Meander

Make sure to grab the list of names, storing it somewhere inconspicuous, like your pants. Hopefully it didn't turn to ashes...

TRANSFORM AND ROLL OUT

>Room: be completely destroyed

>Better run better run outrun my gun

Read the list of names! It might not mean much to us now, but it always pays to be informed and I am not sure if we can definitely trust her yet. Then, dust yourself off, stash the list in your shoe, prepare an excuse about a very faulty radiator or something in case anyone asks what just exploded, and head for the power station.

I would complain about inactive adventures being bumped.
But if it hadn't been, I wouldn't have read it, and it's pretty dang sweet! Agen, you should come back to this!

TRANSFORM AND ROLL OUT

SMOKE SMOKE EVERYWHERE

>Room: be completely destroyed

>Better run better run outrun my gun

Okay. You think it's probably a good time to make yourself scarce-





You come across the LANDLORD.



He is not amused.



"Son," he pumps his shotgun - "Son, you got some 'splainin' to do."



















o_o



o^o



oAo



o∆o

And so died SPIDERAT, the champion sidekick of our heroes. No. More than that; he was no mere sidekick, nor a bit-part in the great adventure that was Tom Smith's by right, for even in the intervening moments off-panel the Spiderat defeated the Fleaking and foiled its plan to unleash plague upon the rats, destroyed the automated ratcatcher that patrolled the sewers, the rightful rats' haven, deactivated the ticking poison bombs - at the risk of his own life - in the Great Storage Facility, home to more than a hundred thousand rats. He was a hero in his own right, and his eulogy is far too short to describe the feats he achieved in his short lifetime. Rest in peace, Spiderat. For you will be joined by others soon.



You continue to be TOM SMITH. You are GRIEVING. The shaken LANDLORD let you off, since there really wasn't any STRUCTURAL DAMAGE to pay for and also he murdered one of your best pals.

You're on the bad side of the city. This neighborhood got torn down Independence Day Revolution, but you hear it used to be one of the nicest. The richest. That's probably why they torched it.



It's still next to the canal. They couldn't really change that. But these decades - and that chemicals processing plant there - have turned the water into sludge and the whole place into a slum. People used to go boating on the canal. Now you can't put a boat on there without leaving a distressing trail of dissolved fiberglass behind you.

Read the list of names! It might not mean much to us now, but it always pays to be informed and I am not sure if we can definitely trust her yet. Then, dust yourself off, stash the list in your shoe, prepare an excuse about a very faulty radiator or something in case anyone asks what just exploded, and head for the power station.

You suppose you'd better read this.





What.

What.

Forget the power station. You've got to check something.



You push past the REDRIA CORPS arguing with the SUIT in Jammroll's apartment door. You're not going to involve yourself any more in that until you know more.



Ah. It feels like you've been gone forever. Home sweet home, you guess.



This thing's still spinning. The universe definitely has something against you.





You take down a FILE and withdraw a FOLDER.



Well.



This is interesting.

On your right you have your STAKEOUT LIST: the short-form memo you keep to track who you've been hired to spy on lately.

On your left you've got Jammroll's LIST OF NAMES.

And unless there's an awful lot of Jonathan Leopoldskis in this city, we seem to be talking about the same people here.





You're pondering this when you get a knock on your door.

SpoilerShow

>Quick, hide the folder. Also, given the situation you're in, it's probably good to have an escape plan before you answer the door.

Or you could just run now.

Grab an improvised weapon and open the door just a crack.

QUICK, ACT HARDBOILED, MAYBE IT'S A JOB!

>Man at Door: Be Jonathan Leopoldski

For maximum awkwardness

>ask, "Who is it?"

SpoilerShow

Return to the old style! I got a proper tablet! And hurrah!

QUICK, ACT HARDBOILED, MAYBE IT'S A JOB!

You instantly put on the most hardboiled stance you can think of. You don't even smoke, that's literally just a match you stuck in your mouth.

>Quick, hide the folder. Also, given the situation you're in, it's probably good to have an escape plan before you answer the door.

Or you could just run now.

You briefly consider running, but your clients' confidentiality comes first. You stuff the files in the first available location you can think of.

>ask, "Who is it?"

Grab an improvised weapon and open the door just a crack.

You inquire as to the mystery visitor, keeping one hand ready on your handy TOILET GUN.

>Man at Door: Be Jonathan Leopoldski

For maximum awkwardness

"My name is Jonathan Leopoldski. I'm with Redria¦Emcorp's.... cleanup crew. We're investigating an... incident. That occurred next door."



He leans into your office, distinctly un-cleaning-crew-like armored vest lightly jingling in the silence. "So - Tom Smith, is it? Would you mind telling me where you were last night?"



Well, shit.

Tell him you were on a case and you can't divulge the details. You're a professional, after all.

"I was there and I saw everything!"