Waking onto the island brought with it a wave of nausea and disorientation, a body shocked by the rush of sensations that krept upon it slowly before being crushed under the weight of the situation.
The cover of the hut shielded Archie’s eyes from the sun, which only lightly shone through the entryway, likely making his return to the land of the living slightly more bearable. The floor of the hut was nonexistent, nothing but a continuation of the natural ground outside, some blades of grass cropping up by the entrance.
His first deep breaths were met with a coughing fit and the sensation that his lunch might be the next thing that these crazies might take from him. Still, Archie kept it together and slowly rose to his feet, gripping the tan pack that was set beside him, marked as “O19”.
((O19: Archibald "Archie" Harper: START))
Centering himself, Archie began to sift through its contents, cataloguing the rations and supplies within, and noting the binder that had been provided to him which seemed to only contain some assorted CDs. Process of elimination seemed to indicate that this was the “weapon” that had been provided to him.
“Fucking incredible…” He muttered bitterly, before his voice caught in his throat.
No, there wasn’t time to mourn yet, to drown in self-pity. Doing that meant accepting that he was finished, which would mean that the assholes behind this insane experiment had already won, which wasn’t something Archie would tolerate.
Stepping properly into the light (or whatever substituted for it, considering the overcast sky) Archie took in his surroundings. This place seemed to have been some sort of village in the past, with symbols and statues that were alien to him arrayed in a circle at the center of the huts that surrounded it.
Archie’s mind began to wander slightly, wondering if there was anything he could glean from the layout with nothing but an outsider’s perspective. There didn’t seem to be any of the others who had been taken in the immediate vicinity, after all, though they could still be in one of the huts like he had been.
Instead, his eyes trained on one of the cameras nearby, resting on one of the huts, trained upon his position, and he felt the immediate urge to smash the stupid thing to bits. The notion of being watched like some sort of lab rat was absolutely degrading. However, he remembered what that Jack guy had said at the very start, that messing with facilities would result in the collar around his neck being detonated and he hesitated, grimacing.
“You guys probably think this is some funny shit right? Probably taking notes on everything we do, like we’re experiments and not people. Well guess what? I’m not here for this, this ‘game’, this whatever. I’m not some sort of tech guy, some genius, but I’m figuring this shit out. Then you guys are really gonna be sorry for fucking with people’s lives.
“So yeah, you all, Jack and whoever else is on the other side of this, you’d better fucking watch yourselves, cause I’m not playing your game and I’m not gonna rest until you’ve paid for what you did to us.” Archie concluded by flipping the camera off and heading over to the circle, attempting to get a better grip on the island’s nature and layout.
O19: Examine
Open
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Catche Jagger
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AnimeNerd
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There were a lot of things Jia Li expected from life. She expected to graduate from high school. She expected to go to New York to attend college. She expected to become a world famous fashion designer, on the level of Donatella Versace, or Louis Vuitton.
She did not expect to wake up in Hell at age eighteen.
[[O29: Jia Li Qiáo: START]]
How she hadn’t screamed bloody murder at the sight of a boy being shot to death, she wasn’t sure. Survival instinct realizing talking had been what killed him? Possibly. Whatever it was, she was thankful for it.
But that thankfulness wasn’t changing the fact that, again, she had apparently been picked to go to Hell at this time.
Waking up in a hut wasn’t much of a comfort. The lack of actual flooring meant that she had a grass stain on the hem of her jacket already. Wonderful.
She needed to get out of here. She didn’t even know where ‘here’ was, but she needed to leave it, ASAP. The declaration made by that ‘Jack’ man...it made her sick. For everything she’d done in her life, she never wanted to physically hurt people. No general interest in it, and she always thought it would be considered too far.
But she wouldn’t die here. Her life wasn’t going to end just because a bunch of psychos wanted to get their snuff film made.
And if leaving alive meant killing a few people...she would do it, even if it made her disgusted with herself.
Getting into a sitting position, she ignored the O29 on the backpack and searched through it for her weapon. Most of what was in the pack was expected, at least in terms of ‘What terrorists would give teenagers to survive on an island’ supplies. She did question the pickle jar, though. How was a jar of pickles supposed to be normal rations, compared to the other supplies? And where was her weapon? They couldn’t have just forgotten to give her something to defend herself, so where...
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” She whispered.
Was she expected to defend herself with a jar of pickles? Were they serious? All the effort to kidnap her and God knows how many others, and they couldn’t even be bothered to give her a proper weapon?! WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT WAS THIS!?!
Outwardly, she only sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She could work with this. It was a challenge, but Jia Li Qiáo was never one to change her mind when she had a goal in mind. She could just...steal a weapon from someone. It was dangerous, sure, and she’d have to be smart about it, but it was better than sitting around and waiting for someone to kill her.
So. Find someone with a good weapon. Steal it from them when she gets a chance. Kill them and anyone else she came across until she was the only one left.
It was a plan she hated, but had no interest in diverging from at the moment.
Looking out of the hut, she saw a person. A big, intimidating person. Talking to a camera before turning his attention elsewhere. He had no visible weapons, but his size alone convinced Jia Li of one thing: do not upset him.
Didn’t mean she couldn’t still try something, though.
“Hello?”
She did not expect to wake up in Hell at age eighteen.
[[O29: Jia Li Qiáo: START]]
How she hadn’t screamed bloody murder at the sight of a boy being shot to death, she wasn’t sure. Survival instinct realizing talking had been what killed him? Possibly. Whatever it was, she was thankful for it.
But that thankfulness wasn’t changing the fact that, again, she had apparently been picked to go to Hell at this time.
Waking up in a hut wasn’t much of a comfort. The lack of actual flooring meant that she had a grass stain on the hem of her jacket already. Wonderful.
She needed to get out of here. She didn’t even know where ‘here’ was, but she needed to leave it, ASAP. The declaration made by that ‘Jack’ man...it made her sick. For everything she’d done in her life, she never wanted to physically hurt people. No general interest in it, and she always thought it would be considered too far.
But she wouldn’t die here. Her life wasn’t going to end just because a bunch of psychos wanted to get their snuff film made.
And if leaving alive meant killing a few people...she would do it, even if it made her disgusted with herself.
Getting into a sitting position, she ignored the O29 on the backpack and searched through it for her weapon. Most of what was in the pack was expected, at least in terms of ‘What terrorists would give teenagers to survive on an island’ supplies. She did question the pickle jar, though. How was a jar of pickles supposed to be normal rations, compared to the other supplies? And where was her weapon? They couldn’t have just forgotten to give her something to defend herself, so where...
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” She whispered.
Was she expected to defend herself with a jar of pickles? Were they serious? All the effort to kidnap her and God knows how many others, and they couldn’t even be bothered to give her a proper weapon?! WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT WAS THIS!?!
Outwardly, she only sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She could work with this. It was a challenge, but Jia Li Qiáo was never one to change her mind when she had a goal in mind. She could just...steal a weapon from someone. It was dangerous, sure, and she’d have to be smart about it, but it was better than sitting around and waiting for someone to kill her.
So. Find someone with a good weapon. Steal it from them when she gets a chance. Kill them and anyone else she came across until she was the only one left.
It was a plan she hated, but had no interest in diverging from at the moment.
Looking out of the hut, she saw a person. A big, intimidating person. Talking to a camera before turning his attention elsewhere. He had no visible weapons, but his size alone convinced Jia Li of one thing: do not upset him.
Didn’t mean she couldn’t still try something, though.
“Hello?”
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Catche Jagger
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Archie hesitated at the idea of moving any of the items in the circle. He wasn’t a particularly superstitious guy, but altering things here might limit his ability to infer what, if any, significance the arrangement might have.
Squatting down, he noticed some faint drag marks at the base of the statue closest to him. Indeed, it wasn’t the only odd detail that a careful eye could pick up on. There was a notable difference in the look of the grass that covered the edge of the treeline and which was present around the huts and circle. It all indicated something… artificial about the site. Was it not some indigenous site, and rather something that had been set up for them?
As Archie brought his right hand up to his chin to scratch it, he couldn’t help but feel a little foolish. It was childish, playing detective in a situation like this, but if there was any hope of getting off of this island, he’d need to suss out the hows and whys of the current situation.
His train of thought was eventually interrupted by a voice emanating from one of the huts that he’d almost missed in his ponderings.
It was a girl, barely peeking out of the structure. She was rather small, pretty face, seemed to be wearing something like a school uniform. Private academy short? Maybe not. The guy who’d been shot at the briefing they received had seemingly been American, so there wasn’t any guarantee that this girl was even from the UK. Not a whole lot Archie could count on out here.
“Hey, name’s Archie. I really hope you haven’t bought into the bullshit those assholes were spewing earlier.” He said with a slight grin while giving a wave. Archie wanted to be welcoming, but also to make clear that he wasn’t going to have patience for those who met this situation on the terms that had been presented to them.
“So, who are you and, random question, but do you have any sort of engineering experience? Like, are you into machines and robots and that sort of crap?” He posed the question to her, deciding that he might as well check.
Squatting down, he noticed some faint drag marks at the base of the statue closest to him. Indeed, it wasn’t the only odd detail that a careful eye could pick up on. There was a notable difference in the look of the grass that covered the edge of the treeline and which was present around the huts and circle. It all indicated something… artificial about the site. Was it not some indigenous site, and rather something that had been set up for them?
As Archie brought his right hand up to his chin to scratch it, he couldn’t help but feel a little foolish. It was childish, playing detective in a situation like this, but if there was any hope of getting off of this island, he’d need to suss out the hows and whys of the current situation.
His train of thought was eventually interrupted by a voice emanating from one of the huts that he’d almost missed in his ponderings.
It was a girl, barely peeking out of the structure. She was rather small, pretty face, seemed to be wearing something like a school uniform. Private academy short? Maybe not. The guy who’d been shot at the briefing they received had seemingly been American, so there wasn’t any guarantee that this girl was even from the UK. Not a whole lot Archie could count on out here.
“Hey, name’s Archie. I really hope you haven’t bought into the bullshit those assholes were spewing earlier.” He said with a slight grin while giving a wave. Archie wanted to be welcoming, but also to make clear that he wasn’t going to have patience for those who met this situation on the terms that had been presented to them.
“So, who are you and, random question, but do you have any sort of engineering experience? Like, are you into machines and robots and that sort of crap?” He posed the question to her, deciding that he might as well check.
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AnimeNerd
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Jia Li really hated the situation she was in. The guy-Archie, apparently-seemed nice enough, but she couldn't feel relaxed in the slightest. The butterflies in her stomach were making the organ do cartwheels and she was afraid she was going to throw up if something went wrong. Or, well, anything somehow became worse than it already was.
She swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise past her throat. She took a deep breath.
You can do this. You can do this.
As she stepped out of the hut and into the open, she spoke, keeping her face emotionless for the time being, and her voice being clear and neutral.
"My name is Jia Li. I do not plan on trying anything of the sort, no, unless someone makes an attempt on my own life."
Mostly a lie, but not entirely. If anyone tried to kill her, she wouldn't hesitate to save herself. It was only natural, really.
The second question made her raise an eyebrow, but she responded quickly enough. "No, I do not. Unless you count knowing how to work a sewing machine, I am likely as ignorant as you on the subject."
The latter statement was said without any malice, for once. She figured that if Archie was referring to them as 'machines and robots and that sort of crap,' then he likely had little to no experience with them as well.
She had an idea as to why he would ask it, but if it was correct, did he really expect to find someone who could remove the collar without it detonating? The video had shown what it could do. Jia Li had yet to even touch her own, fearing what could set it off. To have someone tamper with one would most certainly result in one death-perhaps even more.
She swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise past her throat. She took a deep breath.
You can do this. You can do this.
As she stepped out of the hut and into the open, she spoke, keeping her face emotionless for the time being, and her voice being clear and neutral.
"My name is Jia Li. I do not plan on trying anything of the sort, no, unless someone makes an attempt on my own life."
Mostly a lie, but not entirely. If anyone tried to kill her, she wouldn't hesitate to save herself. It was only natural, really.
The second question made her raise an eyebrow, but she responded quickly enough. "No, I do not. Unless you count knowing how to work a sewing machine, I am likely as ignorant as you on the subject."
The latter statement was said without any malice, for once. She figured that if Archie was referring to them as 'machines and robots and that sort of crap,' then he likely had little to no experience with them as well.
She had an idea as to why he would ask it, but if it was correct, did he really expect to find someone who could remove the collar without it detonating? The video had shown what it could do. Jia Li had yet to even touch her own, fearing what could set it off. To have someone tamper with one would most certainly result in one death-perhaps even more.
"¿Que esta pasando? ¿Dónde estoy?"
Panicked questions from a lost boy. He had woken in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by huts and statues, the site was unfamiliar but at the same time recognizable. He knew enough of cultures to have an idea of where he was. It wasn't that important to consider. The items in his immediate vicinity were of more note. Most importantly the gun that sat by his right leg.
His fingers curled into a death grip around the polished metal and dull plastic as he lifted it from the ground, a slight imprint being left in its wake. He knew nothing of guns or killing, but it had been made clear that he was expected to learn.
Una víctima, un blanco.
It had been a natural evolution of many of Earth's creatures, the ability to do harm, it was present both for the predators who needed to kill to gain their food or the prey who needed a way to fend the predators off. A war of escalations taking place over millions of years.
The question, Dominik supposed, was whether he was a predator or whether he was the prey. A question that was as much philosophical and emotional as it was practical. He didn't possess an answer either way, but it would be a question he needed to consider.
The gun still weighed heavy in his hand, the metal gleaming whenever the sun managed to force its way through the clouds. But he forced himself, shakily to his feet. It would do him no good to sit around, not when they were being encouraged to hunt each other. He rounded the hut he had woken up behind, gun in hand and backpack slung over his shoulder. His flip-flops slapping the ground with each step.
His empty hand raised up to his throat and ran across the collar that had been forced upon him. A cold and unforgiving thing, its dull metal betrayed its strictly utilitarian use. It was designed purely to keep him and the other victims in line with the threat of a painful death hanging over any potential disobedience. It was a training shock collar for dogs taken to the logical and depraved extreme.
As he moved around the central feature of the area he had found himself in Dominik caught sight of the two people whose voices he had heard earlier.
"Hola. ¿Eres amigable?"
Panicked questions from a lost boy. He had woken in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by huts and statues, the site was unfamiliar but at the same time recognizable. He knew enough of cultures to have an idea of where he was. It wasn't that important to consider. The items in his immediate vicinity were of more note. Most importantly the gun that sat by his right leg.
His fingers curled into a death grip around the polished metal and dull plastic as he lifted it from the ground, a slight imprint being left in its wake. He knew nothing of guns or killing, but it had been made clear that he was expected to learn.
Una víctima, un blanco.
It had been a natural evolution of many of Earth's creatures, the ability to do harm, it was present both for the predators who needed to kill to gain their food or the prey who needed a way to fend the predators off. A war of escalations taking place over millions of years.
The question, Dominik supposed, was whether he was a predator or whether he was the prey. A question that was as much philosophical and emotional as it was practical. He didn't possess an answer either way, but it would be a question he needed to consider.
The gun still weighed heavy in his hand, the metal gleaming whenever the sun managed to force its way through the clouds. But he forced himself, shakily to his feet. It would do him no good to sit around, not when they were being encouraged to hunt each other. He rounded the hut he had woken up behind, gun in hand and backpack slung over his shoulder. His flip-flops slapping the ground with each step.
His empty hand raised up to his throat and ran across the collar that had been forced upon him. A cold and unforgiving thing, its dull metal betrayed its strictly utilitarian use. It was designed purely to keep him and the other victims in line with the threat of a painful death hanging over any potential disobedience. It was a training shock collar for dogs taken to the logical and depraved extreme.
As he moved around the central feature of the area he had found himself in Dominik caught sight of the two people whose voices he had heard earlier.
"Hola. ¿Eres amigable?"
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Catche Jagger
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Archie let Jia Li’s reply hang in the air for a moment as he mulled it over, scratching his chin again. There was some clear skepticism in her response, which he probably should’ve expected. The proposition of challenging their captors was a dangerous one, for sure. Finally, he spoke up again.
“Hmmm, well that fucking sucks. The whole ‘having the same experience as me’ thing, not the ‘only fighting in self-defense’ thing. That one’s good. The fuckers behind this are kidnappers and murderers, so there’s no reason to believe that they’re going to stop at lying to get what they want out of us.
“Now-” Archie was cut off as another figure made themselves known, speaking up in a language that wasn’t English. Sounded like Spanish or something related, but he didn’t know for sure.
As Archie's head turned towards the boy, he noted that the new arrival appeared rather nondescript, in a simple t-shirt and shorts, but the gun in his hand couldn’t help but draw Archie’s gaze. He hadn’t doubted that their captors had provided actual weapons in addition to crap like his assigned binder and CDs, but this was the first bit of confirmation.
The weapon rested at the stranger’s side, though, and he seemingly made no move to attack or threaten with it, which was a good sign.
“Sorry, I don’t think I understand?” He offered, raising hands with open palms in an attempt to display peaceful intent. “We’re just talking out here, no danger.”
The last words were a bitter irony, considering the bombs that remained strapped to all of their necks, but the intent was as true as Archie could make it out here. There was no reason to start turning on each other, squabbling over scraps while the footage was studied by some maniacs.
He glanced over at Jia Li, hoping she'd be able to keep a level head out here. He really fucking hoped she could.
“Hmmm, well that fucking sucks. The whole ‘having the same experience as me’ thing, not the ‘only fighting in self-defense’ thing. That one’s good. The fuckers behind this are kidnappers and murderers, so there’s no reason to believe that they’re going to stop at lying to get what they want out of us.
“Now-” Archie was cut off as another figure made themselves known, speaking up in a language that wasn’t English. Sounded like Spanish or something related, but he didn’t know for sure.
As Archie's head turned towards the boy, he noted that the new arrival appeared rather nondescript, in a simple t-shirt and shorts, but the gun in his hand couldn’t help but draw Archie’s gaze. He hadn’t doubted that their captors had provided actual weapons in addition to crap like his assigned binder and CDs, but this was the first bit of confirmation.
The weapon rested at the stranger’s side, though, and he seemingly made no move to attack or threaten with it, which was a good sign.
“Sorry, I don’t think I understand?” He offered, raising hands with open palms in an attempt to display peaceful intent. “We’re just talking out here, no danger.”
The last words were a bitter irony, considering the bombs that remained strapped to all of their necks, but the intent was as true as Archie could make it out here. There was no reason to start turning on each other, squabbling over scraps while the footage was studied by some maniacs.
He glanced over at Jia Li, hoping she'd be able to keep a level head out here. He really fucking hoped she could.
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AnimeNerd
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Honestly, the phrase 'Well that fucking sucks' summarized the current situation to a T. Kidnapped by terrorists that wanted them to kill each other, otherwise all their necks would explode and they would all die. That fucking sucked.
Before Archie could continue his train of thought, someone else decided to make his presence known. Another boy, not as tall as Archie, but still taller than Jia Li. But that wasn't what caught her attention.
The boy had a gun.
Jia Li wanted that gun.
But she couldn't out-right ask for it. That would more likely get her shot than do her any good. She had to bide her time. Wait for a chance to get it, then either kill one or both of the boys, then go on her way.
Later. That would be done later.
In the moment, the new boy was speaking Spanish, and Archie looked at Jia Li like he wanted assistance. Time to play translator.
"He's asking if we're friendly," she said as she looked at Archie, before turning her gaze back to the new boy.
"We're not planning on hurting anyone, no," she said, her voice just as calm in Spanish as it had been in English. "Can you put the gun away before you end up shooting someone?"
She refused to die because some jumpy idiot had an itchy trigger finger.
Before Archie could continue his train of thought, someone else decided to make his presence known. Another boy, not as tall as Archie, but still taller than Jia Li. But that wasn't what caught her attention.
The boy had a gun.
Jia Li wanted that gun.
But she couldn't out-right ask for it. That would more likely get her shot than do her any good. She had to bide her time. Wait for a chance to get it, then either kill one or both of the boys, then go on her way.
Later. That would be done later.
In the moment, the new boy was speaking Spanish, and Archie looked at Jia Li like he wanted assistance. Time to play translator.
"He's asking if we're friendly," she said as she looked at Archie, before turning her gaze back to the new boy.
"We're not planning on hurting anyone, no," she said, her voice just as calm in Spanish as it had been in English. "Can you put the gun away before you end up shooting someone?"
She refused to die because some jumpy idiot had an itchy trigger finger.
They spoke English and Dominik supposed that made sense. It was the most commonly spoken language in the world, that said he couldn't accurately place their accents. The girl, the smaller of the two, looked Asian but she spoke English with an accent he wasn't familiar with, it sounded Australian but wasn't quite the same. The pale red-headed boy had an accent and appearance that was stereotypical of the northern countries in Europe. Dominik had seen many of them as a child back on Thatch Caye, if his memory served him right the boy would have been from either Ireland or Scotland.
The girl spoke Spanish well enough but the boy looked completely lost with the conversation. As the girl spoke Dominik's grip on the gun didn't loosen but after she finished he swung the bag around and set about stowing it away. He looked between the strange pair as he did so then replied to the girl.
"Me alegra,"
He did feel a little insulted that her first instinct was to assume he would be as careless to shoot someone by accident. Even if he wasn't familiar with guns he knew enough to avoid shooting someone by mistake, or he hoped he knew enough to avoid that. Once the weapon was safely packed away he stood back up and turned his attention back to the girl.
"¿Quién son ustedes?"
The girl spoke Spanish well enough but the boy looked completely lost with the conversation. As the girl spoke Dominik's grip on the gun didn't loosen but after she finished he swung the bag around and set about stowing it away. He looked between the strange pair as he did so then replied to the girl.
"Me alegra,"
He did feel a little insulted that her first instinct was to assume he would be as careless to shoot someone by accident. Even if he wasn't familiar with guns he knew enough to avoid shooting someone by mistake, or he hoped he knew enough to avoid that. Once the weapon was safely packed away he stood back up and turned his attention back to the girl.
"¿Quién son ustedes?"
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Catche Jagger
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Well, it seemed like the new guy either didn’t speak much English or simply didn’t want to, which was going to make things a bit more awkward.
Archie wondered if this was another element of the game that their captors had laid out. Choosing victims with no prior relationships with one another and who may not even be able to effectively communicate would disincentivize cooperation and possibly lead to paranoia and violence if things got tense. It’d be a decent way to force the conflict Jack and the others wanted to see while still acting with a passive hand so their “experiment” could proceed without intervention.
Even understanding that, the situation was frustrating for Archie, now having to put a fair bit of faith in Jia Li to accurately relay messages back and forth and to not try to pull some sort of trick.
“Aye, like I said, no danger.” Archie replied, before snapping his fingers as he recalled the important bit, turning himself back towards Jia Li.
“Oh, and ask him if he’s good with tech or engineering. Maybe mention figuring a way out of this.” Archie hadn’t had much time to make his case for trying to bust out of here, and it would likely be difficult to do so if people couldn’t entirely understand him.
The new guy had seemingly asked some other question, but Archie of course didn’t know what it meant. Still had to rely on Jia Li there.
Archie wondered if this was another element of the game that their captors had laid out. Choosing victims with no prior relationships with one another and who may not even be able to effectively communicate would disincentivize cooperation and possibly lead to paranoia and violence if things got tense. It’d be a decent way to force the conflict Jack and the others wanted to see while still acting with a passive hand so their “experiment” could proceed without intervention.
Even understanding that, the situation was frustrating for Archie, now having to put a fair bit of faith in Jia Li to accurately relay messages back and forth and to not try to pull some sort of trick.
“Aye, like I said, no danger.” Archie replied, before snapping his fingers as he recalled the important bit, turning himself back towards Jia Li.
“Oh, and ask him if he’s good with tech or engineering. Maybe mention figuring a way out of this.” Archie hadn’t had much time to make his case for trying to bust out of here, and it would likely be difficult to do so if people couldn’t entirely understand him.
The new guy had seemingly asked some other question, but Archie of course didn’t know what it meant. Still had to rely on Jia Li there.
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AnimeNerd
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As usual in life, Jia Li was the most competent person in the area. Archie apparently spoke no Spanish, and new boy either couldn’t or refused to speak English. It would likely make things a bit more difficult later on, but not impossible to deal with.
Luckily the boy did as she told, and wasn’t going to shoot them. Even luckier, the question new boy asked had a simple answer.
She put her hand up to her chest as she said, “My name is Jia Li,” and then pointed to the red-head as she continued, “He is Archie.”
“Can we hear your name? And...” Jia Li hesitated for a moment. The idea that any of them could have enough skill to get the collars off still seemed ridiculous to her, but she had to say something for the translation, and in the very small off-chance someone could remove the collars, she would rather be with them than against them.
“Do you have any significant experience with engineering or technology? We’re hoping to find a way to keep these from exploding,” she gestured to her own collar at that. ”And getting out of here without killing.”
Luckily the boy did as she told, and wasn’t going to shoot them. Even luckier, the question new boy asked had a simple answer.
She put her hand up to her chest as she said, “My name is Jia Li,” and then pointed to the red-head as she continued, “He is Archie.”
“Can we hear your name? And...” Jia Li hesitated for a moment. The idea that any of them could have enough skill to get the collars off still seemed ridiculous to her, but she had to say something for the translation, and in the very small off-chance someone could remove the collars, she would rather be with them than against them.
“Do you have any significant experience with engineering or technology? We’re hoping to find a way to keep these from exploding,” she gestured to her own collar at that. ”And getting out of here without killing.”
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Carrion Queen
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- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 6:35 am
((Soraya continuada de Bienvenida al mundo exterior ))
En el corazón del salvaje, entre de los arboles y el viento tan viejo que solo ellos saben pronunciar los nombres verdaderos de los dioses antiguos, hay un cuidad que también tiene un nombre que parecen raro -- Chichicastenango. Lo quiere decir "Lugar de los ortigas" en K'iche.
Y en ese lugar, crecía my abuela. Como me quiería a ella... Nuestra relaciones al muerto es algo que necesito hablar sobre otro tiempo.
Regresamos hablando al cuidad.
En este cuidad hay un mercado de aire abierto que muchos turistas vistan cada año. La gente que trabaja vendiendo cosas en este mercado quizás no saben hablar todo los idiomas completas, pero si camina entre este mercado, puede oír gente regateando en muchos lenguas - en Alemana, en Ingles, en Japones. Saben suficiente para vender sus cositas.
Pero si caminas por delante, vas a encontrar una iglesia. No es iglesia regular: la Iglesia de Santo Tomás. Y si tienen un poco más de paciencia, les puedo hablar de esta iglesia.
Fue construido cerca de 1545 por los Católicos, encima de un templo antiguo Maya con el esperanza de salvar los almas de los Mayas -- de fuerzo. Solo las escaleras frente al edificio sobreviven del templo original. Dieciocho escalones para los dieciocho meses del calendario Maya. Adentro, hay pinturas y estatus de Jesus y Los Santos Católicos que fue ponido allí para que la gente pueden adorar correctamente. La gente pintaron sus proprio dioses sobre estas pinturas y estatus. Si vistas hoy, puede ver que hicieron, conquistando la iconografía del dios falso con sus propios dioses verdaderos. Sus dioses se comieron a los dioses falsos.
Y entonces, en eso, Soraya recordó cuándo encontró The Mysterious Circle.
El zorb se paró cuando golpeó en algo arboles. Pero ella veó algo más adelante. Ella emujó el zorb en un camino hasta que los dos llegaron al Mysterious Circle.
From a path, Soraya arrived in the circle, pushing the zorb in front of her. She also noticed a small collection of people talking. They wore the same collar as she did. She waved.
En el corazón del salvaje, entre de los arboles y el viento tan viejo que solo ellos saben pronunciar los nombres verdaderos de los dioses antiguos, hay un cuidad que también tiene un nombre que parecen raro -- Chichicastenango. Lo quiere decir "Lugar de los ortigas" en K'iche.
Y en ese lugar, crecía my abuela. Como me quiería a ella... Nuestra relaciones al muerto es algo que necesito hablar sobre otro tiempo.
Regresamos hablando al cuidad.
En este cuidad hay un mercado de aire abierto que muchos turistas vistan cada año. La gente que trabaja vendiendo cosas en este mercado quizás no saben hablar todo los idiomas completas, pero si camina entre este mercado, puede oír gente regateando en muchos lenguas - en Alemana, en Ingles, en Japones. Saben suficiente para vender sus cositas.
Pero si caminas por delante, vas a encontrar una iglesia. No es iglesia regular: la Iglesia de Santo Tomás. Y si tienen un poco más de paciencia, les puedo hablar de esta iglesia.
Fue construido cerca de 1545 por los Católicos, encima de un templo antiguo Maya con el esperanza de salvar los almas de los Mayas -- de fuerzo. Solo las escaleras frente al edificio sobreviven del templo original. Dieciocho escalones para los dieciocho meses del calendario Maya. Adentro, hay pinturas y estatus de Jesus y Los Santos Católicos que fue ponido allí para que la gente pueden adorar correctamente. La gente pintaron sus proprio dioses sobre estas pinturas y estatus. Si vistas hoy, puede ver que hicieron, conquistando la iconografía del dios falso con sus propios dioses verdaderos. Sus dioses se comieron a los dioses falsos.
Y entonces, en eso, Soraya recordó cuándo encontró The Mysterious Circle.
El zorb se paró cuando golpeó en algo arboles. Pero ella veó algo más adelante. Ella emujó el zorb en un camino hasta que los dos llegaron al Mysterious Circle.
From a path, Soraya arrived in the circle, pushing the zorb in front of her. She also noticed a small collection of people talking. They wore the same collar as she did. She waved.
Ah, English.
Dominik belatedly realised that he was still speaking Spanish, which given the company he found himself in did not seem like the most efficient language to use. He didn't distrust the other two—Archie and Jia Li—but having only one person do all the translating did not strike him as the smartest plan.
"My name is Dominik." He started, looking between the pair. "And uh no." He paused for a moment before adding in a final detail. "I'm best with marine biology...sorry."
He would have said more but he couldn't think of anything else to add, so he just had to wait awkwardly to hear their reactions to his sudden switch to English. But before that had a chance of being resolved Dominik noticed a large see-through plastic ball emerge from the trees. After a second he also realised there was a girl pushing it.
She saw them, stopped and waved.
He stood, stared at her awkwardly for a second and then waved back.
Dominik belatedly realised that he was still speaking Spanish, which given the company he found himself in did not seem like the most efficient language to use. He didn't distrust the other two—Archie and Jia Li—but having only one person do all the translating did not strike him as the smartest plan.
"My name is Dominik." He started, looking between the pair. "And uh no." He paused for a moment before adding in a final detail. "I'm best with marine biology...sorry."
He would have said more but he couldn't think of anything else to add, so he just had to wait awkwardly to hear their reactions to his sudden switch to English. But before that had a chance of being resolved Dominik noticed a large see-through plastic ball emerge from the trees. After a second he also realised there was a girl pushing it.
She saw them, stopped and waved.
He stood, stared at her awkwardly for a second and then waved back.
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 743
- Joined: Tue May 28, 2019 7:40 pm
- Team Affiliation: Ben's Crabs
Well, it turned out that the guy, Dominik, could speak English and answered Archie’s question. Unfortunately, what he couldn’t do was provide the technical knowledge Archie had hoped for, which meant that he was back at square one.
It was a frustration, but not a death sentence. From what he could recall from the briefing at the start, Archie knew that there were plenty more that’d been forced into this game, which meant there were more opportunities to find allies with useful skills. Shit, they might even get started without him.
Beyond that, there were things that could be worked out even lacking extensive engineering knowledge.
“Eh, it’s fine. The two of us are kind of fucked in that regard too.” Archie spoke with a sigh and an easy shrug.
It was then that another stranger wandered into the circle, a girl being pulled along by a large plastic ball. The sight was kind of surreal, considering the circumstances, but at least she seemed friendly enough.
The new girl waved, as did Dominik, and Archie continued the trend.
“You can join us, if you want. We’re just talking.” He offered. It was possible that she wouldn’t understand, but so far English had proven to be the common language here. Before he heard the stranger’s reply, though, he turned his attention back to Jia Li and Dominik, though he made no effort to quiet his voice if the the newcomer happened to be listening.
“Look, we don’t know each other, or at least I don’t know anybody here, and we might not have the best skills for it, but we’re all in the same fucked up situation. So, can I assume that, since nobody’s fighting, we can agree that it’s best to try to figure some way out of this?” Archie was trying to lead into an offer of working together on an escape.
Sure it was a risky endeavor with little in the way of a real plan, but the only real alternative was to attempt murder in the hopes of impressing some psychopaths.
It was a frustration, but not a death sentence. From what he could recall from the briefing at the start, Archie knew that there were plenty more that’d been forced into this game, which meant there were more opportunities to find allies with useful skills. Shit, they might even get started without him.
Beyond that, there were things that could be worked out even lacking extensive engineering knowledge.
“Eh, it’s fine. The two of us are kind of fucked in that regard too.” Archie spoke with a sigh and an easy shrug.
It was then that another stranger wandered into the circle, a girl being pulled along by a large plastic ball. The sight was kind of surreal, considering the circumstances, but at least she seemed friendly enough.
The new girl waved, as did Dominik, and Archie continued the trend.
“You can join us, if you want. We’re just talking.” He offered. It was possible that she wouldn’t understand, but so far English had proven to be the common language here. Before he heard the stranger’s reply, though, he turned his attention back to Jia Li and Dominik, though he made no effort to quiet his voice if the the newcomer happened to be listening.
“Look, we don’t know each other, or at least I don’t know anybody here, and we might not have the best skills for it, but we’re all in the same fucked up situation. So, can I assume that, since nobody’s fighting, we can agree that it’s best to try to figure some way out of this?” Archie was trying to lead into an offer of working together on an escape.
Sure it was a risky endeavor with little in the way of a real plan, but the only real alternative was to attempt murder in the hopes of impressing some psychopaths.
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AnimeNerd
- Posts: 598
- Joined: Sun May 24, 2020 1:27 am
- Location: A place that can sustain life
- Team Affiliation: Claudia's Krakens
'How shocking. The random teenager, from who-knows-where, on an island where they're supposed to kill each other, didn't have any significant technological engineering experience. Color me surprised.'
Jia Li didn't actually say that, but she couldn't help thinking it. Whoever the people behind this were, they were capable enough to kidnap at least twenty-nine high schoolers-thirty, actually, considering the dead American. She seriously doubted that they would have brought in someone intelligent enough to figure out how to remove the things around their necks.
But Jia Li didn't voice those thoughts, either. For obvious reasons.
A girl appeared, pushing a giant plastic bubble. She waved. Dominik waved. Archie waved. Jia Li waved, albeit somewhat awkwardly, a bit confused at the sight. Was that just something the girl found, or was this another 'weapon' chosen by their captors?
She didn't have time to ruminate on that thought before Archie spoke again. Explaining the obvious, before offering what Jia Li could only assume was an alliance with the goal of escaping without killing everyone. It was naive, incredibly childish, to think that they could achieve something like that. Stories like this didn't have happy endings where everyone survived-they had endings where one person lived and had to deal with the psychological trauma for the rest of their lives. It was an assumption, but one she knew was true. Attempting survival without killing would only result in them dying.
But Jia Li didn't say that.
She sighed and said, "I'm up for it, at least. I would prefer not killing anyone, but I definitely don't plan on dying here."
Because at school, if anyone retaliated to her with physical force, they would be the one in trouble. If someone gave her a black eye, she could go to the teachers about it, crying and pointing her finger at the culprit, who would be doomed to suspension at best, and full on expulsion at worst. If she had to deal with a fight at school, she would always win.
But this wasn't school. This was an island where everyone was told to kill each other. An island where Dominik could change his mind and gun down the two of them without a second thought-because he wanted to live. An island where Archie could decide her disagreement meant she would try to kill, and decided she was better off strangled or thrown off a cliff into the waters bellow. An island where someone could stab her to death just because they didn't like her face, really.
Jia Li wanted to live, and if that meant playing nice with an optimistic idiot, then so be it.
Jia Li didn't actually say that, but she couldn't help thinking it. Whoever the people behind this were, they were capable enough to kidnap at least twenty-nine high schoolers-thirty, actually, considering the dead American. She seriously doubted that they would have brought in someone intelligent enough to figure out how to remove the things around their necks.
But Jia Li didn't voice those thoughts, either. For obvious reasons.
A girl appeared, pushing a giant plastic bubble. She waved. Dominik waved. Archie waved. Jia Li waved, albeit somewhat awkwardly, a bit confused at the sight. Was that just something the girl found, or was this another 'weapon' chosen by their captors?
She didn't have time to ruminate on that thought before Archie spoke again. Explaining the obvious, before offering what Jia Li could only assume was an alliance with the goal of escaping without killing everyone. It was naive, incredibly childish, to think that they could achieve something like that. Stories like this didn't have happy endings where everyone survived-they had endings where one person lived and had to deal with the psychological trauma for the rest of their lives. It was an assumption, but one she knew was true. Attempting survival without killing would only result in them dying.
But Jia Li didn't say that.
She sighed and said, "I'm up for it, at least. I would prefer not killing anyone, but I definitely don't plan on dying here."
Because at school, if anyone retaliated to her with physical force, they would be the one in trouble. If someone gave her a black eye, she could go to the teachers about it, crying and pointing her finger at the culprit, who would be doomed to suspension at best, and full on expulsion at worst. If she had to deal with a fight at school, she would always win.
But this wasn't school. This was an island where everyone was told to kill each other. An island where Dominik could change his mind and gun down the two of them without a second thought-because he wanted to live. An island where Archie could decide her disagreement meant she would try to kill, and decided she was better off strangled or thrown off a cliff into the waters bellow. An island where someone could stab her to death just because they didn't like her face, really.
Jia Li wanted to live, and if that meant playing nice with an optimistic idiot, then so be it.
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Carrion Queen
- Posts: 427
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 6:35 am
Soraya watched and the three all waved back. One boy offered that she was welcome to join.
Soraya referred to the zorbing pamphlet to see if there was more information.
"Inútil basura chingado," she grumbled and forcefully shoved the papers back into her bag.
Quizás debería tratar un camino nuevo con este mara.
Ella recordó a su tiempo trabajando en el gymnasio del resort. Trabajando por plata, sí, pero también por propina.
"Eres tan bueno con los huéspedes que casi creo que te gustan," dijo su colega Maria.
"Aprendí como," dijo Soraya. "Sacrifiqué demasiado para estar aquí; voy a ganar todo que puedo."
"Mmm. Sí. Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, macarena."
"Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegría y cosa buena," respondó Soraya.
"Pero, dale a tu cuerpo alegría."
"Eh, macarena," ella asintió con tristeza. "Ay?"
Hmm. Ok. Tratamos esto, pero con un poco de seguro.
"Hi," she said. Soraya walked towards the group, pushing her ball. "My name is Rubí. I woke up with this very impressive um..... ball," she said, gesturing to it. She smiled a bit.
Ella miré que uno de los chico tenía un cohete, pero mantenó su sonrisa.
Soraya referred to the zorbing pamphlet to see if there was more information.
"Awkward lull in conversation? Try some ZORB facts!
The record for the fastest Zorb ride was set by New Zealander Keith Kolver. He managed to hit a top speed of 32 miles per hour! Never forget: a ZORB can be your iron shell against an oppressive yet aloof general public -- "
The record for the fastest Zorb ride was set by New Zealander Keith Kolver. He managed to hit a top speed of 32 miles per hour! Never forget: a ZORB can be your iron shell against an oppressive yet aloof general public -- "
"Inútil basura chingado," she grumbled and forcefully shoved the papers back into her bag.
Quizás debería tratar un camino nuevo con este mara.
Ella recordó a su tiempo trabajando en el gymnasio del resort. Trabajando por plata, sí, pero también por propina.
"Eres tan bueno con los huéspedes que casi creo que te gustan," dijo su colega Maria.
"Aprendí como," dijo Soraya. "Sacrifiqué demasiado para estar aquí; voy a ganar todo que puedo."
"Mmm. Sí. Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, macarena."
"Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegría y cosa buena," respondó Soraya.
"Pero, dale a tu cuerpo alegría."
"Eh, macarena," ella asintió con tristeza. "Ay?"
Hmm. Ok. Tratamos esto, pero con un poco de seguro.
"Hi," she said. Soraya walked towards the group, pushing her ball. "My name is Rubí. I woke up with this very impressive um..... ball," she said, gesturing to it. She smiled a bit.
Ella miré que uno de los chico tenía un cohete, pero mantenó su sonrisa.