10.03

The moment Weld sounded the alarm, the Undersiders sprang into action. Bitch slammed into a PRT officer, then made her way to the front desk, while Weld, now armed with a makeshift, studded club, targeted “Shadow Stalker.” Undeterred, “Shadow Stalker” attacked, driving a crossbow arrowhead into Weld’s eye, then kicked him back. Despite the metallic nature of Weld, Regent, using Shadow Stalker’s body, managed the assault with surprising agility.

Bitch reached the front door, whistling loudly. Grue and Regent, free of their cuffs, took down three PRT officers. Tattletale grinned at the Wards near the elevator—Kid Win, Clockblocker, Flechette, and Vista—while an unfamiliar, cackling laughter filled the air. Flechette, deducing the presence of a Stranger, shouted a warning.

The Wards reacted quickly. Vista distorted the hallway, creating an impassable terrain, while Flechette pinned Grue to the ground with two shots. As Flechette aimed for a third, a girl in black with a horned demon mask attacked, splitting Flechette’s weapon with a fire axe. The girl was on their side - some relation to Grue.

The narrator released her swarm, a mix of bees, wasps, spiders, mosquitoes, and cockroaches, totaling nine hundred and seventy. Due to the clean environment of the PRT building, the swarm was smaller than usual. The bugs targeted Vista, Flechette, and Kid Win, the only Wards with exposed skin. They also found their way under the masks and clothing of the two PRT officers holding her.

The Wards, initially swatting and retreating, soon felt a burning sensation. Kid Win screamed, revealing the source: capsaicin, the active ingredient in pepper spray. The narrator had experimented with weaponizing capsaicin, coating her bugs’ stingers and abdomens with it, creating a painful delivery system. Flechette fell, screaming, and a PRT officer staggered away.

Clockblocker charged into Grue’s darkness, emerging with Grue frozen in time. The horned girl, revealed to be Imp, tried to use a foam sprayer on Clockblocker, but it wouldn’t fire. Tattletale helped her, and they foamed Clockblocker just as he recovered. Flechette disabled the foam canisters, creating expanding barriers. Regent made Flechette fumble, but then he fell, apparently suffering a backlash.

Shadow Stalker screamed, fighting Weld. She aimed at Regent but hit Tattletale instead. Her movements became jerky, and she pleaded for help before Regent regained control. Bitch’s dogs arrived, crashing through the glass. Weld turned to face them as Shadow Stalker attacked Vista. Regent confirmed that Shadow Stalker was conscious, a disturbing thought to the narrator, reminding her of her fear of helplessness.

The dogs fought Weld, but couldn’t inflict lasting damage. Imp freed the narrator from her cuffs, and they faced Flechette and Kid Win amidst the expanding foam. Kid Win activated his armor, releasing floating, sparking devices. Imp and Regent dodged, but Kid Win redirected the sparks back at them, creating an orbiting ring of electricity.

Unable to use Shadow Stalker, the narrator ordered Bentley, one of Bitch’s dogs, to attack Kid Win. Bentley charged, taking the brunt of the electric ring, and knocked Kid Win and Flechette down. Bitch, furious at the narrator for ordering her dog, slammed her into a wall. Tattletale intervened, and Bitch threw a PRT officer onto a foam canister, creating a path to the elevator.

They reached the Wards’ headquarters, a vast room with a high, domed ceiling. Tattletale accessed the computer system, inserting USB drives and typing a password. Gibberish filled the screens, displaying PRT files. She estimated two minutes to copy the data, but they might have to wait up to ten for Clockblocker’s power to wear off.

They prepared to exit, but the elevator was down. Tattletale suggested the stairs. Just as the last blue dot disappeared from the screens, the room plunged into darkness. Imp asked if someone cut the power, but Tattletale explained it was a separate power source, unreachable from outside. A computer-generated face appeared on the screens: Dragon. She was onto them.