain can’t take any more electronic locks right now. I need to get to that backup station at the bottom of the pit. I approach the edge of the chasm, the cold updraft from the bottomless void whistling against my newly acquired armored environment suit.
Suspended directly in the center of the dark cavern is ISIS. It’s a massive, geometric block of black alloy and exposed cooling fins, completely silent except for a low, hydraulic purr. Its primary sensor lens—a massive, dead-grey searchlight eye—is currently angled downward, staring blankly into the dark. If that eye blinks awake and catches me in its gaze, it won't just kill my clone; it'll dissolve the fragile d4 Integrity I have left.
THE DESCENT: THE CAVERN PIT (HAZARD)
Thick, grease-covered power cables dangle from the metamind's chassis, stretching all the way down to the edge of the pit floor like giant, synthetic vines. I tuck my broken Arcwire Tool securely into my belt, wrap my armored gloves around the freezing metal weave of the nearest cable, and swing my legs out over the black drop.
The goal is pure stealth: slide down the line slowly, moving only when the machine's cooling vents cycle with a loud hiss to mask the sound of my armor scraping the cable. I need to drop past its blind spot before those sensor arrays spin up.
Janse is attempting a quiet, physical descent to avoid detection by a lethal metamind. This utilizes the Speed skillset. Janse's Speed is a standard d6.
Thanks to the Medic8 shot from the last log, Janse is no longer injured. However, the rules state that carrying 2+ heavy items or being hindered by circumstances can lower your die. While Janse's armor is sturdy, it's considered standard pads/riot gear, and he's not overburdened. We roll the flat d6.
Rolling 1d6... Result: 3 (Setback!)
The GM Renders the Verdict: A 3 is a Setback. You make progress down the pit, but the sleeping giant isn't completely asleep anymore.
I’m halfway down the cable, muscle fibers straining as I lower myself centimeter by centimeter, when my armored boot slips on a thick patch of synthetic grease. *SCHLIT.* My leg swings out, and my knee armor cracks loudly against a structural steel guide rail. The echo rings through the cavern like a gunshot.
Above me, the giant geometric chassis of ISIS groans. Internal cooling fans instantly spike into a high-pitched whine, and the massive, dead-grey sensor lens snaps to life with a blinding, neon-indigo glow. The searchlight beam begins to sweep across the cables, hunting for the source of the vibration.
I slide down the remaining fifteen meters of the cable at a breakneck speed, burning the palms of my gloves, and hit the rocky floor of the pit just as the indigo light washes over the wall right above my head. I dive behind a heavy steel equipment crate at the base of the primary backup station, but the edge of the beam clips my left arm. A jolt of pure static passes through my mind, making my vision blur. I am safely at the bottom, but ISIS is active, searching, and I am officially hindered by the near-miss of its gaze.
ROOM 2: THE PIT FLOOR (ENCOUNTER)
I'm crouched in the shadows, my heart hammering against my ribs, watching the indigo searchlight circle the cavern floor. The primary backup station is right here—a sleek, pristine corporate terminal glowing with a beautiful, clean white light. It's an oasis in this dump. If I can secure it, I can use my Repair Gel to finally fix my broken Arcwire Tool in peace.
But the noise from my descent didn't just wake up the metamind.
From the dark recesses of the lower tunnels, three figures step into the flashing indigo light. They’re Corrupted Miners. They’re moving with a slow, jerky coordination, their muscles unnaturally swollen from crystal exposure. Two of them are dragging heavy, industrial-grade Power Sledges that spark against the stone floor, and their faces are completely obscured by thick, glowing violet crystal growths. They block the terminal entirely.
They know I'm down here. The closest miner lifts a massive power sledge over his shoulder, the hydraulic head of the hammer revving up with a lethal bass thrum.
I am trapped at the bottom of a pit. A giant eye is hunting me from above (hindering my next move), a heavy-weapon squad is closing in from the front, and my only tool is broken. But I still have my mind, my armor, and 1 SOUL Chip in my pocket.
If you're interested in playing 2400 Data Loss, you can find it here.
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