News of Hassin and Nila's death hit the survivors hard, especially for Mariangela who didn't see their deaths coming. If any of them were to survive, it had to be the nurses. Mariangela lowered her head and meditated. Holding back the tears, she pretended to look occupied for the camera. She couldn't let her stepdaughters watch her morn for strangers without shedding a tear for her husband.
She inhaled and exhaled, feeling her muscles relax as the aching melted away. Perhaps it was her husband Pedro, who was the stranger all this time. She only knew Hassin and Nila for three days, and she trusted them more than people she had known for years.
Game of Mass Destruction wasn't the first reality TV show she had taken part in. If Mariangela survived, she knew it wouldn't be the last. She and her husband had taken part in countless celebrity specials. Mariangela performed poorly at the quizzes but excelled at the sports. Any money she received from the celebrity specials would always go to charity. If she were to survive Game of Mass Destruction, she'd give the money to her family.
Any chance of a Pussy*Pussy*Meow*Meow reunion was gone. Sia was too obsessed with the game show and Fanny Bru was bound to give up eventually. All the songs needed was Sia's voice, but could she even sing anymore? Of course, Mariangela still had to pair up with somebody before midnight. Even being Sia's bandmate wasn't going to spare her.
Yuzuko came over with some tea. "Sook-Jo made this for everyone. It's a Korean Starbucks drink."
Mariangela's palms pressed against the icy cup. Hot palms became cold. "What is it? It looks lovely."
"Chonpodoburakkutīburendo."
"I don't know if I'm going to remember that one." Such a long name for a drink that she knew little about.
"It's green grapes and black tea blended together."
The closest she had to grape juice was wine. "Well fresh and local produce always tastes superior."
"Can I say something?" Yuzuko asked.
"Go ahead." There was nothing that could offend Mariangela now. She knew that the world may hate her. She could understand if the other contestants hated her for being a murderer. Not everyone would excuse her.
"You seem...happy for someone who's lost their husband."
"He deserved it. I don't like rapists: and that's that!" There was nothing more she could say about it. The change of topic was welcoming like a cool breeze behind her back.
"You said you knew my grandmother," Yuzuko said, sitting on a rock next to Mariangela. "What was she like?"
"She was a crazy one, but let me tell you this... she was kind."
"Were you two best friends?"
"She was one of my best friends." Mariangela bragged about the wild nights in Ibiza and the hiking in China. She didn't know what Yuzuko was asking about Takako, the advanced android that Professor Denki passed off as a human, or Sia.
"My grandmother never told me these stories," Yuzuko admitted. "She always told me that she lived in Japan all her life, and has never left the country."
That confirmed it. Yuzuko had no idea that Sia was her grandmother. Even though they were talking about two different people, it was nice to bond over the same iced drink. "Oh, I can assure you, your grandmother's been around."
With the way Yuzuko started at her, Mariangela knew that she didn't believe in her. Before either of them could speak, they were interrupted by screaming. Both women jumped up. The others dashed to the hills.
"Sook-Jo!"
"Where's Chang-Hoon?" Fan yelled at the top of the hill.
Mariangela eyes were drawn towards the window covered in bare buttocks. She had problem kicking the door down. "Guys! Sook-Jo's in trouble."
Chang-Hoon rolled his eyes as he pulled up his boxers. "Again!"
"Can't we just have some peace?" Yanyu yelled as she got dressed. "Sook-Jo should fight her own battles - she has a good weapon."
Yanyu's coldness towards her sister-in-law reminded Mariangela of Pedro's family. The in-laws acted friendly at first, but revealed their true colours after the wedding. That was the consequence of rushing into marriage. By the time Yanyu and Chang-Hoon we're dressed, Sook-Jo was safe in Todd's arms.
Chang-Hoon and Yanyu scolded Sook-Jo with no thoughts of the cameras and the other contestants. Mariangela bit her lip and clenched her fists. Her heart was telling her to stand up for her, but her head was telling her to stay out of it.
"Sook-Jo, you're so weak!" Yanyu snarled.
"You should be stronger. You can't keep interrupting us like this all the time."
"How was I suppose to know you were making out?" Sook-Jo defended herself and Mariangela thought it was great.
Mariangela saw Todd pull his sleeves ready for a fight. Bobby pulled him away. What a shame, Mariangela thought, she would have loved somebody to give the couple a good hiding.
"That's enough!" Fan fired his rifle in an attempt to get everyone's attention. He pointed at his niece and her husband. "You two should know better."
Yanyu responded in Mandarin. Mariangela looked over at Yuzuko. "Can you understand what she's saying?"
Yuzuko shook her head. "Sorry."
Mariangela couldn't speak Mandarin, but with the sharp faces and spitting, she had never come across an argument so heated. The screaming became louder with each exchange of words. The arguments with her late husband seemed like baseless banter compared to these two. Each syllable was like a whack of the sword.
"Wǒ tǎoyàn dàng fù!" Whatever Fan said caused Yanyu to break down in tears.
"Wǒ hèn nǐ!" Yanyu sobbed before storming back into the cottage. Only Chang-Hoon followed her. With nothing else to say, Fan retreated to the cave.
"They'll calm down," Mariangela existed. "Let's split up and hunt some robots. Bobby, Todd, Sook-Jo, Yuzuko and Sakura ventured off to the beach. Catherine took Alfie to the mountains with Lavender and Christian. The others went off into the forest, leaving Mariangela alone to seek Fan inside the cave.
As beautiful as the cave looked with it's crystallised interior and impressive entrance, Mariangela expected the cave to collapse at any moment.
She found Fan meditating by the waterfall. He looked so calm and relaxed, nothing like the man she had seen a few minutes ago. His air rifle was discarded outside. "What were you thinking," Mariangela whispered so nobody could hear. "Leaving your weapon out so that anybody could get it."
Mariangela picked the air rifle up. The last thing they needed was for it to fall in the wrong hands. If the robots got their hands on a gun; they were all doomed.
Now she understood why Sia awarded contestants for sex acts. Not only does sex sell, it put the contestants off their mission so they can keep the show going for longer.
Sia Bucks was a genius.
Mariangela's heart shuddered. The thought of dying never occurred to her before the show, but she remembered she had to kill someone in order to survive. No one would willingly pair up with her knowing she's a killer. She was surprised the argument between Fan and Yanyu didn't result in death. She could have easily let Sook-Jo die and pair up with Chang-Hoon, but he would have wanted to be with his new fancy bride.
Mariangela pulled the trigger until there were no bullets left. She tossed the air rifle in the red lagoon. "Please don't take it personally. I'm just playing the game."
Unlike Pedro's death, Fan was quick. Fan would have died the moment the bullet ruptured his heart. Despite the argument he had with his niece, Mariangela realised that he was a good man. He put his life on the line so Yanyu's comfort.
Mariangela hopes Yanyu will learn a valuable lesson when Sia announces his death tomorrow morning. When she left the cave, she heard Daz Muffin's weather announcement. It went on for longer than usual. Exiting the cave, Mariangela realised why.
"Hey everybody! Listen up!" Daz Muffin was on the large screen. "The weather might be shit tonight, but it's not gonna stop us from having this fucking epic party at Shangri-La beach. And you all better fucking come because I shit you not, we're gonna have a live performance of Pussy *Pussy*Meow*Meow! Mariangela, Dust and I are coming to get you so you can practise for the show!"
Mariangela shuddered again. Her mind had been wiped out. All she knew was that she had 4 hours to relearn lyrics and dance routines from the past.
Yanyu & Fan - 50 points
Sook-Jo & Chang-Hoon - 50 points
Fan dead
Mariangela - 100 points
471 robots remaining