A scene of chaos unfolding

Set the Scene: Lux runs to help Olan.

Complication: [3] Wouldn't it suck if... | Altered Scene: [5] Altered | Alteration: [4] Add a Scene Complication | Complication: [2] An obstacle blocks your way

Rina's machine falls from the ceiling and goes haywire.

As Lux reaches the doorway, the sound of tearing metal jars her ears, and she looks up to see that the hemispherical device suspended from the ceiling has torn free of its supports. It hangs precariously for a moment before suddenly and inelegantly plummeting down into the centre of the room. Lux flinches back as the heavy weight crashes to the stone floor, sending up a shower of sparks. Some kind of oily fluid leaks from the shattered machinery, patches of it igniting and sending up plumes of greasy smoke as the sparks land on them. Crackles of strange energy periodically flicker beneath the cracked outer shell.

Coughing and disoriented in the sudden haze, Lux tries to get her bearings. She can’t see anyone in this mess – she can only hope that Olan and Atara were both safely far enough away when that thing crashed down...

“Look at this!” Rina emerges through the smoke, a little unsteady on her feet. She’s no longer composed and superior; wild-eyed, she glares at Lux with an air of accusation. “I worked for years on this design, we were this close to a proper experiment, and you had to blunder in here and ruin everything, you stupid fat cow!”

Yes/No (Even): Can Lux deal with Rina? | [6,5] Yes

Lux has had enough. Wasting no time on words, she puts her head down and barges forward, making use of her lower centre of gravity for a **** shove. Caught off-balance, Rina falls backwards, letting out a startled yell that rises an octave as she goes crashing into the wreckage of her fallen device. The device rocks back precariously, and a worrying buzzing sound emerges from it. The glow visible through the cracks in its shell is brighter than ever.

Lux hesitates for a moment – whatever the device is about to do, it’s tempting to leave Rina to a taste of poetic justice – but finally, she grabs the dazed woman’s outflung hand and pulls her clear. Rina topples to the ground, still dazed, as the buzzing and crackling grow in intensity, surrounding the broken device in a halo of dazzling energy.

Lux watches Rina warily, but the mad inventor lies still, her chest rising and falling with slow breaths. As much as it feels like a mistake for Lux to turn her back on her, there isn’t exactly an abundance of time or options. Shielding her face, Lux pushes forward through the smoke and sparks, looking for any sign of Olan or Atara.