everyone shut the fuck up the prelude dropped

PRELUDE — THE TIGER CUB ARRIVES

(The room falls silent. The speaker’s cold voice drones one last time.)

SPEAKER:
“AFTER ASSESSMENT, ALL ENTRIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED COMPLIANCE. YOU ARE WORTHY OF STAYING. COMMUNICATION WINDOW CLOSED.”

(The speaker shuts off with a final click. Monitors flicker, then go dark. The fluorescent lights hum quietly. Everyone exhales. Then—a hiss of a metallic door.)

All eyes turn. The door slides open to reveal… a small tiger cub, standing on a little podium, chest puffed up, tail swishing. Despite her attempt at intensity, her huge eyes, tiny teeth, and squeaky roar make her look almost like a plush toy trying to yell.

Tiger Cub:
“ALRIGHT! LISTEN UP! YOU’VE ALL PASSED! CONGRATULATIONS, I GUESS—YES, YOU’RE WORTHY! WORTHY OF WHAT, YOU ASK? WELL, HAHA, I’M HERE TO TELL YOU! PAY ATTENTION!”

Skrunkly (bouncing):
“Cutie!! Wait—bossy cutie?!”

Sue (folding arms, unimpressed):
“…Is this supposed to be intimidating?”

Tiger Cub:
“OF COURSE I’M SUPPOSED TO BE INTIMIDATING! NOW SHUT UP AND LISTEN—”
(squeaks a tiny roar, jumps onto a crate, accidentally makes it wobble)
“—YOU WILL BE SENT ON MISSIONS! MISSIONS TO TAKE DOWN ANOTHER SECRET UNDERGROUND BASE. THAT’S RIGHT! ANOTHER BASE!”

Zap (grinning):
“Another base? Ohhh, I love bases. Bases are my thing.”

Tiger Cub:
“DON’T INTERRUPT! LISTEN, BASES ARE DANGEROUS. FAIL A MISSION? YOU COULD DIE. SIMPLE ENOUGH? GOOD. NOW, IF YOU FAIL AND COME BACK ALIVE, YOU GET BROUGHT TO—THE CONTRAPTION.”

Cassie:
“The… Contraption?”

Tiger Cub (waggling a tiny claw, squeaky serious):
“NOPE. I WON’T TELL YOU WHAT IT IS! CONTRAPTION! MYSTERIOUS! SCARY! MAYBE NICE? WHO KNOWS!”

Count Koffin-K (tilting his hat, telepathically):
“Wait, wait… so if we survive failure, we go to… the Contraption? That sounds… potentially fun?”

Vadrina (unsheathing her golden sword slowly):
“…Or horrifying. We should prepare for the worst.”

Sue:
“Death AND a mysterious contraption? Cute little tiger, you’re kind of terrifying despite being—well—adorable.”

Tiger Cub (puffing up chest):
“THANK YOU! INTIMIDATION LEVEL: MAX. NOW, HERE’S THE DEAL. MISSIONS WILL VARY. SOME OF YOU WILL WORK IN TEAMS. SOME SOLO. FAIL? POSSIBLE DEATH. SURVIVE? CONTRAPTION. SURE, AWESOME, RIGHT?!”

Bibliox (mumbling, flailing arms slightly):
“Mum-mumble… other bases… missions… death… contraption… bubble pop… numbers…”

Grim (wheelchair spinning slowly):
“…Wheels. Death missions. Contraptions. Fun. Sure.”

Zap (pumping fists):
“ALRIGHT. I like danger. I like bases. And I DEFINITELY like adventures. LET’S GO!”

Sue (sighs):
“…I have a feeling I’m going to hate all of you.”

Cassie:
“And yet… some of us are probably going to survive. Maybe.”

Tiger Cub (prancing back and forth, squeaking loudly):
“EXACTLY! SURVIVAL IS KEY! NOW, LISTEN CAREFULLY, EVERYONE. YOU WILL TRAIN, YOU WILL PLAN, YOU WILL BE SENT. FAIL, AND YOU KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES. SURVIVE, AND YOU GET TO SEE… THE CONTRAPTION. HAHAHA! ANY QUESTIONS?”

(A few hesitant hands go up.)

Sue:
“Yes. One. What exactly is the contraption?”

Tiger Cub (shaking her head furiously):
“NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! CONTRAPTION IS… CONTRAPTION. FIND OUT LATER! QUESTIONS OVER. MISSIONS SOON. BE READY. AND… TRY NOT TO DIE, OKAY?!”

Dijital (tail glowing, smirking):
“Contraption sounds fun. Also ominous. Also, death? Cool cool cool.”

Zap:
“…So, adventure! Let’s go! Base assault! Danger! Death! Contraption! Yeah!”

Fork:
(falls over again, seemingly agreeing.)

Tiger Cub (squeaking triumphantly):
“THAT’S THE SPIRIT! NOW GET MOVING… PREPARE… SURVIVE! I EXPECT GREAT THINGS, MINIONS! HEH-HEH-HEH!”

(She prances off, tiny claws clicking against the metal floor, leaving the entries buzzing with tension, curiosity, and a faint but undeniable excitement.)

is there gonna be more than 2 comments or naw bc this story is interesting