A/N: Weekly Improv challenge response. As always, the first and last lines are provided. Some names have been changed to protect the innocent G.
Disclaimer: I know I don't own anything related to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Believe me, I know.
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Grissom remembered warm summer nights in Boston, and wine in yellow plastic cups. What was troubling him, however, was the exact name of the festival. He attended once, two years ago, while in Boston for a conference. Never did he imagine he would be in the position of having to recall anything about it.
Regis repeated the question. "What is the annual Boston celebration which culminates in 'The Flight of the Angel' with a young girl 'flying' from a third floor window?"
Gil took a deep breath and decided to bite the bullet. He'd studied the options at length and felt nearly certain of the answer then. "C, Fisherman's Feast. Final answer."
The host paused briefly for dramatic effect. "Just won $32,000! Going on for $64,000, in what state would you find the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow? A. Florida, B. New York, C. Texas, D. California."
Grissom was surprised by the question. That question was worth sixty-four grand? "Epcot Center is in Florida," he answered confidently.
"Final answer?"
"Yes."
"You got it!"
Wincing inwardly under the glare of the lights and the roar of the audience, Grissom both cursed and blessed his co-workers for convincing him to appear on the show; he was generally very private, and finding himself on national television was low on his to-do list. But when the show had come to tape some episodes in Las Vegas, he ran out of excuses to avoid it. Two of his 'lifelines' were gone already, leaving him with only an opportunity to telephone someone if he needed assistance with a particular question.
"Okay, Gil, you're doing great," Regis Philpott gushed. "You're four questions away from a million dollars. Here's your $125,000 question: In the first season of Survivor, what did contestants gain notoriety for eating? A. Komodo dragons, B. Cockroaches, C. Rats or D. Dirt."
Exhaling, Gil was again grateful to know the answer. "C, rats." As Regis opened his mouth to speak, Grissom continued, "Final answer."
"Feeling pretty confident, okay let's see…just won $125,000!" The audience erupted again, their applause working with the music to grate on Grissom's nerves. "Moving on to your $250,000 question, if you miss this one, you lose 93 grand. What oil painting technique did Leonardo Da Vinci use for the Mona Lisa? A. Sfumato, B. Sforza, C. Sforzo, D. Sforzando."
Grissom thought for a moment and finally pulled the correct answer from the recesses of his memory. He was taken back nearly forty years, listening intently as his mother discussed Da Vinci with a friend. "Sfumato," he responded softly. "Final answer."
Regis flashed his polished smile at the camera. "He had 125 grand, took a risk…now he's got a quarter of a million dollars! Just two correct answers away from one million! How ya doing, Gil?"
"Fine," Grissom replied coolly. He'd never been so close to such a large sum of money, and his mind raced with possibility. He quickly reminded himself that he hadn't won it yet and focused on the task at hand.
"All right, you're in good shape with a lifeline remaining, going for a half a million dollars…Though he developed the modern theory of electromagnetic fields, this physicist is well-known for his series of children's lectures titled 'The Chemical History of Candles.' Was it Werner Karl Heisberg, Sir Isaac Newton, Herman von Helholtz or Michael Faraday?"
Grissom sat silently for a long while, furrowing his brow and taking a mental stock of his options. He was reasonably confident that he knew just who to call with this, but wanted to save the lifeline for the final question if possible. He could easily rule out Newton and Heisberg, but couldn't be certain which of the remaining two was correct. He sighed in defeat, realizing that he needed to use the lifeline now or he may not get to the final question. "I need to call Sara."
"Who's Sara?" Regis asked brightly.
"A friend."
"Okay, ATT, let's get Sara on the phone."
"Hello?" As usual, Sara's voice sent a charge through Gil.
"Sara? Hi, it's Regis Philpott calling from I Want to Be a Millionaire."
"Hi!"
"I've got Gil here in the hot seat. He's got $250,000, going for $500,000 and he needs a little help. He's going to read you the question and the four possible answers."
"Okay," Sara responded with a hint of nervousness apparent in her tone.
"Sara," Gil began, aware of the ticking clock, "Which physicist developed the modern theory of electromagnetic fields and wrote a series of children's lectures called 'The Chemical History of Candles'? Choices are Heisberg, Newton, Helholtz and Faraday."
"Michael Faraday," Sara stated, all apprehension gone from her voice.
"All right, thank you." As the connection was broken, Grissom breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he had $500,000 in his pocket.
"Sara says Faraday," Regis said. Grissom couldn't help but think that if the man got any perkier his head would explode. "What do you think?"
"I think she sounded very confident. D, Michael Faraday. Final answer."
"So you're going with Sara?" After another dramatic pause, the game show host gushed on. "Guess what? Sara was right! You're one question away from a million dollars! Are you ready?"
Grissom nodded grimly. "Here it is, Gil, for one million dollars…Which of the following pieces of currency was the first to use the motto 'In God We Trust'? A. Nickel, B. One dollar bill, C. Two-cent piece, D. Five dollar bill."
As Grissom pondered the question for a moment, Regis tried to kick up the drama. "You've used all of your lifelines. If you get this wrong, you lose $468,000. Big risk."
"No risk," Gil replied slowly. "It was the two-cent piece, first minted in 1864."
"I gotta ask—is that your final answer?"
"Yes."
"Nearly a half a million dollars on the line."
"That's my final answer," Grissom confirmed.
"You've just won one million dollars!" Confetti fell from the ceiling as the crowd exploded in applause. Unlike the usual winner who jumped from his seat at this moment, Grissom remained seated, his grin the only outward evidence of his glee.
Several minutes passed before the uproar faded, and Regis was again able to address the contestant. "Congratulations Gil! What are you going to do with all that money?"
Grissom grinned sheepishly. "To start with, there's an outfit in Singapore that I'm going to order some very rare beetles from."
"Beetles? What are you going do with beetles? I'm trying to get an exterminator after mine and this guy's importing them from Asia!" Philpott chuckled. "Why do you want beetles?"
"For my breeding program," Grissom replied as if the answer was obvious.
"Breeding bugs? Ewww!"