Chapter 6: The Clovers Lab

You all rush into the room, Stina and Mikael working on the machine while Sabine heads straight for Dr. Sundgren, attacking her violently with the bat. Despite the very quick entrance and acting of all the kids, Dr. Sundgren reacts surprisingly quickly. She can't stop Sabine from knocking her gun away from her, but she shields herself against the blows that Sabine keeps raining down on her. The white-haired woman's arms must hurt like hell after all these strikes with the bat. It's a wonder they're not broken. But she keeps strong until Mikael, his and Stina's work successful and the machine deactivated now, turns to Sabine and stops her from further assaulting the woman.
Stina and Henry quickly check on the kids attached to the machine. They're alive and conscious, though they appear very dizzy und unsure of their surroundings.

"I've been removed from this reality once before," Dr. Sundgren says. If she's scared of the gun pointed at her, she doesn't show it. Her voice is dripping with confidence, even arrogance. "It took me ten years to come back. I bet the next time, it would take a fraction of that. Still, I would much prefer not to be erased or even killed." She rises back up to her feet, her hands lifted in seeming surrender. "I am sure there has been a little misunderstanding here. I am only trying to help this world. All that my colleagues and I ever wanted was to improve the lives of everyone. I'm sure you would want the same thing." She glances over to the shut-off machine and flashes a confident smile at Sabine and Mikael. "I'm sure we can come to an understanding. We all want our reality back the way it used to be. You promise to let me go as soon as reality is fixed and we'll go our separate ways. Doesn't that just sound wonderful?"

The evil scientist doesn't seem too impressed by Stina's outburst. Or maybe she just pretends to be calm. "Progress demands sacrifice. I never meant to harm these children. And the ones that remained will recover. They most likely won't even remember this ever happened." She stands straight and proud. "Lower your weapons and let's be reasonable. You want me as a friend, not an enemy."

"Many great minds were regarded as monsters in their time," Dr. Sundgren replies. "Partially, yes. My return caused some issues. But my work afterwards caused more. You see, Sven, Natasha and I, we could have really made a difference back in the day. And yes, it was because of our, frankly, brilliant minds, but also because we had access to the most ingenious technology in the world. The Hephaesteum, a laboratory created from Flesh and Steel and filled with technologies you can't even imagine. We were going to change the world. But the police didn't understand. Narrow-minded fools. They wanted to stop us, so I tried to keep the Hephaesteum safe. I wanted to move it forward in time, so they would not find us and we could pick up our work now. I failed. Instead of sending it forward, I sent it sideways, into a different universe. And me with it. After I returned, I obviously had to find it as well. And I was so very close. Until you kids came in and interrupted me."

"There's one kid that I lost in my search," Dr. Sundgren replies. "I would have lost this one as well, but I kept him safe." She points at Sixten. "The other one was a miscalculation on my part. I wouldn't have sent her if I had known it was going to happen. But progress always carries risk."

She shrugs, then looks all of you over. She clearly doesn't look afraid. Your talk of shooting her or using her machine to erase her is clearly just empty talk. "So, what now then? Just go home and I promise, everything will be fine. We never even have to cross paths again."

Before Dr. Sundgren can make another snarky comment or proclaim her superiority again, Henry's hammer smacks into her head with a loud crack, accompanied by a sickening wet sound that makes those of you who had been present there think of the machine fetus.
The scientist collapses limply to the side, unmoving, and blood slowly pools around her head. She's unconscious but still alive. If you want to put her into the machine, you'll have to do it quickly.