The Mole Season 2.5: The Second Challenge Part 8
A: Welcome back to the mansion, everyone. I hope you all had a nice home stay.
Everyone: ...
A: Yeah, I suppose that's not a very funny joke. Anyway, before we get down to business, I have a very special guest. I'm afraid some of you are already familiar with him.
Nihm: What's this bloodsucker doing in our mansion? He's the one who kidnapped us in the first place!
A: He's here because I hired him, of course.
Daniel: You mean you
hired ESCARGOT to kidnap us!?
A: They needed some field experience, and I needed a way to get all of you trapped in rooms. It was a mutually beneficial deal.
Kalama: So all of the rooms were just sets? All of it was staged?
A: Yes.
Brooke: Only a Mole would be able to pull that off, A!
A: Not this again. *sigh* Now, if that's all, I believe we can move on to the escapes themselves. Despite the rigged nature of your imprisonments, I must say that all of you put in a admirable effort. Great job.
Sophie: Somehow that doesn't really make me feel better about being kidnapped by our own host. I assume you're behind Zeus's disappearance, as well.
A: I'm afraid not, actually. His absence confused me just as much as you.
Maxi: So what happened to everyone's favorite lightning bug?
A: After getting in touch with some of his family, it seems that Zeus was forced to return to Olympus. Very important business, it seems. Some such about saving the world or something. Unfortunately, such an emergency precludes him from participating in The Mole, and therefore he is no longer with us.
Roy: So Sophie was down to just herself in her room? That must've been rough.
A: Yes, Sophie was forced to handle the threat alone. Amazingly, she still managed to escape with the limited amount of time she had. Her successful escape has added 10 points to the pot. Blowing that vent open was smart, Sophie.
Sophie: Thanks. Wouldn't have needed to do that if you hadn't kidnapped us in the first place.
Evie: So how could you tell what we were doing?
A: I'm sure all of you saw the gnomes in your rooms, yes?
Evie: Yeah, I smashed that thing to pieces. It had some kind of camera inside of it.
A: Yes, those gnomes were planted to monitor you and make sure you weren't in any serious danger.
Brooke: That's not the only thing they were there for!
Alec: Oh, what is she rambling on about now?
A: Actually, I'm afraid she's right. The gnomes were also a test. The first contestant that chose to examine the gnome was offered an Exemption. That contestant was Brooke, and she elected to take the Exemption. Brooke, you won't have to take the Execution Quiz this week.
Brooke: Not that I need the exemption anyway. I know all of you are Moles, including A!
A: Unfortunately, that also means that Brooke and Nadine's escape is forfeit. Therefore, no points are added to the pot for them.
A: For those curious about the actual way to escape, here is the solution. You may notice that one of the wood tiles is darker than the rest. This tile is actually a trapdoor leading to a tunnel that runs out back into the yard. The key to this trapdoor could be found in one of the storage boxes, accessible by breaking it with the oars. It seems that the two of you were on the right track, and had Brooke not taken the Exemption, perhaps the two of you would've escape by yourselves anyway.
Nihm: Not all of us were so lucky, it seems.
A: No, I suppose you weren't. Roy and Nihm were trapped in a room filled with plants.
Kalama: Appropriate for you two nature freaks.
A: They found a pitcher filled with a strange liquid and flowers that smelled funny. Unfortunately, they did not piece of all of the puzzle pieces together in time, and they were forcibly removed from the set and teleported here by a friend of mine. As they did not successfully escape, no points are added to the pot.
Roy: You don't have very nice friends, A. ESCARGOT agents to kidnap us, strange figures dressed all in black.
Nihm: What were we missing, anyway?
A: You came very close to escaping, actually. Your idea to pour the liquid into the flowers was quite good. However, you did not pour them into the right pot.
Roy: The flowers weren't all the same?
A: No. The middle pot of flowers was a very special breed of flower native to Llamastan, called the Exploding Zinnia. Had you poured the pitcher into these middle flowers, the special liquid would've set off a chain reaction in the zinnias, causing them to explode and allowing you to escape. Exploding Zinnias have a very unique smell, something that both you and your kitten picked up on.
A: On a happier note, Alec and Mordo did a fantastic job of escaping their room. They were able to determine that the escape hatch was hidden behind the renowned painting of Bella. 10 points have been added to the pot for your success.
Maxi: Too bad no such painting could be found in our room.
A: Yes, I think you and Evie had the most difficult room of them all. There weren't many items to interact with, but you did the best with what you had. Sadly, you too ran out of time to escape, and that my friend had to take the two of you away.
Evie: There's not much you can do with a brick and a mallet, A.
A: That brick was a hint to examine the walls. Sharp-eyed viewers may have noticed that one of the corners of the room was made of brick, in contrast to the rest of the room. Those bricks are extremely weak, and had you used the mallet to break them, the entire wall would've collapsed, allowing the two of you to escape.
Maxi: But instead we were taken away by this mysterious friend of yours. Another ESCARGOT lackey?
A: Quite the opposite, actually. I think they're coming downstairs right now.
"Man" in Black: I still can't believe that the Precursors don't even ladybugs! It's absurd!
Gillian: Hi, everyone! Nice to officially meet you! Even though I already kind of know some of you. You know, the whole kidnapping and all.
A: Contestants, this is Gillian Flynn, expert on alien origins and technology, and a good friend of mine.
Maxi: So you used alien technology to teleport us away?
Gillian: Yup! Technically I'm not supposed to have any of it, but I'm sure they won't mind! It's not like that's top secret technology or anything!
Nihm: Actually, it kind of sounds like it is.
Gillian: Well, what they don't know won't hurt them.
A: Gillian was in charge of teleporting anybody who was forced to leave their rooms. She took care of Brooke and Nadine for the Exemption, and for Roy, Nihm, Evie, and Maxi when they failed to escape in time.
Gillian: I'm just glad to have played my part. Now, I understand that I'm going to be paid in dandelion stems?
A: That is what you wanted, isn't it?
Gillian: Of course! I can't wait to use those for my next plan.
Daniel: So that leaves Kalama and me as the only ones left.
A: That's right, Daniel. Naturally, two pyromaniacs tried to escaped their room by blowing stuff up. Excellent use of flammable substances. I couldn't have done it better myself.
Kalama: The explosive gel was a nice touch. Your addition, I presume?
A: Yeah, it's very handy for blowing up scrap metal. The escape hatch was a bit more durable, but fortunately the two of you were still able to find a way out. 10 points have been added for you.
A: Well, now that all is said and done, we can total up the points. Three of the six groups successfully escaped their rooms, meaning that as a whole you have earned 30 points out of a possible 60 points. Not bad, not bad at all. Y'all should get some rest before the Execution Quiz tonight.
Sophie: Wait, we're still doing that? But Zeus-
A: Was forced to leave due to a mythological emergency. But since technically he wasn't eliminated, then the quiz still goes on. Remember Brooke. You have the exemption, and therefore don't have the quiz. The rest of you, you better start thinking. This quiz is for real, and one of you are going home after this. Good luck, and may the Force be with you.
Nadine's Interview
Father, Things are proceeding as planned with this foolish game. The goddess and the fire demon have both naturally gravitated towards me as you had guessed they would.
We will gain immense fame and glory when I win this competition. In fact,
I think I've already found the Mole...
