You nod. You stumble away from her and use both arms to yank the flag out.
https://youtu.be/Eux6Go4xygA&t=14 - UH OH!
Only now do you notice the small electronic display stitched onto the flag. "35:00 REMAINING, NICOLE SMITH. DETONATION IF TIME RUNS OUT. FAILURE IF YOU LOSE THIS." A new flag immediately pops up from the pile of dirt. Seems like that's automated, at least.
A chorus of yells scream out when they see you got the flag. You turn to see that the mass of soldiers who were fighting their way through the left trench (i.e the non-hell one) and by god, they're furious. Gnashing teeth and crazed stares interlaced with the sounds of war around you is putting you on HIGH alert.
"HOW COME A CIVVIE GOT IT FIRST?!"
"GET HER!"
"KILL THAT GOD DAMN COMMUNIST!"
"I'M NOT DOING THIS AGAIN! GET THAT DAMN FLAG FROM HER!"
"KILL HER! RIP HER TO SHREDS!"
"TASTE HER SKIN!"
The few soldiers who are going through NO MAN'S LAND aren't giving you any better looks.
[ANOMALOUS ABILITIES] A psychosomatic fire is raging through them. The stress of going through this course, potentially even multiple times, and failing...only for you to succeed? It broke them.
[UNSTABLE] BRING IT ON.
[SEEKER OF THE CITY] Communism has been dead for centuries. You feel an odd sense of <span class="mu-b">fear</span> from whoever said that.
"Let's get going! We're going to live forever, Nicole." Kiara tries her best to motivate you. You got the flag. All you have to do is to get to the other side in one piece. Where to go from here?
>Go through NO MAN'S LAND. You're on a time crunch. (RISK LEVEL: HIGH. Same reward as in >>5934664)>The soldiers in the left maze might be a threat now but you imagine they'll rip themselves apart trying to get through you. Go down that path. (RISK LEVEL: MEDIUM, a lot of soldiers to use as meat shields and to loot from, a lot of soldiers out for blood. Probably the slowest method.)>Risk going back through the maze you just exited. You know the layout better, you could probably make it through in time. (RISK LEVEL: CHALLENGING. You imagine the threats there will be actively hunting you but you'll save a LOT of time going through there. You imagine whoever is reviewing your run will be impressed as fuck by you, earning you more X-CORP FAVOR.)>[UNSTABLE] "KIARA. FOLLOW ME." They can't shoot you if they're dead. FIGHT THROUGH NO MAN'S LAND. (RISK LEVEL: VERY HIGH. Same reward as >>5934664)>[AERIAL DRONE] Tie the flag to the Drone and send that bitch flying. (FREE ACTION, -TWO AERIAL DRONE CHARGES. You won't have to worry about losing it while you go down another path.)>Write in. (Try to use an ability of yours? Use an item? Give Kiara an item? Something else?)>>5936620You didn't. Mostly a mixture of not wanting to reveal anything too sensitive over the phone and not being 100% sure if anyone is overhearing you or not. It's one of the few things you KNOW the spooks don't know about you and you probably want to keep it that way.