Harold slumped in his seat within economy class. His eyes scanned the other contestants whose expressions implied that they were considering jumping off the plane. They all would've killed to be in first class. The contestants quickly discovered that the flights in between challenges were brutal. In economy class, there was nothing you could do. You just had to sit there and endure the four hour plus flight with nothing to keep you entertained. Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Hot were separated from Team Victory and seemed fully intent on ignoring their existence for the rest of the flight. Owen and Noah seemed to be mocking Sierra from what Harold could make out and Alejandro appeared to be in an in depth conversation with Duncan. Tyler was staring at Lindsay with a dreamy look on his face, giving her a slight wave every so often. Lindsay responded only by leaning over to DJ and asking him 'Why is that guy waving at me? Doesn't he know that I'm dating Tyler?' over and over again. Harold sighed and crossed his arms, a sour look spread across his face. Team Victory was off to a horrible start. Ezekiel was already voted off and now they were at a disadvantage. Harold was sure that his knowledge of the Egyptian language would ensure success in the Egypt challenge but it seemed like his teammates did not have the amount of skill to keep up. Bridgette was sleeping with her head back, snoring every few minutes. Harold then turned his head to look at Leshawna, who was leaning on her right hand, her eyes starting to close. Nobody got very much sleep since Chris and Chef wasted no time in flying between countries. Harold, on the other hand, wasn't tired in the slightest. He supposed that it was because he attended Division Dave's Math Camp a few years ago. The study sessions at that camp were ridiculously long but now Harold could run on virtually no sleep which he considered a valuable asset to his already notable range of skills. He shifted closer to Leshawna. "May I interest you in a shoulder to lay your graceful head down? Surely it would be more comfortable than resting on your hand." Harold offered. He could hear Duncan snickering across the room and after casting a glare to the punk, pulled his attention back to Leshawna. Duncan didn't know how to treat a lady properly.
Leshawna broke out into a laugh. "I'm sorry but baby; you're just skin and bones. You're gonna need some serious muscles to hold this homegirl up. No offense, string bean but if I lean on you, you'll collapse." Leshawna patted him on the back and motioned towards the other members of Team Victory. "Listen honey. If you aren't tired, go talk to someone who's a little more awake than I am. I need some beauty sleep."
Harold nodded and stood up from his seat on the bench. "The least I could do is to allow my lady to use my seat so she may lie down." Harold made a majestic motion over the newly formed space.
Leshawna raised an eyebrow. "For real?"
"I was going to use the washroom anyway." Harold commented on the side.
"Alright but I promise that as soon as you come back, I'll move." Leshawna lay down and closed her eyes. Taking one final look at the sleeping beauty, he walked to the door which connected economy class with first class. Unfortunately, the washroom that was in the dining hall was being used as a confessional and the only available washroom was past the first class compartment.
"Hey Harold!" Harold turned around to face Owen who paused his conversation with Noah. "If you see Izzy, let her know that she should come back here before Chris catches her. I don't want her getting kicked off." Owen said with a concerned tone.
"Owen, do you REALLY want Izzy here? Knowing her, she'd probably blow up the plane." Duncan remarked.
Harold rolled his eyes and left economy class. He hadn't taken two steps into first class when Courtney's voice rang out. "Hey! This is first class! You don't get to be here!" Courtney had turned in her seat was shooting Harold death glares.
"I just have to use the washroom. Gosh!" Harold said, ignoring Courtney's stare. As he passed by the girls' seats he stopped and gave them a questioning look. "Have you ladies…" Harold heard a muffled 'hey' from Cody as Sierra held him in a bear hug. "…seen Izzy? She's not in economy class. Owen's getting worried."
"Like I care where psycho girl is." Heather said.
Gwen shrugged and pointed upwards to the vents. "I heard some movement in them earlier. It could be her but who knows."
Harold glanced up at the vents, uneasily. "Now get out of here!" Courtney growled at him. Harold held up his hands in defense and practically ran to the washroom.
Mumbling to himself, he did his business and was just starting to wash his hands when something collapsed in the ceiling above him and a mass came crashing down on him. "Oh! Hahahahaha! Sorry Harold!" Izzy laughed. She had landed on Harold's back, debris all over her body. "I guess I miscalculated the amount of weight that the vent can hold. Hahahahahaha!" Harold got up slowly and cracked his back.
"Argh!" Harold moaned.
"Let Izzy fix your back." The redhead said excitedly. She jumped onto the nerd's back and with a swift motion, jerked his torso back. A loud crack noise was heard and Harold's moaning ceased.
"Wow, Izzy. You actually moved my Thoracic Spine back in place." Izzy smiled and ruffled the top of his hair.
"No problem. Izzy loves to help. Do you want to want to come with Izzy on her adventure?" The redhead asked, still attached to Harold's back. "She's on a search for the pink rhinos! Izzy believes that it's in Chris's room."
Although Harold couldn't look at her directly, he knew that she was wearing a crazy smile from ear to ear. "Rhinoceros, often colloquially abbreviated rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. There has been no record of them ever developing a pink hue of any sort. Not to mention, with the amount of cargo on this jet in addition to the contestants, a rhinoceros would not be able to survive under these inadequate conditions." Harold told her. "Would you mind getting off my back?"
"You're silly. You should come with me. Come on, it'll be fun."
Harold sighed, realizing that she hadn't heard one word of what he just said. Well, Izzy's game sort of sounded enticing and it beat out sitting quietly in the economy compartment. "Won't Chris catch us?"
Izzy finally jumped off his back and turned to face Harold. She put a single finger over his lips and gazed at him with a knowing smile. "That's why we have to be sneaky. If you're going to come with me, you must be as quiet as possible and vow that if you are caught, you cannot rat out your fellow soldier." She spoke with a military air about her. "Is that clear?" She asked, her voice getting slightly louder. Harold nodded quickly. Sure, she was a little intimidating and nutty as a fruitcake but she did think up amusing ways of spending the time. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him close to her, her eyes narrowed. "Alright soldier, I'm only going to brief you once so listen up. Our main targets are those blasted rhinos that reside in McLean's quarters. He keeps them hidden because he knows that they are among the most valuable of his possessions. There is a chance that we will meet Hatchet along the way and knowing him, he'll be expecting us. You will be expected to use all your wits and strengths to complete the mission. The consequences of failing the mission will be beyond what you can imagine. Do you understand, soldier?" Izzy asked, flames dancing in her eyes.
Harold opened his mouth to question why Chris has pink rhinos in his den in the first place but was cut off by Izzy. "Move out!" She grabbed him by the arm and bolted out of the washroom, slamming the door behind them. Izzy pushed Harold to the ground and dove next to him. "Follow me slowly." She whispered. She opened Chris' door with a crack and poked her head inside. Harold gave the girl a questioning look and Izzy motioned for them to go inside. Harold crawled inside with Izzy leading the way. They entered the host's quarters and Harold was greeted to the sound of Chris humming to himself as he relaxed his hot tub. The steam in the room was creating a very hot atmosphere and Harold's glasses quickly fogged up. Izzy noticed this and took off his glasses, gave them a lick and wiped off the saliva on her shift. "Better?"
Harold decided not to question the girl's methods and nodded. Izzy crawled forward and started moving past the hot tub. Although Harold would never admit it to himself, he was having the time of his life. Acting like soldiers instantly reminded him of his time as a child. A smile spread across his face at the memory and crawled past Chris's hot tub. Unfortunately, he moved too fast and his foot hit the side of the tub. Immediately, Chris stopped humming. Izzy grabbed him and pushed him against the wall of the hot tub. The redhead pressed her body against his as Chris stood up from the tub and squinted around the room to see who made the noise. Izzy and Harold's faces were only mere inches apart as she struggled to press herself as flat to Harold as possible. After a few moments of this close proximity, Chris finally came to the conclusion it was nothing and grabbed his towel from the side. He wrapped the towel around his waist and started to walk around the tub, close to where Izzy and Harold remained squished together. Harold's heart was pounding in adrenaline. He knew the risks of getting caught in a situation like this: seventy six percent. He knew the risks but he still went ahead and listened to Izzy. Why? Thankfully, Chef poked his head through the curtain that marked the boundaries of the host's room and the cockpit. "Chris, we're going to land in three hours. You have to finish the paperwork before we land."
Chris brought a hand to his face and cursed under his breath. "I left it in the dining hall. Now I have to go all the way to the back of the plane." Chris mumbled to himself as he pulled a white shirt over his head and put on his shorts that lay to his right. He fixed his hair and walked into the first class compartment.
Izzy pulled away from Harold. Harold made a quick note that her face held a pink colour although Harold wasn't sure if it was from the steam or not. "Come on. The pink rhinos can't wait forever, you know." Izzy whispered his ear as she did a forward somersault towards Chris's bedroom. She jerked her head, urging Harold onwards. The nerd mimicked the somersault and added a karate kick towards the end. Izzy clapped, a smile formed on her face. "Impressive." Harold smiled in response. He had decided to go all out for her little game and he found that he was really having fun which was shocking, considering the fact that this show had really put him in a miserable mood for who knows how long. Izzy put her hand over the bedroom's doorknob the same time Harold did. The two contestants looked at each other and Harold pulled away.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." He stammered. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous, it was only Izzy. Izzy only raised an eyebrow and gave him a look that one would give a madman; she shrugged and turned the knob.
"Curses! It's locked! At this rate, we'll never get the pink rhinos in time!" She said, gritting her teeth.
"Perhaps we should try one of Chef's keys. He has keys to all the rooms of the plane. There's a ninety percent chance of Chris giving him one factoring in Chris's concern with the conditions of this plane." Izzy gave Harold a wild look and a grin appeared on her face.
"Now that's what I'm talking about." Izzy moved towards the curtain and pulled it away slightly, looking inside. She turned back to Harold. "Aha! He has the keys on a band that's sitting on a hook approximately a meter away from us. Harold opened his mouth in awe. How could she come to that conclusion when she had only looked inside for a fraction of a second? "I'll be the look out. You have faster ninja skills than I do."
"You have nothing to fear m'lady." Harold puffed out my chest; it was nice to have someone notice his advanced skills. She gave him a parting salute as the nerd lay down on the floor. Carefully, Harold started to slide himself forward in a motion that vaguely resembled swimming. He could hear Chef murmuring to himself about his job and how he really needs a raise. Harold bit his lip and extended his arm out to grab the keys. He shot a quick glance at Izzy who had her left hand covering her mouth in anticipation. The success of the mission rode on him now. Harold strained to reach the keys and with a final stretch, his hand closed around the keys. Harold looked at Chef who seemed to totally be oblivious to what was happening behind him. As Harold brought the keys close to this chest, he noted the golden key that was labeled 'HOST BD'. Host's Bedroom. He slid backwards towards the curtain. Harold let out a sigh of relief but to his horror, Chef wheeled around and faced him directly.
"What are you doing, fool?" Chef shouted. Harold jumped to his feet and ran behind the curtain. His hands shook as he quickly pulled out the Host's bedroom key and stuffed it hastily into the lock. With a quick turn and a swift shove from Izzy, the two of them ran into the room and closed the door, locking it. Chef was heard banging on the door. "You two better get out before I break the door down! When I'm through with you, it'll be a miracle if you're still able to walk!" As Chef continued to spout threats, Harold grabbed Izzy's arm and lead her away from the door.
Harold rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry that Chef caught us. I guess I'm not cut out to go on these crazy adventures with you. I'm more of an all-around skillful guy, not a military soldier."
Izzy moved closed and touched Harold's nose with her finger. "What are you talking about? Did you see the look on Hatchet's face? It was priceless." She laughed hysterically. "You were really good back there. You really showed me some wicked awesome ninja skills. I think that we make a killer team." Without warning, Izzy pounced on Harold knocking him to the floor. "Your reflexes need work though."
Harold stared up at the redhead who had pinned him to the floor and smiled at her. "Thanks Izzy. I'm really happy that you asked me to come on this mission with you. I had a lot of fun but that still doesn't change the fact that you're a nutcase and I constantly worry about my health every time you're within four feet of me." Izzy laughed and leaned down, kissing Harold softly on the lips. Harold was surprised at the sudden kiss but couldn't bring himself to pull away. The kiss from the redhead only lasted a few moments and Izzy pulled away, leaving Harold feeling a little disappointed. Izzy touched his nose again with her finger and made a 'boop' noise.
"You're not a bad kisser." Izzy said coyly.
Harold gave her a half smile. "What about the pink rhinos?"
Izzy giggled and ruffled his hair. "There's no such thing as pink rhinos, silly."