The Battle Royale S2 [Round 4: Burnination Studios]

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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"All I got out of that conversation was that we need some sort of code," Sirius said impatiently.

"The... the door isn't very nice," the Photographer replied. "Um... but I think we put the code in here?"

Sirius took a look at the keypad. He sighed, as he knew he was about to say something else that wouldn't make any sense.

"Talk to the buttons," he said. "Maybe you can find out which ones have been pressed more or something."

He stepped back to let the Photographer interrogate.

"Um, hello!" the Photographer said to the buttons. "Can you tell me which of you are part of the code?"

The buttons spoke all at once. I'm first! Waah, nobody ever presses me. Leave me alone! None of your damn business!

"Hey, calm down! Um, one, how about if you start?"

I take my job very seriously, said the One. Why should I tell you anything about the code?

Hey, don't be that way! the Two piped in. When's the last time anybody stopped by to push us?

Maybe you like being pushed, the Eight chimed in, but some of us would rather be left alone.

Sirius' patience was wearing thin. "Well? Any results?"

"Um, they're arguing... I think the two and the eight are somewhere in the code, the two likes being pushed and the eight doesn't. The five says he's in the code, but the four says the five is lying because he doesn't want to let us in..."

Sirius held his head in his hands. "This is ridiculous."

***

Wardell had his face buried in a book. It was called "The Escapee", and it was about a man who found out he was in a book and wanted to get out.

It was kind of a boring book. He'd read it before. All that happened was that the Escapee was captured at the end. Sometimes Wardell wondered what would have happened if he had actually escaped.

Still, right now Wardell was just reading for comfort. He didn't want to deal with this crazy battle, and reading a book, any book, kept him from thinking about it.

His reading was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

"What?" he said, indignantly but also a little nervously. "Can't you see I'm trying to read?"

Sereno paused for a moment, before replying.

"Uh, I was wondering if I could have a book, too."

Wardell considered the request. On the one hand, it would mean giving up a book. On the other hand, it might keep this guy from panicking, passing out, and making a creepy monster appear.

After a few moments, self-preservation won out over greed. He handed a book over to the boy without even looking at the cover.

"Here. Give it back to me when you're done."

Sereno thanked him, and began reading Only You Can Save Mankind.