The Game(You Lost)

Continuing their mission, Jack and Lysa blended seamlessly with the other uniformed staff. The searching party moved briskly, their eyes keenly looking out for any sign of the escaped dragon. There was a palpable tension in the air, hinting at the dire repercussions of the beast's escape.

They traversed numerous chambers, and the sheer scale of the facility left Lysa in awe. "This place... It's like an entire city built for twisted research," she whispered, her voice barely audible even to Jack.

As they passed by a particularly guarded chamber, Lysa's keen senses picked up faint murmurs. The voice seemed to belong to a captain, and his words sent a chill down her spine. "Every specimen in the Genetic Wing was lost. Do you realize the amount of research that's been wasted? Lock down the entire facility. No one goes in or out until the creature is recaptured."

Jack, his posture relaxed but senses heightened, noted the urgency in the captain's voice. He realized the full extent of their actions—the liberation of the dragon had jeopardized a significant part of this facility's dark objectives. However, no remorse filled him; he knew it was the right thing to do.

Lysa, trying to adopt the mannerisms of the person whose ID badge she wore, deepened her voice, adjusting her tone to sound masculine. She leaned into Jack, feigning a casual chat. "Looks like they're doubling down on security. We need to be extra careful."

Jack nodded in agreement, his calm eyes scanning the environment. "We continue with our primary objective: the children. Let them scurry around for their lost experiment."

The two made their way deeper into the facility, passing by an area marked 'Cybernetics and Robotics Division.' The hum of machinery was more profound here, and the air had a sterile feel to it. Robotic arms moved with meticulous precision, constructing various components.

As they ventured further, they crossed paths with peculiar robots. These seemed more advanced than the typical maintenance bots. Their movement was fluid, almost lifelike, and the artificial intelligence powering them was evident in their responsive actions.

Lysa watched as one humanoid robot, clearly part of the VegaDroids series, approached a workstation. It operated with such finesse, combining speed and accuracy in a manner that no human could replicate.

The duo barely made it a few steps when a stern voice rang out, echoing through the corridors, causing many of the figures bustling about to stop in their tracks.

"Davos!" the voice barked. A stocky captain, his face hidden behind an opaque visor, emerged from the shadows. The glinting insignia on his chest hinted at his elevated rank. "Weren't you transferred to the Devil Fruit wing? What in the world are you doing here?"

For a fleeting moment, Lysa felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. But Jack, ever the picture of calm, responded quickly, feigning a hint of fear in his voice. "When the alarms sounded, we were dispatched as backup," he replied, trying to sound as genuine as possible.

The captain seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding begrudgingly. "Fine, but you're not needed here. Head back. And don't dawdle, Davos. We can't have idlers when there's a crisis." He added dismissively, "You always were rather useless."

Jack simply nodded, pulling Lysa gently by the arm as they made their way towards the break room where the card game was said to be happening.

As they entered the dimly lit break room, a motley crew of personnel was already engrossed in a card game, laughing and jesting, seemingly unperturbed by the alarms and the atmosphere of urgency that permeated the rest of the facility. To Lysa's surprise, they were waved over by one of the card players.

"Ah, Davos! Come to lose some credits?" A tall man with a broad smile beckoned them over. The man's cheerful demeanor was in stark contrast to the tense environment outside the break room. It was clear that the facility's personnel were used to alarms and disturbances.

Deciding to play along, Jack settled next to the card players, pulling Lysa down beside him.

The game had just started, with several personnel seated around a table scattered with cards and digital chips. The tall woman from earlier, who seemed to know the original Davos quite well, glanced curiously at them, "Davos, why aren't you taking your helm off? Trying to keep that ugly mug of yours hidden?" she teased.

Jack hesitated for a split second before replying with a feigned weariness, "Long day. Didn't get much sleep last night, so I'd rather keep my face hidden. Don't want to scare everyone here with my tired eyes."

She chuckled, buying into his excuse. "Alright, we'll let you hide that haggard face of yours."

But then her attention shifted to Lysa. "And what about the newbie? What's your excuse?"

Lysa, doing her best to imitate a deeper voice, stammered, "Uh, well, it's my first week and...I had a bit of an accident with one of the chemical mixers in the Genetic Wing. Left a pretty ugly mark on my face. Don't want to be the laughing stock on my first week."

A sympathetic murmur went around the table, along with a few suppressed chuckles. "Oh, that's nothing," one of the card players joked. "You should've seen what happened to Jones on his first day. Turned his skin blue for a week!"

Laughter filled the room. Another piped up, "Ah, the joys of the newbie phase! But don't worry, we've all been there."

As the game continued, the conversation turned casual. Personnel exchanged tales of their own mishaps and memories from their early days in the facility. But amidst the chatter, Lysa sensed that the group was trying to gauge their newest member. To fit in, she decided to share a 'story.'

Mustering confidence, she began, "On my second day, I was assigned to the Cybernetics and Robotics Division. I was so fascinated by the VegaDroids that I forgot to check if one of the RoboFauna was deactivated." The card players leaned in, clearly interested in her tale. "Let's just say, having a robotic ostrich chase you around the lab isn't the ideal way to make a first impression."

Laughter erupted. "Oh, the ostrich! It got me once too!" one of them exclaimed, slapping his knee in mirth.

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