April 15th at 12:12pm
Bryce turns toward the left duct without hesitation
-This way- she whispers.

The passage tightens almost immediately. The metal walls close in around the bulky carapace armor of Thanatos, making the slow march even harder. The fog here is thicker, clinging to the floor and crawling up their necks as they advance. Every breath feels heavier, and even through the masks, the group starts feeling light-headed. Bast glances at her scanner, frowning.

-The compound concentration is higher here. We are close to the source- she murmurs.
The duct slopes downward, forcing them to crawl on their knees. The thin metal sheets vibrate softly under their weight, especially beneath Thanatos’ armor.

Suddenly, a particular sound cuts through the duct, rising above the constant hum of machinery. From somewhere below them comes the unmistakable sound of a baby crying, abruptly silenced as if cut off halfway through.
The pipe continues several meters ahead. Thick, old fans replace sections of the duct’s metal plating, drawing the whitish fog down into the ventilation system. Bryce crawls to the metal grate and peers below. The smell is overpowering, sweet and rotten at once. A dim lumen flickers inside, casting long, trembling shadows over what appears to be some kind of processing plant.

Humans in sealed plastek suits work along metal tables, moving with mechanical precision. Their gloves and forearms are stained dark as they take pieces of an unidentified organic mass from a conveyor rail emerging from another room. They cut them open and drop the contents into boiling vats, from which thick fog erupts.
What comes out is a greyish paste, clinically weighed, cut, sealed, and transferred into large containers. These slide onto another conveyor belt that disappears into the next room.

No guards are visible, unless some or all of the workers are armed. Bryce raises her fist. The team freezes. Below, the workers continue their routine, unaware. Steam rises in thick pulses, driven back into the ventilation ducts by the fans.
Bryce studies the layout. The grate beneath them could be forced open. A side access hatch sits near the far wall, marked as maintenance only. Above the vats, exposed ventilation controls regulate the room’s pressure and airflow.

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Option 1. Drop into the Processing Room
Engage the workers directly, seize control of the facility, and search for information or access points.
Option 2. Bypass the Room
Ignore the workers and move over the fans through the maintenance access toward whatever lies beyond the conveyor system.
Option 3. Sabotage the Ventilation Controls
Have Adept LIV disrupt fog circulation from above, hopefully forcing a shutdown or evacuation.