Mon., May 8, 12:58 p.m.
As Lara entered the arena, the cool air made goose bumps pop up on her arms. She’d changed into a snug-fitting, water-repellent bodysuit that wouldn’t keep her warm unless she was moving. She knew from watching the contest in previous years that the huge indoor space was divided into areas with different configurations and had a hallway around the perimeter. From the front section, all she could see was a portion of the gray twenty-foot walls, constructed of a plastic-metal blend that resembled concrete. The windowless space looked like a giant underground bunker, lit up with metal halide lamps and cameras mounted everywhere.
Kirsten came in behind her and they took their spots on the large red Xs marked on the floor. The first dividing wall, about thirty feet away, had a wide set of metal stairs leading to a platform halfway up. A door in the middle of the wall had no obvious handle she could see. Lara assumed it was electronically operated. Was it controlled by the viewers?
The director hustled into the room, carrying her oversized microphone. Minda Walters wore a black skirt, knee-high boots, and a pastel pullover. Her assistant and co-host, Serena Panjib, was a step behind, followed by two men with shoulder cameras.
Minda stood in front of the contestants and spoke to the audience. “For viewers just tuning in, welcome to the Third Annual Gauntlet, sponsored by AmGo, makers of the Dock and iCom and a host of other technology that connects us to each other. Today we begin the first phase of the competition, the Challenge.”
The director stepped toward Kirsten. “One of our first two contestants in the 2023 Gauntlet is twenty-four-year-old Kirsten Dornberg, a graduate physical education student, competing for the state of Florida. Welcome, Kirsten. What have you been doing to prepare for the competition?”
Kirsten leaned toward the cameras, showing off her cleavage in a low-cut bodysuit. “I’ve been training at a military base, running obstacles courses, and swimming for an hour a day.”
They’d been coached to give short responses at this point, having been interviewed already in the lobby. Lara thought about her own training at the National Guard center in Salem, where they’d enhanced their courses just for her. The state had given her what little support it could afford.
Minda walked toward Lara. “Our second contestant is forty-two-year-old Lara Evans, ex-police officer and paramedic, competing for the state of Oregon. Welcome, Lara.” A wicked smile played on Minda’s lips. “The pundits are betting heavily against you in this first event. How do you plan to overcome the odds?”
Lara had steeled herself for this kind of bullshit. “I hope to be faster, smarter, and more aggressive than my competitor.”
Minda stepped back and spoke to the viewers. “It’s time to cast your first vote. Who do you think will win this round of the Challenge?”
Lara tried not to think about the millions of people watching. Her body hummed with adrenaline, eager to run and sweat and work her muscles. She glanced around the room, looking for something that would open the door. A variety of objects-plastic rings, spiked weapons, and a big red ball-lined the floor, but the ten-foot heavy black pole caught her eye.
Minda made her final pre-start speech. “As the commissioner mentioned, this first phase involves teamwork. To reach the competition area, the contestants must work together to open the door at the top of the stairs. They have only three minutes to do so. If they fail to open the door in time, neither will earn any points for entire Challenge, but the winner will advance anyway.” She looked at Kirsten, then at Lara. “Are you ready?”
They both nodded and Minda walked between them toward the door. “Let the games begin.”
Kirsten charged forward, but Lara yelled, “Wait. We need a key.” It was a guess, but she trusted her instincts. The teamwork probably involved carrying the key up the stairs together, which meant it was something heavy or awkward, like the long pole.
Her competitor turned back. “What key?” Kirsten glanced around, looking skeptical.
“I think it’s the pole.” Lara was already moving toward it. “It’s the only thing that requires two people.”
Kirsten ran to the other end, and Lara was grateful she didn’t argue. They squatted and lifted together, and Lara was surprised by the weight. On the other end, Kirsten grunted with the effort. They started forward, parallel to each other with pole in front, struggling with the awkwardness.
“Up on the right shoulder,” Lara shouted. “Like a construction worker would carry it. I’ll take the lead.” Lara swung her end out front as she called out directions. Kirsten hung back and together they heaved the pole onto their right shoulders, staggering for a moment under its weight. “Let’s go.” Lara charged forward, bearing more of the weight on her shorter body.
As soon as her foot hit the metal stairs, they began to move. Crap! “It’s an escalator,” she called back. “And it’s going in the wrong direction. Don’t run me over.”
But it was too late. Kirsten had charged forward, moving faster on the level floor than Lara was on the stairs. Kirsten’s momentum knocked Lara to her knees, but the pole kept moving forward while her partner came to a stop. Shoulder searing with pain, Lara struggled to stand on the moving stairs. Suddenly, the escalator stopped. The viewers had voted to give them a break, and the behind-the-scene engineers had complied.
Lara heaved to her feet. “Let’s go.” She pounded up the steps, breathing deeply from the pit of her stomach and pulling along her taller, weaker partner. As she hit the landing, Lara swung left, looking for a place to use the pole. Behind her, the escalator started up again and Kirsten nearly lost her footing before taking two giant steps to reach the platform.
“Hooks above the door,” Kirsten called out, breathless.
Lara looked up and spotted the curved metal hooks on both sides of the black seamless door. Christ! They were six feet off the floor. Kirsten moved toward the hook on the right, making Lara lurch forward. They lined up with the hooks, holding the heavy pole in front now at chest level. Lara’s heart pounded from the effort.
“Can you do it?” Kirsten asked.
“Yes.” Lara didn’t know how, but she would. “On the count of three. One, two, three.” She heaved her end of the pole with all her might. It cleared the tip of the hook by a hair and settled into the big curve, a moment behind Kirsten’s end.
A second later, the black door slid open and both women charged for it. Lara edged out Kirsten by half a step and went through first, running toward the next area. She had no time to celebrate her success or catch her breath. Not only did she have to beat Kirsten to advance in the competition, the Challenge was timed. The faster she completed it, the more points she scored.
The second arena stretched out the length of a soccer field, filled mostly by a deep pit of choppy water. Across the dark pool and six feet above the water lay a maze of wooden beams, each only about ten inches wide. Three main beams connected to the edge of the floor, giving her a choice. Lara instinctively moved left, avoiding the beam in the middle. She slowed as she reached the edge of the water pit. Once she hit the beams, every step counted. If she fell into the water, a six-foot drop, she would have to swim against the tide to reach the other end. She was a good swimmer, but the water would be cold and going against the current would zap her energy for the next phase.
As she started down the beam, moving steadily but with caution, she noticed Kirsten had taken the middle path and was now out in front. Lara kept her pace, not letting her opponent’s lead rattle her. She kept her eyes on the beam just in front of her steps and glanced up occasionally to process the layout. A crossbeam lay ahead and she had to choose: left, right, or straight. Glancing ahead at the configuration, she decided to go left, taking her closer to the edge of the water pit.
The air temperature seemed to drop as she picked her way through the maze, twice having to backtrack after hitting a dead end. Was the coolness because of the vast pool of water or were the viewers messing with them? Lara became aware that Kirsten was no longer out front. She slowed and allowed herself a quick glance over her right shoulder. The young Amazon woman was headed away from her, backtracking from a dead end in the center. Lara was glad she’d avoided the middle beam, but she knew it was time to start making right-fork choices to work back toward the center.
At the next junction, she didn’t step far enough and her heel missed the beam. Her body swayed and her heart skipped a beat. Lara threw herself forward, landing with her upper body on the beam and her legs dangling. She pressed her arms tight against the thick sides. The blow had knocked the wind out of her and she pulled in three long breaths, waiting for her heart to settle down. One at a time, she carefully lifted her legs back up on top of the wooden surface, then slowly brought her arms up until she had them under her chest. From there, she lifted her torso and brought her knees up together into a kneeling position. For the first time in her life, Lara was glad for her small frame.
Still moving carefully, she raised herself into a standing position. Lara took another deep breath and assessed the situation. She was about three-quarters of the way across the water pit and Kirsten, off to her right, had pulled ahead. Lara started forward, picking up her pace and getting back into a rhythm. As she neared a tangle of forks, she heard Kirsten make a yelping sound. A split second later came the splash as her competitor hit the water.
Lara felt no reprieve. They were close to the end, and a straight short swim might be just as fast as zigzagging through the maze. The waves were coming from this end of the pit, though, and the loud chop of the water below made her glad she was still on the beams.
Sensing she was near the end, her body instinctively picked up the pace. Lara had to force herself to slow down, look ahead, and predict the dead ends. Finally, she cleared the last junction and the beam ahead provided a straight line to the edge. Twenty more feet! She held back a bit, not allowing herself to get sloppy.
Relief washed over her as her feet hit solid ground. She’d survived the elevated maze. Lara glanced back to see if she could spot Kirsten in the water. Instead she saw her climbing a ladder off to the right. She sprinted for the door in the middle of the dividing wall, wondering what the hell she would encounter next.