Round 24 Transcript

Silra tightens the last bolt with a satisfying click. The frame should hold now, but we need to test it under actual use conditions. She looks up at the group. We can't just assume it's safe—someone needs to ride this thing while others check for stress points. Volunteers?*

Jeane steps forward despite her dizziness. I'll do it. Someone else should monitor the building's response though. We need to know exactly what it wants before we start complying too much. She climbs onto the sybian, settling onto the vibrating surface with a sharp intake of breath. Fuck—it's already strong. Hera moves to stand near the door, eyes scanning for any changes in the room. Halie, you check the building's temperature and hums again. Abby, watch Jeane for any sign of strain on the frame. I'll keep an eye out for... She trails off as a low rumble shakes the floor.

The sybian vibrates harder under Jeane, and she grips the handles tightly. Oh god—it's responding to something! Her face flushes as the intensity increases. Anyone see anything changing? Building's not just watching now, it's... participating? Halie rushes to her equipment bag. The temperature's rising again, but this time it feels different. More... alive. She pulls out a small sensor. Wait—there's an electromagnetic field building around the sybian! This thing could fry our electronics if we're not careful! Silra freezes mid-inspection of the frame. That's not good. EM fields can interfere with the mechanical components. We need to shut this down before—

The building moans loudly, a sound like metal groaning under pressure. The walls seem to pulse faintly. -100%

I climb onto the sybian, its vibrations immediately sending jolts through me despite my attempts at detachment. The frame creaks ominously under my weight—two bodies would likely snap this thing in half. I grip the handles hard enough to turn my knuckles white. "Fuck," I hiss through clenched teeth. "This piece of shit won't hold more than one person, let alone all four." The leather seat strains against its bolts; the motor whirs loudly, protesting the stress even as it sends waves of pleasure up my spine. I look over at Silra, who's watching me with that maddeningly impassive expression. "Unless you've got some genius engineering trick up your sleeve? Because I'm not riding this thing while Hera and Abby fuck on top of me."

Silra's eyes narrow as she watches Jeane test the sybian, the machine groaning ominously under her weight. She crouches down beside it, running experienced fingers over the frame. "Hmmm," she muses, "This thing's seen better days. The frame's stressed even with just one person on board." Her gaze sweeps across the group, lingering on Halie's flushed face and Abby's wide eyes before settling back on Jeane. "If we're to satisfy whatever whims this building has, we need something sturdier."

She straightens up, reaching for a nearby toolbox they'd brought along. "I've got an idea, but it'll take time and materials we might not have here." Her fingers curl around a set of metal plates and bolts she often uses for field repairs on her technomagic devices. "If you trust my hands," she says to Jeane, "I can reinforce this thing enough for multiple users. But it won't be pretty, and it'll take at least twenty minutes of focused work."

She doesn't look away from Jeane's eyes as she adds, voice cool and matter-of-fact despite the charged atmosphere, "Unless you think we should just go back to that closet and figure something else out?"