DiapOut: Chapter 46

VRRRRR! 

Kneeling center stage in front of the cutie castle set, Keelee wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her wrist as she finished securing the last of four bolts into place with a power drill. “Alright, Cassi’s big button is in place. I’m gonna go ahead and test it,” she said into her headset, gripping the thin, silver beam that the bolts had sealed to the stage and giving it a hardy shake to ensure it was locked in. Perched atop the waist-high beam was a shiny, red button with a rounded top. Keelee observed the castle backdrop as she pressed the button, watching as the overhead and floor LED lights changed from a neutral, warm color to deep crimson. “Perfect. Reset the lights to the previous cue and let’s get the show moving.” 

“Sounds good, but um…” responded Jackson, having returned to his station backstage following his conversation with Ayaya to find a laundry list of changes for the pre-final round interview, “...I’m not sure about this. I get that the producers want Mia in the final round but this is–” 

“I’m sorry but you forfeit the right to an opinion when you go wandering off during a scene change,” Keelee clapped back, shutting down Jackson in spite of her own reservations surrounding Cassi’s latest wicked plot. The lighting shifted back to neutral as she shook off her nerves and went to retrieve the contestants. To her dismay, not only was Zeke not back yet but while she was rushing around getting the next segment of the show prepared, Ayaya had taken it upon herself to wander off. “Oy! I’m missing a redhead. Where is she?” Her piercing eyes landed directly on Mia, pinning her hopes on who she saw as the most responsible member of the Wetters. 

Only half paying attention, Mia’s rosy cheeks flared up as she glanced back and forth. “Uhh…I-I didn’t know I was supposed to keep an eye on her,” she said, crossing her hands in front of her pelvis to shield her yellowing diaper. 

“Hey, I fink I saw her go dat way…or wuhs it dat way?” muttered Cade, having yet to remove his punishment binky from Round 3. His arms pretzeled around each other as he pointed in a myriad of different directions. 

Keelee wanted to bite a hole in her clipboard but the thought of cracking a tooth over these morons was more haunting than anything they could throw at her. “What part of ‘don’t leave the studio’ did you diaper-brained dunces not understand?” she said, losing her temper on the six present players instead of the two missing. Mercifully, she was spared from having to run around the entire lot as troublemaker Numero Uno burst through the backstage doors.  

“Don’t worry, I’m here!” shouted Ayaya, weaving through several busy production aids as she returned to her group. “Sorry, I had to tinkle.” 

A slow, methodical breath evacuated Keelee’s lungs. She could sense her inner calm was breaking down. “I shouldn’t have to tell any of you this but just use your damn diaper next time,” she said, holding back from chastising Ayaya for disobeying her explicit instructions in favor of keeping the show on task. It was anyone’s guess when Miss Caretaker would arrive at the set, so timeliness and professionalism were paramount. “Zeke should be back any second so let’s gather on set. Wetters, to the left of the button. Messers, to the–” 

CLANK! 

The grandiose sound of the door being kicked open at full strength instantly yanked Keelee’s attention away from the set. She was left speechless as Zeke strutted back onto the set still donning his dolly attire. 

The studio audience, meanwhile, had no problem finding its voice. Betsy Wetsy’s return immediately revived the languorous crowd, accruing him scores of cheers and applause. “Aww! You guys are too sweet,” Zeke said, bashfully batting his hand toward the audience. 

Unfortunately, Zeke didn’t have much time to soak in the audience’s praise as a pair of strong hands quickly spun him around. “Zeke, what are you doing? Y-You didn’t change!” said Kyoko, sprinting across the set to check on her sissified friend. 

“Hehe, that’s where you’re wrong!” Zeke gleefully replied, grabbing the front hem of his skirt and lifting it high to expose his padding reduction. “See, I took the extra diapers off. Don’t want any mobility issues in the final round.” He jogged in place for a few seconds before doing a couple of squats to prove he was as agile as ever. 

The crowd chuckled at Zeke’s foolish antics, egging him on while simultaneously embarrassing Kyoko in the process, who was mortified for Zeke’s sake. It was as if he was deflecting his humiliation onto her. “Okay, I believe you. Just put your skirt down,” she said, yoinking the slippery fabric downward as she brushed it back into place. 

“Messers, to the right! We are standing by,” shouted Keelee, interrupting the blushy scene Zeke and Kyoko were putting on as she frantically gestured to the rest of the players on stage. She tapped her foot impatiently as the two out-of-place contestants scurried to rejoin their teammates. Waiting until all eight players were organized in a semi-circle around the mysterious red button, she leaned into her headset mic again, “Cassi, the contestants are in place and the cameras are rolling. I hope you know what you’re doing.” 

“Heh, of course, I do,” Cassi whispered to herself, listening through her tiny earpiece. Standing in complete darkness, DiapOut’s illustrious host was ready to make her grand re-entrance. She placed both hands on the set of cardboard-lined doors she was hidden behind and gave them a light shove. The movement of the doors triggered a row of confetti cannons lining the castle to pop off as Cassi waltzed down the center of the elaborate set in a sparkly, powder blue princess dress. “Hear ye, hear ye! The Princess of CassiLand was very impressed with the stunning performances that both teams gave. Congratulations to each and every one of you.” 

Gratuitous applause was lauded over the eight contestants, each of whom took the opportunity to wave to the studio audience as a tracking camera panned across their faces. “Very steady. You’re looking great, Camera 3. Let’s hold the wide shot with 1 and swoop in for Cassi’s close-up with 2,” said Jackson, listening for the audience’s clapping to start dying down as his second camera zoomed in on Cassi. “And…cue Camera 2.” 

Staring into the lens of the centermost camera, Cassi smiled as the red light on Camera 2 illuminated a striking red glow that matched the hue of the big button she was positioned in front of. “Sadly, the end of Round 3 means the end of the road for our second-place team, the Wetters. Everyone give them one more big hand,” she said, initiating another brief round of applause. Considering the ploy she had up her sleeve, she didn’t want to spend too long focusing on the Wetters’ elimination, prompting her to cut off the clamoring spectators. “Messers, would you be so kind as to join me centerstage? Your gracious host has a surprise for you before we get into the Final Round.” 

Suspicion overtook Kyoko’s narrow expression as she and her team approached Cassi and the ominous red button. She wasn’t sure why but that button was giving her sinister vibes. “Keep your game faces on, guys. We haven’t won anything yet,” she said, offering words of caution to her comrades. She’d watched enough game shows growing up to know they loved to pull the rug out from under a player’s feet at the last second to avoid a massive payout. 

“Hehe! A wise sentiment,” quipped Cassi, corralling the Messers as they inched forward and ushering them toward the button. “Kyoko is, indeed, correct. The game isn’t over yet. As of right now, the four of you are on track to compete as a team for the chance at $500,000, which you could win or lose depending on your group performance next round. However, there is an alternative option...one which guarantees that $500,000 goes home in someone’s pocket tonight.” 

A chorus of intrigued “oohs” broke out across the audience. Looking back and forth amongst each other, Kyoko, Zeke, Cade, and Rupert weren’t certain if they should be excited or terrified by the prospect Cassi was pitching. “Okay…what’s the catch?” asked Kyoko, raising an eyebrow at Cassi. 

“The catch, my dear diaper lovers, is simply this,” announced Cassi, savoring the palpable anticipation wafting through the air. “If any one of you presses the red button, the divisions between teams will cease to exist, and you will be tasked with competing individually for the $500,000 grand prize. Will you sever the ties that bind you to your team and take the guaranteed money, or will you risk it all for a chance at only a quarter of the pie? The decision is yours.”  

While the inklings of a twist had been on everyone’s mind since the button was first installed, this was a dramatic move by the production team. Gasps and idle chatter spread throughout the studio as players and audience members alike mulled over the ramifications of DiapOut becoming an individual sport. 

“Excuse me...” Rupert muttered, raising his hand as if he were in grade school, “...not to be that guy but if we press the button, couldn’t we just split the money after the show?” 

CRACKLE! 

The megaphone in Keelee’s hands fizzled like a campfire as she clicked it on. “We’re not airing that question and no, you can’t,” she said, unable to fully suppress the pangs of guilt impacting her chest as she went along with Cassi’s playbook. “The contracts you all signed were very clear. You cannot offer to share your winnings with an opponent in order to influence the outcome of the game, nor can you split your winnings with opponents once the game has concluded. Should you decide to play individually, that clause would extend to your former teammates.” 

“Well, that settles it then. No deal. Isn’t that right, you guys?” said Kyoko, earning a nod of approval from Rupert, who proceeded to elbow Cade into nodding as well. However, her smile transformed into a meek grimace as she turned to look at Zeke. “Right, Zeke?” 

Curling his knuckles inward until they cracked, Zeke’s Betsy Wetsy persona fell to the wayside as he gazed longingly at the red, round-topped button. Up to this point, he’d done everything in his power to keep a lid on the vengeful fury that had been bubbling up inside him since Cassi first announced his punishment. Cade and Rupert may not have deserved to have their payday ripped from their hands but Kyoko certainly did. That said, was he actually capable of such a hard heel turn? No doubt, their friendship would never recover from this. Although, was it even a friendship worth saving after what she’d put him through? 

“Press it.” 

All of a sudden, Zeke’s distressing thought process abruptly halted as he glanced up at Kyoko. “You don’t have to say anything. I know you think I don’t deserve to win, and I can’t really argue as to why,” she said, offering him a kind smile. She’d been blinded by money and fame once before, and she’d been damned if she let it happen twice in a lifetime. “So if you want to press the button, I won’t stop you.” 

“Kyoko, what are you saying?” said Rupert, crossing the stage and placing himself between Zeke and the red button. “Think about the WET Diaper Lovers. If Zeke presses that button, our club–” 

“...will carry on like we did before. The money changes nothing,” Kyoko said, cutting off Rupert with some much-needed wisdom before shifting her focus back to Zeke. “No matter what happens, I’ll be waiting for you in the clubroom on Monday morning with a fresh can of ginger ale.” 

Shocked by Kyoko’s willingness to throw away her game for his sake, Zeke's disgruntled expression slowly faded. He couldn’t deny the fact that a significant part of himself wanted to be mad but his aggression couldn’t measure up to the warmth spreading throughout his core as he looked into Kyoko’s eyes. 

“P-Pwess da button?” mumbled Cade, his brain little more than melted mush as he responded to the cacophony of voices echoing around him. Lost in a THC-laced cloud thanks to the pacifier in his mouth and left by his lonesome on the opposite side of the stage, it didn’t take long for the starry-eyed pothead to wander over to the button’s general location. It was such a big, bright, and inviting button that was practically begging to be pressed. Obeying the words of the last voice his feeble mind registered, he limply tossed his arm into the air overtop the button. 

Kyoko, Zeke, and Rupert all screamed, “CADE! NO!” in unison but it was too late. Gravity had already taken hold of Cade’s outstretched palm and sent it careening downward smack dab on the bulbous button. The lights turned blood red, painting the stage with Cassi’s masterful handiwork. Whether the Messers intended to or not, the button had been pressed by one of their members. As such, there was no telling what humiliating horrors awaited them in the Final Round now that each of them was on their own. 

TO BE CONTINUED…