Crossover Escape: Gotta be more than Lucky to survive

1.27 Competition start

When challenge day rolled around Luca still didn’t feel adequately prepared, but he freely admitted he could have had a year and still not been ready. The night before they had done a final pack and preload.

[Tails: So what are we packing? According to the video it may only take a few hours.] Tails held up a flat back of specialty rations and the water in question.

[Lucky: Take everything. Consider this situation as if we are going to be stranded in an unknown hostile environment for an indeterminate amount of time. Though no backpacks we’ll need everything as close to the skin as possible for manoeuvrability purposes.] As Luca spoke he pulled out a utility belt, a set of cargo pants as well as two slim shoulder holster bags and a jacket with additional pockets. Luca promptly stuffed what he could in every pocket available.

As it stood, he had prepared everything he could think of to prepare. Though he had no recourse to deal with the veins consuming people no matter how he wracked his mind he had no solution to that save for not touching the floor. Which might be viable in the final chamber but not in the tunnels and puzzle room that they needed to cross to get there.

While double checking he had everything, he settled his twin swords to one side. he normally settled for daggers but this time swords where definitely a thing. As Luca turned the last bag upside down to check it from the small pocket at the front fell two syringes. Luca snapped a hand out and grabbed them before they hit the floor before looking at them blankly for a moment.

The supplies Tails had gathered had already been packed so where? Luca looked around and then noticed the extra knife he’d put on his belt and remembered the sources of the syringes. They were the ones he’d taken on the Faceless Mask in the airport when he’d disarmed them. Luca held them in a hand before he slipped them into the only pouch that held his spare step knives and was the only one with extra room left in it.

[Rӓv: Pack everything what about camping gear then?] Luca looked over at the compact tents and sleeping gear. They where meant for individual but could fit two at a push.

[Lucky: Take two no frame tents only.] That could barely be carried close at hand amongst the five people. Luca originally intended to not take them but he worried that there might be an issue on the way out and it would be better to have protections from the elements if they had to.

The night passed in forced rest. Luca forced his body to shut down and sleep. The sleep was deep and consistent but not relaxing. Still Luca felt alert and determined as he led the team out and they once again boarded the van to head to the mountain.

Luca glance at Jade and noticed that her injuries seemed fully healed. However the trip was silent with neither team attempting to make small talk. They instead rested or listened to music or flexed their hands or in the case of Rӓv and ghost bickered silently. Whatever was the preferred focusing method.

They arrived again in front of the cube and Luca flinched. The veins on the cube had become a deeper colour while the entire cavern  was now warm. It felt quite close to a hot summer day. Luca looked up at the earth roof, just without the sun. Luca felt that this was likely to a more unpleasant experience since the additional layers of body armour they were all wearing meant that this was going to be hot.

With a resigned sigh Luca mentally prepared himself while he checked the state of his team. Assured that they were all good Luca led the way along the scaffolding to the entrance they had picked first. They’d picked several back up options just in case but by virtue of being last to arrive Luca had watched as the other teams had picked first.

Luca noted on the way past that Red’s team had picked the tunnel that they suspected would intercept with their path, Luca glanced at the fifth member who had replaced the missing Crusher and recognised him as being from another small team who had lost three members. Luca settled the group at their entrance and waited for the call to officially start with hard eyes on the veins as they pulsed along the walls.

The bell sounded and people raced into there entrances with flash lights on. The hurried sound of footsteps echoed and Luca flinched. He was disturbed that unlike last time it was now possible to hear the surrounding sounds. If he hadn’t specifically tested last time he might have thought he’d been mistaken.

Rӓv stepped forward after the sound of footsteps faded. Luca nodded as she pulled out RAL 1 and released it into the entrance. Ghost had argued that it should just be called Roach lights. Which Rӓv had immediately vetoed saying that they were roving assisting lights and so would be called RAL. Luca had silently agreed that it would be easy to remember as Roach but given the amount of work Rӓv and Holly had put into the making he had decided that it was better to just leave the matter be. The two wouldn’t agree about it no matter what he said so it was easier just to agree with Rӓv and not say anything about Ghosts insistence about another name.

The RAL flew up and then twisted to attach to the  ceiling before its back lit up with a soft clear light. In some ways it was little like a large mechanical firefly its just the shape was a bit… Luca forced his thoughts back on track. After the RAL was launched Rӓv set free four butterflies and had them move on ahead so that the motion sensors could hopefully notice trouble before it reached them. When nothing happened to the RAL on its entry Luca stepped forward. The team formed up behind him Holly then Tails then Rӓv then Ghost.

Ghost was in charge of minding the back. Rӓv was checking the monitors and managing the deployment of the drones as well as monitoring the vital signs and readings from the various tech she’d wired the group with. Holly was to use his mapper to try and get as complete a map of the interior as possible as well as identify traps in the area ahead. Tails was responsible for monitoring the actions of the group and making sure that everyone stayed together. While Luca was responsible for dealing with anything that they encountered by surprise. Luca just hoped his reflexes where up to the job since he couldn’t do much if he couldn’t avoid the initial surprise. Still he was the leader he wanted to take the greatest risk first for his friends.