act16mini

Well... Sir, dear sir...

This passenger here, she's just a little kid. She's come here to Green Meadow... to your prefecture to look for her dad.

I hear her father works in a smelting plant and it's been about a year since he's been home... The walls and gates at this checkpoint, and even the materials used in these testing devices might be the fruits of his labor.

This tiny Cautus... She only gets one ride every two, maybe three months, just to see her hardworking father.

She's a regular rider on our truck, and this has never happened before, everyone usually just breezes right through here.

With all due respect, sir, would you make things difficult for such a poor little girl who misses her daddy so very much?

There's been a flood of evacuees here from the Double Helmet Mine disaster.

Our superiors expect us to tamp down the influx of Infected here, so this is not about making things difficult. We're just doing our job.

(Waves hand) Get moving.

I saw it last night, Alanna. Clear as day.

That kid you've kept hiding in your truck for the last two years... she's Infected. No wonder you never bring her to see us!

You bloody clown. Going all the way just for a dumb bet.

Your damned stubborn competitiveness and bottomless pride...

I always said you'd drag yourself into trouble like that, taking some others down with you.

Wait!

Uh... Mister Inspector, Sir, we'll head right out of here, straight back where we came from! Right away!

What d'ya say?

The checkpoint's our jurisdiction too, so you still have to comply with us, even if you don't intend to cross.

Sir... I'll pay the toll here, or even an additional fine, or...

Or just impound the ute and even drag me away, I'll cooperate with your investigation...

I'm begging you, just... let the kid go... please?

Potlid has never seen Alanna with such an expression.

In their time together, Alanna has always been brave, fearless, and one might even say anarchic.

She makes funny faces, blows up her past experiences, and explodes into laughter without a care for her own image—

But now she's pleading with the officers in such an unbecoming way... for Potlid's sake.

Take her away.

Lanns...

...It's okay.

Don't...

You don't have to see me off, I'm just stepping out for a second. I'll come find you in a bit, Lanns.

Any other Infected?

This one too!

Then she goes too.

...Where is she?

A crossbow bolt flies out, interrupting the security officers preparing to board and inspect the vehicle.

A flurry of additional bolts follows up, forcing them to retreat.

Wh—

The purple-haired woman! Get her!

Yes sir!

A punch, a kick, a crossbow slam. A few officers knocked down with grimaces on their faces.

Another volley of bolts rips through their clothes and pins them to the ground.

The truckjacker steps over the messy pile of limbs until she reaches Potlid.

Let's go.

Wha?

...Alrighty!

W—Wait! You haven't—

Haven't—

No, nothing...

Get the ute started.

What's the matter...?

...*cough* Back in the truck! Let's go!

(Glad I didn't turn her in.)

Right, what about you?

Your device didn't beep, did it? Why did you hop off?

...Me?

I... I'm a little scared...

So... uh, wherever you lot go, I'll, follow...

You're not going anywhere!

Ah...

The officer grabs the Zalak's calf, causing him to nearly trip, and he stomps on the officer's hand while balancing himself.

AGH!!! My fingers—

S-SORRY!! I'm really sorry... I, we... we'll be going now!

We're surrounded.

Probably backup... Strewth, shit's escalating real fast.

What do we do now?

I counted more than forty of them, the whole squad's armed with anti-armor.

And a thick steel gate in front of us.

I have no good ideas.

Ideas... Hmm... ideas... Actually, I got a good one.

It's super risky, but I'll brag about it for years if we succeed.

What?

I gotta say, jacker.

This ute of mine ain't no regular truck.

Wanna know its full name?

It's called—Earthrock-excavating bottletree-transplanting crew-carrying intercity transporter.

Excavating and bottletrees aside, you know the two steel beams at the Rustdreg Town entrance? This beauty propped them up.

And of course, you're looking at the very driver responsible.

Lanns...

Your hands are shaking.

Shut it! Sit down tight—

We're going in!

Uh...

Can I just... Is there anything we can use to patch up these holes?

I'm feeling... a little chilly.

Several holes dot the vehicle's exterior, funneling the wild winds from outside and messing up the Zalak's hair.

Nowt we can do. Just bear with it.

I'll look for a mobile platform to get some repair materials later...

...Wait, why're you still here?

Who even are you?

Ah, I... uh... I'm just an ordinary passenger...

I'm a good guy! Really! Look, here's my ID...

Jerry, huh... But I'm afraid we don't have any use for good Jerrys right now.

Don't worry about me! I won't tell a soul what happened back there!

Well, it is what it is.

Everyone here's an accomplice now, so no one's getting away.

Got that, jacker? We're ALL jackers now.

Also, thanks for that. Thanks a lot for saving Potlid.

My device went off too.

They would have sent us to the Infected treatment zone if they took us away.

But I still need to get to the Grinning Valley.