Angels and Operators: Okay, Now What?
Installment Seventy-Seven
Previous Installments (In Reverse Order)
You hide in the basement’s darkest corner. A flood of light slashes through the musty chamber, harshly illuminating Pierce’s makeshift torture chamber. Dom lumbers confidently down its wooden stairs. Pierce’s voice calls after him: “She could be back any moment, you thundering git!”
“Then we dismantle it in stages,” Dom booms. He reaches the bottom of the steps. His meaty hand reaches out for a pull cord and yanks the light on. A naked bulb’s harsh light fills the room. You blink, protecting your eyes. Dom turns toward you and roars inarticulately. He reaches for the menacing box-the one whose contents could have been in your hands now, if you’d been brave enough-and pulls out a handheld stun gun. He flicks it on. A blue arc of electricity pops between its tines, which resemble the manibles of a preying mantis. In its high-voltage spark, a metallic chorus of triumphant Operators howls and sings.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” Dom intones, advancing toward you.
Now what do you do?
Under the hood
Going off Steve’s meds did nothing to cure the collective decision making process of its chronic risk aversion. 39% opted to hide in the darkest corner. 33% wanted to see what was inside the menacing box. A steelier 24% voted to grab the meat hook. The remaining choices, running upstairs to startle Dom and calling out a warning, received a negligible number of votes.