The Panopticon

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkRed][B][CENTER][U]Group 2[/U][/CENTER][/B]

Despite the thick words of Sastasha's mind having left his body, the group knew they had to continue.

[B]"I'll take the body," [/B] Delita explained, [B]"It'll be no task for me, really. If Sastasha's mind comes back, it'll need a place to return to, and besides, I doubt you want your body to be left behind." [/B] Dafine shook Sastasha's head vigorously at the notion. Etamet and Dafine were silent as Delita hoisted the body onto her back and nodded for them to continue. Indeed, the tunnel seemed to stretch on needlessly for an absurd amount of time, probably just for the sake of wearing them out as they journeyed.

[B]?Wow? this is amazing. I?ve never known what it was like to feel fatigue. It?s interesting,? [/B] the onlooker babbled on, oblivious to the fact that neither of the others were in the mood to hear her. Suddenly he came to a stop, and behind the other two halted as well. [B]?We have a guest.?[/B]

From thin air, a man materialized in the path just in front of them.

[CENTER]***[/CENTER]

[CENTER][b]Picture[/b]: [IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/pri.png[/IMG]
[b]Name[/b]: Cameron DeSouza
[b]Age[/b]: 30
[b]Gender[/b]: Male
[b]Origin/Race[/b]: Humanoid, Planet Jupiter 2550.
[b]Occupation[/b]: Planet Police, Special Task Force[/CENTER]

[CENTER]***[/CENTER]

The man had long hair and a very straight, professional-looking outfit. His expression was one of utter seriousness and lack of fear. Upon arrival his head instantly darted about and turned to the three odd looking people standing a short distance away.

[B]?Where are we?? [/B] He asked immediately; sternly. His hand was poised a short distance from his side, ready at any time to reach for the massive gun at his side. The gun was long and silver and it?s bullets could easily tear through two people lined up together. If there were any sudden moves, the blonde boy and the black man could be dead instantly.

?[B]There?s quite a bit to it, and there isn?t really the sort of time for explanations. I?ll tell you now - we are in the same boat as you. The sort of boat that has all of our lives in a vast amount of danger.? [/B] The girl with the pointed ears explained all this with a tone that didn?t at all fit her look, nor her words. Cameron noticed that she was carrying some sort of alien on her back.

[B]?Give me the basics, then.?[/B] he inquired. [/COLOR]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=Tahoma][color=darkslategray][center][b]Group 1[/b][/center][/color]

[b]"Mary, Lucia...it's time to go. Are you feeling alright?"[/b] Oromis announced, directing the last question to Mary. Lucia stood up and helped Mary to her feet while Julian leaned against the wall trying to rest as well.

[b]"Yeah...it wasn't really all that painful. Just a little shock."[/b] Mary answered. Lucia let out a yawn and the two ladies followed Oromis out the only opening from where they were. That option soon proved to be as counter productive as staying still as they reached a wall blocking their path. Oromis just looked at it dumbfounded, but at the same time not very surprised.

[b]"That...wasn't there before...right?"[/b] Julian asked in a defeated tone.

The girls looked at him, Mary especially with an expression that said [i]"Of course not, what did you expect?"[/i]. Julian took the hint and decided to stop saying stupid things, at least not out loud infront of everyone else. Oromis just sighed and turned around to face the others.

[b]"Well...there is one thing at least that we can count on. There has always been a way out..."[/b]

Almost instantly as soon as Oromis spoke, the ground collapsed beneathe him causing him to plummet downward. Lucia and Mary gasped and ran to the hole. They peered down into it, to their surprise it wasn't very deep at all. They just saw Oromis there in a seated position rubbing his head, probably hurting from some of the debris falling on him.

[b]"Hey! Are you alright?"[/b] Lucia cried down to him. Oromis just continued rubbing his head and looked up only moments later to the other three looking down toward him.

[b]"Yeah...no problem."[/b] he said, standing himself up.

[b]"Well, there's the way out you were talking about!"[/b] Mary said with a giggle. Oromis just rolled his eyes and took some time out to examine where he had fallen. Forward from him was a short corridor leading to a very elegant looking silver double door, it was gem encrusted and clearly resembled something that you'd normally find in a very high class place, like a royal palace of some sort. Behind him was what seemed to be a blocked off path by a cave in, he could hear the flickering of flames from behind it and even felt some of the heat radiating from it.

[b][i]'Was there some kind of blast of some sort that caused the floor to give way?'[/i][/b] he thought to himself. He walked a little closer to it and examined the rocks. He decided it was best not to mess around with anything after a good look. Plus, he liked the sight of the door a lot better.

[b]"Jump down, I'll catch each of you. It looks like we can go through this door."[/b] Oromis yelled up to the others.

[b]"Jump? A..are you sure?"[/b] Lucia asked, a little shakiness in her voice.

[b]"Hey i'm not short on muscle or anything, It's not like i'll drop you!"[/b] Oromis answered, leaving Lucia feeling a little silly. Lucia nodded to Mary, as she walked as close as she could to the edge without falling. Mary did the same, Lucia motioned for her to go first. Mary closed her eyes and counter to three in her head, leaping with a little yelp afterwards. She landed in Oromis's waiting arms with ease. He put her down and she immedietely became fixated on the door. Lucia was up next, Oromis held out his arms and motioned for her to jump.

Lucia was mumbling a bit to herself, mostly about what she was doing there and wondering why jumping about 10 yards down into the arms of a well built man of about two hundred and seventy pounds was even a concern in her head compared to everything else she's been through so far. Finally she just took a deep breathe and jumped down, Oromis catching her with almost as much ease as with Mary. He placed her down softly and she walked over to Mary after bowing her head in thanks to Oromis.

Julian looked down a little hesitant, Oromis just sighed and waved him down.

[b]"Look, just fucking jump would ya? I'm not going to drop you."[/b] he said, as if his frustration with Julian had carried over from their previous experiences. Julian wiped a bit of sweat off his brow and took a few practice tries at how he was going to leap. Oromis was clearly in a state of impatience as he bellowed upward one last time. Julian snapped to and decided that it was time to go. He counted three to himself like mary did and forced himself over the edge.

As he fell, Oromis stood ready to catch him. Exactly one second after Julian's free-fall scream began though, Oromis's nose began to tickle.

[b][i]'Uh oh...'[/b][/i] he thought to himself. A split second later a giant sneeze erupted from Oromis causing him to retract his arms momentarily.

A definitive THUD sound came next as Julian landed where Oromis's arms were before the sneeze. Julian lied there on his back looking up into the air, his eyes with a glazed over look in them, the only thought going through his mind being [i]'He did that on purpose!'[/i]. Lucia and Mary covered their mouths at the sight, more so to try and hold in some laughter. They both knew it was a little harsh but it was just too funny to not at least giggle a bit.

[b]"Ehehe, sorry about that buddy!"[/b] Oromis said semi-facetiously as a smile forced it's way on his face. He helped Julian up with one arm and shoved him forward toward the girls. Julian looked at both of them and could tell they were trying to keep their laughter in.

The group made their way toward the large double door. Lucia and Mary were commenting on how beautiful it was. Oromis pushed his way forward and took the liberty of opening it up, not wanting there to be any more hesitation. A great deal of light shone through as the doors opened, so bright that it temporarily forced everyone to shield their eyes.

[b]"Eh, so bright!"[/b] Mary said, hiding behind her arms. Oromis advanced in first using his left hand as a feeler. It took a few moments for everyone's eyes to adjust but as soon as they did they looked around with the utter definition of confusion in their eyes.

[b]"W..what the hell? How are we supposed to find out way through this?"[/b] Julian asked aloud.

Everyone just surveyed the area, but all they ever saw was...themselves. The door had closed behind them and the reflecting images of themselves within the myriad of mirrors that surrounded them was all there was to behold. There appeared to be pathways, but every wall and even the ceiling were lined with mirrors. Mary tried to take a few steps forward to see if she could get a better look around but she crashed into a mirror causing her to fall back into Lucia's arms.

[b]"Well...this is new..."[/b] Oromis stated before sighing to himself.
[/FONT]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkRed]A scream of pain rediated through the metallic corridors that laced the infinite hallways of the Panopticon.

[B]"FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!"[/B] A voice cried out. A body was crawling up through the floor hwere a swirling vortex was linking to what seemed to be hell itself. The body slowly pulled itself onto land as the hole capsized and disappeared

It was a young man and he was in an unholy amount of pain. He had been hit by a shock so massive it had out scars on his hands and feet and charred his fingers and toes. His brain was supposed to have been deactivated, but the exact moment he died, he suddenly found himself crawling out of the ground.

He put his back against the wall; his chest was going up and down with his heavy breathing and his vision was messed up. His left eye had a black line running across it that made his vision a pain for the time being. He groaned in pain, laying there, hollering expletives about the corridor.

[I]Fuck this fucking maze. I hate this fucking place!!! [/I] he growled. With a rage born of pain he fought his way to his feet and began walking.

[CENTER][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/lafecardpanopticon.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/merikhv9.jpg[/IMG]
[B]Name:[/B] Merik Jeffers
[B]Age:[/B] 35
[B]Gender: [/B]Male
[B]Origin/Race: [/B]Earth 2010 ? Human
[B]Occupation: [/B]Photographer[/CENTER][/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

Merik was furious, at least as much as he could be with all the pain he was going through. Every single step was misery. Every time his foot came down lances of pain ran up his legs. Either he finally reached the limits of what one can endure, or his body finally started producing some of the natural chemicals that reduced it. It still was horribly painful but the steps became a bit easier and so long as he kept his left eye shut his vision was a lot easier.

Not that it was a big improvement, what with the featureless metallic corridors that seemed to stretch on forever. There were different directions he could take but he didn't really care, simply choosing which ever required the least amount of walking. [I]What happened?[/I] He could remember almost everything since he had arrived in this place, but other than a blinding flash he couldn't remember where he had been, who he was with or how he had ended up here in so much pain.

He had a vague memory of Oromis and someone with blue hair, but what they had been doing or how he had even met the person with blue hair was a mystery. He couldn't even remember what her name was.

"[B]Dammit![/B]" He cursed as he turned at a junction and headed down yet another metallic corridor. "[B]What the fuck happened? Why can't I remember![/B]" Merik started to slam his fist into the wall and thought the better of it.[I] How am I suppose to get out of here like this?[/I] Tears were running down his face from the pain. [I]I don't know how much longer I can go on. [/I]

It was true, his rage had carried him on for hours but now, the sheer pain was wearing him out. Painfully he opened up a set of doors and entered the room. Surprisingly it was the waiting room to a doctors office. "[B]What the fuck?[/B]"

For a moment he thought he was finally out of the place, but then a few minutes later it became obvious that the place was empty and even though there were windows to the treatment rooms the outside appeared to be a black void of some kind.

"[B]Damn if this place isn't freaky as hell.[/B]" Merik was about to head back out into the metallic corridor, he even had the door open when it hit him. He hadn't even looked for any medical supplies. Cursing colorfully he turned and headed back, painstakingly going through the rooms and opening the cabinets and drawers. Finally a closet had what he wanted, loaded with the samples doctors often gave out.

Then about half an hour later after he had taken some of the medication he recognized as pain killers and then found a bag to take the rest with him. He headed back out towards the doors, stopping when he saw a small break room. Inside was a vending machine with snacks and different drinks, including bottled water.

Merik picked up a chair to smash the glass only to be surprised when he realized that the door to the machine was unlocked. He opened it up and snagged a bunch of the water, ignoring the stuff he would have normally taken. Water, though boring would work the best, as well as crackers instead of junk.

Then when he had finally loaded up as much as he could handle, he headed back out into the corridor, feeling a tiny bit better now that he didn't hurt so damn much. If only he could remember what happened that lead to him being hurt in the first place. It was maddening to be able to remember all the other horrible stuff that had happened and yet be unable to remember those events that were the most recent.[I] I wonder what happened to Oromis? Or who ever that girl with the blue hair was? [/I]
[CENTER]
***********************[/CENTER]
[SIZE=1][B]
OOC:[/B] To be clear here, Merik has now due to the damage lost most of his recent memories, so other than to recognize Lucia, he doesn't even remember her name or how they met or how he ended up dead. Everything before that he remembers just fine. ;)[/SIZE]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkRed][CENTER][U]Group 1[/U][/CENTER]

The insane brightness of the mirror hall made the reflections of each contestant?s selves backed by nothing but white. It was as if they were walking through a universe of white that was endless, marked only by themselves and the hundreds of reflections of themselves that dotted every wall and ceiling and floor. The surreal feeling was enough to make one lost as it was, made a thousand times more confusing by the fact that there was no telling which way to move in this abyss of white.

Oromis headed the group, grouping the walls with his hands before ever continuing, meaning that the group was moving at a snails pace. Behind him was Lucia, who had Mary?s hand on her shoulder as the red-haired maid held close behind. Behind them was the black-eyed, beaten-up Brittany. The others were unaware of the conflict going on in her own mind, but that was inconsequential for the time being. In the back, Julian was practically bouncing in his step with impatience.

All of their eyes were in pain, as the endless white made the perception of distance and one?s own balance were thrown aloof. To make it worse, the height of the ceiling was different in places. At times, Oromis would suddenly bump into a wall, figuring himself at a dead end, and wondering if they should go back; but inspection of their reflections showed that there was actually a space they were to crawl under. One of these times the headhunter thought they were out of the tunnel and bumped his head coming up early.

The lack of distance perception didn?t help either, especially with the clever placement of mirrors. At one point, Julian had sworn he?s seen the others go right, only to smack into a mirror and here giggles coming from behind. After a while, though, there was a point where the hallway was straightforward, which only brought a curious sense of dread from the group members. It emptied into a round room with only the passage they had come from and the passage directly ahead. As they stepped into the circle of reflections, a mirror slid from the ceiling into the place of where they had emerged, leaving only the path forward.

It quickly became apparent that their reflections were suddenly not the only ones there. Reflected onto the images they could see a large brown podium with a mirror on it?s face. The real thing was just ahead through the hall. Approaching cautiously, the group arrived at the 4? pedestal which was on a raised piece of mirror-surface. All admired it quizzically.

[B]?There?s something written on it,?[/B] Julian pointed out. Indeed, written in a language that they could all understand, despite several of them speaking different languages, was a brief instructional pallet. Beside it was two handles and a button.

Press button to activate Sun Laser. Use handles to aim.

Though they were hesitant, it seemed to be the only option. Oromis pressed the button. Suddenly a panel slid open hundreds of feet above their heads in the mirror ceiling. A beam of sunlight so bright that it barely even appeared to their eyes came shooting down and refracted off of the mirror. The beam bounced around the room in which they stood, zigzagging about, through the corridor, and into the circular room. Bouncing from the mirrors, it created a waste-height image. A pentagram of light.

[B]?Okay? now what??[/B] Julian questioned. As he did so, Brittany?s eyes had grown wide. She touched her hand to her chest, but was surprised to find nothing there. She gasped and looked down, seeing that her cross wasn?t there. Her eyes shook - she was ready to cry. As her own drama was playing out, Oromis was examining the area. The room seemed to be long and cylindrical, and the beam was bouncing about at random. By the look of it, the slightest change of direction would make the laser follow an entirely different pattern. Perhaps there was some pattern they had to discover?

[B]?I think we?re supposed to turn this mirror around,?[/B] Julian inquired, gripping the handles of the pedestal. Oromis? head whipped around lightning fast.

[B]?NO!!!?[/B] He quickly shouted. Julian turned his head just as he had adjusted the mirror no more than one degree. Instantly the beam shot off in a whole new direction, reflecting off of the surfaces faster than the eye could ever hope to see. There was no sound - no evidence; the others looked around first before they even noticed it, and when they did, reality must have stood still.

The beam of light?s presence seemed oddly natural. It resembled the image of a spear protruding from someone?s chest, having had the luck of hitting them straight through the chest. What?s more, there was no blood or even a sign of injury. As a matter of fact, scared as the others were, they almost wondered if the light had simply passed through and not actually had an effect. The person who stood the stillest, appearing to be held up by the beam of light, was thinking their last thoughts at that moment. The stream of consciousness emitted from a dead person is something no one can hope to know.

All the questions as to what happened were quite thoroughly put to rest, though, as Lucia?s body fell to the side, the bean tearing directly through as she landed on the ground with a thud. Her heart - and now half of her chest had been taken out. When she fell, the remainder of her torso twisted about in the air, flaying the skin in that area. In the spot she was to hit the ground, another part of the beam was being reflected. The way she landed on the laser took out the upper part of her neck up to just under her eyes. Their look of shock maintained as that part of her head landed away from the rest of her body. Her severed arm landed the same way, a large section disappearing and the other portions landing haphazardly about.

Mary fell to her knees, though no reaction matches up to this sort of death. She did nothing - said nothing as the tears cascaded from her cheeks. She fell onto her back, eyes still open, with tears and snot running down her face. Julian was only able to stare madly for a moment before howling in unparalleled horror.

[B]?GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!? [/B] He cried, clutching tightly to his hair and thrusting his head downward between his knees. He sat in that sort of fetal position screaming and grating his throat with eyes ready to burst. Oromis, on the other hand, was in a complete state of rage. Miraculously dodging any lasers, he bounded for Julian with a single jump and lifted his into the air by his throat. Above his hand was the most pitiable being he had ever seen. It?s stare was mad, it?s face drenched, and it?s sanity temporarily on hold. This was a face of pure panic, staring into a face of unbridled fury.

Oromis released his one hand while simultaneously arcing his other massive fist straight toward this unearthly, pitiful creature. Before Julian?s feet hit the ground, the massive fist collided with his face so hard that it propelled him several feet back through the air. While Julian headed for the ground, his arms were thrown outward. Somewhere in his fall, the tips of his middle and ring finger of his left hand were eaten in the beam. Julian let out another hideous howl and clutched to his left hand with all his might, writhing and screaming. Oromis turned to Brittany.

[B]?What the fuck does that mean to you?!?! Answer me!!!!? [/B] He barked. Brittany paid him no mind. She was staring forward, now with twin streams of tears running down her face. Ignoring the large man entirely, she began to walk down the corridor toward the circular room, carefully dodging the lasers.

[B]?HEY!!! HEEEY!!!?[/B] Oromis repeatedly called after her, but she didn?t hear. Eventually she found herself in the center of the circular room, standing in the middle of the new design.

[CENTER][IMG]http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/randysbytch54/thcrosses3.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

Three lasers were passing through her - none was affecting her in any way. Oromis stared after her with complete surprise. The orange-haired girl turned to face him.

Two things happened at once: Brittany opened her mouth; a universe of darkness immediately spilled forth, encompassing everything. The mirrors - the sunlight - everything was enveloped in an infinite black. Even Lucia?s body disappeared in the darkness. Oromis? bewildered state didn?t stop him from noticing that Julian?s crying self, Mary?s unconscious, shock ridden body, and Brittany were all still visible in what seemed to be the same amount of distance as they had been. He watched as Brittany?s tear-filled eyes closed and she fell over backward.

[B]?Brittany!?[/B] He called. Quickly abandoning reason, he jumped into action, taking off toward where she lay. He quickly took her up into his arms, shaking her and calling her name. [B]?Brittany! Brittany!? [/B] Finally, Brittany?s eyes slowly re-opened. Her eyes were green again. As they eased open, Oromis could only stare into them, ignoring the changing environment. Hundreds of feet above, the dark sky was opening up, seemingly cracking open. The darkness was opening into a blue sky. The cracking continued down like a dome of a horizon, revealing more and more of the pale blue light. Within a minute they were in an entirely different place. The sky was infinite and blue, the ground was brown and sifted like soft dirt. Brittany rose to her knees, reaching for her chest again. She gripped a silver cross.

[CENTER]***[/CENTER]

[CENTER][B]EXIT OVERRIDEN. ERROR OCCURRED. RUNNING CHECKS? DEATHS IMMINANT.[/B][/CENTER]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/luciahw3.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/deathcardpanopticon.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER][/COLOR]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=goldenrod]Cameron DeSouza member of the Planet Police, Special Task Force found the entire situation almost to hard to swallow. He'd seen some pretty weird shit since he became a member of the Special Task Force but this one topped it by a long shot. If not for the strange alien the one female was carrying or the fact that his people did not have the technology to simply take someone from headquarters without lowering the special shielding, he would have never believed a word they spoke.

But for now, he would go along with them, this Etamet, Delita and Dafine. Though why the man had such an obviously feminine name was beyond him. He wasn't sure if he believed the outrageous tale of her mind being moved from the alien body into the mans body and vice versa. Or that the mans mind this Sastasha had somehow managed to separate himself from the alien body only to wander elsewhere.
[I]
Just what have I gotten into? I can't possibly trust a single one of these people. [/I]Especially the one who called herself Delita. She had openly admitted that she was one of the entities that had run this place until she moved into Delita's body after destroying the soul that was in the body. Or rather her or part of this CCC that she was a part of had destroyed the person's soul. Or so she claimed. [I]What kind of monster feels nothing for killing someone or taking over their body?[/I]

"[B]Very well then, I'll believe you. For now. What exactly were you planning on doing?[/B]"

"[B]It's simple,[/B]" Delita answered. "[B]I'm going to get everyone out of here.[/B]"

Cameron just raised an eyebrow at that statement. [I]You admit to being part of what brought people here to begin with and now you say your going to get everyone out of here? [/I] Either she was foolishly naive or knew far more than she was letting on to. Either way Cameron would not turn his back on her.

"[B]All right then, Delita. If you know where to go then by all means show us the path to take.[/B]"

Delita just smiled and took off down the corridor, still carrying Dafine's body effortlessly. Though Cameron frowned a bit. Wondering how someone that small could move so easily with such a burden. [/COLOR]
[CENTER]-------------------------------[/CENTER] [B]
OCC:[/B] I do believe that's what's known as TEN posts people. Time for the bloodbath to begin. Mwahahahahahahahaha!

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=Tahoma][color=darkslategray]Cameron stayed at the rear of the group as they walked, it was a measure of caution and to observe the mannerisms and anything else physiologically noteworthy of the group members...especially Delita. Etamet was certainly very odd looking to him as well, Satasha was probably the only one in the group who resembled the type of people he is used to seeing, well Satasha's body anyway. That wasn't enough to earn his trust either though.

The corridor was a small one, but as they approached the end the insides were covered in vines of all sorts of colors, mostly greens and reds. It looked like they grew across the walls of the corridor from another source, it created an underground tunnel like atmosphere but the feeling amongst the group changed very little. Etamet just ran his across some of the vines as they walked by, they were normal and seemed harmless.

[b]"It seems like we may be approaching some sort of outdoor part of The Panopticon."[/b] Delita said, continuing further as the same pace.

[b]"Outdoors...wait, you mean we've escaped?"[/b] Dafine asked, though doubt was in her voice as well from how easy it seemed.

[b]"No...The Panopticon has several outdoor sections to it eventhough they are all still within the confines of the walls. It's just another part of the structure."[/b] The Eternal Onlooker explained. Expressions of dissapointment emerged onto everyone's faces, though there was no surprise. Who knows how much confidence was in anyone left anymore at how likely their chances of escaping this place was anymore.

The onlooker was indeed right as they came out into the open into a starlit jungle. It was almost beautiful if it wasn't so begrime infront of them. The group paved their way through handing vines and weaved in and out of tree trunks. A little further up they could hear the sound of running water, along with some splashes. Etamet wrapped his arms around a group of rather thick vines and pulled them out of the way while the Onlooker led the group through to a rather large clearing with a giant fountain in the middle. Water flowed down the middle of the fountain and spawned out in every direction, it was very gothic lookin and appeared almost new, as if it were put in that same day.

Etamet stepped through behind Cameron, bumping into him by accident. Cameron eyed him suspiciously and watched him walk off as he apologized for it. He took his hand down from his waist and shook his head, figuring it was clear he didn't mean him any ill intent.

[b]"L...look at that."[/b] Dafine said, alerting everyone's attention to the large tree-less clearing ahead of the fountain.

[b]"Wow, now these are impressive."[/b] Delita said as she walked closer. The group stood and gazed up at the two giant golden statues of what seemed to be protective archers. They stood opposite one another and their bows were aiming downward into the path. Cameron raised an eyebrow and became greatly curious himself, though keeping it to himself.

[b]"Statues...do they impede our path Deli...I mean...?"[/b]

[b]"You may still call me Delita if you wish, it would probably be easier that way anyway. I don't mind."[/b] The onlooker interrupted Etamet before he could finish his sentence. [b]"...and no, the arrows seem to aim at the path but we can still go through."[/b]

Delita walked to the pedestal infront of the statue on the left and examined it curiously while dropping Dafine's body to the ground next to it. A few seconds later a brief flash of light, lasting no longer than half a second emitted from the pedestal. Everyone shielded their eyes for that brief moment. The light was so quick but it emitted such a strong and burning feeling. An ominous voice began to speak seconds after.

[center][color=goldenrod]Those who are left...to continue, solve the stone grid. If correct, you shall be insusceptible. If wrong, you will suffer the consequences.[/color][/center]

[b]"I see, a puzzle..."[/b] Delita spoke after the voice died down. Etamet and Dafine remained silent still a little weirded out by the words, where as Cameron just started laughing to himself. Everyone turned to him.

[b]"Are you serious...is that thing supposed to scare us? I see nothing blocking our path."[/b] Cameron spoke, doubtful of the warning. Delita went back to examining the stone grid on the top of the pedestal, knowing full well that The Panopticon delivered on it's conditions.

[b]"Actually, I must agree with him. This could be just another distraction. There is a way we can prove it too."[/b] Dafine spoke, as she leaned over and grabbed a nearby stone with Satasha's hand.

[b]"Wait, what do you think you're doing?"[/b] The Onlooker asked, taking his attention from the pedestal. Dafine walked forward and tossed the stone into the path passed the two archers. Everyone grew silent and watched on as the rock flew through the air passed the statues completely unharmed. It landed normally and rolled a bit aways.

[b]"See? It's fine. So let's just get moving."[/b] Dafine said as she proceeded to walk through.

[b]"No...wait!"[/b]

The words were ignored as Dafine walked through and between the statues. Everyone watched not daring to go after her because of how close she was to the point where the arrows aimed. Several seconds later though she stood on the other side, completely safe and sound.

[b]"Hm...it seems to be true."[/b] Etamet spoke.

The others, minus Delita, began to walk forward toward the center of the path. Before they made it though Dafine began clutching her, or Satasha's chest and began yelping in pain.

[b]"Wh....what the hell! ARGH! Th...this pain...."[/b] Dafine screamed as she was taken to her knees. Everyone stopped short and watched on in concern. The Onlooker rushed to the center of the path, but without crossing the arrows and made sure to keep Etamet and Cameron away from getting too close. Delita closed her eyes and rushed through as fast as she could and grabbed Dafine's arm and hauled her back to the other side of the statues. Delita's hand burned for the moment it touched Satasha's body but they both fell to the floor panting as normal feeling returned to both of their bodies.

[b]"What the hell...just happened?"[/b] Cameron asked slowly and seriously.

[b]"It seems as long as we stay on this side we will be fine, but crossing for a long enough period of time is dangerous."[/b] Delita explained.

[b]"Holy...."[/b] was all Dafine managed to say as she still tried to fully recover frmo the intense pain and buring sensation that attacked her body.

[b]"We have to solve this grid."[/b] Delita said as she rushed back to the pedestal and began moving the circular tiled of the grid to match up the patterns. It was much more difficult then it looked, it was easy to match the symbols up, but only certain ones glowed when done. A part of the panel seemed to diplay the proper symbols that should be activated, Delita tried time after time to match them up in a fashion that would illuminate the correct six symbols.

[b]"But...what do you think happened? The statues did nothing, but she was still in danger?"[/b] Etamet wondered outloud. Cameron didn't answer, just taking a seat on the edge of the fountain. He didn't know what happened either, it was something outside his comprehension. What he did figure though was that this place was definitely something beyond reasonable explanation. Hours seemed to pass as the silence continued, and The onlooker in Delita's body continued to work with the grid, growing slightly frustrated everytime he thought he had a pattern down. Several more minutes passed until Delita looked up.

[b]"Ha! I've done it."[/b] Delita yelled, grabbing the attention of the other three. Delita walked away from the pedestal and over to the center of the path.

[b]"Wait, how can you be sure?"[/b] Cameron inquired, not about ready to make the same mistake Dafine did.

[b]"I'm sure, i've seen these types of puzzles around before. Not this one specifically but the correct symbols have been activated. As I've already said, my plan is to get you all out of here, I would not steer you wrong."[/b] Delita reassured them. The Onlooker walked ahead, Etamet, Dafine and Cameron hesitantly following behind. Delita's body crossed the center between the arrows when two golden beams shot out from the tips and engulged him.

[b]"But...I thought the statues had no purpose? Is there more than one way to be killed by this puzzle?"[/b] Etamet cried, wanting to save The Onlooker. Moments later though the beams stopped and Delita's body received a very faint golden glow around it, only noticeable if you really concentrated.

[b]"You're...alive?"[/b] Etamet asked. The Onlooker looked at his hands, or Delita's hands rather, and the rest of her body. He was fine...in fact, he felt incredible.

[b]"I'm fine...everything is fine now. Come on, we shouldn't stay here."[/b]

Delita walked off after once again hoisting Dafine's body up on her shoulders...the others slowly advancing as well. They slowed as they passed through the center but nothing happened. They looked at one another and continued on, still reluctant but not wanting to be left behind by the person who seemed to know the most about their situation.
[center]

[img]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/shieldcard.png[/img] [img]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/kimgu7.png[/img][/center]

[u][b]Name: Shield Card[/b][/u]

[u][b]Effect:[/u][/b] Whoever this card is used on shall not be allowed to die for the duration of chapter 3.[/color][/FONT]

[Sandy]

[B]OoC:[/B] Drawing first blood is my job, BK. ;P Here's a bittersweet ending to the sole love story of this game.

[color=DarkSlateBlue]Sastasha couldn't bear to watch it. The woman he had fallen in love with was pierced by beams of laser. Her distorted body fell to the ground, and then she just laid there, like a macabre, abandoned porcelain doll that was broken during a child's play.

An overwhelming grief took over Sastasha's mind. He had been so close to being with Lucia again, but now she was lost, forever!

Out of a sudden, a bright light emerged from the maimed body. None of the others seemed to notice it, but Sastasha saw it. It was Lucia, her spirit!

[B]"Sastasha?"[/B] Lucia's spirit said weakly, still uncertain of what had happened. [B]"You are here! How can that be...?"[/B]

[B]"It's alright, Lucia"[/B], Sastasha said comfortingly. [B]"You don't have to worry anymore. We can leave this hellhole now."[/B]

[B]"Are we... dead?"[/B] Lucia asked, seeing her own body lying on the ground.

[B]"Not quite, no"[/B], Sastasha answered. [B]"I think we are stuck here, in between Heaven and Hell. But our love keeps us together!"[/B]

[B]"Love? ... Yes, I suppose I could love you."[/B]

Sastasha was confused. She [I]could[/I] love him? Did she mean she hadn't love him before? It didn't matter now, she had no other options!

[B]"Let's go, Lucia!"[/B] Sastasha said enthusiastically. [B]"Let us cut the last ties binding us to this world, and live together for an infinity!"[/B]

Lucia's spirit emitted a happy glow. She accepted.

At the moment Brittany Cosentine released the darkness within her, the two souls vanished from the Panopticon.[/color]

[img]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/deathcardpanopticon.jpg[/img][img]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/satashatn4.jpg[/img]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=goldenrod]In spite of the pain killers Merik was still suffering quite a bit as he traversed the long corridors. They did help but they couldn't reverse the damage that had been done, damage that he still had no clue in hell how it had happened. He had long ago quit curing though since he found saying nothing was less painful where speaking only resulted in his left eye throbbing painfully with each word he spoke. It didn't still his thoughts though....thoughts of murderous intent. As much as he wanted out of this god damn forsaken hellhole, he'd gladly trade it to kill those who had brought him here.

Merik opened up another one of the containers of bottle water and downed some more of the pills, not caring when the last time he had taken them was. Only caring that he still hurt like hell. But then when he finished drinking the water and tossed the bottle aside he noticed a change in the lighting of the featureless corridor he was in. It looked like sunlight! Excited he quickened his pace, convinced that he had finally found the exit. And when he got to a set of double doors with sunlight streaming through the windows in the doors he immediately opened them up and went out.

Huge trees were everywhere, weeping willows with their rope like branches hanging to the ground. And though the ground was uneven, it was covered by a soft moss that after the harsh metal of the corridor was heavenly to step on. Heedless of any danger Merik moved out into the trees, gently pushing the branches out of his way, not noticing that the doors he had come through closed and then vanished. It was if he had been in the forest all along. After a while he came to a small waterfall cascading down a small hill, pooling at the bottom. The water clear and sparkling as bits of sunlight reflected on it.

Even the background seemed peaceful as he could hear birds chirping out among the trees.[I] I really am out of that horrible place.[/I] With a sigh of relief he set his things down and sat at the edge of the pond. Painfully he pulled up the edges of his pants and then put his feet into the cool water. Water that was just cold enough to be soothing and yet not enough to be painful. It felt so good that a few minutes later he stripped altogether and slowly lowered himself into the water. A moment later he went completely under the water.

Merik did not notice the sudden silence that descended upon the forest, nor did he realize the change when he emerged from the water as the sound of the gentle waterfall kept him from realizing that the birds had gone silent. He had barely finished getting out of the water when a flash of movement caught his right eye. Merik did not even see what struck him from behind with stunning force, he just stared stupidly at the arrow sticking out in front of him from his neck.

He reached up to touch it, his hands shaking only to halt half way. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a gurgle emerged as blood began to flow out the right corner of his mouth and down his face to join the blood flowing from the wound in his neck.

Then with a sigh his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell sideways, landing on his left side and then partially shifting to lie on his stomach. A few final gasps of air were taken before he shuddered and was still.[/COLOR]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/deathcardpanopticon.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/merikhv9.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=Tahoma][color=darkslategray]The scenery of the jungle didn?t change much in terms of all the dark trees and vines. Dafine still struggled with the little burning sensation left in her male body, but she would survive it seemed. Cameron watched her as she let her hands roam around Satasha?s body as if trying to brush something off.

[b]?You still don?t have a clue what was causing that reaction within you??[/b] he asked, still curious himself.

[b]?Of course not! Everything seemed fine for the first minute or so??[/b] she responded genuinely confused.

Delita looked back at them as Etamet continued to remove vines and other nature like disturbances out of the groups way. He seemed rather accustomed to moving around in such venues. Delita thought long and hard?as the eternal onlooker he must have had some knowledge of how the last puzzle?s consequences must have worked?but nothing came to him. Either being in Delita?s body and actually being involved in the struggle had an adverse effect on his thinking?or maybe there were just things not meant for even him to know.

The thought pattern continued as the group reached a real cave, rather then a corridor that simply looked like one. Etamet examined the outside edges, figuring that being too careful knew no bounds anymore.

[b]?There must be another way, this cave is only one of many exits to this area of The Panopticon, right??[/b] Dafine asked, targeting Delita with the question. Cameron was nearly fed up with hearing the word ?Panopticon? already. He remained silent yet.

[b]?It?s possible, but the jungle is vast. We were fortunate to find an exit as quickly as we did. I would not suggest roaming any further through the trees.?[/b] The Onlooker explained. Just then Etamet gazed upward, his attention influenced by a drop of rain. It was followed by more and in almost no time a few drops escalated into a downpour.

[b]?Well, this is great. All the joys of the outdoors even when confined, eh??[/b] Cameron stated sarcastically, covering his head with his jacket. Everyone else tried to cover themselves as best as possible.

[b]?Even if we choose not to proceed down the cave, we can atleast hang around inside for a little to protect us from the rain.?[/b] Etamet suggested, the others taking the hint and hurrying about 5 feet into the cave. They seated themselves, staying alert though at the same time. Delita looked into the cave further and could only see darkness, there was no telling what was in there. Etamet stared as well, he felt cold and tried to keep himself warm with his arms as best as possible. Lightning began to show in the sky and thunder crashed. It was a true storm now. It was then though when the realization came, almost to each member at the same time, as Delita spoke the common thought.

[b]?The flash of light! The light that emitted from the pedestal?it must have done something to our bodies as a deterrent to ensure we solved the grid before we crossed.?[/b]

[b]?I was thinking the same?even though it seems illogical.?[/b] Dafine admitted.

[b]?Then?is whatever was done to us?still in effect??[/b] Etamet asked, his words choppy from the cold.

[b]?I don?t know that. But it should only matter for that particular puzzle.?[/b] Delita answered.

Nobody really looked convinced, but they were relieved that there was some light shed on their situation. The rain stayed constant, the real decision to be made though was what was more dangerous?proceeding into the cave, or the storm outside. Dafine stood and walked toward the cave entrance just a few feet to take a look outside. It was so normal looking?maybe not from where she was from, but the scenery, it was like a normal jungle with normal rain, normal everything. Yet the place they were in?it was anything but normal. Her somewhat peaceful thoughts were interrupted however.

[b]?Can we get moving? If it?s best not to traverse the jungle then we might as well get seeing where this cave goes over with.?[/b] Cameron suggested.

[b]?I think that?s best as well, anybody have any objections??[/b] Delita asked. There was no response of objections, so she and Etamet raised to their feet as well. Dafine sighed and turned around to face inside the cave.

[b]?Alright?lets g??[/b]

A crash of thunder followed by a lightning bolt hitting the top of the entrance to the cave interrupted Dafine?s sentence, as rocks and rubble from the cave broke from their structure and crushed Dafine beneath them. Etamet and Delita ran to the pile of rubble and tried to move them. Not only was it difficult due to the weight of the rocks, but probably an attempt in futility as well. The chances of Dafine?s survival were slim to none. Not only that, but had they remained indecisive, they had no choice now. The cave entrance was blocked off.

[b]?How sad??[/b] Etamet said before giving up on moving the rocks.

[b]?Come?we have to keep going.?[/b] Delita said with a sigh, walking slowly away from the pile.
[/color]
[center]
[img]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/deathcardpanopticon.jpg[/img] [img]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/panopticon-catwoman-1.png[/img]

[b]Name[/b]: Death Card

[b]Effect[/b]: You die >.>[/center][/FONT]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkRed][CENTER][U][B]Group 1[/B][/U][/CENTER]

Oromis sat in silence. He watched Brittany hold tight to her cross and cry superfluously into it. Eventually he finally stood up. Brittany looked up and watched him as he shuffled along through the soft dirt into which his feet sank with each fall. He first went over to Mary. She appeared to be unconscious, though her eyes were open. Her face was covered in snot, tears, and vomit. Oromis didn?t have time to help her - she was choking on her own vomit. By the time he got to her and tried to tilt her head, her mouth had already filled with blood. There was a final gag as her heart shut off and blood covered her face. Oromis closed his eyes and rose to his feet. He walked over to where Julian was sniveling and holding his hand.

Oromis stared down at him a moment. Julian turned his frightened gaze up toward the burly man who said and did nothing but walk away. He walked back toward Brittany, beckoning her as he did so.

[B]?Come on,?[/B] he said flatly. Brittany remained sitting a moment before nodding and standing up. The two began walking off.

[B]?WAIT!?[/B] Julian called after them. He rose to his feet, still slightly shacking with a wavering voice. His mind was back to normal, frightened as he was, but he was strengthened by the sight of the other two. Oromis only turned his head momentarily, shooting Julian a serious glance and Brittany turned to face him.

[B]?I?m coming,?[/B] Julian said. Brittany nodded for whatever reason she felt necessary. On that same coin, Julian headed over to join them. The three headed off into the distance. Mary?s body sank into the ground.

[CENTER][U][B]Group 2[/B][/U][/CENTER]

Cameron, Etamet, and Delita continued onward through the cave corridor before suddenly Etamet froze. The others both turned to face him, glancing quizzically.

[B]?You okay??[/B] Cameron asked. Etamet?s hand clutched toward his chest and he began grating his teeth. The hand started to glow green.

[B]?Etamet? What?s wrong?!?[/B] Delita asked, placing her hands on his shoulder. Suddenly a voice boomed from above.

[CENTER][B]FATE[/B][/CENTER]

Delita remembered instantly how Etamet had placed his hand on the panel before and the voice that said his fate had been tied. Immediately, Delita began shaking him.

[B]?Etamet! Speak to me! Come on!!!?[/B] Etamet let out a growl. He was straining just to keep breathing. His torso began to hunch over and his chest was filled with pain.

[B]?ETAMET!?[/B] Just as the yelp left Delita?s throat there was a sound of a pop from Etamet. His hand, laying flat against his chest, exploded. A large chuck of his chest was blown open and a splatter of blood dressed the onlookers as well as the walls. Delita shook with sorrow that he had been unable to protect so many. Cameron was slightly shaken, but more surprised and finding it strange that he was there, and covered in blood. For a moment the two remained still before Delita turned and silently began walking down the corridor. Cameron silently followed.[/COLOR]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial][center][B][U]Group 2[/U][/B][/center]

[indent][align=justify]With Dafine dead, there was no need in retaining her body. As the two survivors walked, Delita continued to look for a suitable place to deposit her unnecessary load, which she eventually found in the form of a large niche off to the tunnel?s right. After laying the feline?s body to rest, the Onlooker borrowed the newcomer?s weapon, using it to collapse the roof of the niche in a makeshift tomb. The newcomer, who still hadn?t given his name ? probably out of distrust, the Onlooker reflected ? had seemed extremely wary of relinquishing his gun, and when Delita returned it to him, he accepted it with an admirably concealed measure of suspicious relief. Delita didn?t mind, really. If he wanted to feel in control, then she ? it ? would most certainly let him.

In truth, the Onlooker was more concerned with itself. Himself. Herself. It no longer knew for certain its original gender; so many æons spent watching the Maze and this, its successor, had dulled its tangible memory, and it could no longer recall ever having been a corporeal person before. It knew it had been, of course, but its original personality had been virtually erased, like a Goa?uld who?d spent one too many times in the Sarcophagus. ([I]?Was that a Stargate reference? What was a stargate?[/I])

That, though, was the least of its current concerns. The recent deaths had shaken it, and its attention remained turned inward as it journeyed with its companion.

[I]?This is . . . strange. Something inside me hurts; it makes me want to punch a wall, or sob, or claw at my face, or something. Something. Something other than just walking, ignoring its presence.

?Am I experiencing real human emotions? Is that still possible for me? Is this . . . is this . . . heartache?

?But how can that be? How many countless people have I seen slaughtered inside this machine and felt nothing; how many times have I watched player after player ripped apart, or sliced open, or shot, or poisoned, or killed in the punishment chambers, or simply eliminated, and only been fascinated by the constant variety, despite its redundance?

?Is it because these things are happening to me firsthand? Is it because I let these people become a part of me? Is it because I am remembering what it?s like to be human?

?But that doesn?t follow. I am who and what I am. Obtaining a body and having direct experience shouldn?t be having this effect on me. Shouldn?t it?

?Should it?

?Is this what it was like to be human? To be hurt? To experience loss, death, and pain, and to carry on in its face? To persevere, to continue when there seems to be no point in going on? To never give up?

?To hope?

?What a thought. Hope. I hope. I take what I gain from those around me and give back, and even if they should be taken from me, I hope and continue, so that their gifts of knowledge and wisdom and experience and . . . and friendship . . . are not given in vain.[/I]

The Eternal Onlooker felt another strange sensation inside it. As it walked, it let the feeling spread, let it fill it, let it wash the other, painful one away.

It was decided. Delita's stride altered, becoming even more confident, more sure than before.

[I]?I will hope.[/I][/align][/indent][/FONT]

[Rachmaninoff]

Oromis, Brittany and Julian continued on their way. All of them shaken by what had happened, but none so much as Julian. He kept thinking that if only he had not touched the pedestal. Lucia and Mary would be alive. His stupidity had killed them both. First Lucia as the lasers cut her apart and then Mary who due to being unconscious died from her own shocked reaction. All because he had been a fool. In fact this whole time he had been here he had been a fool, doing little to help.

He didn't notice when the scenery changed, he just followed along blindly. Saying nothing. Julian was beginning to believe that there was no exit that the CCC had toyed with them from the very beginning, letting them think there was indeed an exit when there was not.

Only when he stumbled on a the edge of a shimmering block did he realize that him along with Oromis and Brittany were in what appeared to be a huge room. It looked like transparent glass that shimmered like a rainbow. Made of tiles that were a foot long and wide that covered the entire surface. Floor, walls and ceiling. Startled he stopped, causing the other two who were half way across the room to the next hallway to turn and look at him.

"[B]What are you waiting for fool.[/B]" Oromis finally asked him when he did not move.

Julian didn't know. And part of him was frozen by some sudden feeling of dread. It was a feeling that saved his life as a split second later huge sections of the floor tumbled downward, nearly taking Oromis and Brittany with it. Julian leaned over and looked down. He could not see the bottom, nor did he ever hear the section of the floor that had fallen hit.

Oromis sighed, "[B]What did you touch this time idiot.[/B]"

"[B]Nothing! I swear![/B]" Julian said. He turned on the small group of tiles he was on to look behind him, but there was no door. "[B]I don't understand! What am I suppose to do?[/B]" For the spaces between the sections left were too far for one to jump. At least for him. Both Oromis and Brittany had already made the short jump to the section of the floor by the door.

As if to answer his question one of the tiles rose up until it was just above his waist in front of him. With a hum it began to glow and then a holographic board appeared. But he didn't recognize the symbols, though it did look very similar to a chess board, but the symbols and then the pieces that materialized did not match anything he knew.

"[B]It looks like I'm suppose to play some sort of game. But I don't recognize any of the pieces! It looks like chess but I can't be sure![/B]" Julian looked pleadingly at the other two.

"[B]Describe the pieces,[/B]" Oromis instructed him. Julian quickly did so but Oromis just shook his head. "[B]I'm sorry, but I don't recognize them either.[/B]"

"[B]Neither do I Julian.[/B]"

Julian started to reply when a voice interrupted them.

[B][I]Please make your move, failure to make a move within one minute will result in your turn being forfeit.[/I][/B]

"[B]Shit![/B]" Julian swore as he moved to push one of the holographic pieces forward. But before he could do so the other side moved. At the same time a piercing pain shot through his right foot and he looked down to see that the edge of a tile was poking into the side.

"[B]Ahhh! What the fuck![/B]" Julian staggered as he reached down and pulled it out. "[B]Dammit! What the hell was that?[/B]" Blood began to flow from his hurt foot.

"[B]It's the walls Julian![/B]" Brittany called out. "[B]When the other piece moved several tiles shot across the room! Hurry and make your move![/B]"

"[B]God damn motherfuckers![/B]" Julian screamed as he quickly moved a piece. Shifting to put most of his weight on his left foot. Watching as the other side immediately moved when he had made his move.

He continued the game, blindly pushing pieces, sometimes taking out some on the other side while other times when they took his he was punished by more of the tiles flying around the room. In no time he was bleeding all over from various cuts due to the sharp tiles. But even worse, he had only a few pieces left where the other side had more than half remaining..

"[B]I've only got two pieces left, I hope this works,[/B]" he said to himself as Oromis and Brittany looked on. He was glad they had stayed, but pissed that they were unaffected by the damn trap. Julian took a deep breath and pushed a piece towards one of the others. To his surprise the holographic game vanished and the tile sank back into the floor. [I]Did I win? [/I] The voice spoke up yet again.
[I]
[B]Game Over...You Lose...[/B][/I]

"[B]Noooooo!!!![/B]" Julian yelled even as dozens of tiles detached themselves from the walls and swarmed him, slamming into him painfully, until finally with a sickening crunch several connected with his head in unison. Crushing his skull.

[CENTER]--------------------------[/CENTER]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/deathcardpanopticon.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/81275672wz0.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

[Darren]

[SIZE=1]Oromis didn't know what to be more angry with: The fact that Julian was the most worthless being he had ever met, resulting directly in the death of Lucia, (and inderectly resulting in Mary's death) or the fact that he was now alone with Brittany. His suspicions may have been incorrect, but just seeing all that black energy emitted from her body was enough for Oromis to know she was bad news.

[I]"Am I losing my touch,"[/I] he thought, [I]"After seeing such a tiny girl create such dark energy, how can I be ready to trust her? I can't."[/I]

The group of two walked for some time with Oromis in the lead, mumbling to himself, going over everything that he had seen in the Panopticon and he was running through everything he could have done to keep the others safe; running over all the contradictions to the laws of physics... Brittany thought Oromis might be losing his mind. Oromis had thought of that possibility as well.

~~~~~

Cameron thought Delita was becoming more and more human than when he first arrived, but to him, it only proved she was lying when he first met her. It seemed too illogical to think that a [I]computer program[/I] could actually possess the body of a girl. And just for that, Cameron wasn't any more trusting with her than when they met. In fact, he trusted her less, despite the incident with his gun. Her kindness only showed him that she was more deadly than he had anticipated. The way she carried herself proved that she was strong, and when she gave Cameron his gun back, she was trying to earn his trust. It was all a game with her, and Cameron was the toy.

[B]"How much longer do you think it will be?"[/B] Cameron groaned... They had been walking in the cave for some time and he thought that surley they would be able to get out soon.

[B]"Actually, not much farther,"[/B] She looked back with a smirk, [B]"If I remember correctly, the Panopticon's three exits are programed to randomly change every few days. And the last time I checked during my observations, exit two had just been moved to this very position. So now all we must do is get to it before it changes again."[/B]

She made it sound easy. The two walked on for another hour before she stopped abruptly and turned to him with excitement. They had reachced a turn in the trail with the right path leading into darkness. In front of them, however...

[B]"Here it is,"[/B] she said, indicating the large metal door in front of them. [B]"I have succeeded in my goal to save somebody. I hope the others can forgive me for failing them."[/B]

[I]"I doubt that; they're dead,"[/I] Cameron whispered to himself, intending for Delita to hear. The metal door in front of them had large black letters written on it that said plainly, "Exit 2."

Cameron wasn't the type to be told twice so he rushed up to the door and opened it, allowing the light from inside to shine through.

[B]"Uh, I think you messed up,"[/B] Cameron spoke sarcastically. There was anger in his voice and the comment alone was enough to make Delita - or rather the Eternal Onlooker - afraid.

She approached the doorway and looked inside only to see that it was another room; not an exit. And by the looks of it, it was a trapped room with bloody, rust-covered shackles hanging from the cieling and walls. At the bottom of the room was a drain.

[B]"This is obviously a trapped room, but I supposed we must make it through to the other door to escape."[/B] Her - Its - confidence was almost laughable.

[B]"After you,"[/B] was all Cameron could say. Of course, Delita expected it. If she couldn't get him out, then she would be a complete failure. And if anything, if she died in this room, Cameron would have been able to continue on down the other pathway.

As she stepped forward though, the door on the other side opened. To reveal two figures. It was Brittany Cossentine and Oromis Tu'wail. [I]"No. I don't understand it. This is supposed to be the exit. One of three exits designed by the CCC in order to enable an exit for each individual group."[/I] The Eternal Onlooker's brain was racing. It wasn't possible. How could it have been so stupid? That's when it remembered: When Cicatriz was destroyed, exits 2 and 3 were closed. It seemed almost common knowledge to the Onlooker, but somehow it managed to overlook that tiny detail when it possessed Delita's body and the pure joy it felt took over its brain.

[B]"Are you two alright over there?"[/B] Oromis shouted across the room. He didn't want to enter either, knowing that it was a trap.

[B]"Everything's fine, Oromis. Is there anybody else besides the two of you?"[/B] Delita, realized that not everything was bad; at least now, she had found some others so she increased her chances of saving one of them.

[B]"Wait, how do you know my name?"[/B] he called back, but Delita ignored it. It was too long of a story to be communicated across distances and after watching Oromis ever since the beginning of the observation, it knew he wasn't going to trust anything that came from the CCC.

[B]"Nevermind that. Is there another pathway on your side?"[/B]

Brittany spoke for the first time since the mirror room, [B]"No. There's none that I can see. This is our only option."[/B]

There was a bit of desperation in her voice as she realized that her only option wasn't such a great one. The Onlooker saw that she had somehow managed to rid the dark force from her body. [I]"How impressive."[/I]

[B]"Then you have to cross. We have another pathway."[/B] Cameron answered them. He actually sounded amused at their situation. [I]"As long as it's not me,"[/I] he thought.

Oromis and Brittany turned to each other. He gazed into her eyes and suddenly realized she was normal again. Her eyes were back to that beautiful emerald green color. He knew he could trust her and he placed his larger hands on her shoulders for comfort.

[B]"We have to do this--"[/B] he told her

[B]"I can't,"[/B] She seemed to almost cower at the thought of death. Oromis tried to speak over her, but she was sobbing rather loudly now. Repeating 'I can't' over and over. Oromis couldn't get a word it.

Finally with a bit of strength, he gripped her shoulders and shook her a bit, [B]"You can and you will. I'll be right behind you, okay? Nothing bad will happen."[/B] Of course he didn't know that, but now that he knew this girl was normal and not just some trap created by the CCC, he knew that he couldn't just let a young girl die.

She nodded, wiping her eyes and taking a few deep breaths. The two stepped in the room, not more than a foot apart from each other. Oromis was in step with Brittany and every movement she made was known to him.

[B]"Get your gun ready."[/B] Delita told Cameron. He obeyed, not realizing that he was taking orders. He just didn't care to see anymore deaths. And while it may have been slightly amusing to watch The others from his original party die, he didn't wish for a someone so young to die. Perhaps he was compassionate

Oromis and Brittany were moving very slowly, staying completely alert. [B]"When I say 'run,' don't look back, don't get scared, just do it and do it without questions."[/B] He told her. Brittany couldn't really say much. She had been holding her breath ever since they step foot in the room. She nodded and assumed that Oromis saw her.

Once the pair had reached the center of the chamber, seprerated from the other two by merely a few feet and an open doorway, the trap activated. The rusted chains came alive from all sides and immediately darted for the limbs of its two potential victims. Oromis didn't have time to even tell Brittany to run; he had to push her, rusulting in her fall to the floor. Before Cameron could even fire, the snake-like shackles had both of Oromis' arms and one of Brittany's legs in it's grasp. They had locked tight around them and he aimed for the one of the chains that held Oromis' right arm. The force form his gun blew the chain to pieces, freeing him for only a second, because only moments later, another Shackle had taken the former's place.

To make matters worse, The shackles seemed to be conscious of Cameron's actions because after the first shot was fired, they attacked him. But rather than grasping around his body like it did to Brittany and Oromis, the chains pushed him with such a force that he was thrown across the corridor, slightly dazed. His gun was laying on the floor in front of Delita and she didn't hesitate to pick it up.

At first she fired at all the new shackles that were attempting to get a grasp around Oromis. His big body was making it difficult for the chains to clasp down around his skin. She could see that few of them managed to close, resulting in layeres of his skin being peeled off. Brittany wasn't any better off as she crawled on her belly, attempting to reach the door frame and Delita's body only a few feet away. She was clawing at the ground in futility, trying to get out of the room, and screaming at the top of her lungs but the shackles seemd to have a cruel mind of their own. They granted Brittany only a slight amout of slack before pulling her back into the center of the room. Still, Delita remained untouched as she blew away chunks of rusted steel with each blast. It seemed to her that the shackles only killed those who were inside the room, but it didn't limit them from hurting those who tried to intervene.

Then the shackles demonstrated another chilling sign of life as they lifted Brittany up in front of Delita, using her as a shield to block Oromis, who was obviously in more danger. She fired at both of Brittany's shackles, sending her to the floor with a loud thud. She scurried out of the room on hands and knees, still sobbing from the ordeal.

As soon as Brittany hit the floor, every single shackle in the room attacked Delita, knocking her back only a few feet away from where Cameron was laying. The chains used Brittany's body to not only shield their actions against Oromis, but to hide even more so that the Onlooker would be blind-sided. It was almost like the trap was willing to give up one of it's victims as long as one subject died within it walls.

It was all up to Brittany now. She was on her butt on the floor just outside the room. The clasps of the shackles were still tight around her ankles, despite the links being destroyed, and the gun was only a few feet away from her.

Oromis couldn't speak any longer because there were so many chains around his body, suspending him in a position that reminded Brittany of the frogs her class had to dissect once. A large chain was around his neck, ready to crush his wind pipe.

[I]"I won't let him die,"[/I] she thought, [I]"He saved me. It's my turn now."[/I]

Brittany rushed for the gun and began firing blindly, unable to actually handle the weapon's power. After a few shots, she actually managed to hit one. It released the entire upper left half of Oromis' body, and just like bofore, the shackles responded. They sped right to the doorway and instead of hitting Brittany, they knocked the gun to the ground and waited right in front of her. It was like they knew she was weak and they were taunting her for it; daring her to pick it up again.

Brittany looked up at Oromis. More shackles had replaced the ones she had blown away, the other two people were useless at this point, and about 50 chains were waiting for her to pick up the gun so they might possibly kill her as well. She gazed into Oromis' eyes one last time before she closed the door, tears streaming down her face. He had a look of shock and anger in his eyes that bore deep into Brittany's soul, increasing her torment.

[I]"I don't guess it was a good idea to trust her,"[/I] was the last thought Oromis Tu'wail had before he died.

Brittany sat there, just out side the door labled Exit 2, hugging her knees and crying,'I'm sorry,' over and over agian.

Delita had finally managed to stand up, regaining her balance and breath. She instantly realized what had happened, and cursed herself for the death of another person. The Onlooker would have comforted her, but didn't even know how to begin with such a fragile heart. The Onlooker wasn't familiar with the trap, or what it did to Oromis, but now it was certain what the drain was for.[/SIZE]

[CENTER]----------

[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/panopticon-oldman-1.png[/IMG][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/deathcardpanopticon.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

[Allamorph]

Cameron DeSouza was livid. His crash into the wall had momentarily stunned him, and by the time he'd regained his senses, the exit was closed, Delita was only staring at the door, there was a new girl sobbing on the ground, and worst of all his gun was nowhere in sight. He could only assume that the others' incompetence had left it trapped on the other side of the door, and now they were weaponless in this wonderful death trap.

There was only one thing to be done about it, then. He rose easily to his feet and began striding towards the false exit.

Delita moved to block his path. "You can't do anything for him," she said. "He's already dead."

"Ya," Cameron snapped, shoving her roughly to one side. "Kinda figured that. Thanks."

Delita looked affronted. "Then what on earth are you doing?"

Cameron didn't bother to look at her; he'd reached Brittany's crumpled form and was moving her rather unceremoniously out of the way.

"I'm going to get my gun back. I happen to like that gun very much."

"You can't be serious! You'll die in there!"

Cameron paused and turned slightly at that statement. Had he just heard alarm in her voice?

"I am well aware of that," he said, scowling, "but I'm not about to go any further in this God-forsaken place without a weapon. From what I've seen, we're definitely going to need it."

"But it's probably long gone by now!" protested Delita. "The rooms cycle every so often; you have no guarantee that it'll be the same room on the other side."

Cameron whirled on her. "And if either of you utter geniuses had left well enough alone, we wouldn't have that problem! And we most certainly don't have the frikkin' luxury of standing around talking about all this 'what if' shit! I want that gun back, and if there's a chance it'll still be over there when I open that door, then, God so damn me, I am going to take it! Now back off!!"

Brittany continued to sob.

-------------------

The Onlooker had no idea what it had done, or what to do next. There was obviously no way it could prevent the man from foolishly killing himself; at least, not in this body.

â??Wait a second. This body? I can make this body do anything. I carried a huge man for twenty minutes while running at top speed. I can jump over five times a normal human's capabilities. Where did I get the idea that this body could limit me?

She shook herself, as if to rid her mind and body of such delusional notions, and started towards the man with the intent of hurling him across the room.

She stopped when he did.

He was staring at the door, his right hand hovering inches from the crusted iron handle. Delita looked, and when she saw what had stopped him, she froze as well.

The door was shimmering.

"What theâ??."

Delita looked frantically around the tunnel. It was the same everywhere: the walls, floor, ceiling, the artificial rocks, even the pathways only she could see, were all starting to shimmer and fade.

"Oh, no...."

The man turned back to her, his confusion barely masked behind his projection of annoyance. "What now?"

"The maze," she stammered, not believing her own words. "The maze, it's ... unstable."

"What?!"

"The tesseract generator. It must be ... it must be." Delita was on the verge of panic. "But this shouldn't be happening. Even if Cicatriz is down, the generator has more than two dozen failsafes running in Inertiatic alone. I don't understand; what does Inertiatic think it's doing; what could thisâ??"

In one fluid movement, Cameron darted over and slammed her into a fading wall, holding her there by the throat. His left hand lashed her across the face.

"Shut up!" he roared, his face inches from hers. "Get ahold of yourself! Now tell me in plain English: what is going on?"

Delita's breathing slowed for a moment, before she drew it in again sharply. She looked off over his shoulder in astonishment.

"See for yourself."

-------------------

Brittany couldn't stop crying. She was powerless again; she didn't have anything that could help her friends survive. She couldn't even free Oromis, who'd led her group through every trial and hadn't ever fallen. She hadn't spent much time with the people she'd started with, but even then Oromis was somehow in charge, and when she'd seen him again, she'd thought that he was the closest thing to invincible that she'd ever known, and now she couldn't even help him when he'd needed her. A fresh wave of agony hit her, and sobs racked her body.

She had fought the darkness in her for so long after her release. She had finally quelled it and held it under control enough to live again, and when she'd erased the mirror hall she'd felt so peaceful she could have cried. If only she'd held it back a little longer .... just a little longer ....

I am with you always.

That voice! It came from within her, and she felt a brief surge of security at its sound. She felt deep down, trying to find its source.

She found first the place where the darkness had been. Its absence still echoed with remnants of a familiar power, a power she'd had once. She tried to feel past it, to go deeper....

And lo, I am with you always, even to the end.

She knew those words. They came from the end of Matthew, part of the Great Commission. Something felt strange, though....

And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of your age.

No! That was wrong! It sounded fine, but the meaning was changed. She knew the verse now: Matthew 28:20b, " ...and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen." It meant the end of time, not the end of her life. That one word changed the whole verse. The voice was a lie!

The darkness erupted from its hiding places and drove at her mind. She fought there, again, waging a war for survival inside her soul, oblivious to the world.
 

-------------------

Cameron turned to follow her gaze. The tunnel was gone, vanished, and so was the door and his gun. In fact, the entire cave had vanished, and with no wall to be held against, Delita dropped hard on the floor beneath their feet; Cameron didn't seem to notice.

Their new surroundings were breathtaking. They were inside some sort of massive domed structure raised miles above their heads, but the ends were nowhere to be seen; despite the incredible-seeming distance above them, there was no haze from the air, and various designs of stars, galaxies, and nebulas lay on its surface like a gigantic universal fresco. The floor was tiled, with gorgeous shades of reds, purples, and blues running just underneath them in ethereal patterns, and it seemed to stretch off into infinity in all directions. And aside from the three persons in the middle of who knew where, there was no other life to be seen.

"I know this place."

Delita moved past him, a rapturous expression on her face as she took in their new surroundings. Cameron followed her curiously.

"What do you mean? You know where we are?"

"No," Delita answered. "I haven't the foggiest idea where this is. But I know this place. I can feel it. Here: look."

She knelt and placed the palm of her hand against the floor. Closing her eyes, she began to stand slowly up, and to Cameron's amazement part of the tile began rising with her hand, creating a tiny column down to the floor. She stopped her hand about waist-high, and with her other she struck through a portion of the column underneath. The part touching her hand stayed floating in the air, while the rest of the column sank back into place, leaving no mark behind.

As Delita continued to concentrate, the block of material shimmered, wavered, and changed color, becoming a large bright-red apple in her hand. She tossed it to him, and, with a slightly skeptical look, he bit.

It was the most delicious apple he'd ever tasted.

"This place," she was saying, "is like a haven for the imagination. I can create anything from it." She spread her arms, and two more columns rose up behind her. She let them fall back without altering them, but the impression was made. "Anything at all," she continued. "Food, plants, toolsâ??"

"Guns?"

Her eyebrows twitched, and she grinned. "Yes, guns too. Try it."

Seeing no reason not to, he knelt and placed his hands on the floor's surface. It felt pleasantly warm to the touch, and as he imagined his gun he felt some of the warmth flow into his arms; his mind seemed to sharpen the image in his head, and he could focus on details that until now he'd only known seen while cleaning it. He looked at the weaknesses his weapon had, imagined a solution to them, and it was so. He started to pull gently away, trying to take the image with him.

The floor molded to his hands and began lifting as well. If his eyes had been open, he might have lost his concentration, but he continued to pull away, and after a moment his old, familiar, silver weapon lay across his knees, fully loaded and ready for action. He grinned as well, and looked back to Delita.

"Are you happy now?" she asked pleasantly.

Before he could answer, she tensed and slapped a spot on her neck. Puzzled, she brought her hand down and studied the offending being.

It was a small insect, and it lay, crushed, on her palm for no more than an instant before shimmering and fading away like a vapor into the air.

"Uh oh."

She was looking behind him again. Turning for what seemed like the fortieth time in the past five minutes, he saw what had made her pause.

"Whoa."

Away from them, and a good distance behind the sleeping form of Brittany, enormous columns had begun to rise from the floor, shimmering into large creatures that hovered several dozen feet off the ground.. They were human males in appearance, with long, flowing blond hair and serenely attractive features; their bodies were covered by a white, gold-trimmed long-sleeve tunics and white pants, and they wore white shoes on their feet. Two great, beautiful white-feathered wings stroked the air, keeping them aloft. A purple cloth was draped over their shoulders, and a circlet of gold was set on their brow.

And in their hands, they each held a golden spear.

Cameron tensed. "Welcoming party?"

"I don't think so."

"Right." He thought for a second. "I'm gonna need a lot more ammo."
 

-------------------

Brittany felt the creatures' presence, even though she could not see. She knew they were hostile, but she had her own struggle to worry about right now, and she couldn't offer her companions anything anyway.

The darkness came at her again.

She kept fighting.
 

-------------------

When the seraphs charged, Cameron quickly envisioned a titanium barricade for himself and ducked behind it, firing over the new-made cover. They reached the party quickly, though they collectively ignored Brittany in her comatose state. By that time, Delita was wielding two honed straight swords, one in each hand, and was darting from one raising column to the next, taking the fight to the seraphs' territory with display after spectacular display of aerial acrobatics.

Every creature that the duo felled shimmered and vaporized, but more came constantly. Cameron was astounded at his counterpart's seemingly boundless stamina; he was already on his third ammo case and she was showing no signs of tiring. He strafed a seraph as it buzzed his impromptu foxhole, not bothering to watch it crash to the floor; coming around, he sight-sniped another descending on Delita, who had landed on the back of a third and was viciously shredding its wings. It fell into a death-spiral, and Delita back-flipped off of it before it crushed its head against the ground, another purple-and-red column shooting upwards to catch her. She sprang off instantly, spinning midair to sever the neck of a fourth, and was blindsided by a fifth, throwing her sideways; Cameron blasted it with half a clip before it could reach her again. He emptied the remainder of the clip into a squad coming in from his left, taking down three of them; Delita was already back, almost flying over him, cleaving the fourth in half to return Cameron his favor. Each half missed his mini-fort by mere feet, and they slid twenty yards before disintegrating.

Delita landed beside him, breathing no harder than if she'd just jogged five minutes.

"Damn, woman!" he exclaimed appreciatively. "That was incredible. You're not an adrenaline junkie, are you?"

"No more than you," she retorted, "if I am indeed a woman. I can't remember, you know."

Cameron snorted. "I'm just glad these things don't bleed. I'm pretty sure we'd've drowned by now."

Delita pointed off to one side. "Here they come," she said, and Cameron nodded, also seeing the next wave's approach. Two more ammo crates materialized behind him.

"Let's do this."

"Oh, naturally," said Delita sardonically. "The requisite tough-guy battle phrase. Of course."
 

-------------------

The battle was taking its toll on Brittany's spirit. She didn't know how much longer she could hold off before she broke before it. Even now, she could hear the laughter of that horrible being from her prison, taunting her, proclaiming her fall. It echoed through her, endlessly, that mocking voice.

I am with you always.

â??No, she cried. "I can't. I don't want to die. You're not real. You're lying!

I am with you always, it sneered. She could almost see its face again.

â??You're Lying!!

Somewhere, she found new strength. Almost instantly, she recognized what it was.

â??You're lying. Yes. You're lying. That was it. She threw the knowledge in its face. â??You're Lying!!

It halted its onslaught. It seemed somehow confused.

â??You're Lying!! You're not real, you don't control me, you can't hurt me anymore! You're Lying!!

She felt it stumble back in disbelief. She pressed onward.

â??YOU'RE LYING!!

Power flooded through her, expelling what remained of the darkness. She felt it scream as it was destroyed.

â??YOU'RE LYING!!

 

-------------------

Cameron was in a frenzy. He had no idea if this battle would ever end, and he really didn't care. Between kills, the thought flashed through his head that this was what the Vikings must have imagined Valhalla to be: an endless, glorious battle, for all eternity.

Spinning to find a new target, he saw instead an image that pulled his heart into his throat.

"Delita!" he screamed.

Brittany had risen to her feet. Around her, seraphs were finally realizing that she, too, was alive, and began racing for the easy kill. She stood unheeding, repeating two words over and over again. As her voice rose to fill the dome with her fervor, Cameron recognized them, though he could not understand.

"YOU'RE LYING!!"
 

-------------------

Delita watched as the seraphs descended in a cloud of white on the abandoned girl, and stared in disbelief as a sudden blast of purple and black light expelled from her body swept them aside. A wave of white and yellow light followed, and Delita threw her arm up in a shield. The dim golden glow around her flared to life, and the blasts rushed by her, leaving her untouched.

When she pulled her arm away, the only thing left in the room was Brittany. Cameron, his forts, and the seraphs were all gone. Delita rushed to Brittany's aid.

Brittany stood, staring peacefully at the sky dome above her. She inhaled slowly, then let the breath leave.

"It's gone."

She sagged to the ground. 

---------------------------------

OOC: There ya go, Rach. Pleased with yourself?

Edited January 27, 2013 by Allamorph

[Darren]

[SIZE=1]So maybe Delita was wrong before when she thought Brittany had erased the dark force inside of her. That didn't matter now. All that mattered, was that if it weren't for her, Cameron and even herself would have tired and fell to their doom eventually. The Onlooker was very pleased to see that she was actually back to normal this time.

[B]"It's gone,"[/B] Brittany repeated again.

Yes. It was gone, and a good thing too. Delita didn't want to release a dark spirit back into the universe. Brittany had been posing the greatest threat at their lives, and even proved this matter in Cameron's case.

[B]"Now all we have to do is get out of here,"[/B] she continued. The look on her face was empty, but not empty like before. She looked physically and mentally drained and Delita could tell that this 19 year-old girl wanted to get out of here more than it could ever want.

[B]"If only I had the opportunity to save another,"[/B] The Onlooker sighed at the thought of her helplessness as everyone she aimed to protect had died. And to make matters worse, Brittany had only been in her group for an hour or so. [I]Maybe they were better off by themselves. Maybe my interfering led to their deaths.[/I]

As the two stood up, the walls began fading back in, much to Delita's dismay. All they would have had to do was find the edge of this rather large dome and follow its edges until they reached an exit. Along the way, they could even generate food if needed.

The two walked as far as they could, literally passing right between the holographic walls as they generated, and only managed to get 20 feet before they became completely solid again.

[B]"It looks like there's no more cutting corners,"[/B] The Onlooker said blandly. And it actually thought there was a chance to get Brittany out alive.

The walls were the only thing that had really generated; the rest was still forming in little lines that left no clues as to what the room would contain. Whatever Inertiatic had planned was definitely working; wearing away at their hope and will to survivie.

Delita closed her eyes, emotionally distressed. Yes, she was feeling again, and distress seemed to be a very normal one for this body. She breathed deeply for a few minutes until...

[B]"Delita, what is this?"[/B] Brittany's voice sounded startled and when she opened her eyes she saw that the four walls, save a small space for the exit door, contained several tubes filled with some kind of pink fluid. And in each of the 29 tubes contained a member of one of their fallen comrades. In the center of the room was a control board of some kind, with roughly 50 different symbols that Delita didn't recognize. [I]"Perhaps if I only payed more attention in my watchings, I might be able to understand these symbols."[/I]

[B]"It seems we may free the others,"[/B]

[B]"But, Delita, didn't these people die?"[/B]

That was true. But why wouldn't they risk it? Adding someone to their group meant increasing their chances of survival.

Delita decided not to answer the girl and proceeded to the control board in front of her. She pushed 3 strange symbols, some of which looked oddly like letters from the American Alphabet.

[B]"Signal received,"[/B] That same creepy voice from the beginning, and the one Delita had to listen to for what seemed like an eternity, spoke insdide the room. The Onlooker wasn't even trying to do anything; just pushing random buttons. [B]"Subject 27: Updating memories,"[/B] It continued.

She watched as one of the tubes began flickering green, and a scanning light of some kind ran up the length of the tube.

[B]"Scan complete. Subject 27 reintroduced to the Panopticon. Remember, we are always watching you."[/B] The voice seemed to still be using that generic salutation every time it turned off. The fact that it didn't have the capability for diversity like it did before, proved how unstable the Panopticon was without Cicatriz. They needed to get out soon.

The pink fluid drained out of the tube, and the remaning caught fire on the inside. Somehow it wasn't as dramatic watching everyone burn while they were asleep. Delita knew that they weren't feeling any pain and that these specific beings had never experienced life. They were simply clones.

The door to Subject 27's tube opened up to reveal a rather tall and bulky black man. It was Etamet, covered in some kind of pink goo. He had a shocked look on his face.

[B]"Well, this is strange."[/B]

[CENTER]------------

[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/67994583zy1.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/clonecardpanopticon.jpg[/IMG]

[B]Name[/B]: Clone Card

[B]Effect[/B]: this card can only be used on a character who has died in Chapter 3 of the Panopticon. This will create an exact clone of the character. The effect is the same as a life card, only the player themself has to be the one to revive their character.[/CENTER][/SIZE]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkRed][CENTER][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/panopticonfinalcut.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

[CENTER][B]Chapter Four: The Final Cut[/B][/CENTER]

[CENTER][url=http://artpad.art.com/gallery/?jjp7s9l90qo]Etamet, Delita, and Brittany watched blankly as the clones in the red tubes burned.[/url][/CENTER]

[B]?I guess we leave the way we came in,? [/B] Delita sighed. She smiled faintly, though, at Etamet. [B]?Glad to have you back.? [/B] As long as this body had all of Etamet?s memories, it was him in every essence. His death had weighed the heaviest on Delita?s shoulders - if she could save him now, maybe she could die happily. The smile faded, though. [I]How can I possibly save them?[/I]

[CENTER]***[/CENTER]

[SIZE=1]Inertiatic ESP continued to turn.
[CENTER]God in his heaven?[/CENTER]
The onlooker had disappeared? Cicatriz ESP had disappeared?
The failsafe programs were shutting down?
[CENTER]All is right with the world?[/CENTER]
The structure had fallen apart?
[CENTER]So what purpose does it serve?[/CENTER]
The Panopticon froze.[/SIZE]

Inertiatic ESP and the Panopticon separated into two separate entities. Without any thoughts except of it?s own fallacy, Inertiatic ESP twisted off into nothingness. It?s very core imploded, and the system tumbled in on itself. The Panopticon - the eternal onlooker - both were now real.

[CENTER]***[/CENTER]

Delita could not have known that she was no longer the eternal onlooker. Her mind had become human - even with her heightened abilities and knowledge far greater than that of any being, she had adopted a soul. No longer was she a program - she was a human being with emotions and everything. But she couldn?t know this. She still thought her connection to the system existed - she didn?t even realize that Inertiatic had been destroyed - which was why she couldn?t have anticipated the Purgatory Battery Release.

[CENTER]***[/CENTER]

[B]?Delita??[/B] Brittany asked. Delita was still looking at Etamet, but her face was transforming. It began as a smile, but the smile quickly sank and her expression became more and more distant and sorrowful. Oblivious to the surroundings, Delita had pulled back deep into her mind. Etamet wasn?t sure what to make of it, but Brittany had become worried. Plenty of those who died had seemed perfectly fine until suddenly their brain wasn?t even operating anymore.

Tears began to flow down Delita?s face. [I]I can?t do anything.[/I][I] I?m pathetic. I can?t save anyone.[/I] Her mouth opened and a small squeak came out as she began to cry. Delita fell to her knees. Brittany rushed over to comfort her immediately.

[B]?Delita! Are you okay?? [/B] Delita?s head meekly raised to eye level with Brittany.

[B]?How will I be able to save you?? [/B] Etamet stepped forward now, offering his hand to Delita. Questioningly she took hold of it and let Etamet pull her to her feet. Brittany rose as well.

[B]?It?s not on your shoulders. We weren?t meant to rely on anyone for survival, and you were not to be responsible for our survival. With three of us left we have no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We need to get out of here now, so come on.? [/B] Delita considered the words. He was obviously right - Delita finally realized it. Her human heart had interfered with her reasoning - the Eternal Onlooker knew that she must have been human now. Delita sniffed and wiped her tears away with her sleeve, wearing a whole new, determined face.

[B]?Let?s go,?[/B] she said, looking ahead, and even boldly strode out to lead the group. When she reached the place where they?d entered, though, there was no longer a door. [B]?Figures?? [/B] The trio began searching down the room for an alternate exit, trying their hardest not to look at the giant canisters full of blood.

[CENTER][url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUI3eElH76w]The shrill sound of a siren cut the atmosphere and a voice came from above.[/url]

[I]Purgatory Battery Release initiated. I repeat, Purgatory Battery Release initiated. Inertiatic ESP system offline. All power switch to Panopticon main generators.[/I][/CENTER]

[B]?SHIT!!!?[/B] Delita cried over the sirens. The others were looking about frantically and turned toward her.

[B]?What does it mean?!?[/B] Etamet called, straining his voice to reach over the screeching sirens. Delita either didn?t hear him or wasn?t paying attention, because she was going on about something else.

[B]?Can?t be right!? the system!? [/B] she was trying to yell over the siren and voice but Etamet could only pick up portions of her sentence.

[B]?I can?t hear you!?[/B] he called. Delita?s face was one of total distress. She launched herself into Etamet?s chest and hugged tight to him, crying her eyes out in fear and panic. This was what it meant to be human - this uncertainty - this weakness - this reliance on others. The fear of death - the longing to survive. Finally she understood the purpose of all this. The perfection that had been lost was in fact the flaw. The weakness and desire to survive was what gave humans the will to live - without it they had all disappeared. In a future where living beings were reduced to strict knowledge they could have never understood. The answer that they had always searched for had been played out in front of them a thousand, million, billion, infinite number of times. Emotions - that was the answer that Inertiatic had searched so long to find. Delita understood it all! She felt these things flowing through every inch of her being! It poured out of her from her eyes and from her nose and mouth as she wailed and cried in humanity?s chest. This is what it meant!!!

[B]?DELITA! WHAT?S GOING ON?!?[/B] Brittany hollered, but her answer came before she could think. The entire ground of the room cracked and popped into large chunks which immediately began sinking into the blackness below. Delita and Etamet were falling on a different piece of land from Brittany. Etamet?s shock had to be ignored for now; he pulled Delita tighter into his chest as the platform turned completely vertical and the two were freefalling into the blackness. Brittany?s platform remained vertical at a slant and she laid flat on it, screaming as the rock plummeted. Above, she could see the massive blood-filled canisters falling as well. One of them landed on another of the platforms, crashed, and burst, sending it?s contents flying about. A splash of blood smacked onto Brittany?s torso and a charred head flew through the air, landing between her legs.

Brittany?s scream was interrupted as she turned her head down to face what had landed on her. Oromis stared back at her with dead, blank eyes and a burnt face. Brittany screamed so hard that she fell unconscious. Her body started to float off the surface of the rock under her. Meanwhile, Etamet was still holding tight to Delita, his thoughts racing. The plummet seemed to go on forever - he couldn?t even perceive worry or think what could happen. Barely audible over the rush of wind encompassing them, Etamet could hear Delita still bawling like a child.

Minutes passed.

Finally there came a point where the sound of wind suddenly stopped. In fact, there was no sound at all except for Delita?s sobs. Etamet took a moment to realize it, but they were no longer falling - they were only gliding along through the black nothingness. He found he could move his limb - he turned himself and his passenger into an upright position. He glanced about and couldn?t see any rocks or rubble - above, there was nothing. Logically, he shouldn?t have even been able to see himself - and yet he could see himself and Delita just fine, as if they were standing in the sunlight. It was as if their bodies were radiating color. It no longer felt like they were falling at all, and yet there was no ground for Etamet to place his feet on. It was surely the most peculiar of feelings.

Brittany didn?t seem to be anywhere, but then it could have been that she was merely impossible to see in this space. She could have been laying just a small distance from him, and yet she could have been miles away, or even still falling through the infinite darkness. His mind was pulled away as he felt Delita?s arms fall limp from his torso. His vision turned to his companion.

[B]?Do you know what?s going on??[/B] he asked. Delita wiped the tears from her eyes once more with her sleeve and folded her legs to sit down - only instead of falling, she remained at Etamet?s eye level, pulling her legs up to reach her.

[B]?Purgatory,?[/B] she responded meekly. [B]?Those who have sinned are cleansed.? [/B]

[B]?So we?re dead then? Is that why Brittany-?[/B]

[B]?No. She?s here too. This isn?t God?s purgatory - we are still in the Panopticon.? [/B] Etamet remained silent, awaiting further explanation.

[B]?I told you before, that the Panopticon was created from the remnants of the Maze, who?s goal was to figure out how to save the beings of the universe before they all disappeared. Obviously, since this machine has operated indefinitely, it never found the answer. The answer?s been here all along, but it was something that a computer could never understand. Even those who survive have only just been sent back to their life - there is no purpose to this perpetual onslaught. That?s why I wanted to get rid of it. I?m glad I got to become human? even if I couldn?t destroy the Panopticon? I?m happy just to have lived once.?[/B]

Etamet placed his hand on Delita?s shoulder and stared directly into her eyes. Delita had the feeling like he was speaking to her very soul.[B] ?No,? [/B] he began. ?[B]You have not lived truly. To live is to experience all that there is to be human. It is too early for you to give up. Not until you have lived truly.?[/B]

***

Brittany woke up to find herself nowhere. The place she exited was nothing but an abyss of black. [I]Could this be hell?[/I]

***

[B]?This is the true form of the Panopticon. Without the computer to control it, it is just an existence.?

?Inertiatic must have died as well. My bet is it found itself flawed and destroyed itself. How like a system of perfection.?

?It?s not that we are trapped here. I knew from before that we might be getting close when we were able to create with our minds, but I never would have thought I?d actually experience this.?

?Being that I?m no longer a part of the Panopticon, I don?t even know what to do here. I don?t know the possibilities. This vast emptiness is all that should remain, though logically there could be any ghost in the machine.?

?Most likely, we are going to die here.?[/B]

***

Brittany didn?t know what to do. She was left alone with her thoughts. It was all she could do trying not to go insane. The thoughts of Oromis returned. She couldn?t save him? she killed him? SHE KILLED HIM!!!

---

[I]Murderer? murderer? murderer? murderer? MuRdErEr? MURdErEr? MURDERER!!!![/I]

---

[SIZE=4][B][I]MURDERER!!!!!!!![/I][/B][/SIZE]

---

Brittany couldn?t keep track of the hours, but she knew she?d slept once. She?d regained her focus, and her thoughts made sense again. She wished the tears weren?t dried to her face, but she was ignoring it for now. It was all she could do trying not to go insane.

---

Etamet and Delita continued to stew in silence. For a while they?d swum around investigating, making sure to stay together, but the emptiness made it impossible to tell what was what; If they?d actually traveled at all. They were alone and in an emptiness that ate at their very soul.

---

Brittany couldn?t keep track of the hours, but she knew she?d slept once. . She wished the tears weren?t dried to her legs, but she was far beyond giving second thought to that. It was all she could do trying not to go insane.

---

[B]??I closed her eyes and gave her one last kiss. I will always remember the feeling as she breathed her last time into my lips. The memory lives with me every waking moment? I continue to live on with her inside of me and inside of our child who has grown into a fine young man. I remember the first hunt he was a part of. He thrust his spear with all his spirit. He was an adult, I knew. The maturity, the decisiveness? this was not the curiosity of a child. Nothing is more prideful then to have raised a son to become a man.?[/B]

[B]?Pride? I?ve never felt that before? what?s it like??[/B]

[B]?? it?s? a feeling of accomplishment. When one knows they have succeeded, and look back with admiration upon what they have done. Pride can be very dangerous if it is misguided, but if one lacks any pride, they can never enjoy the things they have done.?[/B]

[B]?I see? do you think I?ll ever have a son, Etamet??

?It is unknown. Whether one is blessed with a son or daughter is not a decision of oneself. It is a gift of nature - the universe itself bringing it?s blessing upon you.?

?You?re a very wise man, aren?t you, Etamet? I always thought I was an entity of vast knowledge, though I guess I honestly know very little about how to feel. I?m glad to have met someone like you.?

?Were it not in such a way, I would say that I would have been happy to have conversed with you. If we make it out of here, my people will accept you with us.?[/B]

---

Brittany couldn?t keep track of the hours, but she knew she?d slept once. She wished her skin didn?t feel so dry, but she tried to ignore it. It was all she could do trying not to go insane.

[CENTER][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/princespriteswb3.gif[/IMG][/CENTER]

---

Using the bathroom had been a nit of a strange experience. Delita didn?t even know to be embarrassed, but Etamet couldn?t conceive the thought of doing such in front of a woman. Though Delita always promised she wasn?t looking, she?d honestly snuck a peek once or twice. She?d seen it plenty of times before, though for seem reason her curiosity would always get to her and she?d want to look.

[B]?Etamet, will you have sex with me??[/B]

[B]?No.?[/B]

The amount of finalization in his tone blocked any hope of rebuttal. Delita turned away into her thoughts. There was a bit of silence before Delita suddenly began removing her clothes.

[B]?I said no,?[/B] Etamet immediately retorted, but Delita kept on.

[B]?I know, and I don?t expect you to change your mind, so I?m just going to play around.?[/B] Etamet?s face took on a bit of embarrassment that he had never shown before. At this, Delita giggled.[B] ?You don?t have to watch.?[/B]

[B]?I?d prefer not to hear, either.?[/B]

[B]?Just ignore it, then. If we?re stuck here, I at least want to have my time with this body??[/B] as she said this, she was fumbling around with her bra, figuring out how to unhinge it. The clothes she?d removed seemed to float about just behind her. When she got it right, she pulled away the straps revealing her breasts. Where Etamet came from, the women bore their chests regularly, so this was nothing tantalizing, but when the girl removed her panties, he had to turn around.

[B]?Oh!?[/B] Delita exclaimed. Etamet?s head sank. [I]Please let something happen?[/I]

---

Brittany couldn?t keep track of the hours, but she knew she?d slept twice. She no longer suffered from torturous thoughts; all that she could think about was how bored she was. In a fit of madness she?d torn apart her clothes, them being the only thing around to interact with. She couldn?t keep track of her mood. She?d been depressed at parts, bursting into tears and throwing a fit, but it couldn?t hold. The mundane atmosphere was unlike anything she?d ever experienced. She recounted her entire life. At some time she even began creating a story in her head. She found entertainment in things never to be found such. The fact that anything could float was interesting. Even when she urinated the liquid would only float away slowly.

Without even thinking about it, she started doing all sorts of strange things that she was sure no one in life would find acceptable or at least probable. She wondered why life had so many boundaries and such normalcy.

---

There was a resonation. At first Brittany thought she was just hearing things - that she?d gone insane long ago, but it persisted and seemed to be real. It began to grow - no- it was getting closer! The anticipation was enough to make her jittery. She impatiently waited for whatever it was to arrive.

[SIZE=3]VWOOSH![/SIZE]

Brittany didn?t know if she?d actually fallen asleep fast or if she had just woken up. She wasn?t laying on nothing anymore - her feet were on solid ground, though the ground was sand and her feet were slightly sunken in. She wondered why her eyes weren?t burning in the bright sun, or why her ears weren?t aching from the sudden rush of noise from the waves crashing on the shore. She wondered why her dry skin didn?t itch as the summer breeze danced across her nude body.

Sidestepping the abnormal thoughts, though, she also wondered why there were no people about, or why the sand seemed to go on into the distance behind her as far as she could see. Another gentle wave crashed onto the shore. Brittany turned and walked toward the water. The aftermath of the wave splashed over her feet - it was cold, but not freezing. She continued to walk outward until the water was at her neck. She closed her eyes as a wave of tranquil happiness rushed over her. Brittany took a deep breath and pulled her head underwater.

She opened her eyes and looked around in the clear water. Life was all around her - animals of the water swam about in all directions. Brittany gasped in marvel, ignoring her ability to breath underwater or that the surface was no longer just above. She swam about gleefully, laughing and dancing along. She hugged the back of a whale and rode it about. The creatures of the sea paid her no mind - she was absorbed in happiness.

---

Delita and Etamet were anticipating the coming of a ghost in the machine as the hum grew ever louder. Delita has dressed herself again, though she had refashioned her shirt into a tank-top and her pants into shorts using an arrowhead Etamet had been keeping with him. The two were standing - or at least they thought they were - and both wore stern expressions as they awaited the coming trial.

[SIZE=3]VWOOSH![/SIZE]

What Delita and Etamet had arrived onto was something neither could have perceived had they not been there at that time. Their appearances had been completely altered - the world looked like animation. Their own bodies were no longer realistic - they were drawings, and yet they were alive; and they were standing in a graveyard. The atmosphere was dark and a calm chill drifted about. All around there were freakish-looking crosses jutting from the ground. Dark, fearsome trees rose from the ground all around. In the center stood a massive cross over a pedestal.

[CENTER][url=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/OverlookingtheGraveyard1.jpg]the Angel of Death himself stood upon it.[/url][/CENTER]

[B]?You?re arrived? Delita? Etamet.?[/B]

[B]?Who are you?? [/B] Etamet inquired.

[B]?I am the one who takes the souls of those who die. I am a part of the Panopticon, though now it would appear I am merely a ghost.?[/B]

[B]?Did you retain your power??[/B] The angel smirked and lifted it?s scythe.

[B]?In the time of the Panopticon?s operation, I gathered the souls that did not find rest and sent them to hell. No, I have no longer retained my power, and the souls that have not found rest are still active as of yet. Would you like me to show you? There remain only a few??[/B]

[B]?Show us!?[/B] Delita answered hastily. For some reason, she was filling with hope.

---

Oromis Tu?wail, Katar Dakit, Delilah Rousseau, and Mary Winters all stood before Delita. Their bodies were translucent and glowing blue, and they appeared to be unconscious, though all were physically perfectly fine. Delita stared on in ardor at the three bodies before her. She raised her hand slowly and placed in on Mary?s cheek, rubbing it gently.

[B]?Beautiful?? [/B] she whispered. Two trails of tears streamed down her face as she looked from Mary on to the other two. Of course she recognized Oromis and was filled with joy. She turned to the reaper.

[B]?Can you?? [/B] He nodded. A broad smile spread across Delita?s face as she gazed once more at the three.

[B]?I warn you,?[/B] the reaper continued,[B] ?these are spirits of unrest. They may be unstable. The one I the center - he?s likely to kill you on-sight.? [/B] As the reaper was explaining this, Delita had placed her hand on Katar's face as well.

[B]?We can?t have that??[/B] she trailed off, ?I suppose you could revive him elsewhere??

[B]?No. Trust me, it would be easier to simply not grant him life. His sanity is beyond saving.?[/B]

[B]?I see?? [/B] Delita gazed into the man?s face. Quietly she pressed her lips against his before taking 2 steps back. She looked over at the angel of death and gave a nod. The reaper nodded in return. Raising his scythe above his head, he brought the blade down on the ghostly figure of Katar Dakit, splitting it in half. Both halves evaporated into nothing instantly. Oromis and Mary remained.

[B]?These three then??[/B] Both Delita and Etamet nodded simultaneously. The reaper turned his scythe upside down and closed his eyes. The three forms gradually began taking on human colors and their bodies returned to life. Oromis, Delilah, and Mary opened their eyes onto the strange, animated land and the girl before them crying and smiling.

[B]?Welcome back!?[/B][/COLOR]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=goldenrod]At first the surroundings seemed to almost hiccup. One moment there was only five and then there was six. Startled for a long moment, all of those who survived merely stared at each other, the strange environment making it seem as if it was but a dream. Mary Winters, Delilah Rousseau, Brittany Cossentine, Oromis Tu'wail, Delita Lytle and Etamet. None of them wanted to say it, but out of thirty that had arrived, only six remained. How they had just ended up together didn't matter. What did was that they were. And somehow they all knew that they were all that was left.
[I]
How can I possibly save them now?[/I] Delita thought. The sudden appearance of Brittany did not surprise her. Such a change in this part of the Panopticon was normal, but with each passing moment she became more human, more real. The knowledge she once possessed as the Eternal Onlooker dying with each moment. Life was not meant to posses such inhuman knowledge and the body she now inhabited was rejecting it. [I]I have to save them before I've changed too much. That is why I took the chance to leave and enter this body, isn't it?[/I]

She opened her mouth to speak, to suggest that they at least try to find a way out, but now she no longer knew for sure how to do that. And it seemed that the Panopticon was not done with them as the very surroundings began to melt. Or rather they appeared to be melting as the scenery literally began to flow like melting wax. Delita froze in place.

"[B]Gah! What in the world is going on![/B]" Delilah screamed even as she moved close to Delita in a vain attempt to get away from what was melting the walls.

All of them did the same, gathering in a circle, watching the strange change. "[B]What's going on Delita?[/B]" Brittany cried from her vantage point of being in the center of the group.

"[B]I'm not sure, it seems like it's trying to change into another setting, but it shouldn't work like this. If it's going to do so, it should have just changed! Changes in this part of the Panopticon should happen quickly. So quickly that you'd wonder what happened.[/B]"

The change continued until the six were standing in the center of a swirling vortex of colors, spinning madly, making Etamet and Oromis sick just to watch. Slowly creeping towards the entire group.

"[B]Gods, after all this are we going to die?[/B]" Oromis asked through clenched teeth.

"[B]Just like poor Lucia[/B]," Mary sobbed. "[B]This place is going to kill us all.[/B]" Frightened she clung to Delita.

Then just as the change touched where they were standing a brilliant flash of light blinded them, forcing them to close their eyes. Seconds later, they hesitantly opened them. Only to find themselves in what appeared to be an open meadow of wildflowers.

"[B]Oh![/B]" Mary exclaimed. "[B]Did we get out after all?[/B]"

Delita shook her head sadly, "[B]No we are not out. Don't let the appearance of the room we are in now fool you. This too is a part of the Panopticon.[/B]"

[CENTER][B][SIZE=5]*Meow!*[/SIZE][/B]
[/CENTER]

With a startled shriek the group fell over themselves as they moved away from the unexpected sound among them. Oromis and Etamet cursing under their breath as Delilah and Mary tripped over each other and slammed into Delita sending all three tumbling to the ground.

*[B]Meow![/B]*

All of them just stared in disbelief at the small cat on the ground, with white fur, orange markings and green eyes. Delita untangled herself from the others and got up. [I]How is this possible? Something like this shouldn't happen in this part of the Panopticon. [/I]She shook her head as she walked over to the cat.

"[B]Brittany?[/B]" Delita asked the cat.

The cat nodded at her and tried to speak. *[B]Meow![/B]*

Delita reached down and picked the cat up. Even if her knowledge as the Eternal Onlooker was fading, she still could sense that Brittany was indeed now a cat.

"[B]Wait a second,[/B]" Oromis finally spoke up. "[B]How the hell did Brittany get turned into a cat?[/B]"

Delita turned to face him. "[B]Well being changed into a beast is one of the traps here, but with all that's happened, that type of trap should have been disabled.[/B]" She shook her head. "[B]We're going to have to be very cautious. It seems that things are highly unstable in more ways than one.[/B]"

Mary finally recovered and went over and took Brittany from Delita, "[B]I'll carry her, you seem to know the most about this place so I'll keep an eye out for Brittany.[/B]" She looked at the cat, "[B]If that's okay with you?[/B]"

Brittany the cat nodded again. *[B]Meow![/B]*

Delita nodded as well. Even if she wasn't sure what was going to happen, she wasn't going to quit trying to save them now. She waited until Mary fixed a spot in her apron's pocket for Brittany and then the group began to look around to determine just which way they should go.

[CENTER]---------------------------------[/CENTER]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4791/brittanycathj8.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/beastcard.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/Cubechar1.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER]

[B]Name:[/B] Beast Card

[B]Definition: [/B]Turns any character into an animal of the card user's choosing.[/COLOR]

[Darren]

[SIZE=1][B]"Things have certainly taken a strange turn,"[/B] Oromis spoke up after several minutes of staring at enless wildflowers.

[B]"You mean more strange than being brought back to life?"[/B] Delilah Rousseau had a good point to Mary. It wasn't every day that she got a second chance at life.

And it seemed that the dark man called Etamet also got a second chance. And from Delita's explination, it seemed that she was no longer Delita but someone else. Mary didn't know because she'd never met Delita before her second life, but it seemed that the only [I]true[/I] survivor was Brittany.

[I]"Maybe that's why she was chosen to be changed into a cat."[/I] She thought.

[B]"We should hurry and pick a path unless we want to succumb to another trap,"[/B] Delita spoke up. Mary didn't care which way they went, it all looked just as beautiful and it couldn't have been any worse than death.

Well, Mary thought of it as undead, even though it was completely against her beliefs. She was always told that ghosts and ghouls are only stories told to children to make them behave, but now that she had experienced it herself, she wasn't so sure. It all felt like a bad dream. Mary was completely conscious during the experience but it was almost as though she were blind, running aimlessly in all directions for an exit hidden in the darkness. Then, without warning, a beautiful hand of light reached down and she grabbed hold, landing her right back in the Panopticon. Mary had wished it were a dream, but at least she wasn't [I]officially[/I] dead. She hoped that it would never happen again.

[B]"I think it's best if we just start walking,"[/B] Etamet picked a direction and headed down the gentle slope, making a small pathway in the forest of tiny wildflowers.

The rest followed, but Mary could tell that some didn't like being followers, namely Oromis and Delita. Her master had alwasy told her that some were natural leaders and others were important followers. But if too many chose the same job, complications would surly follow. Mary was a happy follower, but she only hoped that she would live to see her home before anything bad happened between the group.

In fact, the field of wildflowers reminded Mary of her home with a few small differences. Her master's summer home had a large meadown with wildflowers. Even though, the smelled different, Mary couldn't help but think about her life before all of this happened. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if she were memorizing the scent of the field. When she opened them, however, it was not a meadow at all.

She was back in her palace, with a bucket in hand. She was apparently doing chores, but Mary was so thrown off that she dropped the bucket, spilling dirty water all over the shiny wooden floor.

[B]"Mary! Did you break something?"[/B] It was the master's wife! Now she was sure it was all just a dream.

[B]"No--No, mamm. I just dropped a bucket."[/B]

[B]"Well, do be more careful next time."[/B] That shrewd voice couldn't be duplicated for anything. Mary was back in her home, in her own time.

[B]"What is this place?"[/B] a deep voice called behind her. Even though it had kindness, Mary's heart sank as each word passed. She turned to face Etamet.
[B]"Is this your home? Did we leave the Panopticon?"[/B]

[B]"Well obviously not or we wouldn't be standing in Mary's home."[/B] Delita appeared next to her, and just shortly after, the entire group was in her home, dirtying her master's floors with their muddy shoes and feet, all down to the feline Brittany.

It was all Mary could do to keep from crying. Her hopes were dashed and she was immediately thrust back into the heart of the CCC. It was fair to assume that her master and mistriss weren't real as well, making the realization all the more difficult. Perhaps that shrewd voice wasn't so difficult to mimic.

Suddenly, a loud scream followed by a crash from one of the master's many vases resonated through the hallway. It was the mistriss and it appeared to be coming from the second guest waiting room.

[B]"Mary!"[/B] She screamed, a tone of seriousness was in her voice.

As she began heading that way, Delita spoke up, [B]"Be careful. This is still the Panopticon. It may look like your home, but it's not. You can still die."[/B]

Her warning went without heed as Mary entered the room, sliding the big wooden door away to reveal the mistress standing over a body. It was face down and a pool of blood was spreading at an alarming pace. There was a large hole in the back of the body's head and it seemed to be dressed down into normal clothing.

[B]"How could you?"[/B] The mistriss raved as she paced back and forth over the corpse, gripping onto the sofa the entire time. Mary was stunned; utterly pulled in and fooled by the complexities of this "room" in the Panopticon...

She could only stammer in her Mistress' prescense, which was also duplicated exactly, [B]"I--I didn't do anything. I swear it,"[/B]

[B]"You little lier. There's blood all over you."[/B]

Mary looked down for the first time and realized that she was still in her same clothes from the Panopticon: Dirty from mud and sweat and bloody from all the stuff she had been through. Her hands were stained a deep red color and she immediately tried to rub it off on her petticoat.

[B]"Don't ever lie to me,"[/B] the mistress continued, a tone of ferocity entered her voice. A tone that Mary had never heard before. [B]"An eye for an eye,"[/B] she said as she pulled one of her husband's rifles out of nowhere and aimed it at Mary, [B]"You must be punished,"[/B]

Mary ran, adrenaline pumping through every muscle, making her run even faster. The first pop exploded through the corridor, sending the bullet flying passed Mary's head. Another scream emerged from her Mistress-- this woman that was trying to kill her. Mary was certain that this was not her home anymore.

She turned a couple of corners and ran up the back staircase to the Master's office, and hid inside a closet. There were no locks, but it sounds like the crazed woman had lost her. Only Brittany the cat would give away their location now and even she was stone silent, her each twitching at every small movement.

Seconds later, Mary heard several more gun shots from the rifle, followed by the screams of Delilah. Mary heard Oromis yell something, but she couldn't make it out from her current location.

[I]"Please be okay,"[/I] she said to herself as she cowered in the darkest corner of her master's fake closet.[/SIZE]

[Sandy]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]Delilah Rousseau remembered the burning lake, and the anguished look on the face of Alcuin nó Prideux. They told her that he was dead now. And Brittany, with whom she had travelled for a long time and the only one who had survived the horrors of this place intact, was now turned into a cat.

The show girl from the [I]Moulin Rouge[/I] still couldn't believe that she had been chosen to have a second chance in life. But the rules hadn't changed - there could still be only one survivor in this place.

There were five other people - well, four people and one cat - still standing in her way. But Delilah had to wonder, was all this pain and fear really worth it? What would wait for her back home? More slave work at the theater? More slutty outfits, slimy customers, powder-filled dressing rooms? All work and no glory?

When she went to work at the [I]Moulin Rouge[/I] she had expected glamour and pampering. But that facade was soon torn down when the Director had sold her innocence to an old nobleman.

Did she really have anything to live for? She had no family, no friends... no love. She looked at the little Mary, and at the bold Etamet and the seasoned Oromis, and at the mysterious Delita, and the poor Brittany turned into a cat, and she thought that each of them must have a hundred more reasons to live than her.

So she gave up trying.[/COLOR]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial][indent][align=justify]Instead, she did the next thing that crossed her mind. She hurled herself at Mary?s assailant. The woman?s second shot went wide, shattering a porcelain vase on a nearby stand.

[B]?How dare you!!?[/B] the woman cried furiously. She threw Delilah off, the rifle?s barrel connecting solidly with the side of the dancer?s head. Delilah crashed into another Corinthian stand behind her, the top of it striking her in her lower vertebrae; her head cracked against the wall, and Delilah crumpled to the floor, facedown. There was a third gunshot, and she screamed in pain as the bullet tore through her left shoulder, missing the bone by a hair?s breadth.

A red haze filled her vision; she was conscious of something warm and sticky running down her face. She thought she heard Oromis calling for Etamet to help him, but the throbbing of her shoulder drowned out his words, and she slipped slowly into the welcome numbness of the dark.[/align][/indent][/FONT]

[Rachmaninoff]

Oromis had not expected Mary to fall so completely for what had to be a trap. With a quick call to Etamet to help him they quickly took the rifle from the woman, but not before she got off another shot, hitting Delilah. Etamet moved to restrain her as Delita moved to help Delilah but the woman was impossibly strong, only proving that she couldn't possibly be Mary's real mistress. Especially when with a snarl of rage she tossed Etamet into the nearest wall and stormed out of the room.

"[B]Come back here Mary![/B]" She yelled shrilly. "[B]I'm not done with you yet![/B]"

Oromis started to follow her but stopped when Delita motioned for him to help her as she tried to stem the blood flowing from the wound to Delilah's shoulder.

"[B]You can't stop that woman Oromis, so long as Mary believes she's real the Panopticon will support her existence.[/B]" Delita continued to work on Delilah, now aided by Etamet who seemed to know what to do, tearing strips of cloth from a small throw blanket he had snatched from the sofa. Applying pressure in the right place while he ministered to her shoulder and wrapped it in place.

"[B]What the hell is going on Delita?[/B]" Oromis asked as he helped Etamet move the unconscious Delilah to the sofa.

Delita stood up, wringing her hands together, clearly distressed. "[B]It has to do with the nature of this part of the Panopticon, on some level your own thoughts, fears and desires affect what happens. Even if Mary knows this isn't her real home, so long as she believes on some level that the woman is real, she is real.[/B]" Delita started pacing back and forth, getting more and more agitated with each moment.

"[B]Until we trigger another trap or someone else's thoughts or emotions become strong enough to overpower Mary's we are stuck here. And as you can see from what happened to Delilah, we can all die.[/B]" Delita stopped and faced both of them reaching up in a surprisingly human gesture of frustration as she ran her right hand through her hair.

"[B]We have to find Mary and calm her down or one of you needs to knock her out. The longer she hides in fear the stronger that woman will become.[/B]"

"[B]What about Delilah? We can't leave her here. If that woman comes back she'll kill her.[/B]" Etamet exclaimed.

Delita looked at Delilah and then back to the two. "[B]You two should go and look for Mary and Brittany. I can easily move Delilah, but it probably would be best to avoid moving her if possible. Also, even though I am changing, I am still able to move far more quickly than either one of you even if I am carrying Delilah.[/B]"

Having been carried by Delita at one point, Etamet had to agree. He didn't know what she meant about changing, but one thing was certain, Delita was certainly stronger than he was.

"[B]Come on Oromis, the sooner we find Mary and Brittany the sooner we can get out of this place.[/B]"

Reluctantly Oromis followed Etamet out of the room to look for Mary and Brittany. He didn't like it but it was looking like they didn't have a choice. Though having already died once, he doubted that this hellish place would let any of them leave alive.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=goldenrod]Even though she knew this was not her home, Mary couldn't help but be afraid. Before she had been given over to her new master and mistress her previous master had been horribly cruel. Demanding and vicious punishing her over any perceived mistake. Accidentally spilling water on the table, missing a spot on the floor when cleaning, nothing had been overlooked. She'd lost count of the times she had been beaten.

But then to pay a debt she had been handed over to the palace and a new master. And though he was stern, both him and his wife were kind, never beating her for her mistakes.

"[B]Come back here Mary![/B]" She yelled shrilly. "[B]I'm not done with you yet![/B]"

Mary whimpered in fear at the sound of her mistress's footsteps coming towards the master's office. A fear that started to turn into a sob until Brittany reached up with her paw to touch Mary's face. [I]Of course![/I] Mary thought. [I]I have to be quiet! I can't let that monster hurt Brittany![/I]

She took a deep breath to steady herself, after all she had stopped Katar hadn't she? Even if this horrible place had killed Lucia it didn't mean she couldn't save Brittany. Mary didn't understand it, but somehow she felt a tiny bit braver, though perhaps that was due to realizing that the mistress had moved past the office and into another part of the home.

Hesitantly Mary looked around in the closet. If only she still had the pistol she had gotten from Julian! But since she had died it had been lost. Mary didn't know where it was. [I]I wish I had that pistol! [/I]

As if in answer to that thought a part of the closet wall began to shimmer and seconds later the very same pistol she had used to kill Katar appeared, hovering in the air. Mary reached out and took it. She didn't know how it appeared, she only cared that it did.

"[B]Don't worry Brittany,[/B]" she whispered, reaching down to pet her, reassuring herself more than Brittany, "[B]I won't let that fake mistress hurt you.[/B]"

Once again Mary could hear footsteps approaching. This time they entered the room she was in. Shaking with fear and determination she wedged herself into a corner of the closet to brace herself. Brittany was still in her apron pocket, watching the door intently, her whiskers twitching. As the footsteps came closer Mary raised the pistol, holding it with both hands to steady herself, aiming it at the door.

[CENTER]---------------------------------[/CENTER]
In another part of the Panopticon a trap was triggered in response to Mary's sudden frail courage. It focused on the next participant who's despair was the strongest, but nothing happened, or rather the results were not what should have happened. Delilah moaned in her sleep, not even realizing that her thought that the others had more reasons to live than her had caused the Panopticon to respond. That it had attempted to erase her existence as it had done to Nadia.

Instead it rebounded on the parameters of the Panopticon that were slowly falling apart, changing the nature of how the game was structured. It searched until it found the one most altered, not in spirit but in body. When it hit Brittany let out a tiny involuntary meow, her cat senses confused as to what had just happened.

Then the change complete the Panopticon concluded that the trap was done. The switch in place. It did not realize that Delilah's soul still existed or that Brittany was still a cat. Something had happened and that was all that mattered. But to those who controlled Brittany and Delilah the change was shocking. Their previous plans now in ruins.

[CENTER]-------------------------------------[/CENTER]
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[B]Name:[/B] User-Switch Card

[B]Definition:[/B] Switches the owners of two characters. The two chosen characters will be switched without word of who they belong to.

Congratulations! The owner of Brittany is now the owner of Delilah instead and whoever owns Delilah is now the proud owner of a cat! MEOW! :catgirl: [/COLOR]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=Tahoma]Mary's hands were shaking, her whole body followed not too long after. She felt as if she couldn't make a sound even if she wanted to, which in this case probably would have came in handy considering she would prefer that she wasn't noticed over having to pull the trigger once again. Brittany leaped out of her apron and stood by Mary's foot, her head swaying back and forth, probably trying to shake off the subtle effects of whatever had happened moments ago.

[b][i]'walk away...just walk away, walk away....don't come in here...'[/b][/i] Mary repeated to herself.

Despite having the gun it was a different feeling then when she had shot Katar. The old saying goes [i]"It's always easier the second time"[/i], but it felt like the exact opposite. She almost felt guilty that the situation where she had almost no problem pulling the trigger had more to do with the protection of someone else, and yet here she felt a stronger sense of fear that her own life was more in danger. It was natural and made more sense than Mary gave herself credit for, but she tried to help matters by convincing herself that she was doing it to protect Brittany, eventhough she probably had a better chance of getting away in her cat form.

The footsteps suddenly stopped, taking all the fuel out of Mary's train of thought instantly. She almost let out a yelp, but it was muffled by the dryness in her throat. She held the pistol higher and tried to keep it as steady as possible, fixated on the middle so she wouldn't miss.

[b][i][color=purple]'Maaaary...'[/color][/b][/i]

[b][i]'W...what was that!?'[/i][/b]

Mary's heart began pounding so hard that she was afraid the noise would give herself away. The eerie voice inside her head, it drew involuntary tears from her eyes as she tried to still herself.

[b][i][color=purple]'You're going to die here...'[/color][/b][/i]

[b][i]'N...no....stop! Stop talking to me...!'[/b][/i]

Even the voice Mary used to think with was shaky and frightened, she felt like bursting into tears despite not realizing they were already streaming down her cheeks. They flowed as if a dam had been shattered, but she could only feel cold and fear. It was then Mary's attention was drawn by the turning of the knob. The door slowly opened while Mary tried to jolt herself out of her frozen state. Suddenly she just thrusted her hands forward and with all of her might pulled the trigger, as if it were the heaviest thing in the world.

[b]"GO AWAAAAAAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!"[/b] Mary screamed, not even acknowledging whether or not the gun was firing. She just continued squeezing and screaming until she got light-headed.

All the noise had stopped, Mary's strength gave out...she had no concept of how much time had passed...she just stayed in place on all fours panting and trying to catch her breath. She shook her head and glanced down to make sure Brittany was still there, which she was. She stood there innocently, it was rather easy to forget that it was Brittany and not just a regular cat.

[b][i]'Mary...'[/b][/i]

[b][i]'W...what!? No, I thought...'[/b][/i]

[b][i]'...Mary...'[/b][/i]

Mary clenched her fists as tight as she could and gritted her teeth down, she felt a second's relief before she heard her name again...she couldn't take it anymore. She flung her body forward flailing her arms wildly. She felt herself hitting something rather hard, and something a lot wider then what her target should have been.

[b]"MARY! Calm down...it's me!"[/b]

The voice she heard was now louder and clearer...she looked up and saw herself slamming her little fists into Oromis. He stood there looking down at her, his left arm around her shoulders.

[b]"O...Oromis?"[/b] she asked, meekly.

[b]"It's ok...just stop hitting me."[/b]

[b]"B...but...it was you the whole time!? Oh my god, are you ok? I shot you so many times...I...I can't believe..."[/b]

[b]"Whoa whoa...what are you talking about? Shot me?"[/b]

[b]"I thought it was her...I somehow got the gun...and I just aimed...I was scared, and I shot...did I hit you!?"[/b] Mary was almost hysterical. Oromis meanwhile just looked confused. He glanced over at Etamet who just returned his glance with a shrug.

[b]"Mary, you didn't have a gun...and you didn't shoot anybody. You were just screaming."[/b] Oromis explained to her.

[b]"...but...I..."[/b] Mary couldn't speak anymore as she just collapsed in Oromis's arms. Oromis shook his head and sighed. He couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of psychological phenomena Mary was experiencing between the woman she created with her thoughts and all the screaming she did when he opened the door. Etamet leaned down and picked Brittany up, who stood by for the entire ordeal.

[b]"What do you think happened?"[/b] Etamet asked, as they both turned around to head back to Delita.

[b]"Not a clue...but you remember what Delita said...If what Mary was saying about having a gun is true, it might have been her way of defeating that women in her thoughts. Can't say for sure...but she certainly came out fighting. She's a lot braver then she thinks she is."[/b] Oromis thought aloud. Brittany contributed a "meow" as they headed back toward the stairs. [/FONT]

[Sandy]

[color=darkslateblue]Etamet ripped a shred from his pant leg and tied Delilah's head with it.

[B]"Will she be alright?"[/B] Delita asked him. It was obvious that the frailty of human life still amazed her.

[B]"Only time will tell"[/B], Etamet said, standing up.

Then Oromis returned with Mary holding Brittany. The young girl was still red-eyed, and when she saw Delilah's limp body she got scared.

[B]"Is... is she dead?"[/B] she whispered. She had heard the gunshots and Delilah's screams. Etamet shook his head, but Mary's uneasiness didn't go away.

[B]"It is alright"[/B], Delita said comfortingly, hugging the girl. [B]"I'm glad you are okay. We must move onwards now, though."[/B]

Delita flunged Delilah's body to her back, just like she had carried Dafine's body a few long days ago. Etamet went ahead, and Oromis kept the rear. Mary walked behind Delita, petting Brittany who had fallen asleep to her arms.

Eventually the corridor they were walking ended. Ahead of them was a steep, spiral slide going down a vertical shaft, vanishing into a bright light below them.

[B]"What's that down there?"[/B] Mary asked. [B]"It looks almost like... sunlight!"[/B]
[B]
"It very well might be"[/B], Etamet said. [B]"Let me go down first, I'll holler to you if it's safe."[/B]

[B]"What?"[/B] Oromis questioned. [B]"No, I should go. I'm the oldest one here, I should be the one to take such a risk!"[/B]

Etamet just smiled, and jumped into the slide before the older man could stop him. Etamet knew that this was the right thing to do. He was nothing but a clone of the original Etamet, infused with his memories and personality. He didn't deserve life like those above him.

The slide was quickly over, and he stumbled through a doorway into soft grass. He saw the sky above him, the sun just as bright as his memories recalled. The field of grass went on unbroken as far as the eye could see.

Etamet sighed heavily. This wasn't the real world. This field of grass was as artifical as himself.

He took a ten or so steps forward and then turned to look at the Panopticon. All he saw was a tall metal wall continuing forever in both directions. Just as he had thought. Artificial.

Suddenly the doorway he had come trough got shut by a sliding door. Etamet rushed to it, banging the metal surface.

[B]"Hey! Don't come down here!"[/B] He tried to shout to the others inside, but he didn't think they could hear him.

He then spun around and leaned to the closed door. Suddenly the horizon was awfully close to him, and still approaching at horrendous speed.

In a few seconds the artificial sun, the artificial sky, the artificial sky, the artificial wall and the artificial door had all crashed into the artificial Etamet. The Trap of False Hope had gotten it's prey.[/color]

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[B]OoC:[/B] And thus my duty is filled. Sorry, Darren. ;P