Serenity Base Episode 1 Part 5
We are back on the Serenity Base and things are gonna get messy from here.
Adam couldn't help but notice that everything around them had changed right from the moment he, Bonni, Uma and Lucci as well as their guide Lena had stepped through the large doorway now receding behind them. Unlike the area they had waited in as the supposed long disused and worn gears, an illusion ably created by the special effects department, slowly and painstakingly eased the door open; this new surround had lost the affected feel of a military base that the plain metal and sparse layout had only provided a poor impersonation. Utterly abandoned had been the almost futuristic feel of a military installation in favour of something much more gritty and down to earth. Something that hadn't exactly been planned. Or it was more accurate to say things hadn't gone to plan.
Something Lena had been unaware of, her role of somewhat who unwittingly leads her charges into Cobalt's traps aided by a genuine lack of knowledge of what lay ahead. Sometimes she knew of course and eagerly steered them to something that would make for great television. Others she was in the dark as much ad they were. It was that lack of knowledge that had meant she hadn't batted an eyelid as she was directed into what turned out to be the wrong part of the set.
With such a sprawling complex as Serenity Base was, comprised of both areas from earlier design phases and those that are still undergoing development in the hope of future series, it wasn't surprising that a mistake had been made and the team had been directed to an area that while finished, wasn't where they had been supposed to end up. All of which had led to a bit of a scramble as the stage hands quickly raced to get a couple of games running they hadn't meant to use while they worked out a way to get them back on track.
An effort that was entirely the reason for the long and almost rambling walk Lena had for reasons unknown to her been instructed to lead her team on, for the first time on the show (but not the last) genuinely worried that maybe she too was being lead towards some trick, trap or surprise; one that was maybe considered too good to miss even with the collateral damage of her getting gunged as well. Thankfully and to her great relief, nothing came of it as the team and her alike arrived in this new area.
An area where everything felt utterly and completely real, filled with an aura of gritty reality. Where a few seconds ago they had been surrounded by unblemished polished metal, now everything around them was scuffed, marked and blackened with long use and wear. Or an effective illusion of it anyway, all completed by the judicious use of tire marks, drag marks, rust, dust, grease and dirt and grime; along with stains that couldn't just be from Gunge. Although some of them surely were. It was so realm that Adam could easily imagine the sound and sight of hundreds of feet marching or driving through these long halls, carrying orders, equipment, munitions and spare parts to wherever they were needed. All of the owners of those feet clad in utterly identical uniforms. Unlike him and the trio of ladies around him.
Of course their outfits were similar in every way except the colours...even before a few of them had been doused with Gunge; Lucci, Bonnie and Uma having chosen colours that best suited them. Luckily Adam had been presented with enough choices that the young sloth hadn't copied the ones chosen by the Kangaroo, Racoon and Kitten respectively.
Lucci too was impressed by the sudden change in their surroundings, the crates, boxes and lockers that were dotted around the hallway they passed through with trepidation, the metal a dull grey marked with portions of rust and tarnish that hid the polished surface they might once have been.
At the back of the group, a position she had assumed almost out of instinct, Bonnie was also scrutinising the surround and picking up details that Adam had missed given that she was not exactly hurrying to keep up. While the combinations of letters and numbers that adorned the crates and boxes held no real meaning for her beyond adding to the air of military realism she found her eyes drawn to some of the lockers that sat open with the doors resting against the one next to it.
While nothing of interest rested inside many of them, the shelves dotted with small locked boxes and document folders and other minutiae that failed to hold her attention, the same couldn't be said of the doors themselves. While most were plain and unadorned, a few had what was unmistakably Polaroid pictures tucked into or taped against the smooth metal. Her keen eyes passed over pictures of embracing lovers, colleagues relaxing in each other's company, snaps of family and loved ones, her eyes only lingering on the one flash of colour that caught her gaze, red and yellow mixed together; red being the fur and the yellow unmistakable the Gunge slathered all over it. Rattled by the subtly brazen display as much as the ridiculous amount of Gunge, Bonnie hurried to catch up with the others. Of that was a sign of what lay ahead, then maybe her initial worries had been well founded.
One who wasn't worried was Uma. Well..not too much anyway. While she was still gripped by little flares of nerves and anxiety, more scared by the thought of the sudden activation of any more traps than what they might do to her. Well..not too much. So far what she had experienced hadn't been that bad. But that didn't change the fact that something Lena had said had rattled her a little bit. Maybe it had been unwise to casually..or at least as casually as she could...mention the fact that so far the Gunge hadn't been that bad yet.
'Of course not.' Lena had replied with a twinkle in her eye. 'We haven't even scratched the surface yet.'
Without elaborating Lena had left that hanging as she moved on. There was nothing to be gained from telling them that as they progressed the games chosen would in truth not be random but purposefully selected for each girl depending on how they took to the Gunge. Those that didn't mind it would be steered towards the more extreme games...or gunges anyway.
It was a phrase that had affected all of them differently and Lena was enjoying the reactions she was seeing. While she played the part of the loyal host, guide and advisor, she wouldn't have taken this role if she had any qualms about sending someone to an extremely messy fate. Or enjoy it just a little bit.
Lucci and Adam didn't seem bothered in the slightest, Adam staying close to Uma who was still glancing around her nervously. While he was obviously a little protective of her, he was just as obviously smitten with her. And clearly had a hankering to see her gunged, even if he couldn't admit either of those. Lena would have had to be blind to see that. Tempted as she was to nudge them together, she was willing to let things take their course, idly wondering if flirting and coupling between the players would become a regular thing.
'Come on, come on. Form a straight line there. Don't dawdle.'
The voice that more spoke sharply than actually bellowed didn't belong to Cobalt, that was clear right from the second the assembled players heard it. Short of actually obeying that obvious command they all froze where they stood. Lena included, doing a very good job of acting surprised when in fact what she truly felt was a thrill of excitement that she worked hard to suppress. She knew every game that awaited them in the maze that was Serenity Base. Yet even she didn't know exactly the route they would take, so each time was full of surprises that were as thrilling to her as they were shocking to the players.
'I said form up. This is my assembly area. So assemble. Best foot forward now.'
Assembly Area was a perfect description of where they now stood. Not an area where things were assembled, but more men. Well..soldiers. Perfectly befitting of the Barracks proper, this being the set they were meant to have been brought to originally. The wide area of smooth metal divided up by lines of yellow paint obviously designed to serve as marshalling areas no doubt looked impressive from where they stood, right down to the gantries and arching stanchions that gave the feel of a large and impressive complex that itself was doubt connected to something even larger. And it was, just nowhere near as impressive as the original design sketches Lena had seen during the early days of the project. Not that those designs of a huge hanger complete with replica shuttles, transports, cargo loaders and freighters had been abandoned. Just scaled back as the time table was moved up somewhat. Still Lena was sure they would see them used in future series.
'Chloe.' Lena said as much by way of greeting as introducing the tall Zebra that emerged onto the gantry above her. 'I'm glad to see they got you out of the Honey Trap.'
Adam allowed himself a slight chuckle. He was sure he had seen the Zebra with her distinctive long black ponytail streaked with two lines of white that matched the alternating strips of her coat somewhere before but it took Lena's probably not offhand comment to aid his memory. While waiting for this day to arrive, Adam had almost obsessively followed Serenity Base on every single social media platform he could. And it was there that he had been treated to some pretty cool teasers. Including one of the yummy Zebra before him plunging into a vat of sticky yellow gunk as she failed at some game given the strobing lights around her moving in time with the sounding klaxon.
'That wasn't even funny.' Chloe said with a frown. 'Dunking me into that vat of..ugghh...I was in the shower for an hour after that.' In hindsight that had likely been her own fault. Don't get me gunged she had said. She had failed to consider they would have anything else on hand. It was very much an ambition of hers to make it through this without getting anywhere near the stuff. Dishing it out to others was okay, but being subjected to it herself..no. 'Still..we aren't here to talk about me. We are here to see if you have what it takes to play my games. After all, you are in my arena now. This is my barracks after all.'
Uma had to admit she looked the part, her now familiar Sentinal Jumpsuit in a bright silver embellished with epaulettes in yellow braid and a belt of tanned leather that added a subtle but noticeable military styling. Which did make her slightly less scary than Cobalt. Slightly.
In truth, Chloe was something of a mama bear type. As a Scout Leader she took no nonsense and ran a tight ship, but if you got and stayed in her good books she was more than willing to take you under her wing and look after you. Della called it empty nest syndrome and maybe she was right, since her two boys had grown and shipped out to college she had felt a little adrift. Which might have been why she drifted towards the Scouts as a full time leader rather than just helping out. Not that it wasn't fun to play up on the stern military type for the cameras.
Just for the cameras though. All sternness aside, Chloe couldn't help noticing how tense two of the four contestants below her seemed in this moment. The Sloth and Kangaroo that were Adam and Lucci respectively, Chloe had been following their progress on the screen in her dressing room, did seem genuinely unconcerned about what awaited them. While the kitten that was Uma still seemed slightly anxious despite her previous successes, no doubt still worried she wouldn't continue that trend. Bonnie on the other hand was still likely nervous about the Gunge, something she could both understand and sympathise with.
'Now..I'm sure some of you are eager to volunteer to play this one. And normally I applaud that. Yet I've already made my choice who will play the first game here. So..I hope you are feeling...Lucci.'
That wasn't an accidental choice either. It had been made no secret to Chloe that the first game here was likely to be more extreme compared to what had gone before and that she was expected to make her choice of player based upon that information. Which really made her choice an obvious one.
'You bet I am.' Lucci made no attempt to hide the excited thrill she felt as she stepped forward. While Bonnie might still be looking to avoid the Gunge, she hadn't gotten anywhere near as messy as she had either hoped or expected. 'Bring it on.'
'Oh, I will.' Chloe replied with a grin as she tapped a button on the panel before her, noticing how both Uma and Bonnie flinched a little, even if all that happened was that the lights over one of the doors turned a bright neon green. 'Good luck.'
Uma, Adam and Bonnie echoed that sentiment with varying degrees of genuine congratulations and obvious relief, the latter mostly on Bonnie's part, before Lucci slipped with tail swishing towards the highlighted door that smoothly opened before her.
Whatever Lucci had expected to see as she stepped through, it wasn't to find herself in a room barely two feet square with a door ahead of her identical to the one that slide closed behind her. Suddenly suspecting a trap, Lucci couldn't help flinching as a harsh mechanical sound heralded the arrival of a small silver canister that slide across the floor from the metal pipe hidden behind the wall. Cautiously Lucci picked it up just as the door before her slide open, a subtle invitation that Lucci took.
'Okay..this is new.' Lucci muttered to herself as she looked around the room the double doors hid from everyone but herself, guessing but not sure that her friends could see her from outside. New was certainly the right word. Where the other games had so far been some elaborate contraption or obviously physically demanding surround, this was..well..just a room. True, a busy room; one following with the military theme that was laid out as both and office and some kind of map room. In the corner to her right sat a small desk with an impressive jacket draped over the back that wouldn't have looked out of place on a ranking officer. The small desk itself was made more cramped by a jumble of papers, folders, scattered documents and the odd map, all illuminated by a small desk lamp. Whereas the map table while actually sporting more odds and ends in the form of miniatures of troops, tanks and various vehicles meant to represent troop positions and movements seemed less cluttered given how they were spread out over the faux landscape: dotted amongst the rolling hills and assortment of scaled buildings.
The whole room had a distinctly wartime feel to it. Like most furs her age, Lucci had had lessons on the second Unification wars and this room did very much have a feel of the bunkers she had been dragged to on a deathly boring school trip. Not that the history was boring, just that the tour had been run by a boar with no flare for storytelling. Everything from the dim metal rimmed lamps over head to the black metal ceiling they hung from that matched the floor and walls they barely illuminated was right from that dark yet evocative period in history. Those that weren't covered by various bookshelves, cupboards and cases filled with dozens of small drawers. As detailed as all of this was, it was clear that Lucci was instead of being impressed simply confused how she could play a game with this. Luckily for her, elucidation was soon to be forthcoming.
Lucci now pulled open the cylinder still clutched in her paws. She popped off the smooth metal cap her paws had no trouble twisting, the metal not so smooth she couldn't get a grip on it. Holding it between two fingers she plucked out the thick piece of parchment inside, something that seemed incongruous with the modern technology around her. She read the words aloud even thought there was no one there to hear her.
'Retrieve the plans from the correct locker in the Vault to your left. First find the keys to unlock the door. This will start you off. You will have to chip in a strong hand to solve this one.'
Lucci read those words aloud despite not knowing if the others could hear her or not. It helped to think that they could. As it happened, they could. And see her was well. The same cameras that were recording Lucci's movements for the show were also being projected onto a large bank of monitors that Lena had lead them to, the group huddled around the small alcove as a dozen onscreen Lucci's moved in perfect time with each other, the cameras each recording a separate image that could be edited into the final show. She was pretty sure the Vault was the round circular Perspex chamber in the far right corner that was likely a Gunge Tank by another name, the metal ceiling above it easily able to conceal just about anything.
'That must mean the Poker table.' Adam mused out loud, equally unsure if Lucci could hear him but not willing to stay silent in case she couldn't. Either she bad or her mind had worked the same logic as his because the hi res image of the Kangaroo hurried towards the green felted table in the corner of the room. It took her a scant twenty seconds to find a heavy bunch of keys resting the hand of the mannequin holding a Royal Flush that Lucci had quickly recognised as the winning hand of the three figures. Which was obviously what the clue had meant.
And took her little more than that to slip the key into the impressive lock of two metal circles resting over each other and connected to the metal bands that ran around the edge of the chamber, two circles that separated the second she twisted the key. It was then simplicity itself to pull open the two halves of the semicircular wall that formed the front of the chamber. Only when that was done did Lucci turn her attention to the small canister she had noticed hanging from the key, not surprised when she pulled out another piece of parchment.
'Your next key sits with the Northern Battalion. Who themselves sit between two crosses.'
'Right..so that has to here. Right. Yes. Right.' Lucci nodded as she stepped up to the map that filled the centre of the room. Given the small yet detailed models of soldiers, jeeps, tanks and more soldiers dotted around the diorama style map, it was a fair bet that these were the Battalions the clue mentioned. What wasn't so clear was which was the Northern one. From what she could see, each collection of troops rested on a segment of the table that was designed to be lifted away, no doubt with the key resting beneath it. Figuring that would be too easy but willing to try anyway, Lucci lifted the two closest squares and was disappointed if not surprised to see a key resting under both of them. 'That would be too easy. So one of them must be the Northern one. And there must be a way to figure that out.'
Chloe had to bite her tongue here. Her motherly instincts warring with the role she had to play. It would be all to easy offer up a clue here and steer her a little closer but she decided to resist and just watch. For now.
Unaware of this Lucci continued, her mind and eyes fixed on the map with a focused seriousness. 'The one near the top? No..too easy. Nothing says that is where north is. But there must be something that points north. Maybe a compass or something?'
'Maybe.' Chloe allowed herself that thought as her eyes flicked to the clock only she could see, hidden from the others by the way it was set onto the railing before her. A clock that would only become visible to Lucci during the last minute of the game. Just another way of messing with the girls.
'Okay..okay. So there must be something.' Lucci turned her eyes to the other features on the map, running over the small model farm houses and bridges and fences until her eyes settled on the church...a church with a weather vane on the steeple. 'Wait...that points North.' Lucci moved her paw to the left side of the map and the single group of soldiers that ran along that line. Not having anything better to go with and very much hoping she was right, Lucci lifted up the square of terrain the squad of soldiers sat on; not being entirely surprised when that action revealed another key. All the others she had tried had offered up the same reward. Still..Lucci had a good feeling about this one as she raced over the Vault she had opened scant seconds ago, quickly seeking for the locker that matched the numbered key she now had clutched in her paw.
Even though the neatly stacked squared drawers set atop each other only numbered fifty, it was still the work of ten seconds before Lucci found the one she sought, the key slipping in and twisting smoothly; the door yielding in a similar manner. Inside Lucci found another of the now familiar cylinders that she cracked open to reveal her next clue. Which proved as illuminating as the last one.
'Seek the brave lady who guarded and saved many souls from fierce dangers.'
'Brave lady?' Lucci reread the clue aloud again with a deepening frown almost in the expectation of help from her friends that she now knew wouldn't be forthcoming. That rereading offered little help, the words meaning little more the second time around.
Despite being stumped, Lucci clung to the knowledge that the answer must lie in here somewhere. So turning her back on the locker she allowed her attention to move back to the room as a whole. Ignoring the table both because it was too obvious and obviously lacked a lady of any kind, Lucci let her eyes wander to find anything that could connect to this mysterious clue. So far everything she could see around her didn't exactly scream anything to do with a lady. Of course female soldiers weren't an uncommon an notion here but this room had a somewhat masculine vibe so it wasn't like she was looking for a female mannequin or anything like that.
Turning to the notice board she had noticed when she first came in, Lucci scoured the scraps of paper for anything that seemed to fit. A photograph of a sweetheart maybe. Not that that seemed to fit, but she had nothing to go on. Lucci quickly gave that up as a bad job though, finding nothing of the sort. Or anything that would help.
Abandoning that, Lucci turned her attention back to the room only to suddenly be brought up short as she saw something. Call it fate, call it chance, call it instinct, call it sheer dumb luck. Whatever the reason Lucci felt her eyes drawn to the picture of the impressive sailing vessel that dominated one of the walls. While something in the back of her mind tickled with the remembrance that sailors were sometimes referred to as the souls onboard a vessel; her eyes were almost inexplicably drawn to the name on the prow of the ship. Fearless. Brave. And ships were always referred to as she, weren't they. So literally a brave lady who saved souls.
Sure that she was right, Lucci quickly lifted and turned the picture to see the key hanging from the rear of the frame on a tiny hook. Grabbing it as quickly as she could, Lucci dashed back to the Vault to open the second locker while hoping she had enough time left.
Paws shaking a little from the subtle thrill of the game, Lucci lost a few seconds opening the next drawer and pulling out and reading aloud what she hoped was the last clue.
''Private S Johnson kept his most private thoughts close to his chest.' Well..that doesn't help much.'
At least it didn't to start with, Lucci herself proving that wrong as a flicker of memory danced across her mind. She was sure she had seen that name somewhere around her. As she mused on that, Lucci found her attention almost instinctively drawn towards the heavy wooden trunk that sat tucked innocently against one of the walls. A trunk with a small brass plate screwed to the front.
Hoping very much that she was right about this, Lucci raced out of the Vault and towards the trunk, her heart leaping as she saw the same name as on the piece of paper embossed on the metal plate. Both uncertain about how much time she has left and hyper aware she likely didn't have long, Lucci began digging around in the chest and chucking the contents onto the floor around her kneeling body. Food tins, packets of cigarettes and candy bars quickly joined with articles of clothing both civilian and not; none of which brought her closer to what she sought. Namely a diary or journal of some sort, Lucci was sure. There was no other way she could read the clue she had been given.
Twice her paw closed on something small and leather bound, and twice did she discard them both as they turned out to be a small bible and a copy of the kings army regulations with what turned out to be a Victoria Secret lingerie catalogue tucked discretely between the pages. Growing a little more frantic and not wanting to loose after having come so far despite her tingling excitement about what would happen if she did, Lucci tossed the last few items out of the trunk to reveal...nothing. Just the smooth wooden bottom speckled with a smattering of dust. In desperation Lucci replayed the clue in her head, a sudden burst of inspiration lancing into her mind.
Sure she was right, Lucci tugged the now lighter but not light trunk across the floor with a dull scrape. Her sudden guess was rewarded as she saw with elated relief a small hole in the otherwise unbroken surface of interlocking planks. Despite the sudden thought that this could be a trick dump something disgusting on her, and ignoring the anticipatory shiver that thought raised in her, Lucci plunged her paw into the gap anyway and with a triumphant cry of 'yes' pulled out a small leather bound book.
'How did she know that was there?' Uma bounced on the balls of her feet in her excitement that ran away from her as Lucci's victory now seemed sure to the delicate kitten.
'The clue..it said close to his chest. Not in it.' Bonni replied, the raccoon more calm that Uma as the emotion that felt was a mix of relief and trepidation. Despite all the challenges laid before her, Lucci had triumphed. Which surely wouldn't sit well with Cobalt who would likely strive to even the score in the next game. 'She must have worked that out.'
Lucci had indeed worked that out. Just in the nick of time. Or so she hoped. Her paw now closed around the key she had found taped inside the front cover she had returned to the Vault and deftly used it to open the drawer she was directed her to by the label dangling from it. Lucci's heart sank for a second as she saw the small slip of paper inside before she realised it contained not another clue but a series of six numbers.
Now sure what she had to do, she moved towards the other side of the Chamber and opened the panel fixed to the door of the Vault proper, aware that as she unlatched the domed plastic cover the doors she had pulled open earlier slid closed behind her. No doubt a security measure to trap anyone inside who didn't know the code. And to ensure they couldn't escape being drenched in the muck that hung above her.
Something that doubtless awaited her if she lost. Either by failing to open the Vault or just running out of time. Honestly either of those would be fine for Lucci. She had given it her all and if she did loose here well she would take what was coming to her. Lucci didn't let that distract her. She now looked over the dials all pleasingly set at zero. The first was easy, she only had to do three turns. It was a little stiff but she made it turn with some effort. The next was 9 though and despite her effort to turn it to go from zero to nine she had to run it all the way from 1-9. Something that was clearly designed to make this take as long as possible and increase the chance of the clock running down on the hapless girl. The third digit being an eight didn't help with this. Using both paws she worked her way around, each click of the next number feeling like it took a minute rather than seconds. The last was not as bad as the others, being a six it could have been a lot worse but her paws were shaking a little and she had to steady herself. With each twist she expected to run out of time and was amazingly surprised when she actually made it to the end. She did jump a little as a shrill buzzer filled the chamber, something that likely would have messed with the head on anybody else but was wasted on her since it wasn't like she was nervous about a gunging. Still she was a little surprised when the Vault door ahead of her swung inwards to reveal a slim folder sitting on a small shelf that doubtless was the plans she had been sent to receive. With a grin Lucci grabbed her prize and dashed out of the chamber. Only then did the realisation of what that meant hit home.
Bonni and others of a similar persuasion would doubtless have been relived to escape squeaky clean. Yet Lucci couldn't help being a little disappointed. She had come here to get gunged and yet somehow those opportunities kept slipping away from her.
With nothing to keep her here, Lucci made her way back towards the entrance..only to be brought up short by a flash of light before her. Chloe it seemed hadn't been the only one watching Lucci's progress as the tall, lithe and black clad Pika that was Colbalt appeared before her. Appeared being the operative word. Lucci would soon become intimately familiar with the holograms Cobalt would project of herself into unexpected places. Yet even without that she guessed that this was mere illusion, something not sitting right about the way she would brazenly appear here out in the open and amidst her traps and games that would likely be as effective against her as against her little mice in her maze. No, she wouldn't have taken that risk.
'Seems my little puzzle just wasn't quite enough for you. Well played.' Cobalt said with her usual air of smugness that somehow Lucci couldn't help but think wasn't just about her victory 'A shame. You were just starting to get into it as well. And such a shame that you will walk away with only 100 points. Of course, we could fix that. Of course, you can just walk out of here now and play another game. The door is open. It would be so easy. Or...you could leave through the Vault. And emerge with another 200 points under your belt.'
'Oh yes?' Lucci cocked an eyebrow cautiously, now noticing the door inside the chamber suddenly revealed by the panel that slid back softly, the raised lip clearly there to stop the accumulated goo from flooding the corridor. Which got her wondering exactly how much Gunge would be waiting for her if she did. And if that was worth what Cobalt was offering. In truth, Lucci didn't have to think very hard about that. This was what she had come here for after all. To fully enjoy the whole experience. Right? And if by getting a little more messy she could help the team, then what the heck. Lucci wasn't really having to convince herself though. She had been in for this all the way after all, guessing in someways what Cobalt had been going to suggest. Wasn't this what she had come here for? The whole experience? She wasn't going to shy away now that it was getting real.
'Fine. You are on.' Lucci said without even a pause or hesitation, her intent made very clear as she turned away from the safety of the open exit and back towards the Vault she had just narrowly escaped from. She heard the door crack open with the same hiss that had sealed its closure earlier, her heart pounding as she made ready to step inside. It took all of her self control to wait the door was fully open before she re-entered the chamber, not wanting to seem too eager. Part of her was a little worried that if she did, Cobalt might change her mind, waiting instead to spring such a trick on someone less keen on the Gunge than her.
'Well well well...she is really going for it.' Cobalt grinned, pleased to see that her inkling that Lucci as actually eager for a gunging had be borne out. That was why she had singled her out for this game after all. A game she had expected she might win, which was why she already had this offer ready for her. And it wasn't the only thing. 'So lets make this very special for her. Please fill tank 112 with my special mix.'
This was something of a risk, Cobalt knew. While she was sure Lucci was keen to be gunged, not seeming put off in the slightest by the idea of getting doused in brightly coloured gunk, what she was about to do to her was maybe one step too far.
'Your..special mix?' That softly asked question came from the shadow enrobed figure that stood beside Cobalt. 'Of course, my word is your command. But isn't that..a little too much?'
'As you say. My word is your command.' Cobalt said as if that answered everything. Honestly, she hadn't expected to be able to reveal this little surprise so early. But she had been sure that Lucci wouldn't have been able to resist her little challenge. And she was clearly eager to be gunged so it was too good an opportunity pass up. One that she couldn't resist the opportunity that had presented itself.
'What...is she doing?' Bonnie muttered under her breath but still loudly enough for the others to hear. She wasn't sure if she was more bemused or horrified to see what Lucci had just volunteered for. 'Doesn't she know what is going to happen?'
'Of course she does.' Adam said with a nod that was approving on a number of levels. Of course he could hardly complain about the promise of extra points. But that wasn't bit that most excited him. His understandable disappointed that he wasn't going to see Lucci gunged had quickly faded the second Cobalt had made her offer. One he was sure Lucci wouldn't refuse. And he had been thrilled to see he was right. 'That's why she is doing it.'
That was something Bonnie couldn't fathom or even bring herself to contemplate. Of course, the extra points would go along way to helping them out. She just couldn't fathom why Lucci had volunteered for it. Had she already been going to get gunged, she would willingly have sacrificed points if it would save her. But to do it simply for more points..Cobalt could have offered her a hundred times that and she wouldn't have done it.
'Yeah..but..can we trust her?' Uma chimed in softly. 'How to we know she won't just Gunge her and then go back on her promise.'
Uma too had worked out that Cobalt's promise wouldn't come with the most predicable of prices for her bravery. Yet she wasn't sure she would have so gamely agreed, the same question she had just posed holding her back. It was a question that would come back to haunt her.
'I'm a Pika of my word, little kitten.' With a shriek of shock Uma scurried around behind the impromptu shield of Bonnie and Adam before she even realised the projected image of Cobalt was now standing behind her. Something that didn't go amiss was that Uma placed her friends between her and any sudden Gunge, especially not by Bonnie and Cobalt alike. The latter of who was already wondering how she could take advantage of that. 'I may obfuscate and mislead and trick and even sometimes deceive but I never lie. If I say something I will do it. No matter what that is. As your friend is about to find out.'
Lucci for her part just wanted to know one thing, what was taking so long. Unaware and certainly not privy to the conversation taking place outside both this tank and the room around it, Lucvi had been left standing in the small chamber that now felt even more close than it had done the last time. While she had her excitement that had doubled since the last time she stood here to keep her company during the long wait she would later discover this was a gap that would be cut from the broadcast version, seconds had ticked by into long minutes. So long that she was almost beginning to wonder if something had gone wrong somewhere. Then in a scant second she quickly learned it had not.
Without any real warning, which the rolling siren that filled the close chamber most certainly didn't count as, the long awaited gunging began. Lucci on reflection couldn't help being a little annoyed that she missed out on the experience of just waiting as the klaxon bounced around in time with the strobing that which splashed over her in exactly the same way she hoped the Gunge was going too. With the multitude gungings she had watched in the build up to today that had been her favourite part, watching the reactions of the trapped girls as they realised they now couldn't escape what was coming. Of course Lucci had noway of knowing she would in the not so distant future find herself stood in that very moment, the experience more than she imagined. Yet here there was no warning. One second nothing was happening, the next she felt something warm, thick and sticky flung against her stomach. Too focused had she been on the top of the tank, she had missed the almost innocent looking grills at the bottom that had softly clacked open to reveal the trio of narrow nozzles that were now spraying a thick, glistening brown sludge onto her hips and legs. Trapped between them there really was nowhere Lucci could move, each of the equally spaced nozzles flinging a thin stream of the gunk towards her. While standing smack in the muddle of the tank left her equally squarely in the middle of the streams, the effect would have been the same no matter where she stood. Forward or backwards or even to the side, she couldn't have avoided the arcing streams of gunk entirely.
Outside Bonnie let out a shriek of disgust, one that would be mirrored later by a lot of those who would be watching at home and mirrored now by those watching in the studio. While they had tested this particular Gunge before to varying results of success and approval, one Sentinal passionately declaring this should never be used against anyone ever, its existence had been a complete secret. Never used in any of the promotional footage or on anyone outside the studio crew who had been sworn to the utmost secrecy. It was supposed to be the show's ultimate surprise, the ultimate in hideously disgusting muck. In appearance anyway.
In truth, and as Lucci could attest too, it didn't feel anywhere as near as disgusting as it looked. Yes, it was thick and very sticky, not quite gluing her feet to the bottom of the tank but certainly clinging to them as she lifted them a little. But it did look disgusting; a slimy, oozing mix of various shades of brown stirred and glistening together wherever it landed and stuck. Nothing like the vibrant and sometimes pleasingly mixed shades that would no doubt be expected.
As they said, it looked disgusting but Lucci's reaction helped up seal that impression. While her struggles of mock disgust where just that, they were particularly convincing. For the few seconds anyone got to see of them anyway. There was nothing fake about the shriek of genuine shock that could have been mistaken for disgust as the ceiling opened up with a torrent of the same sticky gunge. While she mock struggled, she was enjoying the utter of madness of it. She felt gooey and sticky, her bare toes wriggling in the bizarre sludge.
She could have been forgiven for thinking the ceiling had given way and for a second that was what she did believe had happened. The truth was a rather more elegantly engineered solution. While the tank above wasn't the largest they had even built despite being pretty big, it was the width of it that was actually the genius part. Most Gunge tanks were built to provide as little room as possible to escape the Gunge, a single hole made to dump the gunk right over the helplessly seated victim. Everything that could be stuck o something was. She felt deliciously funky.
Here that didn't matter. With the four circular holes arranged neatly in a loose square covering most of the ceiling, it didn't matter where the victim stood. It was impossible to avoid the Gunge as each caught a different part of her. Escape wasn't possible. Not that Lucci was trying, more than happy to stay right where she was. Delighted even.
Someone else who was delighted was Cobalt, leaning back in her chair with a grin like a Cheshire Cat. Which wasn't an act either. Yes, she had been told that she should always stay in character while on set, her reactions and expressions making perfect filler context shots. And that was very easy to do at this moment. She hasn't dared to dream they would be able to use this Gunge so early in the series, the whole team having agreed to only use it on those who seemed the most willing to risk the Gunge. And then along came Lucci. It was a risk but she was sure she would have taken to it like a champ.
Lucci was having the time of her life. With her hips and legs already thick with the Gunge rushing up over and around her feet, she hadn't dared to dream she could get any messier more quickly. Boy had she been wrong. Caught between the four streams she found her the rest of her equally thick it in a second, her head driven forward by the sudden pressure, coated in that brief second as the rest poured with ridiculous abandon over her top and down towards her hips and then further down towards the still rising Gunge.
What also came as a shock to her was that she was already standing near hip deep in the sludge, her powerful legs utterly surrounded by the clinging gunk. Even her tail hung heavy and cloying, stuck in the muck she wasn't sure how she would get free from. Her paws would likely have followed suit had she not flung them over her face, that reaction a genuine instinct to the thick sludge racing towards her eyes.
Even with them doubly covered by pressed paws and clinging Gunge it hadn't escaped her notice that it was still rising and yet she could still feel the gunk splattering against her torso. In response to the slime that rose around them, the sprayers had increased in force, forcing thicker jets of goo through the smooth rising surface to add to the sticky utter coating. All seven streams worked together to destroy her and she was loving every minute of it.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Shaking things up a little bit here. Firstly I'm playing around with some new ideas for the logo, trying to dial in the look I want when I finally get one professionally produced. This is certdinly a contender for one. On another note, I'm experimenting with shorter Chapter lengths to make my updates more regular so we will see how that goes.
Speaking of next chapters I'm already firing on all cyclinders and ready with a spate of cool ideas. Just have to choose which ones to use first.
If you guys enjoy my work and feel like supporting me, you could do worse than checking out my Patreon. Lots of cool content there from stories to art from all walks of wam life. Definately worth a look.