Another look

After the door to the Feeler lab slid shut, you noticed the straps on your leggings were hanging down and their tops were already beginning to loosen and slip downward., "Oh crap! I left my thong inside. Can you reopen the door?" you asked MPAD-24.

The door slid back open, and the humid air wafted out into the hallway. From the doorway, you could see an edge of the upper band but the rest was hidden by some vegetation. After a few careful steps to avoid stepping on some of the plants, you bent down to pick it up, but you were surprised to find that the much of the material had become stuck to some of the plants below it. Even with firm tugs, you still couldn't pry it loose. What the hell?

Taking a closer look, you saw that the plant it had landed on seemed to be covered with a series of tiny thorns which had barbed tips. While you tried to slowly pull against some of them, your hand accidentally struck a few others nearby, and you immediately felt a sharp pain. "Ouch!" you cried. "What is this thing?"

MPAD-24 floated down an then announced, "That is barb blight. It's a fairly common disease that can affect a wide range of plants, including Feelers. This area will need to be treated to prevent it from spreading further."

"What about my thong? Is there any way to free it?"

"Once the tiny barbs become embedded in material or skin, they are extremely difficult to remove. Pulling the barbs free or breaking them is not advised since that can lead to further spreading of the blight."

As you held the band of the thong, you realized that the garment was effectively ruined. The barbs had become completely embedded in a large section of the fabric and there was no safe way to free it. On the other hand, the band portion seemed unaffected. Perhaps that part of it could still be salvaged. "MPAD-24, can you determine if the band section is free of barbs?"

The floating robot emitted a wide beam of light which passed over the thong and highlighted each of the tiny thorns. While the lower cloth was saturated with them, the band area was clear. "Affirmative. The band has no barbs."

"Can you cut the band free?" you asked while you held it up and placed your fingers along the upper edge.

Immediately, MPAD-24 emitted another beam of light, but this time it was much thinner and brighter. Moments later, the upper band of the thong had been cut free.

It wasn't much, but it would effectively serve as a garter belt. You quickly pulled it on and hooked the straps from your leggings to it so they wouldn't slip down. "I guess this will have to do until I can get another thong."