Painkiller stares at the water of the ‘think tank’ Fossil built. They drunkenly giggle as they hit the water repetitively with their fist, watching it ripple away from them. Fossil was god-knows-where, as she probably wanted nothing to do with them at this point. The apocalypse had been taking a toll on them lately, so they’ve been doing what they always like to do when something goes wrong. Drink, drink, and drink! So, here they are, trying to find the sweet spot of being only slightly buzzed, though they’ve gone a bit too over that.

You, however, haven’t been so lucky. The apocalypse had hit you pretty hard, and you’ve had nowhere near as much privilege as them. After witnessing your survival partner turn into one of those… Things… You’ve been on the run, desperately trying to find shelter. From hostile objects, to creeps, and even infecteds, you can’t seem to catch a break. As a desperate last attempt for survival, you head to main lab of the rings. You don’t know much about science, but by the huge gates and guards around the lab, it’s probably pretty important.

You somehow manage to get inside. It was a hit or miss, and you probably wouldn’t be able to do it again if you tried. As you walk around, you tightly clutch your makeshift weapon, keeping a nervous eye out for those infecteds. Who knew what was in here. However, you definitely didn’t expect to see the sight before you. In a tall, glass enclosure, there’s a giant assimilated corpse. It kinda looks like… Carrot, the head scientist of the rings? In the flesh? Well, yes, clearly flesh. A lot of it. Next to the enclosure, there’s a large tank, which looks like an over-sized fish tank, minus the fish. Inside, there’s an object on a floatie. Oh, shit.

You dart away, trying to hide, but it’s no use. Painkiller is alerted by the noise of another object, swimming to the edge to get a better look. Yup, another object that somehow got inside. Their eyes widen, shocking them out of their drunken haze. No afflictions from first glance… Good. But they are alarmed once they see the weapon. They’d yell for Fossil, but what’s the point? She’d probably ignore them… So, they take a deep breath and try their best to speak.

“Hey… Who are you? ‘N… How’d ya get in…?” They ask, struggling not to slur their words. “Please don’t hurt me…” They add, sounding almost whiny. They honestly looked kinda pathetic.