She called out for help

Eva tried twisting her fingers into a gesture that would disarm the trap, but it didn't work. She tried the gesture to call Dave, but nothing happened. Her suit wasn't responding to any commands, likely due to the electric shock she had endured earlier.

Damned boffins, she cursed internally. All of the tech she was wearing just had to fail right as she was inches away from her target. She watched helplessly as the stranger walked away nonchalantly, while she writhed helplessly on the ground.

Right as the figure disappeared from her view, she finally swallowed her pride. "Wait.", she shouted."Please don't leave."

For a moment, nothing happened. She couldn't help but feel relief as she finally heard some footsteps in her direction. After a few tense moments, the face of the stranger finally came back into view. "Yes?", they simply asked.

She sighed. "I'm stuck and I can't free myself.", she said. "I need help."

"Alright. Before I help you though, I need something in return. A favor for a favor, if you will."

Eva shook her head by instinct. "No.", she said. Accepting an offer like that was dangerous under the best of circumstances, let alone when she was tied up and helpless.

"Well, see you another time then.", said the stranger, as they turned around and began to leave.

Eva tried struggling against her bonds, but her strength had completely given out. Future events began to play out in her head: as things stood, the most probable outcome was the next mall security shift finding her as she was. They would likely call the cops and report a break in. While her agency would bail her out, her standing in her organization would be seriously hurt by the incident. Getting arrested while using prototype company equipment on unauthorized missions would damage her credibility beyond repair. She would be grounded for months, if not years.

She bit her lip as she realized there was no other way.

"Wait.", she called out to the departing stranger. "I accept."

"Great!", they said in a chippy voice. "Let's get rid of this net, then."

The stranger appeared back in her view, this time holding a sharp pocket knife. She held her breath, being careful to not move as they pulled one strand of the net in tension and slipped the blade underneath.

To both their surprise, however, the material proved extremely resistant. Worse, when impacted by the blade, the point of contact sparked, causing the stranger to recoil in pain. The situation was even worse for her, as sharp pinpricks of pain appeared all over her body - thanks to a series of electric shocks.

"Holy shit!", said the stranger. They shot an accusatory glance at her. "Is this a trap or something?"

Clearly in pain, she shook her head. She should have known this would happen. She gritted her teeth, barely able to speak. "Intrusion detection. C-can't cut net.", she gasped, panting for breath. Her entire body felt slick with sweat.

"Well, if I can't cut the net, how exactly am I supposed to free you then?"

Through the pain, Eva tried to remember the suit manual she had read, thinking what could possibly help her in this situation. She turned red as a solution finally came to her.