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Chapter 70 - Prize

When Michelle and Katelynn reached the top, they saw a white door with a computer on the left side and a machine with an orange keycard slot on the right side before approaching it.

Katelynn placed the orange keycard in the machine's slot, which unlocked the door. Michelle placed her hand on the doorknob before twisting it and pushing it open, revealing an office room. "This must be the Doctor's office," she said before they entered.

As the trio looked around the area, Katelynn spotted a radio on the ground before picking it up and examining it. "What do you do?" she asked herself.

Katelynn spotted a button on the top of the radio before pressing it. "What's a dozen children, a thousand, next to this?" the Doctor asked rhetorically. "What would they have been otherwise? Another drooling automaton out in the world, blindly accepting the offerings of better men?!"

Katelynn glared at the radio as the Doctor made an exasperated sigh. "I gave them purpose! I made their lives matter!" he shouted.

Katelynn growled and tightly clenched the radio in her hand until it was destroyed. "Why even bother recording that bullshit?" she asked rhetorically before dusting her hands.

When Michelle pulled the curtain away, she spotted a note on the counter before grabbing it. After Michelle let go of the curtain, she and Simon Smoke looked at the note. As Michelle read the note, she was shocked. "It's a letter from Elliot Ludwig to the Doctor," she said.

Katelynn looked at Michelle, surprised. "Really?" she asked before approaching her. "What does it say?"

Michelle looked at the note. "From the looks of it, it's about a program from the late sixties called 'Young Geniuses Program'," she said. "While Mr. Ludwig admired the Doctor's brilliant mind and determination, he rejected him because of his lack of humility."

Katelynn looked at the note. "Another reason why Mr. Ludwig rejected the Doctor was that his work wasn't benefiting mankind, but progress for the sake of progress," she continued. "He even lashed out at him and called him soft..."

Simon Smoke looked at Michelle. "Really? I'd be pissed off if someone lashed out at me," he said.

Michelle looked at the note. "While I would agree with you on that, this was the Doctor when he was a kid, maybe even my age back then..." she said. "From what I heard, Mr. Ludwig always had a soft spot for kids..."

Michelle clenched the note. "Mr. Ludwig thought that rejecting the Doctor would help him bounce back and see things from a different perspective, but... I believe that rejecting him made things much worse..." she continued.

Michelle crumpled the note and tossed it on the ground before looking at the door. "I think it's time we claim our prize now," she said.

Katelynn nodded as they approached the door and left the room; when they reached the bottom of the stairs, they looked at the opening at the back corner before approaching it.

Soon after, the trio was in a room with stairs leading to a door on the upper floor and a machine with a computer and a green slot. Katelynn approached the machine and examined it. "This'll get us the Omni-Hand?" she asked.

Michelle nodded as she approached the machine and dug her right hand into her right pocket before pulling the chip out of it. "And this Omni-Chip I got from the good ol' Doctor will help us," she said before putting it into the green slot.

Soon after, the case on the left started opening, which made them look at it. Eventually, the electricity around the purple hand disappeared, which made Michelle look at it. "Hey, perfect timing," she said before twisting the knob.

The purple hand switched to the red hand before Michelle pulled it out of the slot and placed it into the case before backing away. When the case closed and the red hand descended, the trio stared at the machine as it loaded.

Soon after, the Omni-Hand emerged on the other side, which made Michelle approach it and grab it before placing it in the empty slot. "The famous Omni-Hand... in my possession..." she said.

Katelynn smiled and hugged Michelle while her tail was wagging. "Awesome job, Big Sister!" she shouted.

Simon Smoke looked at Michelle with happy eyes. "I knew you could do it, Boss," he said.

Michelle smiled at the duo. "Thank you, both of you..." she said.

Michelle looked at the door above them and spotted an Omni-Hand scanner. "Now then, I think we should put this new hand to the test," she continued.

After Katelynn let go, she and Michelle approached the stairs before climbing them. When the trio looked at the door, Michelle aimed at the scanner and pulled the right trigger, launching the Omni-Hand and touching it.

When the scanner finished, the first charge on the Omni-Hand went dark, which made Michelle look at it. "I've got three chances left; one of them is definitely reserved for Safe Haven's generator," she said before approaching the door and placing her hand on the doorknob.

After Michelle opened the door, the trio saw the hallway with multiple screens. "We're back here..." Katelynn said.

Michelle turned her head to the left and spotted the lift. "Now then, I think it's time we go back home, shall we?" she asked.

Katelynn nodded as she and Michelle got out of the room and approached the lift; when they got on, the gate closed before it started going down. When the lift reached the bottom and the gate opened, Michelle and Katelynn got off.

Michelle turned her head to the opening on her left and spotted a yellow door. "That way," she said before walking forward, which made Katelynn follow.

When Michelle and Katelynn were close to the yellow door, it opened, revealing a large gap. Michelle looked up and saw a handle. "If this is what I think it is..." she said before picking Simon Smoke up and holding him out to Katelynn. "Katie, you're gonna have to hold Simon."

Simon Smoke was shocked and moved his arms and legs around. "What? No way, I'm not gonna let slime girl hold me; I'd rather stick with you, Boss," he said.

Katelynn glared at Simon Smoke as her body started bubbling a bit. "You little shit..." she said, lowly.

Michelle looked at Simon Smoke. "As much as I'd like that, that handle above us is gonna move to the other side in a downward slope," she said. "I can't risk you falling to the barracks if you're holding onto me."

Simon Smoke stared at Michelle before sighing. "I guess you make a valid point, Boss," he said before looking at Katelynn. "You better not get me all slimy..."

Katelynn looked at Simon Smoke with angry eyes and growled a bit as her fingertips turned into claws, and her body bubbled more. "You're so annoying..." she said, lowly.

Michelle looked at Katelynn. "Katie... that's not very ladylike," she said.

Katelynn flinched before sighing as her body stopped bubbling, and she retracted her claws. "Sorry, Big Sister..." she said, lowly, before grabbing Simon Smoke.

Michelle looked at the handle before aiming at it and pulling the right trigger, launching the Omni-Hand and grabbing it. Michelle stepped back before sprinting forward and jumping; soon after, the handle slid down with her before she let go and landed on the other side.

When the handle reached the top, Katelynn stretched her arm and grabbed it before jumping forward, which caused it to move forward.

After Katelynn landed on the ground, Michelle aimed at the hand scanner near the large gray door and pulled the left trigger, launching the blue hand and touching it; after the scanner finished, the door opened.

When Michelle and Katelynn walked forward and climbed the stairs, the trio saw an open cable car, which made her tilt her head. "A cable car..." she said, lowly.

Katelynn smiled. "That should take us back to Safe Haven," she said before she and Michelle approached it.

When the trio entered the cable car, the door closed behind them before it started moving forward. The phone started ringing, which made Michelle grab it off one of the GrabPack's hooks and hold it out. "Yes, yes! My signal's coming through; finally!" Ollie shouted.

Katelynn and Simon Smoke looked at the phone. "The Doctor... he's dead..." Ollie said. "I didn't think I'd ever get to say that."

Michelle looked at the phone. "You sound surprised; did you have doubts that I wouldn't make it?" she asked.

"Yes, I did... but you've proved me wrong..." Ollie said. "You, my friend, are a hero..."

Michelle stared at the phone. "Again and again, you do the impossible," Ollie continued. "You got us here, and... the end is coming. All that's left... is him."

The cable car started getting near No Man's Land. "Let's regroup at Safe Haven," Ollie said. "Take stock; talk more there."

When the phone call ended, Michelle stared at the phone with a stoic expression; Katelynn looked at her, concerned. "Big Sister?" she asked.

Michelle closed her eyes and took a deep breath; after she exhaled, she hung the phone back on one of the GrabPack's hooks. "Ollie's right about one thing... the end is near," she said.

Michelle turned her head to Katelynn with determined eyes. "And we have to prepare for it," she continued.

Katelynn stared at Michelle before smiling and nodding. "Right," she said.

When the cable car stopped, the door opened, which made Michelle and Katelynn get off. Soon after, the trio spotted a lift before Michelle and Katelynn got on it.

When the gate closed, the lift started moving down; Michelle looked forward, determined. Now it's time to put everyone's trust to the test, she thought.

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