Episode 5 Part 2: Vegas Shenanigans
Team Madison…
The taxi cab came to a slow stop in a parking lot, at the base of a massive white tower that shot straight up into the sky, so high that the four teens could barely see the top without straining their necks. It consisted of three legs branching into one halfway up, then spreading out once more towards the top, where a saucer-shaped area was at the top, with a spire on it.
"Here we are." The female cabbie said in a gruff, deep voice. "The Stratosphere tower, hotel, and casino."
"Definitely the tallest building in Las Vegas." Ethan said. "And…'I reach high into the atmosphere'…Atmosphere…Stratosphere." He shook his head. "Makes perfect sense."
"So where do we find our item? It said we must climb up it…" Jessica started.
"…and jump into the sky." Ethan finished.
"Jump into the sky?" The cabbie repeated. "You must be talking about the SkyJump. That's one of the four thrill rides offered at that place. You basically just climb up it and bungee-jump to the ground."
"BUNGEE-JUMP?" Lauren screeched at the top of her lungs.
In an instant, all four teens were launched out of the cab by the strong driver, whose ears were still ringing from the outburst. With a disgusted look in Lauren's direction, the cab peeled out, burning rubber in the parking lot as it turned a corner and drove on out of sight.
"Nice going, loudmouth." Ethan muttered as he stood up and wiped off the seat of his pants. "We could've learned some more information from her."
Jessica stood up next to Ethan and shared his glare at Lauren. Samantha, still sitting on the ground, was texting away.
"What more could we have learned?" Lauren asked defensively. "We know what building it is, where exactly to find the item, and how to find it! What more do we need?"
"Oh, gee, I don't know…PRICES. HOURS OF OPERATION?" Ethan roared. "Those are crucial, too!"
"Oh, don't worry about money. I've got plenty." She fished out her wallet and waved it at them as she stood up.
"You better have enough."
"I think she does." Samantha spoke plainly as she continued texting.
Everyone stopped and stared at her. She was still rapidly texting, and staring at her phone, but it was clearly her voice.
"I found out all of that information in 7.5 seconds."
She finally stopped texting, stood up, and held the phone out for all to see. On it was the SkyJump official website, displaying all that they needed to know.
"It's open all 7 days a week. The hours are 10 to 1 A.M. on Sunday through Thursday, 10 to 2 A.M. on Friday and Saturday. Each jump costs $109.99, plus tax. The price increases for the various DVD packages, merchandise, etc.…"
The rest of the team was wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
"Samantha…y-you're a genius!" Ethan finally stuttered.
For the first time that day, Samantha smiled and pulled the phone back, returning to her texting.
"I know."
Team Victory II…
The team had gotten into a taxicab after a few minutes of waving one down, and Matthew jumped into the passenger seat and was in the driver's face in a moment.
"What's the oldest building in Las Vegas?"
"That's, uh, the Old Las Vegas Mormon State Historic Park."
"English, please."
"It's an old fort up North, a mile away from downtown. It was where the first settlers…"
"We don't need a history lesson, just take us there!"
"Alright, alright, fine. Cash?"
Matthew turned to his teammates.
"Anyone got a-?"
A Ulysses was tossed at him in a crumpled heap by an annoyed member. He barely noticed the roughness of the gesture and snatched it up, handing it to the cabbie as they sped off.
In the back seat, two seats behind the driver, the girl who had just tossed the bill to Matthew had her arms folded firmly, a dark, brooding look on her face, and her head turned out the window to keep her eyes off her boyfriend.
Lavatory Confessional
Violet – I have just about had it. Something is wrong with Matthew. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: He's gotten so much worse. He's almost acting like…like P-…Ugh. I can't even bear to say his name. But I have to do something.
End
Leaning over the seat in front of her, looking past James and at the back of Matthew's head in shotgun, Violet leaned over close to Rachael, who sat next to her.
"Rach."
"Yeah?" She leaned in close to her friend as Violet whispered in her ear.
"You've noticed it, haven't you?"
"That Matthew's starting to act…like a jerk?"
"That's a nice way of putting it. A very nice way. We need to do something."
"Like what? It's easy enough to say that we need to do something, but what can we do? And how?"
"We can talk to the others. James and Matthew are really tight, so I'll talk to James. The moment you can get Eryn to calm down long enough to listen, talk to her and-."
"Oh, I'm already talking to you."
Both girls sat upright as Eryn's head appeared out of nowhere and was between them in a heartbeat.
"Haha! Gotcha, didn't I?"
"Can you, uh, keep it down?" Violet asked, glancing over at Matthew, who was still too focused on the road ahead of them.
"Like this?" Eryn ducked lower in her seat, nearly slumping out of it and with half her body off the seat.
She giggled then sat up straight again.
"Don't worry, I get it. Your sweetheart's acting like a jerk and you wanna do something about it." She whispered to them. "What do you propose to do with him? And I'm not talking about marriage, FYI." Another impish giggle.
Violet, too concerned with the matter at hand to be annoyed, pondered over this for a while.
"There is…one…solution…" Violet stumbled to find the words.
Rachael's eyes widened slightly as she got the implication. "You don't mean…throwing a challenge, do you?"
Violet seemed to think about it with some deep thought. Eventually, she shook her head.
"No?" Eryn asked.
"No, I don't know. I mean, I think that might be too harsh. In this game, throwing a challenge could be suicidal."
"True." Eryn agreed. "Look at the last team that was named Team Victory."
"But at the same time, all of these constant wins are really getting to him. The more we win, the harder his fall will be."
"So…what do we do?"
Violet thought for a while. She glanced first at Matthew, then at James, then at the cabbie.
"Hmm…OK. I say we just play this challenge normally." She responded.
"Normally?"
"We don't throw it. We just play it as if this conversation never happened. See where the chips fall. If we win again, I'll have to have a serious talk with Matthew. Serious."
"But that gives us permission to play as if we wanted to win?" Eryn asked eagerly. "Like, if I knew something right now that would help us in the challenge, should I say it?"
"Yeah. Sure."
"OK-ee Dok-ee."
She spun around in her seat and threw her arms around the seat in front of her, wrapping her arms around Matthew from behind while putting her head up right beside his.
"HEY MATTHEW!"
"WAUGH!" He shot up in his seat, his concentration shattered by the sudden grab and yell. After the initial shock settled down, he angrily grabbed the girl's hands off of himself and threw them off, spinning around to face her.
"WHAT?" He asked angrily.
"We're going the wrong way! Tee-hee!"
"What? Are we?" He glanced at the cabbie, who shot a look back at Matthew and shook his head for no.
"We're on our way to a Mormon Fort, right?" Eryn asked.
This time, the cabbie responded. "Yes. The Old Las Vegas-."
"That's just it." Eryn interrupted him. "We're going the wrong way."
"But the clue said 'the oldest structure in all of Las Vegas.'" Matthew repeated.
"Yes, it did. But what about the rest of it? Four sides and three sides? Having a pet?"
"If you have any other suggestions, now would be the ideal time to hear them. Downtown's getting farther away." Matthew glanced out the window as the buildings around them grew smaller, and the large buildings drew farther and farther away into the distance.
"Think about this. What's the oldest structure in Las Vegas?"
"I said that already." The cabbie, noticeably getting as annoyed as Matthew, responded. "The Old-."
"No, no, no, no, no, no. That's the oldest structure here, in Las Vegas."
"Yes…isn't that what the clue means?" Matthew asked in a frustrated tone.
"No. What it means is the oldest structure represented here in Las Vegas. There's one structure, located in downtown, that's a replica of a structure that makes the Mormon Fort look like a baby. The original version isn't in Las Vegas, but it's thousands of years older than the Fort, Las Vegas, Nevada, or any of the United States!"
After a few moments, the implications set in.
"A replica…the oldest structure that's replicated here in Vegas…" Matthew pondered. Then his eyes widened.
"THE LUXOR!" He and Eryn shouted simultaneously.
"Cabbie, turn around now! Change of plans. We need to get to the Luxor ASAP!"
"Luxor, sure thing. Let me just hit the nearest turnoff up ahead…"
"What's the Luxor?" James asked cluelessly.
Matthew spun around. "It's the replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza in downtown Las Vegas. And it fits the description perfectly! Four sides and three sides. Four sides at its base…"
"…and three sides on each side." Eryn finished.
"And it has a pet. The replica of the Sphinx out front!"
"It all makes perfect sense now, doesn't it?" Eryn asked with a grin. "You're lucky I figured that out before you all ended up in some Fort a mile away from town. We would've lost for sure!"
Satisfied, Eryn leaned back in her seat. James looked at her stupefied, while Matthew shook his head.
Rachael and Violet, in the back, shared a nervous glance.
No turning back now.
Team Sahara…
The cab was stuck in the middle of rush hour traffic. All around them, horns honked, advertising trucks for casinos, hotels, and quality booze surrounded them. There were people wandering the sidewalks in all attires, from Elvis impersonators to homeless drunks.
In the driver's seat, the driver was taking full advantage of the dead halt traffic to read his novel intently. He had already flipped three pages, and the light was still red up ahead.
"This. Is. NUTS!" Mary exclaimed in frustration. "How are we ever gonna win with this traffic?"
"This gives us all the more time in the world to ponder our clue." Louis replied.
"Well, does anybody have anything? We could pass by it in two seconds right now and we wouldn't know!"
"Well, it said that it's not a casino…" Anna started.
"…so that rules out most of the major structures, attractions, and businesses around here." Isaiah added.
"Most of the casinos are connected to hotels. I can guarantee you that every hotel in Las Vegas has a casino in it somewhere, so we can pretty much rule out everything in that category, from the Luxor to Mandalay Bay."
"But it has to be some kind of a…tourist attraction, or something." Mary replied. "It said that plenty of gambles happen in it. And that bit about pirates and treasure?"
"Initially, that would imply Treasure Island." Louis stated, gesturing out the window to his left as the familiar structure, complete with two pirate ships in the pools out front, passed by as they bulldozed through the intersection. "But, of course, that's a hotel and casino."
"OK, so that only makes it worse. What could it possibly be?"
"I'm curious about the 'Ricks and no Rolls' clue." Nicole added softly. "I mean, what could that mean? A concert hall? A…Uh…"
"It might not necessarily be a reference to Rick Astley." Isaiah added. "They could put that in there to throw us off."
"And even then, it said 'two' Ricks." Anna reminded them. "So that rules out Rick Astley."
"And no Rolls. So obviously it's not him."
Then the cabbie spoke up as they swerved around to pass a slower car. "You know, I do a lot of these kinds of things. Riddles, crosswords, Sudoku…Mind if I help?"
"Please, be our guest." Louis said politely.
"Well, I won't give it to you straight-up. However, I will give you hints in the form of other riddles and questions. As long as you can get them right, I'll tell you when you're getting warmer. Deal?"
"Why make it even more complicated for u-."
"Absolutely." Louis interjected, interrupting Mary's denial.
"Alright. So I've been thinking…Treasure obviously implies two things in particular, right? What are the two most iconic symbols of treasure?"
"Gold and diamonds?" Anna asked.
"Gold and silver." Mary corrected, with a snide glance at Anna, who sneered back.
"Yeah. Gold and silver. And the whole Rick clue…I think I know of the one and only place in Las Vegas that's run by two Ricks. They both have the same last name as the first name of the star of Indiana Jones."
"Harrison Ford?" Isaiah asked.
"Yep."
"Rick…Harrison?" Mary put the two together.
"Yep. There are two Rick Harrisons in Vegas that I know of, and they both run one business."
All five of the teens, getting the obvious clue, responded in perfect unison:
"GOLD AND SILVER PAWN SHOP!"
"That's right! The store on that annoying but highly-rated TV series 'Pawn Stars.' I mean, it's just a guess, but…"
"'Just a guess'? It's perfect! That has to be it!" Mary exclaimed excitedly.
"Well, you know the way there I assume?" Louis asked.
"Of course. It's on the edge of downtown, right across the street from the Stratosphere."
"Lead the way, my good taxicab driver." Louis said, leaning back into his seat with a satisfied grin.
"Sure."
The cab continued down the street, drawing closer and closer to the edge of downtown…
Team Madison…
After pooling together all the money they had on them (plus Ethan's watch and some of Lauren's jewelry), they managed to gain access to the Stratosphere tower. They waited through a long line and a boring safety lecture, before they finally found themselves at the ledge next.
"OK, which one of you kids is going next?" The attendant asked, the harness all ready to go.
Ethan quickly glanced at Samantha and Lauren, the former texting away and the latter biting her long nails nervously.
"Ladies first." Ethan grabbed Lauren by the wrist and pulled her forward.
"What? Wait!"
The attendant already started strapping her into the harness. She looked back at Ethan with a wide-eyed stare.
"Look, I know that you could never grab it yourself, and we only have four shots at this. I just want you to scan the entire wall on your way down; search for it. Search for it, do you understand me? You don't have to grab it if you want, but please just do your best and look for the dang thing! When you get back up here, tell me what you saw and where it is, OK?"
"Uh…sure…" She gulped and looked down over the edge.
"There. Finished." The attendant said curtly. "Get ready and jump whenever you want to."
Lauren looked back at Ethan one more time. He nodded at her, then gestured at the drop below her.
She stepped over to the edge, looked down, gulped once more…
Then, suddenly, a brief gust of wind came up, and that did it.
"!"
Team Sahara…
Louis looked out the window to his right as the massive tower loomed up above him. He thought he could barely see a small form leap off of a ledge higher up, one long cord attached to it and tracing back to the ledge it had departed from.
"That's the Stratosphere?" He asked as he looked back at the cabbie.
"Correct-o. And…here's the pawnshop!"
They turned right and pulled into the small parking lot, with all members of the team crowding to the left side of the cab to see the building. It was a small building with the massive vertical marquee reading "Gold and Silver Pawn."
"Wow. I actually get to see it in person for the first time!" Nicole commented.
"The place is usually crowded, but considering that you're here for a reality show, I think they'll see you to wherever it is you need to go."
"Surely." Mary agreed.
"Thank you very much for your help." Louis thanked.
"Sure thing, pal." He replied.
With a final wave and an extra tip to the cabbie, the five teens exited the cab and walked up to the sidewalk leading past the front door of the building. Louis opened the door and held it open, allowing his teammates to get in. But just barely.
The store, as the cabbie predicted, was packed. People of all shapes, sizes, races, and age were everywhere, moving in slow lines past glass cases, items on the wall, and some were talking to employees who displayed some special items.
They ran up to the nearest employee: a large, middle-aged man with short brown hair and a lazy look in his eyes.
"Can I help ya?"
"Hi, we're, um, from a reality show called 'Total Drama'…"
"Oh, so you did figure out the riddle." The man commented, raising an eyebrow. "They told us that you kids were too stupid to figure it out, so we wouldn't have to worry about meeting you…"
Several pairs of eyes rolled.
"…but you're actually here. Well, um, OK. Hang on." He turned to the side and yelled across the store. "Hey dad!"
"What is it now, Corey?" A man just as large, and much older, balder, and with only a slight beard, came over to the team.
"The kids from that reality show actually made it."
Rick Harrison Jr. looked at the five teens, eyeing each one of them ominously. "I'll be darned. Nice to meet you, I'm Rick Harrison." He stuck out his hand for quick handshakes with each of the teens.
"Oh, we know who you are." Louis commented, still struck with meeting him in person.
"So, you came for this, did you?" He reached down behind the counter and withdrew a small brown box with a single gilded latch on the front.
"That's our item?" Mary asked eagerly as she started to reach for it.
It was jerked away.
"Uh, I beg your pardon, but you've seen my show, haven't you?"
"Of course!"
"Then you know what I do for a living." He placed the box back down. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"
The implication sank in. The two men grinned.
"Name a price."
"Son of a-."
Team Victory II…
The cab screeched to a halt in the massive parking lot, the replica of the Sphinx already behind them. Matthew was the first to bolt out, followed slowly afterward by the other four members of Team Victory II. Violet tipped the cabbie before climbing out, and the car sped off.
He stared up at the massive structure before them: The Luxor. Standing 365 feet into the air, it was an ideal replica of the pyramids, black all around and with windows lining its sides.
"'You will get the point'." Matthew quoted from the clue.
He slowly looked up even higher, staring hard at the top of the pyramid.
He thought he saw something.
"Hey, does anyone have some binoculars or something?"
Two seconds later, Eryn whipped out a pair and handed it to Matthew, who took it nonchalantly, too focused on what was at the top.
"Um, where did you…?" James started to ask, but was stopped when Eryn simply looked at him, grinned, and shrugged.
Matthew slowly turned the dial on the top over to the left, adjusting the focus. The blur slowly transitioned into a crystal-clear image…
"Is that…?"
He peered hard at the object at the top of the pyramid. It came into focus
"IT IS!" He shouted out.
"It's what?"
"It's another stinkin' wooden chest! Just like in Hawaii! At the top of the dang pyramid!" He lowered the binoculars. "How can we possibly get up there?"
After a few seconds, everyone turned to Eryn, standing innocently with her hands behind her back.
"Can I help you?"
"Would you happen to be able to know a way up there?"
"Hmm…" Eryn slowly walked up, hands still clasped casually behind her back, as she inspected the base of the pyramid. She knelt down and looked straight up the slope of the pyramid's wall towards the spire at the top.
"Hmm…Mhm…Ah. Perhaps I might be able to…"
She then slowly stepped back, cracked her knuckles, stretched back and popped her back, then crouched down, one leg bent perfectly in a ninety-degree angle at her knee, while her left leg stuck out straight behind her, palms on the ground firmly, tongue sticking out to the side.
Then she bolted. With an unbelievable increase in speed, she dashed as fast as she could, racing straight towards the pyramid. As she approached, she jumped up, grabbed James's shoulders with her hands and leapt up onto him to get an extra boost. With a final movement, she propelled herself forward off of him, landing one of her feet directly in James's face and kicking off, sending him flying backwards and to the ground with an "OOF!"
Matthew looked back from the unconscious James to Eryn, flying through the air, and landing on the side of the pyramid, her fingers splayed out and bent, digging into the side of the building, her feet on their tiptoes, pressing firmly against the building and preventing her from sliding down. Without hesitation, she started scampering up the wall like a lizard, unbelievably fast and with an unbelievably tight grip.
Matthew's look of shock turned to a look of satisfaction, and a grin spread across his face.
"Ho, ho, yes. We're definitely gonna win."
Team Madison…
The rope retracted inch by inch, until finally, the trembling, babbling form attached to it was visible once again. The attendant helped her to stand on her feet just long enough for him to undo the harness, before he let her drop into the arms of her teammates before her.
"Lauren, are you alright?" Jessica asked with noticeable concern.
"Uuuuuuuhhhhh…" She moaned.
Ethan moved in, lightly brushing Jessica aside.
"Lauren, what did you see? Lauren!"
"Uuuuggghhhhh…"
"Lauren, listen to me!" Ethan grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her. "What did you see? Did you see it?"
"Uuuhhh…" She slowly rolled her head up to look at Ethan. "…On…on the…"
"Yes? Yes?"
"On the…side…of the…"
"Alright kids, come on! Hurry it up! I don't got all day, and there's a line waitin'!" The attendant interrupted impatiently.
"LAUREN! Answer the question now!"
"On the side…of the building…halfway…down."
"Good!" Ethan turned to Samantha. "You're next. I want you to corroborate the location of our item, and fast!"
Samantha didn't respond vocally, but stepped forward to allow the attendant to start attaching the harness to her.
Team Sahara…
The five teammates were all huddled in a group, pulling out every last crumpled-up dollar bill and piece of change that they could find in their pockets and wallets.
"OK, so what's the tally?" Mary asked in a hushed whisper, glancing over her shoulder at the grinning man at the counter.
"Uh…475 American dollars and 62 cents." Nicole replied.
"WHA-."
Mary's shout was interrupted when Louis quickly placed a hand over her mouth.
"It's not hopeless yet."
"Yes it is!" Mary retorted in a harsh whisper. "Have you seen this show? Do you see how this guy works? A person asks for 500 dollars for something, he'll take it for 100! He's so ridiculously cheap! So if we ask for something for 500 dollars, he'll give it to us for 2,500! We'll never get it with only 475 dollars!"
"And 62 cents." Nicole added.
"Don't let him know that we have so little." Louis replied calmly. "We'll just fool him into thinking that we have a lot more. A lot more. I've dealt with hagglers like him. I know how to handle him. Nicole, you keep the money relatively contained. If he gets a long enough amount of time to look at it, he could add it all up himself. OK?"
"Sure."
"I'll make the first move."
The group broke, and Louis turned and walked up to the counter. Between the two men was the counter and the box sitting on top of it.
"So? What's your price?"
"Oh, good sir, I regret to inform you that we are quite short on cash as it is. Let's just say that we have barely over the two-digit range. Barely."
"Well, I'm sorry, but until you name an exact price, I can't name a price of my own."
"Hmm…" Louis turned back to his teammates.
"What do you say to…100 dollars?"
Rick took a deep breath, looked down slightly, and shook his head. "Sorry, but it'll have to be a little higher."
"Why so, good sir?"
"Why so? Have you seen our economy?"
"Well, considering that I live in Canada, no."
"It ain't doing so hot. And, you know, in such an unstable economy, we need to do all we can to earn as much money as possible and lose as little money as possible. You get what I'm saying?"
"Of course, of course. So what do you suggest?"
"500."
Louis turned back to Mary. She looked at him, the frantic look now turned to a look of frustration as she mouthed, "I told you so."
Louis looked back. "500 is…quite much. Please, sir. Why not…200?"
"500."
"300?"
"500."
"OK, OK…450?"
"500, kid. Oh, and by the way…how are you raising your price by 100 every time, even though you initially made it out to be that you only had 100 dollars to offer?"
"Um…" Louis looked back to his teammates, whose expressions were just as blank as his amount of answers.
He turned back. "OK, OK. You've caught me. Our amount is 475, and that's the truth. Just please bring it down to 500."
Rick smiled. "You see, I was kinda willing to give you the box if you would just tell me the honest amount up front. But since you lied, I'm gonna have to keep it at 500. But it's a shame, though…You know why? Because I'm a huge fan of you guys, as is Chum. Speaking of which…Hey Corey, where's Chum?"
"He went to get some fried chicken." Corey replied with a chuckle.
"Oh, well that's too bad. He would've loved to see you guys. He's your biggest fan."
Even in the midst of the defeat, Louis perked up at this new revelation.
"Big fan, you say?"
"Sure."
"Hmm…and would you say that, right now, Total Drama is one of the most popular reality shows that's ever existed?"
"I wouldn't go that far, but it's definitely popular." Rick shrugged.
"So…wouldn't you agree that memorabilia from this show will soon have a very large and very generous market?"
"Ah, I suppose so…Why?"
"Then perhaps we can add something else to our total amount." Louis turned and gestured at his teammates.
"Take a look at some of the people on the same team as me. Mary and Isaiah, two of the most popular contestants in this cast, both of whom have competed in all three seasons so far. And how about myself and Anna? We're two of the newcomers. This is the only team with more than one newcomer on it, and I'm sure we'll both be quite popular too. And don't forget Nicole over here."
"Nicole? Who's that?"
Off to the side, Nicole briefly shook with shock, then her shoulders sagged as she facepalmed, more out of shame than annoyance.
Although this sight noticeably upset Louis, he shook it off. "Um…anyway. I'm willing to give you a fully-autographed package, featuring all five of our signatures. Five of Total Drama's contestants, from one of the series' episodes! Think of the implications! When this episode airs, people all over will be begging for those autographs! And they'll surely pay high, handsome prices."
"Hmm…It does make a lot of sense. I guess it's a good thing Chum isn't here; he'd ask for all those autographs." Rick and Corey chuckled.
"So? Is it a deal, my good sir?"
"Maybe. I just need one more thing…to seal the deal."
"Alright. What might that be?"
"You five, right here, right now, have to agree to split the two million dollars with me if one of you wins."
"WHAT?" They all exclaimed.
"You heard me." Rick grinned. "Fifty/fifty."
Mary facepalmed. "You've GOT to be kidding me! This is just…ridiculous! You're basically asking for ONE MILLION DOLLARS just for that box?"
"One million, 475 dollars and 62 cents." Nicole corrected.
"WHATEVER!" Mary shot back. "I say no way! No. Way."
"Then you guys just might be sending one of your own out the Drop of Shame tonight." Rick said with a shrug. He placed a hand on the box and started to pull it away.
"Wait!" Louis called out. "Let us think it over, as a team. Please?"
"Eh, I've got nothing better to do. Plus, this is rather fun."
From nearby, Corey pulled his cell phone away from his ear and grinned at Rick. "Hey, dad. You're gonna love this: I just called Chum and told him that they're here, and he flipped out. He says he dropped his chicken and jumped into his car the moment I told him who it was. He's on his way back right now."
Somewhere else in Vegas…
"MUST. MEET. TOTAL. DRAMA. CONTESTANTS!" Chumlee roared as he sped down the street, the wind whipping his hair after blowing off his hat.
Back at the Pawn Shop…
"Uh-oh." Rick said in a voice that betrayed no real fear or concern. He turned to the teens. "Might I recommend making a choice quick, before Chum gets here. If he meets you guys, he'll never let you leave."
Team Madison…
Even as she was brought up, jerking up, then bouncing back down slightly as the rope was pulled in inch by inch, Samantha could still focus on her phone and her phone only.
As she was unstrapped, Ethan approached her.
"Well? What did you see?"
No answer.
"Samantha!"
Nonchalantly, she turned her phone around to face Ethan. On it was a picture that she had taken on the way down. It was fairly blurry, but still unmistakable: A dark, square object attached to the white façade of the building, apparently by crude duct tape. She then flicked her fingertip across the screen, moving to the next picture, taken on the way up: The same object, slightly more in-focus and recognizable: A black box, with the duct tape running across it to keep it attached to the side of the building.
"O…OK. Nice work, Samantha."
Ethan turned to the remaining member of his team.
"Jessica? Please do the honor of being the first member of the team now to actually try to retrieve it."
"Me?" She asked in shock. "Retrieve it? But it's duct-taped to the building! How can I get that off?"
"You wait until they start to pull you back up, then reach for it. Grab onto the edges, hook your fingers under it, and then pull."
"OK, but what if I pull too hard, and it falls off, and I lose my grip?"
"Then we get back down to the base of the tower and get it. It's impossible to lose it now, we just need to get it in our hands."
"OK…I'll try."
Jessica stepped up as the attendant prepared the harness.
Ding-ding!
At that moment, a familiar gruff voice crackled on over all three teams' walkie-talkies.
"Musical reprise time!" Chef shouted.
Musical Reprise – Hurry Up
Isaiah: The time we have is a-tick-tockin' by
Yeah, tick-tockin' by so fast
We don't have much time left to make this deal
And we don't wanna come in last!
Matthew: We've got this in the bag and we can't lose it now!
To win once more, that'd make me so proud
Ethan: We've got to get that box, and you (points to Jessica) know how!
Matthew, Rachael, and Violet: Hurry…up, Eryn!
Team Sahara: Hurry…up, Louis!
Jessica: How I wish that we had more
More time and more people for this jump!
'Cause rather than take on this big risk, I'd prefer to jump into a dump!
Matthew: Oh, just come on, Eryn, pick up the pace!
It's so important that we claim first place!
Jessica: I just hope that I don't land on my face! (Jumps off screaming)
Team Sahara: Hurry…up, Louis!
Team Madison: Hurry…up, Jessica!
Eryn: I love Las Vegas with their tall, tall buildings
And its tingling feelings
That those lights put in your soul!
I can see the whole city, and boy it looks so pretty, oh, so, so pretty
If you could see it from up here, you'd never be the same again!
Louis: We've got to make our choice now, gotta get us that box, if it costs us our very last dime!
If we wind up broke, but up in first-class, it'll be worth all of our time!
It's now or never, so let's just say yes
No other option will I suggest
Trust me, Mary, it's for the best, so…
Team Sahara: Hurry…up, Mary!
Team Madison: Hurry…up, Jessica!
Matthew, Violet, and Rachael: Hurry…up, Eryn!
Team Sahara: Hurry…
Team Madison: Hurry…
All: Up, right now!
End Musical Reprise
"Great job, all ya'll!" Chef replied over the walkie-talkie. "But…"
"'But'?" Matthew shot back with a hint of anger and shock mixed together in his voice. "What do you mean, 'but'? We sang, didn't we?"
"Er, not all of ya."
"Huh?"
"It's time now to declare the first person in this season eliminated due to No-Singing Rule!" Chef declared.
"WHAT?" Every single contestant roared back.
"How?"
"Who?"
"This is ridiculous! Everyone sang, so what gives?"
"Again, not everyone." Chef replied flatly. "I am aware that one member of everyone's favorite winning-streak team failed to sing even once."
"But…but…"
The walkie-talkie slipped from Matthew's hands as his eyes widened in realization. He spun around and looked past Rachael and Violet.
At James.
He was still lying on the ground, out cold from when Eryn accidentally kicked him in the face.
"No…JAMES!"
"Bingo, bright boy! Chubby is OUTTA HERE!"
"NO! It's not fair!" Matthew shot back. "He was knocked out! It wasn't his fault!"
"The rule does not exempt people who are 'knocked out,' as you say. Regardless of why or how he was unable to sing, the fact is that he failed to sing. So, by Rule #371 of the Total Drama handbook, James is automatically eliminated!"
"NO!" Matthew, Rachael, and Violet all shouted back.
"You've got to give him a second chance!" Violet insisted.
"James, wake up! WAKE UP!" Matthew roared, grabbing his larger friend by the shoulders and shaking him. "I said MOVE IT!"
Just then, a familiar golf cart came speeding up to the team in the parking lot. They all looked up and saw Carl in the driver's seat.
"Sorry, guys. Boss's orders; I gotta take your friend out of here and back to the Jet."
"JAMES! WAKE YOUR FAT BEHIND UP!" Matthew roared.
His eyelids fluttered, and James uttered a sound that was a mix between a gargle and a groan.
"Urckgh…huzzwhuh?"
"JAMES! You were out cold when we did the musical reprise! You didn't sing!"
"I did a zing?"
"YOU. DIDN'T. SING!"
The golf cart was now directly behind James. Carl stepped out and lightly brushed Matthew aside. Kneeling down next to James, Carl spoke in a much more soothing voice.
"Come on, there, big fella. Let's head on back to the Jet, OK?"
"Diz we won?"
"Everything will be explained when we get back, just get in the golf cart."
"Ogay."
Matthew stepped back and watched in pure shock, his breathing sped up significantly as James was slowly helped up to his feet and eased into the passenger side of the golf cart. Carl walked around to the driver's seat. With one last glance back at the two girls and one guy, he shook his head and started up the cart.
Just as it turned around and began to speed off out of sight, Matthew unleashed another roar of fury.
Team Sahara…
"Alright, we have very few options left, friends." Louis reported. "I've seen this show. He's not going to give up. He knows that he has us under his thumb, and we have no leverage here. I say we agree to the split."
"And I say you're nuts. If I were to win, I'd never split it with him. He's filthy rich already!"
"Regardless. What matters is right now. And right now, we need to avoid coming in last place." An idea struck. "Seeing as how you're the only one who refuses to agree to the split, how well do you think you would fare in the face of elimination?"
Her look of anger flushed out completely as fear took hold. Her eyes went wide. "What?" She replied in a squeak.
"Yeah!" Anna added. "If we lose today because you don't want to agree to some deal with an old man…"
"Hey!" Rick yelled.
"…you'll pay the price."
Mary swallowed. She glanced at Louis, who looked back at her with an unreadable look, with barely detectable tones of seriousness. She didn't dare look at Anna, who now had an evil, greedy look in her eyes, obviously enjoying the idea of voting off Mary. She glanced at Nicole, who looked once at Louis, then back at Mary. Isaiah did the same.
"Ugh…fine."
"Excellent."
Louis turned back to Rick, tapping one finger casually on the glass countertop.
"You've got yourself a deal, good sir."
"OK, great. So let me see that money, and you can get this box."
"Of course." Louis placed the crumpled-up bundle of cash on the counter, sliding most of it over towards Rick. Rick responded by sliding the box across the glass towards Louis.
"A pleasure doing business with you." Rick said with a grin as he pocketed the money.
Just then, Chef's voice crackled back over the walkie-talkies.
"Attention, all contestants! It is my pleasure to announce that a team has emerged victorious at long last!"
"YES!" All five members of Team Sahara cheered, jumping up and down, hugging, and sharing hi-fives all around.
"Congratulations to our latest winner…TEAM VICTORY II!"
Silence fell over the five rejoicing teams.
"…What?" Isaiah replied in a squeaky, half-hearted voice.
"In a split-second victory ahead of Team Sahara, the psycho blonde managed to retrieve Team Victory II's item from the top of the Luxor pyramid first! Congratulations on avoiding having to vote out one of your own tonight, Team Victory II and Team Sahara!"
"YES! OH, YEAH! UH-HUH! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! BOO-FREAKIN'-YAH!" Matthew cheered out in wild celebration, his anger and sadness over James's sudden exit dissipating in a second.
Groans arose from the other two teams, accompanied by hanging heads and sagging shoulders.
"Argh! Again? Really? Really?" Ethan roared out in fury, smacking his forehead repeatedly.
Just then, Jessica finally came back up to the ledge, clutching the box in her hands.
"Hey, hey guys! I got it! I actually managed to get it!"
"Oh, congratulations, Jessica. We came in last." Ethan muttered, shaking his head.
Her look of excitement and pride in her accomplishment vanished. "What?"
"Team Victory II won…AGAIN." Lauren explained, clearly just as infuriated as Ethan.
"Oh…" Jessica hung her head, looking down at the box she had just retrieved. "And right after I finally did something right…"
Team Sahara...
"Oh, come on! This close? THIS. CLOSE?" Mary roared. "They STILL beat us? What does fate have against us that allows us to lose every single time? WHY?"
"Hey, at least we came in second, right?" Nicole offered as half-hearted comfort.
"She's right. Let's just accept the fact that at least we didn't lose completely. That's what's important." Louis agreed.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt your moment here, but you guys might wanna peel out. Fast." Corey advised. "Don't forget; Chum is on his way, and determined to meet you guys."
"Right. No time to wallow in our sorrow. Let's go." Louis quickly added.
And with that, the five teens trudged out the door.
Cockpit Confessional
Ethan – So here we are again, facing elimination. For the first time, I find myself truly torn between who to vote for. On the one hand, we have Lauren: Annoying, whiny, complaining, very rarely doing something to help the team, and, most recently, getting us thrown out of a taxicab. On the other hand, Samantha: Often does little to nothing, but is surprisingly talented with that phone of hers. That's twice now she's managed to use her phone to help us in the challenge; first in the Mississippi, then here in Vegas. Of course, her greatest strength is also her weakest disadvantage: Anything goes wrong with the phone, she drops it, or "EEK! There's no service!", and she becomes just as much dead weight as Lauren.
Naturally, I got rid of dead weight such as Suzie to better improve our team's chances of winning. I got rid of threats like Madison in preparation for the merge. I guarantee you now that the merge is probably about three, maybe four episodes away, if we're lucky. Voting off Samantha could weaken our team further, while voting off Lauren would be eliminating a non-threatening player while strengthening our team.
So, who's going home tonight? Well, of course, I'll tell Lauren to vote for Samantha and Samantha to vote for Lauren, for all of the respective reasons mentioned above. But in the end, it all comes down to who me and Jessica vote for. It's gonna be tough, but…
End
The four remaining members of Team Madison sat on the bleachers once again, all except for the lone male looking nervous. Jessica repeatedly crossed her legs, uncrossed them, then crossed them over the opposite way, while Ethan leaned back with his hands behind his head. Samantha, as always, was dutifully texting away, while Lauren was nervously glancing between the mountainous man on the stage and the platter of Barf Bags beside him.
"Team FemiNazi, you have lost once again, for the second time in a row. You all know the drill, you cast your votes, you receive a Barf Bag, the person who doesn't gets to take a funny fall. So…let's get on with it!"
A few minutes later…
"The votes have been cast. The first Bag goes to…"
Ethan and Jessica shared a glance.
"…Ethan."
Ethan caught his Bag, then gave Jessica a slight grin of reassurance.
"Jessica."
"Samantha and Lauren. It comes down to the two of you. Both of you can be completely useless. You…" He pointed at Lauren. "…are a whiny and annoying little witch, while you…" He pointed at Samantha. "…are willing to drop everything if you lose a bit of your precious reception."
Lauren, naturally, gave a scoff of offense while Samantha simply shrugged.
"Whichever one of you it is, I'd sure hate to be you taking this particular fall. As we continue moving west, we're moving out over the desolate Nevada desert. It's sure to be hot down there, and anywhere from 5 to 10 hours to the nearest form of civilization…by foot.
"So, while I'm sure it was a tough choice, the final Barf Bag goes to…"
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"…Samantha!"
The texter held a single hand out to catch the Bag, while the other hand remained tapping away on the phone.
The prom queen was, to say the least, devastated.
"WHAT?" She screeched, causing Chef, Ethan, and Jessica to cover their ears. "BUT, BUT YOU CAN'T! YOU NEED ME! YOU NEED MY GLAMOR! YOU NEED MY PERFECT TASTE OF FASHION! YOU NEED…YOU NEED…"
"You need to get out of here." Ethan said firmly. "At least Samantha's phone obsession can come in handy from time to time. You're just garbage."
She nearly exploded, her face turning red and a single vein bulging in her forehead. Her fists clenched tightly, her over-expensive nails digging into her palms.
"WHY YOU DIRTY FILTHY SCUMMY LITTLE…"
Her rampage was cut off when Chef, standing behind her, grabbed her by the shoulders. Her rage instantly vanished as her eyes widened with fear.
"WAIT! NO! CAN YOU AT LEAST WAIT UNTIL WE'RE OVER A CITY? …Or at least California?"
Chef spun around and prepared to throw her out the door.
"ACK! NONONONONONONO!"
"Oh, relax, kid. I wasn't about to throw you out without a parachute…"
"You better not have." Lauren muttered.
"You'll get a parachute, alright…that you must share with our other victim tonight!"
At that moment, James, ushered out from behind the stage's curtain by Carl, trudged up to the door, parachute in hand.
"I guess this is really it, isn't it?"
"You better believe it, fat boy."
And with that, Chef grabbed James by the shirt collar and heaved him out the door (albeit with quite some effort), also releasing his grip on Lauren and tossing her out as well.
"Enjoy the desert!" He shouted down after them.
Lauren's shrill screech and James's deep roar both shrank away rather quickly as they flew out the door and fell away from the Jet, tumbling down towards the steaming desert below.
"Phew!" Chef muttered as he wiped his brow. "There goes the most annoying one." He turned to face the camera.
"Will Team Madison be able to pick up the pace and regain momentum, or will they be the next Team Victory? And what will become of Matthew and his relationship with the rest of his team now that his closest friend is gone? Find out next time, on Total…Drama…World Tour!"
Voting Confessionals
Lauren – Well, Ethan told me that he and Jessica will vote for Samantha, since her obsession with that phone could cost us another challenge like it did in Kansas. So, see ya later, text-a-holic! (Stamps Samantha's passport)
Samantha – (Stamps Lauren's passport)
Jessica – Ethan said that he really had to think it over, but he ultimately decided on Lauren instead of Samantha. To me, they're both pretty bad, and as long as I'm not the one up for elimination, I'm fine with it. So… (Stamps Lauren's passport)
Ethan – Like I said, the merge isn't probably for a good three or four more episodes. I would prefer to take at least two other teammates with me to the merge, and we have a better chance of doing that with Samantha than with Lauren. (Stamps Lauren's passport)
Voting Results
Lauren – Samantha
Ethan – Lauren
Jessica – Lauren
Samantha – Lauren
Total Votes
Lauren – 3
Samantha – 1
Elimination Order: Mark, Eryn, Madison, John, Suzie, James, Lauren
Epilogue
"So, what exactly is the deal with these boxes?" Eryn asked in curiosity, turning the box around several times in her hands as she inspected it.
"I don't know, but as long as it got us invincibility, I don't care." Matthew said as he reclined in one of the large yellow chairs. "Besides, Chef said he'd tell us when to open it."
Just then, Chef's voice came over the intercom.
"Alright, everyone! It's time for the grand reveal! You may each open up the boxes that your team retrieved today!"
"Oh, boy!" Eryn shouted in excitement, instantly flipping open the gilded latch and tossing the lid open.
A single spurt of purple paint shot out, splattering all over her face.
Down in economy-class, a similar action happened to both Mary and Ethan, respectively.
A very satisfied laugh tore over the intercom.
"CHEF!" The three teens roared.
Gold and Silver Pawnshop…
Corey had just finished straightening out the money from the shop's latest deal and sorted it into the various drawers of the nearest register when a set of tires screeched outside.
In an instant, the glass door was flung open, and a panting, sweating, fast-talking Chumlee burst in.
"To…To…Tota…Total…Drama…cast? Where…?"
"Gone." Corey said flatly, without even looking up from the register.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"