10.04

Dragon’s synthesized voice echoed through the Wards’ headquarters, accusing them of tampering with her system. Imp attempted to breach the sealed stairwell door with a fire axe, while Tattletale engaged Dragon in a verbal sparring match. Dragon revealed she was reading their files, specifically noting Tattletale’s penchant for needling opponents, vowing not to take the bait.

Tattletale, unfazed, retorted with her usual confidence. Dragon confirmed they were locked in but would be released before reinforcements arrived. Tattletale led the narrator to Kid Win’s room, a chaotic space filled with technology. Dragon warned against using tinker tech, citing potential dangers, but Tattletale dismissed the concerns, pointing out that the Dragonslayers made a career out of using Dragon’s tech.

Tattletale found a laser gun that ricocheted but deemed it useless. They scavenged weapons: a nonlethal flamethrower, a forcefield barrier cannon, and a gun for larger foes. The narrator tested the flamethrower on a chair, its intense heat melting the plastic. However, when she tried to use it on the door, it failed, needing a minute to recharge.

A sprinkler system activated, dousing the flames with a bitter-tasting liquid, and then the monitors shut off, plunging them into darkness. The narrator found a heavy gun that, after a five-second delay, blasted the door off its hinges. They escaped into the stairwell, heading back up.

Halfway up, they found two unconscious PRT officers, Imp’s handiwork. At the top, Imp was melting a hole in another door with the flamethrower. The PRT’s reaction was delayed, possibly due to Imp’s power. Regent used his power on the closest officer, causing a chain reaction of stumbles.

Tattletale pushed the narrator down the stairs as a nonlethal grenade detonated above. Imp, armed with a grenade launcher and the flamethrower, joined them. They found Bitch and Shadow Stalker cornered by Weld, with Grue bound and the three dogs incapacitated.

Tattletale used a lightning gun on Weld, causing him to collapse, glowing with heat. Weld tore the gun away, reforming his hands into hooks. The narrator’s heavy gun failed to fire, and Weld charged. Imp tried to use the flamethrower, but it also failed. Weld flung her aside. Shadow Stalker intercepted Weld, but he trampled her. Regent suffered a backlash, falling to one knee.

The narrator struck Weld with her gun, bonding it to his arm. Weld began laughing, and Tattletale, Regent, and Shadow Stalker simultaneously turned to the front of the building. A floodwater-stirring, metal-framed machine landed, water and debris splashing around its four legs and tail. It was Dragon’s speed-designed suit, bristling with weapons.

Tattletale explained it was a fast-travel model, not a serious combat model, but still capable of defeating them. With the Protectorate a minute away, Grue out of action, and escape unlikely, their situation was dire.