Laboratory 2A-2

You figure that, if the worst that is happening in the room beyond is someone laughing, then there can't be too much harm in going to see what is in the room itself. Quietly opening the door, you peek around the corner to make sure that you are not seen and slip in, closing the door slowly to ensure that it makes no noise. Getting in unseen does not prove to be too hard, there are a number of machines and cables that block a direct view of the center experimentation area that you duck behind to avoid being seen. The sound of the laughter is louder now, but the obstructions work both ways; you cannot see what is happening in the center area, either. Of course, there is only one thing to do about that.

Sneaking around and watching every step to make sure you do not step on anything that would make noise or in some way betray your presence, you finally find a place where two machines are placed closely together, too close to squeeze into but providing enough separation for you to see into the center area without a great deal of trouble, and allowing you to stay mostly hidden behind the machines. And finally the source of the laughter within the room becomes obvious; a tall girl, with a brown ponytail and wearing a fairly tight exercise tank top and tight exercise pants, both in a shade of dark green. You wonder if perhaps the top is a size too small for her, because it seems awfully tight, but then you realize that it is the size of her chest rather than the top that causes the problem. Certainly, the catgirl standing behind her is taking advantage of the fact that the top fits in this way; the ribs, almost entirely exposed by the ill-fitting top, are under attack from a parade of claws that skitter and dance upon the exposed flesh. The brown-haired girl is shrieking with laughter, especially as the fingertips sometimes sneak just under the edge of the top, and she is thrashing so much that it is a wonder she does not bounce right out of the tightly-fit tank top.

Something is odd, you notice, as the catgirl presses up against the taller girl's back. The tall girl is apparently strong, much stronger than the catgirl it seems; both her size and the muscles that are evident beneath the skin when she tenses in a certain way would indicate that. And yet, there are no restraints or impediments on the tall girl of any kind that you can see. All she is doing is holding two weights above her head, and the weights seem especially puny given the kind of strength the tall girl seems capable of. But she still does nothing to resist; the catgirl's claws are all over her midsection, and under her arms now, too. This development makes the tall girl's eyes shoot open wide with laughter, and her legs wobble slightly, her body squirming side to side as she fights against what seem to be invisible restraints. Is such a thing possible? Given the other slightly outlandish devices that have been in this Lab, you won't discount the possibility.

The laughter's pitch raises, and now you can see that the catgirl is taking two feathers, tucking them into the tank top from the bottom side, then reaching through from the top and drawing them up against the ribs and over the underarms before they come free. The black feathers' assault is apparently too much for the poor girl, and in between breathless gasps of laughter she's started to say something, but it's too quiet for you to hear from this position. The catgirl has relented and is stroking the girl's sides with her claws gently, but you still can't hear what's being said. This spot is too far away from the center for you to hear. If you could squeeze in between the two machines, you might be able to get close enough to hear. But, a quarter of the way around the room, you see another good hiding spot that's substantially closer to the center area.

What do you do?

Try to squeeze forward in between the two machines

Go around and try to sneak into the closer hiding spot