φPrep-Post
[The feed begins and the room is shimmering with heat, the floor glowing from the coals. There's only one platform which is barely in view where Lavi lay unconscious. The feed cuts in and out until he finally wakes, pushing himself up and wearing only a pair of shorts. Almost as soon as he wakes, words appear on a digital screen across the room, visible to Lavi and those watching the feed.]
Greetings, 21B. You will find that your room has been briefly rearranged to our liking for your test. Your own life you have proven to hold respect for to a degree, but your lack of care for what happens to those about you leaves much to be desired. The question is, what would you do for them, to keep them alive?
[Two boxes full of a clear but smoking liquid begin to lower from the ceiling, one of them has a wire cage over it containing his cat. She's meowing pitiously, cramped inside the cage, wanting to get out.]
You have ten minutes to make it across the coals to rescue your "dear" feline friend from the Hydrofluoric acid in the box beneath her. You will not be able to pick the lock as we have taken your makeshift lock-picks, nor will the boxes break. Good luck.
[Lavi stares at the screen for a few moments even as it blacks out and the 10:00 appears, counting down almost immediately.
He grits his teeth and curses, glancing at the cat and then at the other box.]
I'll get you, Autumn. Just hang on.
[Lavi puts his foot down on the hot coals and curses again, jerking his foot back and falling on the platform.]
Dammit!
[He gingerly gets back up to his feet and takes a deep breath as his eye closes.] It's mind over matter, you can do this, Lavi. Just close yourself off.
[For the first few steps out it seems to work and there's just the sizzling of human flesh. Until he gets about halfway to the first box, clock reading a 08:46 as the coals glow hotter. Lavi cries out and stumbles into the coals, eye open now as he fumbles around to pick himself up before more serious burns knock him back down. But even then he has a hard time keeping to his feet with the hotter coals and attempts to sprint toward the box, hoping for a platform.
But there isn't one and he dances around it almost comically as he tries to locate the key, wounds from the coals mostly cauterized but blood still drips down. Then he spots it.
Having forgotten the smoke rizing from the box in his pain or rush, Lavi plunges his hand in and screams. Jerking his hand out and waving it frantically to get the acid off. 06:20 He glances at Autumn's box, a look of agony on his face and then back at the box with the key. Lavi's feet are killing him and he has to move! Gritting his teeth the redhead shoves the same hand back in the box and fumbles around for the key, barely grasping it and pulling his arm out.
Stumbling now he moves toward Autumn's box, 04:31 and he can barely bring himself to move his feet. Lavi almost drops the key into the coals trying to transfer it to his good hand but barely manages to hang on. Spending another precious seconds fumbling to get the key in the lock, Lavi is shaking by the time he gets it turned and Autumn all but jumps onto her master.
Lavi stumbles back but manages to keep to his feet, slowly making his way back to the platform. It's the only safe place in the room to rest. 01:51 strikes the clock as he makes his way halfway there and Lavi collapses on it just as it starts its final few seconds. He doesn't even see the screen light up again as it reaches 00:00.]
Congratulations, you have survived, 21B. But at what cost? The acid is toxic and will send you into cardiac arrest if not treated. The room will return to normal in a few moments.
[Autumn meows as Lavi continues to lay there with burned feet and arm, unconscious from the pain while the feed ends and the room returns to normal.]
[The feed begins and the room is shimmering with heat, the floor glowing from the coals. There's only one platform which is barely in view where Lavi lay unconscious. The feed cuts in and out until he finally wakes, pushing himself up and wearing only a pair of shorts. Almost as soon as he wakes, words appear on a digital screen across the room, visible to Lavi and those watching the feed.]
[Two boxes full of a clear but smoking liquid begin to lower from the ceiling, one of them has a wire cage over it containing his cat. She's meowing pitiously, cramped inside the cage, wanting to get out.]
[Lavi stares at the screen for a few moments even as it blacks out and the 10:00 appears, counting down almost immediately.
He grits his teeth and curses, glancing at the cat and then at the other box.]
I'll get you, Autumn. Just hang on.
[Lavi puts his foot down on the hot coals and curses again, jerking his foot back and falling on the platform.]
Dammit!
[He gingerly gets back up to his feet and takes a deep breath as his eye closes.] It's mind over matter, you can do this, Lavi. Just close yourself off.
[For the first few steps out it seems to work and there's just the sizzling of human flesh. Until he gets about halfway to the first box, clock reading a 08:46 as the coals glow hotter. Lavi cries out and stumbles into the coals, eye open now as he fumbles around to pick himself up before more serious burns knock him back down. But even then he has a hard time keeping to his feet with the hotter coals and attempts to sprint toward the box, hoping for a platform.
But there isn't one and he dances around it almost comically as he tries to locate the key, wounds from the coals mostly cauterized but blood still drips down. Then he spots it.
Having forgotten the smoke rizing from the box in his pain or rush, Lavi plunges his hand in and screams. Jerking his hand out and waving it frantically to get the acid off. 06:20 He glances at Autumn's box, a look of agony on his face and then back at the box with the key. Lavi's feet are killing him and he has to move! Gritting his teeth the redhead shoves the same hand back in the box and fumbles around for the key, barely grasping it and pulling his arm out.
Stumbling now he moves toward Autumn's box, 04:31 and he can barely bring himself to move his feet. Lavi almost drops the key into the coals trying to transfer it to his good hand but barely manages to hang on. Spending another precious seconds fumbling to get the key in the lock, Lavi is shaking by the time he gets it turned and Autumn all but jumps onto her master.
Lavi stumbles back but manages to keep to his feet, slowly making his way back to the platform. It's the only safe place in the room to rest. 01:51 strikes the clock as he makes his way halfway there and Lavi collapses on it just as it starts its final few seconds. He doesn't even see the screen light up again as it reaches 00:00.]
[Autumn meows as Lavi continues to lay there with burned feet and arm, unconscious from the pain while the feed ends and the room returns to normal.]
Greetings, 21B. You will find that your room has been briefly rearranged to our liking for your test. Your own life you have proven to hold respect for to a degree, but your lack of care for what happens to those about you leaves much to be desired. The question is, what would you do for them, to keep them alive?
[Two boxes full of a clear but smoking liquid begin to lower from the ceiling, one of them has a wire cage over it containing his cat. She's meowing pitiously, cramped inside the cage, wanting to get out.]
You have ten minutes to make it across the coals to rescue your "dear" feline friend from the Hydrofluoric acid in the box beneath her. You will not be able to pick the lock as we have taken your makeshift lock-picks, nor will the boxes break. Good luck.
[Lavi stares at the screen for a few moments even as it blacks out and the 10:00 appears, counting down almost immediately.
He grits his teeth and curses, glancing at the cat and then at the other box.]
I'll get you, Autumn. Just hang on.
[Lavi puts his foot down on the hot coals and curses again, jerking his foot back and falling on the platform.]
Dammit!
[He gingerly gets back up to his feet and takes a deep breath as his eye closes.] It's mind over matter, you can do this, Lavi. Just close yourself off.
[For the first few steps out it seems to work and there's just the sizzling of human flesh. Until he gets about halfway to the first box, clock reading a 08:46 as the coals glow hotter. Lavi cries out and stumbles into the coals, eye open now as he fumbles around to pick himself up before more serious burns knock him back down. But even then he has a hard time keeping to his feet with the hotter coals and attempts to sprint toward the box, hoping for a platform.
But there isn't one and he dances around it almost comically as he tries to locate the key, wounds from the coals mostly cauterized but blood still drips down. Then he spots it.
Having forgotten the smoke rizing from the box in his pain or rush, Lavi plunges his hand in and screams. Jerking his hand out and waving it frantically to get the acid off. 06:20 He glances at Autumn's box, a look of agony on his face and then back at the box with the key. Lavi's feet are killing him and he has to move! Gritting his teeth the redhead shoves the same hand back in the box and fumbles around for the key, barely grasping it and pulling his arm out.
Stumbling now he moves toward Autumn's box, 04:31 and he can barely bring himself to move his feet. Lavi almost drops the key into the coals trying to transfer it to his good hand but barely manages to hang on. Spending another precious seconds fumbling to get the key in the lock, Lavi is shaking by the time he gets it turned and Autumn all but jumps onto her master.
Lavi stumbles back but manages to keep to his feet, slowly making his way back to the platform. It's the only safe place in the room to rest. 01:51 strikes the clock as he makes his way halfway there and Lavi collapses on it just as it starts its final few seconds. He doesn't even see the screen light up again as it reaches 00:00.]
Congratulations, you have survived, 21B. But at what cost? The acid is toxic and will send you into cardiac arrest if not treated. The room will return to normal in a few moments.
[Autumn meows as Lavi continues to lay there with burned feet and arm, unconscious from the pain while the feed ends and the room returns to normal.]
[The feed begins and the room is shimmering with heat, the floor glowing from the coals. There's only one platform which is barely in view where Lavi lay unconscious. The feed cuts in and out until he finally wakes, pushing himself up and wearing only a pair of shorts. Almost as soon as he wakes, words appear on a digital screen across the room, visible to Lavi and those watching the feed.]
Greetings, 21B. You will find that your room has been briefly rearranged to our liking for your test. Your own life you have proven to hold respect for to a degree, but your lack of care for what happens to those about you leaves much to be desired. The question is, what would you do for them, to keep them alive?
[Two boxes full of a clear but smoking liquid begin to lower from the ceiling, one of them has a wire cage over it containing his cat. She's meowing pitiously, cramped inside the cage, wanting to get out.]
You have ten minutes to make it across the coals to rescue your "dear" feline friend from the Hydrofluoric acid in the box beneath her. You will not be able to pick the lock as we have taken your makeshift lock-picks, nor will the boxes break. Good luck.
[Lavi stares at the screen for a few moments even as it blacks out and the 10:00 appears, counting down almost immediately.
He grits his teeth and curses, glancing at the cat and then at the other box.]
I'll get you, Autumn. Just hang on.
[Lavi puts his foot down on the hot coals and curses again, jerking his foot back and falling on the platform.]
Dammit!
[He gingerly gets back up to his feet and takes a deep breath as his eye closes.] It's mind over matter, you can do this, Lavi. Just close yourself off.
[For the first few steps out it seems to work and there's just the sizzling of human flesh. Until he gets about halfway to the first box, clock reading a 08:46 as the coals glow hotter. Lavi cries out and stumbles into the coals, eye open now as he fumbles around to pick himself up before more serious burns knock him back down. But even then he has a hard time keeping to his feet with the hotter coals and attempts to sprint toward the box, hoping for a platform.
But there isn't one and he dances around it almost comically as he tries to locate the key, wounds from the coals mostly cauterized but blood still drips down. Then he spots it.
Having forgotten the smoke rizing from the box in his pain or rush, Lavi plunges his hand in and screams. Jerking his hand out and waving it frantically to get the acid off. 06:20 He glances at Autumn's box, a look of agony on his face and then back at the box with the key. Lavi's feet are killing him and he has to move! Gritting his teeth the redhead shoves the same hand back in the box and fumbles around for the key, barely grasping it and pulling his arm out.
Stumbling now he moves toward Autumn's box, 04:31 and he can barely bring himself to move his feet. Lavi almost drops the key into the coals trying to transfer it to his good hand but barely manages to hang on. Spending another precious seconds fumbling to get the key in the lock, Lavi is shaking by the time he gets it turned and Autumn all but jumps onto her master.
Lavi stumbles back but manages to keep to his feet, slowly making his way back to the platform. It's the only safe place in the room to rest. 01:51 strikes the clock as he makes his way halfway there and Lavi collapses on it just as it starts its final few seconds. He doesn't even see the screen light up again as it reaches 00:00.]
Congratulations, you have survived, 21B. But at what cost? The acid is toxic and will send you into cardiac arrest if not treated. The room will return to normal in a few moments.
[Autumn meows as Lavi continues to lay there with burned feet and arm, unconscious from the pain while the feed ends and the room returns to normal.]