Partner (Papika)

From Radiant Heart MUSH

Partner (Papika)
Date of Cutscene: 16 August 2023
Location: Flip Flap
Synopsis: Hello, gamers! Papika here!
Cast of Characters: Papika

A loud alarm blares! A red light in a wall panel strobes bright and dark!

The sound of bare footfalls comes closer quickly, then move away just as quickly, matching the movements of a shadowed figure running past!

It's a long, high-tech tunnel, with many more red lights flashing, and many more alarms blaring.

Sound! Light! Energy! Chaos!

A woman's voice comes over a loudspeaker. "Papika! Come back, stop!"

Bare feet continue to pad rapidly down the tunnel, as a girl in a strange bodysuit with a labcoat over it runs, carrying what appears to be a strange surfboard.

The girl has long red hair, blue eyes, and a determined expression. She is not coming back, and she is not stopping.

"But you were wrong again!" she retorts without slowing her pace at all.

Papika's determined expression turns into a big smile as she announces, "I'm going myself!"

A man's voice comes over the loudspeaker next, with very odd choices in ENUNNNNciation. "Searching for potential candidates on foot is EXTREEEEEEMEly inefficient."

Papika's sing-song reply and powerful counter-argument is, "I don't caaaaaare!"

Up ahead, there's a ring of tub-shaped machines with a glowing red sensor eye situated along the walls, floor, and ceiling of the tunnel, preventing her from getting out easily. Also ahead of her, a strange box attached to another box by way of a long... Neck? It even has pincher hands and everything! Wao~!

Shielding her eyes from the the flashing lights, Papika squints ahead, and then calls out, "Oh! T h a n k y o u for the welcome!"

She jumps onto her surfboard, and... It... Begins to fly. Accompanied by very high-tech sounds, it hovers in the air and then speeds up, carrying Papika ahead faster and faster!

Mechanical tendrils and energy bolts converge on Papika, becoming harder and harder to evade despite her clear hoverboarding skills, the closer she gets to the robots, until...!

Smash! Crash! Shatter! Burst!

Papika flies out the end of the tunnel, breaking through glass, and dragging several robots along with her before she works her board free of them and lets them fall where they may. The boxy-robot manages to hang onto Papika with his grabby arms though.

"See ya later!" she calls out with a huge grin.

Flying above the tree tops at night, in her sparse bodysuit, is a rather chilly experience despite her 'borrowed' labcoat. She says as much, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's cold!" Then she falls into a peal of laughter, joyful even for this experience.

She is life and the love of life. She is freedom and expression.

Giggling still, she looks up and notices the city lights in the distance. "Sparkly!" she lets out excitedly as she speeds up and adjusts course to head towards them, with a holler of 'Yahoooooooooo!' the whole way.

She is going to find her own partner this time.