Charles looked at the steel needles covering the entire ceiling and swallowed. He said, "If that thing falls, we're both going to die horribly."
"Actually, death wouldn't be instant. It depends on where exactly those steel needles stab." Erik was much calmer. "Judging by the density, it's almost impossible for them to pierce the brainstem in one strike. The head might be avoided too. In that case, death by suffocation from blood loss in the lungs, or from excessive blood loss, would be more likely."
"No, Erik." Charles looked into his eyes. "Could you really watch me like that?"
"If it really came to that, I'd choose to turn my back and not look," Erik said. "Don't call me heartless. I'm just discussing the worst-case scenario."
"No." Charles said, "If you dare turn your back, I'll destroy all your helmets. And don't think you'll ever build another."
"Are you really that focused on destroying my mental health?"
"And mine too," Charles stressed. "Both of ours. Neither of us gets to escape."
"Stop thinking about that, Charles," Erik reminded him. "We need to figure out how this game is played."
Erik first checked the platform. He reached under it, felt around, then said, "There's a lever here. Doesn't look good."
"My guess is, once you pull it, the ceiling drops," Charles said, looking up at the ceiling. "That's how it always goes in horror movies."
"And after it drops?" Erik said. "We can hide under this platform..."
The next second, he stopped talking. Because his knowledge of Mechanical Engineering and mechanics told him that the structure he had felt underneath the platform was movable, not locked in place.
In other words, this platform might not keep serving as support forever. If the ceiling dropped and then the platform stopped holding, they