Posts on a Postcard (HIVE)

It may be that every pixel in the land had been pilfered at this point. But he knew it was going to a good cause. Strangely for all their advanced equipment HIVE did not have as sophisticated a training room as the Titans. No hard-light holograms, no robot turrets, nor combat droids with different settings of difficulty. Pix needed to improvise. He needed to find a gauntlet that would challenge even his team of talented souls. Short of employing and killing a dozen handymen he didn't know how he could provide. That was until he sat down for TV one evening and caught a rerun of a popular Japanese series.

At one end of the expansive training hall was a pixel construct reminiscent of a castle. It stretched a good forty feet until it touched the ceiling. Atop the castle sat a habitation box housing a lone stick insect. A little crown rested on top of the case. Between the entranceway and the castle was a most formidable obstacle course composed of rope, tyres, polystyrene, cardboard, novelty props, and yet more pixels. The sprite had even butchered some safety protocol and managed to get a channel of sea water to flow into the base, it's path coursing like a river until it ended as a moat around the castle. Robots were patrolling the grounds, bargain basement ones that would probably die if Nina sneezed on them. But every so often one of these robots had malfunctioned and Pix had took pains to dress them up into something reminiscent of a pantomime.

"I am General Pixie. And you are here today, my suicidal sad-sacks, for one purpose. To invade Count TIBERIUS' castle!" Using a prop pointer he had acquired he pointed into the distance at the stick insect, "But first we must navigate his arduous obstacle course, emerald guards, and heinous monsters." Pix was deadly serious, "Not all of you will make it. But those who do will live out their days in glory as conquerors! Now who's with me!!!"

Nina blinked and looked at the obstacle course, she too was familiar with the show that this idea would have originated from, her eyes sparking in admiration as she looked to General Pixie "hai hai haaaai!" she cheered as she raised her hand in the air repetitively with the cheers, she would rush in to join whatever small crowd followed General Pixie into the course, she was very excited about this.

Fortunately for Quinn, she had heard about Pix's little endeavor beforehand and withdrew from active participation in the obstacle course that Pix had planned. She deemed it unnecessary,  an assassin of her skill and physical attributes was above such tasks. But, Quinn did however agree to take part in some capacity. The Snake-Girl was located up in the control room, looking down and out upon the course set up with a microphone in hand - yes, that's right. Quinn's commentating. And that starts now;

"Yes people, you had better believe the hype! I'm Quinn, and this is quite honestly as good as it gets without Jack Nicholson. There is simply no messing around when it comes to this game-show. In fact, I lie - there's a lot of messing around when it comes to this game-show. You know what it is! So Ladies, you can't lay back and think of England if you don't know who's in the team. So lay back and think of Japan, think of General Pixie". As Quinn spoke, highlights of the classic show Takeshi's Castle would show on all monitors. There were some for the contestants to see, giving them an insight into what awaits them.

"Fasten your seat belts, coming up, we've got the ever sticky honeycomb maze! We're banging around in Knock-Knock! We've got rolling rocks, in Avalanche! And dumping their loads... in Up the Creek!". Again, stock footage was shown of all the events mentioned. The classic Honeycomb Maze, Knock-Knock, Avalanche... and Up the Creek! "Get set for some motion from across the Ocean, some Pacific game show hosting, break out the lotion! It's Tiberius' Castle". Lot of General Pixie highlights here.

Blake found the entire ordeal of the obstacle course to be completely pointless. She was arguably the most skilled assassin the group had and yet she had to be subjected to an obstacle course? Really? Instead of following the rest of the group, she had decided to follow Quinn instead. They were buddies right? So she wouldn't tell her to get lost, right? When Quinn was finished with whatever lines she was giving, Blake climbed into the seat next to her, sitting on her haunches as per usual and point at a few buttons, asking what they did.

After a few rounds of button asking, Blake looked up at Quinn with a bright smile and a wagging tail. "Can I help? Or am I not allowed?" She asked, making herself comfy. It was pretty clear she'd be a complete pain to move if Quinn even wanted to get rid of the tiny cat girl.

"Ah ah! No one is being excused from this drill!" Pix tucked the pointer under his armpit and marched military style up to Quinn and Blake's position. The training room being exempt from the super-power embargo that was active in HIVE base, he was able to summon a menagerie of pixels to form a brace of steps. At the top of which he halted. The sprite wore yellow wellington boots. "If the obstacle course is so beneath you guys, then it shouldn't be any trouble getting round. You can sit here and swat it like a mosquito, but I've heard actually doing the deed is more impressive." Doubtless an argument they had both used on Pix at one time or another.

Blake's ear twitched and she gave him a rather surprised look. "I just followed Quinn..." She said, hopping off her chair and ending up at the bottom of Pix's little steps faster than he could even respond to her. Once next to Nina, she sighed and sat down. With her speed, this really shouldn't be an issue in the slightest. And anything she couldn't dodge she could cut in half. Time to waste time that could be spent on making money.

Nina looked impatient "c'mon! Let's start this already! I wore my worst outfit just for this!" she said, she didn't care who did what she just wanted to be let loose on the course and show she wasn't useless when it came to agility and strength, or at least try to...

"You've really got to think up some better excuses than this 'Blame Quinn' thing, y'know". Quinn called out as Blake had headed off down the pixel steps. Perhaps Quinn should borrow that catchphrase from Bart Simpson; I didn't do it! Nevertheless, Quinn rose from out her seat within the control room and walked towards Pix. A smirk upon her face as she walked past Pix, engineering a sly remark. "I take it you'll be taking part, right? Running seems to be your forte". Running away is what Pix excels at, particularly from danger. Quinn headed down the stairs now to rejoin her HIVE teammates whom had assembled, ready to take on the obstacle course thought up by General Pixie.