thearena | And Then There Were Three...

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And Then There Were Three...

WHO | Arena 3's Dream Team (Ariadne and Don) and Alex Rider
WHAT | Its the end of the Arena with three left! But just when the identity of the Victor looks certain, a shocking twist occurs!
WHEN | Day 10
WHERE | S4
WARNINGS / NOTES | DEEEEEATH

He'd kept count. Tried to. If he was right, there was only three left. Himself, Ariadne, and one more. Which meant that victory was so close.

It made him a bit nervous, and Don didn't sleep that last night. He hadn't kept track of exactly who it was that was left. Would he be strong enough to save Ariadne again from whoever it was? And if he was, how would he get Ariadne out as Victor? Would he have to fight her? Fake out of the fight? What was he going to do?

Very quietly he began to gather his weapons - the machete, the kanbo, his last spear. Today was going to be the end. He could feel it in his bones, that thing which Master Splinter called a feeling of premonition. Out of the four of his brothers, Don was decidedly the least connected to his spiritual side. But as he walked out of the tent, he couldn't help but feel a shiver.'

He was not looking forward to today. But there was no more delaying the inevitable. Today his arena alliance with Ariadne would - one way or another - come to an end.

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She could tell that it was close now. There had just been too many cannon shots lately, too many faces up in the sky for there to be that many Tributes left. And though she didn't want to have to kill Don, she now saw it as a very real possibility; Ariadne sat there outside the camp, her own spear whittled back into a useable form, if somewhat shorter than before, mentally preparing herself. They would find whomever was left - she couldn't remember seeing Alex's face up there, and wondered if he would be the one to kill her.

Either way, this Arena was coming to a close soon. And regardless of the outcome, she knew that she had put up a damn good fight.

She pushed herself back up to her feet when she heard Don joining her, glancing over her shoulder to him. She didn't smile; she knew he would probably understand why. "This is it, isn't it?" Ariadne asked slowly, her voice quiet as she tightened her grip on the spear. She wouldn't - couldn't - kill him now, not even taking him by surprise; there was no guarantee she could kill whomever else was out there if she didn't have him as her back-up.

"Yeah." Don's answer was quiet. "Almost."

He had no intention of killing Ariadne himself. He'd made a pact with Eliot, and his master taught him that a ninja's word was his bond, an act of honor and trust. To knowingly break a promise like this - killing Ariadne or an innocent in cold blood, or not defending an ally, or avenging their deaths when possible - was not simply a violation of trust, it was a sign that the ninja had no honor or sense or morality. It was a double-cross, much like what the Shredder would do.

Don had no intention of breaking that promise. He would do all it took to uphold his part in saving Ariadne, who was the only one left of the three they'd decided to get out of the Arena.

"We...should probably find the other person."

Alex had no idea how many people were left in the arena. He'd lost count along the way, but he didn't recall ever seeing Ariadne being shown. So the reckoning between the two fo them was coming, and he wasn't looking foward to it. He'd lashed the stone knife he'd picked up from the Tribute who'd tried to kill him onto a stick to make a spear, but he hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

Pearing down from his tree-top hideout, he scanned the area around him for any of the remaining Tributes. Seeing none, he carefully started to climb down.

"Probably."

Not that she wanted to. She couldn't see this going well. She had never lasted this long; usually she died of some kind of natural event mid-way through the Arena, before she could do anything properly. But somehow, she'd survived. Maybe she just got better at living. Maybe it was because she was surrounded by helpful allies. Who really knew; it was all pure speculation at that point.

She gestured for Don to follow her as she headed away from their camp, towards the trees. Her eyes were out for any movement, her ears open for any sounds that weren't distinctive as Don's movements. "How do you think this is going to go down?"

And just as she asked the question, he heard a sound in front of them. His eyes narrowed.

"Right now," He spoke, this time in a whisper, "all I know is...I think something's over there."

Alex was doing his best to be quiet as he made is way through the trees. He'd gotten better at moving through the vegetation, but there wasn't much he could do about the wildlife. He hoped to come across something one of the other Tributes had left behind, something that might be more useful than his makeshift spear.

Not wanting a repeat of the last time he'd gotten attacked, Alex kept himself alert, listening and watching for any sign he was near another Tribute.

She hesitated mid-step, fingers wrapping tightly around her weapon. "I hear it," she murmured, voice low.

As the smaller of the pair, and presumably the quieter of the pair, Ariadne began to make her way slowly towards the sound, ever at the ready. The sound repeated, soft and distant, like it was trying to be muffled.

"Over there."

Don nodded, quietly crouching low. Whatever it was, he wouldn't let it get the best of him or Ariadne. Especially since it was likely a Tribute.

Using the tip of his makeshift spear, Alex parted the vegetation in front of him as he carefully made his way forward. He had no idea where the other Tributes were, but that didn't mean they couldn't be right in front of him. It was best to be careful.

Sure enough, they were pretty much right in front of Alex. Her eyes were on the forest floor, watching out for any kind of shrubbery or loose twig that might give away their position; she spotted hair in the distance, the blond unnatural against the typical green. Reaching over, she nudged Don, gesturing towards it.

Oh, he saw it. Quickly he jumped up into some deeper brush in the shadows, silent as the dead. Quietly he began to unsheathe his machete. They got him.

Now Don just hoped he didn't figure out they were right there.

Alex might not have heard Ariadne and Don out there, but that didn't mean he wasn't watching very closely. Up ahead, a bush twitched slightly, and the hairs on the back of Alex's neck stood up. He wasn't alone. He gave no indication he'd noticed though and continued quietly walking forward.

She separated a little bit from Don, intending to circle around the Tribute. Her spear was at the ready, in a position similar to the way one might spear a fish. It was a good enough tactic for now; she'd adjust as she saw fit once they got there. Ariadne glanced over to her partner, curious as to when to make the first strike. The Tribute was almost within reach.

From his position - which Ariadne, but not Alex, could see - Don gave a little nod. Alex was almost in position. Ariadne had the best chance of striking first; Alex just had to move this much to the left...

And that's when Alex decided to take things to a location of his choosing. Breaking left he headed for the beach. If he could get out of the foliage, he'd be able to see his attackers even if it meant he lost cover himself.

She moved fast. At least she had that going for her. The moment she saw that burst of movement, Ariadne lunged at him, driving her spear downwards hoping to at least clip him. Her spear found nothing - she hadn't moved quite fast enough - and she had to catch herself with one hand to race after him. It barely registered that he was the same Tribute she'd once saved.

Quickly Don acted. He was aware of the direction Alex was going. Fine, then. He wanted to see his pursuers? He'd see them. Quickly Don leaped up, and went to close the gap between himself, Ariadne and Alex, getting his kanabo ready for action.

The trick was to not look over his shoulder and never run in a straight line. Ducking and dodging around trees and undergrowth, Alex put his reflexes and agility to use, but not expending so much energy that he wouldn't have enough to defend himself once he reached the beach.

And that moment was coming all too soon, as Alex glimpsed blue water through the trees ahead.

His zigzagging pattern certainly did make it a bit harder for Ariadne to follow him properly, but there were two of them and only one of Alex. She stuck to his one side like glue, moving ever closer as she forced herself to match his agility. Running wasn't her forte, and she decided again that if she didn't make it out of this, she would simply kill every Tribute she ran into where they stood. No mercy.

She trailed behind him a bit, closer yet than Don was, and managing to keep her balance though her lungs were starting to burn; once the trees dispersed, separating to show off the beach, she started to draw back her spear again, trying to see if she could get a clear shot off on him.

Don was doing much better of tracking him; being further behind, he could see further as he leaped around the trees, and could see Alex trying to throw them off. He could also see Ariadne begin to falter, ever so slightly, and also to see her draw her spear.

Well. Don paused, for just a moment. This is it, then, isn't it. It's about to be just me and her...

He could hear them, crunching through the brush behind him. Two of them, one closer than the other, but both of them flanking him. The moment he left the trees completely, he'd be utterly exposed. That would be the moment...

His heart pounding with adrenaline, Alex burst onto the beach, and threw himself forward. Tumbling quickly, he rolled to his feet, and brought up his spear to defend himself. But would he get the spear up in time before someone managed to stab him?

She let her own spear fly moments before they burst onto the beach, unsure if she would be able to get any sort of clear shot from there, but doubting that she'd get the same opportunity once they were at the beach. It would probably be much more hand to hand, and she knew that spears were hardly useful for that. No, she knew that she could throw, and that her aim would be true as long as he didn't dodge too much - his tumble may have fucked the entire thought process over, but Ariadne had stopped at the tree line for as long as she was unarmed, waiting to see how it would go before she dove back at him.

Oh. Oh no. Suddenly Don saw something wrong. Ariadne was open.

"WAIT-"

Alex felt a streak of fire across the top of his shoulder as he straightened, Ariadne's speak grazing him as it flew past. He didn't pause to look at his injury and instead jumped to his feet in order to fling his spear back in response. Despite his earlier assertions against wanting to kill anyone, he still aimed for her torso.

She wasn't so far away from the treeline that she offered up a completely open shot. Only if she remained in place would she have taken the spear to the chest; Ariadne ducked to one side, dodging behind a tree quickly when she realised that she hadn't taken him out point blank. His spear caught her in the upper arm, the tip burying itself into her flesh, and though she didn't think it was near an artery, it hurt like a bitch. She bit down on a scream, instead stumbling and falling to the ground, pressing herself against the back of the tree to figure out how bad the injury was while she had the chance.

"NO!!"

He'd been so close. He'd been--why didn't he--he should have been in front of her, not behind--

Everything suddenly became a blur as, suddenly, Don acted, landing right in front of Alex with a slam. His kanabo was out, and he was in an aggressive - almost angry - stance.

It was almost as if to dare Alex, to say try getting Ariadne now.

Even after some of the strange things he'd seen in the Arena, a giant turtle landing in front of him was still one of the strangest. To say he felt a bit intimidated was an understatement, and that wasn't even counting the giant spiked club the turtle was holding either.

Alex backed up, flicking the spear Ariadne had hit him with off the ground with his toe and back into his hands.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to kill her first?"

More than just an understatement, if the dried blood on the kanabo was any indication. If looks could kill, Alex would have likely combusted spontaneously under the withering glare the turtle was now sending him.

That wouldn't be possible. So he guessed would just have to do Alex in the old-fashioned way. It was now his primary objective.

"No." Don's voice is cold as he responds, slowly pointing at Alex. "But I will kill you."

Edited 2012-10-15 16:04 (UTC)

She only half-registered the conversation going on on the beach; her focus was primarily on her wound, snapping off the spear's handle so she could slowly work the tip from her arm. It was bleeding, and understandably so, hot blood soaking her shirt. Ariadne pressed one hand to it, arming herself with the spearhead in the other as she peered around her cover to the sight before her. She wouldn't get into the middle of it - she couldn't, really, not with her arm injured like this. It was a liability, and she just thanked herself for making it to the end so she wouldn't have to deal with it for another few days. She pushed herself up slowly, bracing herself against the tree, prepared to dart forward at any moment.

Alex was intimidated, but that didn't mean he was frightened. He settled into a defensive stance, keeping in mind that Ariadne was still there, somewhere behind this giant talking turtle. The club would definitely be a problem, as the spear he was holding probably wouldn't stand against even one direct blow. He would definitely have to avoid getting hit with it.

"You aren't the first to try," Alex quipped, falling into the old habit of smart mouthing his opponents. "And yet I'm still here."

"That's because you didn't face me."

And quick as lightning, he advanced, as if to swing his weapon - but at the last moment shot his knee up to get him in between the legs.

Alex could make all the quips he wanted, because as far as he was concerned, Donatello was through talking.

An inexperienced fighter would have fallen for the feint. Alex almost missed it, due to the difficultly of trying to read someone in a shell, but he shifted just in time and jabbed at Donatello's leg with the butt of his spear.

He felt nothing. Or if he did, he ignored it. His mind was on one thing only, and that was to destroy this other person, this opponent. So that kanabo was going from feint to the real thing, even as the spear butted his leg.

Alex felt ribs crack as the weapon struck his side, a sensation he was not fond of. And those spikes in it... well, that didn't help either. The force of the blow knocked him back a couple meters, but he managed to stay on his feet. Alex whipped the spear around, trying to use it's length to slash at the arm holding the studded club.

The spear slashed him. Not deeply, but he bled.

It only made him even angrier. It only made him see more red. Instantly he went forward, to grab at Alex's shoulders. If he was successful, well - there was a headbutt coming. And it would hurt.

Just like Don wanted.

Alex immediately dropped the spear when Donatello's hands grabbed his shoulders and jammed his hands upwards, trying to both break the hold on his shoulders and protect his head. Following the concussion he got earlier in the Arena he was trying to avoid a second one at all costs.

Normally that maneuver would work. Normally Donatello would back off and not try and smash his head even as someone was trying to pry him off of them.

But each attempt to stop him only enraged him even more, pumping up his adrenaline, increasing the haze. He didn't care. He wanted Alex to pay. And the longer he had to wait, the worse, he decided, it was going to be for Alex.

Wasn't that how Raphael thought? Maybe. But maybe Don wasn't even thinking about that.

Having a turtle's skull slam into your forearms was not a pleasant feeling. Alex grunted at the impact, not sure at first if the blow had fractured anything or not... until he noticed his right wrist bent a bit funny.

Great.

Darting his left hand out, he took advantage of the headbutt and went for the turtle's eyes.

Only his wrist. No, he wasn't satisfied.

Oh, his fingers were coming for his eyes. No, he was not going to let that happen. So Donatello, in his whipped-up haze of rage, did something remarkable un-Donatello-like.

He tried to lean and bite off the invading fingers.

Edited 2012-10-27 16:32 (UTC)

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And Then There Were Three...

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