Total Shuffled Pahkitew Island

by Fangren

[6TH IN THE SHUFFLED SERIES] Wawanakwa has sunk, but Chris McLean has found a replacement: a wild Cree island, full of secrets. He has chosen 14 new contestants to take part in a new season there, but they are not the ones you know: like those before them, they have been re-ordered in time and space. They have been...Shuffled. Season 6 AU; pairing and update info in first chapter.

10. Chapter 10 - Journey to the Center of

Author's Note

Not much to say...we're finally at the much-awaited point, the most anticipated episode of this season behind perhaps the finale and the premiere. I hope it lives up to all your expectations, but first as always there's some bookkeeping to do.

Silver Writer 0927: Oho, what indeed?

SilverMoon1912: Thanks! Yeah, Mal like Mike's other alters was basically 'created' in order to handle something that Mike was unable to, and in particular was meant to handle the most dire situations. But, like you said, he's willing to go to some pretty extreme lengths to keep Mike safe, which allows him to keep a lot of his canon flavor while also patching up a lot of his flaws.

Animation Adventures: Mm, as sad as it was to see her go it was the one that made the most sense from a story perspective like you said...if Heather is meant to be the main villain, then she needs to do some villainous things, you know? But yeah, certainly one of the darkest things I've had to write in a while - and darker than the canon equivalent, since it was pretty much all a bunch of nonsense building up to a zombie joke that got Shawn and Jasmine back together (with Dave breaking down being the main B-plot that made the episode dark at all to begin with). Regarding the pre-challenge, I'll admit that Brick was my first thought for the winner as well but I decided it would be much more interesting to give Heather that role, as it would work better with everyone's subplots. And I'm glad you enjoyed Heather's speech to Leshawna.
And the season's theme too, of course. I think I said this on the TDWF a while ago when I made that vague hint about the theme, but it wasn't something I came into the season planning to do - but once I thought about it, everything made sense. With everything I wanted to do, it just made so much sense to use 'Identity' to tie everything together, and I'm glad it's worked out well so far.

Gage the Hedgehog: Yeah, well, most people didn't - even in-story.

bruno14: Haha, thanks, and yeah that was easily the darkest episode of this season by far. Mike...is really not in a good place right now. But hey, at least people like how I'm characterizing Mal, which is nice. And I'm glad you enjoyed the Eva/Sky moments, too, not to mention Heather and Leshawna. I hope you enjoy this week's events...

SideshowJazz1: Ah, fair enough. I'm glad you liked my method of bringing out Mal, and you're certainly right that things would've been WAY different if Leshawna had been shuffled back to season one.

Derick Lindsey: Right, thank you for pointing out that mistake I made with the Eva confessional - I fixed it so that she said Heather asked her and Sky to vote off Leshawna, but they decided otherwise. As I've told others I'm glad you liked my method of bringing Mal out; I really think it fits much better than what happened in canon. As for your questions...well, the double elimination and the teams for this week's challenge will be addressed in the episode, but regarding the finale...well, I know what I'm gonna do but I want to keep it a secret for now.

ashDanLand: Thanks! And yeah, I'm pretty sad about Leshawna being gone as well - she just had so much potential that I was unable to bring out I feel, plus getting rid of her means bringing an end to her rivalry with Heather like you said.

acosta perez jose ramiro: Thank you; I figured Heather's drive to win would be enough to overcome her general unwillingness to eat disgusting foods. Likewise, you're pretty much right on about Eva and her inability to handle disgusting foods - she's pretty strict with herself, and that includes her diet. She's not the type to willingly risk poisoning herself that easily.

Klimmatt: Oh, definitely. I'm pretty disappointed that I had to eliminate her, but as much as I love Leshawna there's just so much else I wanted to do. I wish that I could have done more with her, both on her own and in relation with others, but I guess it'll have to be saved for some hypothetical future season. Regarding Mike, I think the very nature of his disorder necessitates a pretty dark headcanon, or at least makes one pretty likely. And yeah, Mal's canon motivations...weren't really sensible, so I'm glad I was able to reinterpret him in what I hope is a more realistic manner.

Alice Queen of Madness: Well then, I hope I don't let you down in that regard. And as for Leshawna...well, I do feel that I could've done more with her, but since I was prepared to let her go ahead of time that was reflected in how I wrote her.

Glowing Insanity: Hey, no problem with short reviews so long as they have substance. I'm glad I was able to keep you guessing about last week's boot, and I hope you enjoy the climax of this week's episode.

PhantomlordJ: Thanks! I'm glad you're interested in Mal and his relationship with Mike, though I don't really get what you mean by 'citation'. Interesting predictions about this week's elimination...but anyway, good luck with college.

P. T. Piranha: Oh true, true, sometimes you just gotta go with what people are expecting. Leshawna...I think she has a pretty big personality, actually, even if she hasn't done a whole lot of memorable things beyond being Heather's main rival over two seasons. There's a lot I could've done with her had I had more time and a different cast.

jaqwon14: Oh don't worry, the reset button was easily the most offensive part of that whole subplot - I'd never even DREAM of repeating it. Likewise, I'm not about to make Mal unbeatable without using such a bullshit plot device.

AlphaOmnisphere: Fair enough, fair enough. Like I've said I'm disappointed I had to have Leshawna eliminated, but everyone else just had more reason to stay like you said. But hey, at least you liked Mal's debut, and that's enough to satisfy me.

Guest #1: Hmm...well, I suppose you'll just have to wait and see, now won't you?

OMAC001: Hah, well it was gonna happen eventually. And as for Mal's eventual fate...well, I suppose you'll just have to wait and see.

DSX62415: Yeah, you and me both. So many great characters, not nearly enough time to show them all off in. But I hope this week's episode lives up to the expectations of you and everyone else.

Stereotypical Vampire: Thanks! Yeah, Leshawna's popularity and how often she got shafted in canon really did make me want to do better with her...unfortunately, I don't think I quite reached that goal. I'm glad you're loving my interpretation of Mal; I definitely think it's more appropriate for him. Enjoy the episode!

Guest #2: ? Do you, like, not understand Mike's character at all? Or that 'it's just a game' is kinda bullshit?

link9753: Thanks! Yeah, things are definitely gonna get more intense from here on out. You're certainly right that Duncan was justified in his anger at Mike, but that's just what makes Mike's situation all the worse - there was nothing he could have done without hurting someone, and it's really weighing heavily on him. Duncan was never in any real danger last week considering that I hadn't yet really developed him and Brick as a couple, though. Anyway, I hope you like this week's chapter!

Commander Liv: Well, that's kind of the point - Leshawna was eliminated so that Heather could get a step ahead in the game.

Joel Connell: Thanks! Hearing that I've done something better than in canon, even something as easily doable as Mal's introduction, really makes my day. I do think the TD writers do have talent, but they're just not as aware of some of the problems with traditional ways of thinking as young people are. They also have to work with their bosses looming over their heads...they may not have always made the best decisions, but the TD writers still created the entire series from the ground up while people like me have only revised it.
But still, I am happy for all the praise you've given me, it's thing like that that make all my hard work worth it. And it's certainly a shame that the show might not ever get renewed...but all good things must come to an end some day.

Andy: Ah, sorry...but it had to be done. Like you said, with only 13 episodes to work with and a load of great characters, a lot of people are gonna end up getting cut earlier than they deserve to be. But hey, I'm glad you still enjoyed the episode.

Guest #3: Thank you, though that does make me wonder how you expected me to handle it. Mike being maybe a little harder on himself than he should be is kind of the entire point; he's kind of mentally fragile I guess? And maybe you're right about where the babies came from.
Unfortunately, I can't really help Stereotypical Vampire since I'm not actually the one who created the page, and I don't maintain it either.
And as for Cody...honestly, I don't really like him too much as a character. Maybe if he'd gotten on TSI I could have done something with him with no Gwen in sight, but...I doubt I would have. And to be honest, I think his season one elimination in canon was completely fair.

The Prime Writer: Hoo boy, you're certainly on the right track with my take on Mal though some of his motivations and such are a bit different from your guesses. And honestly, I would describe Mike's situation with the Owen vote as being between someone he'd made a pretty close bond with even before they were teammates (Owen) and someone who he maybe wasn't as close with but who he still looked up to and valued as a teammate (Eva). I'm glad you're enjoying Sky and Eva and that you basically want to see more of Heather; and I hope you enjoy this week's episode.

Codammy Forever: Thank, I'm glad you liked the episode as well as the title I came up for this week's one. The teams used for this week's chapter are, well, the obvious ones. And as for Cody switching places with DJ and hooking up with Sammy...yeah, no, that's not something I would ever write in a million years. With DJ out of the picture it would just be Sammy/Dawn by themselves, full stop, nobody else involved. Maybe Sammy and Cody have some similarities, but I honestly just don't like Cody that much so I don't think they'd ever even become too close. And to be honest, I object to your line 'they could be what they need to be more complete people'; they're both already complete people, healthy relationships aren't meant to be something used to somehow make people more whole or whatever. Each person should stand fine on their own; the relationship just produces more than the sum of its parts.

Jaspher 4 Me: Yup, it's sad but true. Mal isn't someone who should emerge do to some ridiculous head trauma, it's not really appropriate in any way and doesn't jive with the rest of Mike's alters. And yeah, regrettably I continued the tradition of shocking and undeserved Leshawna blindsides... But at least it gave Heather some villain cred for the first time ever. Anyway, I look forward to seeing your thoughts about this week's episode!

Scissor-Snipper: Thank you. Comparing Leshawna's time here to her time on World Tour isn't much, but I guess it does make me feel a little better knowing that this isn't the worst ending she'd ever gotten. And...well, I wouldn't really call Mal's motivation 'I'm doing this because I love you', it's really more 'I'm doing this because this kind of thing is the entire reason why I exist'. But hey, it works with his character, so whatever.

Star Saber21: Hmm...well, that's kind of an overstatement to be honest. I think the malfunctioning island is more dangerous overall. But yeah, it's gonna be interesting seeing everyone's reactions to how they're dealt with.

Guest #4: Thanks! And yeah, the bit with the Juggy Chunks that you mentioned was a deliberate reference to Sugar, since she was such a big part of the canon episode.

MaximusTheMad: Ah, well, no worries, you got to the reviews eventually. Let's see...well, I'm glad as always to see that I'm not the only one who was sad to see Rodney go. And I'm also glad you enjoyed Heather's plans continually not working out for her. The team swap was actually the same place as in canon, so it being late has nothing to do with me. I'm glad you're enjoying the development of Brick/Duncan as a pairing as they're not something I was too certain about coming in to this season. And as always, Owen's elimination was pretty sad to write.
As for last episode...well, he didn't actually lose most of his friends, he just felt like he did. Owen and Duncan were justifiably mad about him voting for Owen, while Brick was more disappointed than anything else. Though I will admit that having Eva express her gratitude to Mike for what he did at some point would have been a good idea.
And, again, we're completely on pace with the canon eliminations so far - there will be a double elimination like there was in canon at a point in the near future.

I. M. Poik: Yeah, and it's about time as far as Heather is concerned - after spending most of the season failing to really affect the vote in a meaningful way, she finally gets her biggest strategic threat voted out. And...while I wouldn't quite say that Mal is disillusioned with protecting Mike, he is certainly different from his canon portrayal and I'm glad that so many people are interested in seeing what he does next.

graveexcitement: Yeah, that was pretty much my reasoning behind it - I didn't want to get rid of Leshawna so 'early', but the couples still need to be developed. I'm glad you like my interpretation of Mal, and I hope that continues on with this week's episode.

Explorer of the Unknown: Oh, definitely. Perhaps not the darkest in the series overall (that I think goes to my version Scarlett Fever way back in TSA), but certainly the saddest. Mike...hasn't been having a good time lately. He actually hasn't been ostracized, it's just that Duncan is pretty mad at him and nobody really had the chance to stick up for him in-story. But yeah, still not a good night to be Mike. Or Leshawna by the end of it, but that wasn't quite as much of a stand-out moment. Anyway, I hope you can enjoy what comes next...

TheHungerGames: You're certainly right about that. I actually don't mind that breaking things was a big part of his early strategy in canon, but it's not really an angle I want to use in my story.

StayOuttaMyShed: Thank you. Yeah, I figured Leshawna leaving would be a huge shock, but like you said it was a necessary one since it allows for some other things to happen. I'm glad you like my theme for the season; it's not something I had in mind when I started it, but it rapidly became obvious that it was something that seriously fit the plans I already had in place, which in turn meant it was a good framework to develop the rest of the cast around. And aside from Max and Katie, I'd say it's been pretty well and thoroughly done so far.
Like I've told basically everyone else, I'm really happy that you're liking my take on Mal. I think this interpretation of him fits better with the rest of Mike's story arc and character, and I really hope the rest of my plans for him are equally well-liked.
And...yeah, I'll admit I've been taking it rather slowly with both couples. Some of it I think is just from me not really being sure how to proceed each time, and some of it is me deliberately trying to take my time to keep things...steady, I guess? I want to do the couples right.

Anyway, that's this week's massive load of reviews out of the way. All that's left is the usual bit about how a TVTropes page exists for the series. I welcome all who wish to add to it to do so, and I greatly appreciate the work that has been put into it already.

Oh, and that the remaining (and merged!) contestants are as follows:

Boys: Brick, Duncan, Mike

Girls: Eva, Heather, Sky

So...yeah, it's the much-anticipated 10th episode of the season. Here's hoping it lives up to all your expectations.

- Fangren

---

Episode 10 – Journey to the Center of Pahkitew Island

"Last episode of Total Drama went down niiiice and eeeasy, one Juggy Chunk at a time," Chris opened, the recap montage beginning immediately with a clip of Eva shuddering in disgust as she tried to drink a glass of expired Juggy Chunks, followed by Brick calmly taking a swig and the camera panning to Sky as she watched uneasily, then pinched her nose and began to chug.

"Then it was time-" the montage moved to Sky and Eva looking pale and sickly as they walked through the woods- "for a stomach-turning game of Hurl and Go Seek," Chris finished over clips of Leshawna holding her stomach as it growled painfully, followed by Duncan and Brick running into a tree and Heather slamming into them shortly after, all three looking sickly and weak.

"And thanks to a little bit of treachery from Mike," the boy was shown curling up into a fetal position in the rainy woods, "or perhaps his new alternate personality Mal," the malevolent alter grinned as he raised a broken branch over an unsuspecting Leshawna's head, "Heather finally got her wish and eliminated Leshawna." The Queen Bee blew a raspberry at her shocked rival, and the two exchanged barbs one last time before Leshawna was fired off into the night.

"Aaaand...that's...about it," Chris added with forced nonchalance, the music suddenly warping as the scene moved to a long-distance shot of the island as various formations and features jolted up and down or were replaced by other things entirely. "Absolutely nothing strange happened!" he added as the camera moved to another part of the island as one of the tall cresting hills suddenly shot into the ground, getting replaced by a more jagged peak. A pine tree was replaced by something deciduous, then storm clouds abruptly formed and thunder cracked. "Just like nothing's happening now!" Chris said defiantly, the music now unrecognizably distorted as the ground began to shake, and a strong and snowy wind blew across the land – carrying a chittering raccoon with it.

"Nope! Nothing to see here!" Chris said with panic in his voice, stepping directly in front of the camera with a worried expression and grabbing the side of it. "Uh, just a regular day," he said, moving the shot a step to the right as snow continued to blow in the background. "Get ready for-" A strong gust of wind suddenly blew him away from the camera, which quickly cut to show him rolling along the ground end-over-end, hitting a tall stump butt-first with his back on the ground. "Total!" he raised a finger and declared in a slightly higher voice. "Drama!" the shot cut outward to show the entire island, the land once more shifting and changing as hills rose and fell, ice spires shot out at odd angles, and the lightning cracked overhead.

The music made a pathetic attempt at resuming its usual course, but only made it a second before distorting again. The camera jumped backward, and Chris hastily finished "Paaaahki-"

xxx

The scene cut to static, which was soon replaced by a static image and calming standby music. The image was largely cream and black, a grid in the background with a large film reel in each of the four corners. And in the center was a color image of Chef Hatchet, a look of alarm on his face as he gazed upon the camera that was in the skillet he was holding over a stove...

xxx

(Fade to Opening Theme)

I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)

(Fade to Episode)

xxx

The scene opened on a long-distance shot of the stormy island, lightning cracking and the ground shaking. The shot cut to the Final Six gathered next to Chris, the host still wedged on his back up against the tall stump.

"I-it's an earthquake!" Brick shouted in panic.

"No," Sky corrected, shielding herself from the harsh wind as the camera cut in closer, "it's a typhoon!"

"No, it's a volcano!" Duncan said, standing between them. The camera cut behind them to show a mountain of black rock rising up before them and erupting...something light and pink.

"A...volcano of sprinkles?" Mike asked, the shot cutting to him sticking out his hand in bewilderment to catch the multi-colored sprinkles that were raining down upon them. "This place is even weirder than I thought," he added, dropping the sprinkles on the ground.

The shot cut to Eva and Heather glaring angrily at Chris, who was now standing and frantically pressing the button on his remote over and over. "Umm, hello?" Heather asked bossily. "Mind explaining what the heck is going on?"

"No idea what you're...talking...about...," Chris said, blatantly feigning ignorance as he shook his remote. "Just, uh," he started punching the remote, causing it to spark, "need a minute...here..."

"Tell us what's going on," Eva demanded, punching her open palm in a threatening manner, "NOW!"

"Whatever do you mean?" Chris replied, the shot cutting outward then panning a foot to the right as holes opened up around the stump he'd crashed into, as well as two others and a tree nearby, and they suddenly dropped down into the ground with the holes closing up after them. "You don't have vanishing trees where you come from?"

"No!" Eva shouted, throwing up her arms in frustration.

The cast looked to the side again as the holes opened back up...and glittering and well-decorated Christmas trees rose up out of each one of them. A grand carol began to play, but it quickly warped and faded out. "What about Christmas?" Chris asked the group with a smile.

They all glared at him.

Chris sighed. "Fine," he said in annoyance. "The island is mostly artificial." The campers all gasped. "Yes! Gasp!" Chris replied, still irritated. "And we're having some technical difficulties, okay? It's nothing to worry about!" he declared, crossing his arms defiantly.

A hole suddenly opened up in the ground between him and Heather, and everyone was forced to take a step away as a monitor suddenly rose up out of it – displaying a red skull-and-crossbones against a darker background, and with a blaring siren and a pair of loudspeakers mounted on top. "Self-destruct sequence activated," an artificial female voice announced calmly. "Island will explode in one hour," it added, the shot cutting to a close-up of the monitor as it switched to a digital timer set at 1:00 and promptly counting down to 0:59.

The campers exclaimed their shock and disbelief all at once, their words getting jumbled together as they tried to talk over one another. Chris cut them off with a blast from his airhorn.

"Zip it!" he commanded, stowing his airhorn away immediately after. "For...your next challenge," he began awkwardly, taking out a tablet computer displaying an image of what looked like a room filled with monitors, "one of you has to shutdown the self-destruct! Which is located in this," the shot cut in close to the tablet, giving a better look at the room it was displaying, "underground control room. There are three ways to get there," he explained, the tablet's displaying changing to an image of the island with large red arrows pointing down to the left, right, and center. "So, you'll split into three teams of two," the display changed again to show what looked like schematics of the island's interior. "The team that stops the countdown, wins immunity."

The camera shifted behind him to show Brick, Mike, Eva, and Heather looking at the tablet. Heather gasped, then darted forward. "Can I just, uh, borrow this for a sec?" she asked as she grabbed the tablet.

"Sure," Chris said in mild annoyance, letting her take it.

xxx

"Hah!" Heather gloated. "He pretty much gave me a map of the place, there's like no way I won't win now," she told the camera with a smug smile.

xxx

"Sooo, if there's no questions..." Chris said slowly as the static ended. "Ready!" he raised a finger. "Set!" he looked at his watch.

"Of course we have questions," Sky interrupted, walking over next to Heather who was tapping on the tablet's screen with a thoughtful look. "Why does an island have a self-destruct setting?"

"How should we proceed once we find the control room?" Brick added, stepping over as well.

"Why even bother lying about all the fake stuff in the first place?" Duncan chimed in, stepping forward as well.

"This, uh, this is just a challenge, right?" Mike asked nervously, rubbing his neck as he walked up next to Duncan. "We aren't actually gonna be risking our lives if we fail, right?"

"Silly Mike," Chris replied, walking over to the campers. "You've always been risking your lives, just never so seriously," he told them. "But, don't worry," he said as he kept walking to the left, "I'll be right here to help you." The camera cut back out a bit to show the full cast again as a familiar roar began to rise up. "From a safe distance, in this helicopter!" he joyously explained with a point upward, dust getting blown up as the camera pulled back to reveal the two-rotated military helicopter hovering above them. It dropped a hooked anchor next to Chris, who grabbed its line.

"H-hold on now," Brick spoke up, his eyes wide with panic, "why don't we all just evacuate the island on the helicopter?"

"READY!" Chris called out over the roar of the helicopter, the shot cut to him being lifted up on its anchor. "SET!" he took out his airhorn. "GOOOOO!" He sounded the horn, and the campers gaped in shock.

xxx

"This is crazy," Sky confessed in a panic, "I'm kinda freaking out! I'm glad Eva's here cause I know I can always count on her to have my back," she admitted thoughtfully before turning serious again, "but I have to focus! I don't wanna have to be the one rescued again, even though it did feel pretty nice when she was carrying me," she said, her voice becoming almost dreamy before she suddenly caught herself, closed her eyes, and clenched her fists. "No! I can't lose focus!" She gave the camera a pathetic look, and finished with "I'm really losing it here..."

xxx

"T-minus 55 minutes and counting," the computerized voice said as the scene returned to the digital timer, the campers still gathered around it – the boys and Sky to the left; Eva and Heather to the right.

"Alright troops," Brick barked, "prepare to move out!"

"Right," Heather said with a smile as the shot cut briefly to her close-up, "who wants to be on my team?" As she spoke the camera zoomed back out, Brick and Duncan running off to the left while Eva grabbed Sky by the wrist and together they ran off to the right. Once they were gone, Heather glared and growled in frustration.

"Well, uh, guess it's you and me then huh?" Mike said awkwardly, walking over to her with a smile.

Heather took a deep breath, then smiled. "Looks like it," she told him cheerily. "Let's go win this thing."

/

A tense challenge theme began playing as the scene flashed to a close-up of Brick and Duncan's feet running along the ground, the shot quickly moving to them running through the woods together.

"You sure you can handle this, dude?" Duncan asked cockily as the pair ran up a series of progressively taller rocks that suddenly rose up under them. "It's pretty dark out!"

The two jumped off the tallest one, landing easily on the ground. "No problem," Brick replied as they began running again. "I'm taking things head-on this time!"

Duncan laughed. "Good to hear it man, cause I think we're almost there. Whoa!" He gasped in surprised as they hit a frozen pond and began to slip; Brick quickly grabbed him, and forced him down as they passed under a jet of fire together.

"Agreed," Brick said, running away with Duncan before another jet of fire shot out behind them. "Together," he said as they reached the edge of a cliff, grabbed a hanging vine, and swung onward to the left, "there's nothing we can't defeat!" His sentence was punctuated by their landing in front of the camera, which promptly pulled back to show the shore of a lake.

"Whoa," Duncan said, the camera moving behind them. "Little early in the day for a swim, don't you think?" he asked Brick with a small smirk.

Brick clapped Duncan on the shoulder. "A soldier never stops until victory is at hand!" he replied, before the shot moved back in front of them and a shark fin swam past. "...or a retreat is ordered," he added nervously.

"Relax, man," Duncan told him with a confident smile, putting his hand on the cadet's shoulder. "A couple of strong men like us can take some over-sized guppy any day of the week!"

Brick gulped, then smiled. "R-right."

xxx

"Duncan may be rough around the edges, but he's got a good heart underneath all that," Brick told the outhouse camera. "He's a lot like me in that respect, and that makes him a keeper," he declared decisively before realizing what he'd said and freezing in shock. "Uhh," he said after a second, blushing lightly and rubbing the back of his head, "I think Owen was right when he thought I've got a crush on Duncan. Hopefully this challenge will help me get a bit closer to him."

xxx

"Yeah, Brick's a bit of a chicken sometimes," Duncan casually admitted, "but he pulls through when it counts. Or when you prod him a bit, whichever works," he added with a jovial shrug. "And hey, I kinda like people like that. Uhh," he said suddenly, looking nervously from side to side, "as friends, I mean. Don't you dare take that the wrong way," he said aggressively, brandishing a fist at the camera.

xxx

The challenge music resumed as the scene moved underwater, Brick and Duncan plunging in and swimming downward leaving bubbles trailing in their wake. They paused and righted themselves to look around, and Duncan promptly pointed something out. The camera moved behind them to show a pipe jutting out of the lakebed with a domed hatch on it; the shot promptly cut to the wheel-handle as both boys grabbed on and tried to turn it.

After a few failed tries Brick looked up in shock and pointed to the right, and the camera panned over to show the shark swimming towards them with an angry growl. Duncan snorted in contempt, the shark opened its mouth, and then Duncan punched it in the nose with a savage grin. It was blown back with a yelp, and Duncan put his hands on his hips, gave Brick a cocky smirk, and waggled his eyebrows in an almost suggestive manner.

A growling caught their attention, though, and the camera pulled back to show the shark still there, rubbing its nose angrily. It snarled at them and bared its teeth, causing both boys to cover their mouths before more than a few bubbles escaped.

xxx

"The best part of underwater combat is that peeing your pants goes completely unnoticed," Brick declared with a decisive swipe of his hand...before becoming suddenly nervous. "Uh, n-not that I've ever peed my pants, underwater or otherwise," he stammered, his eyes darting from side to side as his fingers twiddled and his shoulders slouched.

xxx

The static cut away to show the two boys frantically trying to open the hatch as the shark loomed over them...and a cloud of something dark yellow slowly spread out behind them. The shark retched and coughed in disgust when the cloud reached it, and swam off just as the boys opened the hatch and the cloud dissipated.

A light but tense theme played as the scene moved to a hallway lined with cables and various electronic devices, water pouring in from an open hatch in the top. Duncan and Brick dropped along with it, the camera panning down to show them landing in a heap on the wet floor, the water flow soon stopping.

/

The challenge music resumed as a flash took the focus to Sky and Eva, running to the right through a different stretch of woods. The camera moved ahead of them as a pair of holes suddenly opened up on either side of their path and spruce shot out of them at odd angles. Sky gasped and slid under where the trunks crossed, and moments later Eva came bursting out of the branches above, landing on the ground between Sky and the camera.

"Whoa, that was amazing!" Sky said as the shot moved back to its usual side-angle. "How are you still so calm right now?"

"Simple," Eva replied with a smirk and slight blush as she resumed running, Sky right behind her. "This isn't much different from the stuntwork I've done, so I'm just imagining myself doing that. Only this time, I'm the star."

xxx

"It's pretty easy, especially since I have a cute co-star-slash-love interest," Eva confidently confessed before pausing and putting a hand on the back of her head. "Uh, just don't tell her that. I don't want my feelings for Sky to get in the way of our friendship, since she's never gonna be interested in me with that boyfriend she has. To be honest, after all the times I've messed up around her I'm surprised she still likes me at all."

xxx

"Wow, that's...actually pretty cool," Sky said as the static cut away. "I wish I had something I could focus on that would distract me from us having only an hour to live."

The camera pulled out as the two girls came out into a clearing and skidded to a halt. "Uh, I guess you could always focus on living to see that boyfriend of yours again, or whatever," Eva suggested, rubbing her neck as the two girls looked around.

Sky froze, then looked at her. "Err, yeah, maybe..." she said noncommittally. She looked away, then perked up. "Hey, I think I see the way in!" she said, pointing off to the left.

The shot cut to a hole in the ground, Sky and Eva running up to it moments later. "Okay, let's-" Sky began, taking a step to the hole before the ground shook and Eva pulled her back. A tree shot out of the ground moments later. "-find another way in," Sky finished.

Another hole opened up to the left. The girls shared, a wary look, then the shot cut in close to show Sky jumping in, and Eva following moments later.

/

"Okay," Heather said, looking at the tablet she'd taken as the scene flashed to her and Mike walking through the woods, "if I'm reading this right, the entrance should be under a rock nearby."

"Huh?" Mike said distractedly, looking up at her. "Oh, right, good."

Heather stopped and turned around to face him. "Is something wrong with you? No offense, but you seem flakier than usual."

"Oh, uh, sorry," Mike said, scratching his arm awkwardly. "Just...been feeling really weird ever since the last challenge."

Heather sighed lightly. "Yeah, I guess I've been feeling a little weird myself. Never thought I'd actually miss having Leshawna around as someone to talk to, but with with the others practically paired off for life I've been feeling kinda like a third wheel. I guess that makes it all the more important that the two of us stick together, huh?" she said with a small yet surprisingly genuine smile.

"Yeah, I guess so," Mike replied with a slightly blank stare as they continued walking into a clearing full of rocks.

They stopped after a few seconds in front of a particularly large rock, and Heather held up her tablet. "Hmm...," she said, twisting it around and tapping the screen. "I think this is the one," she said, lowering the tablet and pointing at the rock.

"Okay then," Mike said with a small smile as he walked over. He rubbed his hands together then crouched down and grabbed the rock...only to fall backward with a gasp as it suddenly swung upward.

The shot cut outward as Heather and Mike stared at the opening under it for a few moments, then Heather blinked and shrugged. "Yeah, so not questioning it right now," she said before hopping down the hole without a second thought.

The camera lingered on Mike as he looked at the hole and gulped nervously, and the music rose up ominously as he suddenly inhaled, his spike of hair flopping down over his now-baggy eyes. "Look out belo~ow!" Mal called down the hole in an almost taunting singsong voice, jumping down moments later.

/

The scene flashed back to Brick and Duncan, now running through the well-lit hallway, skidding to a stop when they came upon a monitor showing a live feed of Chris. "Guys! Glad I caught you," he greeted. "I have good news!"

"The island's not gonna be destroyed?" Brick asked hopefully, the camera moving around in front of him and Duncan.

"No," Chris said shortly as the shot moved behind the boys, "I said good news. I can download the footage from all the cameras to the helicopter! So, even after the island blows up, I can still cut together an episode."

Brick and Duncan scowled as the shot moved back in front of them. "Thanks a lot, dude," Duncan said. "We're risking our butts to clean up your stupid mess," he threw his hands up in the air, "and you're just enjoying the show!"

"Hey, you think you got it hard?" Chris shot back testily, the camera cutting to where he was sitting – in a high-backed chair at a nice desk in what would have been a rather high-class office were it not located in a military helicopter – The cappuccino maker on this thing is terrible," he griped, taking a sip of the cup in his hand. "Oh, and try to avoid the motion sensors," he added, offhandedly at first but soon smiling his usual smile. "They set off crazy security all over the island." As he spoke the scene returned to Duncan and Brick watching the monitor, and once he was finished the monitor lifted up into the ceiling, revealing a field of security lasers switching on in the corridor beyond it.

"Aww, crap," Duncan muttered, the viewpoint shifting to show the lasers switching on and off around him and Brick.

Brick took a deep breath, smiled, and put a hand on Duncan's shoulder. "Just like the obstacle courses back at boot camp," he said.

"They made you walk through laser fields in boot camp?" Duncan asked skeptically.

"Well, technically they used ropes and wires since that's more like what we'd find in the field," Brick admitted with a rub of his neck. "The-the point is, I have experience getting through things like this. Just follow my lead, and take it nice and slow."

Brick promptly dropped out of sight, and Duncan rolled his eyes. "If you say so, dude,' he said before dropping down as well.

xxx

"Not gonna lie, this seems a little bit more Black Ops than I expected from Brick," Duncan confessed. "But if he pulls it off, that just makes him a little bit less of a dork," he said with a cool smile.

xxx

A fast spy-movie theme began to play as the static cut away and the two boys began to crawl through the field of lasers on their hands and knees. With the beams constantly shifting they were forced to slink under or jump over several times, and Brick even rolled forward once to Duncan's surprise.

xxx

"Yeah, definitely less of a dork," Duncan admitted in another confessional.

xxx

The static cut away to show Brick pulling himself up into a crouch, Duncan appearing alongside him moments later. "Okay, sorry for doubting you knew what you were doing," the punk admitted as the pair scurried forward as the lasers shifted again.

"You doubted me?" Brick asked, looking back with a hurt expression.

"W-well, I don't know, I just..." Duncan stammered.

"Uh, guys, is now the time for this?" came the voice of Chris, the camera panning over to show him watching through another monitor. "Less talking, more action!"

"It didn't seem like something you woulda learned!" Duncan told Brick, both boys ignoring the host.

"Well it was!" Brick countered...just before the lasers struck both him and Duncan at several points, causing an alarm to go off in the distance that caused both boys to shut up. "Mission failed," Brick quipped.

xxx

Brick opened his confessional with a sigh. "My fault for getting distracted, really," he admitted. "Guess it's hard not to be when you're around the guy you like."

xxx

"Well this ain't good," Duncan said, the camera pulling back as the lasers shut off but the alarm continued.

"Intruders detected," announced the computerized voice from earlier. "Releasing robotic security units." The floor to the left of the boys slid open, and the camera moved behind them as several figures rose up – a bear, a crocodile, a doer deer, and a fawn, except all four had glowing red eyes and bits of missing skin that revealed the sparking robotic bodies beneath. Brick and Duncan screamed and clutched each other.

xxx

"Or killer robot animals!" Brick continued in a panic from his previous confessional.

xxx

Chris audibly cringed as the footage resumed, the camera taking up a position between the robots and the boys, on the wall opposite Chris' monitor. "Well, that was the shortest season ev-er," he said in annoyance as the music became deep and tense. "Good luck guys, I'm out!" The monitor turned off.

"Okay, this would be so cool if they weren't gonna eat us," Duncan commented, the camera switching from the growling robots to him and Brick.

"I respectfully disagree," Brick replied as the tense music ramped back up, his wide-eyed gaze still locked on the robotic animals. "Furthermore, I recommend a full tactical retreat!"

"I'm with ya on that, dude!" Duncan said, and the camera jumped back to show them running and screaming down the hall with the snarling robot animals chasing right after them.

They soon gasped, and the camera shifted to show a heavy metal door lowering down ahead of them. The shot cut to them barely sliding under it, the robotic crocodile lunging after them but getting stuck immediately with the door trying to close on its neck.

Duncan let out a breath of relief as he and Brick stood up, but the cadet shook his head. "We're not through yet," he said, grabbing his partner's arm and pointing at the ground. The shot returned to the trapped crocodile as the door forcibly crushed its neck, which only freed the sparking head allowing it to scoot forward, snapping its jaws.

"Whoa...," Duncan said in shock as the two began to back away from it.

/

The scene flashed away with a dramatic musical flair, moving to Sky and Eva sitting against a wall next to an open door and panting heavily.

"What was that thing?!" Sky asked.

"I don't know," Eva replied, "and I don't wanna find out."

Sky groaned and tucked her head between her knees. "This is hopeless, isn't it? We have to stop the whole island from blowing up, and of course there's things like that in our way," she said, motioning towards the open doorway. "How are we ever gonna make it out of here alive?"

"We'll find a way," Eva said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Even if it means punching my way through this stupid place," she said aggressively, punching her open palm and attracting Sky's attention, "I'll make sure we get through all of this stupid show, so we can go back home...and you can see that boyfriend of yours again."

Sky's eyes widened, then she looked away awkwardly. "Uh, look, Eva, about that-"

She was interrupted by a monitor descending from the ceiling above them and to the left, which promptly turned on to show Chris looking. "Oh, there you two are," he said after finally spotting them. "I was wondering if you were dead yet, but it looks like you aren't."

"Yeah, no thanks to you!" Eva yelled angrily.

Chris unflinchingly took a sip of his cappuccino. "So," he said, setting the cup down, "how are you guys holding out?"

"Not very well!" Sky told him sharply. "One minute we're running down the hall with no problem, the next minute this thing comes out and nearly kills us!"

"Oh, yeah, fyi, Duncan and Brick managed to set off security during some kinda lover's quarrel," Chris said. "Now the island's crawling with killer robot animals!"

"What?!" Sky said in shock as she and Eva stood up. "That thing was a robot?!"

"Yeah, we had real animals," Chris explained, "but the animal rights people were all 'Blah blah blah blah'," he said with a dismissive tone and gesture, "so, we switched to robot animals! Some were craaazy violent though, so, we caged them down here."

"Well that explains a lot," Eva grunted.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Sky asked.

"I dunno," Chris shrugged, "it would probably be easier to go find another path from where you came in."

"But that place was filled with trees and rocks and giant gears moving things around," Sky said uncomfortably.

Chris shrugged again. "Then hey, stay here."

As they spoke the camera moved to the dark doorway as a pair of round eyes appeared near the floor, and the music spiked dramatically as a small and innocent-looking orange tabby cat kitten jumped out into the open.

Eva and Sky gasped. "Oh no, it's back," Sky moaned, the shot cutting to the kitten as its eyes glowed red and it opened its mouth up impossibly wide. Electricity shot from the walls of its mouth to the center, coalescing into a ball of crackling energy that became a massive jet of flame that was shot at the girls. They quickly ducked, causing the monitor to be engulfed in flame as the music spiked dramatically once more. The device crumbled into charred pieces.

"RUN!" Sky yelled, turning and running away with Eva just before another blast of fire hit them.

xxx

"Having an adorable kitten turn out to be a killer robot is just unfair!" Sky told the outhouse camera.

xxx

The static cut away to show Chris in his helicopter office, smiling at the camera with his cappuccino in hand. "Stay tuned to find out if anyone is still alive when they get blown up," he said smugly as the capstone theme played. "Here on Total! Drama! Paaahkitew Island!" The shot jumped outward repeatedly, showing the helicopter hovering over the messed-up island.

(Fade to Commercial and Back)

The music trilled loud and tense as the episode resumed, the focus on a large pipe opening out of the ceiling as Heather and Mal fell from it with a scream. The tube retracted into the ceiling as the camera cut outward, revealing the two lying in a heap in a corner of a decently-sized room. The walls seemed to be made entirely of machines; a large vault door was located on the left wall with a glowing keypad on the front of it, and a monitor and some kind of futuristic keyboard were mounted on the back.

"Urgh, that sucked," Heather spat, rubbing her head as Mal stood up and looked around.

"Where are we, anyway?" Mal asked, walking over to the door and looking up and down it.

The monitor suddenly switched on to show Chris' smiling face. "Mike! Heather! Congrats on being the first to the control room-" the camera cut in closer as Heather walked across the room with a grimace- "and subsequently, not dying."

"Thanks," Heather said dryly, the camera moving to her looking at the keypad on the door while Mal inspected the bolt across the top. "Now, what's the password so we can get inside?" she asked impatiently.

"I keep it safely locked away at all times," Chris explained with a smile as the camera pulled back to show the monitor again. "In the control room." Heather and Mal groaned in aggravation. "Just start hitting random numbers, it couldn't hurt," Chris suggested. "Oh, except for the electric shocks that thing dishes out every time you get it wrong," he clarified, the camera cutting in closer. "Those'll hurt."

A phone started ringing just then, and Chris quickly took out his cellphone. "Oops, gotta take this," he said, clutching the phone to the side as it continued to ring. "It's the network. If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, I hope you had a nice life." The monitor switched off.

"Great," Heather grunted, crossing her arms in irritation. "Just great. I go through all the trouble of swiping this tablet-" she motioned at the device she was still holding- "and finding the way here, only for us to be locked out."

"You could always trying guessing the passcode," Mal suggested, looking back at her with a dark smile as he continued to inspect the door.

"Pfft, yeah, no, I'm not shocking myself," Heather scoffed, turning her attention back to the tablet. "There's gotta be another way in..." she said before pausing abruptly and turning a suspicious look back to her partner. "Hold on, why is your voice so deep? And what happened to your hair?"

"Good question," Mal turned and shrugged. "Maybe it's just cause I've been on this island for too long?"

Heather crossed her arms and gave her partner a look of disbelief. "Yeah, I don't buy it. You're not Mike right now, are you?"

Mal crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "So what if I'm not?" he asked.

The two stared at one another, the camera moving between close-ups of their narrow eyes before Heather finally sniffed in contempt. "Nothing. Just wanted to make sure who I'm dealing with."

Mal snorted.

xxx

"Nobody knows who they're dealing with with me," Mal confessed. "Except Duncan, but he's hardly a threat. Not to my goals, anyway."

xxx

"So whoever you are," Heather told Mal as the static cut away, "stay out of my way."

"Isn't 'your way' currently being blocked by a few inches of solid steel and an electrically charged lock?" he asked.

Heather sniffed. "For now," she said with a smirk. "But that room has to have some kind of ventilation, and that means another way in." She looked back at her tablet, the music became tense and ominous again.

The focus moved back to Mal as he rolled his eyes and turned around. "I'm not about to risk my life waiting for you to find some duct for us to crawl through," he said before raising his right leg and delivering a swift kick to the keypad on the door, which promptly electrocuted him.

Heather gaped in shock. "What is your deal?" she asked as he calmly lowered his leg. "Didn't that hurt?"

"Yup," Mal said simply. "But it was worth it," he added with a point at the door; the camera cut in close to show the keypad sparking, and the door sliding open moments later.

"I...that...how did you know that would work?" Heather asked, staring dumbfounded at Mal and the open door as the camera jumped outward.

"Experience," Mal said before walking in, Heather quickly following behind him.

The scene quickly moved inside the room, showing the two approaching a massive computer station – Heather walking over to the keyboard while Mal paused in the middle of the room and looked around thoughtfully.

"Alright, any 'experience' stopping self-destruct sequences?" Heather asked as she looked down at the keyboard. "Because I don't really wanna die out here."

"Sorry," Mal said in an unapologetic drawl, "your guess is as good as mine. Looks like this place does have an escape pod, though."

"Good," Heather said distractedly, the camera moving in front of her as she continued to stare at the keyboard and Mal loomed up ominously behind her. "I'd hate to give up the competition, but if we can't figure this out soon at least we'll survive. My life is worth so much more than a million dollars."

The music spiked, and Mal grabbed her around the neck from behind. "Wh-what are you doing?!" she gasped as she began to struggle, the music becoming tense as the camera moved back to a side-angle. "We stay alive and get immunity if we stop this place from blowing up, remember?!"

"Change of plans," Mal told her dispassionately, throwing her to the ground away from the computer. "This place is blowing sky high, and I'm the only one who's making it out in one piece."

The shot cut in close to Heather as she gasped in shock, then growled angrily. "Are you kidding me?! You're just giving up without even trying?!" She lashed a foot out at his legs, but he stopped it with his own foot.

"Oh, I'm not giving up," Mal said coolly as he shifted his weight onto her foot, pinning it to the floor. "I just have different priorities than you."

Heather grunted in fury and yanked her foot free, Mal raising his own so he wouldn't lose balance. "You are not ruining this for me!" she yelled, standing up and lunging at him.

"Actually," Mal told her with a small smirk as he caught both of her wrists, "I am." As he let go of her he raised his leg, then delivered a swift kick to her chest that knocked her off-screen. "And there's nothing you can do about it," he taunted as the shot cut to her landing in a heap on the floor.

The camera cut back to him as he walked over to the computer. "Now let me see...," he said, tapping his chin in thought as he looked over the keyboard. "Ah!" he smiled, raising a finger above a certain key. "It looks like we have an unwanted guest in here. I better call security," he said in a mocking voice, pressing the button and looking back with a darkly expectant look on his face.

A quick-pan back to Heather showed her getting back to her feet with a furious and hateful look; she started to charge, but stopped in shock as a panel opened up in the floor, and a certain bear wearing various accessories rose up in front of her. "Oh, uh, Scuba slash Bling slash Pasta Bear, was it?" Heather greeted, suddenly nervous. "Or...is it Security Bear now?"

The bear ripped its accessories and fur and skin off in one fell move, revealing the robotic body beneath it. It rose its arms and let loose a mechanical roar, causing Heather to scream and flee the room. The shot followed her and the Bear back out into the hall, the door to the control room slamming shut behind them...

The scene moved back inside the control room, showing Mal taking a seat in the chair in front of the computer as the massive monitor switched on to show a feed of Chris. "Mike!" he greeted awkwardly. "Or is it Mal right now..."

"What do you want, McLean?" Mal asked, crossing his arms impatiently.

"Mal it is," Chris said with a light chuckle that rapidly trailed off. "So, you've almost won! All you gotta do is disarm the self-destruct sequence," he said, pointing down at the keyboard.

Mal yawned. "Yeah, not interested."

"You're not interested in saving your own life?!" Chris asked in shock.

"It's already been saved thanks to the escape pod this place has," Mal answered calmly with a thumb to the side. "I just don't care about the rest of you."

"What about the million bucks?" Chris asked. "You can't win the competition if the island blows up and kills all the others."

Mal snorted. "Don't you get it? I don't care about the competition, or the million dollars; that's what Mike wanted. My only goals are to keep myself and by proxy the idiots that share this body with me safe," he explained, giving himself a few raps on the head with his knuckles, "and hurting those who would try to do us harm. Case in point, I don't really appreciate all the stuff you've done to Mike." He flashed and evil smirk that seemed to shock Chris, then pressed a button on the keyboard.

A hollow sound played as the scene cut outside to a nondescript part of the forest...and a few of the pine trees in the foreground suddenly lifted off like rockets. The camera followed them as they flew through the air, shooting at the helicopter which had to keep ducking and swerving to narrowly avoid getting hit. And all the while, Chris' cries of pain echoed forth from it.

The scene cut back to the control room, Chris standing back up on the monitor's feed with his hand on his head. "Hey! Have some respect for nature!" he yelled.

Mal tutted and shook his head. "You still don't get what's going on, do you?"

"Do you?" Chris countered defiantly. "Cause in case you've forgotten, the others will be there any second."

Mal chuckled, low and slow. "Oh, I doubt it," he said, pressing a button that turned off the monitor. He then stood up, and whistled the same familiar part of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' as he walked off to the right..."

/

"CHEEEEEEFFF!" Chris yelled as the scene flashed to a close-up of the curtained door to a cockpit, the host soon arriving through it with his cappuccino cup held high. "WE'VE GOT AN EMERGENCY!" The shot cut backward to show Chef at the controls in his pilot's uniform, looking at Chris. "The foamy thing on the coffee machine won't work at all, now!" he exclaimed, taking a long sip of coffee.

"Also, Mal's gone rogue and is gonna blow up the island," he added in a much calmer voice. "We gotta warn the others." He took another long sip of coffee. "As soon as the foamy thing is working properly again."

/

A flash took the scene to Duncan and Brick running to the left through another hallway, skidding to a stop as a growing scream got their attention. The end of a large pipe suddenly shot down from the ceiling in front of them, and moments later Sky and Eva fell out of it.

"Whoa," Duncan said in shock.

"What're you two doing here?" Brick asked, kneeling down to help the two up.

"It's a loooong story," Sky said.

"Yeah, well, if it involves running from killer robot animals," Duncan began to say.

"That you two let loose," Eva grunted angrily.

"Point is, we know how you feel," Duncan finished forcefully with a scowl.

"Ten minutes to self-destruct," the computerized voice announced suddenly.

A few deep notes played as the four campers shared shocked grimaces. Sky opened her mouth to say something, but was quickly interrupted by the appearance of a monitor, lowering down from the ceiling. Rather than a video feed, however, it displayed only an audio signal as a green-toned graph.

The person on the other end cleared their throat, then Mike's voice said "Oh hey, there you guys are!" in a slightly awkward tone. "I have some bad news. I'm in the control room, but there's no way to turn off the self-destruct! Chris must've been lying to us."

"Figures...," Eva grunted as the shot moved to the campers.

"Typical," Sky added.

"Apparently you can only shut it down from here," 'Mike' added, the monitor switching to a floor plan of the facility with a red arrow lead from a flashing dot, through the halls, to another room.

"Hmm, just down the hall,' Brick said, leaning in and checking the display. "Great job!"

He moved to run off with the girls only for Duncan to grab him by the shoulder and pull him back, staring suspiciously at the monitor all the while. "Hold on, I smell a rat..." he said to the confusion of the others. He took a breath, then the music cut out as he began to whistle that same familiar part of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'...only to stop abruptly after a few notes.

The camera moved onto the monitor which was now back to displaying the audio signal, a moment passed, and the rest of the notes came over. "Hah!" Duncan barked out a laugh. "You're Mal!"

"Mal?" Sky repeated, sharing a look of confusion with Eva and Brick. "Who's Mal?"

"Mike's last, and nastiest, alter ego," Duncan explained.

Mal grunted in annoyance, and the monitor switched to a video feed of him in the control room. "Fine, you got me," he admitted. "Not like it even matters. Not with the clock ticking anyway," he added as the monitor switched to the self-destruct timer, now approaching 8 minutes. "Better go down that hall I told you about!"

"Uh, no," Duncan objected, "that's like the most obvious trap in the world."

"Can you really afford to take that chance right now?" Mal asked as the monitor switched back to the video feed. "Besides, you know I don't wanna let myself get blown up."

"Look, all that matters is that somebody stops the self-destruct," Sky pointed out as the focus moved to the campers. "How about we split up, you two going to the control room to check out Mal while me and Eva go to the other place."

Duncan snorted. "Suit yourself, sister," he said before running off with a nervous and uncertain Brick right behind him.

/

The footage flashed ahead to another room, a door sliding up on the right and Sky and Eva running in.

They immediately stopped and gasped.

A deep, tense tune took over the background music as the viewpoint shifted to that of the girls, the camera panning across countless robotic duplicates of Chris McLean attached to the ceiling by strange devices with lots of wires and cables and tubes extending from a central part with a pale blue light on the front.

"Well, this is a new level of creepy," Sky remarked.

"Looks like this really was a trap," Eva grunted as the shot cut back to her and Sky.

"Yup, looks like it," Mal said over the intercom. "Enjoy the rest of your lives," he added as a slow taunt that ended with a deep, dark laugh as the door slammed shut behind Sky and Eva. The shot cut back to the robots as the tense, dramatic music rose up, and their eyes started to glow red...then, one by one, the devices holding them up released, and they dropped to the floor.

"Well, this isn't good," Eva said as the robotic Chrises stepped around her and Sky, forcing the girls to stand close together back-to-back. "Any last words before we go out fighting?" she asked Sky with a slight smirk.

"Don't joke about that," Sky said nervously, only briefly taking her eyes off the robot army.

"I'm being serious," Eva said before looking at the camera. "Hey, Mom and Dad, on the off chance I don't make it out of this...don't use any pictures of me in a dress for the funeral. Love ya," she finished with a curt wave.

xxx

"What can I say, I'm not a very mushy girl," Eva explained in the outhouse. "Though if it really comes down to it, I'm gonna tell Sky how I feel. It's not like I had a shot with her to begin with."

xxx

"Total! Drama! Drama! Ha-ha-ha!" the robot chanted in a stilted chorus as another wave of them approached the girls.

The shot cut back to the girls, Eva raising her fists while Sky huddled nervously next to her. "Um...um...," Sky stammered, "Mom, Dad, River, I love you all and I hope you can move on without me." The robots lunged, Eva punching one away while Sky yelped and vaulted up into a handstand on another's shoulders. She allowed herself to fall forward, bringing the Chris-bot to the ground with her. "And Keith, it's probably not the most appropriate to do this over international TV, but I really don't wanna die without telling you that things just weren't working out between us. Sorry."

A flat note played as the shot cut out to show Eva looking at her. "Wait, what?" she asked, one robot in a headlock while smashing another face-first into it, causing both of their heads to break. "So...you aren't in love with him?" she asked.

"Well...it's a little complicated, but pretty much," Sky admitted as she ducked between two Chris-bots causing them to slam into each other.

The shot cut back to Eva's close-up as she grinned dangerously.

xxx

"Maybe I do have a shot with her after all," she told the outhouse camera.

xxx

"Alright, time to crush some skulls!" Eva roared defiantly, heavy metal music taking over the audio as she grabbed the nearest Chris-bot, picked it up, and threw it at three more. Another one approached her and she punched its face in, then a third one came up from behind and grabbed her around the neck.

She bit clear through its arm.

The shot cut to Sky watching in utter shock as the sounds of battle and the occasional bit of robot came flying through the air, and the camera suddenly zoomed in as she smiled dangerously as well. "Take this!" she said, the shot pulling back as she shoved an approaching Chris-bot hard, causing it to stumble backwards into another one and fall over. "Yeah!" Sky cheered.

xxx

"I should've been scared," Sky confessed, "but something about helping demolish Chris over and over-" she pounded a fist against her open palm a few times- "was just...therapeutic," she said with a contented sigh. "Kinda strange how Eva only got into after I broke up with Keith, but I'm pretty glad she did."

xxx

"Yeah, I was never worried about the robots, to be honest," Eva said proudly, rubbing her knuckles on her clothes then blowing on them proudly. "I just figured that there were too many for me to take out before the island blew. Guess I was wrong."

xxx

The static cut away to a severed Chris-bot head bouncing off the floor and landing with a thud. "Total! Total! Toootal...Toooootalll..." it said, its voice growing slower and deeper and its eyes losing their red glow with each repetition until it finally lay still and silent. The shot cut to Eva and Sky, standing back to back among a pile of robot parts, breath heaving and oil splattered on their clothes. They looked at one another, and smiled softly.

"Guys! You're not gonna believe this!" came the sudden voice of Chris, the camera pulling back as a monitor showing a video feed of the host descended from the ceiling. He spotted the pile of destroyed robots at the girls' feet. "Hey! What did you do to my promo-bots?" he asked in shock and outrage.

"Uh...promo-bots?" Sky repeated in confusion.

"How do you think I did the promotion tours for the show?" Chris asked angrily. "You think I went to all those malls myself?"

"You sent violent robots to promote the show?" Eva asked in disbelief.

"Hey, they gotta defend themselves," Chris explained, growing angrier. "Do you have any idea what the average Total Drama fan is like? DO YOU?!"

"Hey!" Eva shot back with anger of her own, even throwing her arms up. "If you'd actually done something helpful instead of sipping some stupid cappuccinos or whatever, this wouldn't have happened!"

"First off," Chris replied as the camera cut in closer to the monitor, "I'm on to smoothies now." He paused to take a sip of a smoothie in a greenish cup with a long straw. "Secondly, I don't like your tone," he continued. "And thirdly! Thiiirdly! Dang," he paused, his momentum abruptly lost, "I had something for this. It was a big one, too," he said, scratching his head with his straw as he tried to think. "Umm...uhh..."

Just then the shot cut to the door into the room as Heather was thrown screaming through it, the robot once known as Scuba/Bling/Pasta Bear charging in after. Heather landed at Sky's feet with a thud and a groan, and the camera panned up to show the two other girls tensing up for another fight. Eva picked up a severed robot leg and charged, the camera following her as she screamed, raised the leg like a club, and brought it down hard on the Bear's head.

Both head and leg were completely smashed, and Eva just glared as the robot sparked, then fell over. "Weak," she grunted," dusting her hands off then walking back over to Sky.

"Right, thirdly," Chris said as the camera panned back to follow Eva, "one of Mike's other personalities has taken control of the island and is gonna kill everyone for like no reason at all."

"Duh," Heather spat as she stood up.

"I hope Duncan and Brick can take care of it," Sky said nervously.

/

A flash took the scene to a close-up of a fist pounding against the control room door, the camera soon pulling back to reveal the pounder as Duncan. "Dude, open this door!" he yelled.

A tense note played as a monitor lowered nearby, showing Mal's scowling face. "No," he said simply.

"C-come on now," Brick asked nervously, "you don't want us to die, do you?"

Mal snorted. "Might as well. Less annoyances running around, and Mike won't have to deal with the people he stupidly thought were his friends voting him off."

"W-we weren't gonna vote him off," Brick stuttered as Duncan looked away.

"Weren't you?" Mal questioned. "After he let your 'friend' Owen be voted off? After how much of a danger he's shown himself to be simply for letting me take control? Don't make me laugh..."

Brick looked away and rubbed his neck in shame, but Duncan just angrily pounded on the door again. "You're darn right we're voting you off! And even if the island blows up and you somehow survive, you're still going back to juvie!"

"Duncan, stop," Brick said, grabbing his partner by the arm and stopping him from pounding on the door again. "I know you're mad, but this isn't working. We gotta withdraw and come up with a new strategy."

Mal laughed. "Hey, looks like one of you has a brain after all," he said. "At least enough of one to realize that threatening me with prison won't work, anyway. I want to go back there," he explained to the shock of Duncan and Brick. "Locked away from the rest of the world, surrounded by a bunch of easily-controlled peons...I can't think of any place I'd rather be, and I figure a bunch of high-profile deaths might just be a good way to get there."

Duncan and Brick gasped as the music spiked. "So why don't you two just sit back and accept your fates," Mal told them, laughing as the monitor rose back up into the ceiling.

"Five minutes remaining, "the computerized voice said.

"Dude," Duncan told Brick, both wide-eyed with shock, "this is worse than I thought. If we don't force our way in, we're done for."

Brick gulped, then took a breath and closed his eyes. "Alright soldier, remember your training," he told himself. "The objective is trapped behind a locked door, the person inside can't be reasoned with, and you've got a time limit that prevents escape." He took a breath. "Find an alternate entrance, or say your prayers," he said in a more commanding tone.

"Okay, dude, but I don't know if we have time," Duncan said as he began looking around the room.

"I know, but we gotta try something," Brick said, looking around anxiously. "And, uh, if we don't make it out of here," he said, pausing and gulping, "I just...just wanted to let you know that I lo-"

Just then, the door opened and the three girls ran in. "I know how to get in!" Heather shouted. "Just break the keypad thingie!"

Duncan and Brick gasped and shared a look, then the punk turned and gave the keypad a swift kick.

The shot cut outward as the door decidedly didn't open.

"Wow, great idea," Duncan sarcastically told Heather.

"Bu...but that's how he got in," Heather sputtered, gesturing at the door. "He just broke the lock and the door slid open!"

"No," Mal countered, the monitor sliding back down with the video feed of him still on it. "I shorted out the keypad which caused the door to open. The lock still works just fine." Heather gasped, then growled as Mal pressed some unseen button that turned the monitor off.

"Well, might as well try finding an air vent now," Duncan said, the music trilling tensely as he cracked his knuckles.

He was interrupted by the monitor turning back on. "Hey, how's it going on your end?" Chris asked.

"The door's still locked and Mal won't budge," Sky said.

"Right," Chris nodded before turning to the side and calling out "Chef, move us to a safe distance! She's gonna blow!"

"What?!" Sky said in disbelief.

"You're letting us die?!" Heather added.

"Hey, you all signed a release," Chris replied. "One million bucks is a lot of cash."

The campers immediately began to protest, their angered voices all rising up and mixing together until Chris cut them off with a blow from his airhorn. "ZIP IT!" he shouted, and the camera cut back to the monitor to show him smiling. "Just wanted to do that one last time. Later guys!"

The monitor shut off once more, and a few deep notes played as the campers shared a worried look.

"Oh God, we're really gonna die aren't we?" Heather said in a panic.

"Ugh, if only we could figure out how to bring Mike back, our problems would be solved" Sky said, a hand on her forehead as she tried to think. "There's gotta be some way to do that!"

"Don't look at me," Duncan said as everyone and the camera turned to him. "I only knew him as Mal in juvie, I didn't know he could be anyone else before the show."

The camera focused in on Brick as his brow furrowed. "Well...he had to have switched back at some point in time otherwise he never woulda gotten out of juvie, right?" he guessed.

"Uh, uh," Duncan said, rubbing the sides of his head in thought. "I'm pretty sure Mike said something about him starting therapy in juvie which helped him get ridda Mal the first time, but he never told me how."

"Maybe it was the therapy itself," Sky guessed. "Someone helped him through his problems, and that gave Mike the strength to come back. And I'm pretty sure his other alternate personalities could hear us when they weren't in control, so maybe he can too?"

"But that doesn't help us unless we know what caused Mal to come back or whatever," Heather pointed out frantically.

Eva gasped in realization. "It's Owen!" she declared, receiving confused looks from the others. "That's the only thing that makes sense!"

"He did seem pretty torn up after that," Brick said, rubbing his chin in thought. "And seeing how mad Duncan was, and then what happened to Leshawna...that's gotta be when Mal showed up."

"So?" Duncan asked in disbelief. "That doesn't help us at all, Owen's not here!"

"He doesn't need to be," Eva said, shoving past him and pounding on the door. "MIKE!" she yelled, the camera cutting inside the control room to show Mal, reclining in the desk chair watching the timer count down, flailing in surprise at the sudden call. "If you can hear me, you shouldn't beat yourself up over voting for Owen! Nobody deserved to go home that night, you did the right thing by giving me and him a fair chance! Heck, I'm grateful you did it, and I still think of you as a friend."

Mal winced, then rolled his eyes and snorted in contempt.

The shot cut back out to the hall as the campers shared a nervous look. "That's probably not gonna be enough," Eva told them.

"Eva's right," Sky said. "You guys need to talk to him too," she told Brick and Duncan.

"Right," Brick nodded, marching over to the door and knocking on it. "Mike, this is Brick. I just wanted to say," the camera cut back to Mal shooting an annoyed glare at the door, "that I'm not angry with you for voting for Owen. It was a difficult decision you made, and I don't think any of us blame you for doing what you thought was right! And...and I still think of you as a friend, too!"

"Yeah, right!" Mal shouted back, immediately clasping his hands over his mouth – his expression moving quickly from surprise to anger.

The shot cut back outside as the other campers shared another look, this one more hopeful. "Your turn, Duncan," Brick said, pulling the punk towards the door.

Duncan sighed in annoyance and rubbed his neck. "Fine, fine," he grumbled. "Look, dude, I won't lie to you," he said, the shot cutting back to Mal as he listened in and raised an eyebrow. "I'm still pretty ticked off about what happened to Owen," Duncan admitted, and Mal rolled his eyes. Then came the sound of someone getting hit, and a hushed "Dude!" from Duncan.

"Look, what you did hurt me, dude," Duncan continued with a hint of reluctance in his voice. "And it hurt Owen even more. But," he paused and sighed, "it's obvious that you're hurting a lot too, and even as mad as I am I can understand how you feel. And if a guy like me can do that you better believe Owen can do it too. What happened hurts, but it's not your fault he lost that tiebreaker, dude."

As he spoke, the camera cut in closer to Mal as his eyes went wide. "If anything, it's Chris' fault for choosing it. But either way, I forgive you for what you did, okay? And I know Owen enough to say that he's forgiven you by now too!"

Then, all at once, an emotional yet ominous melody welled up, Mal inhaled, and his face took on Mike's features once more. "You...you really mean that?" Mike asked hopefully, beginning to tear up.

The shot cut back to the hall as the other campers exchanged smiles. "Heck yeah, dude!" Duncan replied. "Now shut down the self-destruct so we can get out of here!"

The music became tense again as Mike was shown shuddering. "I don't know if I have time to figure it out, Mal's really fighting to retake control!" he shouted, quickly swiveling around to face the computer. "But I'll do what I can!" he said, quickly pressing a few buttons before he inhaled sharply, Mal's features returning once again.

"NO!" Mal shouted, whirling around – the camera quick-panned over to show the door opening, and the other campers charging in. "I won't let you!" he growled, running at them but immediately tripping.

As soon as he hit the ground, Mike took control again. "Guys, quickly!" he pleaded.

"Leave it to me!" Brick said, running past as Mike started to struggle with himself, arm grabbing leg and fist punching face as he and Mal quickly alternated control of the body, the camera pulling back to show the others watching with shock and horror.

"What do we do?" Sky asked.

"Die!" Mal replied, the shot cutting in close as he slammed to the ground.

"No!" Mike said, the shot cutting to a different place as he slammed down again. "They're my friends!"

"They're only gonna hurt you, just like everyone else!" Mal shouted, slamming down in a different place again.

"You're the only one that's hurting me!" Mike countered.

"It's for your own good!" Mal said. "And if you cared about them, you'd never wanna let them be around you!"

"No!" Mike replied, the shot cutting to the other four as they shared a look of horrified confusion.

"You're a monster, Mike!" Mal taunted. "A freak! Everyone can see it! All you do is take from people, time and patience and everything else! And then you hurt them, just like you hurt Owen! Just like you hurt all your other so-called friends!"

"You hurt them!" Mike countered. "You're the monster!"

"I'm a part of you, don't you understand that yet?!" Mal roared. "You can't get rid of me!"

"I...I think I get that now," Mike said, faltering slightly even as he regained control again. "You're something I have to live with, just like all my other alters. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you do whatever you want!" he added with renewed determination. "That doesn't mean I need you, now or ever again!" He grunted as if in agony, then Mal regained control once more.

"I'm here because you needed me!" Mal said sharply. "I'm the only one that can protect you when it really counts! And now we're gonna die because you won't let me get to the escape pod!"

"Self-destruct, terminated." The computer's voice rang loud and clear through the room, causing the music to cut out and Mal and those watching him to pause. The camera pulled out to show the room's monitors displaying 00:00 against bluish backgrounds, and Brick standing proudly at the main console.

"Thank you, explosives deactivation training," he said with an almost cocky smile, snapping off a sharp salute.

The shot cut to Mal's close-up, the dark altered gaping in shock. He inhaled sharply and Mike returned, then smiled brightly. "Yes!"

The other inhaled as if to cheer as well, but were cut off by the main monitor switching to a video feed of Chris. "Guys, before you all die," he said calmly, "I just wanted to say that...OH!" he said in realization upon opening his eyes and seeing the room. "Whoa! You took down Mal! Nice," he laughed, "way better than dying, am I right?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Duncan shot at him angrily.

A sharp inhalation got his attention, and the music rose up quickly and dangerously as Mal ran past. "No. NO. NO!" he shouted in rapidly rising fury, shoving Brick aside and punching the monitor, causing a shower of sparks and an electrocution he didn't seem to notice. Brick and Duncan promptly grabbed him by the arms and pulled him away.

The shot cut to Chris, sitting in the copilot's seat of the helicopter's cabin with Chef beside him. "Not the computer!" the host exclaimed as the console in front of him crackled with electricity, then started to smoke.

"Island Sector A," the computerized voice announced as the shot moved to a raging forest fire...and the barn that had been built by Pimâpotew Kinosewak burning along with it, "combustion initiated." The shot cut next to one of the windows of the helicopter, Chris pressing his face against it to look outside. "Island Sector B, cryoactivation completed," the computer said as the shot cut to an iced-over portion of the forest, snow falling and a sasquatch frozen in ice sliding by.

"Grrrreat," Chris said dryly as he returned to his seat, the camera jumping outward to show the entire island – the left half now engulfed in flame, the right have covered in ice.

/

The scene faded ahead to the next night, the usual elimination music beginning over a shot of the area where the Cannon of Shame was located. "I know I normally hand these out to those who are not being eliminated," Chris said, the shot cutting in close to show him holding a tray of marshmallows, as well as Chef, Sky, Eva, Brick, Duncan, and Heather. "But today, I feel a special ceremony is called for," he continued with an almost mischievous tone.

He turned, picked up a marshmallow, and prepared to throw it. "You, are so eliminated," he said before throwing the marshmallow. The shot cut to it – and several other marshmallows shortly after - hitting Mal in the face, the boy stuck in the muzzle of the cannon. "You're more eliminated than anyone's ever been eliminated. Even that evil little gnome kid," Chris said as the shot cut back to him and Chef. "The whole island's a freak show because of you!"

"Oh yeah?" Mal shouted back. "Well good luck ever seeing Mike again! I'm gonna be locked up for the rest of my life after that!"

"Oh no," Chris said with a devious smirk as the shot cut back to him, his tray now empty. "I may not normally care for the safety and well-being of our players, but if it's to spite someone who shot trees at me I'll gladly pay for a therapist. Have fun working out your problems, pal!"

"Crap..." Mal muttered before inhaling sharply, Mike taking control of the body once more. "Thanks," he said with a smile. "I really enjoyed my time with you guys," he said, a touching tune playing as the shot cut to those waiting on the ground below, "and I'm really sorry for the trouble I caused. I hope I can get through this and see you all soon."

He inhaled again, and his hair flopped down over one eye. "You'll regret the day you ever met meeeeeee!" Mal roared as he was finally shot into the night. The five remaining campers were shown watching solemnly, all but Heather hanging their heads or waving sadly.

The camera moved back onto Chris. "Yeah, it's a little late for that," he remarked before taking a deep breath and turning his back on the cannon, the frozen yeti floating by in the background. "Well, we almost tested the Big Bang Theory," he told the camera with a smile as the capstone theme began to play. "But, at least everything's back to normal. Tune in next week to see who stays in the gang, and who goes bang. Here, on Total! Drama! Paaaaahkitew Island!"

The island was still half-burning, half-frozen as the camera made its final zoom outward.

(Fade to Credits)

---

Author's Note - Post Script

...and that's that. Mal has been...neutralized, at least, and in a way that I feel makes sense. No offensively bullshit reset button; no self-harm or potential brain damage; just people coming together to forgive their friend for something he was seriously beating himself up over, thus taking away a big chunk of the pain that allowed Mal to resurface in the first place. Mal's not gone for good and I don't think he ever will be, but Mike did learn a bit more about how to control him even if it wasn't explicitly stated in-story.

I hope you're all satisfied with how things went down with Mal.

Other than that...well, like many reviewers suggested/predicted, I decided to delay the double elimination - it'll be next episode instead - since there wasn't any obvious way to go about it this week. I had considered having Mal injure someone...but it just didn't really fit the rest of how I wanted the episode to go.

Oh yeah, and both of the couples have developed just a little bit more, so that's good at least. Heather didn't really get to do that much, admittedly, but oh well. This was Mal's episode, after all.

So...let me know what you all thought about the episode! And stay safe, find yourself, and enjoy life as best you can.

Until next week,

- Fangren

---

Appendix: TSPI Eliminated Contestants

Max - (14th Place)

Katie - (13th Place)

Anne Maria - (12th Place)

Sadie - (11th Place)

Dave - (10th Place)

Rodney - (9th Place)

Owen - (8th Place)

Leshawna - (7th Place)

Mike - (6th Place)