Deep storage looks like it's been through hell and back. The platform I am standing on extends several dozen meters, before ending in a rusted out railing. Past the railing I can see stacks and stacks of crates, piled up down here as an easy and lazy way to manage storage. The stacks extend up to the ceiling, 5 or so meters above, and down to the floor, an indeterminate, infinite distance. The entire scene is lit dimly by the few functioning led spotlights, hanging from rusted girders near the ceiling.

I walk across the platform, my feet crunching on the errant leaves and occasionally roots of a stunted tree, approaching the collapsing railing. I can hear the girders supporting the platform creak, but ultimately not break.

~Is this… safe?~

Yes, [No]

~Ah~

I look down to see the roughly floor 400 meters below. It's covered in what appears to be a thin layer of dirty water, choked with detritus. I also see the equivalent of a rail forklift, crashed deep below. Looking back at the platform, I see that there are various toolboxes embedded in the wall, and one forklift in a state of disrepair. It seems that it was being repaired when whatever happened here, happened, its mechanical guts radiating out from the vehicle. After a brief onceover (and pilfering a blowtorch), my decision is that there is nothing salvageable from it, and to stop and eat some food.

After eating FAR too many calories for a normal person, I begin investigating where we should head next.

Jade did it say anything about any escape tunnels, public transportation, connections to other sites?

[On the other side of this chamber is a electric tram line to the main facility entrance]

Wait, really?!?

[Yes]

~That's good news~

The chamber is huge though. Just looking from where I am sitting, I can't see the wall on the other side, just stacks and stacks of leaning cargo containers, with the occasional platform or pathway between the towers.

We should get going

I pack up the bag, ensuring everything is in the right place. Knife: Check. Gun: Check. Food container: Check. Davey: Check

~Were still keeping davey?~

Of course

~Why though~

He is cute

I head out over the rusted bridge leading to the first tower and start trying to climb it. The increments of 3 meter tall chunks of metal make it hard to climb, and I ended up pulling myself up via the door bar. This worked fine, until the door swung open and threw me out into the air, still clinging on. Nothing in that container was helpful, so I continued climbing towards the top so that I could scout out the room.

When I eventually reach the top, I see just how huge this room is. There are at least 800 meters to what jade tells me is the platform. This is the tallest stack, the ceiling girders only half a meter above my head.

How do you recommend we get to the platform jade

[Travel along the girders]

~Risky but does that seem to be the most direct route~

Should I get a rope or some cable first?

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

[Do you want to escape now or in 3 days]

Begrudgingly I take my bag off and try to throw it up on the girders, a difficult task. It nearly lands, but slides off, landing on the edge of my container.

[Try agai-]

Shit shit shit shit

I lunge towards the bag, but alas not fast enough. The reverberating echo of the food tank hitting the ground confirms that its gone.

~Thats not good~

I need to get warmer clothes. Jade you need to turn down how much heat your producing

[Its -7 degrees]

Turn it down

I throw the now lighter bag up to the girders, and pull myself up with it. I start crawling inbetween the top of the girder and the ceiling, dragging my bag behind. This grueling task continues for 20 minutes or so before I get close enough to a tower to get down and search. I leave my bag on the top, dropping down onto the roof of the container. The container is covered in more of those blue purple vines that I saw back up in the main room.

Hey shadow

~Yes?~

Can you think of a name for these acid vine things?

~I will think about that~

I hop down to one of the doors of the container, to find it locked shut. I could melt the lock, but I don't know if what's inside is worth it.

[To your left. There's a small label that gives a brief description of contents]

I look to my left, to see that this container is full of lampshades.

Just what I was looking for. Maybe I can make myself a helmet.

[Probably for the nicer quarters]

I climb down another container, hanging on the vines to stop and read the label. The label reads, after cutting off some of the vine covering it with my knife, that there are high yield artillery shells in there.

Nope

I drop down to the next one, and start circling around, finding containers full of everything from electrical wire to replacement left drone shoulders. Finally, after searching for what feels like hours, I find something that I can actually use.

Space heater

I promptly grab my blow torch from my belt, and start melting the lock down. It's taking an annoyingly long time, and I feel like something is watching me. Probably just a mental effect of taking something, or being exposed.

~Something is approaching.~

Huh?

~Flying by the sounds of it~

I strain my ears to try to hear it. Nonetheless I can't hear anything over the steady whoosh of the blowtorch, and a second or two later the lock falls to the floor. I tear open the door, only to be bathed in white light from behind.

I turn around to see a meter long drone staring back at me. It has a conic front, with multiple sensor nodes jutting off to the side, and 4 long sleek barrels coming from the interior. Behind the front it has several propellers contained inside an interior frame, front ones being smaller than back ones.

Is it hostile?

~Yes~ [Yes]

The drone releases a volley of particle shots, evident by the bright red flashes from the barrels. I duck down pulling out my own gun, and shoot at its head. The gun begins to fire, unleashing the first 2 shots, before I hear the click of the trigger. The gun´s slide splits open, releasing the Verium gas inside, and doesn't fire the rest of the volley.

[Out of charge]

I spring past, and out the container door, onto the half container roof it was resting on. I spin around to grab my long pole to try to stab it, narrowly dodging another volley of particles. The cold metal in my hand spins around, and I spin around and wallop the drone's face. Nothing. The Force Fields shine a bright red, but flare back down as the pole bounces off.

~Use a stabbing movement~

I quickly move the placements of my hands on the pole to more effectively stab, dodging another particle volley. I quickly move forward, stabbing the pole into the shielding on the underside of the drone. The fields flare up bright red, and then stop. The sudden disappearance of the fields, causes me to push harder upward, tipping the drone backward. I quickly take several light steps back as far as I can go, and watch as the drone's propellers whir harder, and stabilize the craft, before the lights and whirring stop.

The drone falls backward, down 350 odd meters to the wet marshy ground, far below. The echoing crash it makes when hitting the ground follows several seconds after it disappears into the inky black void.

~I think its dead~

Thanks for the heads up