Brain's a little scrambled. Hope this doesn't suck

All characters belong to Tom McGillis and Jen Pertsch

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"So yeah; Chris is some sort of test-tube baby with a computer brain and every reality show is a front to kill a lot of people." Gwen finished as the six were seated in the living room, "Anything I forgot?"

"Nah." Chris replied as he lazily looked over, "That's everything. We're done."

"Can we talk now?" Cody asked.

"The floor is open to the visitors." Owen said.

"Okay," The shorter teen said, "First of all, can we see those slot things you mentioned?"

"What? Why?" Gwen asked.

"I just wanna see them," Cody said, "They sound kinda neat."

"Maybe in a little while," Chris mumbled, "I'm pretty sure everyone wants to ask that question."

"What question?" Cody asked.

"Do you expect us to believe that?" Sierra asked.

"Oh." The smaller teen realized.

"Take it or leave it, Sierra." Chris said as he straightened up, "That's the true story, not the story you've found."

"Oh please!" The fan uttered, "Yes, I can be hyper-active, and obsessive in some cases, but I'm not stupid."

"What Sierra is trying to say," LeShawna butted in before Sierra launched into a long rant, "Is that I think this is all a big prank."

"But what about the guy that came to my house last night?" Gwen asked.

"It may have been an actor." The sassy teen suggested.

"Then why did he spend the night here?" The goth asked.

"That…" LeShawna said, "I'm not sure."

"You said that man last night showed you a picture of Chris," Sierra said, "What was the photo actually?"

"It kinda looked like him when he was younger," Gwen admitted, "Shorter hair, shorter in general, and didn't have facial hair. He was also wearing green coveralls for some reason; didn't think he was a mechanic."

"He's not," Sierra said, "That photo you described sounded like a movie he was going to play a bit part in."

"Bit part?" Gwen repeated.

"In what movie?" Cody asked.

"Back when he was still in the boyband stuff," Sierra explained, "Chris was wanting to try his hand at acting. Some director allowed him a bit part in some naval-fighter plane action movie; forgot what it was called."

"So, he was in a movie," Owen said, "We already know that."

"Actually," The fan said, "He wasn't."

"So, he got cut, big deal." LeShawna said.

"That wasn't the reason," The fan answered, "He disappeared; wiped off the face of the earth. No one could find him or contact him. A lot of people thought he died, or was kidnapped, or decided to quit show business. But three years later, he reappeared with no real explanation; the whole incident was dismissed as some sort of stardom day dream that went too far."

"Sorry to interrupt," Cody said, "But here's a thought. What if that weird organization had kidnapped the original Chris, killed him or locked him up somewhere, and replaced him with this one?"

"Might be plausible," Sierra admitted, "But there is one thing; his mom."

"Right," Owen said, "Moms know their kids inside and out."

"Well, yeah." The fan said.

"Here's another point," Gwen said, "If she'd noticed this Chris ain't hers, why would his mom keep quiet?"

"The organization bribed her or something," LeShawna reasoned, "Either paid her, or said something along the lines of 'Pretend this is your kid, or else your real son gets it!'."

"Kinda like a cuckoo bird." Cody remarked.

"Either that or the original Chris was a bigger jerk than this one, and she was happy to have a replacement." The sassy sister added. A sniffle made Gwen look over to see Chris trying to stop himself from crying as fat tears dribbled down his cheeks. "He okay?" She asked.

"I don't know," Gwen admitted, "Maybe he sprung a leak?"

"I-I'm fine." He sniffled, "Just hearing al this 'mom' talk had probably triggered something. Keep going."

"No, why don't you toss your two cents into this?" Sierra asked, "Tell me, how long were you with your mother?"

"Not long…" He answered as he tried to wipe his face, "I remember that she is my mom, what she looks like, but nothing else."

"Maybe they deleted those memories." Owen said, "That's kinda sad if you can't remember all the times you spend with your mom."

"Well, you probably still do remember something if you're crying that badly," LeShawna pointed out, "Maybe you do, but you just can't access them."

"Maybe we can access his brain?" Cody suggested, "If those scientists upload and delete stuff through those ports, then maybe we can. If not, just take a little peek."

"I don't know," Owen said, "It would kinda feel wrong."

"Even so," LeShawna added, "I don't think we can break into a human brain with a laptop."

"Please try," Chris uttered quietly, "There are things in my head that I want to know about."

"There's only so much a laptop can do," Gwen tried to explain, "And I don't think anyone is that tech-savvy."

"Let's just try it," Cody insisted, "No harm in trying."

"Fine, I'll go get my laptop." The goth said in utter defeat. "Keep an eye on him," She said as she walked off, "I don't want him to try to go to sleep in the oven." The four teens were left with the host as he tried to keep his crying under control.

"So," Owen started, "Your personality is just one big computer program."

"Yeah." Chris answered.

"So," The big teen continued, "Is this like your default or something?

"No," The man answered, "It's something that Hatchet programmed before I escaped."

"What happens if you don't have a personality installed?" Cody asked, "Or…anything installed?"

"I'd probably be a human doll then," Chris said, "Just sitting there…let the whole world pass by."

"That's a creepy thought." LeShawna admitted.

"How about the possibility that there are probably hundreds, maybe thousands of people like him?" Sierra pondered, "All without a host protocol installed, and just sitting there, or maybe hanging-."

"Okay, I get the picture!" The sassy sister said as she covered her ears.

"Got it." Gwen said as she came back with a laptop and a handful of cords, "Chris, why don't you…show us your slots?"

"That sounded wrong." Cody admitted.

"You don't think I know that?" The Goth asked.

"I get the gist." Chris said as he crawled of the couch and allowed the blanket to fall off his shoulders, exposing his naked back to the audience. He tried to unfold a section of skin along the spine, exposing several ports similar to USB and LAN ports, along with several other holes that looked like amplifier jacks.

"Gross." Cody said with an amused expression.

"Okay," Gwen said as she turned on her laptop, "I'm gonna plug the USB cable in. Ready?"

"Sure." The older man replied. Gwen nervously gulped and eased the cable in, carefully wiggling the end in until it clicked. She took the other end and slipped it into the laptop's USB port as it finished booting up. The teens gathered around the laptop as Gwen started searching through her files. One file was simply a long string of numbers and letters, prompting Gwen to click it. Suddenly, the screen flashed and a green window popped up, revealing a long list of codes and characters.

"What is all this?" LeShawna asked.

"Beats me." Owen said.

"Maybe it's all part of that improvised 'host protocol'." Gwen suggested.

"Maybe." Sierra said as she quickly took a picture.

"Can I see?" Chris asked.

"Hold on." The goth said as she carefully scooted over and angled the laptop while Chris angled his neck to allow him to see.

"Yeah, this is an improvised 'host protocol'," He said, "Scroll a little farther down; I think the memory files are there." Gwen scrolled down and the five saw multiple files aptly named after contestants.

"Click on one." Owen asked. Gwen picked one labeled 'LeShawna' and the screen filled with what looked like an entry form with a low-resolution image of LeShawna attached.

"Kinda looks like the entry form for 'Total Drama'," LeShawna said as she peered over Gwen's shoulder, "With a terrible picture."

"There's actually more listed here than the entry form," Sierra pointed out, "See? Here are several hobbies, interests, and phobias. This is basic level fan knowledge here."

"Guess this is just a basic background file for every contestant." Gwen said. But after she passed the file for Zoey, there were several files for people they haven't heard of. "Here we go." She said as she clicked on a file, pulling up a form of a man with a middle-aged man with thinning hair and glasses.

"Dr. Marcus Woods," Sierra read, "Haven't heard of him."

"That was the guy that came to my house last night!" Gwen realized, "He was the guy that Chris was running from!"

"Woods is responsible for programming my host protocol," Chris explained, "And is currently trying to kill me."

"Good to know." Cody said as Gwen closed the window and opened another one, revealing a sort of recording. The recording showed someone staring at the wall, which opened to reveal Hatchet as he reached out and hoisted the viewer over his shoulder.

"I think we found a memory." Gwen said as the view showed the back of Hatchet's feet as they walked down a hall, "First person view too."

"Kinda lame." Cody remarked. The view switched as the grey floors to white and Chris being upright and forced to stand in front of a mirror. "Now we're getting somewhere." He remarked as Chris looked down at his reflection, showing that he was wearing a hospital gown.

"Hold still." Hatchet ordered in the recording.

"Sorry." Chris replied as the mirror lit up, revealing Hatchet, Woods, and an unknown woman in a lab coat.

"Hold still for a minute," Woods said into a microphone, "We're going to scan your entire body for…defects." The recording bobbed in understanding as the small room lit up and a whirring sound was heard around him. Beyond the mirror, Woods started to talk as he gestured to his clipboard while the woman peered over. Suddenly, Hatchet began to yell at him and slapped the clipboard out of his hands, clattering against the window. Woods in turn began to calmly explain something while the woman stared at him. The whirring suddenly stopped and the lights went out, leaving Chris to stare at his reflection again.

"Hey, why can't we hear what they're saying?" Owen asked.

"Guess that room is soundproof," Gwen suggested, "That, or Chris' hearing is not as good as it used to be. No offence."

"It's soundproof," Chris explained, "That was an examination chamber you just saw; think of it as a body scanner."

"Let's just get out of that for a while." The Goth said as she closed the window.

"Should we look at another one?" Cody asked.

"Try that one." LeShawna said as she pointed to a file. Gwen clicked on it and the five were instantly greeted by the sight of hanging intestines. "What the hell!" She screamed out as the group let out a scream and tried to cover their eyes.

"I think you clicked on the time I woke up during exploratory surgery," Chris explained, "They forgot to anesthetize me, but I have a high pain tolerance."

"When you're getting cut open," Cody shouted, "You say something!"

"It was interesting to see my own guts," The older man admitted, "I even helped the doctor find a paper clip in my liver."

"Click on another memory!" LeShawna shouted. Gwen opened another memory of Chris walking up to a door, the hint of a bouquet of flowers seen just below the line of eyesight.

"It's safe." Gwen assured as the others uncovered their eyes. Chris knocked on the door and the door opened, revealing an elderly woman with black hair and a few grey streaks, her eyes lit up behind a pair of thin-wired glasses. The woman threw her arms around Chris and forced him to her level, his head over her shoulder.

"Happy Mother's Day." Chris said.

"Oh, it's good to see you, Chrissy-poo!" The woman said as she held him at arm's length, pulling him in again and giving him a kiss.

"Aw," Owen remarked, "Is that your mom?"

"I…I think so." Chris said as he started to cry again.

"This is kind of a nice memory," LeShawna said as they watched Chris' mom gush over his son and ask the usual questions, "A little sweet for my taste, but at least it isn't something nasty."

"Hey, do you retain memories when you have a host protocol installed?" Sierra asked.

"I don't think so," Chris answered, "Once the protocol is uninstalled, the memories are gone."

"But this seems like that this memory has been made before you ran off," Gwen remarked, "If you showed up to your mom looking like a hobo, she would be concerned."

"She's right," Owen agreed, "So…maybe you have memories before you have one of those protocols installed."

"That, or these ones were included in the improvised protocol," Sierra uttered, "So that would probably mean that these memories are either fake, or were saved from other removed protocols."

"Would that mean that Hatchet's been saving certain memories?" Gwen asked.

"Makes sense," Le Shawna said, "If a lot of his brain is composed of computer parts, then it might be possible that you could save it on a flash drive and install it later or include it into another program. But I wonder why Hatchet installed these memories? Why would these be considered important?"

"Who knows?" Sierra answered, "Let's try this one." Gwen followed the fan's finger and clicked on a file, but a window did not pop up.

"What the?" The goth uttered as she clicked again, nothing happening, "I can't access this one."

"Maybe it's like when your brain blocks out certain memories," Owen suggested, "It's probably something traumatic."

"When did you get so smart?" Cody asked.

"Noah taught me a little of this and that," The big teen explained, "Even let me read some books from his personal library."

"Glad to hear he'd opened up a bit," Chris said, "He was quite a quiet individual."

"Maybe that's enough brain surfing for one day," LeShawna said, "I had all I can take."

"Yeah, I don't wanna pull up the wrong memory." Gwen said as she closed the program and pulled the cable out.

"So, now what?" Cody asked, "The five of us kinda know about the truth, but what do we do about it?"

"Telling someone would just make us look like a bunch of crazy persons," Sierra uttered, "And create a whole bunch of scandals."

"Not to mention that we'd probably be hunted down by those creeps," LeShawna added, "Make it look like an accident and sweep it under the rug."

"And telling other Total Drama contestants would put them in danger." Owen finished.

"Maybe I should get going," Chris suggested, "I gotta try and disappear."

"It's not going to change a thing," Gwen said, "We know what's going on. And even if you were able to disappear, what's going to stop them from going out and killing us, or making another Chris that's ten times as worse than what we've dealt with?"

"Well," Cody said as he rubbed his hands, "I don't know about everyone, but I'm starving. We need food and a break, so who's up for that?"

"Yeah, we need a break," LeShawna agreed, "This is a bit much. How about we go out?"

"What about him?" Sierra asked as he jerked a thumb at Chris.

"I can just stay home," He said, "I haven't slept well."

"You sure?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah," Chris replied, "Go and have a good time with your friends; I'll watch the house."

"Okay," The goth said, "I'll bring you back something."

/

To be continued.