The fourteen contestants calmly ate in the canteen. The door leading to the wider city was open, but everyone was so exhausted that it wasn't even worth the trek outside. Unless you were Lloyd, because he wasn't there.
Ulrich had a bowl of Rhinestones, the sugary cereal. His teeth would feel the agony, but at least he would be awake for whatever today was going to offer. He looked around the tables. Silvia and Seeta were a good bet, but they might still think he was involved with Amber. Cyrus, Valentina and Odebode probably weren't a good bet for the same reason. Huang's group, absolutely not. Eventually, he decided to sit next to Andrei, calmly eating a bowl of muesli.
"Mind if I sit down here?" Ulrich asked Andrei.
"Hm? Oh, sure thing, man."
"Thanks." Ulrich sat down taking a bite out of his cereal.
"You know that stuff really messes with your heart." Andrei informed calmly.
"As long as I get the energy boost, I don't really care." Ulrich groaned back at him.
"Got it." Andrei nodded. "So what brings you here?"
"Well, my best friend here tried framing me for murder. That plays a big role in it."
"So you weren't involved in Gemma's death?" Andrei asked.
"I had literally zero reasons to want her dead." Ulrich responded wearily.
"So, you want to form a team?"
"Nah, not yet. I'm not gonna screw you over, if that's what matters."
"Alright."
Amber ate her toast slowly, a million different things going through her head. Ulrich was probably gunning for her, talking to the strong guy who probably has a grudge against her. Silvia seemed ready to kill her, and she was ready to kill Lloyd. Not to mention today's challenge. 'Stay near the back.' whatever that meant.
"I can't help but notice the cold seat next to you."
One side of Amber's head snapped out of what she was thinking. She looked up, and Micah's shaggy brown hair and green polo shirt were above her.
"Feel free." She sighed.
Micah sat down, eating his bowl of granola.
"So, I can't help but notice you are currently out of companions." He started affably.
"Your point being?" Amber glared.
"My point being is that you are a leader with nothing to lead. And I for one am open to the idea of an alliance."
"So, you're just over that thing in the hotel?" She asked unenthusiastically.
"That's all under the level at this point. So, are you willing to accept me?"
"Whatever." Amber replied, defeated. He probably wasn't planning anything, and if he was, then she could pretty easily kill him. "We're making sure Lloyd dies today, got it?"
"Perfectly comprehended."
Silently, Kalea walked into the room, looking even more tired than usual.
"If all of you are finished your breakfast, please allow me to escort you to the next challenge site."
As the fourteen of them walked over to the challenge site, Valentina made her way over to Eric.
"Um, hey. I know I should have mentioned it yesterday, but I'm sorry for mentioning your name like that." She whispered.
"It's whatever." Eric replied coolly.
"Name?" Yun-Yeong asked, arching an eyebrow.
"She tried calling me Ricky."
"That's stupid." Wendy chuckled.
"Tell me about it." Eric rolled his eyes.
The New York subway.
That was what Ulrich was thinking about as the fourteen of them were stood in front of a stairway leading into an underground train station.
"Didn't know you guys had this." Ulrich calmly said to Odebode.
"Seems like a noise issue for people on lower levels." Yun-Yeong replied.
"Actually, yeah." Ulrich replied. "This seems like a terrible idea this high up."
"Implying the bastards up here care." Eric muttered.
"Speaking of rich bastards, anyone see Lloyd?" Silvia asked abrasively. "He wasn't in the canteen this morning."
"I saw him go over to the love shack last night." Amber answered quietly. "Maybe the hosts didn't wake him up?"
"You think we get a day off if it turns out he killed himself?" Micah asked calmly.
"Damn, guy." Eric replied, his eyes widened. "But actually, good point."
"Sorry for the delay."
Kalea appeared behind them, holding Lloyd's shoulder with what seemed to be a very strong grip, Lloyd having dropped any signs of smug confidence and just looked terrified. "Let's head down. We don't want to keep my co-host waiting."
The sixteen of them descended the stairs, where Leonie stood in front of a subway car.
"Welcome to the District transportation centre!" Leonie yelled.
"Is it me, or does she sound sick?" Valentina asked Cyrus, who nodded back to her
Ulrich listened again, and something definitely sounded…off about her. He wasn't exactly sure if it was sickness, but once his ears picked up the slight tone change, it couldn't get out of his mind.
"Now, this bullet train was destined to be a quick and easy method of transportation. However, the antigravity technology was deemed too expensive and resource wasting, so a second plan was devised, but scrapped with the cancelation of the District Project."
"Antigravity?" Micah asked, his eyes lighting up slightly.
"Yes, Science boy, antigravity!" Leonie answered quickly, trying desperately to get her old tone of voice back. She pressed a button on her watch, and a series of subway cars made their way into view below the platform. All silver polished to a pristine shine. The sliding door on the front car opened, and all the players stepped in. Micah immediately started looking around as giddy as possible, sitting on the chairs, looking over the massive drop below, looking at the overhead compartments.
"Dude, it's a subway." Eric mumbled. "Do you not have these on your level?"
"We do." Amber replied wearily. "Not these antigravity ones, but still."
"How are you not excited about this?" This is antigravity we're talking about! Anti. Gravity! We have had antigravity technology for twenty years and we're just discovering it now! How does this not excite you?"
"Because now it's a death trap?" Yun-Yeong asked calmly.
"Oh…right." The thought crept into Micah's head, and the whole concept lost its lustre.
"Okay, here's how this challenge is gonna go." Leonie yelled over a loudspeaker. "You are in the first of three subway cars. The door at the back will be open, and your goal is to not die! Once five competitors get in, the car will shut off, and you're basically safe! Understood?"
"Very." Silvia snarled, glancing at Lloyd, and then towards Amber.
"Alrighty, then!" Leonie announced with faked gusto, as the doors to the train slowly closed. "See the fourteen of you later."
The train made a quick jolt forward, and then started speeding off in the same direction. As the train was hurtling around the area, the back door opened.
Time for the challenge to begin.