NM:SYWTBAS?: Survivor
Feb. 3rd, 2009 06:12 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsNow five people less, the New Mutants and staff stumbled into the second stage of traps, only to find themselves on a jungle island, with a sickening idea about what's coming next.
"You know, guys, I never thought you'd ever get past the mice? Don't you just hate mice? We used to get them in the arcade. All those chips and things the kids dropped? We just get giant rats in behind the games, gnawing at the power cords. Terrible. Must have spent five grand on traps every year." The voice came over the speakers as they limped through to the next section of the challenges. They had watched in horror as five people, three of their own, had been apparently killed in the death traps that had littered the first challenge. Now, no one had any idea what was awaiting them.
The doors opened up to a large clearing, surrounded on all sides by a dense jungle. Heat pressed down on them like a wet hand, humid and sticky. In the centre of the clearing were four totem carved poles, each designed to be pulled from their place, and carried along with each of the teams. As they reached the clearing, a new voice came out from all around them, familiar to those who had watched reality shows. "Each team will need to get to the end of their team's jungle path, and place the staff into the alter."
The torches flared brighter for a moment, sending thick plumes of smoke into the starry sky overhead. A dais rose from the center of the clearing to tower over the trapped mutants, bearing a fit figure in safari khakis. The stranger had perfectly coiffed brown hair, and a smooth, faceless visage which turned down to address the captives.
"Welcome to Survivor! It's good to see that you've already shed so much dead weight, but I'm sure you can all do better."
As the animated manikin spoke, a holographic slide show of the island shimmered into existence in the air, blotting it from view.
"As you journey along your path, you'll be have the privilege of experiencing all of the natural wonders here on beautiful Isla Redonda." Cut to lush jungle. "Along with the usual complement of venomous snakes and hungry tigers, Isla Redonda supports many rare species of birds and insects long thought to be extinct in the outside world, such as the terror bird and enormous dragon flies." The associated slides showed an enormous, flightless bird with a razor-sharp beak tearing into bloody, unidentifiable remains and a dragonfly the size of a VW bug carrying off a goat. "Don't stop for photos, kids -- these beasties have an appetite to match their size."
"The Deist River cuts through the northern half of the island and many of its tributaries snake southward, supplying the island with fresh water and providing a home for legions of fresh-water crocodiles and red piranha. Watch out if you feel the need for a drink; you might not get your hand back! Those of you on the northeast and northwest paths will have a chance to see the Deist in its full glory as their path brings them to their river crossings." The crossing shown was a jumble of unevenly spaced rocks in a swift, open current, slick with water and moss. "You'll need balance and teamwork to get across those rocks, and I'd stay out of the water if I were you -- there's a kraken in the river, and he's a wee bit territorial." The image flicked to a mass of thick tentacles flailing over the rocks.
"For the contestants heading southeast and southwest, there will be the chance to see the breathtaking Ivalice Falls, where the Deist spills out into 'bottomless' Balamb Gorge." Cut to rainbow-misted waterfalls flowing down into a dark chasm. "We were going to set up some rope bridges to help you get across, but some kind soul already took care of that...about forty years ago. But they still seem to be in reasonable condition, so I'm sure you'll all do just fine. Just don't make too much noise on your way across. The eagles in the gorge don't take well to being disturbed and have a tendency to dive-bomb intruders." The eagles in question were perhaps twice the size of the smaller students.
"Also, one more note about the paths -- they're not necessarily the safest route. Nothing to be too alarmed about, just the occasional quicksand or mudslide.
"But enough about the scenery!" The images abruptly flickered out, leaving them facing their looming, cheerful host. "Let's move on to your objectives, Survivors! It's not all that complicated -- the team who reaches the alter at the end of their five-mile-hike first and with their idol intact gets immunity. Every other team has to vote a team member off the island. Easy, right? And don't worry -- if you can't make that hard choice on your own, the producers will be happy to give you a little push in the right direction. Good luck!"
Slowly, the dais retracted into the ground, leaving only the clearing and the four totem staffs once again.
***
Amara had never actually seen Survivor - just like she'd never seen ANTM - but the scenary was familiar enough. It wasn't exactly the same as the area where she'd grown up, but it was similiar enough that in any other situation, she would have smiled to see it. She tooks a deep breath and turned to the other two girls, trying to look reassuring.
"So this isn't exactly like the place I grew up, but I guess it's close enough? I can lead the way, if one of you guys want to grab the staff." She glanced at one of the south paths, looking a little nervous. Amara wasn't really great with water or with heights, so getting to the end of this was certainly going to be interesting.
Meggan had never been one to watch reality shows, and now she was starting to regret that choice. "I'll get it," she said as she distractedly smacked a thankfully small bug that tried to land on her knee. It was the larger creatures that had been mentioned that she dreaded to see. And if they all lived through this experience, she quietly vowed as she grabbed the staff, she would never go near the Jurassic Park movies (or anything that involved a jungle) ever again.
"So, I don't know about you guys," Angel said, keeping close to both Amara and Meggan, "but the trails? They don't seem like the best idea. Why don't we stick to the area along side of it but keep it close in sight. Then again nothing here seems like the best idea but I'd rather not have my boots popped off by quicksand. Or, well, my head or something."
For a moment, Angel almost fondly remembered getting kidnapped by the people in the van. They'd been awful but at least they hadn't made them go through all this.
Amara nodded. "It's not a bad idea, but we definitely should keep the trail in sight. Keeping away from the quicksand is a good idea, but I wouldn't want to get lost or anything like that. I can't imagine any of the creatures we might run into will be particularly friendly. But as long as we stay close and keep an eye on the trail, we should be fine." She smiled reassuringly to the other two girls, before starting to move towards the trees to the left of one of the south paths.
Meggan followed along closely, carrying the staff. She was also keeping an eye out for the quicksand that had been mentioned as a possibility, because for all they knew it might be cleverly disguised in this place. "If the spot looks like it might be a chance of being quicksand, we could always poke it with the staff, right?" She neatly sidestepped a slightly larger than average bug that darted across the path. She winced, knowing they would only get bigger.
"That's not a bad idea," Amara said, flashing a smile at Meggan. "I might try and find a stick to use as well, I wouldn't want anything to happen to the staff." Presuming this was like a regular jungle, there should be fallen branches and the like strewn around the place. She glanced up once at the dense foliage, not seeing any birds or animals - yet. But they certainly would have to be lurking. She ducked in off the path, carefully trying to pick her way through the scrub and not step on anything gross, like the huge bug that Meggan just missed out on.
"Ew ew ew ew!" It was obvious that Angel, however, had spotted it but she righted herself after a moment of almost wanting to run in circles. She shuddered and ran to catch up though she was careful to not crowd against Meggan's back. "Uh. You know, did the voice in the sky say anything about living vegetation? Or living, man-eating vegetation?" She swallowed hard as she eyeballed the surrounding area.
Meggan couldn't help another glance around herself. "I think it was mostly snakes, and tigers, and bugs that could pick up cars. And something with tentacles...long tentacles." After thinking, she quietly shook her head at the question of evil vegetation. "I know I wouldn't be surprised if they did throw it in at this point."
"If we're going to get eaten, I'm so turning it into a barbecue," Angel said, jutting her jaw out as she hopped over a log.
"I second that, Angel. I do not particularly relish the idea of letting something eat me without a fight." And okay, so they might light half the jungle on fire if they tried that... what, where was the down side there?
Meggan gave a small grin at that. "We'll all give the monsters some really bad indigestion, I hope."
Angel snickered slightly at the mental image that caused but stopped after a few seconds because she was still dirty, tired and sore and now they were being forced to wander around a stupid jungle. Her life, she decided after nearly falling into a suddenly appearing pit on her right side, was very very odd indeed. She titled her head, lips pursed. "Guys, do you hear water?"
Amara tilted her head as well, listening as well. "Yes, that sounds like the waterfall. We must be getting close now." And they were - it wasn't long before they cleared the trees and found themselves looking at the Ivalice Falls. After staring at the breathtaking scenery, Amara pulled her gaze away, looking for the rope bridge that they needed to cross. It did not look particularly safe at all, and Amara took a deep breath before turning to the girls. "It's probably best if we cross one by one," she said quietly, trying to keep her voice down. "I'll go first, to make sure it's safe. It's going to be best not to move too fast over it, just so it doesn't overbalance." She smiled at the other two, trying to be reassuring.
Meggan nodded, quietly hoping as she watched that the rope bridge would be able to hold Amara.
"Flying's probably out, again," Angel muttered, hovering around the edge of the rope bridge. "Amara, if anything creaks beat it back here real fast, okay? I wish we actually had some rope that wasn't PART of this stupid bridge..." She bit her lip and eyed the overhang - normally the sound of water was soothing but this scared the bejesus right out of her.
"I'd hate to think what would swoop down on us if you tried," she said with a little bit of a smile before setting out. She moved carefully, watching where she placed her feet and testing out each part before she put her foot down. It took an agonizing amount of time, including a moment where a plank of wood she tested cracked under her weight, but she made it across okay.
"Okay, you're good to cross!" She called out to the girls on the other side... and immediately regretted it when a ridiculously sized bird swooped down. Shit! That was such a bad idea.
"That's not fair!" Angel yelped, backing away as quickly as she could from the bridge. The problem was that Amara was already on the other side and that was also the direction they needed to go. The bird sent out a call that echoed above the sound of the roaring water and Angel shut her eyes, trying to think. "Meggan, get in front of me," she said turning around and ushering the girl towards the bridge. "When I say go, run as fast as you can. Amara, start making noise when she runs for it!"
She held the staff in both hands, took a deep breath and then started hooting and hollering as best she could, yelling for Meggan to make a break for it. With hopefully two targets, the bird wouldn't go after the one on the bridge. "Come and get me you overgrown McNugget!" Angel called, bouncing up and down.
As instructed, Meggan started running at a speedy clip across the bridge, occasionally slowing a bit when there were creaks in the wood. She ducked each time the giant bird squawked, dreading possibilities of being either pecked or grabbed or falling.
That was not a bad idea! Amara started jumping up and down, yelling all kinds of nonsense at the bird while Meggan dashed over the bridge. Some of it was English, some of it Portuguese, but the two sources of noise certainly did seem to be distracting the bird, which meant Meggan was being left alone for now. Except of course when the bird decided to swoop down towards Amara. She shrieked and dropped to the ground, covering her head and just barely managing not to be snatched.
"Guys! Hurry up!"
"Oh hell!" As soon as Meggan had cleared the last piece of the bridge, Angel threw herself on it. If bridges over gorges of water could be unhappy then that was one pissed off bridge. It swayed and groaned under her weight, protesting the treatment after Amara and Meggan had already crossed it. And carrying the staff was proving difficult. She had to hold onto the rope part with one hand and cling to the staff with the other, all while running - carefully - across the rotted and cracking wood under her feet.
A strong gust of wind, or the backdraft from that stupid bird, sent her sprawling; it was a fall Angel took on her face instead of bothering to let go with either hands. She groaned, forcing herself back up on her feet even as she felt a slice on her forehead open up. "Great," she muttered, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
At the end of the bridge, the giant bird swooped down, chasing Amara and Meggan as Angel staggered closer. She was mostly on solid ground so she yelled to get Amara's attention and tossed her the staff; just in time, as the bird turned and dove towards her, sending her into a headfirst dive for the most solid ground she could reach.
Amara's head snapped up when Angel yelled for her, and she moved just fast enough to catch the staff - but not keep it safe. She grabbed it far too firmly, and it collapsed in her grip with a sickening crunch.
"Oh god oh god oh god, guys..." She stared at the staff in her hands, the top of it slowly starting to fall to one side now that that middle had been broken. Amara looked completely horrified. This was... well, this was disastrous. She'd broken the damn thing.
It was almost as if it was a sign. As soon as the staff had crumpled in Amara's hands, the bird had taken one last grab at the cowering Angel and then sped off to wherever giant birds of doom lived when they were terrorizing teenagers. Angel groaned and regained her feet with Meggan's hands and they all gathered around to stare at the destroyed staff. That was supposed to have been their ticket to, well, getting out of the jungle; if they made it past the flora and fauna that wanted to eat them. "Maybe ... we could fix it?" she wondered, knowing they couldn't even as she wiped her face and tried to stop the blood from the shallow cut.
A tremor under their feet caused her to place a hand on Amara's shoulder. "Okay, idea. Run now, worry later."
***
Bzzt. Smack. Ew, thought Callie as she slapped yet another mosquito who was trying to eat her alive. "Mosquitoes love me," she said dryly as she wiped the blood on her jeans. A little blood wouldn't hurt them, especially since they were already covered in dirt and grime from the trail they had already faced. The further in they had wandered, the more the bugs attacked her, and now she saw why. The path had led them to water. It was still at the edges, making it perfect for mosquitoes to lay their eggs, but further out she saw it became a swiftly flowing mess, scattered with rocks and other items to interrupt the flow. A quick glance in either direction verified that there was no other means to cross.
"It looks too deep to wade. Even if we are super tall. We could probably swim," Callie advised the tall woman on her right. "But the current looks to be so strong that we're likely to get swept away. So I guess it's either construct a bridge out of nothing with our bare hands that might not hold, or use what nature gave us."
Lil never had to worry about mosquitoes. Not since she'd manifested at least. Nor did she have to worry about any other bugs or poison ivy that may be lurking about. Worrying about the two kids she were leading through some damned jungle was another story. "Don't touch anything. Don't think about touching anything. Don't even look at something the wrong way, got it?" she told the boy, grabbing his wrist just as he'd made a move to yank a low hanging branch off a nearby tree.
"Jeez, lady. Keep your hands to yourself," Wes said, shaking off her grip. "I was just trying to get a stick to use for balance. Or you know, to beat you over the head with," he added under his breath.
"I'd like to see you try," Lil growled in return, her eyes flashing before she looked back at the water and Callie. "I could always put you on my shoulders," she pointed out. "But I think you're right. 'Rocks friends,'" the Amazon quoted, handing the staff to the girl then carefully placed her foot on the first rock. If it could support her, the other two would be fine. Lil shifted her weight onto the stone and held a few moments before rocking back onto the shore. "Looks good to start. We got anything to tether us together?" she asked her charges.
Callie examined the staff in her hand. It felt lighter than a wooden staff should feel, she noted, so probably not a good choice for, well doing anything with. Maybe if one of them happened to fall in they could use it as something to grab on to. She shuddered and reminded herself not to think like that. Sigh. She looked around the area, seeing if there was something they could at least hold onto. There were some vines hanging on the trees nearby. Callie moved closer. Nope. Not anything harmful. "Found something!" She called out. "Wes. Come here and help me." How she yearned to be able to control her powers right now. But wishing wistful thoughts would do them no good, she decided as she yanked the vines down.
The giantess watched the two kids pulled at the vines as she made her way to the tree Wes had been trying to rip apart before. "Make sure you get enough length on those," she told them and started to break branches that would serve for balance and grabbing on to if needed. Yes, it had been the boy's idea, but Lil didn't have time to worry about that. "Enough for two rocks between each of us so we're not pulling the person behind us each time we move to the next stone."
The two teenagers worked swiftly to free the vines from the trees and tie them in knots. They were less thick than Callie would have liked them to be, but they would work in a pinch. She pulled at her knot, testing its strength. It would hold well enough as a guide. Hopefully none of them would fall in the water, because the force of fall would surely cause the makeshift rope to break. "Here Lil," she tossed the end of the vines to the woman. "Tie it around your waist. Not too tight. But not too loose."
She turned her attention back to Wes. "You wanna head up the back or should I," she asked.
"Just go on already," he snapped. "As long as when you fall I don't get dragged in too."
After tying the vine around her waist, she took back the staff from Callie then handed the pair a branch. "Don't say a word," she warned Wes as she turned and began herding them over to the water. "Stay close, but not too close. We're gonna take this slow so we don't lose anyone else, got it?" The blonde woman climbed up on the first rock and glanced back over her shoulder. "Little slippery so please, for the love of God, be careful."
It was a struggle for Callie to keep her balance as she tiptoed over the rocks. She was clearly not wearing the right shoes, a fact that was evident by her foot continually slipping off a rock and dipping into the water. "Water's still cold," she told her group mates as she attempted to pull out her foot for what felt like the millionth time. The water seeped into her jeans as her foot remained firmly in the water. Callie took a deep breath, and tried not to panic. Something had latched itself onto her leg and was not letting go. Be totally still, she told herself as she slowly sat down on the rock. This way, she figured, her center of gravity would be lower and she could try to hold on and not fall. "Lil. Something's got me."
Shifting her weight, Lil slowly turned so as not to jerk the rope and send them all spilling into the river. "What do you mean, Callie?" she asked calmly as possible.
"Something's got her foot stuck in the water. Jeez, lady, are you fu-"
"Finish that sentence and I'm gonna feed you to whatever's got her," Lil barked back at Wes. Of course she could see the girl's foot was submerged but she wanted to know why. "Callie, it's gonna be okay, yeah?" she told the student as she handed her the staff then crouched down to get a better look at the situation. "How does it have you? Teeth?"
"No. It feels like when you get caught in seaweed and you can't get out and- " Callie's words were cut off by yelp in pain. "It's squeezing my leg. I think it's trying to pull me in."
"Hell. If she's going under I'm not gonna stay around and watch." Wes fumbled with his knot, letting the vine rope drop from him.
"You try and get passed me and I'm putting you in the river," Lil informed him, fixing the boy with a dangerous gaze before putting one hand on Callie's leg to keep the girl anchored. "It's gonna be okay," she told her and after releasing the knot on her own half of the vine, sat down on her rock then ordered Callie to do the same. "You'll keep your balance better but keep your other leg outta the water, okay?"
The vine they had been using dropped aside and floated away with the current. Callie pulled her knee to her chest, keeping her free leg as far from the water as she possibly could. She racked her brain for what to do in a giant squid attack, but somehow her Girl Scout training hadn't covered that one, or she had been sick that day. Perhaps when it was all over she would write to them and suggest a revision, one never knew when a marine cephalopod would grab onto your leg. "Can we use the staff to try and push it off you think," she asked, her eyes staring down into the water. She cringed as the creature's grip tightened, and she dug her free hand into the sides of the rock as best she could to maintain a grip.
"Not the staff," Lil said, shaking her head. They needed that to win and the branches were probably too flimsy to pry off a giant squid. Which meant it was up to the diamond-hard lady. Giving Callie a reassuring smile and bracing herself for the possibility she could be pulled in, the Canadian started to pry her fingers between the girl's leg and the creature's tentacle in an attempt to try and get it to loosen its grip. Or at the very least get distracted.
"You're crazy!" Wes exclaimed as he watched with wide eyes. "It's going to eat you both!"
"And you're going to be dessert if it does. How about doing something to help?"
He continued to stare at the pair of them. "Like what?"
Lil growled under her breath as she continued to work on yanking the tentacle off Callie's leg. "For now? Shut up and let me think." She grunted and gave another tug only to have her fingers squeezed as well. "Okay, Callie. I need you to listen to me. When I count to three, I want you to pull your leg back, okay?"
"Got it. Upon three I'll remove my leg. Ready when you are."
Taking another deep breath, Lil climbed onto Callie's rock and settling on her knees behind the pink girl, reached over the student's shoulders and grabbed the kraken's tentacle with both hands. Another grunt and she started to work her fingers back into it's grip then gave a nod to Callie. "One. Two. Three," she counted before throwing all her strength into pushing outward on the creature's hold.
Callie swiftly pulled her leg out of its lock, and caught herself before she could fall backwards off the rock. Her jeans and shoe were soaked, but thankfully still in tact. Having to venture through the rest of this barefoot, not a good idea. "Lil," she said, turning her attention back to the woman who had saved her. "Thank you."
"Welcome," she hissed through her teeth, both hands submerged as she continued to lean over Callie. "Do me a favor and move to the other rock?" Lil asked and shifted only slightly to give her room.
The young girl did as she was told, keeping low to avoid falling in again. "Lil, are you okay," she asked, her voice serious and full of concern. Why hadn't her arms emerged from the water yet? That couldn't be a good sign.
Falling back on her rear to keep herself from tipping headfirst into the river, Lil gave a quick nod. "Yeah. Fine. The calamari's trying to get fresh with me s'all." She bit her lower lip as she struggled, both hands caught at the wrist by the underwater beast. "He obviously doesn't know who he's messing with and that I've fended off far more aggressive men than him."
Movement from behind them caught Callie's eye. She turned her head and saw Wes trying to maneuver his way through the rest of the crossing. "Aren't you going to help," she asked as she stood up. Normally she didn't use her height as an intimidation tactic, but he didn't seem like the type to listen to reason or emotions.
"Why should I? Not my fault she got herself caught."
"No," Callie said sharply. "But we're a team. And we can't leave her behind."
"He makes a break for it, toss him in," Lil told Callie through her grunts. She'd managed to work one arm loose and was currently beating on the kraken's tentacle as it peeked out from the water while dodging a second that had appeared. The blonde woman wouldn't admit it out loud but she knew she was going to need some serious help and soon or it was going to be her that ended up in the river and then quite possibly, the giant squid's belly.
Callie nodded and watched as Lil struggled with the flailing tentacles of the creature below. She looked around, trying to find something to use as a tool anything. The staff would be useless, it was too flimsy. "Find something to help her," she implored Wes. "Anything. I don't know. A fallen branch, a rock- A rock!" She spotted one. It was eroded by the water, making it small enough to pick up hopefully. Her arms plunged into the freezing water and pulled a smooth rock out of the water, she examined it briefly before scooting over toward the struggling blond. "Lil! Here. I found something."
"Don't put your hand in the water!" she snapped automatically. "You trying to get caught up by the calamari again?" That is exactly why she didn't do well with children; sure, they could be helpful but they could be very stupid about it. Clicking her tongue, she kicked the swinging arm of the squid away from Callie then reached for the rock. Smooth. Great. Something sharp and pointed would have been a hell of a lot better. Still, the Amazon couldn't waste what she was given and judging by the creature's appendages, Lil took aim and threw the rock into the water as hard as she could, hoping to hit something. And she must have because the grip on her hand tightened in annoyance. "Okay. Not so good. New plan - you two, get to the fucking shoreline."
"Not an option. We lost Catseye and we're not loosing yoooooo-!" Callie gave a howl as she felt a slimy tentacle wrap itself around her ankle. She fell smartly on her rear end, her hands clinging to the rock, and the other foot trying to push the kracken off of her. It wouldn't let go. She glanced over at Wes, oblivous to the fact that there was something reaching for him as well. "Wes," she shouted. "Look out!"
A powerful blast shot past the two girls, into the water. The force pulsated through to the cephalopod, causing it to loose its grips on both women and sank back into the deep.
Lil's head snapped to where the shot had originated. "You little bastard!" she yelled as she grabbed Callie and hauled the girl back onto her feet before dragging her to where the boy stood. "You little fucking bastard. You could have done that all along and you waited until the fucking thing came after you to help!"
Wes' pleased expression slipped into one of anger. "I just saved you life, you bitch. You should be thanking me!"
"Oh, I'll thank you alright, you little punk," Lil snarled as she took another step towards him.
"Guys! Come on," Callie shouted over the din. She took a step, effectively putting herself directly between Wes and Lil. "We need to work together. We can't get through this without each other."
"We could get through it without him."
"Tell that to the kraken I just fried."
Lil's fists curled but the tall blonde managed to keep them at her side instead of swinging at the boy who was determined to push every one of her buttons. "Fine, you wanna play Mr. Big Man? Be my guest." Snatching the staff from Callie's hands, she thrust it into Wes'. "Lead on."
"Right ladies," he said, pushing past. "Never fear. You're in good hands with the Wes-meister."
"You know," said Callie as Wes lead them toward the shore. "This is probably the worst thing ever, but I could really go for some sushi right now."
"When I get us out of this thing I'll get us sushi all around," Wes declared as he hopped onto dry land. "On me."
"My bowl of miso soup's gonna be on you, alright. All over you fat head," Lil muttered as she followed the pair back into the jungle and away from the river.
***
As stupid as walking down the path was, at least Inez could be thankful that she didn't have to do it in heels. She held her tiki torch over her head as she looked around, hoping that Jean-Paul or Yvette or even that creepy Gary guy would come out at some point. Or that someone would pop out and tell them it was all a big joke. Then she could hit them. A lot.
The path widened out, and was replaced by slabs of stone. Looming out of the jungle above her was an ancient looking temple, it's stones weathered and cracked, and fronted by steps leading up to the front of it. Her path ended at the foot of the steps, leaving her to contemplate either setting off along through the jungle, or following this path upwards. The display had said nothing about a temple, begging the question that was this a stroke of luck, or a hidden danger?
Inez thought for a moment. If the other groups had to come down the trail, they might come across the temple as well. Then she could join up with them and they could get the hell out together. Keeping her torch held high, she walked up the stone steps, peering inside. "Hello?" she called, then shook her head. Could she BE any more the stereotypical damsel in distress?
There was only an echo for an answer. The interior of the temple was large and dark, with shafts of light poking in from crumbled sections of the roof, and a few gutting torches placed around the walls. At the far end was a dais, on which a plinth sat. The top of the plinth was radiating light of some kind, although it was too far away for her to see it clearly.
Sticking the end of her torch in a crack in the ground, Inez crept up to the dais, peering closely to see what the light was. A map? A way out? She could only hope.
As she began to walk forward, the floor under her feet started to tremble, and it was only with luck that she wasn't caught when a section of it fell away in front of her. The stones fell with a clatter, and looking down, the pit was lined at the bottom with wicked looking spikes, jutting up from the ground. Obviously, the path to the dais was trapped with these pits, and only the pattern on the stone floor offered any kind of cue.
Wheeling her arms to keep her balance, Inez looked forward and started moving carefully around the pit. The stones were light and dark grey, and she couldn't remember which ones had fallen. She held her breath and gritted her teeth as she stepped out onto another patch of dark rock - and then let the breath out when they held fast under her feet. But before her lay a long stretch of light-colored rock that was probably a trap. She guessed, anyway.
"Oh, here goes nothing..." Inez grumbled as she backed up as far as she could, bent forward to touch her fingers to the ground, and then ran forward in an Olympic-level long jump over the grey stone, keeping her eyes closed until she felt her feet hit solid ground. She laughed to herself, taking a step back for balance, and then jumping forward as part of the ground collapsed beneath her feet.
"No fair no fair no fair!" she yelped as she tried to jump out of the way of the falling rocks. "Dark rocks good, light rocks bad! I suck at these games!" she complained as she crab-walked as fast as she could until she hit the marble steps of the dais. Breathing hard, she held onto the solid stone as if it was a lifeline, sweat plastering her hair to her face. "If this ain't a map, I'm gonna kill someone, yo."
She was now close enough to the plinth to see what was shining. It was a crystal the size of her fist, held by a metal claw, and catching the light that leaked into the room. Through the brightness, she could barely making out some kind of carvings on the facets, and it was oddly shaped, like it was designed to be inset into something original. Maybe there was a door out further on that needed the crystal to open?
Grinning broadly, Inez skipped up the steps to the plinth, plucking the crystal out of its setting and holding it over her head. "Yes!" she called out. "Who's the baddest? Is it me? Hells yes!"
Then the ground began to rumble under her and started to sink rapidly, and her expression changed to one of quick resignation. "Ah, crap."
All around her, the dais descended and stone surrounded it. She could feel immense heat welling up, and the walls began to glow cherry red as it dropped further, opening up just to give her the briefest glimpse of the pool of lava her dais was falling into, before darkness swallowed her up.
***
Julian reached out and ran his hand across the broad leaf of a nearby fern, "It's...it's real." He turned back to the others, looking around the jungle, watching the moonlight filter in through the leaves on the nearby trees. The high heels now tossed into the wilderness, everyone seemed a little worse for wear and happy to be off the runway. Arthur had insisted on holding the totem pole and was looking incredibly nervous as he brandished it about like a makeshift spear. Julian walked back to the group, "We should probably get moving, right? I mean," he looked up at the night sky, "We're a bit exposed here."
"Agreed." Zanne threw a worried look at Tat, hoping that the runway experience hadn't affected her too badly. They weren't going to get the opportunity to sit and rest. "Let's get moving before the giant bugs find us."
"Why is it animals," Tat said, her mouth pinching. "Why are there always animals?" She didn't actually comment on the people who'd fallen; mostly because she couldn't think about that, because if she did, she'd be a mess, and then she'd be lunch.
So instead, she was angry. "Let's get moving." Why was it always animals?
The path disappeared into the dense foliage of the jungle, the sound of a million tree frogs singing at once was deafening- though, it could have also been the ringing in Julian's ears that had come up since he swept the mice away with his TK. He watched Zanne and Tatiana disappear into the jungle, then slowly followed them, with Arthur bringing up the rear.
"I don't like this," Arthur said, his eyes darting from side to side- he seemed to be in pain and kept touching his ears. "This whole thing, it just ain't right," his voice always sounded smaller than a man his age should have, as if he were trying to whisper and speak plainly at the same time. A small dragonfly flew in front of his face, after a moment's pause the old man freaked out- tossing the totem into the jungle as he desperately swatted at the insect. "Get it off me! I don't want to die!"
"Watch it!" Zanne set a quick freeze just as the totem would have come crumpling down onto the ground and snatched it out of the air. "It's just a small one, Arthur. It's not going to hurt you." She inspected the totem, which seemed no worse for it's unexpected flight. If this was how the older man reacted to a small bug, she'd hate to see what his reaction ut be to a large one, if they did exist.
"Maybe," Tat said, her feet crunching on fallen sticks. "For this one, we should try and carry it? I mean- Are you afraid of bugs, or something?" Her eyes kept going left to right. Left to right, look for the animals. It was pretty much reflex, now.
Arthur quickly started off down the path, muttering something not entirely nice under his breath. He'd always been afraid of bugs and being in a place where they were the size of a house didn't help his phobia any.
With a sigh, Julian looked back at his companions, "We can't let him wander off alone, whoever he is." The younger man followed the stranger down the path that bent into the dense foliage. The sound of the tree frogs slowly died off the further he went down the path, which, while clearly marked, was getting a little more rugged. Every so often, the moist soil beneath his feet held the imprint of some sort of animal, but Arthur was moving too quickly for him to stop to inspect them. For all Julian knew a tiger was right behind him at this very moment. He glanced behind himself to see if Tatiana or Zanne were there.
Wonderful. Zanne watched Arthur stomp into the brush with the kids trailing behind. She honestly didn't know which was worse - letting him lead them all into trouble, or having someone else lead and letting them get into a mess instead of Arthur. They were not too far along the path when she heard a distinct whirring noise from above- not quite a helicopter, and definitely not an airplane - coming towards them at a rapid rate of speed. "Get down!" She shouted to the rest of the team as it neared.
Tat dropped where she stood. She didn't know when she'd just started blindly obeying, but it was somewhere between the shattering mice and waking up in the featureless room that Zanne had become some sort of- well. She was safe. The adult. So Tat ate dirt, listening to that buzzing whirr and knowing what it meant.
Julian got down and rolled a little off the path, looking up at the sky as something large buzzed overhead. The tree tops bristled as it passed across the moon and circled the clearing. A short ways away, Arthur began to scream meaning that whatever was above them was probably one of the giant bugs. "Mister Andersen!" he tried to shout over the noise, "You need to get down!" Instead, Julian watched the older man tear off into the jungle, the buzzing suddenly intensified and followed after him.
A trio of gigantic black dragonflies burst into view overhead. Alien and shining, they hovered over them, their beating wings sending a strong wind down upon the crouching figures..
Zanne motioned for the two teens to stay down and out of sight. She didn't know what they used to track prey, but there was no sense in giving them a bigger target than they had to. Unfortunately, Arthur didn't seem to be following that line of logic. The Bugs seemed to catch sight of the panicked man as he crashed noisily through the underbrush and swarmed over him.
Julian created a shield around himself as one of the bugs swooped down on him, it's grasping arms sliding off the smooth surface. All he could do was scream for help as it tried over and over to pick him up. The ringing in his head was getting worse now, "Get me out of here!" Somewhere deep down, Julian knew that he'd never look at bugs the same way again as the creature finally gave up and rose back up into the sky.
Zanne didn't think twice as she pushed herself to her feet and leapt at the dragonfly. She couldn't freeze it and still get Julian out of there, but she could try to lead it away at least. "C'mon!" She whacked it with the totem, which dented badly. "C'mon, I'm more interesting. Come over here!"
The bug wheeled on her and she suddenly found herself wrapped in it's legs, the slick limbs effectively caging her. This wasn't quite what she had planned, but if it worked... "Get going!" She yelled down to Julian. "Get Tat out of here! into the trees!"
As Julian watched Zanne be carried away he realized that the other bugs were going too. He tried to grab her out of the bug's grasp- after all, a broken bone or two would be prefereable to being eaten alive- but he just couldn't focus and it was moving too fast. He made a promise to himself then and there that he was going to hit his powers training doubly hard when- not if- they got out of this place. He looked around, trying to find Tatiana.
Tat screamed when the bugs came; she didn't even think, it just happened. Then Zanne was gone and her hand found Julian's slick with sweat as she gripped it, not wanting to let him go. "I- She can't-"
He didn't want to admit it any more than she did, but the fact of the mater was there wasn't anything any of them could do about Zanne's sudden and unfortunate end. 'We'd made it so far too. "Tatiana, we- she's..." he couldn't bring himself to say it. "She's...."
Arthur saw the kids stand up from his hiding place in a nook within the grove. The bugs were gone now- was it safe to come out? The older girl had gotten carried off, that seemed to satisfy the beasties well enough, so he started to eak out between the saplings. While the kids spoke in soft tones the older man stumbled about in the underbrush, searching the area where the Asian girl had dropped the staff. He found it quickly and picked it up, then started towards the children. "Alright you brats, I'm leading this traveling buffet now. So, let's get our asses in gear and get the hell out of this hellhole before they come back." Without asking their opinions, he started back down the trail, hoping they got out of this alive.
"Who do you think you are," Tat exploded. "They just took her - they didn't kill her. We could get her back-" She didn't know how, but still looked over at Julian for confirmation.
Julian wanted to scream too, he wanted to berate Arthur as a coward, but deep down he knew this place. This was the jungle he'd played to level thirty-four, this was what bought them all their ticket here. 'She's gone...we can't bring her back,' he closed his eyes with a sigh. Opening again, he met Tatiana's gaze, "Tat, we need to move...otherwise she sacraficed herself for nothing. There's still a chance she'll get away, but," he paused. "We need to go." Julian turned and fell in behind Arthur, at least if the old jackass was in the front, he'd be the first to walk into any trouble.
***
"Easy. LongHairedBoy."
"BigMouthedBitch."
Lil glared at the boy. Yes, he'd saved their lives from the kraken but she could have - would have eventually broken the creature's hold and gotten them out of there herself. He'd also gotten them lost in the jungle with any number of other monsters on their heels resulting in them ending up at Tribal Council. The blonde certainly wasn't going to vote Callie off so that meant there was only one choice: the little pain in her ass named Wes. "Callie, vote him off so we can get the hell out of here," she commanded the girl.
Callie's gaze flicked back and forth between Lil and Wes. She didn't want to vote either of them off. Lil had been leading them for the entire time, and she had helped save the teenager from the creature in the river. But it was really Wes who had saved them with his blast thingy, so she couldn't very well justify voting him off. And it wasn't like she could vote for herself. Ugh. This whole thing was so stupid, having to vote people off. It was only through teamwork that they were able to finish the course at all. It wasn't fair. "Ummmm..." she continued to look between her two teammates, trying to make a decision. Even if she didn't vote someone would be taken off, and it could be her. Self-preservation was the only thing that led her to make a decision. "I'm sorry Lil, but I choose Wes to vote off."
"Hey!" The boy cried out. "I saved your life," Wes reminded them as the ground started to shake.
Lil grabbed a hold of Callie and drew the girl to her side as the sand slid and shifted and split; hundreds of tiny spider leg cracks jutting out from beneath Wes' feet. "Grab onto something," she told him. Yes, he'd been a complete pain in the ass but that didn't mean she wished him dead.
"Like what?!" More and more pieces of earth dropped away bit by bit until he was left standing on an island of his own, hanging in the void as Lil and Callie scrambled to find branches or vines. "Thanks for nothing," Wes snarled before the final piece toppled and he disappeared into the darkness that surrounded the jungle.
The giantess lunged for him then skittered back so as not to follow while throwing her arms wide in an attempt to keep Callie from doing the same. "It's not your fault," she said to the student. "It's not anyone's fault. It's the way this fucked up game is played and you had to pick... but thanks for not picking me."
"Any game where you are forced to make a choice like that..." Callie's voice trailed off as she stared blankly at the spot where the boy had been. "I guess all we can do is continue to play?"
Lil nodded. "Yeah. It's all we can do." Putting her arm around the pink girl's shoulders, she gave her a little squeeze as she lead her away from the hole.
"You know, guys, I never thought you'd ever get past the mice? Don't you just hate mice? We used to get them in the arcade. All those chips and things the kids dropped? We just get giant rats in behind the games, gnawing at the power cords. Terrible. Must have spent five grand on traps every year." The voice came over the speakers as they limped through to the next section of the challenges. They had watched in horror as five people, three of their own, had been apparently killed in the death traps that had littered the first challenge. Now, no one had any idea what was awaiting them.
The doors opened up to a large clearing, surrounded on all sides by a dense jungle. Heat pressed down on them like a wet hand, humid and sticky. In the centre of the clearing were four totem carved poles, each designed to be pulled from their place, and carried along with each of the teams. As they reached the clearing, a new voice came out from all around them, familiar to those who had watched reality shows. "Each team will need to get to the end of their team's jungle path, and place the staff into the alter."
The torches flared brighter for a moment, sending thick plumes of smoke into the starry sky overhead. A dais rose from the center of the clearing to tower over the trapped mutants, bearing a fit figure in safari khakis. The stranger had perfectly coiffed brown hair, and a smooth, faceless visage which turned down to address the captives.
"Welcome to Survivor! It's good to see that you've already shed so much dead weight, but I'm sure you can all do better."
As the animated manikin spoke, a holographic slide show of the island shimmered into existence in the air, blotting it from view.
"As you journey along your path, you'll be have the privilege of experiencing all of the natural wonders here on beautiful Isla Redonda." Cut to lush jungle. "Along with the usual complement of venomous snakes and hungry tigers, Isla Redonda supports many rare species of birds and insects long thought to be extinct in the outside world, such as the terror bird and enormous dragon flies." The associated slides showed an enormous, flightless bird with a razor-sharp beak tearing into bloody, unidentifiable remains and a dragonfly the size of a VW bug carrying off a goat. "Don't stop for photos, kids -- these beasties have an appetite to match their size."
"The Deist River cuts through the northern half of the island and many of its tributaries snake southward, supplying the island with fresh water and providing a home for legions of fresh-water crocodiles and red piranha. Watch out if you feel the need for a drink; you might not get your hand back! Those of you on the northeast and northwest paths will have a chance to see the Deist in its full glory as their path brings them to their river crossings." The crossing shown was a jumble of unevenly spaced rocks in a swift, open current, slick with water and moss. "You'll need balance and teamwork to get across those rocks, and I'd stay out of the water if I were you -- there's a kraken in the river, and he's a wee bit territorial." The image flicked to a mass of thick tentacles flailing over the rocks.
"For the contestants heading southeast and southwest, there will be the chance to see the breathtaking Ivalice Falls, where the Deist spills out into 'bottomless' Balamb Gorge." Cut to rainbow-misted waterfalls flowing down into a dark chasm. "We were going to set up some rope bridges to help you get across, but some kind soul already took care of that...about forty years ago. But they still seem to be in reasonable condition, so I'm sure you'll all do just fine. Just don't make too much noise on your way across. The eagles in the gorge don't take well to being disturbed and have a tendency to dive-bomb intruders." The eagles in question were perhaps twice the size of the smaller students.
"Also, one more note about the paths -- they're not necessarily the safest route. Nothing to be too alarmed about, just the occasional quicksand or mudslide.
"But enough about the scenery!" The images abruptly flickered out, leaving them facing their looming, cheerful host. "Let's move on to your objectives, Survivors! It's not all that complicated -- the team who reaches the alter at the end of their five-mile-hike first and with their idol intact gets immunity. Every other team has to vote a team member off the island. Easy, right? And don't worry -- if you can't make that hard choice on your own, the producers will be happy to give you a little push in the right direction. Good luck!"
Slowly, the dais retracted into the ground, leaving only the clearing and the four totem staffs once again.
***
Amara had never actually seen Survivor - just like she'd never seen ANTM - but the scenary was familiar enough. It wasn't exactly the same as the area where she'd grown up, but it was similiar enough that in any other situation, she would have smiled to see it. She tooks a deep breath and turned to the other two girls, trying to look reassuring.
"So this isn't exactly like the place I grew up, but I guess it's close enough? I can lead the way, if one of you guys want to grab the staff." She glanced at one of the south paths, looking a little nervous. Amara wasn't really great with water or with heights, so getting to the end of this was certainly going to be interesting.
Meggan had never been one to watch reality shows, and now she was starting to regret that choice. "I'll get it," she said as she distractedly smacked a thankfully small bug that tried to land on her knee. It was the larger creatures that had been mentioned that she dreaded to see. And if they all lived through this experience, she quietly vowed as she grabbed the staff, she would never go near the Jurassic Park movies (or anything that involved a jungle) ever again.
"So, I don't know about you guys," Angel said, keeping close to both Amara and Meggan, "but the trails? They don't seem like the best idea. Why don't we stick to the area along side of it but keep it close in sight. Then again nothing here seems like the best idea but I'd rather not have my boots popped off by quicksand. Or, well, my head or something."
For a moment, Angel almost fondly remembered getting kidnapped by the people in the van. They'd been awful but at least they hadn't made them go through all this.
Amara nodded. "It's not a bad idea, but we definitely should keep the trail in sight. Keeping away from the quicksand is a good idea, but I wouldn't want to get lost or anything like that. I can't imagine any of the creatures we might run into will be particularly friendly. But as long as we stay close and keep an eye on the trail, we should be fine." She smiled reassuringly to the other two girls, before starting to move towards the trees to the left of one of the south paths.
Meggan followed along closely, carrying the staff. She was also keeping an eye out for the quicksand that had been mentioned as a possibility, because for all they knew it might be cleverly disguised in this place. "If the spot looks like it might be a chance of being quicksand, we could always poke it with the staff, right?" She neatly sidestepped a slightly larger than average bug that darted across the path. She winced, knowing they would only get bigger.
"That's not a bad idea," Amara said, flashing a smile at Meggan. "I might try and find a stick to use as well, I wouldn't want anything to happen to the staff." Presuming this was like a regular jungle, there should be fallen branches and the like strewn around the place. She glanced up once at the dense foliage, not seeing any birds or animals - yet. But they certainly would have to be lurking. She ducked in off the path, carefully trying to pick her way through the scrub and not step on anything gross, like the huge bug that Meggan just missed out on.
"Ew ew ew ew!" It was obvious that Angel, however, had spotted it but she righted herself after a moment of almost wanting to run in circles. She shuddered and ran to catch up though she was careful to not crowd against Meggan's back. "Uh. You know, did the voice in the sky say anything about living vegetation? Or living, man-eating vegetation?" She swallowed hard as she eyeballed the surrounding area.
Meggan couldn't help another glance around herself. "I think it was mostly snakes, and tigers, and bugs that could pick up cars. And something with tentacles...long tentacles." After thinking, she quietly shook her head at the question of evil vegetation. "I know I wouldn't be surprised if they did throw it in at this point."
"If we're going to get eaten, I'm so turning it into a barbecue," Angel said, jutting her jaw out as she hopped over a log.
"I second that, Angel. I do not particularly relish the idea of letting something eat me without a fight." And okay, so they might light half the jungle on fire if they tried that... what, where was the down side there?
Meggan gave a small grin at that. "We'll all give the monsters some really bad indigestion, I hope."
Angel snickered slightly at the mental image that caused but stopped after a few seconds because she was still dirty, tired and sore and now they were being forced to wander around a stupid jungle. Her life, she decided after nearly falling into a suddenly appearing pit on her right side, was very very odd indeed. She titled her head, lips pursed. "Guys, do you hear water?"
Amara tilted her head as well, listening as well. "Yes, that sounds like the waterfall. We must be getting close now." And they were - it wasn't long before they cleared the trees and found themselves looking at the Ivalice Falls. After staring at the breathtaking scenery, Amara pulled her gaze away, looking for the rope bridge that they needed to cross. It did not look particularly safe at all, and Amara took a deep breath before turning to the girls. "It's probably best if we cross one by one," she said quietly, trying to keep her voice down. "I'll go first, to make sure it's safe. It's going to be best not to move too fast over it, just so it doesn't overbalance." She smiled at the other two, trying to be reassuring.
Meggan nodded, quietly hoping as she watched that the rope bridge would be able to hold Amara.
"Flying's probably out, again," Angel muttered, hovering around the edge of the rope bridge. "Amara, if anything creaks beat it back here real fast, okay? I wish we actually had some rope that wasn't PART of this stupid bridge..." She bit her lip and eyed the overhang - normally the sound of water was soothing but this scared the bejesus right out of her.
"I'd hate to think what would swoop down on us if you tried," she said with a little bit of a smile before setting out. She moved carefully, watching where she placed her feet and testing out each part before she put her foot down. It took an agonizing amount of time, including a moment where a plank of wood she tested cracked under her weight, but she made it across okay.
"Okay, you're good to cross!" She called out to the girls on the other side... and immediately regretted it when a ridiculously sized bird swooped down. Shit! That was such a bad idea.
"That's not fair!" Angel yelped, backing away as quickly as she could from the bridge. The problem was that Amara was already on the other side and that was also the direction they needed to go. The bird sent out a call that echoed above the sound of the roaring water and Angel shut her eyes, trying to think. "Meggan, get in front of me," she said turning around and ushering the girl towards the bridge. "When I say go, run as fast as you can. Amara, start making noise when she runs for it!"
She held the staff in both hands, took a deep breath and then started hooting and hollering as best she could, yelling for Meggan to make a break for it. With hopefully two targets, the bird wouldn't go after the one on the bridge. "Come and get me you overgrown McNugget!" Angel called, bouncing up and down.
As instructed, Meggan started running at a speedy clip across the bridge, occasionally slowing a bit when there were creaks in the wood. She ducked each time the giant bird squawked, dreading possibilities of being either pecked or grabbed or falling.
That was not a bad idea! Amara started jumping up and down, yelling all kinds of nonsense at the bird while Meggan dashed over the bridge. Some of it was English, some of it Portuguese, but the two sources of noise certainly did seem to be distracting the bird, which meant Meggan was being left alone for now. Except of course when the bird decided to swoop down towards Amara. She shrieked and dropped to the ground, covering her head and just barely managing not to be snatched.
"Guys! Hurry up!"
"Oh hell!" As soon as Meggan had cleared the last piece of the bridge, Angel threw herself on it. If bridges over gorges of water could be unhappy then that was one pissed off bridge. It swayed and groaned under her weight, protesting the treatment after Amara and Meggan had already crossed it. And carrying the staff was proving difficult. She had to hold onto the rope part with one hand and cling to the staff with the other, all while running - carefully - across the rotted and cracking wood under her feet.
A strong gust of wind, or the backdraft from that stupid bird, sent her sprawling; it was a fall Angel took on her face instead of bothering to let go with either hands. She groaned, forcing herself back up on her feet even as she felt a slice on her forehead open up. "Great," she muttered, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
At the end of the bridge, the giant bird swooped down, chasing Amara and Meggan as Angel staggered closer. She was mostly on solid ground so she yelled to get Amara's attention and tossed her the staff; just in time, as the bird turned and dove towards her, sending her into a headfirst dive for the most solid ground she could reach.
Amara's head snapped up when Angel yelled for her, and she moved just fast enough to catch the staff - but not keep it safe. She grabbed it far too firmly, and it collapsed in her grip with a sickening crunch.
"Oh god oh god oh god, guys..." She stared at the staff in her hands, the top of it slowly starting to fall to one side now that that middle had been broken. Amara looked completely horrified. This was... well, this was disastrous. She'd broken the damn thing.
It was almost as if it was a sign. As soon as the staff had crumpled in Amara's hands, the bird had taken one last grab at the cowering Angel and then sped off to wherever giant birds of doom lived when they were terrorizing teenagers. Angel groaned and regained her feet with Meggan's hands and they all gathered around to stare at the destroyed staff. That was supposed to have been their ticket to, well, getting out of the jungle; if they made it past the flora and fauna that wanted to eat them. "Maybe ... we could fix it?" she wondered, knowing they couldn't even as she wiped her face and tried to stop the blood from the shallow cut.
A tremor under their feet caused her to place a hand on Amara's shoulder. "Okay, idea. Run now, worry later."
***
Bzzt. Smack. Ew, thought Callie as she slapped yet another mosquito who was trying to eat her alive. "Mosquitoes love me," she said dryly as she wiped the blood on her jeans. A little blood wouldn't hurt them, especially since they were already covered in dirt and grime from the trail they had already faced. The further in they had wandered, the more the bugs attacked her, and now she saw why. The path had led them to water. It was still at the edges, making it perfect for mosquitoes to lay their eggs, but further out she saw it became a swiftly flowing mess, scattered with rocks and other items to interrupt the flow. A quick glance in either direction verified that there was no other means to cross.
"It looks too deep to wade. Even if we are super tall. We could probably swim," Callie advised the tall woman on her right. "But the current looks to be so strong that we're likely to get swept away. So I guess it's either construct a bridge out of nothing with our bare hands that might not hold, or use what nature gave us."
Lil never had to worry about mosquitoes. Not since she'd manifested at least. Nor did she have to worry about any other bugs or poison ivy that may be lurking about. Worrying about the two kids she were leading through some damned jungle was another story. "Don't touch anything. Don't think about touching anything. Don't even look at something the wrong way, got it?" she told the boy, grabbing his wrist just as he'd made a move to yank a low hanging branch off a nearby tree.
"Jeez, lady. Keep your hands to yourself," Wes said, shaking off her grip. "I was just trying to get a stick to use for balance. Or you know, to beat you over the head with," he added under his breath.
"I'd like to see you try," Lil growled in return, her eyes flashing before she looked back at the water and Callie. "I could always put you on my shoulders," she pointed out. "But I think you're right. 'Rocks friends,'" the Amazon quoted, handing the staff to the girl then carefully placed her foot on the first rock. If it could support her, the other two would be fine. Lil shifted her weight onto the stone and held a few moments before rocking back onto the shore. "Looks good to start. We got anything to tether us together?" she asked her charges.
Callie examined the staff in her hand. It felt lighter than a wooden staff should feel, she noted, so probably not a good choice for, well doing anything with. Maybe if one of them happened to fall in they could use it as something to grab on to. She shuddered and reminded herself not to think like that. Sigh. She looked around the area, seeing if there was something they could at least hold onto. There were some vines hanging on the trees nearby. Callie moved closer. Nope. Not anything harmful. "Found something!" She called out. "Wes. Come here and help me." How she yearned to be able to control her powers right now. But wishing wistful thoughts would do them no good, she decided as she yanked the vines down.
The giantess watched the two kids pulled at the vines as she made her way to the tree Wes had been trying to rip apart before. "Make sure you get enough length on those," she told them and started to break branches that would serve for balance and grabbing on to if needed. Yes, it had been the boy's idea, but Lil didn't have time to worry about that. "Enough for two rocks between each of us so we're not pulling the person behind us each time we move to the next stone."
The two teenagers worked swiftly to free the vines from the trees and tie them in knots. They were less thick than Callie would have liked them to be, but they would work in a pinch. She pulled at her knot, testing its strength. It would hold well enough as a guide. Hopefully none of them would fall in the water, because the force of fall would surely cause the makeshift rope to break. "Here Lil," she tossed the end of the vines to the woman. "Tie it around your waist. Not too tight. But not too loose."
She turned her attention back to Wes. "You wanna head up the back or should I," she asked.
"Just go on already," he snapped. "As long as when you fall I don't get dragged in too."
After tying the vine around her waist, she took back the staff from Callie then handed the pair a branch. "Don't say a word," she warned Wes as she turned and began herding them over to the water. "Stay close, but not too close. We're gonna take this slow so we don't lose anyone else, got it?" The blonde woman climbed up on the first rock and glanced back over her shoulder. "Little slippery so please, for the love of God, be careful."
It was a struggle for Callie to keep her balance as she tiptoed over the rocks. She was clearly not wearing the right shoes, a fact that was evident by her foot continually slipping off a rock and dipping into the water. "Water's still cold," she told her group mates as she attempted to pull out her foot for what felt like the millionth time. The water seeped into her jeans as her foot remained firmly in the water. Callie took a deep breath, and tried not to panic. Something had latched itself onto her leg and was not letting go. Be totally still, she told herself as she slowly sat down on the rock. This way, she figured, her center of gravity would be lower and she could try to hold on and not fall. "Lil. Something's got me."
Shifting her weight, Lil slowly turned so as not to jerk the rope and send them all spilling into the river. "What do you mean, Callie?" she asked calmly as possible.
"Something's got her foot stuck in the water. Jeez, lady, are you fu-"
"Finish that sentence and I'm gonna feed you to whatever's got her," Lil barked back at Wes. Of course she could see the girl's foot was submerged but she wanted to know why. "Callie, it's gonna be okay, yeah?" she told the student as she handed her the staff then crouched down to get a better look at the situation. "How does it have you? Teeth?"
"No. It feels like when you get caught in seaweed and you can't get out and- " Callie's words were cut off by yelp in pain. "It's squeezing my leg. I think it's trying to pull me in."
"Hell. If she's going under I'm not gonna stay around and watch." Wes fumbled with his knot, letting the vine rope drop from him.
"You try and get passed me and I'm putting you in the river," Lil informed him, fixing the boy with a dangerous gaze before putting one hand on Callie's leg to keep the girl anchored. "It's gonna be okay," she told her and after releasing the knot on her own half of the vine, sat down on her rock then ordered Callie to do the same. "You'll keep your balance better but keep your other leg outta the water, okay?"
The vine they had been using dropped aside and floated away with the current. Callie pulled her knee to her chest, keeping her free leg as far from the water as she possibly could. She racked her brain for what to do in a giant squid attack, but somehow her Girl Scout training hadn't covered that one, or she had been sick that day. Perhaps when it was all over she would write to them and suggest a revision, one never knew when a marine cephalopod would grab onto your leg. "Can we use the staff to try and push it off you think," she asked, her eyes staring down into the water. She cringed as the creature's grip tightened, and she dug her free hand into the sides of the rock as best she could to maintain a grip.
"Not the staff," Lil said, shaking her head. They needed that to win and the branches were probably too flimsy to pry off a giant squid. Which meant it was up to the diamond-hard lady. Giving Callie a reassuring smile and bracing herself for the possibility she could be pulled in, the Canadian started to pry her fingers between the girl's leg and the creature's tentacle in an attempt to try and get it to loosen its grip. Or at the very least get distracted.
"You're crazy!" Wes exclaimed as he watched with wide eyes. "It's going to eat you both!"
"And you're going to be dessert if it does. How about doing something to help?"
He continued to stare at the pair of them. "Like what?"
Lil growled under her breath as she continued to work on yanking the tentacle off Callie's leg. "For now? Shut up and let me think." She grunted and gave another tug only to have her fingers squeezed as well. "Okay, Callie. I need you to listen to me. When I count to three, I want you to pull your leg back, okay?"
"Got it. Upon three I'll remove my leg. Ready when you are."
Taking another deep breath, Lil climbed onto Callie's rock and settling on her knees behind the pink girl, reached over the student's shoulders and grabbed the kraken's tentacle with both hands. Another grunt and she started to work her fingers back into it's grip then gave a nod to Callie. "One. Two. Three," she counted before throwing all her strength into pushing outward on the creature's hold.
Callie swiftly pulled her leg out of its lock, and caught herself before she could fall backwards off the rock. Her jeans and shoe were soaked, but thankfully still in tact. Having to venture through the rest of this barefoot, not a good idea. "Lil," she said, turning her attention back to the woman who had saved her. "Thank you."
"Welcome," she hissed through her teeth, both hands submerged as she continued to lean over Callie. "Do me a favor and move to the other rock?" Lil asked and shifted only slightly to give her room.
The young girl did as she was told, keeping low to avoid falling in again. "Lil, are you okay," she asked, her voice serious and full of concern. Why hadn't her arms emerged from the water yet? That couldn't be a good sign.
Falling back on her rear to keep herself from tipping headfirst into the river, Lil gave a quick nod. "Yeah. Fine. The calamari's trying to get fresh with me s'all." She bit her lower lip as she struggled, both hands caught at the wrist by the underwater beast. "He obviously doesn't know who he's messing with and that I've fended off far more aggressive men than him."
Movement from behind them caught Callie's eye. She turned her head and saw Wes trying to maneuver his way through the rest of the crossing. "Aren't you going to help," she asked as she stood up. Normally she didn't use her height as an intimidation tactic, but he didn't seem like the type to listen to reason or emotions.
"Why should I? Not my fault she got herself caught."
"No," Callie said sharply. "But we're a team. And we can't leave her behind."
"He makes a break for it, toss him in," Lil told Callie through her grunts. She'd managed to work one arm loose and was currently beating on the kraken's tentacle as it peeked out from the water while dodging a second that had appeared. The blonde woman wouldn't admit it out loud but she knew she was going to need some serious help and soon or it was going to be her that ended up in the river and then quite possibly, the giant squid's belly.
Callie nodded and watched as Lil struggled with the flailing tentacles of the creature below. She looked around, trying to find something to use as a tool anything. The staff would be useless, it was too flimsy. "Find something to help her," she implored Wes. "Anything. I don't know. A fallen branch, a rock- A rock!" She spotted one. It was eroded by the water, making it small enough to pick up hopefully. Her arms plunged into the freezing water and pulled a smooth rock out of the water, she examined it briefly before scooting over toward the struggling blond. "Lil! Here. I found something."
"Don't put your hand in the water!" she snapped automatically. "You trying to get caught up by the calamari again?" That is exactly why she didn't do well with children; sure, they could be helpful but they could be very stupid about it. Clicking her tongue, she kicked the swinging arm of the squid away from Callie then reached for the rock. Smooth. Great. Something sharp and pointed would have been a hell of a lot better. Still, the Amazon couldn't waste what she was given and judging by the creature's appendages, Lil took aim and threw the rock into the water as hard as she could, hoping to hit something. And she must have because the grip on her hand tightened in annoyance. "Okay. Not so good. New plan - you two, get to the fucking shoreline."
"Not an option. We lost Catseye and we're not loosing yoooooo-!" Callie gave a howl as she felt a slimy tentacle wrap itself around her ankle. She fell smartly on her rear end, her hands clinging to the rock, and the other foot trying to push the kracken off of her. It wouldn't let go. She glanced over at Wes, oblivous to the fact that there was something reaching for him as well. "Wes," she shouted. "Look out!"
A powerful blast shot past the two girls, into the water. The force pulsated through to the cephalopod, causing it to loose its grips on both women and sank back into the deep.
Lil's head snapped to where the shot had originated. "You little bastard!" she yelled as she grabbed Callie and hauled the girl back onto her feet before dragging her to where the boy stood. "You little fucking bastard. You could have done that all along and you waited until the fucking thing came after you to help!"
Wes' pleased expression slipped into one of anger. "I just saved you life, you bitch. You should be thanking me!"
"Oh, I'll thank you alright, you little punk," Lil snarled as she took another step towards him.
"Guys! Come on," Callie shouted over the din. She took a step, effectively putting herself directly between Wes and Lil. "We need to work together. We can't get through this without each other."
"We could get through it without him."
"Tell that to the kraken I just fried."
Lil's fists curled but the tall blonde managed to keep them at her side instead of swinging at the boy who was determined to push every one of her buttons. "Fine, you wanna play Mr. Big Man? Be my guest." Snatching the staff from Callie's hands, she thrust it into Wes'. "Lead on."
"Right ladies," he said, pushing past. "Never fear. You're in good hands with the Wes-meister."
"You know," said Callie as Wes lead them toward the shore. "This is probably the worst thing ever, but I could really go for some sushi right now."
"When I get us out of this thing I'll get us sushi all around," Wes declared as he hopped onto dry land. "On me."
"My bowl of miso soup's gonna be on you, alright. All over you fat head," Lil muttered as she followed the pair back into the jungle and away from the river.
***
As stupid as walking down the path was, at least Inez could be thankful that she didn't have to do it in heels. She held her tiki torch over her head as she looked around, hoping that Jean-Paul or Yvette or even that creepy Gary guy would come out at some point. Or that someone would pop out and tell them it was all a big joke. Then she could hit them. A lot.
The path widened out, and was replaced by slabs of stone. Looming out of the jungle above her was an ancient looking temple, it's stones weathered and cracked, and fronted by steps leading up to the front of it. Her path ended at the foot of the steps, leaving her to contemplate either setting off along through the jungle, or following this path upwards. The display had said nothing about a temple, begging the question that was this a stroke of luck, or a hidden danger?
Inez thought for a moment. If the other groups had to come down the trail, they might come across the temple as well. Then she could join up with them and they could get the hell out together. Keeping her torch held high, she walked up the stone steps, peering inside. "Hello?" she called, then shook her head. Could she BE any more the stereotypical damsel in distress?
There was only an echo for an answer. The interior of the temple was large and dark, with shafts of light poking in from crumbled sections of the roof, and a few gutting torches placed around the walls. At the far end was a dais, on which a plinth sat. The top of the plinth was radiating light of some kind, although it was too far away for her to see it clearly.
Sticking the end of her torch in a crack in the ground, Inez crept up to the dais, peering closely to see what the light was. A map? A way out? She could only hope.
As she began to walk forward, the floor under her feet started to tremble, and it was only with luck that she wasn't caught when a section of it fell away in front of her. The stones fell with a clatter, and looking down, the pit was lined at the bottom with wicked looking spikes, jutting up from the ground. Obviously, the path to the dais was trapped with these pits, and only the pattern on the stone floor offered any kind of cue.
Wheeling her arms to keep her balance, Inez looked forward and started moving carefully around the pit. The stones were light and dark grey, and she couldn't remember which ones had fallen. She held her breath and gritted her teeth as she stepped out onto another patch of dark rock - and then let the breath out when they held fast under her feet. But before her lay a long stretch of light-colored rock that was probably a trap. She guessed, anyway.
"Oh, here goes nothing..." Inez grumbled as she backed up as far as she could, bent forward to touch her fingers to the ground, and then ran forward in an Olympic-level long jump over the grey stone, keeping her eyes closed until she felt her feet hit solid ground. She laughed to herself, taking a step back for balance, and then jumping forward as part of the ground collapsed beneath her feet.
"No fair no fair no fair!" she yelped as she tried to jump out of the way of the falling rocks. "Dark rocks good, light rocks bad! I suck at these games!" she complained as she crab-walked as fast as she could until she hit the marble steps of the dais. Breathing hard, she held onto the solid stone as if it was a lifeline, sweat plastering her hair to her face. "If this ain't a map, I'm gonna kill someone, yo."
She was now close enough to the plinth to see what was shining. It was a crystal the size of her fist, held by a metal claw, and catching the light that leaked into the room. Through the brightness, she could barely making out some kind of carvings on the facets, and it was oddly shaped, like it was designed to be inset into something original. Maybe there was a door out further on that needed the crystal to open?
Grinning broadly, Inez skipped up the steps to the plinth, plucking the crystal out of its setting and holding it over her head. "Yes!" she called out. "Who's the baddest? Is it me? Hells yes!"
Then the ground began to rumble under her and started to sink rapidly, and her expression changed to one of quick resignation. "Ah, crap."
All around her, the dais descended and stone surrounded it. She could feel immense heat welling up, and the walls began to glow cherry red as it dropped further, opening up just to give her the briefest glimpse of the pool of lava her dais was falling into, before darkness swallowed her up.
***
Julian reached out and ran his hand across the broad leaf of a nearby fern, "It's...it's real." He turned back to the others, looking around the jungle, watching the moonlight filter in through the leaves on the nearby trees. The high heels now tossed into the wilderness, everyone seemed a little worse for wear and happy to be off the runway. Arthur had insisted on holding the totem pole and was looking incredibly nervous as he brandished it about like a makeshift spear. Julian walked back to the group, "We should probably get moving, right? I mean," he looked up at the night sky, "We're a bit exposed here."
"Agreed." Zanne threw a worried look at Tat, hoping that the runway experience hadn't affected her too badly. They weren't going to get the opportunity to sit and rest. "Let's get moving before the giant bugs find us."
"Why is it animals," Tat said, her mouth pinching. "Why are there always animals?" She didn't actually comment on the people who'd fallen; mostly because she couldn't think about that, because if she did, she'd be a mess, and then she'd be lunch.
So instead, she was angry. "Let's get moving." Why was it always animals?
The path disappeared into the dense foliage of the jungle, the sound of a million tree frogs singing at once was deafening- though, it could have also been the ringing in Julian's ears that had come up since he swept the mice away with his TK. He watched Zanne and Tatiana disappear into the jungle, then slowly followed them, with Arthur bringing up the rear.
"I don't like this," Arthur said, his eyes darting from side to side- he seemed to be in pain and kept touching his ears. "This whole thing, it just ain't right," his voice always sounded smaller than a man his age should have, as if he were trying to whisper and speak plainly at the same time. A small dragonfly flew in front of his face, after a moment's pause the old man freaked out- tossing the totem into the jungle as he desperately swatted at the insect. "Get it off me! I don't want to die!"
"Watch it!" Zanne set a quick freeze just as the totem would have come crumpling down onto the ground and snatched it out of the air. "It's just a small one, Arthur. It's not going to hurt you." She inspected the totem, which seemed no worse for it's unexpected flight. If this was how the older man reacted to a small bug, she'd hate to see what his reaction ut be to a large one, if they did exist.
"Maybe," Tat said, her feet crunching on fallen sticks. "For this one, we should try and carry it? I mean- Are you afraid of bugs, or something?" Her eyes kept going left to right. Left to right, look for the animals. It was pretty much reflex, now.
Arthur quickly started off down the path, muttering something not entirely nice under his breath. He'd always been afraid of bugs and being in a place where they were the size of a house didn't help his phobia any.
With a sigh, Julian looked back at his companions, "We can't let him wander off alone, whoever he is." The younger man followed the stranger down the path that bent into the dense foliage. The sound of the tree frogs slowly died off the further he went down the path, which, while clearly marked, was getting a little more rugged. Every so often, the moist soil beneath his feet held the imprint of some sort of animal, but Arthur was moving too quickly for him to stop to inspect them. For all Julian knew a tiger was right behind him at this very moment. He glanced behind himself to see if Tatiana or Zanne were there.
Wonderful. Zanne watched Arthur stomp into the brush with the kids trailing behind. She honestly didn't know which was worse - letting him lead them all into trouble, or having someone else lead and letting them get into a mess instead of Arthur. They were not too far along the path when she heard a distinct whirring noise from above- not quite a helicopter, and definitely not an airplane - coming towards them at a rapid rate of speed. "Get down!" She shouted to the rest of the team as it neared.
Tat dropped where she stood. She didn't know when she'd just started blindly obeying, but it was somewhere between the shattering mice and waking up in the featureless room that Zanne had become some sort of- well. She was safe. The adult. So Tat ate dirt, listening to that buzzing whirr and knowing what it meant.
Julian got down and rolled a little off the path, looking up at the sky as something large buzzed overhead. The tree tops bristled as it passed across the moon and circled the clearing. A short ways away, Arthur began to scream meaning that whatever was above them was probably one of the giant bugs. "Mister Andersen!" he tried to shout over the noise, "You need to get down!" Instead, Julian watched the older man tear off into the jungle, the buzzing suddenly intensified and followed after him.
A trio of gigantic black dragonflies burst into view overhead. Alien and shining, they hovered over them, their beating wings sending a strong wind down upon the crouching figures..
Zanne motioned for the two teens to stay down and out of sight. She didn't know what they used to track prey, but there was no sense in giving them a bigger target than they had to. Unfortunately, Arthur didn't seem to be following that line of logic. The Bugs seemed to catch sight of the panicked man as he crashed noisily through the underbrush and swarmed over him.
Julian created a shield around himself as one of the bugs swooped down on him, it's grasping arms sliding off the smooth surface. All he could do was scream for help as it tried over and over to pick him up. The ringing in his head was getting worse now, "Get me out of here!" Somewhere deep down, Julian knew that he'd never look at bugs the same way again as the creature finally gave up and rose back up into the sky.
Zanne didn't think twice as she pushed herself to her feet and leapt at the dragonfly. She couldn't freeze it and still get Julian out of there, but she could try to lead it away at least. "C'mon!" She whacked it with the totem, which dented badly. "C'mon, I'm more interesting. Come over here!"
The bug wheeled on her and she suddenly found herself wrapped in it's legs, the slick limbs effectively caging her. This wasn't quite what she had planned, but if it worked... "Get going!" She yelled down to Julian. "Get Tat out of here! into the trees!"
As Julian watched Zanne be carried away he realized that the other bugs were going too. He tried to grab her out of the bug's grasp- after all, a broken bone or two would be prefereable to being eaten alive- but he just couldn't focus and it was moving too fast. He made a promise to himself then and there that he was going to hit his powers training doubly hard when- not if- they got out of this place. He looked around, trying to find Tatiana.
Tat screamed when the bugs came; she didn't even think, it just happened. Then Zanne was gone and her hand found Julian's slick with sweat as she gripped it, not wanting to let him go. "I- She can't-"
He didn't want to admit it any more than she did, but the fact of the mater was there wasn't anything any of them could do about Zanne's sudden and unfortunate end. 'We'd made it so far too. "Tatiana, we- she's..." he couldn't bring himself to say it. "She's...."
Arthur saw the kids stand up from his hiding place in a nook within the grove. The bugs were gone now- was it safe to come out? The older girl had gotten carried off, that seemed to satisfy the beasties well enough, so he started to eak out between the saplings. While the kids spoke in soft tones the older man stumbled about in the underbrush, searching the area where the Asian girl had dropped the staff. He found it quickly and picked it up, then started towards the children. "Alright you brats, I'm leading this traveling buffet now. So, let's get our asses in gear and get the hell out of this hellhole before they come back." Without asking their opinions, he started back down the trail, hoping they got out of this alive.
"Who do you think you are," Tat exploded. "They just took her - they didn't kill her. We could get her back-" She didn't know how, but still looked over at Julian for confirmation.
Julian wanted to scream too, he wanted to berate Arthur as a coward, but deep down he knew this place. This was the jungle he'd played to level thirty-four, this was what bought them all their ticket here. 'She's gone...we can't bring her back,' he closed his eyes with a sigh. Opening again, he met Tatiana's gaze, "Tat, we need to move...otherwise she sacraficed herself for nothing. There's still a chance she'll get away, but," he paused. "We need to go." Julian turned and fell in behind Arthur, at least if the old jackass was in the front, he'd be the first to walk into any trouble.
***
"Easy. LongHairedBoy."
"BigMouthedBitch."
Lil glared at the boy. Yes, he'd saved their lives from the kraken but she could have - would have eventually broken the creature's hold and gotten them out of there herself. He'd also gotten them lost in the jungle with any number of other monsters on their heels resulting in them ending up at Tribal Council. The blonde certainly wasn't going to vote Callie off so that meant there was only one choice: the little pain in her ass named Wes. "Callie, vote him off so we can get the hell out of here," she commanded the girl.
Callie's gaze flicked back and forth between Lil and Wes. She didn't want to vote either of them off. Lil had been leading them for the entire time, and she had helped save the teenager from the creature in the river. But it was really Wes who had saved them with his blast thingy, so she couldn't very well justify voting him off. And it wasn't like she could vote for herself. Ugh. This whole thing was so stupid, having to vote people off. It was only through teamwork that they were able to finish the course at all. It wasn't fair. "Ummmm..." she continued to look between her two teammates, trying to make a decision. Even if she didn't vote someone would be taken off, and it could be her. Self-preservation was the only thing that led her to make a decision. "I'm sorry Lil, but I choose Wes to vote off."
"Hey!" The boy cried out. "I saved your life," Wes reminded them as the ground started to shake.
Lil grabbed a hold of Callie and drew the girl to her side as the sand slid and shifted and split; hundreds of tiny spider leg cracks jutting out from beneath Wes' feet. "Grab onto something," she told him. Yes, he'd been a complete pain in the ass but that didn't mean she wished him dead.
"Like what?!" More and more pieces of earth dropped away bit by bit until he was left standing on an island of his own, hanging in the void as Lil and Callie scrambled to find branches or vines. "Thanks for nothing," Wes snarled before the final piece toppled and he disappeared into the darkness that surrounded the jungle.
The giantess lunged for him then skittered back so as not to follow while throwing her arms wide in an attempt to keep Callie from doing the same. "It's not your fault," she said to the student. "It's not anyone's fault. It's the way this fucked up game is played and you had to pick... but thanks for not picking me."
"Any game where you are forced to make a choice like that..." Callie's voice trailed off as she stared blankly at the spot where the boy had been. "I guess all we can do is continue to play?"
Lil nodded. "Yeah. It's all we can do." Putting her arm around the pink girl's shoulders, she gave her a little squeeze as she lead her away from the hole.
Tags:
- c: meggan szardos,
- c: z available: angelica jones,
- c: z available: julian keller,
- z p1: c: .npc,
- z p1: c: .retired: amara aquilla,
- z p1: c: .retired: inez temple,
- z p1: c: callie betto,
- z p1: c: lillian crawley-jeffries,
- z p1: c: suzanne chan,
- z p1: c: tatiana caban,
- z p1: t: new mutants: so you want to be
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