Alex floated over the maze of passageways, invisible to the party of survivors below. Nodding, Alex was impressed... None of them had made it this far on their own, when on previous campaigns.

Hope groaned as she sluped against a wall, everyone now back on an open wide road, "Well, that was a fun little adventure I never want to repeat. Did you have to set of every bloody trap?"

Chuckling as he slumped to the ground next to her, Max nodded, "Oh, but of course. This will earn us the respect of the others back at base, from having cleared out so many."

Tom laughed when Hope aimed a light whap at Max's head, "I have to admit... The compressed oxygen fireblast was hard to counter. What made you think of firing a repulsor at that?"

"Same principal, really. Both rely on a blast of air, maybe they could cancel each other out." Hope grinned as she tapped the deceptively compact device at her hip, "I mostly paniced and got lucky, though. Quick thinking can be useful, when stuck on Sam's station."

"Oh? Any dangerous experiments gone wrong?"

Tom laughed, "Sam's a reckless scientist, but not quite mad from what I have seen. Probably have a lot of rapid repairs to that station, though."

"Yup. Our emergency proceedures are top-notch, with even the majority of hull breaches resulting in no permanent injury." She gimaced slightly, sighing as she leant against the wall, "Most. We do still live in space."

Tom nodded appraisingly, "That line of work must have a bit more risk there, in comparison... But I'll admit, even my space platforms I manage have a few tragedies I have to answer for. Remind me later to ask the doctor about some safety tips."

Hope simply nodded with a giggle, getting back up slowly, "Anyway, resting won't do us much good... Where to next?"

Tom pointed down the main street, "Well, following the previous party's planned route... Up ahead, to the right. There is an abandoned bunker there, so if there is to be any sign of them, it'll be in there."

Nodding, Max led the way, little sensor darting in front of him as he waved it about, still wary of traps even on the big roads. He had learned that lesson before.

They reached the alley in question without incident, finding a secret panel to open up to the bunker. Door whooshing open, the stairwell down on the other side bleakly awaited them.

Tom held up a hand, "I'm calling it. This is totally a trap."

Hope looked up, confused, "Sure, it might be... But why?"

Max shook his head with a sigh, catching on. "Because how many explosions have we set off? With absolutely zero mechs causing us grief?"

Tom grunted as he glanced down the stairs, "Either, small mechs for assasination. Large mechs nearby waiting to surround us. Or, some good old explosives, the way thet like it best."

Hope hefted her repulsor, "I say we knock, see if anything stirs."

"... That is your favourite weapon, or what?"

Hope giggled as the other two moved aside, pointing her gun into the bunker. "Look out, wave incoming!" Pulling the trigger, she grunted as the repulsor fired bursts of kenetic energy both directly in front and behind her, mostly cancelling out the recoil as the bunker shook from the impact... And the building on the other side of the street rattled slightly.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Peeking their heads inside, the group listened closely... "No moanin', groanin', or general signs of life. I say we hightail it back to safety." Everyone nodding in agreement, they turned around...

And saw the welcoming party cresting the rooftops at either end of the street. "Option B, large mechs. Crud." Wasting no time, Max bolted into the bunker, Tom and Hope shortly behind as they slammed the door shut behind them, sealing them into inky blackness for a moment before they each turned on their lights.

"That went well." Trudging down the steps, Tom sighed as he lanced aoound the room, flicking on a lightswitch, frowning as nothing happened, "No generator."

"Might have been from when I tested the place for traps. I'll check if I can get it running again." Ducking into a back room, Hope hummed quietly.

Max plopped down onto a chair, glancing over a map table similar to the one from the earlier bunker. "I can see some faint marks on this map... Recently made ones, from the prvious group. They made it in okay, at least."

Hope ducked back out, headed to the lightswitch, "And back out. No bodies. They probably didn't know about the welcoming commity, though." Flipping on the lightswitch, Hope nodded in satisfaction as dim lights flickered on throughout the bunker.

"Let's see... Some food, some water... A couple of air cans, for refueling special equipment and suriving bio haz..." Tom rifled through the supply shelves, "Nothing really exciting. Some old logs, too."

Max glanced up, grinning, "Now I'm curious... Logs you say? Since this is all virtual..."

Tom blinked in surprise, laughing as he plucked a tome from the shelves, "Hey, you have a point there! Got swept up for a moment. Now I wonder what is stored in here..." Flipping open the book, Tom scanne a few lines with a smirk, "... Very funny, Alex. Can you hear me?"

Alex flicked into the middle of the room, giggling as they waved hello, "Yeah, I have been keeping tabs on you all. Been having fun?"

Hope nodded, high-fiving Alex with a grin, "Hell yeah! Terrified, sure. But, this is way better than asteroid mining."

"... I would imagine so?" Chuckling, Max looked at Tom, "So, what is written down in there?"

"A detailed recount of my previous failures in Campaign and Survival." Tom gestured over at the shelf, "I bet you have a volume there, too."

Shaking his head, Max stretched out, "I'll pass, for now. Maybe next time I find one. Speaking of," Glancing around the room, Max grinned, "Break for lunch?"

A chorus of nodding met Max's suggestion, and Alex assisted with them starting to log out, "If you guys want to resume after, you will spawn right back in. If not, then I can save this spot for later."

"Sounds good. You coming, Alex?"

"Nah, you go ahead. I have some stats to rebalance, you know, GM stuff." Chuckling as they waved goodbye, Alex observed the others leaving the sim room through the mansion sensors, before letting their mind drift back into the sim.

... And starting to plan what the trip would be like~