FSE

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Uma wasn't exactly reassured as she followed the others out of the teleport, sure that trap wasn't the last they would come across. She was still shivering despite having wiped most of the foam from her body, the tingling cold fading as she walks. She is happy to hang back really, cowardly it might be but the thought of triggering another trap has her trembling with something other than cold.

Despite keeping that to herself out of a desire to not humiliate Uma, Lucci couldn't help notice how apprehensive she suddenly felt. Which wasn't to say she didn't notice other things as well. Like there was no missing the way Bonnie moved to her side. Now, that could of course just be her kindly checking on her. But Lucci couldn't help notice this sudden surge of protectiveness had put her safely at the back of the group as they fell into step behind Lena.

'You can't blame them for being nervous.' Adam must have noticed Lucci staring and maybe come to the same conclusion as her. 'This place does seem to be full of a lot of traps.'

'You don't seem nervous.' Lucci said coyly.

'Well..it looks like fun.' Adam shrugged. 'I guess I'll find out soon. When we get to the first game.'

'You'd love to see Uma play it too.' Lucci chuckled. 'I saw your face when she tripped the trap. You want to see her gunged, don't you?'

'Well..maybe..a little.' Adam didn't feel he could admit more than that yet. This had been his secret..fascination since his early teen years. A fascination that had only grown as those years went by. Luckily he was saved from elaborating as Lena chimed up.

'Well..here we are in the Barracks. Not the most luxurious place around but it is a military base after all. Even if it could do with some colour around the place.'

'I could splash some colour around if you'd like.' Cobalt said with a grin as another of the cunningly hidden screens flashed to life. 'But I'd rather save my Gunge for splashing over all of you. Remember, you are in my world now. With my rules.'

'We can take your rules. And your games.' Lucci said boldly.

'Let's hope you can live up to that.' Cobalt replied. 'For I've chosen who shall play my first. Haven't I, Uma?'

There was no denying that came as a surprise to Uma, the young kitten taking a brief step backwards before she rallied with as brave a look as she could manage. 'I..I'll do it.'

'That's the spirit. This way.'

How Lena knew which room to lead Uma, and by extension the others, towards she had no idea but after a few seconds they were outside the chosen door which she tapped open and before she could change her mind Uma stepped inside.

Still Uma couldn't help being nervous as the door opened to admit her to whatever lay beyond. It wasn't just the unknown nature of the game that awaited her. It was being separated however temporarily from the safety of her team. Not for the safety in numbers thinking that Bonni would have employed, that they would be there to take the gunging for her. But just simply that she couldn't rely upon them for moral support.

At least she hadn't found herself immediately in a Gunge tank, she was sure she would have just walked into one right away and found herself nervously helpless to escape. Which would have been..well..differently nervous.

Those feelings of nerves weren't soothed when she actually saw what lay on the other side, the dimly lit room having the feeling of some kind of classroom. Even with the ceiling obscured by the darkness, which really didn't help her either, the lines of desks filling the room were a dead give away, her eyes following those lines until they lead to a single desk at the front of the room, one that stood out as the only one provided with a chair. Despite that the whole surround still had the same military feel as the corridors outside, the walls made of the same deep grey metal completely plain and unadorned.

So much so that Uma couldn't help being caught by the serious instinct to turn and leave. Not for any real fear, just the hang on of her old school anxiety she had never really shaken. Having moved around a lot of new schools when she was younger, a new classroom always held the spectre of dread for her. A spectre that couldn't help rising up in the form of an imagined stern teacher awaiting her, some academic version of Cobalt perhaps. Luckily the truth couldn't be further from that fear. As she watched, the lights rose at the end of the classroom to reveal an elegantly groomed red setter, her russet fur mixed nicely with her unadorned black jacket and trousers that had a decidedly military cut, her face already blossomed into a welcoming smile before the lights had fully risen to also reveal that she was seated behind something that could only be described as a teachers desk. A desk which was set itself in front of something Uma took be a blackboard but which upon closer inspection turned out to be a screen showing an image of a blackboard. Surely that would have a use later, Uma reflected, not sure if that was good or bad as she continued the nervous glances around her, seeking any sign of the Gunge she knew awaited her. But the low lighting on the ceiling made that impossible, the heavy shade hiding any number of messy traps she would surely gave to walk underneath to reach the front of the room. But they surely wouldn't Gunge her before the game started. As logical as that was, it was really of little comfort to Uma.

'Come in, come in sweetie. Nothing to be scared off. Unless you are scared of some Gunge of course. Cause I can't guarantee you will get away without getting some on ya. Now..you are Uma, yes? I'm Della. Do have a seat.'

At the sound of that voice Uma felt her face twitch into a smile that could only have been called hesitant. Nervous even. Teasing she might have been, but she had hit it right on the nose. She was scared of the Gunge, humbling as it was to admit it to even herself. It wasn't as if her brush with the foam had relaxed her any. The..tameness of it worrying by itself. Like it was designed to make them relaxed about how the Gunge might actually feel. Sure...it really couldn't be bad but she couldn't shake the deep seated worry that it really felt horrible. So..why had she agreed to this?

It was a question Uma couldn't help asking as with shaking legs she did as she was bid, pulling out and settling into the seat right before the Setter occupied desk, nervously easing herself onto the cool metal filled with a chill that her jumpsuit couldn't fully stave off. Somehow she felt more on the spot now than when she had been standing, trapped in a way. True, she could have stood up at any time but the eyes of the faux teacher before her were enough to keep her in her seat, holding her as firmly as the plastic box she had feared finding herself in. All of that meant Uma stayed seated even as the lights above her rose to reveal what the shadows had indeed been hiding, the outline of some complicated mechanism slowly revealed which the increasingly nervous Uma followed back to the imposing vat suspended at the rear of the room which she had walked under unknowingly. The only slight comfort, if you could call it that, was the identical vat fixed a much shorter distance, behind the red setter at her raised desk; which meant she wasn't the only one risking getting messy. In fact, given that this second vat was a fraction of the distance away from Della than Uma's was from her maybe pointed to some greater risk for her. Then again, maybe not.

'There. That's better.' Della continued as if the appearance of this sudden surprise was no surprise at all. Which it probably wasn't. 'I do like a class up close where I can see them.' Della continued. 'Now..this game is fairly easy. One thing I learnt in the military and saw far too often in my new recruits was a lack of memory, information retention and observation. And I'm hoping you can impress me with that today. I have questions that will test your memory of the pictures and videos I'm going to show you. Each question you get wrong will move that vat along the room and closer to you. A wrong answer when one is over your desk means it gets emptied over you. On the flip side, a right answer moves the other vat closer to me. If you Gunge me before the same happens to you, then you win and get 100 points for each question you got right. If not..well..then it's a failing grade for you sweetie. Okay. Are you ready to start?'

Uma wasn't exacdly she she was but she nodded anyway. 'Yes. I ready. I'm ready. Oh..I'm not..but let's do this.'

'Alright.' Della nodded as a screen flickered to life behind her where the faux blackboard had been. A screen that quickly started to run a video of a series of flickering numbers that flashed and danced before her eyes as Uma struggled to pick out any pattern from the seemingly random jumble.

'Ohh..that's a hard one to get started with.' Della said with genuine sympathy. 'But I don't give do overs I'm afraid. Which means I need an answer to this; which number appeared most frequently in the video?'

Hard one indeed. Uma couldn't help her palms tingling with sweat as she wracked her brains for an answer even as the surface of her desk was illuminated with squares showing the numbers she had just seen. Which didn't exactly help her come to an answer. She had seen a lot of 2's. And 7's. and 10's as well. But as for which she had seen the most of, she hadn't a clue. 'Seven?' Uma hazarded that, knowing that was a pure guess but that didn't stop her pressing the seven before her.

That having been a guess, she wasn't entirely surprised to hear Della's reply, her voice oddly mixed with both satisfaction and sympathy in one tenderly soft package, like she was pleased with her failing but not gloating in it. 'Close. But '2' was the answer.'

Despite that comment which was no doubt meant to be reassuring, Uma squeaked anyway as with a hasty lurching grind the first vat dragged itself laboriously forward with a jerky swaying motion that made Uma flinch despite its distance from her, shying away from even the possibility of any splashing over her. While it had only moved a short distance, Uma couldn't help feeling disproportionately less safe given how far away the threat of her first serious gunging was. A feeling only highlighted by the grin on Della's face.

She loved that aspect of the game, the visceral, almost primal grinding of gears the perfect way to draw home to her 'Student' exactly what they were in for. Something that was deliberate, not the end result of shoddy work. There was just something about the irresistible unstoppable mechanical nature that prompted the most delicious reactions from the cute ones like the kitten before her. Not that Della was as cruel or..'sadistic' as she found some of her Sentinel cohorts to be..but you didn't sign up for this job unless you got something of a thrill subjecting someone to gallons upon gallons of icky goo. Something she was looking forward to hopefully subjecting Uma too very soon. Surely she would look deliciously cute dripping in green gunk. Or blue. Or pink. That was part of the fun. Not even Della knew what tl expect. It just hoghtendd the anticipation.

Anticipation might have been too strong a word for what Uma was feeling, but she certainly was..anticipating what was coming, given the little tells that were giveaways that she wanted to keep glancing behind her. She kept telling herself it wouldn't be that bad, but couldn't shake the thought that she might soon be finding out first paw.

'Okay. Next video.' That short phrase quickly focused Uma away from the vats that were too close for her liking and back to the screen before her. A sudden focus that didn't exactly help her make sense of the rapidly flickering colours that flashed before her eyes. Colours that she tried to track and keep up with, doing her best to keep an eye out for which one came up the most often. So it was understandable that she was thrown by the question asked of her. 'Now..what was the sequence of colours you just saw?'

Uma really had no idea, a confusion not even dispelled by the three options now highlighted on the desk before her, all of which seemed as likely and unlikely as the others. At least she only had three choices, so it was really just a one in three chance. Not seeing anything better to do, Uma tapped her finger on the 1st square, silently praying she had chosen right.

The young kitten wasn't exactly surprised when that did turn out to be wrong, yet she did at least have the relief from the vat only edging a little bit closer with the same grinding noise as before. Nor was she disappointed to have gotten two questions wrong, since those questions had helped her understand the game. Even if they hadn't lessened her jitters that much.

'Video three. Here we go.' Barely had Della uttered those words than the screen flickered too life again, showing a sequence of four random numbers. Then another. Only...they weren't random. Uma had no idea exactly what clued her in, but the second, if you did a particular set of sums along the way, ended up with the first number in the chain. As did the third set. And the forth..so..did that mean the first broke that sequence? It was a guess but it was really the only guess she had to go on. And one that was taken one step closer to being proved by the next words Della spoke. 'This ones a slightly harder one. Which set of numbers was the odd one out?'

'The first.' Uma wasted no time confidently answering that as she tapped the button that corresponded to that sequence on the desk before her. Luckily for her the screen wasted no time in proving her answer to be correct, winning a delighted smile from Uma and a surprised yet proud one from Della. Yet one tinged with a undertow of worry, understandably so perhaps as her vat was now the one to inch closer, having cut her margin of safety by a good third while Uma's vat stayed right where it was.

Uma might have been thrilled by that albeit temporary reprieve but Della didn't seem as nonchalant as she had once been, the sudden dip of her ears a giveaway to the flicker of worried awareness that seemed to run through her. Was it possible that she was as nervous about getting gunged as she was?

Uma would never know how close to the mark she came with that, that subtle reaction hiding a genuine flash of panic. Sure, Della had known she might get gunged but it had always been an..abstract concept..until now. Seated her, almost beneath an actual vat of Gunge, the possibility seemed very real. And more than a little intimidating.

'You know..I'm impressed you got that.' Della said, her voice filled with a genuine touch of amused respect that she alone knew was a mask for that emotion. 'Most people didn't.'

'Most..people?' Uma asked, unable to resist the curiosity that question raised. 'But...I thought this was the first episode?'

'It is.' Della smiled. 'We still had to test the games out. True, most of them didn't know what they were testing until they got here. Had to keep it secret. Proved to be a bit of a shock true enough. Anyway, you are doing well. But this next one is a bit different.'

Different was right. Where the last videos had been numbers based, Uma was more than a little thrown by the image before her female feline in a red dress moving down a corridor that could have been a school. Followed by a tiger in a pin stripe suit crossing a road. Then a curvy orca in a white one piece bathing suit. Then a young stallion in a school uniform.

The video continued in that vein, cycling through different settings and places, sometimes in the same place. Sometimes not. Sometimes crossing each other's paths and even crisscrossing them. All of which made it difficult to track them and keep them straight. Not for lack of trying on Uma's part. It started well bit the longer it went on, the more..bamboozled she became. Something that was driven home as the video emddd and Uma was left with just her recollections to sort things out.

'See...different wasn't it.' Della said. 'Don't let it scare you. All I need to know is who appeared the most times.'

Della might just have meant that as a recap, but it did at least help Uma to focus. Focus on what she was sure of. She had only seen the Orca only twice. She did kind of stand out in that swimsuit. As did the feline in the red dress. Uma was sure she had seen her three times. At least three times. Which just left the stallion and the tiger. Both of who she had probably seen five times. So..she must have missed one of them somewhere. Like..the stallion. Hadn't she seen him in the background when the feline was buying her coffee about a minute in? Not having anything better to go with, she made that her guess with a firm press of the button below his image that had just appeared with the others on her desk.

Truth be told Uma had felt quietly confident about her choice, right until she heard the heavy clunk from above her as the Vat once again edged closer both to her and the prospect of her gunging. That quiet confidence faded into a genuine shudder simply from her imaginings about how it might feel, her mind conjuring the image of thick sloppy green gunk raining all around her, the sticky slime seeping through her jumpsuit to settle clammily against her skin, the fabric surely not being able to resist it. To say nothing of what it would do to her hair and fur, the sudden pour likely to overwhelm her despite any efforts to resist it. She'd seen videos of those who had tried, shrieking as the Gunge poured past clenched hands and hastily wrapped arms like they weren't even there, almost mocking them with the ease at which it coated them. And surely she would fare no better.

'Well..you aren't doing so bad. But that was just a warm up.' Della teased with a grin. 'Now we get serious. Anyway, next question.'

'Right.' Uma nodded with a glance at the vat which hung ominously closer to her than Della's did to the canine. Or it felt that way anyway, certainly to the nervous kitten almost assured of her gunging now.

'Now..for this one..I need you to watch the series of shapes you are going to see very carefully.'

That was all the warning Uma had to prepare before the next clip began to play, her mind racing to keep track of the dancing geometric shapes that flickered before her eyes, trying to burn the details into her memory. At least the shapes didn't flick past too fast, giving her a few seconds to stare at each before the next one appeared. Which left Uma feeling pretty confident in herself when the video came to an end.

'All good. Right. Here is my question. Arrange the shapes you just saw in order of size.'

From the look on Della's face, she had fully expected her question to stump Uma as she glanced eagerly at the vat behind her, almost anticipating its lurch forward. So you could imagine her surprise when it was her vat that inched another foot or so forward to creep to a halt barely that far away from her head.

It came as a surprise to Uma as well, the kitten always having had a head for geometry, a skill that had all too often earned her a cruelly shot 'nerd' now serving her in good stead. Still, it was with less than renowned confidence that Uma had tapped the middle button.

'Well done.' Della's voice had lost nothing of its friendly warmth but there was a tiny flicker of uncertainty behind her eyes now, as if it had just dawned on her she might actually be getting messy here. Uma had no way of knowing she had already been thinking about it, a worry now revealed by that obvious visual cue. 'Let's see how my next one takes you. Here we go.'

Perfectly on cue, the next video started, this one showing more of a narrative structure, a day in the life of video you might say, one focused on the stallion from the video before last. Not having any real idea what she was looking out for, Uma tried to focus on what details she could as the video moved from his home to school and back again, taking in a few public places along the way before the video faded to black.

'Tricky wasn't it.' Della said sympathetically. 'Trying to keep track of it all. Still..maybe you noticed the one thing I'm going to ask about. What object had the stallion lost during the second class of the day.'

Oh..she knew that. Uma muttered those words internally even as her brain raced back over what she had seen. It had fallen out of his pocket in the corridor, as he reached to get his student ID. She could see it fall, but the details of the shape illuded her despite her best efforts. 'Umm..a fidget spinner?' Uma asked uncertainly, drawing with perhaps ill-founded confidence upon the craze that had swept her school as her final year drew to a close.

'I'm afraid not.' Della said, her tone slightly relaxed as she realised she wasn't getting gunged just yet, even as she still aware it was an option. As it was for Uma, her Vat now being the one to inch closer again. 'Maybe I shouldn't have had my hair done yesterday after all. Still..I'm not gunged yet. On with the next one.'

The next one proved to be different again, the narrative replaced by a series of paired images. Images that Uma took a few seconds to realise where outlines of different furkind. And all paired up randomly it seemed. Bird with mammal. And mammal with mammal. And bird with fish. And other sea creatures. Yet not following any definite pattern or sequence. Which maybe meant that she wasn't meant to find a sequence. All of which just left Uma to try and keep and open mind and see what the question was.

'Now..what was the 1st animal to be paired with the giraffe?' Della asked.

Uma hesitated her, her previous confidence not exactly forthcoming, she had seen the giraffe of course, about four pictures in. That she was certain of. And..it had been with a bird..maybe? An owl? She remembered seeing an owl around then but had she seen them together? Not having a better answer, Uma tapped on the picture of the owl in the middle of the top row of buttons on her desk.

'Good guess.' Della said. 'Not right but a good guess. It was the bat actually. Still..good try.'

Good try maybe but Uma couldn't help notice that she was again lined up for another gunging if she got this question wrong as the vat ground into position over her head, one that would cost her the second of her three lives. So..she had better not get this wrong then. Had she.

'Okay..are you ready? Here comes the next one.' Uma had a feeling that even if she hadn't been ready, Della would have gone ahead anyway. Still..Uma had been feeling like she was getting used to how this worked. And felt that way right until the next video started.

She had been expecting another video focused on several characters so when this one focused on one person, she was a little thrown. Not that the video was confusing, she was just left without any real clue as to what to focus on. So she just concentrated on remembering what she could as the young vixen went about her day, filling her head with coffee orders and the type of car she rode in to her office and the name of the office she slipped inside of and a dozen of other things.

'Ahh...I'd forgotten about that one.' Della almost sounded nostalgic. 'Now...let's see how you did. What was the book she renewed from the library?'

Uma's face broke into a grin, not really believing her luck. Of course she had noticed the title of the book. How could she not with it being her favourite book. 'Easy. The Cat Who Kicked The Hornets nest.'

'Hmmm...we have a Larson fan huh.' Della said, maybe just to have something to say as the bucket creaked into place over her head, something to cover whatever swell of emotion she felt. Others might have gloated but not Uma, not with how close she was staring at her first ever gunging. 'Bad luck for me. Good for you. Let's see if you get lucky this time.'

Uma wasn't exactly sure she would get lucky again. Then again, she hoped to not have the kind of luck as the people she saw on the next video. Certainly as this one was a compilation video of a sort, of a particular kind of clip that Uma was never going to look at the same way again given she had already been where those she was watching had been and probably would have been again. Some clips, not all but some, from Serenity Base as well. Uma was pretty sure she recognised the one the Serval and the Rabbit sharing the close gunging in the lift.

'I know....I know.' Della sighed almost as if she didn't approve of the choice of visuals. 'Not subtle is it. Still..it is what it as. As is my question. What was the species of the girl in the forth clip.'

Uma had no idea, the actual mechanics of the huge gunging having distracted her. How could it not as she hunched vainly, her clasped paws did nothing to hinder the red Gunge that splashed against her head and down her dipped neck, the growing stream spreading to bubble and crest over her face. matching the pace as the same happened to her shoulders; the slight umbrella off her neck doing nothing to lessen the coverage of the thick red sludge just now sliding down her back and claiming the curve of her chest beneath the sodden fabric of her top.

Such was the tension that gripped her that it was in that near hunched position that she stayed even as more and more of the red slop tumbled to her head, not daring to raise it as she sucummed to the red streaming over her loose tanktop, a top which only grew more sodden as the seconds went on, the confined and continuing pour raining more and more Gunge over the hunched fur, everything from the tips of her hair to the bottom of her shirt a sea of red gloppy slop that had no end in sight, leaving all of her unrecognisable even down to her species. After all before the clip started Uma had only seen a flash of red ears and little else. Which could be so many things really. Still..there was one species they did make her think of. 'Squirrel?'

'Not quite. It was a fox.' Della said, her voice filled with a touch of sympathy that ran over the current of satisfaction. 'I'd take more satisfaction in that if I didn't think I might be next.' Della said ruefully. 'Still..doesn't look that bad. Anyway, we have one final question. Are you ready?'

Uma nodded firmly, despite the next vat barely a foot away from her, one that would earn her another gunging if she got this one wrong. Yet..she was already messy enough, that one more wouldn't matter. And Della was right, once you got over the shock it wasn't too bad at all.

Uma was drawn out of her musings as the last video began to play, the screen resolving into a myriad of geometric shapes that slid together to form a single larger shape. A scene that repeated itself five times in total, each time with a different assortment and end shape alike.

'Now..the Final Question.' Della said theatrically, her face set in a triumphant grin. 'Which set of shapes made up the second image you saw?'

Della's face held that grin right up until the second Uma confidently tapped her finger against the screen, that bold confidence making her smile falter. But not as much as the steady grinding noise behind her.

The canine's smile leapt from faltering to fading entirely, her eyes wide in shocked disbelief and utter horrific certainty as to what was going to happen next. Della for her part truly had never expected to be gunged this early on, her face a study in unprepared shock as the reality settled in.

In a flash of motion that could only be pure panic, Della ducked her head beneath her hastily wrapped hands; all of which did nothing as the bucket creaked forward inch by inch until she was swamped by the heavy purple wave drawn down upon her by the relentless force of gravity. Her pristine hair instantly slicked as was her outfit, the plain black liberally dosed with bright mauve streaks and waves that alternated between slipping down her back and over her shoulders as she shifted around, her disgusted and disgruntled squirms doing nothing to save her hair which continued to bear the full brunt of the icky deluge.

It looked awful, Uma realised with a sympathetic shudder. Barely a second after the bucket tipped, Della had taken the full force of the unrelenting splash, her red fur slapped with rivers of purple that just seemed to keep pouring. It must have felt awful too, given the way she shivered and shuddered, obviously unprepared for the feeling of the Gunge soaking her clothing which offered about ad much protection as Uma feared hers might have. As Della leaned backwards in an instinctive action to protect herself, Una was sure she could see Gunge leaking out from inside her jumpsuit, either having seeped through it or slipped down her collar, either way having reached a saturation where the only release was to pour out over her legs and around her hips.

Uma could only watch horrifically spellbound, the gunging continuing for far longer than she had expected. Or than Della had expected, given how she raised her body up into the continuing stream that had her duck just as quickly, a fresh wave again matting against her fur as she struggled to protect her face from the worst of it. There was no protecting the rest of her though, and she had given up, staying hunched as mire thick, sticky purple rained down upon her.

Her jumpsuit was drenched, pretty much all purple from her shoulders done to her knees, only her shins and cuffs having been spared the relentless flow of Gunge. And still it poured over her curves and ears, adding more even though she was already slimed beyond recognition. Uma had no words to describe how that might feel, only imagining the slick slime to feel..prime evil as it rolled over her curves and down her neck, sliding against her all too vulnerable fur and the skin beneath it. It had only gone of for 30 seconds but it felt like ten minutes to Uma who had watched every terrible detail, before it finally slowed and emptied ,allowing Della to raise her head to stir the last drips like a shower, running bet long slick hair back over her head.

'That could have been worse.'

'No..that wasn't too bad.' Della grimaced as she raised her head from under the slowing pour. 'But it's still pretty gross. Still..I do owe you congratulations on a well played game. And on a well earned 200 points. Looks like I'll have to up my game the next time we meet. And we will meet again.'

Even with that promise still filling her head, Uma was all smiles as she moved to rejoin her team, basking in the pride of her first victory.

Despite the buoyed up feeling that surrounded Uma like a warm cloud, the young kitten couldn't help feeling more than a little uncertain about the reception she would receive. While she hadn't done that bad all things considered, she wasn't sure the others would see it that way. For all she knew they had expected her to do better and really get them off and running. She could equally well be being silly of course, but she couldn't help that doubt building înside her as she slipped out of the room.

'That was amazing.' Lucci bounded over with Adam following close but more sedately behind her.

'I...really.' Uma whispered shyly. 'Was I?'

'You sure were. The way you powered through those. She really thought she had you foxed. And the look on her face when that stuff splashed over her. I bet she wasn't expecting that. I bet it felt amazing.'

'Perhaps you will find out.' Cobalt's voice cut over the celebration. 'Perhaps sooner if you dawdle around here. You are here to amuse me after all. And if you don't, I may have to do something to amuse myself.'

Uma and Bonnie both shared a look that showed they both felt sure that meant do something to them; Uma going one step further and shying away in a instinctive reaction not to antagonise her anymore. Sadly for her, Lucci didn't seem to have gotten that message.

'Will you?' Lucci stepped forward boldly into the space Uma had retreated from. 'Or will you just let us get on with this? Lena, what game shall we do next?'

'Ahah..I'll do the choosing here.' Cobalt said firmly. 'I think a team game will do well for this one. Lena, take them to the Dive Room.

'Well..that wouldn't have been my first choice.' Lena reflected. 'But I know they can do it. You'll see.'

'Yes. We will. I'll be watching.' Cobalt said before her image winked out.

'Right. We had better get going. Follow me.' Lena said, quickly breaking into a run ahead of the group, again showing her seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of the maze like area. Once again they arrived at a door amongst a collection of others except that this one stood out from the rest, it's design and the heavier construction bringing to mind some kind of bulkhead door like you would find on a ship, a door sealed with a heavy wheel that was clearly designed to give the impression the door and the room beyond was under some kind of pressure.

That was certainly the thought on Bonnie's mind from her position at the back of the group, one which bubbled around her head along with the silent question of why it was called the Dive Room. Which along with the pressure door gave the impression that water was going to be involved somehow. And Bonnie wasn't exactly thrilled about that. And from what she could see, it had the others similarly nervous.

It might have been that question which stopped Lucci wondering why she was hanging back, a question the raccoon had been expecting to hear. Perhaps because she was caught up in the other question. Not that Bonnie had an answer for until she followed the others inside.

'Welcome to the Dive Room.' Lena said as the team gathered around the meerkat with varying degrees of caution and nervous readiness, all of them eyeing the sunken pools of water that surrounded them; those features being the only thing to catch their eyes besides the domed Perspex tank set upon a raised platform connected to a multitude of pipes which itself was set next to a heavy metal plate bolted to some crude yet effective stands. 'Once this room was used to help the colonists train for both space walks and aquatic environments back in the day when it was planned that they might spread out to other planets. I'm sure you aren't surprised to hear that Cobalt has repurposed it to her own uses. Thankfully the pools aren't full of anything more disgusting than water. Which doesn't mean you aren't safe from the Gunge. Well..not all of you anyway. We do need someone to take a seat in the tank so we can get started.'

'I...I'll do it.' Uma said quickly, her still lingering worries about the Gunge outweighed by the worry about water surrounding her. Something she clearly wanted to dodge if she could.

'I know you would.' Lena said kindly. 'But I think Cobalt might want to choose.'

'You'd think right.' Cobalt's firm voice again caught the assembled group by surprise, another hidden screen flickering to life. 'And the one I choose is..Lucci.'

Lena wasn't surprised by that choice. While the others were still learning about each other, Lena and Cobalt knew a lot about the contestants they had chosen, including that Lucci was a great swimmer, so removing her from this game wasn't a coincidence.

Still..Lucci took that in her stride, not even hesitating as she moved to climb up towards and into the tank that sealed shut behind her, the automatic servos hissing to life the second she sat in the curved chair. If she felt any hesitation she didn't show it, shooting the visual Cobalt as firm stare.

If Cobalt was phased by that, she showed no hesitation either. 'Now....I said this was a team game. And I meant it. You can work together here to win my game. And you will need to work together. Hidden in the pools around you are a collection of symbols that you will have to collect and match. Each matched pair scores you 200 points. Those points are yours no matter how you do, but a score of 800 is needed to free Lucci from the tank in which she sits. Collect that before time runs out, and she gets away scot free. And clean as a whistle. Fail at that, well, then not so much. Oh, you have two minutes. Good luck.'

'Okay.' Bonnie said quickly, her confidence having returned now she was safe from the gunging again. Or as safe as she could be, those worries seemingly pushed aside as she eyed the plate thoughtfully. 'Okay. See those circles along the edges. I'm guessing we have to find something to go in them, the pairs Cobalt mentioned no doubt. So let's get looking. We need to split up. Adam, you are with me. Uma, check that pool over there. We will get that one.'

'Sounds good.' Adam said as he quickly tugged off his jumpsuit to leave him dressed in his trunks. 'What? It's going to make it easier to swim.'

'Good point.' Bonnie said, quickly doing the same with the same confidence as she stripped down to her own swimsuit before she and Adam raced towards the water.

Uma for her part was the only one to hesitate with a sudden shyness about parading around in her swimsuit. It was only the words of Cobalt about the timer starting the second they entered the water that pushed her through that, a slight blush gracing her cheeks as she too stripped and moved towards her pool despite a sudden bout of nerves that was clear on her face nodded as she moved with obvious trepidation towards the pool Bonnie had pointed out. It wasn't just the water that bothered her, not by itself. She had never really had a problem with water. Just deep water. Luckily she was spared that, the pool before her barely deeper than her hips. Which suited her just fine as she slipped into the cool but not unpleasant water, her keen eyes scrutinising the rippling depths. Depths that did nothing to hide the dark shapes that rested below the surface. Not having a better idea where to start looking, Uma advanced on the first, crouching as low as she could, her paws feeling around the rectangular shape, trying to identify it as best she could.

On the other side of the room, Bobbi and Adam were in the process of the same objective. Only with a more paws on approach. Well..a more in depth paws on approach. Despite Bonnie's initial taking of charge, Adam was the first into the pool. And under it was well. With the deeper water here, it was the only way to reach the rippling shapes he too had picked out under the water. Luckily he was a good swimmer, maybe not as good as Lucci might have been but good enough. After all, with more than a few swimming and diving lessons under his belt, he wasn't afraid of water. So it was with a deep breath he plunged under the surface, his arms pulling him down until his legs were submerged enough to help drive him through the water.

Luckily the water was clear enough, the pale lights above creating a soft rippling effect that didn't reality pose an issue with visibility. Barely had Adam dived more than a few feet before the vague shapes he had seen resolved into a heavy metal lined chest, something that would have seemed not exactly out of place on a pirate ship. Guessing that was a perfect place to start looking, Adam struck out for the closest one, hoping that it wasn't locked in some way. If they had to find keys as well as finding these symbols, they weren't likely to get anywhere.

Thankfully his worries proved baseless, the chest sealed by little more than a simple latch. A few seconds work and he had the chest open, the lid flapped back to reveal a black plastic circle with a white symbol on one side he couldn't really make out down here. Not wanting to waste time working it out down here he kicked back to the surface and away from Bonnie who had just arrived at the chest she had been aiming for.

Which didn't stop his lungs burning a little the second his head broke the surface, his hair and fur dripping even before he climbed out of the pool, the floor around him quickly turned into a puddle as he raced towards black metal plate noticed earlier. Adam's guess that it was something to do with the disc in his paw. Or was meant for the disc in his paw. A guess proved true as he idly pressed the disc against the metal, pleasantly surprised when it connected with a solid clang, no doubt down to the magnets he guessed were fixed upon the back.

'Oh..you got one too.' Uma said as she moved up quickly behind Adam. 'They seem to have zodiac signs on them. I mean..I guess that's a Scorpio on mine. And Taurus on yours.'

'I guess it is.' Adam pulled, with a great deal of effort, his gaze away from the still dripping wet Uma to eye the disc he had grabbed, the detail much clearer now if was above water. 'So..we need to find pairs of zodiac symbols. Four of them if my maths is right.'

'Three.' Bonnie chimed in as she triumphantly added a still damp Taurus symbol to the right of the board. 'Guess I got lucky.'

'Let's hope we all get lucky.' Adam said as he took the lead back to the search.

Lucky was very much what Uma hoped she was going to be on her race back to her pool. Despite her victory in the last game she wasn't going to rest on that victory or just be a one trick kitten. Besides she was, perhaps as unworthy of her as it was, feeling a little down that Bonnie had found one and she hadn't. She knew she had no reason to be but somehow she was. She'd never been one to have a mean streak or hold a grudge, but she couldn't help feeling put out by Bonnie's seeming unwillingness to share the same risks they did. And maybe in some small way she wanted to, if not show her up, then at least edge past her somehow. And yet despite that certainly she still felt, she was also gripped with a pang of guilt about those feelings. Still, those conflicting feelings didn't stop her from slipping back into the pool with a careful grip on the edge. Only once she was sure in her footing did she move to find the next chest.

Which didn't take long, Uma just following the reflected shimmering dark shape below the surface, moving carefully to avoid bashing her foot on the solid box. Only once she was sure she was above it did she crouch down, her paws feeling for the catch around the edge. While it was a search that only took a few seconds, it felt like much much longer to Uma. It's funny really, she hadn't felt this..hurried..this rushed for time the last game. Maybe that was the reason her paws trembled as she fumbled with the latch. Fumbling or not, Uma still manage to pop the chest open, her paws reached in to pull out the disc inside.

Risking a glance over to the other pool, Uma felt her heart lift a little to see that Bonnie hadn't surfaced yet. And that Adam hadn't if she was honest. While she didn't exactly dislike him looking at her in her swimwear, she wouldn't have minded holding off on that for a few more minutes.

Not that they had that many more minutes left in this game. It was that thought that motivated Uma to race back to the board with her disc as she splashed out of the pool. Focused though she was, Uma was starting to relax and enjoy the game now she had broken through the nerves barrier. While she was disappointed she hadn't found another pair, she was reassured that she with her discovery of the Capricorn symbol had brought them closer to finding another.

Uma wasn't the only one to be bringing them closer to finding that illusive next pair. The reason why Uma hadn't seen Bonnie back on the surface yet was because her next dive had taken her deeper than the last. While not being one to brag, she wasn't a bad swimmer either. Ever since she could walk her father had taken her diving all over the world and while she preferred warmer than this, he had made sure she was fully prepared for the risks of diving, and that including diving without an air supply. She was a little out of practice but it seemed somethings did really become second nature.

No, the burn wasn't in her lungs but in her legs. She normally did prefer a slower pace when swimming, which didn't mean she couldn't stand the pace. Especially as it was a pace that had carried her twice as deep as her last successful search, her legs slowed as she twisted to hover before the chest as she quickly released the latch with a release of bubbles

The moment of triumph or at least success she had hoped for faded as quick as those bubbles, bubbles that turned out to be the only thing inside the chest. From a distant point of view, Bonnie supposed she shouldn't have been surprised some of the chests would be decoys. But up close to it, she couldn't help being annoyed by it. Fighting down that feeling, Bonnie cast around for another chest within easy striking distance. Which as luck would have it, there was. The problem was Adam had beaten her too it. Which she couldn't blame him for. He was trying to win this as much as she was. So..she had to find another chest. And there were a couple she could reach from here. But not without heading back up for some more air. Something Bonnie did as fast as she could.

Someone who didn't have to worry about air was Lucci, which wasn't to say that her breath wasn't catching in her throat. While she very much wanted her team to win the game..or at least score as many points as possible...she couldn't deny she was curious about what would happen if they didn't. She had, in a seeing the funny side kinda way, enjoyed watching Della's gunging. As much as she thought Uma would have looked kinda cute if she had taken her place. And that sight had lit the fire of curiosity within her, one that wasn't going to go away until she actually felt it for herself. Something she very much hoped she would feel soon enough.

Still..at the moment she was more than content to watch the game. And root for her team of course. Others might have been disappointed to sit a game out but not Lucci. She was a competitive girl whatever she did. And watching her teammates compete brought out the competitive spirit in her. The only thing was she feeling a little down about was that inside this chamber they couldn't hear her cheering. Which meant she had nothing to do with her bubbling excitement. Nothing but sit and wait and see what happened.

Caught up in his search, Adam was unaware of his teammates conflict. Which wasn't to say his mind didn't turn to her every now and then; his thoughts mirroring Lucci's in a way. He too was aware what awaited her and couldn't stop thinking about it. While this wasn't exactly something he could admit openly, he had been more than a little excited about the gungings he was going to have a front row seat for. Before he had even met the others. And while Uma getting coated in Gunge had been filling most of his thoughts, he couldn't deny that Lucci receiving the same hadn't slipped into his mind.

Luckily for him, those thoughts hadn't proved to be a serious distraction to his search. After all, he needed all his concentration. While he was getting used to working with the chests underwater, it still took a lot of focus. A focus that had paid off, the chest he had chosen yielding another disc. Aware of the burn in his lungs, Adam kicked back to the surface, passing Bonnie on the way down.

She might not have had the luck he had but she clearly wasn't giving up. Adam only had a second to see the determined expression on her face before he was forced to break the surface. Drawing in a deep breath, Adam kicked out towards the side of the pool, then up and out of the pool. Pausing only to shake himself dry Adam moved swiftly towards the plate with a grin as he saw the new disc already attached to the heavy metal. A disc that he quickly guessed was the result of Uma's handiwork. And better still, although it was more pride in her that raised his smile, it was a match with his. Which made them halfway towards winning the game.

That was a thought that surely would have buoyed up Bonnie had she known about his success, but being back under the water she had no chance to bask in that small victory. She was more interested in her own victory. She, alone out of all the others, was not conflicted in her thoughts about winning. Not that she wanted to save Lucci..well..she did..but that wasn't her main motivation. She wanted to win. Lucci she knew had doubts about her..commitment, perhaps having read a little too much into her earlier slip about the others being the ones to risk facing the Gunge and not her. Surely a solid win would go a long way to reassuring her about that. That was her hope anyway. A hope she suddenly became another step closer too the second she opened the second chest she had her eyes on. This time she was rewarded with another disc that she again wasted no time in carrying back to the surface, her haste carrying her back to the plate a few seconds behind Adam.

'Hey..you got another.' Adam said with a grin as he eyed the Leo symbol in her paw. 'That's great.'

'Yeah..but it's not a match. And I think we aren't going to be so lucky from here out.' Bonnie said quickly. 'I didn't see any more chests down there. Did you?'

'Not really.' Adam admitted. 'But we might have missed something. I guess we should look again.'

'I will.' Bonnie said firmly. 'You help Uma.'

While she would have been grateful Adam had offered, Uma didn't need help. She had already checked and discarded the third chest. Then she noticed something she had overlooked in her haste, a low partition at the back of the pool disguised as a solid wall by the subtle patch of darkness that fell upon it.

Now that she looked closely, the gap was obvious to her keen eye. And easily big enough for her to slip past without going the surface if she was careful. Despite her surety about that, Uma couldn't help a little flutter of worry. Worry she pushed down on as she squirmed her way under the low gap, very much relying on her paws and the solid grip she took on the smooth metal to keep her head out of the water. It might not have been the most elegant technique but it worked, carrying her out into the area on the other side. An area she could only describe as an artificial grotto filled with a myriad of ledges, pillars and raised platforms.

A number of which had resting upon them a collection of the same types of chests they had seen and searched earlier, all of them separated from her by the much deeper pool she now floated in. By all rights that thought should have held her back. But encouraged perhaps by her success of finding this place, Uma didn't even think about that as she kicked out for the closest platform. She too was not a bad swimmer, her lithe feline legs driving her through the softly lapping water towards the platform she had set her eyes on, her arms only really taking the strain when it came to time to haul herself up onto the somewhat slick surface before her. Luckily with her lithe almost kittenish frame that wasn't hard and within seconds Uma was crouched before the chest, her paws dripping with streams of water to match the flood pouring off her body as the latch yielded to her deft fingers.

Uma hadn't really expected to find one, so her surprise was palatable on her face when she found herself staring at the unmistakable outline of Capricorn. Which was one of the symbols Adam had already found, she was sure. Uma was half a second away from racing back to add it the board when a flash of sense stopped her. She would just be wasting time if she did that. Surely better to keep searching than loose time with an unneeded trip.

Yes, far better to do that when she had two. Set on her course, Uma splashed back into the water, only to shriek as something first brushed her leg then surfaced beside her with a gasp and a splash.

'Sorry. Sorry.' Bonnie spluttered as she broke through the surface of water as a mass of spiky fur from her ears to the mask markings around her eyes to her not so fluffy tail. 'I didn't see you. How did you get here?'

'I came under the wall.' Uma nodded back to the gap she had slipped under, her paws still clinging to the pillar she had leapt towards in her shock. 'How did you get here?'

'I found a tunnel.' Bonnie said between deep breathes. 'I had no idea it came out here. But I did find this along the way.'

'You found one too.' Uma said as she saw the metal disc she flashed, trying not to sound smug that she had found a pair with her Capricorn symbol and Bonnie hadn't.

'Not that I knew there was a chest down there. I just hoped it would lead to more of them.' Bonnie admitted.

'Seems it did.' Uma replied. 'Let's see what else we can find.'

Bonnie wasn't going to argue with that as she struck out for a ledge at the rear, the swimming easier up here despite the ache in her legs. It hadn't gone unnoticed to her that Uma had completed another pair. Not that she felt jealous about that, more eager to build upon that success. Despite her worry that she might have used up her luck quota already, she rapidly scrambled up towards and opened her chosen chest. Somehow she hadn't. True, it wasn't a match to the one she had found. But like Uma she knew her Aries was a match to a symbol already found.

'I got another.' Bonnie called out as she slipped back into the water.

'Good.' Adam called out, the sloth as equally wet as the two girls having arrived while Bonnie had been busy with her last find. 'Bonnie, take Uma's and get them back to the board. We will keep looking for the last one.'

Seeing the sense in that, Uma handed hers over without complaint before twisting around awkwardly in the water towards the first chest her eyes set on. Bonnie for her part didn't stick around to watch her go, already moving as she was towards the partition. Taking a deep breath she ducked under it, splashing back up to the surface and towards the edge of the pool, staying swimming right until the very edge. Only them did she scramble out of the water and over to the board to slap her two discs into place.

'30 seconds left.' Bonnie tried not to start as she heard that, a quick spin around returned her to the pool from whence she had come, eyes perled for any sign of Adam.

Her eyes couldn't help flicking up to where Lucci was bouncing excitedly on the seat in the centre of the tank, her tail thumping the floor with vigour and back to the softly lapping water.

Her enthusiasm wasn't dampened even when Adam appeared with a powerful splash, his head bursting free of the idly rippling surface with a grace more akin to a dolphin than his stereotypically sluggish species might have suggested. After all, the odds that he had found exactly what they needed to win the game where scant.

So it was with mixed and yet equally bubbled curiosity and excitement that Lucci watched her waterlogged sloth teammate race towards the board, certain that she was squarely in line for the gunging she had, in no small part, eagerly been looking forward too. That emotion wasn't hidden in or by the grin that spread across her muzzle the second Adam slapped the Gemini symbol on the board with barely two seconds left.

Her face might displayed a grin with a different meaning had she let her gaze on Adam go a little wider. However she was completely caught by surprise when Uma slapped the matching symbol on the other side of the board.

Overall it was hard to tell who was more surprised by that; Lucci, Adam or Uma herself. The kitten had certainly been surprised to find the brother of symbol Adam had just found. Bit she hadn't let the surprise hold her back as she raced to catch up with him, all too aware of the time ticking down.

Adam too had been surprised when Uma had slapped the symbol on the board just as the timer ticked down to zero. He had heard her behind him of course, but in his own haste had not really paid her much attention.

Lucci herself was surprised on two counts; one that she seemed to be getting away clean after all, and two that they had actually won the game she had been sure they wouldn't actually win. Thankfully her excitement over the latter was enough to compensate for the minor disappointment she felt over the other. So it was that her face was nothing but smiles as she was released to join the others, even the cold words of Cobalt couldn't dent her ebullient mood.

'You do continue to surprise don't you. Although I think luck played its part here. Let's see how..Lucci..you are next time.'

There was no missing the subtle inclination in that word or the equally subtle if somewhat teasing menace it carried. Yet Lucci shrugged it off with a coy smile. 'Yes. Why don't we.'