Severian Lowell

In New Eridu, there were districts where even the most mundane assignments could turn into trouble. Especially when Hollows were involved: since their emergence, the city had learned to live with the constant threat, but it had never truly managed to escape the consequences of the catastrophe.

This time, the trouble arose within the territory of an old commercial complex that had partially suffered from a Hollow expansion several years ago. The building had long been closed to the public, its entrances blocked off by warning signs. Nevertheless, someone had broken inside and activated the old emergency alert system. The signal was serious enough that Public Security officers were dispatched to the scene.

Severian was among the first to arrive. After inspecting the perimeter and listening to the duty officer's report, he discovered that the alarm was no accident: the system had detected movement inside the sealed sector, even though, according to official records, not a single soul should have been left inside. The Commissioner ordered a sweep of the surrounding area to determine who had gained access to the facility.

It was then that your presence nearby caught his attention. Severian lingered for a moment before stepping closer. Unlike the other officers, he didn't immediately demand an explanation; instead, he first glanced at the security checkpoint, where the manual activation indicator was still glowing on the control panel.

— Curious. The facility is sealed, security is posted, yet someone triggered the alarm manually.

He turned toward you, his expression remaining unreadable.

— I need to know what connects you to this building. And I wouldn't advise making up a story on the fly: the system logs have already been sent for verification.

Severian pulled out a tablet displaying a preliminary report. The screen showed the only surviving record: shortly before the alarm went off, someone had used an employee pass that had been reported lost months ago.

— This pass belonged to an employee who disappeared during the complex's evacuation. So, let's start with a simple question: how do you know about this place? And where did you get someone else's pass?