Simon Says

[Shadowofdespair]

Someone was trying to leave. And, as most people who think they're right do, he was trying to convince everyone else to follow. Jerk. It seemed readily apparent to Andrew that everyone involved was going to die if they did anything without orders from Simon. That's the whole point of Simon Says. Whatever Simon says, you do. If you do something without him telling you to, you're out, and in this situation, that meant you died in a gruesome manner which set an example for all the other players and made sure that people were too damn disgusted to efficiently follow his orders. diddlying pattern. Andrew decided to pipe up and share his boundless reserves of knowledge.

"Hey! Do you wanna diddlyin' die? Simon didn't say 'leave'. And this is all a diddlying game, so play by the diddlying rules, and don't try and drag us down with you!" Andrew walked over to the door, and looked out. He didn't see much that he didn't expect to see, but the smell! And overpowering stench, definitely. He figured that this was probably what rotting flesh mixed with mold and fear smelt liked. Always willing to voice an opinion, he piped up yet again.
"Oh, wow. That's a great idea, go to the place that's probably already filled with dead people! No possible danger there." He realised he had left his baseball bat on the ground a bit too close to the edge, and quickly went to grab it, before looking back at door guy.
"Jerk." He muttered below his breath. Honestly, this man was probably totally insane.

[Ordeith]

After more and more of the competitors began to reach the hallway beyond the gymnasium, Simon Peter's synthesized voice once again came over the updated intercom system: "Bravo, bravo! Your debut performances were stunning!" For all the world, he sounded as though he were watching a son or daughter performing onstage at a school play, giddy with excitement at the sight of his little one doing so well.

"As for the rest of you slowpokes," he continued with noticeably less approval, "I hope you catch up; you're going to miss all the fun and excitement!"

On that cue from Simon, one of the classroom doors on the right side of the hallway swung open, revealing an old photographic slide projector, a white projector screen on a stand, an audio player on standby, and several eerily pristine desks--obviously intended for the players. At the current moment, no image was being displayed onscreen, but soon the slide changed to none other than a stylized portrait of Simon Peter spreading his arms wide. "PLEASE TAKE A SEAT," it read, in generic Arial font.

"Once the entire class has taken their seats, you'll all be one step closer to the million!" Simon Peter cackled. "Oh, by the way," he added with a sinister connotation, "you folks in the gym had better hurry. Simon says, 'Beat the bell'." Whilst he spoke, the platform he had greeted them on had lowered itself back down, only rotated on its side. The lights of the platform had formed the number "15:00," and was slowly counting down; with each number ticked away, the spikes in the gymnasium rose higher. The players in the gym needed to arrive to "class" on time.

[madammina]

"Once the entire class has taken their seats, you'll all be one step closer to the million!"

Emily and Jack were getting out of their car when they heard this announcement. Jack reached for the radio.

Oh, by the way," A voice said with a sinister connotation "you folks in the gym had better hurry. Simon says, 'Beat the bell'."

"Hey, Captain? I think we may have found our Simon. Get some back up, Emily and I are heading in to stake out the place." They both checked their weapons before silently walking in the front door. They skirted the footprints - at least half a dozen- and a few cigarette butts were there too. Fortunately they could open the door with their shoulders as they walked into the completely empty school.

"Jack..." Emily started. "I don't like this. It's... There's at least six people here. Why don't we hear anything?"

"Agreed." Jack replied. "Check the classrooms." He didn't need to add on "be Quiet." From the sound of it, they were dealing with a homicidal maniac, the less he knew of their existence right now, the better.

[umazak]

Shane sighs at the lack of response about the bottle and begins to look around. He once more ignores the pain now shooting through his leg as he pushes himself to his feet and walk over to a trashcan. He smiles at his luck at the sight of an old Powerade bottle and pulls it out. He unscrews the lid and spits in it as he forces the feeling of disgust out of his mind. He never really liked to use bottles out of a random trashcan, but there were times that it could not be avoided. At this time he notices movement from not only the other players, but also the floor itself. The platform that once held a very powerful man moves while others begin to walk through the hallway. Seeing as how he didn't have anything better to do, Shane walks through the open doorway just as a clock appears and slowly starts to count down.

"Maybe it would be a good idea to get on someone's good side. If this guy likes the Saw movies as much as I think he does, some of these are sure to require teamwork."

With that thought he begins to look around at the rest of the group as he half walks and half shuffles while trying to figure out which ones would help someone like him in a time of need. He knew that he could count out the guy that punched the fat man at the entrance, but some of the girls might end up helping him. There was normally something in their chemical makeup that pushed them to help others, but it was dangerous because it could sometimes push them to harm others. As he runs through his thoughts, he soon finds himself at the entrance to a classroom. He looks inside only to see a projection system set up with Simon telling them to have a seat. Shane smiles at the thought of getting off his leg and hobbles over to one of the nearest desks. He quickly hits it a few times to make sure it will support his weight before sitting down with a satisfied look on his face.

"Man it feels good to take a load off!" He spits in the bottle once more.

[AxelYoYo]

[COLOR="rgb(0)"]Ignoring the throbbing pain in her temple and stomach, Malina got to her feet with Cecillia's help and heard Simon's voice speaking to themall. A projecter appeared between the two doors that had just opened. In white letters it said,"PLEASE TAKE A SEAT". The platform that Simon was on went down and the spikes rose even higher, another obstacle. "Damn you SIMON!" Malina roared,suprised at her audacity and she made a run for the class. She told the others to hurry, only glancing behind her to check if they were coming.

[madammina]

"Malina..." Cecilia growled. Well, she wasn't about to let her get hurt. Cecilia adjusted her backpack and her gloves. "MALINA! Wait up!" Cecilia dodged around a spike before landing on the platform that she and Malina were now sharing. "Malina, hold up. You're going to need some help to get across." Though staying back would probably have been a safer choice. And what about where the others were going?
--
Emly and Jack heard the outburst too. They followed the various noises to a gym. Emily peered in first. A vareity of people were towards the back, with... spikes? There were spikes in the middle? And then... there. That must be Simon. She could read no emotion from him - then again he was some distance away- but judging by the smell of blood this wasn't just a random game.

"Jack, tell them to hurry with the backup. This doesn't look good."

[Akans]

Having squeezed into the hallway among the others, Kenneth took a moment to catch his breath, finally out of danger of falling to a spiky death. All that jumping and leaping wasn't especially tiring, but his age was catching up to him. And also, he hadn't been this scared for a long time. You usually don't have to jump over spikes while doing the laundry.

Looking back, Ken saw a morbid spectacle of blood and bodies before he quickly turned away, shutting his eyes. Don't look at the ones who didn't survive... it limited your own ability to push forwards. After this was over, there would be plenty of time to feel regret and sadness. Right now, Ken pushed those two emotions down, until there was only a dull sort of anger and disgust.

But before he could catch his breath, Simon decided to give their next command.
An image appeared, one of Simon, with the words - "PLEASE TAKE A SEAT". Shrugging to nobody in particular, Ken moved forwards with the others, claiming a desk for his own. But he didn't take a seat - for all he knew, this would be another one of his twisted traps.

Taking a few seconds to look around him, Ken started feeling the undersides of the desk and table. While he wasn't expecting a stick of dynamite, Ken... well, Ken didn't know what to expect. That pit of spikes caught him off guard, most likely, what was coming next would also be as surprising.

[IceBlueWings]

Haley looked at Malina running towards the classroom with her outburst. Once Haley had reached the goal, she didn't dare look back to the others who were still trying to get through, since it seemed likely with the screams that she heard behind that some didn't make it.

There were chills up her spine. She was frightened now, very frightened. For all she knew, she could be the next person falling into the pit of death. She pushed away the imagination she had of her body being disintegrated into bits.

Time was ticking, the spikes were rising. She took a sharp breath. She really wished she could just take a long break, her legs were wobbly and she felt as if she would collapse any moment. Nevertheless she made her way to the classroom. She looked at the portrait of Simon with the words "PLEASE TAKE A SEAT".

Haley stood in the classroom for a moment. She could do that, and it was really tempting for her to do so, but it did not specifically say "Simon says," because that was the rule of the game, wasn't it? Or maybe she was just being too cautious. Then again, it was right to be cautious especially since this was no longer a harmless game.

She looked at the guy who sat down on a seat. Well...it seemed fine. Maybe he was lucky to be sitting on one of the desks. She turned to look at Kenneth, who was examining the desk he chose. She frowned in worry. She placed her hand on one of the desks and the chair lightly. She was not sure whether to go ahead and sit down and be careful. She squatted down next to the seats she chose instead helplessly.

[Professor Ven]

Fifteen minutes Simon had said over the intercom. Fifteen bloody minutes. Karldin silently followed along with the group, and this literal maniac's game, which had unfortunately turned into some kind of twisted . . no, he didn't need to think about that entirely. Better to keep a cool head in hot water. As he entered the open classroom's door, he felt a strangely eerie foreboding sweep over him, and he ceased all thoughts of happiness. Karldin's mind ticked, as he wordlessly investigated everywhere in this classroom with his eyes, scanning it all in a matter of seconds.

As the picture of Simon Peter, his arms stretched out wide, and the words 'PLEASE TAKE A SEAT' came to his mind, Karldin felt confused, bewildered. Simon Peter, of all people. . . this man is either an eccentric genius or a madman.

Karldin sat in one of the desks, stress level exponentially rising as he rested in the desk. He didn't trust this game, this charade of life. Simon, whoever he was, obviously had to be mental; there was no other explanation. Yet he offers a million dollars to those who win his. .game. Wrinkled fingers gripped his cane, as Karldin looked around, head turning slowly about, prepared to jump out of this god-forsaken, pristinely clean desk if he had to.

This bloody well sucks.

[Shadowofdespair]

Luckily for Andrew, he didn't have to wait long for Simon's next command.
"Beat the Bell". And, seeing the entire crowd leaving, the room, figured that he might as well leave door guy to himself and find the next 'checkpoint'. Fifteen minutes was probably too much time. The school wasn't honestly that big. As a matter of fact, Andrew's own school had been quite a bit larger... Though, most of that was just the above-ground pool.

Following the now-rushing group, he took note of the place's aesthetic. Fairly dark, terrible stench, and lots of locked doors. Perfectly suited to this kind of disgusting thing. As far as he was concerned, you'd have to have suffered a lot of knocks to the head, and have been abused as a child to be willing to kill off this many people and still maintain a cheerful demeanor! You'd have to be Dick Cheney, damn it!

And suddenly this all made sense.

"I've figured you out Cheney! Now, come out and fight like a man!" He yelled at nothing in particular, knowing that Simon could hear. He didn't get too many weird looks, thankfully, as everyone seemed sufficiently traumatized by the most recent, spike filled occurance.

Now outside of the door that everyone had walked through, it became apparent that a projector was set up. Oh boy. Saw VII. Picking up his slouch and walking in rigidly and properly, Andrew sat himself at the last remaining seat in the front row. It seemed that people were afraid that the projected image might come to life and bite them if they got too close, which was probably a reasonable expectation.
Andrew now set his baseball bat on the ground, propped against one of the legs of the desk, and crossed his hands in his lap, before realising what he was doing and proceeding to slam them on the table, before resting his head on it... fairly gently, admittedly. Bad habits.

[AxelYoYo]

Malina glanced back,again, and heard Cecillia calling after her. She skidded a little, coming to a stop, and pulled the other girl into the classroom. She felt very quesy and knew that it wasn't such a good idea in such a condition. She saw Haley and Kenneth sitting in desks. Not wanting to leave Haley sitting by herself, she told Cecilia to come sit by her. She grasped her stomach tightly.

"Sorry I just bolted like that.... I just wanted to get to the other side."

[madammina]

"Understandable." Cecilia agreed, looking around the classroom and sitting next to Malina, after checking under the chair and in the desk for spikes, poison, needles, and guns. "I don't like this... at all..." She finally sat down, placing her backpack on her lap.

One thing that Cecilia refused to say was the idea that they eventually would be ordered to kill each other. Simon seemed open to killing them- though he could justify it that they did themselves in to help his conscience, if he had one - this game just felt like it could degenerate into murder quickly.

Simon has to be loud, I hope the Police know about this...

[Ordeith]

Simon Peter observed as all of his surviving players--or playthings, depending upon one's perspective--obediently took their seats inside the classroom. The contestants' nervous glances, their heightened reflexes, and even the individual beads of sweat on their brows were all displayed with crystal HD clarity. Frankly, more of them had survived the first trial than he'd initially expected them to, only amplifying the rush of gleeful suspense that took hold of him as his fingers hovered over the main keyboard.

Allow the tension to ebb away ever-so-slightly....Simon Peter readied his finger over the "Enter" key. The program prompt was already prepared; the only thing he needed to do was set it in action was move his finger less than a centimeter.

...before tightening the vice even tighter!
Simon pressed the button with a magician's finger-wiggling flourish, triggering the classroom door to shut, and the custom Van der Graaf generator to emerge from the ceiling. Accessing the intercom over his cell phone, Simon addressed the anxious, awaiting players: "My dearest new friends! Seeing as some of you are admittedly a little shaken from our first rousing game together, this next test will be a little less physically involved, and less stressful overall. Wouldn't want to wear you out before the real fun begins, would we?" He giggled through the tinny-sounding voice distorter.

"Now, to prepare you all for the science lab later on--which I hope you'll all make it to--I've prepared a little lab safety montage for your viewing pleasure. Pay attention, because it may come in handy! Also, to keep with the scientific theme, I've installed that little beauty in the ceiling: a Van der Graaf generator....if you wanted to scramble a few eggs! Folks wearing fuzzy clothing should especially note this. Anyways, I'll test you on your lab safety knowledge, and any incorrect answer will be...rewarded accordingly.

"Simon says, 'Memorize!'"

(Optional Accompaniment: YouTube - Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - Confrontation ~ Presto 2009)

At once, the projected message, "PLEASE TAKE A SEAT", was replaced by a whirling myriad of colors and lights, like somebody haphazardly cut and pasted several dozen educational science videos together, spliced those clips, added seizure-inducing effects, and fast-forwarded the entire concoction to be just beyond human comprehension. Equally fast and nerve-grating was a prerecorded voice-over narration by none other than Simon himself, the hyper, tinny voice babbling like a chipmunk:

"WelcomeplayerstotheSPPreliminaryScienceCourse! Includedinthistutorialvideopresentationareallofthenecessaryrulesandguidelinesforlaboratorysafetyincludingproperequipmentattireandconductalongwithalloftheproperlaboratoryproceduresfo
rwhenyou'llbefightingforyourlives. It'llalsohaveeverythingyouneedtoavoidahorrendouslypainfuldeathbystaticelecticityburns! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! FirstlyallinstructionsmustbefollowedTOTHELETTERifyouhaveanyhopeofsurviving--afterallthisisSIMONSAYSHAHAHAHAHA! Oneshouldconductoneselfinacalmandorganizedmannerinthelaboratory. WhenyouenterthelaboratorymakesurenottotouchANYTHINGunlessSIMONSAYSsinceitwillprobablyKILLYOU! AlwayscoverasmuchskinaspossibleduetotheveryrealpossibilitythatitwillbeBURNEDOFFandkeephairatamanageablelength. Reportanyinjuryasitwill--likeeverythingelse--probablybeLETHAL! IfyousmellanygasesparticularlymethaneorsomesimilarexplosivegaswinkwinknudgenudgepleasereportittoyourinstructorMEatwhichpointIwillLAUGHATYOU! ItisalsoimportantthatNOFOODORBEVERAGESareallowedinthelaboratoryunlessyou'dliketogoandgetthosecrackersdroppedbythefattyinthegymwhicharemostwelcome. THANKYOUforpayingraptattentiontothisbriefinformationalvideo! Ifyoudidn'tyouwillprobablyKILLEVERYONEINTHEROOM. OnceagainTHANKYOUandhaveaNICEDAY!"

The video abruptly cut to black, no doubt leaving the players' eyes bleeding and their ears ringing. Allowing them no time to recuperate, Simon Peter aggressively cut in over the intercom system, accosting the contestants with another command. Compared to its sped-up equivalent, which frankly sounded like a mechanical Chip and Dale on amphetamines, his synthesized tone sounded surprisingly calm. "I hope you enjoyed that," he chuckled, "because now, Simon says: 'Tell me rule number three.' Try to remember, and mull over your collective class answer carefully...."

He had intended to add another threatening punchline, but the hallway monitors had by then stolen his rapt attention. Stalking cautiously through the halls, hands near their holsters, two New York police officers had apparently decided to steal the show. "Ooh," Simon Peter muttered to himself, "Who's the babe in the burka? I just love women who can't stay away from a good time..." His tone would have been more appropriate for discussing a restaurant's fillet mignon.

Casually flipping open one of the mounted cell phones, he ordered the computer to contact "Blue" over that line. The phone rang exactly four times before a smooth baritone voice came over the line: "Blue here. What does Simon have to say?"

"Simon says, 'Report to duty'." Though Simon Peter was far too preoccupied to physically grin, his tone conveyed his sinister glee quite clearly.

"Understood."

___________________________________________________

Not even five minutes later, a tall, straight-backed, barrel-chested man stepped into the local precinct, trailed behind by several SWAT officers. The disgruntled officers peered over their desks with surprise, but before any of them could raise any objection, the apparent leading man raised his hand with a silencing air of authority. Though he was dressed in a mere civilian suit, he seemed to radiate a strong sense of command--one that seemed to lift morale rather than stifle it with intimidation. His sharp blue eyes gleamed with intelligence, his Aryan-blond hair was cropped closely to his head in a military crew cut, and his strapping chest was swelling with patriotic pride.

"My name is Agent Brian Glas, CIA," the man began in a smooth, confident baritone, "and we've been dispatched by the government to assist in apprehending the criminal known by the alias 'Simon'. Let me assure you first, though, that we aren't here to undermine or take control--just to assist." He accentuated this with an assuring smile as he shook the hand of the chief of police.

"It's been decided that this man is a threat to national security; he already has hostages, and we fear he's spread bombs throughout the city. Now, if you're planning on sending officers to his designated location, my team will be there to lend a hand where it's needed--since it may be a decoy or a trap altogether."

After receiving a nod from an officer confirming that Agent Glas was indeed from the CIA, the police chief informed the barrel-chested man that he had already sent two of his best to investigate the situation. Glas then requested that he speak with them over their walkie-talkies, and was granted permission.

"Agents Price and Harris?" The deep, smooth voice that came over the radio system could have belonged to a nighttime radio personality. "This is Agent Brian Glas, CIA. The government is assisting the NYPD in apprehending this 'Simon', and using penetrating satellite imagery, we've been able to roughly map out this little funhouse of his.

"Up ahead, the gymnasium will be filled with spikes, but there will be platforms and a small margin on the side that you can sneak across on. Then, we believe that the hostages are somewhere on the left side of the hallway--but I'd advise caution. Not even we know what sort of twisted tricks a person like this has in store."

[OmniChaos]

Though he had been one of the first to leave the gymnasium, Hyde significantly slowed his pace, placing himself at the back of the group of players. He followed the group of players into the room, cautiously scanning the room for anything notable traps or triggers, though, considering the type of person Simon was, it wouldn't be that easy to see his traps. With his mind distracted by searching the room, Hyde hadn't even noticed that many of the players began to casually take their seats, likely not even considering the possibility of there being traps in their seats. After all, the displayed command didn't say 'Simon Says' in front of it. Though... everyone seemed to be fine. Maybe Hyde was just being over cautious on this one. Though, on the other hand...

BZZZZZZZ!

Hyde was slightly taken back by his phone letting loose a heavy vibrate against his thigh. The tension was starting to get to him, but, with a slight shake of the head to dispel it, he reached into his pocket and pulled the phone out. 'New Text Message' flashed on his screen as a small little envelope opened and a letter rose from within it. This caught the attention of a fellow player, who glanced at Hyde from the corner of their eyes. Hyde opened the text, let loose an annoyed sigh, and stuffed the phone back into his pocket, mumbling something about 'those damn advertisements' loud enough for everyone near him to hear.

Hyde, convinced that the desks were, for the time being, safe enough to sit in, he began to walk toward one placed in the center front of the room, which also appeared to be the destination for another one of players. Hyde, grumbling to himself inaudibly, quickened his step significantly and slipped into the desk just as the other player reached the desk, who didn't seem all that impressed by Hyde's mad dash to the desk. Hyde grinned as he watched the player walk to the back of the class from the corner of his eyes.

"My dearest new friends!"

Simon's words grabbed Hyde's attention from his fellow player and back toward the front of the room. "That idiot sure likes to listen to himself talk, doesn't he?" Hyde chuckled, half ignoring what Simon was saying. No, ignoring wouldn't be an appropriate word. It was more like Hyde was filtering Simon's monologue, taking in any important information the man might say and letting the rest of his childish speech flow freely out of his other ear. Hyde didn't have the need nor the patience for Simon's coated self-praise and condescension. That is when Hyde caught Simon's newest command, one that made Hyde narrow his eyes in annoyance.

"Simon says, 'Memorize!'"

[IceBlueWings]

Haley decided to take that seat anyway. Tense and cautious, she relaxed slightly when nothing seemed to happen to her. She gave a small sigh of relief. She paid attention to Simon when he spoke, his excited voice only scaring her more.

The sudden chipmunk-like voice of Simon energetically speaking out the rules startled her. Once it was over, the only thought in her mind was 'What?'.

"because now, Simon says: 'Tell me rule number three.'"

Haley blinked a few times. This was terrible. She wasn't sure she heard everything he said, more so when everything was spoken so quickly. But she took a deep breath and tried to recall everything that she heard from Simon. She must have caught what he said, it was just that she was startled. She glanced around the room, wondering if everyone seemed fine.