You talk, talk, talk to me, your eyes touch me physically

Sylvia held her gun at the ready, scanning the forest with a careful eye.

“Watch where you’re walking,” she sneered, narrowing her eyes as she trained the barrel of her gun on a bush. “I’m packing some serious heat!”

Kim, walking behind her, rolled her eyes.

Ever since Sylvia got her hands on all that ammo, her concerns about Kim tossing a water balloon into her back were put aside. Which was, frankly, very stupid. If Kim wanted to eliminate her, she’d have had a dozen opportunities at this point.

Part of Kim chalked it up to Sylvia being an airhead. But she also suspected that it was a tacit action on the other girl’s part, to let her know that she trusted Kim now and didn’t think she’d eliminate her.

It was a touching gesture, in a way.

“Hey, Sylvia,” Kim said, taking a step forward and reaching out to the other girl, only to find the barrel of the gun sticking right into her face.

“Go ahead,” Sylvia smirked. “Make my day.”

Kim rolled her eyes again.

“I was just going to say that you’re being a little sloppy here,” Kim stated. “Traipsing around like this. We should be more careful. That gun isn’t a toy.”

“It literally is though,” Sylvia pointed out, waving it around. “It’s not like I can hurt anybody with it, it’s literally just for shooting paintballs!”

“ZIP!”

The gun went off in her hand and a paintball splattered against a tree.

Sylvia looked at the spray of aphrodisiac smeared across the bark, then slowly turned back to Kim with a sheepish expression on her face.

“Um… maybe you have a point,” she laughed, holstering her gun. “Anyway, Kim, let’s find Dani! She should be around here somewhere, right?”

“Agreed,” Kim nodded, and they resumed their search. They were looking for two things at the moment- a gun for Kim, and a tomboy with a penchant for paintball.

Kim really hoped they found the former before they ran into the latter. She wasn’t sure Dani would hesitate to shoot them first and ask questions later.

“Oh, hey!” Kim noticed a briefcase hanging from a tree branch. “More ammo, maybe?”

She took down the case and opened it up. In it was… a sawed-off shotgun, and a decent amount of rounds for it.

“Water balloon grenades, a shotgun… you’re really stacking up those area of effect weapons, aren’tcha?” Sylvia laughed, patting the other girl on the shoulder. “Now we’re ready for just about anything that comes our way!”

“One can only hope,” Kim muttered, looking around. Every tree, every bush, every rock, all of them could have enemies behind them. This wasn’t like the card challenge, in this one, a hail of bullets could come at her from anywhere.

The real scare? Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin.

“Just keep in mind that if we run into our assassin friend, all bets are off,” Kim said grimly. “I’ll ditch you in a heartbeat if it comes down to it.”

“Aww! Don’t be like that!” Sylvia groaned. “We’re teammates, remember?”

“Yeah, but…” Kim awkwardly shrugged. What could she even say? Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin was Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin.

Against an unstoppable enemy like that, any chance of resistance was negligible.

“Don’t worry!” Sylvia boasted, putting her hands on her hips and holding her head up proudly. “I’ve got a secret weapon for dealing with her!”

Kim looked at Sylvia in surprise. “You do?”

“Yep!” Sylvia grinned. “…But I’m not gonna tell you. It’s a secreeeet.”

Kim rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Sylvia.” Even as she verbally discounted the other girl’s boast, in the back of her mind Kim wondered if maybe the former host did have something up her sleeve. After all, she would probably know more about Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin than Kim did, or any of the other contestants.

“Hey, Kim, look! There’s another case over there!” Sylvia ran over to a small box tucked away between two rocks. “Let’s see what’s inside!”

“It’s too small for a gun,” Kim noted as Sylvia jerked it out from where it was wedged. “At least, not any useful gun, anyway. Maybe it’s some ammo, then?”

“Let’s find out!” Sylvia flipped the lid up, and studied the contents.

Her face lit up with glee. “Hey! …I think it’s a medical kit of some kind! And there’s a bunch of ‘em, too!”

“A medical kit?” Kim leaned over the redhead and studied the contents of the box curiously. “How would that even work?”

Before either girl could get another word in, Nola popped up from behind a big boulder, happy to explain.

“Where the heck could Sylvia be hiding, anyway?” Dani grumbled. She’d been more focused on finding Carly and Marley than the tricky redhead, but she hadn’t had any luck with any of them.

“Maybe she’s with your girlfriend and her sister?” Gina offered. “That would make the most sense, anyway.”

Dawn nodded. “I could see those three teaming up,” she agreed. “Considering Marley.”

“Maybe we could call out for her?” Morgana suggested. She wasn’t one for drawing attention to herself, but just wandering around her blindly like this was starting to wear her down.

“That would just draw attention to ourselves,” Dawn said, shaking her head. “We don’t want to do anything risky like that. We need to be careful and vigilant here.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Gina said, nodding in agreement. “And on the subject of being careful and vigilant, Dawn, how about letting me use that extra handgun of yours? I mean, your rifle is way better anyway, and I could use something to defend myself. I’m the most valuable member of the team, after all!”

Dawn raised her eyebrow.

“Walk, bait,” Dani said, jamming her rifle between Gina’s shoulder blades with a giddy expression on her face. She was actually having a lot of fun with this.

“Aww, you guys are no fun!” Gina pouted. Still, she couldn’t help but smile. Even if she’d been relegated to essentially a walking hazard, this game was really exciting.

“Is anyone else feeling really anxious?” Morgana whimpered, looking around frantically. “It’s just the four of us, and anybody could be looking for us. They could even be watching us right now!”

“You weren’t here when we did the card challenge, Morgana,” Dawn said gently. “So you don’t remember. But this island is a lot bigger than it seems to be, even if Dakota did sequester off a smaller area.”

Morgana gulped, and nodded. It wasn’t like she spent much time out of the hotel, after all. “So you’re saying that I’m just being paranoid?” She lowered her gun a little.

“Paranoid is good,” Dani said. “Paranoid will keep you from getting caught unprepared! …But you shouldn’t be too nervous. The odds of just running into someone out of nowhere are pretty low, as we’ve proven, since we can’t find the people we’re looking for!”

“Well, well, well! Look what we have here!”

Rose and Ella froze in place. Rose whirled around, and shoved Ella in front of her as she scanned the trees, trying to spot the source of the playful voice.

“Hey!” Ella exclaimed, looking back frantically at Rose. “What are you doing?!”

“You’ve got a knife!” Rose whispered. “That’s more than I’ve got!”

Ella gulped and held her knife up, barely able to keep a grip on it with her trembling hands. She flipped the switch.

“VRRRRRRRRRRR…” The knife began to vibrate, which earned a laugh from Vivian as she sauntered out from behind a tree, automatic rifle in hand.

“Oh, that’s just the cutest thing!” She laughed. “A vibrator for a knife? That’s pretty clever of Dakota, gotta say.”

“V-Vivian…” Rose gulped.

“St-stay back!” Ella cried, her eyes wild. She swung her knife frantically in front of her.

Vivian took a step back, hands raised, and smirked.

“Whoa, hey, I come in peace ladies!” She said. “No need to start a fight!”

“Easy to say when you’re the one holding the gun,” Rose said, swallowing back her concerns. Vivian looked like she could dispatch both of them if she wanted to, without much difficulty.

Vivian blinked. “What, this little thing you mean?” She tossed it at the girls’ feet. “Take it. Out of ammo anyway.”

Rose stared at her, slackjawed. “For real?” Even if the rifle was out of bullets, she couldn’t believe Vivian would just give it up like that!

“Yep,” Vivian said. “Used ‘em all driving off Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin earlier. I actually managed to get a couple hits in, but that girl has some crazy tenacity! She shrugged off the aphrodisiacs like they were nothing!”

Ella’s eyes bulged out in surprise. “You… you fought Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin!?” She couldn’t believe it.

Rose couldn’t either. “I’m shocked you made it out in one piece,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean… she’s an assassin.”

“I’m pretty good myself though,” Vivian said, her eyes twinkling. “…But yeah. I’d managed to find three guns before our little run-in. That one’s the only one that made it out.”

“What happened to the others?” Rose asked, confused.

Vivian shrugged. “Tossed ‘em a ways back,” she replied. “Same as that one. No telling when you’ll get your hands on more ammo, and I prefer to be light on my feet. Lugging around a spent gun is just asking for trouble in my book. But hey, take it. No skin off my nose.”

She turned to go. “Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin didn’t have a weapon of her own, by the way,” she added, looking back at the girls. “Only reason I was able to drive her off. I think she realized going at me hand to hand wouldn’t end well for her clothing.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Rose’s eyes widened. “I almost forgot. With that Tear Away transformation of hers, if we can get rid of her clothes, her arousal will spike!”

Ella looked at the other girl, gobsmacked.

“You… you’re not seriously thinking about going after her, are you?!” She sputtered.

Rose shook her head firmly. “Not a chance. You saw how Dani was tearing away after Gina? Well, Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin is even scarier than she is. I’d put money on one of them winning this whole thing, so you know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna keep to the edge of the boundary, right here, and hide out until everyone else is gone. Sure, we might not win, but we won’t completely lose, either.”

The blonde looked over at Vivian, who was heading even deeper into the forest. Part of her thought it would be safer to follow after her, strength in numbers and all that, but on the other hand she might do better on her own.

…Well, with Ella, anyway.

“Let’s go see if we can find some ammo for this thing,” Rose said, picking up the automatic rifle. “If Vivian can drive off the assassin with it, we might be able to hold out for a while.”

Ella nodded. “I-I can do that!” She agreed, clutching her knife like her life depended on it. As long as the two of them kept their heads down, they’d get really far in this game!

…She just had to hope that they didn’t have an unfortunate run-in with anyone who could take them both out.

“We’re so lucky, so very lucky~” Sylvia sang as she skipped through the field.

“Four medical kits, that can completely purge the aphrodisiacs from our system!” Kim couldn’t believe their good fortune. “Talk about hitting the mother lode!”

It was essentially like finding four extra lives, that’s how Nola had described it. Apparently, Rose had been on the brink of elimination, and with one sip had gone right back to normal. Pretty useful, she had to admit.

Only problem? She had to share it with Sylvia.

Magnanimously, Sylvia had actually agreed to give Kim two of the canisters, even though she had been the one to find it. She hadn’t needed to do it, but she did without hesitation. “It’s only fair,” Sylvia had said, and Kim couldn’t help but feel like a real jerk for even considering wiping her out and taking the other two.

She didn’t need to win that badly.

“Still, even with these, we need to be careful,” Kim warned. “We want to make ‘em last as long as we can.” She had no idea how rare these medical vials actually were; if they were some sort of incredibly-rare, one-of-a-kind drop, then using them up haphazardly would be risky. They might not find another one!

This was a game of survival. It didn’t matter how many people you knocked out, just that you were the last one standing.

And Kim planned to go the distance and get as many points as she could!

“I’ll be careful,” Sylvia said loudly. She kept humming as she approached the edge of the clearing. Large trees ringed the flowery field, along with dense clusters of bushes. A trail was close by. But while Kim was paranoid about being out in the open like this, exposed, Sylvia couldn’t care less.

“Ah! There she is!”

Until someone called out to her.

Sylvia drew her gun and whirled around, pointing it towards the edge of the clearing. As she did, Kim ran up to her and cocked her shotgun, preparing to fire.

“And Kim’s with her, too!”

Kim squinted into the forest. She was pretty sure that was Morgana’s excited voice she’d just heard, followed by… Gina? An odd pair, to say the least.

Then she saw a flash of blue.

“Wait! Dani, is that you?” She shouted.

“…Yeah, it’s me. We’re coming out. Don’t shoot, we just want to talk.”

It wasn’t Dani who stepped out from hiding though, it was… Gina?

“Stop poking!” Gina groused. “Why do I have to play the role of human shield anyway, huh!? I’m the key to victory you know!”

“We haven’t confirmed that.” Dawn was there too, slinking about off to the side with Morgana in tow. And Dani was right behind Gina, holding a rifle to the punk girl’s back.

The four women entered the clearing, and Kim was surprised at the looks of relief on their faces.

She didn’t lower her gun, though.

“What are you all doing together?” Kim asked suspiciously. She glanced at Dani. “I would have thought you’d be looking for Carly and Marley.”

“Change of plans,” Dani said, nodding to Dawn and Morgana. “These two roped me into their little scheme, and I figured I might as well. As for this one…”

She poked Gina in the back with her rifle again.

“Hey!”

“…She came at me at the beginning of the game,” Dani grumbled. “For one reason or another, I haven’t been able to get rid of her.”

“Aww, you know you secretly like me deep down,” Gina teased.

Dani grunted a wordless response at her.

Sylvia giggled, amused by their behavior. But Kim was more focused on the “scheme” Dani had mentioned, and also…

“I’m glad we ran into you, Dani,” she said, lowering her shotgun.

“You are?” Dawn raised her eyebrow. Her ears twitched as her fingers danced along her own gun. She wasn’t sure yet if they should let Kim in on the plan, or if her friendship with Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin would make her a liability.

“Yeah,” Kim nodded. “I can finally repay my favor to Carly and Marley.”

Dani’s eyes widened. “Favor? What favor?” She asked, peering curiously over Gina’s shoulder.

“Well, she says ‘favor’ but it’s more like a protection racket,” Sylvia clarified. “Those two promised her that she could go without a firefight, if she found you and sent you their way. Marley’s got her sister up a tree while she holds the gun, for the ultimate defense, the clever girl! She takes after her mother I bet.”

“Right, sure, that’s it,” Kim scoffed. “Anyway, if you want, I can take you to them. But first, what’s this ‘scheme’ you guys are talking about?”

Morgana shifted uncomfortably and looked over at Dawn. The cat girl stepped forward, lowering her gun.

“We’re working up a plan to take out Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin,” she replied. “You have a problem with that?”

Kim’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Dawn nodded.

“Hey, same here!” Sylvia slapped her own chest while patting Kim on the shoulder. “I told Kim she didn’t need to, because Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin and her are friends, but she was super-suspicious anyway, can you believe that?”

Dawn looked at Dani and then at Morgana. They were all a little surprised.

“So… you’d be up for helping?” Dani asked.

Kim nodded. “It’s the smart play,” she replied. “Otherwise, Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin might eliminate all of us. Sylvia says she has a secret weapon, though.”

“Oh? A secret weapon?” Dawn was intrigued by that. Maybe they could rework their plan to something a bit less… moron-dependent.

“Hey! What about me, huh!?” Gina grumbled. “I thought I was the secret weapon!?”

“Gina? She doesn’t even have a gun though,” Kim observed. “I thought she was, like, a prisoner of war or something.”

Gina stuck her tongue out at Kim and blew a raspberry. Kim stuck her tongue out right back.

“That’s why we were looking for you, Sylvia,” Dawn said, turning to the former host. “We wanted to ask you about one of Gina’s transformations. The punishment one.”

Sylvia blinked. “Oh, you mean Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve? What about it?”

“Will it work on Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin?” Dani demanded. “She can’t read, so we had no idea.”

Dawn nodded. “Basically. If it does work, then it could be a really useful weapon against her.”

“Hey, whoa, I didn’t even think of that,” Kim said, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “Yeah, you’re right, that might not work.”

“Well? Am I gonna be awesome today or not?” Gina asked, excited about the prospect of playing hero.

Sylvia just looked confused. “…Did you guys really need to come to me to answer that question?” She asked, raising her eyebrow. “I would have thought the answer would be self-explanatory.”

Dawn sighed and slumped her shoulders. “…Fuck. I knew it. It does say ‘read’ after all. So does that mean it won’t work?”

Sylvia shook her head. “Not what I meant.” She clarified, “Remember what show you’re on? Harem Hotel?”

The other girls all gave her confused looks.

Sylvia sighed and rolled her eyes. She placed her hands on her hips. “What I mean is, would it be sexier if it worked on Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, or not? That right there should answer your question, no?”

Dani and Dawn looked at each other.

Dawn sighed. “Well, when you put it like that…”

“I guess it was kind of a stupid question to ask, huh?” Dani groaned, scratching her head.

“Hah! Oh yeah! Then that means I am the secret weapon! Sweet!” Gina cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

“Okay, that could definitely work,” Kim nodded in agreement.

“But we should find Carly and Marley first!” Dani objected.

Everyone looked at her.

“I-I’m serious!” Dani’s cheeks flushed. “This isn’t just about personal stuff, it’s strategy!”

“Strategy?” Morgana questioned.

“You guys all heard Dakota, right?” Dani explained. “Marley’s basically an unstoppable bullet sponge, she’s the ultimate tank! If we want a chance of taking down Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, then we need her!”

“I’m not so sure…” Dawn bit her lip. While she understood where Dani was coming from, and even agreed with her, she wasn’t thrilled by the idea.

Because once the assassin was eliminated, it would be every woman for herself. And since Dani and Carly would naturally team up against the rest of them…

Going to get Carly and Marley for this confrontation might help them take out Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, but it could also end up biting Dawn in the long run.

“I think we should do it!” Sylvia said eagerly. “Marley deserves a chance to shine, too!”

“Morgana, what do you think?” Kim asked, looking at the goth. For obvious reasons, she’d been rather quiet this whole time.

Dawn hoped Morgana would have an objection. But she should have expected that she wouldn’t. No, the goth girl nodded excitedly, eager to have Carly and Marley take part.

Of course she feels that way. She just wants to feel safe when going up against Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin. She isn’t thinking past that.

Dawn was outnumbered in a vote she hadn’t even taken yet. “Okay, let’s go then,” she said, trying to save face and conceal her intention of backstabbing everyone after beating the assassin. “Kim, lead the way?”

“Sure thing,” Kim nodded, doubling back in the direction they’d come. “They’re hiding out on the other side of this clearing.”

The girls regrouped and headed off to go recruit Carly and Marley to their cause.

But before they made it halfway through the clearing, a flash of black emerged from the bushes, leaping high into the air.

They didn’t see her coming. They didn’t expect her to be there. And they were caught completely off-guard.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin sent a hail of paintball bullets raining down upon the cluster of unprepared women, filling the air with a glorious harmony of moans.

She landed in the center of the writhing girls wearing a victorious smile, brandishing her weapon triumphantly.