FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The young rabbit girl instantly attracted the attention of the badger standing across the foyer from her, she can feel his eyes on her with every step she takes away from the double glass doors that had admitted her, the last trace of the cool breeze outside tickling and teasing her short brown hair that is a few shades darker than her fur. Her ears poke through her hair, dipped a little to the side of her head, her pure white tail swaying with her hips with each step of her powerful legs. Her attention was drawn fully to him, his voice reaching her ears quickly. 'Good evening. Are you here for Serenity Base?'

Jenny nodded, actually very glad he had asked that question. Truthfully, she didn't know where she was going, beyond heading to this studio as she had been told when she had been accepted onto the show. 'Oh..yes..I am. Do you know where I have to go?'

'I can do better than that. Follow me.' The badger says softly, his paw indicating another door across the foyer. 'The Changing Room is this way. You can wait there for the others to arrive.'

'Thanks.' Jenny said, turning the way he had pointed and quickly following him through the door. She tried to keep her pace slow and keep moving with him but it was difficult, her enthusiasm getting the better of her. 'Guess Im the first one here huh?' Jenny is talking mostly to hear the sound of her voice. Now that she was actually here, she almost couldn't believe it. When she had heard about this gameshow, she had never thought she would actually get selected for it

Perhaps something of her excitement showed on her face, because the Badger smiled softly. 'You aren't the only one to get her early.

'Really?' Jenny would have asked more, but by then she had arrived at the locker room. Figuring she would find out when she stepped inside, the rabbit nodded to her guide. 'Thank you.'

Jenny opened the door slowly, not wanting to surprise who ever is inside. This allows her to see the white tigress standing by the mirror on the far side of the room.

'Hiya. Are you here for Serenity Base too?' Jenny says, seeing the other fur standing across the small locker room from her, really to have something to say, an odd self-consciousness seeming to have swept every thought from her brain for a few seconds.

'Yeah, this is it.' the white tiger girl says, turning slowly to face her. 'I guess I'm not the only one excited about this, since you're here so early. I'm Amy, by the way.' That excitement was obvious in her voice, the words bubbling from her mouth in a rush. Jenny has to wonder if she is excited for the same reasons as she is, if she knows what she knows about this gameshow

'Jenny.' she says, her throat suddenly dry. The tigress is beautiful, her sweet white furred face surrounded by lustrously silky black hair. Her ears pricked up high on her head, a sign of her obvious excitement. But that just makes her look cuter. As does the pink t-shirt that hangs down over her waist, slightly obscuring the curves of her hips snuggled inside the tight miniskirt she is wearing. 'I've been looking forward to this ever since I signed up. I guess you have too.' she finishes, trying to keep the conversation going. She needn't have worried, the tigress continuing excitedly.

'I didn't actually sign up.' Amy says with a grin. 'I tried, but they only had a few slots for the pilot. Luckily someone pulled out at the last minute.My boyfriend works here and pulled a few strings to get me on. Really I think he just wanted to see me get gunged.'

'So..' Jenny asks, trying to sound as casual as possible with this question. 'Did he mention anything about the gunge? I couldn't find out anything about how it will happen.

'No. Sorry.' Amy says, a broad grin spreading over her face. 'I asked, but they are trying to keep it pretty hush hush. I did find a teaser on the net but it didn't show much of the gunge, just a very short clip. It looked like a lot of fun, though.'

Jenny wasn't sure if that last bit was to reassure her or not, wondering if Amy thinks she is worried about it. Then she picks up on the excited tone in her voice. 'Huh? You want to be gunged?' Jenny asks, surprised. Ever since she had seen her first gunging on tv the idea of it happening to her has always been a secret fantasy that she had never imagined she would get to live out. She really hadn't expected any of the others to feel that way.

'Yeah. That's why I agreed to come on the show.' Amy says, a broad smile crossing her face.

'Me too.' Jenny says softly, 'I've always wanted to know what it feels like. I never thought I'd get the chance though. So when this came up, I jumped at it.'

Jenny would have continued, but before she can, Amy speaks up again. 'Well, I guess are meant to change into those huh?'

'Yeah. I can't imagine anyone being too wild about getting their own clothes messy.' Jenny nods, her eyes flicking over to the far side of the locker room. 'And it looks like there are some showers over there.'

'Makes sense.' Amy says. 'I guess we would need to get cleaned up afterwards.'

'Why would we need somewhere to get clean?'

Surprised, both Jenny and Amy turn towards the new voice, seeing that two girls have entered most likely while they were talking; a serval and a hampster, the later of which is looking between the rabbit and the tigress nervously Jenny notices as Amy continues.

'Well, because of the gunge.' Amy says casually.

'What?' the serval says, her voice sounding equal parts surprised and concerned. 'Gunge?'

'You didn't know?' Jenny asks, her voice full of confusion.

'No.' Geri replies uncertainly, biting her lip lightly. This has clearly been a shock for her. 'I saw a post about a new gameshow on a chatroom I visit, that said they were looking for contestants for the first episode. It sounded fun, so I applied by email. No-one mentioned anything about gunge, though.'

'Well..it's nothing to worry about.' Amy said cheerfully. 'They make it look more icky on tv than it really is. But it doesn't feel anything like as bad as it looks.'

Amy seems to have guessed right about the reason for the Serval's nerves, the look on her face saying she isn't at all reassured by her words. But it is more those words that are attracting her attention. It almost sounds like Amy knows what it is like to be gunged.

Jenny pushes those thoughts away as Amy continues. 'I'm Amy, that's Jenny.' the tigress says, her face breaking into a broad grin, shooting a playful wink towards the hampster.

If she had expected that to reassure her, she was disappointed; the young girl dipping her head shyly. Jenny hadn't expected the hampster to answer, seeing that she was obviously uncomfortably nervous by Amy's enthusiastic greeting. Jenny has to wonder how old she is. She had heard they wouldn't accept anyone under the age of eighteen and she had to be just about over that, certainly no older than nineteen. Which most likely makes her the youngest.

So she wasn't surprised when the Serval answered for the both of them. 'Geri. And this is Cara.' she finished, one hand resting on the younger girl's shoulder in what is most likely a gesture of comfort. 'She's kinda shy, so take it easy okay?'

That was telling, Jenny decided. These two had obviously already bonded a bit. Or it was maybe her sticking with the fur she knew now that she had been confronted by two new faces.

Either way, Jenny gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile and got a soft one back in return. Hoping she had started to break the ice, Jenny took a step closer. 'You nervous about the gunge too? Cause it's..'

'Oh..no. I'm not worried about that.' Cara whispers, her tone sounding like she is scared by every word she utters, looking like she is ready to bolt at any moment. 'Its just..I don't know why I though I could do this...I mean..if it was just you guys maybe I could but...'

'It is just us guys.' Amy jumps in quickly. 'Well..girls anyway. I heard its only a four person team..so I don't think we are waiting for anyone else.'

'I...really?' Cara asks, a genuine smile of pure relief breaking over her face. 'You mean that?'

'Yeah.' Amy replies. 'And I guess we will be starting soon, so we had better get changed.'

Jenny nods at that idea, following behind Amy as she leads Cara over to the rack of clothes and starts flicking through it. Honestly, she is more flicking through them idly, most of her attention on Amy. She hasn't been able to get the thought of the way she might have admitted that she had been gunged out of her mind. And she is tying to find a way to ask it, but can't seem to find anyway to ask it without blurting it out. And she doesn't want to seem like a bashful school girl.

'Here.. This one would look good on you.' Amy said with a warm smile, picking out a black one piece that looks about the hampster's size.

As Cara considers her choice, Jenny turns her attention to the rack. She is tempted to go for the bikini herself, but the idea of exposing that much fur to the cameras makes her insides squirm. Yes, she would be wearing the tshirt and shorts over it but she had seen a few clips with girls in just their bathing suits, so she couldn't deny the possibility they would be coming off at some point.

Geri joins her, but her mind doesn't seem to be on picking what to wear. The concern on her face is easy to see, more a thoughtful concern that comes to a head as she raises hers to look at Amy. 'Have you really been gunged before?'

Amy pauses as she hears the question, as if framing her words carefully. Still, there is no hesitation in her words. 'Yep. Did you ever see a show called 'Tricked Out?'

Geri is the only one to shake her head; Cara nodding in time with Jenny but it is Jenny that answers. 'Oh, yeah. I remember that one. Wasn't it some kind of prank show that got axed a few months ago?'

'Yeah. That's the one.' Amy says. 'They always had at least one gunge segment every episode, usually a gunge vote. And that's what I got picked for. Well, me and a lion about my age.'

Jenny cannot help smiling as she hears this, an image forming in her minds of Amy seated in the shows gunge tank, her head dipped, thick blue gunge splashing over her head and shoulders. That image sending a warm flush of arousal to her crotch. She just hopes that Amy or the others cannot see her reaction.

Jenny cannot help noticing that Amy is getting more excited, her voice raising in pitch a little. Maybe her thinking about being gunged before has got her thinking about what lies ahead. 'What are you thinking of going with?' Amy asks, picking up two hangers, one with the yellow bikini she had picked out earlier, the other with a identically coloured one piece.

'Does it matter?' Jenny asks, curiously, selecting a couple of swimsuits herself, looking from the pink bikini to the dark blue, more assessing the colour than the design. 'No one is going to see it, are they?'

'Well, yeah. But I think you would look really cute in a bikini.' Amy replies with a coy, cheeky smile.

Jenny hesitates, her cheeks flaring a deep pink, suddenly uncertain how to reply to that. And a little flattered by the attention being shown to her. Luckily she doesn't have to, Amy speaking up again. 'Hmmm, I wonder if they'd let me wear just the bikini.' Amy murmured, mostly to herself as she holds it against her body.

'You're kidding, right?' Jenny asks slowly.

'Nope.' Amy says slowly, her face breaking into a slow smile as she imagines how it would feel if she was gunged wearing just the bikini, the thought of only the small bathing suit between her body and the gunge sending a shudder through her.

'I don't think so.' Jenny says, finally choosing the blue one piece. 'They wouldn't have given us this other stuff if they didn't want us to wear it.' judging from the looks around her, Geri and Cara feel the same, both of them seeming very glad of the protection of the extra layers, if for very different reasons.

'Yeah. I guess so.' Amy agrees. 'I guess we'd better take a shower. I bet we will be getting started soon.

Cara had trailed behind the others as they entered the shower room, her paws clutched in front of her, very obviously nervous about showering with these other girls. But she is holding down her nerves, knowing that if she stayed alone in the dressing room, she might be tempted to leave. And as nervous as she is, she knows she would regret that. Besides, Geri isn't leaving and she is more scared then she is

That doesn't stop her from undressing shyly, her back to the others as she envies the ease with which they undress in front of the others, really seeming not to be embarrassed about it. Cara is the last to undress, hesitantly joining the others in the communal shower block, the water turning on as she steps under the shower head..or being beckoned forth by Amy who has already turned the water on for her.

Either way, she steps under the water, more trying to focus on washing than the other girls around her, very aware of the naked fur on unabashed display, the other three hiding behind little more than a layer of suds. She looks away, blushing after having been caught staring at Geri's face.

But it had been enough time to see her expression. She still seemed nervous, not that Cara can blame her. She had been gunged once before too, not like Amy had maybe. And she can understand why she feels nervous. She maybe wouldn't have gone along for it if she had known, but she hadn't. It was just supposed to be a charity event, a bit of fun. What could be wrong with that? She had been so shocked when the gunge had been revealed, expecting, well, not something like that. And she had been so nervous when she had taken her place in the chair, her thoughts undoubtedly mirroring Geri's.

Cara raises her head as she hears Jenny speak, brought quickly back to the now.

'Are you that worried about the gunge?' Jenny asks Geri, maybe she too had noticed the anxious expression on her face. Not that Geri had been really making an effort to hide it.

'Well, yeah.' Geri replies slowly, 'Its just... I don't know how it will feel. Still, we won't get that messy. Will we?' she asks, hopefully.

Jenny and Amy share a quick glance but it is Amy that answers. 'Well..I think that's kinda the idea. For us to get pretty messy. It's just part of the game.'

Geri seems to take this in slowly, her face looking even more worried. And confused when she hears the excited laugh from her teammates, more of a giggle from Cara but still with the same emotion.

'Wait a minute.' Geri says, seeing the broad grin on Amy's face before looking over the other three girls. 'Am I the only one here worried about this?'

Back in the locker room, Jenny dresses quickly in the blue swimsuit she had picked out, her head turned to watch Amy out of the corner of her eye as she fastens the top of the yellow bikini, adjusting it around her breasts. Jenny cannot help staring. Amy is exactly the kind of woman she could fall for. With her cute face, and sweet, sexy smile that Jenny would give anything to see for just a moment longer, she looks absolutely divine. It takes all of herself control not to walk across the room and wrap her arms around the tigress' waist and kiss the side of her neck as she breathes in her scent. Even from here she can smell it, something sweet and fruity, more likely to be a trace of her shampoo than a perfume. Either way it smells heavenly

'Stop it.' Jenny says firmly inside her head. 'You've only just met and you're crushing on her like a schoolgirl.'

Despite her instructions, she cannot stop starring, nor stop the flutter in her stomach as Amy flashes her a quick smile. Did she catch her looking? And what did she read into the glance if she did see it. She wants to ask that question but she can't.

While she had been lost in her thoughts, Geri and Cara had changed into the swimsuits they had been looking over earlier, covering the black and white one pieces they had chosen with the thick shirt, jacket and trousers that completed the outfit. Both of them seemed a lot more comfortable wearing that than the more revealing swimwear.

But with Amy she is almost sorry that she has covered up, not seeming to have gone with her idea about just wearing her bikini. Maybe she didn't want to stand out from the others..or more likely had just wanted to go with the group, since Amy didn't seem to be the kind of girl to worry about showing off in anyway.

She had just been about to ask her about it when Jenny's attention is attracted away from Amy and towards the grey furred lemur who has just entered the locker room.

'Good you're all here.' she says, her voice tinged with a genuine warmth. 'Its nice to meet you all.' she continues, smiling as her gaze moves from Jenny to the others in turn. Jenny thinks she sees her smile grow a little as she meets Cara's gaze, possibly reassuring her since her nerves seem to be returning if the way she is standing closer to Geri is any indication. 'My name is Lena, the host for Serenity Base. If you're ready, we can head to the set and I will answer any questions you might have.'

Seeing a slow nod from the others, Jenny nods too, falling into step behind Lena. Again, Cara seems content to hang back. But Jenny is not surprised when Amy hurries forward to catch up with Lena, falling into step beside her.

'Can you tell us anything about the plot?' Amy asks, the excitement she had shown earlier returning as strong as ever.

'Not yet, I'm afraid.' Lena says softly. 'I will be explaining that at the beginning of the show.'

'What about the gunge?' Amy asks, now sounding more excited, something Jenny hadn't figured was possible. Geri on the other hand seems more nervous, something Jenny had expected which is why she had turned quickly to glance in her direction.

'The gunge is just a food thickening agent called Natrisol, which is mixed with water to make a thick liquid. It's the same stuff you have probably seen on other tv shows. Its not harmful, even if you swallow it, or get it in your eyes.' Lena says, misreading the concerned expression on Geri's face. 'The gunge will be used in most of the games, but not all. Some will have a few surprises, though.'

As she had started talking, Jenny had only been half looking at where they are going, more thinking about what Lena had said the gunge. She had never really given much thought to how it would happen, but given the detail in the set around them, she is pretty sure it wont be something as simple as dumping buckets over them.

She is surprised to notice how quickly her surroundings have changed, what was once plain tiled walls have now been replaced by ones of shiny, polished silver metal. It is cool to the touch as she presses her hand against it. She can see more changes ahead, their path blocked by a heavy door that looks like something straight out of a Sci-Fi set. An idea reinforced as the door slowly rises with a hiss of pressurised gas, admitting them into a wide room with a high domed ceiling. One by one, the four women follow Lena inside, moving to stand in a loose group around her as she directed.

She had never really given this much thought before, but she finds herself thinking about what these games could be like. That thought is almost as exciting to her as how she could soon be gunged in one of those games. She is then pulled out of her thoughts, glancing around her as she realises that her surroundings have changed, what was once plain tiled walls have now been replaced by ones of shiny, polished silver metal. It is cool to the touch as she presses her hand against it, glancing back to see when the change occurred. From what she can see it happened when they passed thought the large square doorway a few metres behind them. As she moves forward, she sees that they are now walking along a short narrow corridor, which seems to be leading towards another room at the far end. One by one, the four women follow Lena inside, grouping around her as she moves to stand in the middle of the domed room, the ceiling rising high over her head.

'Alright. The lights will go out in a few minutes, then come back up illuminating me. That will be when the recording starts. As we go on, I will have some scripted lines, but apart from that feel free to join in. Just play along and have fun. First though, you need to pick a group leader. Someone to make decisions for the group. That person will decide who will take part in the games.' Lena finishes.

'And who could get gunged, right?' Amy asks, her mind obviously moving to the earlier mention of each games forfeit/of the gunging in each game. 'You should do it, Geri. Then you won't have to be gunged, if you don't want to.'

'I couldn't ask you to do that. It wouldn't be fair.' Geri says uncertainly, a little moved by her concern for her, as well as unsure how the others would react if she placed them in a game where they got gunged.

'Sure you can.' Amy says brightly. 'Come on. Go for it.'

'Okay. If you're all sure.' Geri asks, looking over her teammates, seeing each of them nodding slowly in turn, Cara shooting her a slight smile. 'I'll do it.'

'Alright.' Lena says, 'It's decided, so shall we start?'

All four of the women nod with various degrees of confidence. Cara, Jenny notices, is now looking particularly nervous, probably about the idea of having to speak on television. She shoots her a reassuring smile just a second before the lights fade, filling the room with darkness. Just as Lena had described, a single beam of light falls from somewhere in the ceiling, illuminating only her. As it does, she looks up slowly, her eyes meeting the camera with a slight smile.

'Hello. My name is Lena Bendix, your guide to Serenity Base, as well as guide of the four courageous challengers that stand behind me. Their goal is to defeat the challenges within as they make their way to the fiendish Nexus at the heart of the complex. But the challenges are not all that stand in their path. Serenity Base is controlled by Colbalt, who will stop at nothing to prevent them escaping her base. To do this, a series of challenges must be defeated. For each they win points will be earned, more points means more time to best the Nexus.

Lena now turns her attention to Geri, as on of the camera's focuses on her. 'Geri.' she says, looking over at the serval. 'You volunteered to become Team Leader. Are you and your teammates ready to go?'

Geri nods, speaking for the rest of the group. 'We are.' she says confidently.

'Right. Let's go.' Lena says with a grin. To Jenny's ears she sounds as enthusiastic as her team to get started. 'We should go quickly. It won't take Colbalt long to know we are here.'

That thought is filling Jenny's head as Lena leads them on. She hadn't given much thought to this...foe of theirs until now. But if she really does control this place, she might be watching them even know and they wouldn't know it.

Shaking that thought off, Jenny quickly catches up with her team as they approach the door ahead. She had expected it to open as quickly, but it doesn't. Her enthusiasm builds as strobing yellow lights wash over them, the door rising with an almost agonising slowness. She almost cannot believe how real this set feels. That feeling only increases as she steps through, only to be brought up short as her eyes fall on the figure in front of her. It takes her a second to realise that figure is actually being projected onto a screen on the far wall.

'So..' the tall, lithe pika says, her silver fur shimmering as she walks closer to the screen. A slow saunter that shows she is in full control here. 'These are the first you have chosen to challenge me? Well, they are brave. To enter my sanctum so willingly.' Her tone certainly matches that, as does the almost sensual grin she fixes the group with. Jenny cannot help noticing her gaze lingering on Cara for a second longer than the others, as the young hampster takes a nervous step backwards. 'And I applaud that bravery. But know this. This complex is mine. My playground if you will. And it is filled with more surprises than just my games. And to be here is to put yourselves in my hands. Unless of course, you wish to turn back.'

'No way.' Jenny says confidently, taking a slow step forward. 'We won't do that. Right, guys?'

'Good. You are feisty my dear. But you should not cross me. It might get...messy.' Cobalt says with a smile, her tail flicking around her feet.

Jenny barely has time to work out what that means before her attention is attracted by a shriek behind her from Geri, turning just in time to see bright green gunge splatter onto the floor next to the serval with a heavy splatter, a sound she had never heard in any gunging she had seen. Hastily Geri steps away from the still pouring stream, shivering as she wipes her paws down her arms. She seems more than a little rattled by the near gunging,

Cobalt is smiling though, her gaze moving back from the nervous Serval to Jenny. She almost seems..pleased, like her attitude had impressed her. 'I look forward to playing with you, my dear. Oh, yes. I think you could be a lot of fun.'

Jenny isn't sure how to respond to that. But she doesn't have the chance too, the image of Cobalt fading out as quickly as it had appeared, the screen flicking out quickly. Geri nerves seem to have returned, Jenny thinks, the serval looking around very apprehensively as she moves back alongside Cara. Lena is the only one who doesn't seem like she has been put out by this, but she had probably been expecting it. Which she might have. Amy seems to have been thinking the same thing.

'Hey, do you think this was..I dunno..a set up?' Amy asks, her tone more excited than worried. Geri seems to be leaning the other way, looking more nervous than ever.

'Could be. Lena said this was scripted, remember. I think she had to know what was coming. And what else she could be leading us towards.' Jenny replies, looking around as Lena speaks again.

'Right. So, Cobalt has found where we are. And taken a shine to you Jenny, which might not be a good thing. But let's not worry about that.' Lena says, turning to face the assembled group. 'The first area of the base lies just ahead. Once there, we can get on and play our first game. Come on. Follow me.'

Geri had been the first though the door out of the room this time, maybe keen to get away from the known trap behind them. But as soon as she is inside, she stops, looking around her warily. Being close behind her, Jenny quickly sees what had made her stop.

This room is divided by two rows of metal columns that run parallel to the door they entered from. But it is more the statues next to them that have caught Jenny's eye, coiled dragons in smooth silver set at least one to a pillar. While they all face in different directions, they all share the same pose with their mouths open.

Jenny has been quickly taking in this details, almost certain about the purpose of this room. But how does it work? Now she turns her attention to the floor, the smooth metal having been replaced by tiles of black and white marble. And there are half as many black as white. It seems logical that stepping on the black ones wouldn't be good.

'I really don't like this.' Geri mutters, not daring to take a step further. Just from the way she stands, she has worked out about the tiles too. Or she could just be generally nervous.

'I'm sure it's fine.' Amy smiles reassuringly. 'Look. I'll go first.'

True to her word, the tiger girl makes her way confidently across the room. Jenny follows her movements eagerly, watching carefully the steps she takes and the squares she stands on. But either she had been avoiding the black squares purposefully or it had just been a complete fluke. Either way, she makes it clean to the other side, turning to shout back to Geri. 'See, it's fine. Come on...yeeek.' Amy cries out in shock, her head vanishing beneath the stream of yellow gunge pouring from the nozzle none of them had noticed in the ceiling. While she had been talking, she had stepped back onto a black square she hadn't seen behind her. She might not have seen it, but the effect was no less immediate. Unlike the stream that had nearly caught Geri, this one isn't very thick, the goo more splashing than splattering over the tiger girl, but still coating her hair, running down quickly to her shoulders.

It is probably meant to be like that, Jenny reasons. But the volume of it means that Amy vanishes from sight for a second, a soaked tiger coming back into view, her broad grin not having faded a bit as she wipes her hair out of her eyes. 'Come on, Ger. It's fine.' Amy finishes, beckoning to Geri. 'Just a little gunge.'

'Come on.' Cara whispers, reassuringly. 'We can go together.'

Jenny isn't sure what surprised her more; that Cara would feel brave enough to say that or that Geri quickly follows behind her, taking one hesitant step forward. Her next step is faster, the serval breaking into a full out sprint with her head dipped. Now that she has started, she just wants to get this over with as quickly as possible. Even if she seems like she expects gunge to come pouring over her each time a foot touched the ground.

The memory of the trap Amy had tripped is still fresh in her mind as she nervously eyes the statue ahead of her, working out if she should avoid it or just race past it. Ducking her head, she takes the first option. That is a good thing, she barely has a seconds warning, the slab under her foot depressing with a soft click. With a short shriek, she dodged quickly forward, hearing but not seeing the gunge splatter where she had been standing a second ago. Now breathing heavily, she quickly crosses the rest of the room and joins the others. While running, she had lost track of Cara. So she is relieved to see that she had made it across safely.

Jenny had been watching them both with increasing interest, an idea growing in her head. She only has to cross the room, not avoid being gunged. She casts around her, looking for the closest black square. With a excited smile, Jenny jogs towards it, making sure her foot lands squarely on it. But nothing, no click, no rush of liquid, nothing.

Not even as she lifts her foot slowly, making like she hadn't seen it. Still nothing happens, so she makes her way forward, dodging around the pillar ahead to take a different path. This time she didn't see the black square and genuinely freezes, glancing wide eyed to the ceiling. This time she hears what she had been waiting for, the click. Her ears strain for the sound of rushing liquid. One that could have been drowned by the shrill siren.

But Jenny has heard it, ready for the rush of gunge. It comes quicker than she expected, Red gunge splashing forth from the ceiling in a thick torrent..only to splash on the floor a few squares away. Jenny frowns. This isn't right..she must be being messed with..rather than messed.

That might have been her last chance, but one more black square does lie in her path, the one Amy had triggered earlier. Jenny has her doubts about it, but she isn't going to pass it up. She quickly crosses the distance to it, her heart sinking as her bare foot presses into it. As she had expected, nothing happens and she walks over to join her team, wondering for the first time where Lena has gone. She didn't remember seeing her since they stepped into this room. She gets her answer as the Lemurs voice slides into her ears.

'I see you all made it through clean. Well, more of less.' Lena steps up behind them, her eyes flicking to Amy. 'I guess I should have mentioned Cobalt might have put in traps to slow us down. Good thing I knew a short cut. Anyway, we should press on.'

Again, Jenny cannot help thinking they had been set up. But that is probably the nature of the game. She cannot help wondering what other traps could be ahead. The rabbit is so caught up in her thoughts, she really hadn't been paying attention to where they are going. That is until the group stops suddenly and she cannot help staring at the area around her. The first sector is laid out like a small command centre, focused around a central terminal showing a map, the spokes closed off by doors.

'Well, here we are in the Training Sector, the first sector of the base.' Lena says, taking up position in front of the four contestants. 'In the rooms surrounding you are a series of deviously difficult challenges. As well as gallons of thick, warm gunge of course.' Lena says with a smile.

Geri takes a slight step backwards, almost unconsciously, at the mention of the gunge surrounding them, remembering the team's near encounter with it. Then she flinches, hearing soft laughter fill the air.

Jenny is the first to find the source, her eyes moving to the screen that has changed to show Cobalt's face, the Pika greeting them with a devious smile. 'Hmmm, your team seems to be doing well, Lena. Maybe too well. Perhaps my first trap/challenge was too easy. No matter. I think it is time to test your team for real. Well, one of them anyway. Now, which one should it be.'

Jenny already has a feeling who she is going to pick, excitement bubbling up in her again. Cara shares a nervous glance with Geri as Colbalt turns her attention towards them. Then head dips quickly, not meeting Cobalt's stare. Maybe hoping her gaze will pass her by. It does, the pika's eyes moving along the line until they settle on Jenny.

'Yes, my feisty little bunny. I want to test you. You have spirit. But let us see if you have skill. As you are the first ones here, most of the power to this sector has been shut down, including the power to the exit. Of course, I could restore that power should I choose. But I think it would be more fun to let you try. The corridor behind you leads to one of this sectors generators. At the end of the corridor behind you, you will find a console. All you have to do is reactivate it and make it back to your team. As an incentive, how quickly you do will determine how many points you receive. Think of it as a bonus game. So, will you take my challenge?'

'I will.' Jenny says, trying to sound serious even as her mouth twitches into a grin; pretty sure why Colbalt put her into this game. 'Bring it on.'

'Alright Jenny.' Lena says, turning her back on the screen where Cobalt's image had been projected, the rabbit noticing it has turned back to the map of this sector. 'You can find us using this. Just follow the red dot and that's us, okay?'

'Gotcha.' Jenny says, turning to face the open door. She just manages to catch one last glance at her team before it closes and she is alone. Not that Jenny minds, the thrill of what could lie ahead spurring her on. But she wants to be careful. She is determined to get a good score to start them off.

Without even a glance behind her, she advances forward into the corridor, her footsteps echoing off the close walls even with her bare feet. Luckily there only seems to be one route to take, because the whole place just looks the same. She could have quickly got lost in this maze of silver walled paths even after just a few twists and turns.

That thought drops away as Jenny looks around her more closely. Her surroundings have changed, this area of the base different from the section she had just left. That was the first thing Jenny noticed, the walls around her streaked with rust and slime. No, not slime. Gunge. Jenny couldn't pull her eyes away from the splatter of liquid dried onto the wall, except when they flicked to the maze of pipes overhead. Given the state of this place, she could easily see one of them rupturing in the past and showering the place in goo. Quite a lot of it, if the bright mosaic of gunge splattered on the walls is anything to go by. The epicentre is very hard to work out and Jenny can see no clues as to where it might have started, none of the pipes seeming to have broken or been damaged. So, maybe there is some kind of pressure relief value somewhere?

She really has no idea where that could be and she cannot spend time looking for it. So the rabbit girl shrugs and continues forwards, still looking for this control room. Her senses are now hyper aware, her large ears following the sounds around her; hearing the creaking and groaning of the pipes overhead as well as the liquid rushing thought them.

So far, things are going exactly as Jenny had been expecting. As much as she had hoped she would encounter another trap like the statutes earlier, she wasn't holding out too much hope for that. They wouldn't put in the same thing in two places, not so close by. So, she has to keep a look out for something else. Trouble is, Jenny has no idea what. This whole place is a twisted mess of pipes over head, but she can see no sign of values or sprayers or nozzles that would gunge her. Still, she cannot shake the feeling that she will get gunged in here somewhere. Why else would Cobablt have wanted her to play this game?

She has no answer, then the time for questions is over. A heavy door is ahead of her and Jenny guesses that she where she has to go. Her feet carry her there quickly, her hand resting on the surface as she looks around for a way in. She had to admit she is again impressed by the realism of this set. She had expected the place to be built cheeply, maybe out of fibreboard or fibreglass or plywood; stuff like that. But everything around her is built out metal, and actually seems to be built to work. Hopefully, she can find a comtrol that does. The illusion of this place is impressive, Jenny actually feeling like she is in a vast futuristic complex instead of a tv studio. That is a illusion that she doesn't want shattered. Ah, there. Jenny sees what she has been looking for, slapping it with her palm

The hiss of air as the door opens just reinforces that realism, the door rising quickly to let Jenny enter the smaller room on the other side. This room is somewhat cramped, barely eight feet across. The centre of it is dominated by a domed plastic booth enclosing a small computer console, pipes running out from the top of it and connected as device of some kind; a jumble of wires and cables around two large pistons, pipes running from the thing that Jenny cannot help thinking of as a tank to the tops of the pistons. The whole chamber is sealed off, only accessed by a small door just about as tall as Jenny.

The doors open easier than Jenny had expected, the release wheel spinning easily, in counterpoint to the decrepit look over the area around her. Stil, it does take all her strength to open it, the rabbit breathing heavily as she steps inside, and not just from the exertion. She is more than a little excited, glancing up at the pipes overhead, presumably put there just for the purpose of showering gunge over anyone inside. Not really registering the door closing behind her, Jenny makes to take a look at the console. It doesn't take her long to figure it out even before she sees the label at the top.

''Pressure control centre.'' Jenny reads aloud. ''To reactivate this generator, the hydraulic pressure must be balanced correctly below 60%. A higher pressure or imbalance of pressure will result in emergency venting of excess fluid.' Gee, I wonder what that could be.' Jenny allows her gaze to stray again to the pipes that run in circle over her head, also allowing a grin to spread over her face. So, this is the trap then.

Jenny turns her attention back to the console, seeing the dials. She has to set the number controls to the right hydraulic. The whole thing is very retro; large, clunky dials sitting raised from the panel alongside push buttons and switches. One button sits prominently from the rest; the bright red orb pulsing in the centre of the console. Jenny ignores that for now, turning her attention to the gauges on the screen. Each one is filled with a different coloured bar, all of them showing different levels. These must represent the different pressures in the pipes converging over her head.

'So, each one must be the same pressure to allow them to flow together.' Jenny tries to think what that would look like, picturing a rainbow swirled gunge pouring from the pipes over head. Or would she just get hit with one colour? Cause that might be what happens if she gets the pressure wrong.

Experimentally, Jenny twists the leftmost dial. In response the yellow column drops, her actions lowering the pressure. That gives Jenny pause, she doesn't know exactly how much pressure is needed beyond making sure each one is level. Okay, it said below 60%. But where is that? Jenny could just ramp the dials up to full. But that would be too much pressure. And while it might guarantee her gunging, it might also lose her the game. Possibly something put in to make sure no one throws the game or loses on purpose

So, Jenny has to play this slowly. It doesn't take her long to adjust the four dials, quickly settling each to 50%. Or what she thinks is 50%. Without any numbers of the gauges, she is kinda having to take a guess. Shrugging, she reaches for the centre button, really unsure what will happen. That just makes it more exciting though.

A whir and a click is the only warning she gets, a inverted dome of shiny metal sliding out of the pipes over her. The concealed nozzle erupts in a stream of neon pink goo that splatters onto the floor behind her, little droplets splashing onto her ankles as the pool spreads towards.

So, she had obviously done something wrong, but what? Jenny turns her attention back to the console. Her mistake quickly becomes obvious, the pink bar having climbed up higher than where she set it. So, the pressure will grow even after she has adjusted it, meaning she has to keep them all balanced before activating the system. Kind of a juggling act. The rabbit sets about adjusting the dials again, keeping and eye on the level of each. This is kinda guess work, the only clue she has to go on is the levels she can see. It's not like they did anything helpful like put numbers on them or anything. So, she still is really guessing again.

She is literally juggling with them, twisting one and then another, dropping one and raising another. Her eyes haven't left the gunges, watching them intently, more feeling the console than seeing it. Now. Jenny thinks, diving her paw towards the red button. Even as she hits it, she knows she is too late. With a shiver, she waits for the release of the gunge, hearing it rushing through the pipes over head. It gets closer and closer, and she would swear it is heading right for her.

She glances up one last time, anticipating the stream from the pipe directly above her. What she gets is more of a splash. Unlike the thick gunge she had been hoping for, her head is caught by a wave of watery slime. Barely enough to drench her hair, never mind the rest of her. Jenny sighs even as she shakes droplets off her ears, wiping her eyes clean. Of course, she wouldn't get gunged. Not yet. Cobalt is playing with her, possibly even controlling this so she doesn't get gunged yet. Clearly she doesn't want anyone getting too messy this early on. Or maybe it is just her. The Pika had seemed very interested in her earlier. Which has to make her wonder what else she is planning. She does have a feeling this is just a teaser for her of what is going to come.

Sighing again, Jenny turns her attention back to the game. An idea has just popped into her head. Since they aren't going to gunge her now, she might as well win this one. Jenny twists all but one of the dials, dropping the pressure right down to zero. The fourth she leaves at half pressure. Now she just has to wait until the others reach it, constantly dipping it down. Keeping her paw hovering over the centre button, she waits for that moment. Which comes now. Jenny just hopes she has been fast enough.

After a long few seconds, it seems she has. Liquid is rushing and gurgling around her, she can hear it filling all of the pipes just for a few seconds. After that, the noise of the pistons in the pump shuddering to life drown out everything else. The result of that is instantaneous, lights all around her flickering to life. Despite her success, Jenny cannot help feeling a little disappointed as she makes her way back to the group.

Unknown to her, she had had an audience for her performance; a performance that Cobalt had been impressed by. Even now, the cameras recording the footage of the show have also been streaming the footage to her control room. Soon they will learn that nowhere is free from her influence. But she wants to save that surprise for later. Right now, she has other plans; surprises to arrange, once her other guests have arrived.

'Give me the files on our four guests.' Colbalt says with a smile. 'I think it's time I knew a bit more about them. Oh. And send me the rabbit's first.'

In aware of this, Jenny had quickly retraced her steps back to the others, only taking a minute to find her team, the first sign of them being Cobalt's voice floating back to her. 'Ahh, I think my little bunny is returning.'

It probably isnt that difficult to tell, the path she had taken now lit by soft lights on the walls. As she steps around the corner, she sees that the rest of the hub is illuminated too, the screens around the others now online as well. Which must be a good sign she had succeeded. Jenny instantly feels the eyes of the group on her as she re-joins her team, especially Amy's, the tiger flashing her a quick grin. She had thought she was about to say something when Cobalt continues. 'You did very well, so I will award you a hundred points, since I'm feeling generous. I look forward to seeing how well you do in my next challenge.'

'Speaking of which,' Lena says, attracting the others attention to her as Colbalt's image winks out. 'We need to get on and play our first game. So, Geri, who do you think should take a crack at this one?'

Geri suddenly looks nervous again, her concerns about having to make a choice that could get one of her team gunged if the lose seeming to have returned if Jenny's guess is right. 'Amy.' she says quickly after only a seconds hesitation.

The reaction from the tiger is immediate, grinning widely for a second, them turning to glance at Jenny. If the rabbit girl didn't know better, she would swear she is feeling guilty to have got the chance to play the first game. Jenny gives her a brief smile, a gentle way of saying 'go on.'

'Okay, Amy, I have the perfect one for you.' Lena says, her head flicking around behind her quickly. 'This way.'

This way turns out not be very far, Lena leading the group towards a door seemingly identical to all the others. But she seems confidant about which one to pick, so she must have someway of telling them apart. Jenny had been expecting that only Amy would be going inside, so you can understand her surprise when Lena opened the door, leading them all in after her. But that surprise was nothing compared to what she saw dominating the middle of them room. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but her mind had expected to see the familiar shape of the traditional tv gunge tank. Instead she finds herself facing a...well, the best way she can describe it is as a capsule of solid metal, the wide bottom tapering as it rises up to the sphere of smooth, and completely opaque Perspex on top, creating a large tank.

'This is called the SplatterSphere. I wish I could tell you what is going to happen to you. But knowing Cobalt, it's bound to be something very icky. Stil, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as you win this game, you should be fine. You have to use the numbers on the screen inside to find five pairs that make odd numbers. Each one you find will award you 50 points. And finding all of them in time is the only way to save yourself getting messy.' Lena pauses for a second. 'How is this one for you, Amy?'

'Terrible. I don't like Maths.' Amy says with a laugh.

'Well, you'll do fine. You do have a good two minutes for it. Are you ready?'

'You bet.' Amy says cheerfully, a broad grin plastered on her face. Confidently, she enters the chamber, hearing the slightest hiss as the door swings shut as she sits down. She is now trapped in here. She tries not to let her excitement get the better of her, focusing on the screen in front of her, watching the bright green background fade into a grid of squares, each one with a number marked on them in different colours. Amy pauses for a second, even as she is aware of the time counting down. She can't rush this. Steadily, she lets her eyes move over the screen. This really isn't her strong point, she does suck at Maths like she had said. Of course, that makes it more likely she will get gunged. Still, she will give it all she has.

Figuring she might as well start, Amy lets her eyes settle on two numbers that she knows will make an odd number, quickly tapping the 12 and 1, the terminal rewarding her with a soft beep. Of course, those numbers could be used for another combination, so she just has to hope she can deselect them again if she is wrong.Now she just has to find another. The next combination she spots is as easy, her paw quickly selecting 22 and 7. Again, she gets the same result. Now she has two. But from here, things do seem to be getting a little tricker. She only has one low number left, that being a number three. She sits back, trying to think. She can see a few she could combine them with, but if she picks the wrong one, she might not be able to complete this grid.

Outside the chamber, Geri and Cara are watching on anxiously. Not that they can see Amy inside the chamber, the only break in the metal surface being the small circular window on the door. No, they are watching her on a set of three screens, one showing an over head shot of the tiger, one a picture of her face and the third the screen she is looking at. It is that third screen Geri is watching, her eyes moving over the numbers. 'Come on, come on.' she murmurs in an encouraging tone even though she knows she can't hear her. 'Just add up an odd and an even.'

'Huh? Cara asks. 'Is she doing it wrong?'

'No, not wrong.' Geri says. 'She just has to pick an odd and an even. That will always make an odd.'

'Can't we tell her that?' Cara asks nervously.

'No, sorry.' Lena joins in. 'The capsule is sealed off. She's on her own.'

Back in the chamber, Amy has found two more pair of numbers. But those had mostly been flukes. And she is very nearly out of time. Hastily, she scans the screen. There must be another combination here somewhere. Then she spots something as she looks back over the numbers she had already selected, something clicking in her brain. An odd and an even. That is what she had been adding up. She just has to find to more combinations like that. But she only has ten seconds left, a quick glance at the clock tells her that.

She isn't going to give up, not after all this effort. But her excitement is not helping her to focus. Then she gets hit by a flash of inspiration, tapping a square in the top right. That is the even number she just needs to find the odd. But she is worried about the time limit, or how little is left of it. She casts her gaze over the grid, searching for the last all important number. And..there. Now she just has to..'Oh no.' she had hit the button but too late, the screen freezing with a electric buzz.

Amy freezes too, not wanting to move; her hands clutched in her lap, knowing what is coming even before she hears the sound of the klaxon filling the chamber. She was only given a bare seconds warning before she was swamped with thick goo. The gunge didn't so much pour as ooze from the top of the chamber, a slow trickle of gunge quickly growing into a heavy splurge. It was so much thicker than Amy had been expecting, glopping with an almost unbearable slowness over her head and down to her shoulders. Amy dipped her head forward on instinct, letting more of the sticky goo run down her neck and back, only a little of it making it's way to her front. Until the warm goo slid under her top, the tiger leaning back to let more of it coat her head. This also changed the angle of the slime perfectly, oozing down over her breasts and stomach. Amy sighed softly, enjoying the sensation of being enveloped in the sticky goo that seemed to be showing no sign of stopping. She didn't want to move, willingly letting the gunge coat her, enjoying every moment of it. She can only imagine what she looks like, her face, fur and hair probably completely obscured behind the massive amount of gunge clinging to her body. She can feel more and more gunge coating every inch of her body, flowing over her chest and down her torso. Amy shivers in pleasure, as the warm gunge seeps through her shirt caresses her skin just a little through the material of her top.

Them she shivers again, the volume of gunge pouring over her meaning the stream had reached her crotch, pooling in her lap. She moaned, a little of it seeping into her shorts, brushing against somewhere very sensitive. Her body is now dripping with gunge, with still more pouring over her. The stream slows as the tank empties completely, a last few large drops of gunge landing on her head with a soft plop. Amy waits until she is sure the tank is completely drained before looking up slowly. All in all, the young tiger has gotten pretty well splattered, a delighted smile on her face as she wipes the worst of the gunge out of her eyes before walking out of the chamber and re-joining the others, wiping a little bit of gunge from her forehead that threatens to trickle down over her muzzle.

'Nice try, Amy.' Lena says as she re-joins the rest of the team. She is barely recognisable as a tiger, her fur nearly obscured under the gunge clinging to her. She thinks she sees Geri shudder out of the corner of her eyes as she sees her. 'You didn't manage to complete the grid, but completed two sets. Which gives you 300 points. Not a bad start. So, we should build on that and keep moving. Who wants to try the next one?'

'Well..' Geri starts to say before Cara steps up beside her.

'Could I do it?' Cara speaks up as she moves her gaze from Geri to Lena, her words coming out of her mouth in a bit of a rush.

'Are you sure? You don't have too.' Geri says, her eyes settling on her face, seeing the way she is biting her lower lip nervously.

Cara nods, slowly. 'I think I do. Jenny and Amy have both done one. So, it's only fair I do my share. I'll do it.' she finishes, looking up at Lena, her face set determinedly.

'Good for you.' Lena says. 'I know just the one. This way.' Nodding, Cara follows behind her, her legs feeling a little wobbly, either from her nerves or anticipation. She isn't really sure which. All she knows is that feeling grows with every step she takes.

'This one is called The Vault. ' Lena says, her finger resting on the panel next to the door she had stopped by. 'All you have to do is cross the room without activating the security system. Each section you clear will earn you a hundred points. But each touch on the sensors will lose you 10 points. And gunge you, of course. Three touches and the game is over.'

Having heard that it is a physical challenge sends Cara's nerves shooting skyhigh. Her body is now filled with a set of conflicting emotions. True, she is as keen as Amy or Jenny to be gunged. But she is also worried about letting her team down by losing this game. Despite that, she moves over to the door on the left hand side of the room, stepping through it before she can change her mind.

The room she is now standing in is about five feet wide, and would have been easy to cross had it not been for the collection of long, thin plastic bars protruding from the walls and the pillar in the centre of the room. As Cara had suspected, the absence of a gunge tank means that the gunge could come at her from just about anywhere. Well, not quite anywhere. Along the celing, running over the top of the sensor bars, is a series of nozzles like the kind they had encountered.. The idea of how much gunge could come rushing out of those holes sends a thrill of excitement through her body.

Outside, Jenny, Amy and Geri have moved to stand in front of the screen by the side of the door, watching as Cara moves further into the room. Despite her earlier confidence, she now seems at little more shaky as she approaches the first set of bars.

'She looks nervous.' Amy says, surprised that she feels the same for her teammate, hoping she will be okay/watches equally nervously, as she prepares to cross them.

'She'll be fine.' Geri says, wondering if she is saying that for Amy's benefit or hers. She just wishes she could do something to reassure Cara.

Unaware of her teams confidence in her, Cara starts to move through the first section, which consists of a series of three bars placed close together at knee height. Here she hesitates for a second, then very carefully stepping over the first, taking great care to lift one leg clear before placing it down on the ground. She repeats this pattern twice more, clearing the last bar without so much as even being in danger of brushing it.

Now she has cleared the first set, Cara moves to face the second determinedly, despite that this one looks to be a bit more difficult. The first bar is set at knee height again. So she decides to use the method she did previously. Taking a deep breath, she approaches it cautiously, raising her leg to step over the first bar, much as she had done the last time. But this time, as she clears it, she has to bend forward at the waist to avoid the next one that is set as shoulder height. She moves very slowly, very gingerly, taking great care not to touch it. It is because she is focusing on the second bar so much, that she doesn't notice how close she is getting to the third, until she hears Amy call out urgently.

'Look out. Watch your hip.' she calls out, her voice a little higher pitched due to her anxiety.

Letting out a nervous squeak, Cara glances over to her right, jerking her body back to avoid touching the third bar. While this does prevent that, she moves too far back, bumping her side into the one she had thought she had cleared. The reaction to this is immediate, a soft buzz reaching her ears, the first of the three green lights by the token being replaced with a deep red one. That sound is quickly drowned out by the short burst of the klaxon that rings in her ears. Cara's shriek is just as short, a high pitched squeak slipping from her mouth as the klaxon wailed, her whole body suddenly tensing up with excitement and anticipation. With no further warning a splurge of thick green gunge splashed towards her. It caught the hampster girl totally by surprise, winning another shriek from her as it washed over the back of her head, quickly coating her brown fur in a layer of the thick goo before splashing out from her shoulders. Laughing softly, mostly to herself, Cara runs her paw over her fur, wiping the gunge off her forehead.

'Sorry, babe.' Amy calls out apologetically, realising that her warning actually didn't help.

'That's okay.' Cara calls back, 'Don't worry about it.'

Because of that slip up, she approaches the next set of bars even more nervously than before. Very slowly Cara knees down, pressing her stomach against the floor, crawling under the set of nine bars grouped in threes running up towards the ceiling, that stand almost twice as tall as her. The gap between them and the floor is just large enough for her to squeeze through, using her arms to pull herself along the floor. It is slow going, since she has to crawl along on her stomach. But if she tried to raise up on her arms even a little, she would likely touch one of the bars and trigger the sensor. Which seems what she will have to do though, as she sees that she is coming to the end of this set of bars. The trick seems to come that she will have to climb back to her feet before tackling the next group. But this next set is but the gap between this set of bars and the next is so small, that actually doing it without touching the bars will be difficult. Which is probably the idea.

Amy's next words help her make up her mind, though. 'Two minutes left.' she calls out loudly, perhaps a bit too loudly. But she wants to make sure she is heard.

Her words certainly spur Cara on though, as she quickly climbs back to her feet. Sadly, she is maybe in too much of a hurry to get to the token. She had tried to keep herself pressed as close to the wall as possible, keeping her back clear of the bars as she used her hands to help her climb up. But given the way she had to bend her knees to climb back to her feet, she couldn't stop her bottom bumping into one of the bars, again the soft buzz filling the room. She had been expecting the klaxon this time, but she was not prepared for the two jets of orange gunge that hit her from both sides, the smooth goo wrapping around her body, leaving her arms and torso completely dripping in it. The pair of streams are twice as long as the last one, her shirt plastered to her body as the gunge runs down her legs.

Right now, she doesn't allow herself to be distracted by that though, or that one more touch will lose her more points. But the thought that one mistake will do just that is still at the back of her mind. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she closes in on the bars, turning so that she is standing side on towards them. Despite her efforts to control her nerves, she cannot help her legs from shaking a little as she eases her body between the bars. This is really the only way to get through them, given how small the gap between the two rows of bars is. And since the bars run all the way from the floor to the ceiling, she cannot go under or over them. Quickly she starts to sidestep through them, she is so close to finishing that she wants to get this done before she messes up again. Unfortunately haste and care do not go well together.

She was barely two steps from the end when her stomach bumps into one of the bars. She had no idea if she had overcompensated trying to stop her back from making contact, or she had just been closer than she thought. All she knows is that she has triggered the klaxon again before she even hears it sound, feeling the bar touching her skin. Knowing what is coming, she stands stock still, her heart starting to pound with excitement. With the game over, she feels she can relax and actually enjoy this last gunging. Like Amy, she had been waiting for the klaxon that she knew would signal the start of her gunging. Also like Amy, she is caught off guard by it. She actually jumps as it sounds, her shoulders hunching up, causing her head to dip a little. This doesn't do anything to get her out of the way of the gunge stream though. In fact, it helps it land squarely on the back of her head, only rebounding a little, her petit form quickly becoming coated with gunge. She shrieks in shock, shifting forwards a little, the bars surrounding her preventing her from moving very far, the warm gunge splashing over her neck, spraying onto her head and spreading down her back and over her chest. The smooth red gunge runs down over the front and back of her head, more over her back than her front as she tips her head forwards trying to keep it out of her eyes. It doesn't protect the rest of her body though, the gunge gliding down her shoulders and over her chest, following the curves of her breasts and down over her stomach. She stays that way as the stream continues, more gunge falling on her. She only looks up as she feels the stream slow, a few last drops splashing on her hair. Despite knowing that she lost some points, she is grinning broadly as she looks up, wiping the gunge out of her eyes, leaving a little red smear over her forehead.

'Well done, Cara.' Lena says as she steps back out to join the others. 'You cleared two zones with a score 200 points. Not a bad start at all. Still, I think we have spent enough time in this sector. We really should press on. So, let's go, shall we?'

The group forms up, letting Lena lead them on. Or maybe back might be a more appropriate description, since thy are making thier way back to where they had entered the base. This does make Geri a little nervous, since they are now making thier way back to where they encountered the trap at the start. While she doesn't think they are going to go back that way, she is suddenly aware of the fact that they could be walking towards another trap. The though of competing in the games, and the risk of getting gunged, had just pushed it from her mind. At least until now.

Hoping to distract her from those thoughts, Geri falls into step beside Cara, prompting her to look around as she feels her eyes on her.

'Are you okay?' Cara asks, seeing the concern in her eyes.

'Yeah.' Geri says, hesitantly. 'Its just..I've been thinking. About the gunge.'

'About how it feels?' Cara guesses.

'Yeah. I mean..' Geri says, looking down at her feet uncertainly for a second. 'You seemed to enjoy it. I'm just not so sure.'

'Well..why not try it?' Cara asks softly.

'What?' Geri asks.

'The next game.' Cara continues. 'You should give it a go.'

The team are lead quickly through the maze of corridors, the rapid twists and turns leading them to a dead end. Lena having clearly been leading them right to the centre of the sector Jenny feels, which means that they aren't done here yet. But it is the room they are in most attracting her attention, her eyes drawn to the set of four chairs in front of the futuristic door that form the rear wall.

'You have done very well so far. But one final challenge lies between you and the exit from this sector. I can't follow you into this one, but we will meet up on the other side. So, take a seat and I will send you through.'

Quickly, Jenny moves to take a seat, feeling an odd rush of excitement. She's seen this kinda thing on tv before. And she cannot help imagining what these chairs might be carrying them towards. They might even get gunged on the way, like Double Dare on Saturday Surprise. She really loved that show. Geri seems to have been thinking the same thing, taking her seat very reluctantly a good ten seconds after Amy and Cara had, leaving her in the middle with the other two on her right and Jenny on her left.

'Okay, are you ready. Here we go.' Lena grins, pulling the lever she had been standing by firmly, needing both hands to yank it down. With a shower of sparks the door opened, revealing a pitch blackness beyond. Geri shrieked in shock, her head suddenly dipped as if she expected to get gunged at that moment. When it didn't come, she raised her head cautiously as she chairs started to move into the darkness.

That few moments of darkness were disorienting but then Geri could see light ahead of her, an oval arch that she is being carried towards. She had felt the chair moving from side to side, the changes in direction completely throwing her. She has no idea of which direction she is going anymore or where the others are. She gets that revealed as her chair glides out into the light, looking around her quickly she spots her three teammates now on her left had side, all of them having climbed already out of there chairs. Geri would have too, but she can suddenly see no point, having worked out why she had felt the chair shifting direction. She had been carried right into a wide circular tank, the chair shuddering to a halt just in front of a large lever mounted into the floor. Geri just has time to see that the others have been brought out a few feet to her left, all of them free to climb out of thier chairs. She could do that too but with the wall sliding closed behind her, she really has no where to go.

Like the others, she has been brought out close to one of the walls, letting her get a good around her, seeing what look like deep pools or vats of some kind. While she cannot see what is inside, she has a pretty good idea.

Then Cobalt's voice rings out over the wide space, reaching her even through the thick walls of the tank. 'I see you all made it. Well, most of you.' she finishes, casting a quick smile towards Geri. 'But don't worry, I am not going to do anything to your teammate; her fate is squarely in your hands. Unfortunately, I haven't been down here in a while and it seems the passageway out of here is flooding with gunge as we speak. Gunge that must be drained before you can leave. Once the computer detects the leak has reached a certain level, pumps will activate automatically and drain the gunge into that chamber. To prevent that, you will have reactivate the primary pumps by collecting components scattered around this room. If installed correctly, Geri can just throw the lever and save herself. The only way to save your teammate is to reactivate the pumps that drain the gunge out of the corridor. To do that you must collect the components scattered around this room and install them into the panel in front of your teammates chamber.

Geri had been listening with growing concern as Cobalt continued, sitting bolt upright as she heard what she said. Her nerves have returned in full force, along with a tiny bit of the curiosity she felt when Cara had suggested she try the next game. But right now, her anxiety is winning out, just. It is the fact that she really cannot avoid the gunge that bothers her. Well, she could. But part of her doesn't want to, to trust in her team. And if she is honest, she is a little curious. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts, that she didn't notice the game had started.

Luckily, her team had been more focused; Jenny having taken the lead in the search for the components they need to find, hoping to make a strong lead. The first thing that had caught her eyes were a collection of barrels in middle of the room and she figured they were a good place to start. She didn't even hesitate as she approached the first, grasping the lid and pulling it off. As she had expected, it was full of gunge. Aware of time counting down and not wanting to waste time, she plunged her arms into it. The liquid was instantly cool on her skin, feeling deviously wicked and she had to resist the urge to giggle.

She had expected to find the first component quickly, after all they were supposed to find them, right? But she didn't, her hands just brushing the sides. Since her arms were already soaked in gunge, she decided she might search the rest of the barrels. Cara had stayed tagging along, quickly joining in the search for the components with a similar frantic pace. A search that proved fruitless until Jenny raised her paw triumphantly, splattering little drips of gunge around her; more dripping off the plastic square in her hand.

Amy had been having more luck, as keen at Jenny to find some components. She ignored the barrels, and the metal boxes lining the walls, turning her attention to a pile of what looked like scrap metal in one corner. She could easily see a component getting buried at the bottom of it. Working quickly, she starts to root around in it, digging through the junk. Turns out she was right. She cannot help grinning as she pulls aside a large piece of sheet metal. Amy had only pulled aside a few pieces of metal before she found what she had been looking for a few seconds before Jenny, taking both of them at once and racing back to install them.

Jenny has been moving back to the chamber at the same time, arriving a few seconds after the tiger. Sharing a look and seeing Jenny's gunge soaked paws, Amy takes the rabbit's component before kneeling down by the open panel trying to work out where they go while letting the rabbit girl rushes back to find more.

Having already searched the barrels with Cara, Jenny decides to go and check the boxes close to the barrels. From what she can see, Cara has already checked two and found nothing. But there are still more unopened. Cara is checking the right side, so she starts on the left. This box is different, though. Instead of a handle to open it, a small lever is fixed to the side. Pretty sure what it does, Jenny yanks it. She was half right. The box did open, the front dropping down. But nothing dropped from the ceiling. Not over her, anyway. Hearing a shriek behind her, Jenny turned to see Cara get hit by a splash of green gunge. The hampster wiped the gunge out of her eyes, her paw clutched triumphantly around another component. She must have found it in the box she had opened, Jenny reasons as Cara races to carry it to Amy, leaving her to keep searching.

Geri was starting to feel a little more confidant now. Her team had found three and just has to find one more. That couldn't be so hard, right? Amy is thinking the same, the tiger already having slotted two of the components into the circuit. It isn't actually proving that hard, just a matter of matching up the pattern of wires on the component to the wires around the gaps. So far, she is doing very well. She has filled the first and fourth holes, just leaving two more to go. Cara's arrival provides her with a sudden problem, Amy scrutinising it carefully. It just doesn't match up anywhere. Her eyes flicking from one gap to the next. It just doesn't fit.

'What's wrong?' Jenny runs up behind her, a component clutched in her paw.

'This one doesn't fit. Neither does this.' Amy says, taking a quick glance over the one Jenny had brought. 'I don't think. I'll try with these two. You guys see if you can find some more.'

Jenny can suddenly see what she has, the shapes are all slightly different. So they have to go and find the right ones. Cara and Jenny do just that, returning to the first room that Amy had started to check. This has to be where they are, since the tiger had only searched a little of it. The hampster and rabbit split up, taking a side of the room each. Jenny is checking out a pile of crates, pulling them open quickly, discarding the empty ones. At least most of them are empty, making it easy to know if she finds something.

Amy is checking out another of the piles of junk, sweeping it aside hastily, digging all the way down to the bottom. She is relying more of feel than sight to find what she is looking for, hoping to just feel her palm brush something plastic amongst the metal. As she sweeps it away, she starts walking through it, kicking bits of metal aside and working deeper into the pile. Her haste meaning she quickly stumbles upon a surprise hidden under the metal. Cara has no warning, shrieking as the ground gives out under her, plunging the hampster into a waist deep pool of gunge, the thick black sludge clinging to her waist as she flounders for a few seconds. Her mind flashes back to gameshows she watched as a kitten, remembering that sometimes things in games were hidden in pools like this, so she frantically starts searching the pit, wading through it, arms buried in it like Jenny had done earlier.

In seconds that feel like minutes, Cara feels something brush her stomach, grabbing at it instinctively. Her paw comes up with not one but two components. The comment clasped in her paw, she turns to climb out of the pit. Then Jenny is there, holding out her paw which Cara grabs. Together the pair race back towards the rest of the team, hoping they are in time.

Geri's mind has been turning to the same thoughts since the game started. Her mind see sawing from anxious to relieved back to anxious again. Even know, she feels both of those emotions, her mind truely conflicted. They have to do this now, right. They are going to do this. So she just sits and waits, settling back into the chair. Fighting down a strange sense of disappointment that leaves her more conflicted. Maybe she wanted to be gunged? Part of her certainly did.

'Oh, good. You got them.' That was Amy, her voice high pitched and excited, making Geri turn her attention to back to her team.

'Yeah, here.' That is Jenny, her voice fast and nervous as well. 'Take that one out. Good. Then put that one in, then..'

Geri cannot look, her eyes screwed shut. She can only listen, waiting on the edge of her seat to see what will happen. 'Oh, that's good. So, which one do we go for?' Amy joins in, sounding just a bit calmer than the other two, but not much.

'Try that one.' Cara squeaks, clearly very nervous for Geri. 'Come on, come on. Hurry.'

So she waited, expecting to hear the beep as they correctly installed the third component. It didn't come, only silence filling her ears until Amy speaks again. 'Wait, how does this one go in?'

Geri sits bolt upright, heart pounding. No way. Will they not do it? She really doubts it; her mind now swinging between anxiety and excited anticipation. In a way she cannot tell the difference, her heart pounding in her chest.

'Okay, wait. I got it.' That is Jenny, her voice fast and nervous. 'Take that one out. Good. Then put that one in, then..'

'No, wait. That's not right.' That is Jenny, trying to keep her own cool for the sake of the team. But it is clear the time limit is getting to her as well. 'Let's try this. Put this one in first, then try...I..uh oh.'

A shrill buzzer rings out, a clear signal that time is up. And Geri knows what that means, dipping her head as the chamber starts to pulse with a yellow light, hearing the sharp buzzer. That quickly turns to a deep wailing klaxon. She is frozen, not sure if she should move or not, then she is out of time. Also torn between shrieking or laughing. She is caught completely off guard, suddenly drowned in the gunge that hits the top of her head, The Serval is enveloped with a thick splatter, the thin streams of blue and white instantly running together in an unceasing stream. Geri cannot get away from it, the heavy liquid swirling down her back and front, sticking to her fur and obliterating her hair from the first splurge. She shrieks, her shock and surprise overwhelming her. The heavy goo is warm like she had hoped but much thicker than she every had imagined, completely thick and smooth. It lasts much longer than any of the previous gungings had, pouring down over her for long seconds that stretch out into minutes. Or could have just been seconds. Whatever or however long it had been, the gunge is starting to fill the tank, the creamy purple and black gunk already lapping at her feet. Her legs disappearing beneath the constant deluge that inches higher and higher. Geri squirms in her seat, lifting one leg then the other, watching as it rises higher and higher.

Jenny has to bite back a sigh, watching entranced as Geri disappears under the rising goo and the torrent still blitzing her head. She is totally covered, her fur unrecognisable; all except for a few spots of her arms. And those aren't visible for much longer, the stream widening as if in one last effort to properly gunge her. How she would love to be gunged like that, the thought bringing an embarrassing heat to her crotch. She hopes the others haven't noticed. But for their own reasons, they too are watching the tank; Cara clasping her hands in a mirroring of Geri's earlier nerves while Amy grins delightedly, her face beaming from ear to ear.

Geri cannot see any of this, The heavy stream is still slathering Geri's torso in a relentless deluge of goo. Not just her torso but her legs too, the level of the gunge glooping higher and higher. Slipping suddenly under her shirt, slathering over her stomach as the press of the goo creeps up her body. Despite her nerves, she is giggling almost hysterically with relief. It doesn't feel anywhere near as horrible as she had feared. Yes, it's a bit weird, unlike anything she has ever felt. Her giggles fade to softer chuckles, her anxiety sliding into relief. She is relieved it is over, wiping her face then her hands to try and clear them.

The tank over her head must be nearly empty, the gunge dripping to a halt. Geri is dripping too, completely smothered in the purple and black gunk. And yet she couldn't be happier, despite sitting nearly chest deep in it. She knows that she is grinning though. But she has just started to wonder how she wil get out of this tank when Colbalt answers her question. 'Well, It was a good try. Although I'm not sure Geri would agree. Still, you did manage to secure a further 150 points that will be added to your score. Which she may be more happy about. Now, you had better move onto the next sector. I will send your teammate to join you. I think you will need all the help you can get.'