g!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MISSION THREE — VOTING ROUND (UPDATED CONSTRAINTS)

(The base is tight with tension. Emergency lights paint everything in sickly orange. The tiger cub perches on her crate, ears flattened but voice still squeaky and authoritative.)

Tiger Cub:
“LISTEN UP! NEW RULES — VADRINA, GORDON, KIRA, DUCC, AND SUE CANNOT BE VOTED FOR THE NEXT THREE MISSIONS. KITSUNE, CASSIE, JOTARO, STEAMTON, AND SKRUNKLY CANNOT BE VOTED FOR THE NEXT FOUR MISSIONS. VOTING STARTS — NOW. PICK FIVE. NO SELF-VOTES. NO MANIPULATION. AND—”
(she swallows, eyes pinning everyone)
“—REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED. THE MOLE’S INSIDE.”

(The room hums. Ashley’s spot is empty. Diolson’s head twitches and then rights itself. The mood is sharp as a blade.)

WHO’S ELIGIBLE (FLASH ON SCREEN)

Zap · Zephyr · Pale King · Miss Jasmine · Fork · Remy · Rewrite · Dijital · Grim · Fun Facts with Herbert · Atlas · Diolson · Scoop Dog · Big D Randy · SpongeBob · Squidward · Fellow-D9 · Gebrix · GIANT COCK!! · Kaibi · Virian · Kris · DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!! · Momo

(Murmurs. Eyes dart. Some people lean to form private huddles.)

CAMPAIGNS & WHISPERS

Zap (nervous, bouncing):
“Okay, list—listening. Whoever can run fast and do silly things that confuse drones? Vote for them! Vote for me—uh, I mean vote for—uh—someone else who runs fast!”

Diolson (voice like a dial tone):
“Pr1or1ty: s3lect t3am w1th redundanc1es. Tech + physical + arcane = surviv4l.”

Big D Randy (already looming in a corner, calm and smiling):
“You need someone who can smash doors, shrug bullets, and close distance. I don’t sneak. I make things stop being a problem.”

Rewrite (sidling up to Big D Randy, eyes bright):
“Oh? That’s my kind of energy. Vote for Randy, vote for chaos, vote for spectacle. Also vote for me — I’ll make sure we all have a good time surviving.”

Fellow-D9 (flat, guarded):
“I work best in fast entry ops. Anchor can manipulate small swarms. I don’t do drama.”

Momo (soft, clutching wand):
“I can protect and cast. Quiet. Effective. I’ll keep you safe if you let me.”

Gebrix (fiddling with earrings, half-smile):
“I teleport, I move people out of harm’s way. If the mole goes loud, I can pull someone out and drop them ten meters away. Also I’m chill.”

Kris (yelling):
“VOTE FOR ME OR I WILL YELL AT YOU THE ENTIRE MISSION, OKAY???”

SpongeBob (hand raised, bubbly):
“Ooh! I can make a distraction! And cook snacks afterwards! Friends?”

Squidward (deadpan):
“Please don’t vote for SpongeBob out of sympathy. Things will rapidly devolve.”

Fun Facts with Herbert (pacing):
“Quick, vote for someone who’s interesting! Did you know—”

Atlas (two-toned smile):
“We can be useful. I have patience. The other part has patience… for consequences.”

Dijital (tail flicking, smirking):
“I can spam visual glitches on drone feeds and generate meme static. Distracting. Useful for an extraction.”

Diolson (calm):
“Trust l0g: t3ch t0kens. Ch3ck physical access to detonator… w3 mu5t pr1or1t1ze non-hackab1e options.”

TENSE ASIDES (OVERHEARD)

Cassie (to Kitsune in a corner — but loud enough):
“We can’t rely on networked tools. Whoever we pick should be low-profile with low electronic footprint.”

Kitsune (quiet, fangs hidden):
“Don’t pick the flashy ones as decoys. Pick people who don’t scream on the net.”

Rewrite (sidling toward Diolson):
“You’re lucky you didn’t get ripped apart earlier, phone-man. Wanna come on a fun little trip with us?”

Diolson (blink):
“Noted. I r3m3mb3r r3cent anomal1es.”

VOTES CAST (BIOMETRIC CONFIRMATION)

(The big screen blinks as biometric taps register. Whispers die down to the hum of the voting module.)

Tallying…

Big D Randy — 18 votes (brute force, certainty)

Diolson — 16 votes (technical resilience, insider knowledge)

Momo — 15 votes (arcane defense, crowd control)

Fellow-D9 — 12 votes (combat specialist, anchor utility)

Gebrix — 10 votes (teleport/telekinesis, extraction capabilities)

(Close runners-up: Rewrite (9), Atlas (8), SpongeBob (6), Dijital (5), Zap (4).)

TIGER CUB — ANNOUNCES THE TEAM

Tiger Cub (breathing out, tail flicking sharply):
“MISSION THREE TEAM — BIG D RANDY, DIOLSON, MOMO, FELLOW-D9, AND GEBRIX! YOU’RE GOING. DO NOT FAIL. DO NOT LET THE MOLE SEE YOU COMING. I WILL BE WATCHING WITH EARS AND ALSO A LITTLE POUT.”

(The selection causes a ripple — rewrite’s grin thins; Big D Randy cracks his knuckles with quiet anticipation; Diolson makes a small digitated noise of acknowledgment; Momo bows her head; Fellow-D9 stares at the exit like a man already in motion; Gebrix fades in and out of peripheral vision.)

IMMEDIATE REACTIONS & UNDERCURRENT

Rewrite (smiling, not hiding disappointment):
“Oooh, lucky bunch. If you run into any interesting corpses, text me a pic. Preferably dramatic angles.”

Big D Randy (soft chuckle):
“We’re going to be fine. Quiet or loud, I finish what I start.”

Diolson (mechanical calm):
“Obj3ctiv3s likely: locat3, n3utraliz3, r3turn. Mop up any anomalous sys—avoid net hooks.”

Momo (small, steady):
“I’ll keep shields up. I’ll protect anyone who needs it.”

Fellow-D9 (nodding once):
“No theatrics. Fast, clean. Anchor ready.”

Gebrix (shrugging, small grin):
“I’ll teleport people away if it gets messy. Keep cameras off me—please.”

Kris (screaming at the ceiling):
“WHOEVER IS THE MOLE I WILL FIND YOU THEN I WILL SCREAM AT YOU SO LOUD YOU CRY”

SpongeBob (cheerful):
“Good luck everyone! Don’t forget to wash your hands!”

Squidward (muttering):
“Good riddance to the voting circus.”

(The tiger cub clicks a paw at the floor and a soft alarm count begins. The team shoulders packs. Behind them, whispers coil into suspicion like smoke — someone inside the base had slaughtered Ashley; someone snapped Diolson’s neck and left him functioning. The mole is bolder than before.)

Tiger Cub (quiet, dangerous):
“If any of you come back with evidence of the mole, I will promote you to deluxe ear-scratchers. Also cookies. If you die, I will be very displeased.”

Big D Randy (grins):
“I don’t do well with being displeased.”

(They head for the elevator. The rest of the entries watch, nervous and quiet. The voting is done — mission three has a team — and the base, small and ragged, braces itself for what happens next.)