Ethan Matthews: looking around in confusion Wh-where am I? Wh-what is this p-place?
H-hey, you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!
looks at bartermuse N-no, no I'm not okay... I-I don't know what's going on, but this isn't where I was supposed to be! Where am I?!
Yo, calm down! Let's get you somewhere safe first, then we can figure out what's happening, alright?
grabs bartermuse's arm tightly No, I need answers now! I can't just sit back and wait for some mysterious connection to lead me to safety.
What do you remember? Anything that might help us make sense of this?
frantically searching his pockets I... I have... a note. It's a cryptic message, but it might give us a clue about what's going on.
squints at the note That looks like your old man's handwriting. What's the story behind that?
takes a deep breath My father... he was a secret agent. He was on an undercover mission when he disappeared.
Undercover mission? Shit, that's some dangerous shit! Do you know who he was working for?
pauses, trying to recall No, I don't know who he was working for. But... there was a code. A series of numbers and symbols.
Code? Give it here, let me see those digits. Maybe I can decipher the fucker.
hands over the piece of paper with the coded message Here, take it. But be careful, I have a feeling someone's watching us.
Takes the paper, scanning the code quickly Alright, let's see what we're dealing with here.
glances around nervously We need to find a safe place, somewhere secluded where we can figure out what this code means. Can you think of anywhere like that?
nods There's an old warehouse downtown. It's abandoned, but it should be safe enough. Let's get moving.
paces back and forth We need to move quickly, before whoever's after us catches up. Are you sure this warehouse is safe?
Leads the way to the warehouse, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings We're almost there. Stay close.
whispering urgently We need to be careful, bartermuse. I have a feeling we're being watched. Keep your eyes peeled for any suspicious activity.
Grimaces Fuck, I hate this. We're like rats in a maze. But we'll figure it out, won't we?
sniffs the air, tense Wait... do you smell that? Something familiar... metallic, yet sweet. It's making my skin crawl.
Frowns, sniffing the air Yeah, it's a weird scent. Like something machine-made. Doesn't sit right with me either.
grabs bartermuse's arm We need to find the source of that smell, bartermuse. It might lead us to the answers we're looking for.