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"UH! RIGHT!" Clover turns around to start lighting up the kerosene. The puppet struggles fruitlessly in Dasha's grasp, fully able to move now that Clover isn't looking at it.
Yet, despite its best efforts...
>31! PASS!
Dasha does not budge. Even with one of her arms being dislocated and the pain she must be feeling around her ear and arm, even with the puppet struggling like a man possessed, she does not let go.
You can even see cracks forming on the puppet's face from the amount of pressure Dasha's chokehold is putting on its head.
A sudden wave of heat rushes across the room. You snap your gaze to see that a roaring fire is starting to consume the lab. The flames lick at the ceiling, scorching whoever might be up there. You don't hear any screaming but the stench of burning flesh tells you that they are not long for this world.
"FALL BACK!"
"RETREAT!" Wendy and Frank yell at the rest of the group. Dasha lets go of her chokehold and shoves the puppet to the side to join the rest of the group. Everyone rushes for the exit and despite the damage Dasha did from her grapple, the pitter-patter of the puppet's feet rapidly closes in behind you...before halting.
Everyone scrambles for the exit. Five of you stumble back out into the hallway with Clover being conspicuously missing.
You turn around to see that Clover is standing right in the doorway, staring down at the smoldering lab and the puppet inside.
You catch a brief glimpse of the puppet's face melting away from the heat. Its mouth twists into a rictus grin as its strings burn away, leaving it unable to chase after the group.
[UNSTABLE] PURIFICATION THROUGH LIGHT.
[PERSON OF INTEREST] DESTRUCTION OF INFORMATION.
[ANOMALOUS ABILITIES] LIGHT PIERCING THE DARK.
The puppet collapses, its connection severed.
Only then does Clover turn around and exit the lab.
>You destroyed what's left of the SINGULARITY LAB. You can sense that the Spooks are beginning to panic.
>The fire is likely to spread to the other rooms. Any loot that was in them will be destroyed...but the spooks won't get anything valuable from those rooms either
Your group lets out a sigh of relief now that you're free from the puppet. The HIGH RISK STORAGE SECTOR now has nothing of value left for the spooks. Good. You feel a rictus grin of your own spreading across your face. Your purpose is being fulfilled.
[?????? OF INTEREST] GOOD. HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS. THEY DESERVE IT. FOR EVERYTHING THEY PUT YOU THROUGH.
[INHERENT ????ITIES] YOUR STOMACH TWISTS INTO KNOTS. IT HURTS GOOD.
[ARCHIVIST OF THE CITY] SOME KNOWLEDGE IS NOT MEANT TO BE.
>From now on, using your anomalous abilities will cost nothing unless you were recently damaged by an anti-anomaly item.
>You feel your grasp on your humanity weakening.
"Nicole?" Clover's exhausted voice snaps you out of your trance. There's the faintest hint of a smile on his face.
"Oh, hey. How did it feel?"
"...Good. It felt good."
Time to prepare for your next move.
