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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Sept 22, 2009 18:22:43 GMT -5
Stage II had begun. Veronica was lead to the main hall, where a vast pool stretching from wall to wall awaited. The water was murky, and it was impossible to determine how deep it was. Something was moving about in it - many somethings - but the water was too cloudy to confess what lurked beneath the surface.
On the other side of the pool was a wall containing three black doors, clearly labeled with green, ominous numbers 1, 2, and 3. Nothing hinted at what could await within. Large, mechanical hinges promised that opening these doors would be a very difficult task indeed. However, in the center of each door was a keyhole.
"Veronica, welcome to Stage II! Right now you have three points under your belt! Somewhere in the water there are three keys, each with a number. These keys open the doors you see ahead. Each door leads to a challenging obstacle, and each of the obstacles are worth one point. Only the contestants with the top four scores will proceed to the final Stage. You were given a safety word before you arrived. Should you wish to abandon an obstacle, you must shout the word, and that point will be forfeited! You may start when you are ready!"
This time there was no audience, aside from the cameras positioned around the hall. Veronica was alone, and the door behind them shut and locked.
"You can always back out now..." The disembodied voice suggested over the speakers, "...I wouldn't blame you if you have Stage Fright..."
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Post by veronica on Sept 26, 2009 22:14:21 GMT -5
Veronica shifted uncomfortably in her wetsuit. In the first stage she wasn't directly competing with the other competitors; now she was. How could her little gift stand up to things like teleportation and super strength. She had always taught in her lessons that all gifts were equal, but really.
She actually considered backing out when she was offered. The three doors frightened her. God know what could be lurking behind there, and she had no time to formulate a strategy. With a gift like hers you couldn't really make things up on the spot. Even in stage one all her planning had been done when she was crystallized, and organization was everything to Veronica.
She stood at the brink of the giant pool. Right from the start she knew that it would be ice cold, and unpleasant. And those things writhing in the water, whatever they were... were they really necessary? She was already scared without having to add the (Sharks? Piranhas?) in to the mix.
Veronica took a deep breath, prayed to what ever God would listen, crystallized and plunged feet first into the water.
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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Sept 27, 2009 21:12:38 GMT -5
The main camera zoomed in to Veronica's hesitant face. Later in the editing department they would add a racing heartbeat and shallow breathing. It was likely the case, but they didn't give the competitors microphones to absorb every sound they made.
When Veronica's skin glazed over with that impenetrable substance, the camera lenses glinted off its surface. She jumped in, and the large ripples fanned out across the water. The animals lurking beneath scattered at the intrusion to their abode.
From below there were cameras stationed in the water. They were heat-vision cameras, and picked up the heat signatures living beings radiated. When Veronica plunged onto the screen, she was a red and orange lady with a mysterious blue and white outline. The long, slithering creatures were yellow squiggles fleeing from the interuption.
Veronica, because of her crystaline powers, would be able to see something she wouldn't have been able to see from the surface. There were three lights at the bottom of the pool. They glowed just brightly enough to see through the muck of the lake water. Veronica would be able to see as though she was wearing goggles, and through the haze she might notice the difference of colours. The brightest patch beneath the surface was roughly ten feet ahead of her, and a little to the left.
The underwater cameras picked up the long, yellow creatures squirming toward Veronica, slowly and cautiously. This was an investigation. They used the unclear water as a shield, inching closer, but not close enough to be identified.
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Post by veronica on Sept 28, 2009 14:33:27 GMT -5
Veronica looked around for a brief moment, counting seconds in her head to keep track on how long she had with her gift. She couldn't see much, even with her goggle-like eyes, but she figured she could see enough to know that there was no sharks or sea-monsters lurking about. She had to make a decision now. She revert her body back to normal (except for the eyes, so she could still see) or stay crystallized. Veronica was fairly certain that there was nothing in the water big enough that a surprise attack could put her out of the competition, and in case there was she couldn't waste her gift on only 30 seconds of underwater time.
She opted to only make her eyes crystallized. The cold water shocked her now exposed skin, but the wetsuit helped a little. She continued to swim toward the brightest light, figuring that it was begging to be investigated.
Veronica had a nagging suspicion that things were seeming a little too easy, but then remembered that this wasn't even the main event. Whatever Monster wanted her to struggle against was behind those three doors.
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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Sept 29, 2009 21:24:29 GMT -5
Veronica would come across the illuminated key at the bottom of the pool. The creatures in the water with her darted in and out of the light's path, exposing themselves for fleeting instances. They were elongated fish with spindly dorsal fins and snake-like eyes.
The underwater cameras showed the eerie blue haze surrounding her vanish, but her eyes glowed an intense blue when she looked toward the lens. Because Veronica no longer had her body protected, she would feel the impact of the eels nudging her torso and legs. They weren't aggressive, just experimental. Some took nips at her wet suit, others just brushed against her as she neared the light.
All she had to do was grab the key and rise to the surface and she would be all set to face the first obstacle. When she touched the key, the door in the middle became outlined in an ominous green light. She would see this upon surfacing, if she chose to only retrieve one key.
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Post by veronica on Sept 30, 2009 14:59:52 GMT -5
Veronica shuddered as whatever was in the water brushed passed her, and had to stop herself from screaming when she realized that those things had dorsal fins. Of course, Veronica jumped to the conclusion that she was in a pool filled with miniature sharks, and started to panic. Hurriedly, she grabbed the nearby key and kicked off violently. The tutor burst out of the water and flopped down on the side of the rooms with the doors.
Taking a few minutes to catch her breath, Veronica looked back at the pond. The murky waters still gave no indication of any dangers lurking about, and Veronica was sure that she was never going to jump back in there unless she was fully protected.
After she was all rested, Veronica crystallized then walked up to the outlined door. She was holding her breath as she gently swung it open.
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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Oct 5, 2009 12:35:14 GMT -5
When Veronica pushed to the surface she collided with the underbellies of the fish swimming above her. This startled them immensely and sent a group warning to the entire pool's inhabitants. Panic ensued as Veronica resurfaced and pulled herself out of the water. While she caught her breath, something strange happened. Within the water, the underwater heat lens picked up a sudden flash of red. A dead eel floated to the surface about twenty feet away from where Veronica departed. And then the camera showed another violent flash. The waters didn't ripple or show any exterior sign of disturbance, however another dead eel was pushed to the top, belly-up. When Veronica turned back to look, she'd see two dead fish, one twitching before it became as still as the other. As she turned to the glowing door, the cameras around her zoomed in to her hand turning the key. The door clicked to confirm it was opened properly and the door opened. Within it was completely dark. Veronica would have to step inside to learn what happened next. When she did, the door would close behind her and click again in a foreboding promise. She was locked in. The room lit up and she would be able to see the next challenge. A pistol was placed on a table not too far from where she was standing. Across the room there were targets set up, and a score board hung from the ceiling. "You'll need to shoot ten targets to get this point. That doesn't sound too hard, does it?" The MC told her, but something in his voice made it sound like there was a catch. And there was. The targets started moving from side to side, others in a complete circle around the stand they were attached to. "And, because you did so well in your last round..." Something to complicate things popped up. Well, hopped. Some holes in the wall opened up, and out shuffled adorable little bunnies. They started jumping and bumping around the targets, hopping in unpredictable patterns. What Veronica wouldn't know is that they weren't real. They were much too far away to tell that there were mechanical springs under those cute fluffy coats. Some realistic squeaking emitted over the speakers. |
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Post by veronica on Nov 3, 2009 19:09:36 GMT -5
Veronica stared dumbfounded at the fish rising to the surface. She wasn't quite concerned with the dead fish themselves (hunting was one of her dad's favorite hobbies), but she was worried about what had killed the fish. Veronica reasoned that there couldn't be sharks in the water, or they would already be on a feeding frenzy.
Which either meant that she killed the fish while shooting to the surface, or the invisible killer was smart enough to hide for Veronica, the real prize. Not a comforting thought, to be sure.
Veronica walked over, eyes wary, to the stand. She looked quizzically at the gun before the unmistakable voice screeched over on the P.A. She had grown to dislike that voice. For some reason, it always made her feel like she was being cleverly manipulated for his enjoyment.
Veronica picked up the gun, confident that she would be able to pull this off. She should have known there was going to be a catch.
The tutor stared dumbfounded at the bunnies. They brought wave of nostalgia to her, and she considered giving up now. This was sick. They wanted her to shoot adorable little bunn-
Wait. Veronica's eyes narrowed as she put two and two together. Why would this be the challenge? Who in their right mind forgo the shooting of an animal and risk the million dollars? She had seen some of the other contestants, and she was sure no one would hesitate to shoot the targets and move on. Veronica's temper flared.
This was because she was a woman, wasn't it? They probably thought that a mere woman wouldn't possibly hurt something so cute. Veronica was consumed with anger. Without hesitating, she picked up the revolver, aimed at a target and shot.
She'll show them what a mere woman could do.
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