A familiar face in an unfortunate situation

The screen faded to a close-up of a woman. In her groggy state, strapped down to the stainless steel table, she didn't have a great view of the screen to begin with. The woman seemed to be yelling something in a panic, although her voice seemed to be muted.

The confident announcer returned, "Hopefully you're about finished coming to, Ms. Topaz! The show begins in thirty minutes, so we'll need to get you prepared! Your audience is anxiously awaiting! As you can see, you won't be in these challenges alone!" Sam closed her eyes tight and reopened them, hoping it would help her to see the video better, and gave her head a shake. "Your friend Jessica willingly helped us get you to our secure studio without raising any suspicions. She thought it would give her an advantage in the game, but unfortunately for her..." Sam finally came to her senses, the woman in the footage was Jess! Was this man telling the truth? Had Jess really roped her into some kind of **** abduction competition? Were they against each other? While all these thoughts raced through her head, the announcer continued "...we frown upon less-than-loyal friends. Therefore she starts with a penalty! We'll let you decide how to deal with that situation. But first, let's get you geared up!" Sam couldn't see what was happening to Jess, but she seemed to be in distress... or possibly in great pleasure.

As suddenly as it had turned on, the large screen turned off, and the dim light in the middle of the room dimmed until it was off. Sam was still a little drowsy, but the circumstances had in her a panic. She tried calling for help again, "Please! Let me out! I didn't sign up for this! I don't know what's going on!" After about thirty seconds of pitch black, rows of overhead florescent lights turned on one by one. Sam finally got a glimpse of the scale of the actual room, it was roughly the length of the gymnasium at her school, with a normal-height ceiling. She couldn't see how far back it went behind her, but she assumed she was in the middle of the room. The ceiling and floor were white-tiled, and all walls matched the stainless steel of the table she was on. A distant whirring sound came behind her, and Sam held her panicked breath, tensing up ready to fend off any attackers.

"Hello? Who's there? I need help, this was a misunderstanding, I didn't know..." But instead of the sound of footsteps, Sam heard a whirring noise. It was getting closer and closer. Sam strained at her restraints to get a view of what was coming up behind her to no avail. Finally it sounded as if it was right behind her, and stopped. Still holding her breath, Sam laid perfectly still as two hands moved forward in a precise manner on either side of her and unlocked the restraints around her wrists. She reached her hands together and rubbed her wrists as she heard an unlocking sound behind her neck. Realizing her neck restraint had been disconnected from the table, she jumped to the floor and spun into a defensive position, readying herself to defend from the individual who had unlocked her.

However, there was no person there. In her would-be-assailant's place, was a humanoid-looking robot. It had a normal humanoid body, except wheels instead of feet, and a screen instead of a face. Currently, the screen was blank. Sam was too stunned at this development to move. She glanced around the room for any exit or weapon, but nothing was to be found. The robot made some beeping noises, and a smiley face faded on to the screen.

"Hello! My name's Initio! I'm here to get you ready for your competition! You currently have twenty-three minutes, fifteen seconds before your competition begins! If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer what I can!"

Sam knew her first question immediately, "Where am I?" The smiley face on the screen of the robot disappeared, and 3D map of a spinning globe appeared. The robot explained, "You are currently at a secure compound on a protected island in the pacific." The screen zoomed in to the ocean "For security purposes, and to protect our future interests, we can't explain specifically where..." A question mark faded onto the screen, "...but we hope you will enjoy your stay!" Sam knew her question hadn't really been answered, but she asked a follow-up question.

"Am I safe? Is Jess safe?" The screen faded to two profile pictures of Sam and herself

"Subjects: S-125 and J-221. Current status: Active. Contestants are still in play. Subject S-125 is currently in briefing, and subject J-221 is currently in punishment phase A." Sam could see that below each picture, a subject number was listed. Apparently she was S-125.

Once again, the question Sam had asked hadn't been answered as she had hoped. "I didn't sign up for this," Sam said in an angry tone, "This CAN'T be legal. Let me and Jess go NOW. Please!" The robot looked too solid, or Sam felt like she may have hit it in rage.

"We are sorry you are not excited for the experience so far," The robot said as the screen faded into a frowny face, "However, as you will see, the signature on this document is legal and binding." The contract Sam had signed flashed by on the screen, zooming in on her signature. "If you need a refresher on the details of the competition, ask away!"

Sam paused in thought. She could at least figure out what she had gotten herself into. Maybe it wouldn't be that difficult. Maybe she could just go through the competition and get it over with. "What are the rules of this competition? Is it trivia? Or just luck?"

"We prefer to describe the competition as physical challenge, although your wits may prove to help you!" The face reappeared on the screen with a wink. "You currently have fourteen minutes, nineteen seconds before the competition begins! I suggest we move on to your equipment selection! Right this way." The robot spun towards the nearest wall and moved forward at a consistent speed. Sam followed, although she was unsure where the robot was headed, as there were no doors anywhere. However, when the robot was roughly five feet away from the wall, metal shutters receded into the wall and slid to the side, revealing a small room with three distinct sections, all filled with an assortment of items. The robot seemed to read Sam's mind.

"This is the equipment room. As you may have noticed, the items on the walls are divided into three categories. You may pick up to one item from each category, but they are optional! Please take your time choosing!" Sam looked at the three sections. The first section seemed to be a selection of survival tools, the second section was a myriad of sex toys, and the third section was a rack of test tubes. The first section seemed like standard items for a survivor-type competition, but the second section worried her. Between her surprise nakedness, and now this, she was concerned about the nature of this competition. "Is this some kind of porno? I can NOT be in a porno."

The screen on the robot turned to a standard, expressionless face. "Ms. Topaz, many of the competitors we receive here have similar concerns. However, one part of the details you may be interested in being refreshed on is what is at stake." The screen faded to a picture of a pile of money, stacked into a pyramid. "One billion dollars is the first prize for finishing. You were not chosen for this competition at random. We are completely aware of your financial and scholastic difficulties. Because you meet the physical requirements for this competition, we are more than happy to provide you with enough money to do anything you want if you win. It is the opportunity of a lifetime! Remember that as you find your way through the competition!" The screen had faded to a smiley face with dollar signs for eyes. "Now please, you only have nine minutes, thirty-three seconds before the competition begins! I suggest you look over your choices closely."

Sam, realizing she had ****, glanced over the first section of practical items, and grabbed...