Cheese Balls and Bottomless Drinks

The lift doors opened into a room. A tiled white floor and red walls. At the far end, under a yellow spotlight, an open briefcase spun on a pedestal. On the top section was a line of glass vials and below it seemed to be some yellowed paper.

They all waited inside the lift but nothing happened.

'I don't see any laser security or trip wires.' Paul said scanning the room with his... camera-like device.

Ora had no idea what it was but it, they guessed it saved them from having to roll a ball across the floor to trigger traps. Then Ben did it anyway. The little red ball rolled to the foot of the pedestal and bounced off to a stop.

Still nothing.

'Nice! Told you bowling was a useful sport.' Ben grinned.

'All that tunnel walking for this?' Pain asks, 'Security really is lacking.'

Ora walked out first, Mia followed then the rest and still, nothing happened.

'I'm gonna guard the door.' Mia says, standing across the doorway.

'I could just run and get it.' Ben suggested. He waited for everyone's reply this time already standing ready to sprint.

'Don't take it, just get a picture.' Ora says, their mind scrambled for ideas, any other defences they might need and come up with nothing. The others returned equally blank looks of concern.

Ben nods, jogging on the spot, stretching his legs, 'Okay.'

'Okay. We'll count you down, yeah?' Seb says.

'3,' Mia starts and the others join in, '2...1...Go!'

Ben was barely halfway when the floor shook and a barrier grew out of the floor joining with the other half that slide out of the ceiling. Thick, glass and, to Ora's horror, soundproof. They could see Ben's lips moving, shouting through the glass. They could hear everyone else's gasps and shouts, everyone except Ben.

'Fuck, holy fuck!' Mia says, 'What do we do?'

'Go, go get the recipe.' Seb waved at Ben.

Ben paused staring at them, reading their lips then nodded. Shaking like he was on ice, Ben gave them a thumbs up and tenatively walked towards the pedestal. Ora watched the walls for anymore traps hoping that when Ben reachs it, the wall will come down.

'Look!' Paul points to the wall on their left, a small tv screen popped out from the wall. On was Ben's side of the room. His voice came through the speakers, muttering, 'Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.'

'Hello!' Ora jumps as behind them on the right side a hologram appears, 'Welcome to the Spice Games!'

'The what?'

'Don't worry, I'm working on the name.' The holographic man waves his cane in the air, a white chicken on its head.

'Ora?! Isn't he from the game? You remember, that japanese dating sim.' Mia asks.

Ora was already checking their phone for the right selfie with Tilly. Sure enough it was the game Colonel: same sharp jawline, red apron on a white shirt, even the extra pocket on his arm with an extra pen in it.

'That's right!' He says with sparkles around him, 'Though I got a few AI upgrades - which is why those asshats stuck me down here - anyway, lets begin. Pick a number between one and five.'

'Why? What is this? Who are you?' Paul asks.

'We aren't doing anything till you take down this wall and give my brother back.' Ora glares at the hologram but he switches to a laughing pose.

'Oh, ho, ho! You're all fired up. I like it. As for answers: One - Because you need to choose the challenge at random. Two -this is a test to prove you deserve the recipe. And three - I'm obviously the Colonel. We've mentioned this before.'

Ora's about to shout at the hologram again when Mia holds her back nodding at Paul. 'Let him talk first, if you piss i-him off we won't get answers.'

'Ok, that doesn't explain the wall though. What are our choices? What if we lose?'

'Not we, just him. I had a look at his blog, I really enjoyed the post about me. Lucky, he stepped forward so it was easier to trap him. Ben plays one of the five games in My Life Story. If he wins you all walk out of here having earned the recipe on his phone. If he loses...well we'll have to get rid of him.'

'Get rid?!' Ora snaps, 'Live hell you will. Swap him out, I'll go in. I'm more than willing to beat your-'

'I can't do that. He's already agreed to play.'

The hologram pointed through the glass wall to the otherside where Ben was attempting to shake hands with an identical Colonel hologram. He catches them looking and gives them a tight smile and thumbs up.

'Now pick a number.'

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Ben stared at his opponent as if landed from a hole in the ceiling.

Spork Monster.

It was obviously a robot with a mesh, soft exterior. But his brain started to believe it was an lovecraftian game boss that he had to defeat with no buffs or revive. There was a health bar floated above it's head.

'Ben, you have first move, attack or defend?' The hologram Colonel asked. His deal was simple, Ben defeats the thing and the others are save and get to leave with the recipe.

Ben took a deep breath and said, 'Defend.'

'Okay!' Two racks are wheeled out of the walls. Two bucket-shaped shields and a row of skewers on drumstick handles. 'Spork monster chose to attack. Go!'

There's a low rumble as the monster charged up. Ben's brain finally clicked into gear he scrambled to the shield, grabbing it just in time for a sloppy fried ball to blow into it shoving him back into the rack. A hole was burning into the shield, a fat lot of good that defence did.

'Attack!' Ben shouts chucking the shield at the spork monster's face. It opened its slimy mouth with teeth made of smaller sporks and ate the shield.

The spork monster seemed to stay in place, maybe Ben could attack from behind. He dashed to the other rack, snatching up a skewer as ran around the monster, ducking its swiping arm and plunging the skewer into its back. There was a resistance on the crusty surface then slipped through the insides out the other side. The damage bar above its head went down by a third.

But distracted, Ben wasn't fast enough to dodge the heavy plastic arm that smacked into the back of his head. He saw stars his skin burnt as he slide backwards across the floor.

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'If he take much more damage, he won't survive.' the hologram floated above him, smiling.

'He's fine. He just needs two more hits. He's got this.' Seb says and Ora agreed. As they watched him nibbly dodge out the way of flying sporks and cheese balls a part of them was proud. Why had their mental image of him been so weak.

That didn't stop them from wanting to step in, strong or not, this was insane.

'Can you break this wall?' Ora asks Pain.

'Probably, but the distraction last time was penalized so if I do-'

'How much was the penalty?' Seb asks

'Three hours, you have five left.'

Mia gasps grabbing Ora's shoulder. They turn back to see Ben pinned down on the ground, bleeding.

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Ben's head was spinning but the pain wasn't that bad, he still managed to dodge the small sporks flying his way. He needed to stop this fast but he couldn't do anything with these oily cheese balls flying at him. Ben had a get closer without getting slapped but the only t thing he could think of was the movie cliche.

'What's with the range attacks? Scared to get skewered again. Come and get me!' Ben snatched up a skewer in each hand and backed up to podium.

The spork monster roared, and cheese sauce crispy bits splattered across the air.

'Here it comes. Sporky's ultimate attack - Rounded Edge!' The hologram announced as the spork monster retracted its limbs and formed a spiky ball of spork points. It rolled towards Ben at full speed.

Ben stood stunned for a moment, it actually worked. Then he saw Mia and Ora cheering or screaming at him, banging against the glass wall. When he looked back at the monster ball was just close enough and Ben thrust the skewers into its cruncy exterior. And Sporky swerved out of the way. The skewers just scratching its body as it barreled past to his left. Ben dodged a spike only to trip over the podium behind him, dropping the skewers to catch himself. He tries to get back up but Sporky fires a spork at his leg pinning him down.

There's a thundering crunch as Ben watches the monster revert to it's original form and charge up. He tries to tug his leg out but the edges cut into his leg. He tries to throw one of the skewer he dropped but it missed flying over the creatures head. It's whole body slowly glows a brighter yellow.

With his headsplitting headache and bleeding leg Ben's mind goes blank. Just as usual there's nothing he can do, he had overestimated. He could hear Greg laughing at him, calling him weak for losing at arm wrestle, again. He heard Ora, he was finally ready accept she was right, he wasn't the strong adventurer type. Ben braced for impact monster as Sporky's mouth opened.

Of course he'd survive instead of Greg, only to die like this-

There was a crunching squelch.

Ben opened his eyes to find Ora and Seb both on his side of the glass. Holding a skewer each blunged through the back of the monster's head. It roars wobbles and deflates falling aside.

'Ben!' Ora rushed forward grabbing his face and inspecting him.

'Ora? Seb, how did you-'

'Hey, buddy. You good?' Seb asks, pulling the spork from over his leg and stabbing it into the already defeated monster.

'How are you guys-oww.'

Ben whinces as Ora slips his arm over their shoulder and helps him up. All the aches and sours in his body hit at once. Ora searches his face with a panicked concern he hadn't seen in a year.

'I'm fine, just a sratch and some bruises.' He tries to reassure them with the big smile fooled some of the nurses. It didn't work on Ora who just stared back silent as they and Seb half carried him to the shattered glass wall. Mia stands at the elevator door with Paul inside. Behind him a crane claw lowers from the ceiling and lifted the monster away.

'I see no severe injuries.' Pain say, flying over to sit on Ora's head.

'You're lucky for that, you holographic bastard!' Ora shouts back at the hologram.

'So you're quitting then. Don't you wanna play another game? The recipes' still on his phone.' The hologram stood there with glazed over glasses, both hands on his cane as he watched them hobble by.

'Take it.' Seb says pulling Ben's phone from his pocket. The screen was already cracked when he smashed it on the ground throwing it towards the Colonel. 'We quit!'

'Thank you.' The colonel smiled, a dark misty outline floated around him, 'But, security requires I cover all bases. Enjoy your ride, I've heard it's a really long drop.'

With a flourish of his cane, the floor began to tilt behind them. Ora and Seb try to run practically dragging Ben. Ben tries but his legs refuse to any faster.

'Catch!' A rope flutters through the air. Mia is practically hanging out the door, throwing the rope out with one hand and onto Paul in the lift behind her with the other. 'Come on!'

Seb who's further front lets go of ben and wraps the rope around his arm ordering the others to do the same as the floor is now tiltedd so high they're climbing on the toes of their shoes. Ben has to catch Seb and push him upright when feet slip. Over and over ahead the lift door tries to close but Mia's in the way falling further out the lift, Paul's breaks definitely won't last any longer.

'Paul! Listen you can't pull all of us!' Seb shouts, and Ben feels a pit open in the bottom of his stomach.

'Seb? Seb, whatever your thinking, don't you bloody dare!' Paul snaps

He was undoing the rope on his arm. Ben tried to stop him but Seb used the side wall to push himself to the side. 'You better get these idiots out of here alive, ok?!'

'No, no, no.' Is all Ben can manage to say as Seb pushes off the side with his legs and let's go. This time the movies cliche doesn't work, there's no slowmo, no last minute grab from Ben or Ora's hand behind him. Just an instant where Seb disappears, down into the ether below. There's a flash of black that Ben assumes is Pain, disappearing with him.

'Ben? Ben, keep going use the wall.' Ora suggests but the walls too smooth and their feet keep slipping after two or three steps. Now at the front Ben can clearly see Paul's wheels edging closer to the end of the lift, Mia's arms overstretched as they tried to pull the rope in.

'You have to let go.' Pain flies up beside them, 'I can't lift you up but I can portal you. You have to let go!'

'But the portal doesn't work indoors right?' Mia asks.

'There's a risk, but I tried it on Seb, I think it worked.'

'You think?!' shout Paul

'Hell no! Ora, no. We've got you, we're almost there.' Mia shouts down.

Ben looks back at them. They stay staring at Ben with tears in their eyes, 'I love you kid, you know that right?'

'Ora! No, if you let go, I'll let go too.'

'DON'T YOU DARE! You've got the world to conquer right? My little brother eating authentic squid in Korea, travelling the world. You can do it all, you deserve to.'

'Ora stop it now.'

'I'm sorry I held you back. But now you have to promise me you won't let go.' Ora says, a hand on his leg, 'Promise me!'

Above him Mia is shaking her head and screaming. Paul's using his legs to stop himself and the chair from slipping out of the elevator.

'Ben? Please!'

He looks back at them, their frizzy hair and the scrunched up, bunny nose they have have when their holding back tears. Those piercing dark brown eyes just like their mothers.

'I...I promise.'

Ora lets go, disappearing into the abbys and Pain follows portal gun between her claws. Without the others Mia and Paul easily pull Ben up and in, letting the elevator doors finally close behind them.