Alright.' Lena says, 'It's decided, so shall we start?'

All four of the women nod with various degrees of confidence. Cara, Jenny notices, is now looking particularly nervous, probably about the idea of having to speak on television. She shoots her a reassuring smile just a second before the lights fade, filling the room with darkness. Just as Lena had described, a single beam of light falls from somewhere in the ceiling, illuminating only her. As it does, she looks up slowly, her eyes meeting the camera with a slight smile.

'Hello. My name is Lena Bendix, your guide to Serenity Base, as well as guide of the four courageous challengers that stand behind me. Thier goal is to defeat the challenges within as they make thier way to the fiendish Nexus at the heart of the complex. But the challenges are not all that stand in their path. Serenity Base is controlled by Colbalt, who will stop at nothing to prevent them escaping her base. (have an idea where things go wrong from the start..plot driven..like a crash or an area overthrown) To do this, a series of challenges must be defeated. For each they win points will be earned, more points means more time to best the Nexus.

Lena now turns her attention to Geri, as on of the camera's focuses on her. 'Geri.' she says, looking over at the serval. 'You volunteered to become Team Leader. Are you and your teammates ready to go?'

Geri nods, speaking for the rest of the group. 'We are.' she says confidently.

'Right. Let's go.' Lena says with a grin. To Jenny's ears she sounds as enthusiastic as her team to get started. 'We should go quickly. It won't take Colbalt long to know we are here.'

That thought is filling Jenny's head as Lena leads them on. She hadn't given much thought to this...foe of theirs until now. But if she really does control this place, she might be watching them even know and they wouldn't know it.

Shaking that thought off, Jenny quickly catches up with her team as they approach the door ahead. She had expected it to open as quickly, but it doesnt. Her enthusiasm builds as strobing yellow lights wash over them, the door rising with an almost agonising slowness. She almost cannot believe how real this set feels. That feeling only increases as she steps through, only to be brought up short as her eyes fall on the figure in front of her. It takes her a second to realise that figure is actually being projected onto a screen on the far wall.

'So..' the tall, lithe pika says, her silver fur shimmering as she walks closer to the screen. A slow saunter that shows she is in full control here. 'These are the first you have chosen to challenge me? Well, they are brave. To enter my sanctum so willingly.' Her tone certainly matches that, as does the almost sensual grin she fixes the group with. Jenny cannot help noticing her gaze lingering on Cara for a second longer than the others, as the young hampster takes a nervous step backwards. 'And I applaude that bravery. But know this. This complex is mine. My playground if you will. And it is filled with more surprises than just my games. And to be here is to put yourselves in my hands. Unless of course, you wish to turn back.'

'No way.' Jenny says confidantly, taking a slow step forward. 'We won't do that. Right, guys?'

'Good. You are feisty my dear. But you should not cross me. It might get...messy.' Cobalt says with a smile, her tail flicking around her feet.

Jenny barely has time to work out what that means before her attention is attracted by a shriek behind her from Geri, turning just in time to see bright green gunge splatter onto the floor next to the serval with a heavy splatter, a sound she had never heard in any gunging she had seen. Hastily Geri steps away from the still pouring stream, shivering as she wipes her paws down her arms. She seems more than a little rattled by the near gunging,

Cobalt is smiling though, her gaze moving back from the nervous Serval to Jenny. She almost seems..pleased, like her attitude had impressed her. 'I look forward to playing with you, my dear. Oh, yes. I think you could be a lot of fun.'

Jenny isn't sure how to respond to that. But she doesn't have the chance too, the image of Cobalt fading out as quickly as it had appeared, the screen flicking out quickly. Geri nerves seem to have returned, Jenny thinks, the serval looking around very apprehensively as she moves back alongside Cara. Lena is the only one who doesn't seem like she has been put out by this, but she had probably been expecting it. Which she might have. Amy seems to have been thinking the same thing.

'Hey, do you think this was..I dunno..a set up?' Amy asks, her tone more excited than worried. Geri seems to be leaning the other way, looking more nervous than ever.

'Could be. Lena said this was scripted, remember. I think she had to know what was coming. And what else she could be leading us towards.' Jenny replies, looking around as Lena speaks again.

'Right. So, Cobalt has found where we are. And taken a shine to you Jenny, which might not be a good thing. But let's not worry about that.' Lena says, turning to face the assembled group. 'The first area of the base lies just ahead. Once there, we can get on and play our first game. Come on. Follow me.'

Geri had been the first though the door out of the room this time, maybe keen to get away from the known trap behind them. But as soon as she is inside, she stops, looking around her warily. Being close behind her, Jenny quickly sees what had made her stop.

This room is divided by two rows of metal collums that run parallel to the door they entered from. But it is more the statues next to them that have caught Jenny's eye, coiled dragons in smooth silver set at least one to a pillar. While they all face in different directions, they all share the same pose with thier mouths open.

Jenny has been quickly taking in this details, almost certain about the purpose of this room. But how does it work? Now she turns her attention to the floor, the smooth metal having been replaced by tiles of black and white marble. And there are half as many black as white. It seems logical that stepping on the black ones wouldn't be good.

'I really don't like this.' Geri mutters, not daring to take a step further. Just from the way she stands, she has worked out about the tiles too. Or she could just be generally nervous.

'I'm sure it's fine.' Amy smiles reassuringly. 'Look. I'll go first.'

True to her word, the tiger girl makes her way confidantly accross the room. Jenny follows her movements eagerly, watching carefully the steps she takes and the squares she stands on. But either she had been avoiding the black squares purposefully or it had just been a complete fluke. Either way, she makes it clean to the other side, turning to shout back to Geri. 'See, it's fine. Come on...yeeek.' Amy cries out in shock, her head vanishing beneath the stream of yellow gunge pouring from the nozel none of them had noticed in the ceiling. While she had been talking, she had stepped back onto a black square she hadn't seen behind her. She might not have seen it, but the effect was no less immediate. Unlike the stream that had nearly caught Geri, this one isn't very thick, the goo more splashing than splattering over the tiger girl, but still coating her hair, running down quickly to her shoulders.

It is probably meant to be like that, Jenny reasons. But the volume of it means that Amy vanishes from sight for a second, a soaked tiger coming back into view, her broad grin not having faded a bit as she wipes her hair out of her eyes. 'Come on, Ger. It's fine.' Amy finishes, beckoning to Geri. 'Just a little gunge.'

'Come on.' Cara whispers, reassuringly. 'We can go together.'

Jenny isn't sure what surprised her more; that Cara would feel brave enough to say that or that Geri quickly follows behind her, taking one hesitant step forward. Her next step is faster, the serval breaking into a full out sprint with her head dipped. Now that she has started, she just wants to get this overwith as quickly as possible. Even if she seems like she expects gunge to come pouring over her each time a foot touched the ground.

The memory of the trap Amy had tripped is still fresh in her mind as she nervously eyes the statue ahead of her, working out if she should avoid it or just race past it. Ducking her head, she takes the first option. That is a good thing, she barely has a seconds warning, the slab under her foot depressing with a soft click.
With a short shriek, she dodges quickly forward, hearing but not seeing the gunge splatter where she had been standing a second ago. Now breathing heavily, she quickly crosses the rest of the room and joins the others. While running, she had lost track of Cara. So she is relieved to see that she had made it across safely.

Jenny had been watching them both with increasing interest, an idea growing in her head. She only has to cross the room, not avoid being gunged. She casts around her, looking for the closest black square.
With a excited smile, Jenny jogs towards it, making sure her foot lands squarely on it. But nothing, no click, no rush of liquid, nothing.

Not even as she lifts her foot slowly, making like she hadn't seen it. Still nothing happens, so she makes her way forward, dodging around the pillar ahead to take a different path. This time she didn't see the black square and genuinely freezes, glancing wide eyed to the ceiling. This time she hears what she had been waiting for, the click. Her ears strain for the sound of rushing liquid. One that could have been drowned by the shrill siren.

But Jerny has heard it, ready for the rush of gunge. It comes quicker than she expected, Red gunge splashing forth from the ceiling in a thick torrent..only to splash on the floor a few squares away.
Jenny frowns. This isn't right..she must be being messed with..rather than messed.

That might have been her last chance, but one more black square does lie in her path, the one Amy had triggered earlier. Jenny has her doubts about it, but she isn't going to pass it up. She quickly crosses the distance to it, her heart sinking as her bare foot presses into it. As she had expected, nothing happens and she walks over to join her team, wondering for the first time where Lena has gone. She didn't remember seeing her since they stepped into this room. She gets her answer as the Lemurs voice slides into her ears.

'I see you all made it through clean. Well, more of less.' Lena steps up behind them, her eyes flicking to Amy. 'I guess I should have mentioned Cobalt might have put in traps to slow us down. Good thing I knew a short cut. Anyway, we should press on.'

Again, Jenny cannot help thinking they had been set up. But that is probably the nature of the game. She cannot help wondering what other traps could be ahead. The rabbit is so caught up in her thoughts, she really hadnt been paying attention to where they are going. That is until the group stops suddenly and she cannot help staring at the area around her. The first sector is laid out like a small command centre, focused around a central terminal showing a map, the spokes closed off by doors.

'Well, here we are in the Training Sector, the first sector of the base.' Lena says, taking up position in front of the four contestants. 'In the rooms surrounding you are a series of deviously difficult challenges. As well as gallons of thick, warm gunge of course.' Lena says with a smile.

Geri takes a slight step backwards, almost unconsciously, at the mention of the gunge surrounding them, remembering the team's near encounter with it. Then she flinches, hearing soft laughter fill the air.

Jenny is the first to find the source, her eyes moving to the screen that has changed to show Cobalt's face, the Pika greeting them with a devious smile. 'Hmmm, your team seems to be doing well, Lena. Maybe too well. Perhaps my first trap/challenge was too easy. No matter. I think it is time to test your team for real. Well, one of them anyway. Now, which one should it be.'

Jenny already has a feeling who she is going to pick, excitment bubbling up in her again. Cara shares a nervous glance with Geri as Colbalt turns her attention towards them. Then head dips quickly, not meeting Cobalt's stare. Maybe hoping her gaze will pass her by. It does, the pika's eyes moving along the line until they settle on Jenny.

'Yes, my fiesty little bunny. I want to test you. You have spirit. But let us see if you have skill. As you are the first ones here, most of the power to this sector has been shut down, including the power to the exit. Of course, I could restore that power should I choose. But I think it would be more fun to let you try. The corridor behind you leads to one of this sectors generators. At the end of the corridor behind you, you will find a console. All you have to do is reactivate it and make it back to your team. As an incentive, how quickly you do will determine how many points you recieve. Think of it as a bonus game. So, will you take my challenge?'

'I will.' Jenny says, trying to sound serious even as her mouth twitches into a grin; pretty sure why Colbalt put her into this game. 'Bring it on.'

'Alright Jenny.' Lena says, turning her back on the screen where Cobalt's image had been projected, the rabbit noticing it has turned back to the map of this sector. 'You can find us using this. Just follow the red dot and that's us, okay?'

'Gotcha.' Jenny says, turning to face the open door. She just manages to catch one last glance at her team before it closes and she is alone. Not that Jenny minds, the thrill of what could lie ahead spurring her on. But she wants to be careful. She is determined to get a good score to start them off.

Without even a glance behind her, she advances forward into the corridor, her footsteps echoing off the close walls even with her bare feet. Luckily there only seems to be one route to take, because the whole place just looks the same. She could have quickly got lost in this maze of silver walled paths even after just a few twists and turns.

That thought drops away as Jenny looks around her more closely. Her surroundings have changed, this area of the base different from the section she had just left. That was the first thing Jenny noticed, the walls around her streaked with rust and slime. No, not slime. Gunge. Jenny couldnt pull her eyes away from the splatter of liquid dried onto the wall, except when they flicked to the maze of pipes overhead. Given the state of this place, she could easily see one of them rupturing in the past and showering the place in goo. Quite a lot of it, if the bright mosaic of gunge splattered on the walls is anything to go by. The epicentre is very hard to work out and Jenny can see no clues as to where it might have started, none of the pipes seeming to have broken or been damaged. So, maybe there is some kind of pressure relief value somewhere?

She really has no idea where that could be and she cannot spend time looking for it. So the rabbit girl shrugs and continues forwards, still looking for this control room. Her senses are now hyper aware, her large ears following the sounds around her; hearing rhe creaking and groaning of the pipes overhead as well as the liquid rushing thought them.

So far, things are going exactly as Jenny had been expecting. As much as she had hoped she would encounter another trap like the statutes earlier, she wasn't holding out too much hope for that. They wouldn't put in the same thing in two places, not so close by. So, she has to keep a look out for something else. Trouble is, Jenny has no idea what. This whole place is a twisted mess of pipes over head, but she can see no sign of values or sprayers or nozels that would gunge her. Still, she cannot shake the feeling that she will get gunged in here somewhere. Why else would Cobablt have wanted her to play this game?

She has no answer, then the time for questions is over. A heavy door is ahead of her and Jenny guesses that she where she has to go. Her feet carry her there quickly, her hand resting on the surface as she looks around for a way in. She had to admit she is again impressed by the realism of this set. She had expected the place to be built cheeply, maybe out of fibreboard or fibreglass or plywood; stuff like that. But everything around her is built out metal, and actually seems to be built to work. Hopefully, she can find a comtrol that does. The illusion of this place is impressive, Jenny actually feeling like she is in a vast futuristic complex instead of a tv studio. That is a illusion that she doesn't want shattered. Ah, there. Jenny sees what she has been looking for, slapping it with her palm

The hiss of air as the door opens just reinforces that realism, the door rising quickly to let Jenny enter the smaller room on the other side. This room is somewhat cramped, barely eight feet across. The centre of it is dominated by a domed plastic booth enclosing a small computer console, pipes running out from the top of it and connected as device of some kind; a jumble of wires and cables around two large pistons, pipes running from the thing that Jenny cannot help thinking of as a tank to the tops of the pistons. The whole chamber is sealed off, only accessed by a small door just about as tall as Jenny.

The doors open easier than Jenny had expected, the release wheel spinning easily, in counterpoint to the decrepit look over the area around her. Stil, it does take all her strength to open it, the rabbit breathing heavily as she steps inside, and not just from the exertion. She is more than a little excited, glancing up at the pipes overhead, presumably put there just for the purpose of showering gunge over anyone inside. Not really registering the door closing behind her, Jenny makes to take a look at the console. It doesn't take her long to figure it out even before she sees the label at the top.

''Pressure control centre.'' Jenny reads aloud. ''To reactivate this generator, the hydraulic pressure must be balanced correctly below 60%. A higher pressure or imbalance of pressure will result in emergency venting of excess fluid.' Gee, I wonder what that could be.' Jenny allows her gaze to stray again to the pipes that run in circle over her head, also allowing a grin to spread over her face. So, this is the trap then.

Jenny turns her attention back to the console, seeing the dials. She has to set the number controls to the right hydraulic. The whole thing is very retro; large, clunky dials sitting raised from the panel alongside push buttons and switches. One button sits prominantly from the rest; the bright red orb pulsing in the centre of the console. Jenny ignores that for now, turning her attention to the gauges on the screen. Each one is filled with a different coloured bar, all of them showing different levels. These must represent the different pressures in the pipes converging over her head.

'So, each one must be the same pressure to allow them to flow together.' Jenny tries to think what that would look like, picturing a rainbow swirled gunge pouring from the pipes over head. Or would she just get hit with one colour? Cause that might be what happens if she gets the pressure wrong.

Experimentally, Jenny twists the leftmost dial. In response the yellow collumn drops, her actions lowering the pressure. That gives Jenny pause, she doesn't know exactly how much pressure is needed beyond making sure each one is level. Okay, it said below 60%. But where is that? Jenny could just ramp the dials up to full. But that would be too much pressure. And while it might guarantee her gunging, it might also lose her the game. Possibly something put in to make sure no one throws the game or loses on purpose

So, Jenny has to play this slowly. It doesn't take her long to adjust the four dials, quickly settling each to 50%. Or what she thinks is 50%. Without any numbers of the gauges, she is kinda having to take a guess. Shrugging, she reaches for the centre button, really unsure what will happen. That just makes it more exciting though.

A whir and a click is the only warning she gets, a inverted dome of shiny metal sliding out of the pipes over her. The concealed nozel erupts in a stream of neon pink goo that splatters onto the floor behind her, little droplets splashing onto her ankles as the pool spreads towards.

So, she had obviously done something wrong, but what? Jenny tuns her attention back to the console. Her mistake quickly becomes obvious, the pink bar having climbed up higher than where she set it. So, the pressure will grow even after she has adjusted it, meaning she has to keep them all balanced before activating the system. Kind of a juggling act.
The rabbit sets about adjusting the dials again, keeping and eye on the level of each. This is kinda guess work, the only clue she has to go on is the levels she can see. It's not like they did anything helpful like put numbers on them or anything. So, she still is really guessing again.

She is litterally juggling with them, twisting one and then another, dropping one and raising another. Her eyes haven't left the gunges, watching them intently, more feeling the console than seeing it. Now. Jenny thinks, diving her paw towards the red button. Even as she hits it, she knows she is too late. With a shiver, she waits for the release of the gunge, hearing it rushing through the pipes over head. It gets closer and closer, and she would swear it is heading right for her.

She glances up one last time, anticipating the stream from the pipe directly above her. What she gets is more of a splash. Unlike the thick gunge she had been hoping for, her head is caught by a wave of watery slime. Barely enough to drench her hair, never mind the rest of her. Jenny sighs even as she shakes droplets off her ears, wiping her eyes clean. Of course, she wouldn't get gunged. Not yet. Cobalt is playing with her, possibly even controlling this so she doesn't get gunged yet. Clearly she doesn't want anyone getting too messy this early on. Or maybe it is just her. The Pika had seemed very interested in her earlier. Which has to make her wonder what else she is planning. She does have a feeling this is just a teaser for her of what is going to come.

Sighng again, Jenny turns her attention back to the game. An idea has just popped into her head. Since they aren't going to gunge her now, she might as well win this one. Jenny twists all but one of the dials, dropping the pressure right down to zero. The fourth she leaves at half pressure. Now she just has to wait until the others reach it, constantly dipping it down. Keeping her paw hovering over the centre button, she waits for that moment. Which comes now. Jenny just hopes she has been fast enough.

After a long few seconds, it seems she has. Liquid is rushing and gurgling around her, she can hear it filling all of the pipes just for a few seconds. After that, the noise of the pistons in the pump shuddering to life drown out everything else. The result of that is instantaneous, lights all around her flickering to life. Despite her success, Jenny cannot help feeling a little disappointed as she makes her way back to the group.

Unknown to her, she had had an audience for her performance; a performance that Cobalt had been impressed by. Even now, the cameras recording the footage of the show have also been streaming the footage to her control room. Soon they will learn that nowhere is free from her influence. But she wants to save that surprise for later. Right now, she has other plans; surprises to arrange, once her other guests have arrived.

'Give me the files on our four guests.' Colbalt says with a smile. 'I think it's time I knew a bit more about them. Oh. And send me the rabbit's first.'

In aware of this, Jenny had quickly retraced her steps back to the others, only taking a minute to find her team, the first sign of them being Cobalt's voice floating back to her. 'Ahh, I think my little bunny is returning.'

It probably isnt that difficult to tell, the path she had taken now lit by soft lights on the walls. As she steps around the corner, she sees that the rest of the hub is illuminated too, the screens around the others now online as well. Which must be a good sign she had suceeded. Jenny instantly feels the eyes of the group on her as she rejoins her team, especially Amy's, the tiger flashing her a quick grin. She had thought she was about to say something when Cobalt continues. 'You did very well, so I will award you a hundred points, since I'm feeling generous. I look forward to seeing how well you do in my next challenge.'

'Speaking of which,' Lena says, attracting the others attention to her as Colbalt's image winks out. 'We need to get on and play our first game. So, Geri, who do you think should take a crack at this one?'

Geri suddenly looks nervous again, her concerns about having to make a choice that could get one of her team gunged if the lose seeming to have returned if Jenny's guess is right. 'Amy.' she says quickly after only a seconds hesitation.

The reaction from the tiger is immediate, grinning widely for a second, them turning to glance at Jenny. If the rabbit girl didn't know better, she would swear she is feeling guilty to have got the chance to play the first game. Jenny gives her a brief smile, a gentle way of saying 'go on.'

'Okay, Amy, I have the perfect one for you.' Lena says, her head flicking around behind her quickly. 'This way.'

This way turns out not be very far, Lena leading the group towards a door seemingly indentical to all the others. But she seems confidant about which one to pick, so she must have someway of telling them apart.
Jenny had been expecting that only Amy would be going inside, so you can understand her surprise when Lena opened the door, leading them all in after her. But that surprise was nothing compared to what she saw dominating the middle of them room. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but her mind had expected to see the familiar shape of the traditional tv gunge tank. Instead she finds herself facing a...well, the best way she can describe it is as a capsule of solid metal, the wide bottom tappering as it rises up to the sphere of smooth, and completely opaque Perspex on top, creating a large tank.

'This is called the SplatterSphere. I wish I could tell you what is going to happen to you. But knowing Cobalt, it's bound to be something very icky. Stil, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as you win this game, you should be fine. You have to use the numbers on the screen inside to find five pairs that make odd numbers. Each one you find will award you 50 points. And finding all of them in time is the only way to save yourself getting messy.' Lena pauses for a second. 'How is this one for you, Amy?'

'Terrible. I don't like Maths.' Amy says with a laugh.

'Well, you'll do fine. You do have a good two minutes for it. Are you ready?'

'You bet.' Amy says cheerfully, a broad grin plastered on her face. Confidantly, she enters the chamber, hearing the slightest hiss as the door swings shut as she sits down. She is now trapped in here. She tries not to let her excitement get the better of her, focusing on the screen in front of her, watching the bright green background fade into a grid of squares, each one with a number marked on them in different colours. Amy pauses for a second, even as she is aware of the time counting down. She can't rush this. Steadily, she lets her eyes move over the screen. This really isn't her strong point, she does suck at Maths like she had said. Of course, that makes it more likely she will get gunged. Still, she will give it all she has.

Figuring she might as well start, Amy lets her eyes settle on two numbers that she knows will make an odd number, quickly tapping the 12 and 1, the terminal rewarding her with a soft beep. Of course, those numbers could be used for another combination, so she just has to hope she can deselect them again if she is wrong.Now she just has to find another. The next combination she spots is as easy, her paw quickly selecting 22 and 7. Again, she gets the same result. Now she has two. But from here, things do seem to be getting a little tricker. She only has one low number left, that being a number three. She sits back, trying to think. She can see a few she could combine them with, but if she picks the wrong one, she might not be able to complete this grid.

Outside the chamber, Geri and Cara are watching on anxiously. Not that they can see Amy inside the chamber, the only break in the metal surface being the small circular window on the door. No, they are watching her on a set of three screens, one showing an over head shot of the tiger, one a picture of her face and the third the screen she is looking at. It is that third screen Geri is watching, her eyes moving over the numbers. 'Come on, come on.' she mumurs in an encouraging tone even though she knows she can't hear her. 'Just add up an odd and an even.'

'Huh? Cara asks. 'Is she doing it wrong?'

'No, not wrong.' Geri says. 'She just has to pick an odd and an even. That will always make an odd.'

'Can't we tell her that?' Cara asks nervously.

'No, sorry.' Lena joins in. 'The capsule is sealed off. She's on her own.'

Back in the chamber, Amy has found two more pair of numbers. But those had mostly been flukes. And she is very nearly out of time. Hastily, she scans the screen. There must be another combination here somewhere. Then she spots something as she looks back over the numbers she had already selected, something clicking in her brain. An odd and an even. That is what she had been adding up. She just has to find to more combinations like that. But she only has ten seconds left, a quick glance at the clock tells her that.

She isn't going to give up, not after all this effort. But her excitement is not helping her to focus. Then she gets hit by a flash of inspiration, tapping a square in the top right. That is the even number she just needs to find the odd. But she is worried about the time limit, or how little is left of it. She casts her gaze over the grid, searching for the last all important number. And..there. Now she just has to..'Oh no.' she had hit the button but too late, the screen freezing with a electric buzz.

Amy freezes too, not wanting to move; her hands clutched in her lap, knowing what is coming even before she hears the sound of the klaxon filling the chamber. She was only given a bare seconds warning before she was swamped with thick goo. The gunge didn't so much pour as ooze from the top of the chamber, a slow trickle of gunge quickly growing into a heavy splurge. It was so much thicker than Amy had been expecting, glooping with an almost unbearable slowness over her head and down to her shoulders. Amy dipped her head forward on instinct, letting more of the sticky goo run down her neck and back, only a little of it making it's way to her front. Until the warm goo slid under her top, the tiger leaning back to let more of it coat her head. This also changed the angle of the slime perfectly, oozing down over her breasts and stomach. Amy sighed softly, enjoying the sensation of being enveloped in the sticky goo that seemed to be showing no sign of stopping. She didn't want to move, willingly letting the gunge coat her, enjoying every moment of it. She can only imagine what she looks like, her face, fur and hair probably completely obscured behind the massive amount of gunge clinging to her body. She can feel more and more gunge coating every inch of her body, flowing over her chest and down her torso. Amy shivers in pleasure, as the warm gunge seeps through her shirt caresses her skin just a little through the material of her top.

Them she shivers again, the volume of gunge pouring over her meaning the stream had reached her crotch, pooling in her lap. She moaned, a little of it seeping into her shorts, brushing against somewhere very sensitive. Her body is now dripping with gunge, with still more pouring over her. The stream slows as the tank empties completely, a last few large drops of gunge landing on her head with a soft plop. Amy waits until she is sure the tank is completely drained before looking up slowly. All in all, the young tiger has gotten pretty well splattered, a delighted smile on her face as she wipes the worst of the gunge out of her eyes before walking out of the chamber and rejoining the others, wiping a little bit of gunge from her forehead that threatens to trickle down over her muzzle.

'Nice try, Amy.' Lena says as she rejoins the rest of the team. She is barely recognisable as a tiger, her fur nearly obscured under the gunge clinging to her. She thinks she sees Geri shudder out of the corner of her eyes as she sees her. 'You didn't manage to complete the grid, but completed two sets. Which gives you 300 points. Not a bad start. So, we should build on that and keep moving. Who wants to try the next one?'

'Well..' Geri starts to say before Cara steps up beside her.

'Could I do it?' Cara speaks up as she moves her gaze from Geri to Lena, her words coming out of her mouth in a bit of a rush.

'Are you sure? You don't have too.' Geri says, her eyes settling on her face, seeing the way she is biting her lower lip nervously.

Cara nods, slowly. 'I think I do. Jenny and Amy have both done one. So, it's only fair I do my share. I'll do it.' she finishes, looking up at Lena, her face set determinedly.

'Good for you.' Lena says. 'I know just the one. This way.'
Nodding, Cara follows behind her, her legs feeling a little wobbly, either from her nerves or anticipation. She isn't really sure which. All she knows is that feeling grows with every step she takes.

'This one is called The Vault. ' Lena says, her finger resting on the panel next to the door she had stopped by. 'All you have to do is cross the room without activating the security system. Each section you clear will earn you a hundred points. But each touch on the sensors will lose you 10 points. And gunge you, of course. Three touches and the game is over.'

Having heard that it is a physical challenge sends Cara's nerves shooting skyhigh. Her body is now filled with a set of conflicting emotions. True, she is as keen as Amy or Jenny to be gunged. But she is also worried about letting her team down by losing this game. Despite that, she moves over to the door on the left hand side of the room, stepping through it before she can change her mind.

The room she is now standing in is about five feet wide, and would have been easy to cross had it not been for the collection of long, thin plastic bars protruding from the walls and the pillar in the centre of the room. As Cara had suspected, the absence of a gunge tank means that the gunge could come at her from just about anywhere. Well, not quite anywhere. Along the celing, running over the top of the sensor bars, is a series of nozels like the kind they had encountered.. The idea of how much gunge could come rushing out of those holes sends a thrill of excitement through her body.

Outside, Jenny, Amy and Geri have moved to stand in front of the screen by the side of the door, watching as Cara moves further into the room. Despite her earlier confidence, she now seems at little more shaky as she approaches the first set of bars.

'She looks nervous.' Amy says, suprised that she feels the same for her teamate, hoping she will be okay/watches equally nervously, as she prepares to cross them.

'She'll be fine.' Geri says, wondering if she is saying that for Amy's benefit or hers. She just wishes she could do something to reassure Cara.

Unaware of her teams confidance in her, Cara starts to move through the first section, which consists of a series of three bars placed close together at knee height. Here she hesitates for a second, then very carefully stepping over the first, taking great care to lift one leg clear before placing it down on the ground. She repeats this pattern twice more, clearing the last bar without so much as even being in danger of brushing it.

Now she has cleared the first set, Cara moves to face the second determinedly, despite that this one looks to be a bit more difficult. The first bar is set at knee height again. So she decides to use the method she did previously. Taking a deep breath, she approaches it cautiously, raising her leg to step over the first bar, much as she had done the last time. But this time, as she clears it, she has to bend forward at the waist to avoid the next one that is set as shoulder height. She moves very slowly, very gingerly, taking great care not to touch it. It is because she is focusing on the second bar so much, that she doesn't notice how close she is getting to the third, until she hears Amy call out urgently.

'Look out. Watch your hip.' she calls out, her voice a little higher pitched due to her anxiety.

Letting out a nervous squeak, Cara glances over to her right, jerking her body back to avoid touching the third bar. While this does prevent that, she moves too far back, bumping her side into the one she had thought she had cleared. The reaction to this is immediate, a soft buzz reaching her ears, the first of the three green lights by the token being replaced with a deep red one. That sound is quickly drowned out by the short burst of the klaxon that rings in her ears. Cara's shriek is just as short, a high pitched squeak slipping from her mouth as the klaxon wailed, her whole body suddenly tensing up with excitement and anticipation. With no further warning a splurge of thick green gunge splashed towards her. It caught the hampster girl totally by surprise, wiinning anither shreik from her as it washed over the back of her head, quickly coating her brown fur in a layer of the thick goo before splashing out from her shoulders. Laughing softly, mostly to herself, Cara runs her paw over her fur, wiping the gunge off her forehead.

'Sorry, babe.' Amy calls out apologetically, realising that her warning actually didn't help.

'That's okay.' Cara calls back, 'Don't worry about it.'

Because of that slip up, she approaches the next set of bars even more nervously than before. Very slowly Cara knees down, pressing her stomach against the floor, crawling under the set of nine bars grouped in threes running up towards the ceiling, that stand almost twice as tall as her. The gap between them and the floor is just large enough for her to squeeze through, using her arms to pull herself along the floor. It is slow going, since she has to crawl along on her stomach. But if she tried to raise up on her arms even a little, she would likely touch one of the bars and trigger the sensor. Which seems what she will have to do though, as she sees that she is coming to the end of this set of bars. The trick seems to come that she will have to climb back to her feet before tackling the next group. But this next set is but the gap between this set of bars and the next is so small, that actually doing it without touching the bars will be difficult. Which is probably the idea.

Amy's next words help her make up her mind, though. 'Two minutes left.' she calls out loudly, perhaps a bit too loudly. But she wants to make sure she is heard.

Her words certainly spur Cara on though, as she quickly climbs back to her feet. Sadly, she is maybe in too much of a hurry to get to the token. She had tried to keep herself pressed as close to the wall as possible, keeping her back clear of the bars as she used her hands to help her climb up. But given the way she had to bend her knees to climb back to her feet, she couldn't stop her bottom bumping into one of the bars, again the soft buzz filling the room. She had been expecting the klaxon this time, but she was not prepared for the two jets of orange gunge that hit her from both sides, the smooth goo wrapping around her body, leaving her arms and torso completely dripping in it. The pair of streams are twice as long as the last one, her shirt plastered to her body as the gunge runs down her legs.

Right now, she doesn't allow herself to be distracted by that though, or that one more touch will lose her more points. But the thought that one mistake will do just that is still at the back of her mind. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she closes in on the bars, turning so that she is standing side on towards them. Despite her efforts to control her nerves, she cannot help her legs from shaking a little as she eases her body between the bars. This is really the only way to get through them, given how small the gap between the two rows of bars is. And since the bars run all the way from the floor to the ceiling, she cannot go under or over them. Quickly she starts to sidestep through them, she is so close to finishing that she wants to get this done before she messes up again. Unfortunately haste and care do not go well together.

She was barely two steps from the end when her stomach bumps into one of the bars. She had no idea if she had overcompensated trying to stop her back from making contact, or she had just been closer than she thought. All she knows is that she has triggered the klaxon again before she even hears it sound, feeling the bar touching her skin. Knowing what is coming, she stands stock still, her heart starting to pound with excitement. With the game over, she feels she can relax and actually enjoy this last gunging. Like Amy, she had been waiting for the klaxon that she knew would signal the start of her gunging. Also like Amy, she is caught off guard by it. She actually jumps as it sounds, her shoulders hunching up, causing her head to dip a little. This doesn't do anything to get her out of the way of the gunge stream though. In fact, it helps it land squarely on the back of her head, only rebounding a little, her petit form quickly becoming coated with gunge. She shrieks in shock, shifting forwards a little, the bars surrounding her preventing her from moving very far, the warm gunge splashing over her neck, spraying onto her head and spreading down her back and over her chest. The smooth red gunge runs down over the front and back of her head, more over her back than her front as she tips her head forwards trying to keep it out of her eyes. It doesn't protect the rest of her body though, the gunge gliding down her shoulders and over her chest, following the curves of her breasts and down over her stomach. She stays that way as the stream continues, more gunge falling on her. She only looks up as she feels the stream slow, a few last drops splashing on her hair. Despite knowing that she lost some points, she is grinning broadly as she looks up, wiping the gunge out of her eyes, leaving a little red smear over her forehead.

'Well done, Cara.' Lena says as she steps back out to join the others. 'You cleared two zones with a score 200 points. Not a bad start at all. Still, I think we have spent enough time in this sector. We really should press on. So, let's go, shall we?'

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So...we are back and things are getting messy as we dip into the first couple of games proper. Very much a taste of what is to come. If you guys are liking this and the direction it's taking, then you might want to check out my Patreon Page, I've got some cool Patreon driven projects going on. Basically I set the theme and you guys decide the direction. Sound fun, then check out the link below.

https://www.patreon.com/white66