(AN:) Let the next episode begin. Warning for references towards Suic/de near the beginning, after the scene with Topher.
"Last time, on Camp TV: The Wolf Game."
"Our cast set off for the Wild, Wild West to play a good old game of cowboy. Cows were wrangled, and shots were fired, but it was Alejandro who clinched the win for the Killer Grips. The Gaffers were spared from the gallows and the Grips earned a reward for their win."
"What reward did the Grips earn? What awaits them in their next challenge? Find out right here, right now, on Camp TV: The Wolf Game!"
*Theme Song*
When Dave was told by the announcer that his team earned a prize, he didn't expect it to be given to him inside of a Porta-Potty. As he sat in the sterile plastic box, he was at least thankful that it seemingly went unused.
It was their Break Day and he had just finished his meet up with Sky, who unfortunately had nothing new to say. He just had to reassure her that he hadn't told anyone else about the No Voting Clause, but they parted soon afterwards when Announcer called The Grips to one of the warehouses.
Once everyone on his team, those still alive anyway, made it, they were given tablets by the freaks in Morph suits and instructed to watch videos on them in the provided "cubicles". Once he entered his potty, taking some of the t.p. for a makeshift toilet seat cover, he put in his earbuds and watched the pre-downloaded video that was on his assigned tablet.
First, there was a flash of static, as if the video was first recorded via analog means before being exported digitally. But as the footage cleared up, Dave was shocked to see what appeared on his screen.
"Mom?" He gawked. "Dad?"
The stern face of Dave's own father looking back at him, as his mother looked down at her hands. His parents sat on their sofa, yet what perturbed him was how the house looked. Usually, his mother would have kept the place as well kept as he himself would. She was the main source of his, well, tenacity when it came to cleanliness. That place should've been meticulously primped, furniture wrapped in plastic and spotless, especially if guests were over.
Yet here his parents were, sitting in a room that was in complete disarray to his family's very high standards. His mother would drop dead before letting people with cameras into her home while it was in such a state, how long since she so much as dusted the place?
"Dave, this is your father speaking." His father said, looking at the camera with an aloof expression. "I've been told that the program you are in will begin soon, and I don't-"
Bzzt.
Static flooded the screen for a second, before clearing up again. His parents had changed their postures, looking more worn than tense now. Clearly some time had passed before the interruption.
"Please come home to us Davie," his mother pleaded. "I know it's scary, but there was no other option. We can't lose you."
"Listen to your mother." His father said. "No matter what you go through, do what you have to and come back to us. If you don't then…"
His mother looked close to tears. "Please come home, we forgive y-"
Static drowned out his mother. The video then ended, leaving Dave alone with only his gobsmacked expression staring back at him from the black mirror he held in his hands.
'Did- did they know?' He thought to himself. 'Did they know about the competition? Was this meant to motivate him to win? Is that what his parents wanted, for him to do whatever it took to survive the game? Did the jerk in charge cut out some parts? What could the context even be? Did he even want to know?'
He stumbled out of his porta-potty looking unnerved, glancing over to his fellow captives. He could see some remaining stony-faced, like Alejandro and Dakota. Others, like Staci and Leonard, looked shaken to their core. Sam was patting Staci's back, while the girl looked like she was ready to lose her lunch if she hadn't already.
More people exited their porta-potties with varying looks of concern, and even rage. Lightning could barely contain his fury, while Brick looked shellshocked. Sammy was the only one who looked completely unperturbed, her face devoid of any perceivable emotion.
"I hope you all enjoyed your videos from home, hopefully they provide you all the motivation you need to play the game properly." Announcer said, with an easy to imagine sneer. "I'll be taking them back now."
The Strangers on site then took the tablets back, forcefully if needed. They then exited the warehouse, leaving the Grips by themselves.
"Enjoy the rest of your break," The Announcer then chuckled. "You have twenty-five hours before your next challenge so make the most of it. After all, you wouldn't want to disappoint the folks back home now do ya'."
The speakers then shut off, leaving the Grips in silence.
"What was…that." Leonard tentatively asked.
"My parents telling me and…" Sammy began, before trailing off. "They just said I needed to win."
"That's what daddy told me too." Dakota spoke up. "Said it was better for me to just go through it, and there was nothing else he could do."
Dakota then bitterly smiled. "Said he had faith in me, funny."
"I just-" Brick looked absolutely disturbed. "I can't see how my mother could know about this and just…"
"I guess we all got the same vid huh?" Jasmine prompted. "Our folks telling us to play the game and win, and that there's nothing they could do about it."
"They know." Staci muttered. "They know and they aren't even going to try to save us. Or they can't - I just, I can't believe it."
Sam tried to comfort her. "It's a lot, I know, but just breath Stace."
"Are we doomed?" Staci asked.
Nobody really answered for a full minute, before Lightning scoffed.
"Maybe you losers, but my pops is countin' on me!" Lightning half-shouted. "Lightning ain't dyin' today, tomorrow, or ever. Sha-bye!"
As Lightning stormed out, a few others saw fit to leave as well.
"I ain't keen on dyin'," Anne Maria said. "'Sides, it's not like this changes anythin', I'm not plannin' on losin' neither."
"I got a routine to finish." Dakota said off-handedly. "Bye."
As the two divas left, others like Alejandro and Sammy wordlessly followed. Eventually only Sierra, Scott, Sam, Staci, and Dave were left.
"Hey Scott, why so quiet?" Sierra asked abruptly.
"What's it to ya?" Scott responded sharply.
"I'm just wondering," Sierra said curtly. "Say, was Jasmine right? We all got the same video, more or less, right?"
Everyone besides Scott nodded, the Dirt Farmer choosing to instead leave without responding.
Sierra hummed to herself with a pensive look, then she turned around and left.
-BZZT-
Scott looked at the confessional's camera with nothing but contempt.
"Hey ma, you too pappy." He began hotly. "If you guys are listenin', just wanted to say…Fuck you both."
Scott's shoulders then went slack as his look of hate faltered, he then fiercely rubbed his eyes as if to dissuade any activity from them.
"Nothing." He spat. "Really? Figures."
-BZZT-
"I…gotta go." Dave said, before making a quick exit. Leaving Sam and Staci by themselves.
-BZZT-
"I just can't believe what I saw." Dave confessed. "I mean, obviously I didn't get the whole picture. I mean, the thing was barely watchable at some points. I don't even know if I should tell Sky about it. I mean, seriously, how is someone supposed to respond to that."
-BZZT-
Now alone, Staci recovered enough to stand by herself. Looking at Sam intently.
"Sam, can I ask you something?" She asked shakily.
Sam looked at her curiously. "Oh sure, what is it Stace?"
She looked around, as if she was worried about anyone snooping in on them. She then leaned in to whisper into his ear.
Sam's eyes widened, face turning a bright red as Staci made her request known.
"O-oh, oh wow." Sam stuttered. "I mean, I'm down but why now? A-again, totally not against it! Just- was it something in your vid?"
Staci frowned. "I just…"
She grimaced, before steeling herself. "I don't want to die with any regrets."
Topher waltzed into Crafts and Services Tent B with a pep in his step, sitting next to Rodney with barely contained excitement. His tray nearly slid off the table.
Rodney noticed immediately. "Hey Toph, you lookin' like you had the best day of your life."
"I'm afraid not my friend," he responded jovially. "However, I just spotted the Grips coming back from their 'reward' and whatever they got certainly didn't live up to the hype. They looked downright rough, which means their game is off."
"Really?" Rodney questioned. "Why'd you say that?"
"See my very large friend, nothing about our little situation calls for sunshine and rainbows." Topher explained. "But y'see, everyone's gotta keep their heads up without letting the situation drag them down too much. You gotta focus, but everyone on the other team looked like they were struggling big time."
"Aw really?" Rodney looked sympathetic. "I feel bad for 'em."
"You got a big heart in you big guy, but this means our chances for a win skyrocket." Topher explained. "It's like my Mom always says, there's winners and there's losers. No fighting it, so you just gotta work hard on being a winner."
When Topher spotted Rodney looking down with a grimace, he dialed back his tone and patted the large bicep on the guy.
"Hey Rodster, don't get too caught up on what's going on with the other team." He said with practiced sympathy. "I mean, think of the girls on our team. Like poor Ella and Zoey, and Dawn! Every win for our team means another day or two that they're safe."
Rodney's face hardened. "Hey you're right! I mean, the girls are countin' on us right."
"That's right buddy, it hurts but we can't let our eyes off the prize." Topher encouraged him.
"Shucks, you are so smart Toph."
"That I know pal," he chuckled, patting the larger man's arm. "That I know."
Ella had found herself back in her favorite spot, specifically within the confines of the lot.
It was an outdoor set, encompassing an entire backdrop made to resemble the exterior of a European castle. It was a single flat, with stained glass "windows" that led to nowhere and plywood behind its "stone bricks". Right in front of this set piece was a fully built bridge hanging between two towers, or actually, two artificial cliff tops. The stairs to the top of each cliff were hidden out of sight, giving the illusion that the bridge hung over a great chasm amongst the mountains. Of course, a twenty foot drop onto a hard blacktop would probably be just as deadly as there were no safety mats or nets to be found.
Ella sat on the bridge, smack dab in the middle, with her legs hanging over the edge. She held onto the ropes that secured both her and the bridge, and simply hummed to herself.
"Ellanor." A voice called out to her.
Ella was shocked to hear that, as it's been years since anyone actually used her full name. Of course, she had a good idea on who it was before she even turned her head.
Dawn walked closer, stopping just shy of behind Ella before she sat down, criss-cross, on the bridge.
"Is something wrong…" Ella quietly asked.
"Is there?" Dawn calmly pressed back. "There's been a dark cloud hanging over you Ellanor, or do you prefer Ella?"
"Ella's just fine." Ella said quickly. "But I don't know what you're talking about-"
"Yes you do Ella," Dawn interrupted. "You do not hide it, but what I see is someone at a crossroads. Tell me, is it truly just the nature of the game that's affecting you, or is it something more?"
"Something…more?" Ella frowned. "What c-could be worse than, than what's happening to us? It's awful, it's t-terrible and evil and-"
"I may agree, but what I see is someone conflicted over what's happening around her." Dawn interjected softly. "I do not believe you are a bad person Ella, but I have no idea why you would feel so conflicted in such an indisputably evil situation. Unless?"
Ella was silent.
"...unless it was not the game itself that they're conflicted about, but rather, your own situation." Dawn concluded. "Perhaps it's not just that, but what role you play in this game. Tell me, Ella, is there something you want to tell me."
"Are you asking for someone else?" Ella asked cautiously. "Is anyone else wondering the same thing as you?"
Surprisingly, Dawn was caught off guard by Ella's tone. It was neither accusatory nor defensive, rather, it was as conversational as one could get given the circumstances.
"No." Dawn replied a few seconds later. "For your second question, not that I know of. But I would not rule anyone out."
"Do you know why we're here?" Ella asked, unprompted.
"No." Dawn said back, the air suddenly dropping several degrees.
"I can show you."
Ella then let go of the bridge's ropes and pushed herself off the platform, plummeting twenty feet to the black top.
…
With a start, the Moonchild's eyes snapped open in shock.
Another nightmare - and by checking the PDA under her pillow - another day.
Dawn had learned to stop screaming when she woke up years ago, she may have no control over her dreamscape but she could at least control how she reacted to it. Of course, the lingering fear and tremors were impossible to subdue. One look at her eyes would tell you something was wrong, but from a distance she might've just risen from her bed a little more stiff than usual.
Today the game would continue, as the dream reminded her of the events of yesterday's free period. Of course, her conversation with Ella ended much less…
Ella had left, immediately after Dawn began asking questions. Silently, and in a hurry.
Dawn cursed at herself, realizing a second too late that she had overstepped boundaries again and lost a chance to get confirmation to a feeling she had.
Most do not believe in her, but she knew that she was intuitive in ways that others could only dream to be. Those surrounding her have spent countless hours trying to subdue her "problematic" behaviors, drowning in their own denial while labeling her as the problem. They understood that there were no coincidences when it came to what she knew, but to accept that would be accepting something that simply could not be in their narrow-minded world.
She scared people, she understood that. Yet, what scared her was how little others understood themselves.
She wasn't psychic, at least, not in any way that would make her a good detective. What others would call a hunch, she would call an understanding that has yet to be proven.
She couldn't accuse others based on what she understood, not without proof. Lest it all falls upon her own head.
Her time will come, but not yet.
She still had work to do.
Later that Day…
Both casts had just finished breakfast when the speakers screeched to life, the dreaded Announcer beginning their bi-daily introduction to the day's events.
"Welcome Hitchhikers, ready for your next out of this world challenge?" Announcer said smarmily. "Today we'll be taking on the limitless possibilities of the Sci-Fi genre."
Nobody showed as much 'excitement' as the Announcer did, not even the uber fans in the cast.
"Come now, you all should be excited." Announcer chided them. "Some more than others, as we'll be splitting you all up for this challenge."
A chorus of pings hit the PDAs on everyone's person, drawing the cast to check out what they were just messaged.
"Follow the directives given to you, and prepare yourself." Announcer continued. "You'll all be very busy today."
"Well this'll probably suck." Scott muttered.
Lightning added his own two cents. "Sha-lame, Lightning hates this nerd junk."
When everyone left the crafts services tent to go to their designated areas, Alejandro was surprised by who went down the same path as him. The largest group headed off to a warehouse while another left for a studio, he and one of the Gaffers were instructed to go to a recently erected tent near the "So you think you can lie?" building.
Once Cameron and Alejandro entered, they were greeted by two tables with games of chess set up on them. There was a chair propped up against each table, but opposite to that seat was a gigantic piece of hardware. It resembled an enlarged computer case, or rather, a large server whose countless wires trailed all the way under the cloth sheet covering the table.
"Welcome Cam, and Al." The Announcer called out from a speaker held by a Stranger, who sat on a stool nearby. "The Sci-fi genre loves warning us about the upcoming AI uprising, Computer V Man and what-not. So I thought, what better way to do the genre justice than by pitting the smartest member of each team against a computer in the ultimate game of intellect."
Cameron gaped. "Wait, you can't be serious are those-"
"Kasparov V.30-Z computers, colloquially known as professional chess playing machines." Alejandro answered for the bubble boy. "I must admit, I am impressed by the breadth of your resources."
"Aw, thanks Al." The Announcer said, indulging in the vein pulsating on the manipulator's forehead. "I'm sure you two get the jist of the challenge, a good old game of chess against these two super smart refrigerators. Whoever takes the other's king first wins, win against your bot to score your team the point. Got it?"
Both Alejandro and Cameron nodded, Cameron more excitedly. Despite his trepidation with the circumstances he could not believe he was about to go up against a chess playing super computer, something he only knew was possible through books. To experience it first hand, well, he was more than just thrilled.
Alejandro rolled his shoulders, strutting over to a table to take on his machine.
He had to admit, he missed having an equal to butt heads with.
Cameron took his seat next, shaking for the first time ever with elation rather than fear.
In one of the repurposed Studios, the room had been redecorated with those cheap Halloween scenery wall covers. They depicted a cyberpunk dystopian city, with flying cars and the occasional hologram - all printed on the same plastic used to make disposable table cloths.
There were eight contestants told to meet here, four from each team. Brick, Dakota, Leonard and Anne Maria from the Grips; Mike, Scarlett, B and Sugar from the Gaffers. All players were instructed to put on strange vests given to them by Strangers, each vest having a bullseye printed on its front.
-BZZT-
Anne Maria, still wearing her vest, did a turn-around in front of the confessional mirror. "Oh yeah, I can make anythin' look good."
-BZZT-
Each contestant stood in front of a cart, the kind with a flat surface on top to hold tools for a professional's convenience. On these carts was a box, whose labeling stated that it was a "Build your own Laser Blaster" Kit. Everyone was sorted into pairs, each teen facing another contestant from the opposite team with about twelve feet of space between them and their opponents. There were even strips of blue tape on the floor that everyone had to stand behind.
"Attention crew, time to get to work." The Announcer began. "Sci-fi is nothing without all the cool inventions we can only dream of, like the laser blasters in Galaxy Wars. You have all been provided a Laser Blaster replica, or rather, pieces of it. Once I say go, open the box and get to work. Each kit comes with instructions and all the tools you'd need to build the Laser Blaster, and once it's put together you must then hit the bullseye on your opponent's chest. Each vest has a chip built into it, and you won't score your team the point unless you hit it dead center. The future is not for the weak, so you'll need to be quick at building AND skilled on the draw."
Each pair looked across the room to gauge their opponent. Brick smiled respectfully towards Mike, who waved back. Anne Maria and Sugar gave each other unimpressed looks, with Dakota and Scarlett being equally dismissive to each other. Leonard waved to B who didn't respond in any way, making the LARPer put his arm down awkwardly.
"I took the liberty of marking the floors, and you can probably guess that you have to avoid overstepping them." The Announcer said, referencing the blue tape. "Stay behind the tape, build your blaster, and get to blasting. Ready?"
Everyone inched closer to their cart, either picking up the box or flexing their fingers in anticipation.
"...Go!" Announcer shouted.
The sound of cardboard getting torn to shreds filled the room, everyone in a hurry to get started. Leonard and Mike sat on the floor, spilling the contents of their kits onto the ground in front of them to make things easier. Others chose to remain standing, dumping the contents of their boxes onto the cart. Alongside the miscellaneous plastic bits and battery pack, the only other thing that was in the kit was a small box of miniature screwdrivers.
Everyone scrambled to put together their laser blaster, but a problem immediately reared its ugly head.
There was no instruction manual inside the box.
Dave, Jasmine, Lightning, Sam, Sammy, Scott, Sierra, Staci, Beardo, Dawn, Ella, Jo, Rodney, Sky, Topher and Zoey reached their destination a few minutes later. These sixteen remaining cast members made up the final group, who were met with something far different than what they were originally expecting. Within the warehouse they were directed to, there was a hatch attached to an elevated bit of concrete on the floor near the back corner of the building. It was obviously the entrance to an underground bunker, or at least some kind of lower level area that was heavily secured above ground.
"Welcome meat!" Announcer suddenly chimed in, startling the contestants who were surrounding the strange entrance. "For this challenge, I decided to let you all see behind the curtains a bit. You see, my staff needs easy access to all parts of the film lot, and like a certain rat-run kingdom, it's easy to do so when you can reach places the civilians can't. Below this warehouse is a small section of our underground maintenance tunnels, shut off from the rest of the lot so that you kids don't get any funny ideas."
The cast for their part were attentive to the rules, instantly curious over what the announcer was talking about. Besides Lightning who just wanted the challenge to start already.
"Once I let you all in, you'll get a five minute head start to explore the underground tunnels with two tasks in mind." The Announcer elaborated. "First, an Alien's nest is hidden deep within the tunnels, with eggs you'll need to collect. Each egg has a sticker with a team logo on it, so bring back as many of your team's eggs as you can. Be careful though, those things are real eggs and are very fragile. You must bring as many eggs as you can to the exit, and for every egg you bring out unharmed it will count as a point for whichever team the egg has a sticker of."
Jasmine and a few others nodded, though everyone felt that there was more to the challenge than what was just said.
"However, once you enter the hatch will seal itself shut." Announcer continued. "The other side has an electronic lock, requiring a code to unlock it from that end. There are two tablets, each with the code contained in them, hidden in opposite corners of the underground area. Once you get the code, feel free to exit any time you wish. But! You cannot help anyone, or go back into the tunnels after leaving. Any questions?"
A few raised their hands.
"No?" Announcer quickly said. "Good, get in."
With a hiss, the hatch automatically flipped open to reveal a ladder going down about fifteen feet.
The group shared looks with each other, wondering who'll take the first step.
Lightning huffed indignantly. "Wimps."
He then walked over to the hatch and climbed down its ladder, Jasmine and Rodney following suit. After those three, everyone else climbed down after them.
Except for Scott, who grabbed the rails of the ladder and slid down.
"Always wanted to do that." He said, smirking.
Once everyone reached the tunnel right beneath the warehouse, the Announcer's voice called out from the room above.
"Oh right, before you start your scavenger hunt I forgot to mention a little snag about your head start." They said, "Once your five minutes are up, a very special guest is gonna join you to make things a little more difficult. Don't get caught, or you'll be in for a very bad time."
With those parting words, the hatch closed itself with a loud metallic groan. Everything went dark before the underground lights turned on.
"I'm guessing that's the start of our five minutes." Jasmine said.
"Sha-later!" Lightning said, sprinting off down the hall.
"Wait, we shouldn't split up!" Jasmine said.
"Why not, we're all coming back to the same spot right?" Scott rebutted, leaving the group as well.
Sammy and Sierra also left wordlessly, despite Jasmine's protests.
"Fine, no wuckas." She then said, "I'm going too, anybody who wants to stick with me is free to follow."
Dave, Sam, and Staci followed her as she left.
Topher tugged on Rodney's sleeve. "That's our cue big guy."
The country boy nodded and followed Topher as he went the same direction as Scott and Lightning. The remaining Gaffers split up further into two groups, one going the same direction as Topher(Beardo, Ella, and Zoey), and those who chose to follow Jasmine's group(Dawn, Jo, and Sky).
Further down the turn Jasmine took, Sam pulled Staci back by her sleeve to keep them out of earshot of the others in front of them.
"Hey Stace, are you okay?" He asked.
Staci looked at him like a deer in headlights. "Y-yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"It's just, after yesterday after that y'know-"
"Let's not talk about okay?" She responded harshly. "Just…drop it."
She then turned around and walked away briskly, leaving Sam looking dejected.
-BZZT-
"Maybe I shouldn't have…" Sam trailed off, looking down in disappointment.
-BZZT-
"Everything's just…" Staci hissed. "Awful. Why, why did he have to-"
She took a deep breath, but the frustrated look on her face did not go away.
-BZZT-
Five minutes later, the entrance hall is empty. However, with a distinct hiss, the hatch opens once again.
A figure drops down from the hole, ignoring the ladder.
They landed effortlessly, before getting up into a rigid stance. They were wearing a creature suit, movie quality, of a Xenolizard from the "Braineaters" sci-fi/horror franchise. In their hands was a large paintball gun, with a thick nuzzle that could be pumped like a shotgun. It was a Stranger, but this morphsuit wearer was much taller and more muscular than any other one seen on the lot.
"Well Mr. Braineater," the Announcer's voice called out from a mic pinned to the suit's fabricated chest. "I believe we have a nest to protect."
The Giant Stranger cocked their gun, making their way down the left tunnel with a single order in mind.
To find and eliminate all humans.
0-0-0-0-0
The Killer Grips: Alejandro, Anne Maria, Brick, Dakota, Dave, Jasmine, Leonard, Lightning, Sam, Sammy, Scott, Sierra, and Staci.
The Screaming Gaffers: B, Beardo, Cameron, Dawn, Ella, Jo, Mike, Rodney, Scarlett, Sky, Sugar, Topher, and Zoey.
Total of Survivors: 26*
Elimination Order: Amy, Max, Shawn (Taken)
* As Shawn's body is yet to be recovered, he is considered eliminated until proven alive.
(AN:) Well that's an interesting beginning, I hope you guys are excited for Act 2. Act 1 is just the set-up, but the next chapter is gonna be a well of drama just wait and see. Hey, remember when the Alien movie challenge killed Gwent? No reason to bring that up by the way, just wanted to reminisce.