TheRoseShadow21: Thank you! Yes, that does make sense, there's a lot of fun to be had with how people react to the announcements, in real life I don't think people would immediately go ahead and think of things as a Killing Game. Hope you enjoy this!

Much of this part is testing the waters to see if my writing style carries across well enough. I'm eschewing the script format for the FTE's (And the trials) though I will be incorporating the mini-games in as best as I can. Obviously, if this is silly or could be improved on, please tell me and I will make sure to fix it at some point. I'm trying to avoid scripts, as I prefer writing in prose, so hopefully you think it's working well enough as it is. Bold/italicised answer is correct one, by the one.

Let's get to it!


CHAPTER ONE
BEGIN.

To the ears of Pat, the morning started with the following noises.

DING-DONG, DING-DONG.

Click.

"This is your wake up call, poppets! Feel free to move your arses into second gear and get a move on, it's a lovely-ish day outside!"

Oh.

Ugh.

Hmm, okay, so this is…

Right, hold on.

Pat slowly opened their eyes, and let the glare of the light wash over them for a few moments before attempting anything incredibly vigorous like trying to sit up.

The ceiling was different. So was the bed. And the smell. This was not their room back at the house, this was…

Right, right, Prosperity and-

And then everything rushed back at once.

Pat froze for a moment, slowly trying to compartmentalise and comprehend things at the same time. The images and words and everything rushed back to them unimpeded, so making sure that everything in order was probably a good first step before starting the day.

At last, they did so. They stood up, took a whiff of their clothes and groaned. Staggering towards the wardrobe, they pulled it open, and boggled.

There were, at a rough count, twenty of their outfit all neatly hanging up on clothes-hangers.

Pat's mind, formerly at the very least settling upon an equilibrium, now bucked again at the sight of this. Dully, they reached for the nearest selection, and got dressed before looking at their luggage reluctantly.

A quick judgement of the surrounding rooms indicated that either the others had gotten up or left yet, so there was no harm, Pat reasoned, in examining whether or not the contents of their bag had survived the trip.

They didn't sort things out, just checked that all was well and slid them to one side. Pyjamas, swimwear, toothbrush and toothpaste, nail file, hair dryer, digital clock, pen, pad of paper, a few weighty tomes on each subject in case of emergency, a few photographs (Carefully put on the side instead of thrown) and, yes, that did seem to be everything. They hadn't kept an itinerary or anything, so they could check in more detail later.

Feeling perhaps the tiniest bit better about things, Pat checked themselves over. Nodding, they grabbed their tablet and moved as quietly as they could out the door, closing it and then moving down the stairs as fast as they could without fear of breaking something vital.

There was no one in the small kitchen, so Pat made the assumption that anyone who would already be up would be at Building Five again. So, taking a deep breath, they moved forwards quickly.

All's the same, they thought as they crossed over the tarmac and watched as the yellow walls glared down at them judgementally. Thought it would be, but still, bit of a shame. Oh, but I didn't notice that before.

A large tree, one that looked almost Disney-like in how gnarled and twisted it looked, rested rather close to the back end of the house. It almost touched, it was quite something to see.

"Noticed Old Faithful, eh?"

Pat almost jumped as Laura strode across to meet them. She looked much better than she had last night, clearly the sleep had done her the world of good. "I-Is that the tree?"

"Yeah." Laura shot it an almost nostalgic look. "That tree was young when I was here. It's almost as old as me." She offered a quiet smile. "There used to be a whole forest of them that sprung up, but they had to cut it down. And for whatever reason, that one just wouldn't budge. So it's been kept there as a…memento, I guess."

"Of what?"

Laura shrugged. "Man conquering the elements? I leave the symbolism stuff to the directors, darling." She looked approvingly at the outfit. "So, you also had the twenty pairs of clothing in your wardrobe, yeah?"

"Yes! I…I assume that's not standard faculty procedure?"

"No it is not!" She smirked as they walked ahead. "I'd never be seen dead in the same thing for an entire week's worth of living. Most of my clothes appear to have been removed or something." She shrugged. "I'm not nearly as angry as I thought I'd be."

"Same." Pat glanced down. "I, er, was going to have my normal clothes sent over by the boat, so I guess this is a lucky break for me."

"Heh."

They entered Building Five, and the cantina, in good spirits. Their arrival meant that there were now eight people in all together.

On the left hand side, near the window, Price appeared to be practically vibrating in his chair with energy. "Oi oi, ladies!"

"Be nice." By contrast, Al was once again on the verge of sinking through the floor, but he had enough energy to offer up a friendly grin to Pat, who returned it with veracity. "Feel better?"

"A bit. Still worried though."

"Ah, we'll crack it!" Chelsea's smile was back in full force today, as she and Maria sat together reading over a few notes that the latter had clearly scribbled. "I'd much rather be here with you than a bunch of strangers."

"Y-Yeah." Maria was, at the very least, not cussing the place down, so that was a start, Pat supposed. "I'm s-sorry if my attitude offended you."

"It's…fine." Pat was confused, why was she apologising to them, exactly? Wayne appeared to be of a similar thought process and none too subtly scoffed at this.

Sitting a little on his own, sketching away and murmuring things to himself, was Roy. He was busy sketching a few things. As Laura joined to talk to the others, Pat headed over to check on Roy. "Hello!"

"Hello, Mx!" Roy smiled, far more relaxed, apparently. "Thank you for the coat! I can give it back to you, if you want?"

"No, it's fine. I've literally got twenty of them." That got a genuine laugh out of Roy. "What are you drawing? If you don't mind me asking?"

Roy paused, and then slid it over for them to see. "It's a floor map." He said, embarrassed. "I like art a lot, and I figured that maybe it would be useful seeing what…I guess, options we have?"

"That's great!" Pat smiled. "This is coming along great!"

"Apologies, apologies for the wait!" Martin bustled through the door, completing the octuplet set with a large tray of various things. He quickly and deftly, for a man of his size, handed each person what they had clearly ordered, and then glanced at Pat. "Morning." He said, a look of concentration on his face that was a little intense.

"Uh…morning?"

"Hmm….coffee? Maybe something sugary?"

"That, I..yeah!"

"Perfect!" He grinned, and vanished back into the kitchen.

"It is literal magic the way he does that." Chelsea said in answer to the massive unspoken question on Pat's lips. "Don't question it!"

"GOOD MORNING ALL!"

"Please, not so loud." Al groaned and held his hands to his ears as Robert strode in, looking for all the world like the laird at his castle. Behind him, a drowsy eyed Theresa trailed after him, looking embarrassed.

"Good morning you two!" Laura waved, though seeming a bit intimidated that her enthusiasm was clearly outmatched.

Theresa waved, then collapsed in a chair and stared at the table. Robert shrugged and glanced towards Martin, who upon spotting them immediately ducked down and began to gather more things together.

The last ten came in drips and drabs, for the most part. Sam dragged Barty there, clearly against his will. Then came Taylor and Jean, locked in some form of conversation. Jamie slunk in, not really chatting to anyone, as did Peter. Aisha hurried in with a thousand apologies for not being here earlier, but she had been with Judy who had an important announcement, so if everyone could just wait for a bit? That was fine with Laura, and so everyone waited as Judy entered.

It was as Nadia and William entered that Martin returned with the remainder of the meals, dropping off a mug of coffee and what appeared to be a quiche of sorts. Biting into it, flavour exploded into Pat's mouth, and they had to take a second to catch their breath.

Laura waited until everyone had taken at least three or four bites of their breakfast before turning to Judy. "Now, Judy, you have something to tell us?"

"How important it is, I'm not sure, but it's worth noting that the walls are electrified. I threw a few rocks at it, not pretty, but it got the result I wanted. Stuff's probably gonna give you third degree burns, best case scenario." She shrugged. "So don't try climbing or attacking them."

Wayne responded appropriately. "Ah fuck."

"Language." Peter said, sharp as possible.

"They're teenagers, they're effing and blinding all over the place, don't censor me, dic-"

"Thank you Judy!" Laura could not have been more unsubtle about stopping this conversation in it's tracks if she had been waving a red flag. "That's certainly worth noting. Anyone else? It can be minor, anything we know now saves us time later."

William slowly raised his hand. "I could hardly sleep for fears of what the creatures of the night were doing outside, so I thought I would examine the tablet for any information." He glanced around. "With the exception of the rules, there are a number of other functions that this device uses."

On cue, everyone pulled out their tablets, turned them on and waited.

The screen once more loaded up, but this time it showed five folders spread out horizontally. The first was the one that had clearly been showed off the night before, marked as RULES. The second one was titled as PROFILES.

Curiosity more than anything made Pat click on it. Each member of the group was on there in alphabetical order via first name. Swiping along, Pat glanced down and quickly examined what was on there.

Name: Pat Elton
Age: 24
Ultimate Title: Ultimate Backup
Role at Prosperity: Supply Teacher
Gender: Non-Binary (Assigned Female at Birth)

That was…odd. Why bring that up? Unless it was part of a ploy to anger them, which it didn't. Not anymore. Too many people said it to hold any actual water with Pat at this point.

Weight and height were the last thing, which weren't really worth noting-

Good grief! Is my chest really that wide? Way to make someone feel self-conscious?

"It's pretty standard stuff, isn't it?" Chelsea's voice was clearly trying to be upbeat, but there was a hint of surprise in it

The next one was marked as VIRUS SOFTWARE, and a quick click on it showed that it was pretty much what it said on the thing. An image of Punch in pixel form waved to Pat, and began scanning the pad.

The fourth one was faded, and the words LOCKED AT THIS TIME covered it as Pat tried to click on it.

"I tried that one for most of the night before I had to surrender to Morpheus's embrace." William said, grimly. "I was not sure whether or not you could do something with it?" He spoke to Maria, who looked at it In intrigue.

"I…I can give it a try!"

"Capital!" Laura looked to the last folder. "And this one is…what does this one even say? Photographs?"

"Yes." William raised his own tablet, turned it around and pointed. "I took a few last night as a test. For the most part it appears to function as a normal camera, so I have no clue as to what purpose it could serve otherwise."

"Oh I think you do." Nadia remarked.

William shot her a frosty glare. "Bah! Perhaps. I do, however, understand that suggesting it right now would probably bring the mood down significantly!"

"Yes." Laura smiled at him. "Thank you, it is appreciated."

He scratched his chin and tried not to look too happy.

"Anything else?"

"Just one question." Taylor cleared his plate and shifted forward. "Is there a particular plan we're following today?"

"Not particularly." Laura sighed, and then slowly rested her hands on her chin. "As far as I'm concerned, we can, in our own time, make a sweep of the Island once more. There may be more angles that we are not thinking of that are more clear in the daylight to a more well rested group." She glanced around. "And I trust we're all still agreed that the…preposterous idea of killing someone to leave is off the table?"

Nods all around greeted this, even from the more cynical people.

"Right." Laura stretched out. "Well, given that Martin is clearly in need of assistance in washing up-"

And in a flash, it was as if the entire cantina had emptied out. Pat stared blankly around, too shell shocked to even really move.

Martin poked his head round the door. "Ungrateful so and so's!" He offered this with a slight laugh. "Typical, really."

Pat gathered together the tablet. They considered heading off out of the cantina and the building all together, but something stopped them. Perhaps it would be better if they got to know their colleagues a little better. And with nothing to occupy their time like planning lessons, there was literally nothing better to do. They took a deep breath:

"Hey, Martin!"

Martin looked up, and then beamed. "The meal was okay?"

"It was wonderful! Uh, b-but are you okay to clean all that on your own?"

Martin blinked, and then looked down at the plates as though he was just noticing them for the first time. "Oh! Please, don't worry about that, I'm used to it!"

"Okay, but I've not got anything on." As if sensing that he wasn't sure, Pat added. "I honestly don't mind helping you."

Martin hesitated for a moment, then a warm smile drifted over his face. "Okay then! If you're sure. Feel free to leave whenever you want!" He paused, and then offered an audacious grin. "Dare you enter into the master's lair?!"

Hell yes I dare!

"I-I'm ready for the challenge!"

"Splendid!"

Martin outfitted them in all the kitchen garb, and together they set to work. It wasn't fun work, but what was fun was chatting with Martin about things. They talked mostly about the plans for tonight's meal, and about what Martin had found when examining the kitchen. All in all, it was a decent enough time.

Pat felt as though they and Martin had become a little closer.

In a lull of conversation and the clanking of dishes, Pat changed the subject. "So, uh, if you don't mind me asking, do you often use this place to bake?"

He grabbed hold of a icing covered board and slid it into the sink. "Not particularly, no. Usually if I have to cook somewhere it'll be nearer to where I take my lectures, or back at the digs. But this place works, it's a decent enough set up."

"So you don't usually bake for a large number of people?"

"Ah, no! Mostly as a demonstration on the first lecture, and then I just sit back and watch as the students trip over themselves."

"Oh that's too real for words." The two of them laughed.

Martin handed a plate over for Pat to wipe. "But once a month I try and give some of the kids treats, come to some of the cantina's and take over for the day. The stuff they've usually got is good, but unless there's an Ultimate in the class, it's still school dinners they get."

Pat smiled. "I'd get stressed out over it, I have no idea how you do it!"

"The secret is to prepare in advance. Usually on that day, I won't have something to do otherwise, so I merely bake the night away and then use the actual school hours to assist with the more advanced cooking and so on. It's not all that different with you lot, it's just finding out about specific things people prefer, or pet peeves that turn them off."

Pat was about to say something when they noted the lack of dirty items. "Oh, I think we're nearly done!"

"Wonderful, I'll dry if you want!" Martin grabbed a dish cloth and began to run it over a butter knife. "Now, where was I?"

"Specifics?"

Martin snapped his fingers. "Oh, right, well, take Peter for instance. I know for a fact that he's not a fan of too much sugar in his diet. So I tend to leave any toppings that I would usually give for sheer artistry or flavour's sake off. Mostly he wants healthy stuff, so I'll just give him some sandwiches or something. It does the trick!"

"Huh." Pat was impressed. "Just like that, you can figure stuff out"

"Mm, sometimes. Whereas Wayne loves something with a real kick to it." He laughed. "It's like he injects himself with PURE caffeine every day for the rush ahead." Martin threw Pat a cloth. "Mind wiping the table down?"

"R-Right?" Hm, okay, I've got this. "You've worked out quite the system!"

"Ah, it's a knack. Trade secret."

Pat considered this. Was his system the result of:

A; Something he'd picked up in Prosperity
B: A secret Illuminati style cabal of Bakers
C: His family business?

"Trade being your family's business?"

Martin's tone didn't exactly darken, but there was a slight…something to his voice that hadn't been there a second ago. "Ah yes, the family. Yes, you tend to pick stuff like that up. Mostly we get a lot of regulars at the front desk, so you tend to get to know them a lot more."

"Oh?" Pat wasn't sure whether or not to push the issue. For it seemed to be something of an issue, that much was clear. "Must have been useful being able to apply those skills here."

"….Yeah."

Well….that got awkward really fast.

"Uh, so, question, how'd you know about me?"

Martin's eyes lit up again. "Oh, that' easy. Usually I tend to see how people react to my stuff first time, I get a decent idea of how they like their stuff. I think you like having energy, but not to the point of being too energetic. And who doesn't like sweet stuff?"

"True!" Pat looked down at their handiwork. "Good?"

"That's fine, thanks!" Martin wiped his hands. "I can put the stuff away, you go out and enjoy the sun." He smiled. "Really, thanks for helping out. And the talk was nice as well."

"Er, same!"

Martin seems like a really hard working guy. He puts a lot of thought into what he makes and he seems to really enjoy using his talent to the best of his abilities. That being said…he's definitely not comfortable talking about his family business. that's…something to remember in the future. Yet I am curious though, what's the deal with that?

As they waved Martin off, Pat considered what to do next. It was quite early in the day, and having maybe two or three miles of Island to explore seemed like something to do later, but they were itching to do something of importance. They decided to have a little walk around the building, see if there was anything that they might have missed beforehand.

It was as they reached the second floor that a loud cry went up from the English room. "Ah ha! A pair of idle hands approaches!"

Pat looked around, but thee was no one else. So supposing that they were this pair of idle hands, they walked towards the English room and peeked in.

William beamed and waved them in. "Come, come, I will not be left wanting! I have a request, if I may be so bold?"

"Y-You may?" Pat looked bemusedly at Chelsea, who was the only one still there, who shrugged in confusion.

"Splendid! So, I believe that we should be quite considerate about examining each of our classrooms in great detail. There's a chance that things may have been removed or planted there that would be in our best interest to discover. So Miss Irving has politely offered to assist me in going through everything here and making sure that all is as well as it can be. However, there is a lot of items to go through, so if you dare, you may join us."

Those were a lot of words in a rather fast tone of voice. Pat, with nothing else to do, digested as much as they could and nodded. "Uh, sure, I'm up for that."

"Capital!" William hesitated. "I may just pop down, see if I can get anyone else to help. Feel free to start without me!"

"Oh, okay?"

Chelsea waved him off. "He's such a sweetheart!" She snickered. "Even if he could do with a little less education, if you ask me."

Pat laughed.

"Want to make a start?"

"Yes please!"

As they sat down, Pat caught sight of a open atlas besides her and couldn't belp but ask about it. Damn their nosy nature. "So, erm, none of my business, but what are you looking at in there?"

Chelsea looked down and laughed. "Oh, I was thinking of maybe taking a class somewhere! Once this is all over and so on. And I try not to repeat my trips for a good year or two!"

"Oh, that's cool!" Pat smiled sadly. "Never went on a school trip when I was a kid." Thanks, sis.

"Oh you are missing out! It's all very well to read about history and occasionally bring some artefacts in, but I've always thought that you can't really understand it unless you've…well, got a first-hand experience." Chelsea sighed, a quiet little smile on her face.

"Bet the kids love that."

"Ha! Any excuse to get out of P.E. And it gives us all a chance to get out of the Academy for a bit, breathe fresh air of sorts. This place is big but with all the people in it, it gets crowded real fast." Chelsea's smile turned a little sadder. "And especially so now."

Pat didn't like seeing her so glum. "Heh. I get that at least. ..So where are you thinking of going?"

"Presently, Spain. We're doing the Spanish Civil War. It's not something that many people cover, mostly it's just a lead up to what the Nazi's did and so on to prove a point, but on it's own it's fascinating to read about. You know anything about it?"

Pat looked startled. I didn't expect there to be a test. "Oh, me? Nah, I'm a bit…dense with that stuff."

"Come on! You're not! .Can you at least tell me who one of the leaders was?"

"Uh, I think it was…."

A: Francisco
B: Franco
C: Frankincense?

"I think it was….General Franco?"

Chelsea beamed, and Pat let out a sigh of relief. "See? You'd be surprised how many people don't know that when we start out!"

"Oh, I don't know about that. So, Spain sounds like!"

Chelsea nodded. "Mmm. Thing is, it's really interesting when you get the people to debate about these big figures like Franco and a few of the others. Cause on the one hand, he's pretty good with the economy and he kept the Spanish culture alive which does matter an awful lot. But on the other hand, the lengths he went to go beyond 'morally grey' and honestly, he was a real piece of work."

"Oh? And what do you think?"

"Oh, honestly? He's a monster, and what he did wasn't necessary. No amount of arguing can really change that." Chelsea looked towards the window. "It's just interesting to see what happens when a bad man does a few good things. You'd…be surprised how often that gives people a free pass."

Chelsea stared off into the distance for a moment, lost in thought. She snapped back and smiled awkwardly at Pat. "Sorry, er, reminded me of something." She looked around, as if realising that she was back in the real world.

"Are you okay?"

Chelsea's smile returned, genuinely bright. "Yeah! Yeah….so, what about you?"

"Uh, not much to tell."

"Come on! That can't be true!"

The conversation turned to the few times Pat had covered for History teachers and their interests in certain topics, as they sorted through the papers. Chelsea was a really good listener. Pat had learned that Chelsea was fairly passionate and outgoing about history, but there was something in that answer that didn't quite ring true with how she presented herself.

At last, William returned with Sam and Barty, the latter of whom looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"I'll take a look at what you've got thus far, and see whether or not any of it actually belongs to me." William offered a weary smile. "I appreciate what you have done thus far greatly."

"Barty's room is clear as far as I can tell. Then again, there is a lot less stuff than in here." Sam shrugged. "Then again, I'm an artist, I can hardly complain."

The work went faster than expected. The papers were quickly sorted through, then the books were one by one removed and examined.

"Victorian Erotica Vol 15?"

"That's a study for a paper that they're supposed to be doing." William said, not even looking up. Sam flipped through and whistled.

Chelsea leaned over and blushed, deeply. "Oh…my."

"I didn't know women could bend that way!" Pat said, baffled.

"I don't think you can." Sam snidely remarked. "Or you shouldn't be able to."

"Can we please stop focusing on the pornographic materials please?" William sighed. "I do believe that winning that wager with the demon of physical exercise was not worth it." He chuckled. "Oh whom do I kid, it was!"

Chelsea flicked through, curiously. Her blush continued to rise. Eventually, Pat took the book off of her, and a blushing Chelsea furiously attacked the next lot of books.

"So, at least you've tidied your office up?"

"Bah! Controlled chaos, my dear Elton. Besides, I imagine that should I find anything else of note it will kickstart a avalanche of chaos in this room once more."

Sam cleared their throat, offering a glance to Pat that was…odd. "Might as well tell you now. Price has something planned. Not sure what, don't really think it'll work, BUT at the same time, can't afford to not tell you." They offered a bland, inoffensive smile. "He'll probably call a chat around lunch-time or what have you."

"Duly noted." Pat looked up at the clock. "Been a fun hour or so! Time went fast, didn't it?"

"Always does when you're spending it with your friends!" Chelsea grabbed them all for a group hug. Pat was surprised, but offered a hug back. No point in avoiding this, right?

"Mmph!" Sam halfheartedly struggled.

"Gerrof!" Barty said, not nearly as forcefully as he could have.

William just sighed and accepted it.

Pat headed off after that, wondering vaguely if there was anyone else they could go and help, just to make the day go a little faster.

"You know, this attitude of yours is really boring right now."

"Merde, I would be stuck with someone as low as you."

"Big talk, coming from some Essex tart with more boobs than brain."

Okay, I walked into something, clearly. Maybe I should just back away-"

But they didn't get a chance to. Jamie stormed out of the locker room, and flipped the very angry sounding Jean the bird as she stormed back down the stairs. Seconds later, Jean exited and equally as furiously, stormed into William's room.

"Hmm…gonna keep well out of the way of that."

"A wise move." Taylor, coming up the stairs, watched the retreating Jean. "Getting between these two when they start off is not to be advised. Not even Wayne's that bold."

"Heh." Pat noticed that Taylor had his tablet out in his hands, as opposed to being shoved into a pocket like most of the others. "What's with that?"

Taylor did not answer right away. He stepped back for a moment, looked Pat up and down, mouthed what appeared to be numbers and then nodded to himself. "Yes….to answer your question, I require that you don't go about telling what I'm about to tell you."

"Okay. I guess."

Taylor tapped the tablet. "The camera function is useful. There's no way to develop the photos in any meaningful way, but I can lighten and darken them to my heart's content. I figured possibly taking some shots of the Island might give me a proper idea of what we can do this with." He paused. "And also because I've never had the chance to film here."

"Right…and you need me because?"

"Because I'm fairly good with cameras, but I'm not photographer. I want to see if you're a better taker than me, because this could be important! To both this incident and my career!"

"We're being held hostage."

"No better time to learn a new skill!" Taylor offered a quiet smile once more. "Just ten minutes. We'll be having lunch soon, anyhow."

"….Okay, sure."

Outside both Building Five and their living quarters, Pat took as many photographs of what Taylor called 'interesting moments' as they could. Taylor for the most part watched, occasionally adding a comment such as a better angle or distance, but mostly kept silent.

Well, Pat decided, that wasn't going to do.

"So-" They took a photograph of Building Five in a particularly nice bit of sunlight "-how often do you get behind the camera nowadays?"

"Not as much as I should." Taylor shrugged. "I do it sometimes, there are times where Flynt likes me to go out and drum up some free publicity for the school."

"Oh. Like?"

"You ever hear of The Dahlia Queen?"

Pat considered, panicked and then decided that saying the truth was probably the best option. "No, sorry."

"It's fine, barely anyone else did." He shrugged. "Wasn't the best script in the world, and I wasn't that into it, but at least I chose it. And Flynt goes and says that it's too….broody, they can't show that to kids and their parents. Which is crap if you ask me, teenagers love gory films, it's great."

Pat shrugged. "Can see his point though."

"Sure, I can. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Pat sat down for a second, catching their breath. "So, why come here at all then?"

"Why? …Because it pays well." He paused. "And because the film industry is changing again, and it's getting harder for me to get work like this. I'm a bit in a grey area between indie and corporation. And…well-" He changed the subjects "-Besides, there's one of these cycles happening at the moment and I don't want to be caught up in that."

"Cycles?"

"Mm. You know what I mean, right? Last one was in the thirties to sixties, give or take." He looked to Pat, curious. "You know what I mean, right?"

Do I-Wait, yeah, actually-

A: Westerns
B: Romantic
C: Animal Pictures

"It's the Western, right?"

"Exactly!" Taylor sighed. "Good percentage of the films made in the first half of the twentieth century were westerns. Before you know, we decided that we might have been a little bit cruel to people who weren't pasty white. And it's the same now, with the superhero films."

"The racism?"

Taylor sighed. "Well, walked into that one, didn't I? You know what I mean! It's all a cycle, and at present, most of my movies tend to get shoved into release dates where they get crushed. Critics are fine with them, but it's not the same, is it?"

"I guess not."

Well he seems calm. Knows his stuff too. He seems to be quite dismissive of his films too, which is odd. I'd imagine that his talent would mean than that to him. But who am I to judge?

….Okay, I'm still going to do it, but what the hell?

"Lunch's ready!" William shouted. "Now hurry up before the barbarian's decide to make us do laps, or whatever it is these sporty types do!"

"That William." Taylor shook his head. "Ta, I guess, for all that."

"Sure."

Don't know what that proved, but okay, sure, that was a good waste of ten minutes.

As before, the group focused first on clearing away most of the food that had been put in front of them by a rather rushed off his feet Martin. He looked around, satisfied but with a bit of worry etched in his face.

"It's good!" Roy encouraged.

"It's not that. I just hope I don't screw up supper."

"It's fine, mate, it's fine." Taylor wiped his mouth. "Don't rush yourself, we'll just be bale to get something from the vending machine, or, you know, cook something ourselves."

Martin looked horrified at this. "Oh dear god no."

"What?!"

Jamie scowled. "Oh, one time I burn the food-"

"One time!? Five times that I can count, and it wasn't just the whole food. Do you realize how awkward it is having to prepare food on a tiny barbecue because the kitchen's covered in ash!?"

"Ach, Martin, ye're worrying over naught." Peter growled. "A rota would be smart to avoid any unnecessary losses of tempers as well."

Laura nodded. "I'm for that. And seeing as we're done with food pretty much, Wayne?"

"Right." Wayne got up, put his napkin in the bin and glanced around. "Figure we need to prepare an escape plan."

Tara choked on her food. Peter raised an eyebrow. Pat felt excitement course through their veins.

"Now, here's what I figure, and stop me if you think of anything." Wayne rested his knuckles upon the table. "The puppets are right. Water's a fucking disaster. Calling for help is, at the moment, not advisable, unless anything has happened?" Tara mournfully shook her head. "Right. And getting a message out isn't going to be happening. We can't fly, we can't float, and we've got guns trained on our backs. There is, however, one thing we can do."

He paused, seemingly on purpose.

"Well?" Sam snapped.

"We dig." He raised a hand. "Hold your mouths, let me say what I mean. Now, one of the wall's separating this little chunk of the Island from the rest protects the main security building. I suppose Miss Steroids will tell us that there are cameras there, there are files, and more importantly, there are some form of weaponry."

Judy grimaced at the nickname, but nodded. "It's true. Not much, but enough."

"Right. Now, the wall is electrified, right? But here's my thinking. We dig far enough beneath it, make a tunnel from a fair distance away and with enough room for all of us to squeeze under, no small feat for Martin there-" Martin accepted this without even blinking "-and then we get through to the other side. It's not school property, is it, this Island? Otherwise we'd be shot for leaving footprints or knocking over fucking flowerpots, right?!"

No one answered this. No one quite had an answer, or if they did, they didn't feel comfortable giving it.

"Now, we get the weapons, and we fight back. It may just be the two of them, and though they are tough, they will have to fall to our numbers eventually." Wayne sighed. "So that's my plan. Any questions?"

"Do you have equipment for digging?" Chelsea asked.

Wayne paused, and then moved to grab a large sports bag. Opening it up, he pointed to four spades. "Located underneath the old tree, funny enough."

"Laura?" William asked, his eyes fixated on the spades. "What say you?"

She didn't respond straight away. "Roy doesn't come. He stays at the accommodation on the otff chance that it fails." Wayne nodded, and though Roy opened his mouth as if to speak, a glance from the others shut him up. "Any effort is better than none, and if worse comes to worse I'm damn sure going to take the fall for it." She nodded sternly. "All right. We'll give it a try. I think we should all just head off for a bit, get anything we want done out of the way. It'll be evening when we start."

This agreed, all departed and left.

So much free time….now what?

It suddenly occurred to Pat that they hadn't really looked in much detail outside of Building Five. No time like the present, they thought, to rectify that.

The south side of this particular section of the Island appeared to be deserted for the most part. It was as they wandered over grass, with a few sections of flowers and bracken that seemed to have been custom made, that it only just sank in to Pat how weird having a man-made Island was.

They had known it had existed their entire life, and yet…there was something about it that made it feel very programmed. It tried to give the appearance of chaos, yet was clearly planned down to the last detail.

"Watch where you're going."

Pat frowned. It took them a minute to realise that the voice was coming from a small embankment, where they may have (Actually, definitely would have seemed to suit them more) tripped had it not been for the warning.

"T-Thanks?"

"Eh." Nadia sounded bored. "…Need your help with something."

"…Okay."

"Testing if the water's good to go in, and I need something heavy."

Oh and this is how I die. Snapped up by…whatever the hell's in the water.

"So I was wondering if you had anything?"

Oh. OH. Right, right, that makes sense. "Let me take a look." Pat made to sit down.

"You can sit here if you want, free country…free Island, any way."

"Oh, appreciate it."

Nadia was sitting on the edge of the embankment, resting on a tiny patch of gravel and sand that was protected only by the water by a small wooden barricade. She looked contemplative as Pat rummaged around. "Nothing?"

"Er, no…hang on-" They pulled out a rather battered looking calculator. "Hmm..it's a crap one. I've got a better one back in my bag, so is this okay?"

Nadia weighed it. "It'll do. Want to watch?"

Yeah, sure, why not.

"Okay. Do I have to guess what the experiment is?"

Nadia shrugged.

For the first few minutes, as Nadia examined the angle, leaned forward to check the water and then psyched herself up, nothing was said. Still, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence.

I think we're having a good time?

"So you're making the rounds." It was said so flatly that it was hard to tell whether this was a statement, a question, a challenge or in some weird grey area between the three. So Pat decided to go with honesty.

"Yes." They glanced at Nadia "Is that a bad thing?"

Nadia shrugged. "Probably not." She sighed. "Ah hell, might as well just-" She dropped the calculator in the lapping waves and watched as it slowly began to bob up and down. "Oh, and it floats too. Points for whatever that's called."

A: Upthrust
B: Friction
C: Torque

"It's upthrust, right?"

"It's one word for it."

...Wow, usually when I've answered a question right I become closer to people. Nadia's locking me out big time.

"…So is there a reason I shouldn't be mingling?"

Nadia hadn't looked up at Pat beforehand. Now she did, and she looked them dead in the eye. "On the surface, no, I'm being paranoid. Still…" She bit her lip "…You're an untested variable, and in this sort of situation..."

The words seemed to be familiar to her, but to Pat she might as well have been speaking gobbledegook.

"…Sorry, just something one of my peers said to me one time." She clicked her tongue as she watched as the calculator drifted ahead. "Basically, if something is rare and unusual enough to stand out, then it's usually for a reason that it's been put there. If something doesn't belong, or does in a particularly out there way, then one is unwise to not take note of it. They used to describe me like that. Took me a while to work out it wasn't a compliment."

Pat did not like where this was going, so they decided to veer back onto more solid ground. "Why'd they think that of you?"

Nadia gave them a look that indicated that she thought them a bit dim. "What do you think?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Pat bit back their response, honed by many years of mocking looks, patronising comments and brushes that were a little too deliberate to be innocent.

"….You're not wrong in what you're thinking. Just a bit small scale. I'm a scientist. I'm a woman. I'm Indian. To be one would be a massive red flag, but all three? It tends to breed a certain idea about you into their minds. Especially when two very white, very English males are your brothers" Nadia looked wistfully out across the water. "Especially when you've got…never mind."

"What?"

"I said, never mind."

There was a loud snap, and the calculator vanished from view. Whistling, Nadia pulled out a tape measure and tangled it a meter from where it had happened. "So adjusting for that, that makes it…hmm."

"What?"

"Well, at least I know how far we can go before we get snapped up by whatever it is. Peter will be impressed." She stood up, slid the tape measure back in and left without looking back. "Good talk."

Was it!? i…don't understand. She's clearly a very smart woman, and very paranoid about me, which is fair. And given what she's just said, it sounds like she's had to face a lot of competition, but…those words...was that a threat? Should I be worried?

The odd encounter had shaken Pat, so for a while they sat and merely watched the waves. With the grey skies having cleared up, it made the water seem far more relaxing and inviting.

And yet, a few feet away…

Suddenly, Pat stood up, climbed back onto solid ground and began to walk. They weren't really in any mood as to where, but somewhere, anywhere.

Okay, why are you freaking out? She's just a little paranoid, and you have nothing to be paranoid about, right? I mean, aside from everything else, but she hasn't outright come out and said something about you being some kind of mastermind, has she?

She's just very, very heavily implied it.

And-

Pat stopped in their tracks.

So too, did the very odd sound of behind them. Almost like…footsteps.

Pat very carefully turned around.

But there was no one there.

Pat blinked once or twice, and then turned around and walked ahead. And though they kept a careful listen out, there was no crunching of shoe upon Isle save for their own. And-

Wait, there it is again!

Pat whirled around-

And smacked Robert right in the face.

For a moment, both were frozen. Pat's mind drew a massive blank at the sight on Robert's face, more baffled than anything.

Then Robert broke the silence.

"Wow. It's a good thing you've not got much in the way of punching. I suppose I walked into that one. Literally."

"Huh?!" They looked around, wildly. "But-"

"Sorry, you were jumpy and…well, I'm going stir crazy. I've tried poking the bear before with Wayne, and let me tell you, if I'd have been a split second slower when he swung those dumbbells, oh boy." He hissed. "Not a good way to go, death by exercise equipment."

"Did…Have you been following me?"

"Nope. …Oh, apart from the few moments in which I was following you, only since you stopped and looked around." He frowned. "Saw something?"

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"Oh I've made you grumpy!" He glanced to the side and groaned. "Oh, hi Theresa…what do you mean, they're not the only ones?! Oh come on, it was a joke."

Theresa paused, scribbled down a few words haphazardly and held them up, pointing to each with her finger.

WITH HOMICIDAL PUPPET/THINGS WALKING AROUND?

"Oh wow, you even wrote the slash down. That's neat."

She flipped the book over to the word FOCUS. Clearly she had had to use it a few times, considering how well worn it was. He held up his hands in a placating manner and sighed.

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. …You've seen Nadia here, yeah?"

"Yes. She headed off that way."

"Great. Hope you cheer up and learn to laugh by the time I see you again."

Theresa looked at him retreating with a look of tiredness. She glanced at Pat, and then flipped back to the bare side of the cover page. SORRY.

"It's…fine, guess I'm a little oversensitive." Besides which, I'm not in his sister's good books today, am I? "Is it normal for the doctor to be jumping out and scaring people?"

Theresa offered a smile.

Pat looked around. "Um, d-do you mind if we just…walk together for a bit? Something f-freaked me out a moment ago, and I-"

A quick nod cut her off, and Theresa, seeming even smaller in the daylight, pointed in the direction of the small hut that, if Pat recalled, served as one of the security check-ins. It was the kind of building that appeared to have once been a caravan of some sorts, now anchored down and looking quite quaint compared to the other buildings.

"Oh…sure?"

Well I've not got much else to do.

There was a tinge of awkwardness as they walked over there. Both were silent, one by choice and the other by nervousness. Theresa appeared to be constantly looking around, waving to those she saw but offering little else, and though Pat wondered several times whether she was waiting upon them to start, they didn't want to force them to scribble standing up.

They entered the hut with little problem, Theresa ducking down under a old fashioned kitchen sink to grab two mugs. She tapped a rather old (Last ten years or so) kettle and with a nod of satisfaction, sat down on the sofa.

Pat hesitated. "I, uh….do you mind me talking, or do you want silence?" Theresa considered this, then shrugged. "Okay." Pat paused, and then decided to dive right in. "How do you feel, about what those two things said?"

Theresa paused, then scribbled: BECAUSE I AM A PHILOSOPHER, YES?

"I….yeah, a little?"

Theresa tapped the pen against her teeth, then scribbled again, this time a little slower: IT'S BEING DONE TO PROVE A POINT. DON'T KNOW WHAT POINT, BUT THERE IS ONE, AT LEAST TO THEM.

"Oh." That seemed obvious, but it had needed to be at least stated for it to really sink in. Yes, there was something to that, wasn't there? "You seem very calm about it."

Another hasty scribble: ROBERT'S BEING FLIPPANT. IT HELPS. A LOT.

She smiled, and rolled her eyes a little.

"I imagine being here with someone you care for makes it a little better, in an odd way."

Theresa considered this: A LITTLE, YES.

A pause.

Scribble: I HAVE A QUESTION.

"Oh? Uh….sure?"

Theresa scribbled…then stopped….then scratched out what she had written, and then concentrated for the longest time, as the kettle whistled. She darted over, and knocked it off, before writing down a few more words, then slid it over to be examined.

HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THIS? ARE YOU WORRIED AT ALL?

As she poured the tea into the mugs, Theresa didn't really glance back. At last, when she was finished, and pulled the milk and sugar with her for Pat to do what they wanted, she looked at them, curiously.

"I…I'm worried, yeah. Because this is actually my first time being kidnapped-" It's okay to lie about that, right? "-and because there are weird things that I've never seen before and they have a lot of power and…and stuff. But I'm not…I'm not thinking that someone is going to kill someone. I think." They hesitated. "Do…Do you think I should be?"

Theresa added a teabag and two teaspoons of sugar to her mug, then a dash of milk. Then she slowly and very deliberately wrote a few words underneath the scribbles.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE VEIL OF IGNORANCE?

Pat stared as they put their own teabag in. "Uh…" Now, yeah, you have, haven't you? It's…

A: A fantasy novel
B: A infamous wedding gift
C: An ethical debate

"It's a ethical debate, right? Like the trolley thing."

Theresa nodded. She opened her mouth, and then seemed to realise her mistake. A brief look of what could only be described as anguish crossed her face, before she bent her face down to the paper and began to write again.

THE VEIL OF IGNORANCE IS AN IDEA. WHAT IF WE WERE TO REMOVE ALL CULTURAL, POLITICAL AND SOCIETAL BIASES OR BELIEFS, AND VOTED SIMPLY ON WHAT IS MORALLY RIGHT.

She paused, looked slightly embarrassed, mouthed the words "Wish I could speak", and then continued.

WITHOUT SPEAKING, I HAVE TO DRAW ON WHAT I KNOW. I THINK THEY'D CONSIDER USING THE VEIL OF IGNORANCE TO JUSTIFY ACTIONS TAKEN TOWARDS YOU. I THINK THERE ARE THOSE WHO, IF PUSH CAME TO SHOVE, WOULD CONSIDER THEMSELVES TO BE ACTING MORALLY BY SAYING THAT YOU ARE THE EASIEST TO SACRIFICE. YOU'RE AN EASY TARGET. THEY HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS YOU.

It was like being hit in the stomach. Pat gasped, but didn't say anything.

Theresa's eyes flashed with worry. But she did not stop writing.

THEY CAN'T GET RID OF THE IDEAS ABOUT THE REST OF THE PARTICIPANTS, OR AT LEAST, ENOUGH TO MAKE A DECISION LIKE THAT. BUT THERE ARE SOME-

She paused, and then mouthed as if to express that this statement must be remembered above all else: "Some." And then she wrote:

-THAT MAY CONSIDER THE FACT THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW YOU AS SOMETHING OF A BLESSING. AN EASY WAY OUT FOR THEM.

Pat's mind was ablaze. What she had just said was really, really cynical. It was worrying. It was paranoia inducing.

And it was correct to a scary degree.

Nadia…she'd been looking at them weirdly, hadn't she? And Sam HAD been quite off when talking to them about the meeting? Was that a suspicion of being behind it, or maybe sizing them up in case worst came to worst? Or both?

Theresa suddenly grasped their right hand. She grimaced and mouthed a few words, it took Pat a moment to realise what it was she was saying "Just needed to warn you, worst case scenario."

It was getting dark now, fittingly, so it took Pat a moment to realise that their left hand was gripping the table as tightly as they could.

Slowly, they began to breathe, and slowly let go of the table. They reached forward and drank their own tea, hands shaking but now functioning somewhat like they normally should.

"Do you think-" They swallowed. "Do I need to be on my guard?"

Theresa looked annoyed, more at herself than anything, before hurriedly writing: NO! NOT YET. NO ONE WILL KILL YET. I'M SURE OF IT. I THINK THEY ARE JUST JOKING AT THE MOMENT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME.

She didn't finish the sentence.

She didn't need to.

Because they were teachers, weren't they, at the end of the day? And how many times had that excuse come up when asked why no one had told people before it had gotten serious? They were only joking, it was just a laugh, no big deal, no one had thought….Pat hoped they were understanding Theresa. They really hoped they understood what she was trying to do.

"Oi! You two! Digging party starts now!"

Thank god for Wayne. Pat waved a hand through the window as if to say that they would be there now. They glanced back at Theresa, who already looked as though she regretted starting this. "I think what you're trying to do is…make sure I'm prepared?"

Theresa nodded.

"You're not just trying to scare me, and you don't really think someone will die, but at the same time…you want to be absolutely sure."

Another nod.

"And I think that…you'd probably be able to do this a lot better if you could speak, but at the same time, you're making an effort."

Furious nodding there.

"…Right. …Thank you."

Theresa looked unsure, but accepted this with a slight bow. She paused, and then mouthed an apology before exiting the caravan.

The logical part of Pat's brain was saying: Okay. So she's a bit odd. So who isn't here? I think she's angry that she can't speak as well as she's used to, and she's clearly having to translate things into terms she can understand and explain. And it's not everyone who'd…try and save me, even if it's a bit weird? There's a lot going on beneath the surface.

The illogical part, i.e. the rest of it went thusly: What am I supposed to do now? Go on like normal?

Yes, the logical part said.

What?

Yes you go on like you did before this chat. Worried, yeah. Constantly thinking, of course. But she said it, it's a worst case scenario. Besides…who here could actually kill someone?

Do you want me to answer that?

Oh shut up.

"SUPPLY!"

"I'm coming!" It came out as more of a snap than it had intended to be, but Pat didn't care.

They took a deep breath, and made their way to join the others, all of whom were clearly wrapped up and ready for this plan, no matter how ill-advised it would be.

No, stop it, you're being mean.

"Right." Wayne looked at them, in a superior fashion. "First rota's going to be me, Robert, Chelsea and Judy. Afterwards, we'll swap, come up with a system as we go, basically."

"How long are we going to be doing this for?"

Wayne offered a wolf-like grin to Aisha. "Til we get through it, dollface!" He took a deep breath. "Okay, so this area looks pretty fucking loose, so we start here."

And so the four of them went at it. Well, Judy and Wayne went at it. Chelsea and Robert didn't manage to get much of a look in, though they helped with chipping away at the surface.

"Keep going, keep going!"

"I am going, Price!"

"Erm." Chelsea looked at the group, then at the two of them, and then at the group again helplessly. "So should we swap out?"

"Sure! As soon as she gives up, I will!"

"Unlikely!"

"Oh my god." Laura muttered under her breath. She gestured for a grinning Robert and Chelsea to sit down, and then for Sam and a rather weary looking Tara to take their places.

And so it went on.

Eventually, Laura stood up and whistled. The four diggers turned around, Judy and Wayne practically drenched in mud and muck. "All right, that's a-" Her eyes widened at the sight of the hole. "That's very good, actually."

"Don't sound so surprised!" Wayne protested.

"We should probably make sure that this doesn't get disturbed in the night, don't want our Inspectors to fill it in just yet." Laura glanced to Judy and Wayne. "You two need to get some rest, you've done a lot of work today. So, any volunteers?"

That didn't get many responses. At last, however, a weary Martin raised his hand up. "Seeing as I'm not going to be cooking tomorrow, it'll save you all from me fussing about the kitchen!" He said, trying to put a bit of pep into his voice.

"I'll join him." Jamie offered a dry expression. "Someone has to make sure he doesn't fall in said hole on accident."

It was decided, and thus, everyone left for the night.

Pat went back to their room with mixed feelings to say the least. On the one hand, progress had been made and they had gotten to know some of the fellow participants a lot better than they had before.

And on the other…the incident with those footsteps had frightened them a little bit. The situation hand;y changed that much in the grand scheme of things. And still those words Theresa had suggested to them kept nagging away at them.

It was a long time before they got to any sort of restful sleep.


I'm not sure how well I stuck the landing on the last FTE, but I hope I got the gist of what was meant across there. Hope you agree and have a lovely day!