TUELLER: “How long have I been?”
MILLICENT: “Maybe a minute. I think your concussion has a concussion though, so if you try to stand up too fast I’ll burp at you and you’ll go back down.”
TUELLER: “Others?” Tueller looks around wildly to see who is around, and leans over to throw up again.
STORY: Tueller, you’re shaken up and a little cloudy – a four story drop will do that to you – but the damper did its job. Once you shake the cobwebs out you’ll be a little creaky and otherwise ready for action.
MILLICENT: “They’re chasing Miguel, who, and I’m sure you’re just learning this now, is bad?”
TUELLER: “No concussion. Just got punched in the gut by the ground.”
TUELLER: “I learned it about 2 seconds before I went out the window.”
MILLICENT: Under her breath, “Sounds like enough time to tell me. Millie, the cute cop is bad. See?”
MILLICENT: “Anyway, our car service is two minutes away.”
STORY: “You left your family, Alejo.”
STORY: “That’s who we were.”
STORY: He coughs again. More blood.
STORY: He’s not looking good.
ALEJO: Alejo nods, solemnly. “You were, Miguel. Cali was.” Alejo kneels down, palms up, and eases closer, friendly. “And I’m sorry for leaving you. Both. But the RDG. Exodus. Whatever. They used us. All of us. You know that. Right?”
ALEJO: “Let me help you, Miguel.”
STORY: “Too late for that, I think.” You see a dark, wet stain on his belly, previously covered by his arms.
ALEJO: He reaches out and touches Miguel on the shoulder, not reaching for the data file. “Jesus, Miguel. I’m sorry.”
STORY: “Too late for that too, brother.”
TUELLER: Tueller was eight when his manservant brought him a cat. “A mouser is a necessary thing on a starship. Take care of your cat and he’ll take care of you.” Tueller named him Marien. It was the first being that Tueller felt he could love without questioning its motives. He even successfully kept Esi from finding out about Marien for a couple of months. It wasn’t to last, though. When Esi found out, she took Marien away from him “To teach you a lesson.” Tueller never asked what lesson he was supposed to take away from this, and he never asked what happened to Marien. Whatever the truth was, it was better not to know.
—
STORY: Tueller, you dream, flittingly, of Marien. You’re in a house that belongs to you, though you don’t recognize it, and you open a closet door to find Marien and six kittens. Every time you pick one up, you seem to find another. White, black, grey, tabbies, tuxedos, and a calico.
STORY: Millie, from your position across the street from the parking lot where you recently crashed a shuttlecraft on top of its former pilot, you have a clear view of the broken window and Miguel standing a few steps from it. He raises his hands, talking to someone. Then you see another figure – a large one, Tueller most likely – grab Miguel, and a third, tackling the pair of them and sailing elegantly out the window.
STORY: They form a lovely parabolic arc on their way down as they plunge straight into the wreckage.
STORY: Alejo, you barely have time to be relieved that Akilah survived the first explosion before she throws herself out the window and disappears from your sight.
TUELLER: “Lah, nooooooo”
STORY: Alejo, you make it to the edge of the floor and watch the three of them fall, the damper kicking on at the last moment, as it is meant to do. It is not, however, meant to support the full weight of three adult humans, and as they descend into the smoking wreckage, you catch a glimpse of the faint blue damper field breaking their fall just enough to keep them from being impaled on the pieces of the craft below. They land at an odd angle, bouncing heavily as Tueller is thrown straight down through the shuttlecraft’s roof and the other two roll, too quickly, to the side. Akilah skids under a parked hovercar as Miguel smashes into the side of it, pushing himself off it and shaking his head before reaching underneath the hovercar to fumble with something underneath. He then stands, staggering, and runs to the edge of the lot, takes out a remote, and calls his hoverbike. It flies down, he swings a leg over and revs it, starting the motor.
STORY: What do you do?
ALEJO: How many stories up are we again?
TUELLER: 4
ALEJO: On the com to Millie: “Aki and Tueller just crashed into your wreck. Can you get to them?” As he’s saying this, he runs at full speed to get down the four flights and to them.
STORY: Millie, you saw Akilah and Miguel roll off to the side – they ended up a dozen yards from you. As soon as Alejo sends that message, you see Akilah pull herself out from under the car she rolled under and start to limp towards the taxi you took to get here, the driver still sitting there just watching the mayhem in befuddlement.
STORY: What do you do?
MILLICENT: Millie runs outside and heads toward the one crew member she hasn’t seen moving.
MILLICENT: “That was some stunt! Is everyone okay?”
ALEJO: As Alejo’s running and parkouring over everything, he pulls the walkie free from his belt. “Miguel, you’re a business person. Let’s work this out.”
STORY: Alejo, you reach the cab just as Akilah is handing the cabbie her card and a hundred credit chip and assuring him she’ll keep it safe and jumping in to the driver’s seat. She reaches across and flings the passenger door open for you.
ALEJO: He dives in.
ALEJO: “Jesus, Aki. That was a hell of a jump.”
ALEJO: “Millie,” he activates the com, “Tueller? He okay? Aki and I are going after Miguel.”
STORY: Millie, you climb up into the wreckage and find a very large dent in the roof of the shuttlecraft, with Tueller nestled gently in the middle of it. Smoke pours out from the windows he has crushed and the whole thing is heating up rather quickly. Tueller slumbers peacefully.
STORY: What do you do?
TUELLER: He snores.
MILLICENT: “I think he’s about to be blown to hell and back, but hopefully this is going to be one of those,” Millie grabs Tueller’s shoe and experimentally tugs on him, “ugh heroic feats I perform and we’ll all laugh and retell the story and,” Millie finds a flat bit of shuttlecraft and attempts to slide it under Tueller so she can pull him off the roof of the hovercraft, “euuuugh drink overpriced whiskey over.”
MILLICENT: “That was confusing. I’m really busy here.”
MILLICENT: Millie tries to use a simple tool to lever the large man off the hovercraft.
STORY: Let’s have a Face Adversity + Mettle on that one!
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: josh rolled 8 + 2 = 10
TUELLER: I guess I’m not going to explode this session.
TUELLER: Well, this time in particular, at least.
MILLICENT: Millie sets up a long piece of metal under Tueller and drags a couple of seats from the destroyed craft a few feet away and shoves them over so they’re lying on the ground. She maneuvers another large bit over until a heavy piece, maybe a carburator? A space carburator? falls and lands on the end Tueller isn’t on. Tueller flops forward through the air and lands _kind of_ gently on the chair seats. Relatively comfortable.
TUELLER: Tueller is definitely somewhere between conscious and un- after that. Very bleary. Not really there, but trying to be.
STORY: Alejo, inside the cab, Akilah turns off the radio, which was playing some kind of Fibbligi jazz, and concentrates on flying. She sucks air through her teeth. “He’s got the data disc Yho brought me. He thought he knew where Noma is.”
STORY: The walkie squeals. Miguel sounds both stressed and genuine. “I’m sorry about your girl, Soto. I thought you were working her.”
ALEJO: Alejo sets his jaw. “Millie, I know you’ve got your hands full, do you need us back there or have you got Tueller safe? If we lose Miguel now, we lose our only lead on Noma in a year?”
ALEJO: He looks sidelong at Aki as he’s tossed sideways around a corner.
STORY: Akilah sets her jaw, dodging a flying car as she pursues the bike. “We’re not losing Miguel.”
TUELLER: Millie comes over to take a look at Tueller and the car he’d crash landed on goes up with a little _crump_. The shock wave is mild, but hits both Millie and Tueller. Tueller’s eyes snap open and he bolts upright. “Whaaaaa?”
TUELLER: He immediately sits back down.
MILLICENT: “He’s fine, also, interesting update, apparently Miguel is bad now? I’m letting you know because _nobody bothered to tell me_.”
ALEJO: Alejo squints at Aki. “Sorry, Doc. Things have been happening a little too fast. My bad. Thanks for getting Tueller safe. I’ll be in touch.”
TUELLER: Tueller vomits between his legs.
MILLICENT: “He’s fine, but he owes me new shoes.”
TUELLER: “How long?”
TUELLER: “How long have I been?”
MILLICENT: “Maybe a minute. I think your concussion has a concussion though, so if you try to stand up too fast I’ll burp at you and you’ll go back down.”
TUELLER: “Others?” Tueller looks around wildly to see who is around, and leans over to throw up again.
STORY: Tueller, you’re shaken up and a little cloudy – a four story drop will do that to you – but the damper did its job. Once you shake the cobwebs out you’ll be a little creaky and otherwise ready for action.
MILLICENT: “They’re chasing Miguel, who, and I’m sure you’re just learning this now, is bad?”
TUELLER: “No concussion. Just got punched in the gut by the ground.”
TUELLER: “I learned it about 2 seconds before I went out the window.”
MILLICENT: Under her breath, “Sounds like enough time to tell me. Millie, the cute cop is bad. See?”
MILLICENT: “Anyway, our car service is two minutes away.”
MILLICENT: “I called for a cab while you evacuated your surprisingly nutritious looking lunch all over my shopping flats.”
TUELLER: “Those two seconds were filled with, ‘Got him, oh no Lah no.’ Sorry, Doc. I’m not sure how long the four story drop lasted.”
TUELLER: “Sorry. I’ll get you a couple new pairs.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods. “Very well.“”
ALEJO: “We need to talk priorities when this is done,” he says to Akilah, has he grabs the handhold around another sharp turn.
STORY: Akilah, it should be mentioned, is not the greatest driver you’ve ever encountered. She’s already bumped the rear of the craft on a passing hoverbus and just now narrowly missed going through a neon sign. She’s focusing on other things.
ALEJO: “And, next time, maybe I should drive?” He says this as his head is bounced against the passenger window.
STORY: Miguel is doing his best to lose you, which involves a lot of turning into alleys and going under large things he hopes you will crash into. A few times, it looks like you might.
STORY: Your taxi isn’t particularly suited for hairpin turns, so even with Akilah driving recklessly you’re still just barely managing to keep him in sight.
STORY: Millie, Tueller, what are you doing?
TUELLER: “Miguel’s bad. And he’s got a damper on. I’ve wanted to go up against one of those since I heard about them, and Lah let him get away.”
TUELLER: “So I’d very much like to go test that out.”
MILLICENT: Millie called for a cab to follow them, presumably at a stately pace.
MILLICENT: “Oh, a damper. That’s interesting.”
MILLICENT: Hmmmmm. Millie thinks about how to get around a damper.
STORY: Millie, it arrives! There is an elderly looking Odh in the driver’s seat.
MILLICENT: Can Millie get a good direction to head in from Alejo and we can kind of follow at a distance?
STORY: Alejo?
ALEJO: “Miguel,” Alejo says back into the walkie, “let’s sort this out. Just pull over, and let’s talk. Nothing’s been done that can’t be undone. Yet.”
STORY: Miguel’s hard to hear through the wind and the occasional grunt of effort as he maneuvers the bike, but he gets the point across. “Same on my end, buddy. Break off, go home, and leave this thing alone. You’ll never see me again. Everybody walks away.”
ALEJO: After giving directions to Millie, he responds in the walkie. “You know that’s not going to work. Come on Miguel, you’re a smart guy. Let’s bargain.”
STORY: Millie, you and Tueller wait quietly in the back of the cab as you begin your reasonable, moderate, and safe pursuit.
STORY: Tueller, the cabbie is following all the pertinent driving laws.
TUELLER: Tueller and Millie’s UberLyft continues on.
STORY: You watch smaller crafts zoom by. You without question cannot see Akilah and Alejo’s cab.
TUELLER: “Sir, might I implore you to speed, a little. We are most urgently late for an important meeting.”
STORY: “Hm?”
STORY: “Ah. No, no speeding. Got a ticket last week.”
TUELLER: Tueller leans forward, a 1,000 chit bouncing back and forth between the fingers of his hand drapped over the seat.
STORY: He catches sight of it in the corner of his eye.
STORY: Then adjusts his rear view to point at you. “You a good driver?”
TUELLER: “Most definitely.”
TUELLER: Tueller is only a decent driver.
STORY: He nods, then slowly, carefully brings the craft down on the roof of a nearby warehouse. He steps out, opening the door for you, Tueller, holding out his hand as he does.
TUELLER: A second 1,000 chit joins the first, and is deposited in the driver’s hand.
STORY: He looks at his watch. “I’ll report it stolen in… fifteen minutes?”
TUELLER: Tueller takes the driver’s seat.
TUELLER: Tueller adds a third chit. “Half an hour.”
STORY: He nods.
TUELLER: “We’ll be sure to give you five stars.”
TUELLER: Tueller takes off.
STORY: All right! Now it’s an action movie!
TUELLER: “Direct me, Doc”
MILLICENT: Millie hacks the taxi’s backseat touchscreen TV while directing Tueller and sliding all over the place from the fast driving.
TUELLER: Tueller looks in his rear view. “Seat belts, Doc.”
TUELLER: “This is a chase.”
TUELLER: “Against a guy wearing a damper. I’ve got no problems ramming him.”
MILLICENT: Millie buckles up!
TUELLER: Tueller smiles. It’s not a friendly smile.
STORY: Alejo, Miguel comes in over the walkie. “Make me an offer.”
ALEJO: He looks at Aki, still holding on to the hand-guard for his life. “We need that data, Miguel. Money? Passage? What do you need to give it to us?” He is scanning the road, looking for a good place to have Millie and Tueller head to cut him off.
STORY: Tueller, let’s have a Face Adversity + Mettle
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 5 + 1 = 6
TUELLER: Curse my concussion.
MILLICENT: Can I help?
MILLICENT: I might be able to adjust the traffic signals to make our way easier and Miguel’s harder
STORY: Sure! Get Involved + Interface, please
MILLICENT: It’s why Millie hacked the TV
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 4 + 2 = 6
STORY: Tueller, you look in the rear view and see lights. You’re being pursued by A-Sec.
STORY: Fucker called the cops right away.
TUELLER: “Shit. You definitely should downvote our driver.”
TUELLER: Tueller speeds up.
TUELLER: “Doc, maybe let Ejo know we’ve got some inadvertant and unfriendly back-up with us.”
STORY: Alejo, there’s a long silence on the walkie. Then, a click. “Come home.”
ALEJO: “Titan?” He asks. “Why? Wait, you know what, we can talk about that, sure.” He looks at Aki, the walkie off. “I hate this guy right now, so much.”
MILLICENT: “Captain, we’ve got a tail.”
MILLICENT: “5-0”
STORY: “Soto.”
MILLICENT: “Bizzies”
TUELLER: “Doc, can you hack that tail? Maybe….I don’t know. Kill their carburetor?”
MILLICENT: “Grass”
ALEJO: “Copy,” he says back to Millie. “They’ve got A-Sec on them,” he says to Aki. “Maybe we can use that?”
MILLICENT: “Hurry up van”
TUELLER: “I have to confess I don’t know much about cars beyond driving.”
MILLICENT: “Mr. Plod”
TUELLER: “Stop thinking of synonyms and stop them, please.”
MILLICENT: “Oh, ah. Sorry. Let me see what I can do.
TUELLER: “We can brainstorm more terms for them later. Either free or in prison.”
MILLICENT: “Did you know there’s a 1900’s film where they’re referred to as Millicents?”
TUELLER: “I did, actually.”
STORY: Akilah clips a passing food truck.
STORY: You lose a headlight.
ALEJO: “Shit, Aki!” He jumps a little as it flys off.
STORY: She pulls the craft back into alignment and hits the thrusters. The walkie pops in again. “Spy metaphor, Alejo. You really are out of the game.”
ALEJO: “That I am, Miguel.” He shakes his head. The walkie off. “Are we gonna catch this asshole?”
ALEJO: “Rusty, that is,” he says back into the walkie.
MILLICENT: Millie tries to spoof new orders to the A-Sec car. A car driving through a mall nearby.
MILLICENT: As she works, under her breath, “Pikachu, Old Bill, Rozzers, Paw Patrol”
STORY: Millie, that’s an Access roll
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 7 + 2 = 9
STORY: You enter new orders, knowing they’ll realize the ruse shortly.
STORY: The cars slow, then turn off your tail and head elsewhere.
STORY: You probably have a minute.
MILLICENT: “Alright, we’ve got a short window here, Tueller. Make it count!”
TUELLER: Tueller immediately turns right, floors it.
TUELLER: Basic evasion techniques, so that when the cops realize it and come back, we’re not where they expected us to be.
TUELLER: Zig zag to move over a couple thoroughfare, and then speeding towards where Millie directed me to.
STORY: All right! Let’s try one more Face Adversity + Mettle
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 4 + 1 = 5
STORY: You take the corner too hard and slam straight into a building.
STORY: Millie, you smack your face against the plastic divider.
STORY: The thrusters try to compensate, but the front of the car is crumpled, you’ve gotta land now or you’ll find yourself landing less comfortably shortly after.
TUELLER: “Shit, gotta aim for something cheap.”
TUELLER: Tueller aims his way towards a park-and-ride parking lot for the Ark public transit system.
TUELLER: “Ready to get out, Doc? We’re public transiting to our showdown, I guess.”
STORY: You pick up speed on your way down
TUELLER: “Keep the belt on, please.”
STORY: then pull up on the throttle, doing your best to push some power straight down just before you crash.
MILLICENT: Millie grabs on to both oh shit bars
TUELLER: Tueller puts on the “Out of Service” button on the taxi as he aims us down.
MILLICENT: “First my shoes, now this.”
MILLICENT: “Captain, Tueller is about to land our cab into, repeat, into, a building. Will update if we survive.”
TUELLER: “Not INTO a building have some OH SHIT just a sec okay not a building.”
MILLICENT: “Keep this in mind for his performance review.”
ALEJO: “Oh shit, Millie.” Alejo says, anxiously.
STORY: Akilah whips her head over to look at you. “What?”
ALEJO: “They’re crashing into something. We need to get to them.” He shakes his head. “Fuck!”
TUELLER: “okay okay okay okay okay i got this.”
TUELLER: Tueller puts it down as easily as he possibly can.
STORY: Akilah looks back out of the windshield, then narrows her eyes. “Fucker. FUCKER.” She shifts the cab into a lower gear and floors it towards Miguel’s bike.
MILLICENT: “‘Does not establish concrete personal performance standards’ ought to do it.”
ALEJO: He looks at the walkie. “Okay, Miguel. Get me what we need.”
TUELLER: “You want to drive DOC???”
STORY: Though none of you will ever know that it happened this way, Tueller’s cab hits the ground at the exact moment Akilah rams Miguel out of the sky.
ALEJO: Alejo braces, for the impact.
TUELLER: “Out.”
TUELLER: Tueller opens the door, and then goes back and pulls open the door again, rips Millie’s seat belt off, and pulls her out.
STORY: Tueller, you smash three cars on your way down and render the cab unusable, but you make it to the ground without further hurting yourself or Millie.
TUELLER: Moving towards the public transit station.
STORY: Alejo, Miguel’s bike is no match for a full size vehicle, and he spins out of control, plummeting toward the market below.
MILLICENT: “We’re alive!”
TUELLER: Loudly. “Where the fuck did that asshole cabbie run off to? How can a hack like him have a license?”
TUELLER: Just in case people are looking their way.
MILLICENT: “Please note this as ‘meets expectations’. ”
TUELLER: (Oh, btw, Tueller, grabbed his hack license out of the cab. Might go talk to him afterwards.)
STORY: Akilah stabilizes the vehicle. “Where are they?”
MILLICENT: “Also I think I swallowed my throat. Is that at thing you can do?”
ALEJO: How far down is it?
STORY: Probably about fifty feet.
TUELLER: “Yeah. Not exactly, but that’s a feeling that shows you’ve survived.”
MILLICENT: Millie looks up at Tueller, “I think my heart is beating backwards.”
TUELLER: “What’s the nearest subway stop for us to catch up with them?”
MILLICENT: “Do you feel like this all the time?”
TUELLER: “Yes, but in a good way.”
MILLICENT: “When you’re doing your jump kicks and such?”
ALEJO: Alejo activates his com. “Where are you, Millie. Aki’s coming to get you and T.”
MILLICENT: “This _is_ exhilarating!”
TUELLER: “Yes, you should try it.”
TUELLER: “No you shouldn’t.”
TUELLER: “You really shouldn’t”
MILLICENT: “I shouldn’t!”
TUELLER: “Forget I said anything.”
MILLICENT: “Captain, we’re safe and headed to public transit. Are you near a stop?”
TUELLER: “DOC. Where do I go to jump kick this fuck?”
MILLICENT: “This is like a sugar high with cocaine intensity!”
TUELLER: “He threw me out of a building and then I hit a building and I’d like to return the favor.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks quickly around. “They’re out. Safe at public transport. Get us down there!”
MILLICENT: “Bellamy Square”
TUELLER: “E to the π and we’re there in 15.”
STORY: Akilah reaches under your seat, Alejo, and yanks out the legally mandated rescue ladder from under it. She grabs your collar, gives you a quick kiss, and reaches past you to open the door. “Sorry, we’re in a hurry, babe.”
STORY: She wraps the bottom section of the ladder around your arm and shoves you out the door.
ALEJO: He grabs on and falls as gracefully as possible.
TUELLER: Tueller pays for both of our fares and we go to the pneumatic tube transit.
TUELLER: “You done this before? You just jump into the tube, it’ll shoot you there. Just grab on when you see π and we’ll be there.”
STORY: You freefall 15 feet, then the rope snaps tight and you hang there, awkwardly for a moment as Akilah brings the craft as low as she can and releases the ladder.
STORY: Let’s have a Face Adversity + Mettle, please don’t be killed by your girlfriend, she’s trying to help.
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 8 + 2 = 10
STORY: You land nimbly on someone’s awning, roll off it, and hit the ground with one hand in front of you for balance, like a super hero.
TUELLER: Tueller pushes Millie in without waiting for an answer and jumps in after her.
MILLICENT: “Oh yes I’ve taken the tuuuuuuu-that was very ruuuuuuude”
TUELLER: It’s a giant forcefield held pneumatic tube full of people being transported around the station.
STORY: Tueller and Millie, you’ll be in the area shortly. Alejo, what are you doing?
ALEJO: After quickly getting his bearings, he scans the area for Miguel or the hoverbike.
STORY: Let’s do Assessment + Mettle!
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 5 + 2 = 7
STORY: You note a gap in the crowd that would indicate someone having crash landed there.
ALEJO: He stands and runs towards where he thinks Miguel might be.
ALEJO: He pulls the walkie free, “Miguel? You alive, buddy?”
STORY: You run straight towards the gap and see smoke, and a pile of baskets and detritus. Something smashed into the stand here.
STORY: That something is Miguel. He lays in the middle of the area, people crowding around him but not getting too close. A trail of blood leaks out of his mouth.
STORY: He blinks unhappily when he sees you. “Soto.”
ALEJO: “Miguel.” Alejo moves to him as quickly as possible, trying to get to the data drive before he can do anything.
STORY: He holds it up, one hand on either side. “Stay back.”
STORY: “Killed by my own fuckin twin.”
STORY: He shakes his head and coughs.
STORY: “What’s on this thing, anyway?”
ALEJO: Alejo edges closer, trying to get within range of being able to grab it using super speed before he can crush it. But being very slow at the moment. “You don’t look good, Miguel. Let me get you some help.” He eases forward. “There’s still time, you know. We can still fix all this. If you don’t know what’s on it, then you don’t know what’s really going on. Let me help you.”
STORY: “Take another step and I snap it, friend. Just… fucking talk to me. Say something real. What do you want this badly?”
ALEJO: Alejo stops. “Okay. It’s got information on a missing member of my crew. My family, Miguel. The family I’ve chosen. You’ve got to get that more than just about anyone else in this miserable galaxy.”
STORY: How about a FA + Influence for this conversation, we’ll see how it goes
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 8 + 2 = 10
STORY: “You left your family, Alejo.”
STORY: “That’s who we were.”
STORY: He coughs again. More blood.
STORY: He’s not looking good.
ALEJO: Alejo nods, solemnly. “You were, Miguel. Cali was.” Alejo kneels down, palms up, and eases closer, friendly. “And I’m sorry for leaving you. Both. But the RDG. Exodus. Whatever. They used us. All of us. You know that. Right?”
ALEJO: “Let me help you, Miguel.”
STORY: “Too late for that, I think.” You see a dark, wet stain on his belly, previously covered by his arms.
ALEJO: He reaches out and touches Miguel on the shoulder, not reaching for the data file. “Jesus, Miguel. I’m sorry.”
STORY: “Too late for that too, brother.”
ALEJO: Alejo tries to stop the bleeding, if possible.
STORY: Tueller, Millie, you arrive at the station and hop back out.
TUELLER: Looking for mayhem to point us in the right direction, once out of the station.
STORY: Miguel drops his hands into his lap, letting go of the drive. “Stop, stop. It’s over. Go find your people.”
STORY: Tueller, you see a weirdness in the crowd to the left. They’re all facing the same direction.
ALEJO: Alejo keeps pressure on the wound.
TUELLER: Tueller moves aggressively that way.
STORY: Miguel’s eyes lose focus, and he exhales long and slow.
STORY: Tueller, you see Alejo crouched in front of someone, and a general kerfuffle around the scene. Most people are standing and watching.
ALEJO: “Just . . . hold on, Miguel.” He activates his com. “Millie, I could really use some help.”
TUELLER: “Over here Doc!”
MILLICENT: Millie is pushing through behind Tueller
TUELLER: Tueller moves in to look busy.
TUELLER: He bends down, and, while moving to put pressure on the wound, picks up the data disk as he does so.
MILLICENT: Millie kneels down, gets a quick look
ALEJO: Alejo nods at them both, moves out of the way to give Millie access.
MILLICENT: Looks back up at Tueller, shakes her head quickly and discreetly, then puts a hand on Alejo’s shoulder.
TUELLER: Is Miguel dressed as A-Sec?
STORY: He’s plain clothes, but he’s got a badge and gun
MILLICENT: “Say goodbye, Alejo. You’ve just got time.”
ALEJO: He notes that Tueller picked up the disk already.
TUELLER: Tueller stands up and steps back, sliding the disc into his jacket pocket.
ALEJO: Alejo looks back at Miguel, trying to discern if he has any consciousness. He touches him on the forehead, then on each cheek. A ritual. He leans down and whispers something in Miguel’s ear.
STORY: Miguel closes his eyes and exhales.
STORY: You aren’t sure whether he heard, but he’s gone.
ALEJO: He stands. Looks to Millie and Tueller, a silent, it’s time to get out of here.
MILLICENT: Millie reaches out, squeezes his hand
STORY: A throat clears behind you.
ALEJO: Alejo spins.
STORY: Akilah stands at the edge of the crowd, and cocks her head towards a parking lot.
TUELLER: Tueller’s already backing away, spins, recognizing the throat clear.
ALEJO: Heads towards the lot.
TUELLER: “Oh Lah.” Tueller runs up and squeezes Akilah for a quick hug and then goes where she’s indicating.
STORY: She returns it, then takes Alejo’s hand and hurries to the waiting cab.
MILLICENT: “Aki! Tueller drove a cab into a building and I think he’s in troubbbbbble!”