Part #1: Introduction

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"Your head spins. For a moment, you can't even conceive of the room you're in, let alone if you're alive or in some state of limbo. Or your own name. The fog takes a while to clear, both the literal fog that shrouds you, and the fog that clogs every thought in your mind. When it does clear up, you recite some short phrase, but are unsure why. You've forgotten it before you finished it. Might've been one of those meditation things the Agency likes.

Finally, you remember.

You are Agent Cassandra. You work for the Agency of Space Security, also called the Agency. You were sent to sector X09E to investigate rumors of alien abductions and another Agent that has gone AWOL a week ago. You don't know the agent, but she supposedly has a distinct speaking style and 'you can't miss her if you see her.' You vaguely remember a lewd gesture being made, although you can barely remember what you last ate.

When you arrived, you were taken in by an unseen assailant. Despite this obvious capture, you've been released at this point, with no guards in sight. The machine you were in looks rather ominous; a bulbous pod that holds its victims with their limbs spread, with a massive hose connected to its top. You cannot shake the feeling you escaped some kind of fate, whether it was a good or a bad one.

Your mission stands. Learn what is going on around here, and return to your ship. If you can find that other Agent, that'd be nice, but given your current circumstances it's unlikely she's doing too well. Besides, contacting the Agency is far more important. In addition, it would be hugely beneficial if you could find your suit, as its electrical defenses and physical performance enhancements are key to this mission.

On the other hand, speed is also of the essence, as your captors may return at any moment. You're in no shape to handle a prepared force.

There's not much in the room, expediting your decision making process.

A gut feeling reminds you that you're deep in enemy territory. Every decision you make is critical to success, or dooms you to bitter failure."

Part #2: Look for your Suit

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"Realizing you're both naked and not at peak performance without your suit, you scan the room. A row of lockers provides the answer, as one of them contains your suit. Unfortunately, none of your other items and gear are here.

It's even worse now that you realize your captors have almost certainly handled your naked body. Why they felt the need to do so is one thing, yet your mind especially lingers on the perversion of such an action.

With a shake of your head, you focus. They probably did it for the pod, and nothing else. You notice a helpful post-it on the inside of the locker door. A ringing bell over a set of instructions; there is a red button on the wall behind you, although you are unsure who or what you are being wed to. And why that's bad.

Opening the locker caused a panel behind you to open. A round, bulbous being, white as snow, with not a single blemish, and a potent black triangle on its front, has appeared inside an alcove. It's about waist-height, and its material composition is hard to determine. However, you're certain you have no chance in a hand-to-hand fight as things are, especially against an unknown enemy. You could follow the instructions of your friendly note, or hide and hope it's not that smart.

Figuring it's easier if it had a name, you decide to call it a booby. After all, this alien being appeared when you opened your locker, like some kind of booby trap.

It will soon start to move towards you with swift determination, floating at about waist height. Your gut tells you this thing is best avoided, yet you're morbidly curious what it even does."

Game Over #01: Ran when you should've hidden

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Part #3: Hide in the Locker

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"For a brief moment, you considered pushing the button. Yet, without your suit, you lack the agility to move fast enough to outrun it. Haunted by the terrifying image of your likely failure, you fling yourself into your suit, then into the locker. It smells metallic in there and it's stuffy.

The exhaustion of that mental image lingers.

By sheer luck, it doesn't activate or notice you until you've completed your actions. Your heart races from how tight this moment was, practically hitting the locker door like a drumstick. It refuses to calm down.

Your adversary, the booby, begins a patrol around the room. Its gentle circle is entrancing in its own way, as it moves with remarkable grace and precision for its cumbersome shape and size. You feel it's not a real living being, given its lack of verbal communication and odd point of storage. It's likely to stop patrolling eventually, given it wasn't patrolling when you woke up, letting you avoid detection and confrontation for now. Then again, the note did tell you to push the button, and your suit should make this a possible option."

Game Over #02: Heartbeat Havoc

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Part #4: Push the button

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"While waiting is the safer option, your aching heart and unsteady breathing will likely alert it eventually. You can already envision it turning to goop, crawling in like pudding, and ruining the mission. Strangely enough, you feel confident your vision was real, and that these creatures liquify...

It adds to your stress, either way.

You brace yourself, wait for the right time, and burst out, propelling yourself off the back wall. This cross-room sprint reminds you of those running exercises in PE, a thought used to suppress the nerves.

The creature is extremely fast in its response. The instant the locker hit the one besides it, it noticed you and darted right towards you like a guided missile. Without your suit, it would've...

Actually, it DOES catch you. It bursts like a bubble and the animate fluids begin to overtake you. Your mind slows down and your body feels numb, like it's being put into some sort of stasis. It's rather warm inside, comforting. Like the hug from a loving parent. It is suppressing your thoughts and urge to resist. Only through using all your remaining consciousness can you overpower this silencing authority, your fingers barely pushing the button to click.

Your hand weakly presses the button before it can finish its process, and a discharge slices from the alcove. You're unsure how close you were to being taken.

Your head clears up, partially because you're numb and tingly from getting shocked. Luckily, you had your suit to absorb most of the hurt, or you would've surely been unconscious by now.

The booby, however, is completely liquefied. The pools on the floor and the strings dripping off of you seem entirely inert. You feel bad for seemingly killing it, as it felt limited in the harm it could do... yet remember this likely belongs to the ones who abducted you. The Agency will help assess blame and reparations later. For now, you need to treat this as a SERE situation; your interest in bystanders is best limited.

A singsong voice chimes over the intercom besides the exit. She sounds bubbly and energetic, yet her choice of words is very bouncy. Something about her rubs you the wrong way.

"Hello, are you there?

Listen close, and beware

If one, catches you

All others, know it too

I'm keeping, 'em at bay

Except for one, he's on his way!"

You remember the note in the locker kinda rhymed too.

Considering your options, you could just leave, or see if it's worth wasting time hiding to wait out this 'one' supposedly coming. You've no idea who the person on the intercom is."

Part #5: Hidden from the Camera

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"You decide to trust the voice and duck into cover behind a chunky metal box beside the door. It seems you can trust her, as you avoid detection by a large being that occupies the entire doorway. It almost looks like the booby, just more sophisticated and covered in fancy parts. A camera on its chest, large batteries on its back. You're helpless in a direct fight against such a large opponent, not without your weapons.

Its presence feels imposing and strangely comforting, like a watchdog.

The voice on the intercom continues. You ponder who she might be. She sounds like she's having fun, and distracted, like she's got too much to say. And she's clearly snickering a little.

"Once they go check, the last place of witness

They give up and go, back to their business."

She really does sound like a witch from an old fairy tale, or perhaps some riddling fae.

The voice advises you to wait it out, yet you recall waiting in the locker was a foolish idea.

However, it seems oblivious to the voice from the intercom... yet with that powerful camera, how safe are you really? It might just catch your reflection off the polished walls.

You could try to use the button again. With a run and a dash, it'd be easy enough to zap it. The booby is still inert, so it would eliminate one more threat permanently."