A/N: Wow, this update took a while. Sorry about that.
I don't own Total Drama or its characters.
Burning Down The House
Paige's announcement sent shocked Geoff's party to the core, a four-word lightning bolt that froze their very senses and left them gaping.
"No way..." The color drained from Courtney's face. "But then...."
"No time," Kiefer said, striding the rest of the way down the ramp. "When did this happen?"
"Very recently," Paige answered, extending her hand to let her snake coil around it. "I think in the last hour."
"Sir Devon. I request permission to find the assassin." The short knight hopped atop his dog. DJ shook his head, breaking himself out of shock. "Y-yeah, sure...go for it man...you too, Paige...all of you."
The Sixteenth division all gave him signs of assent, and Kiefer's dog bounded up the stairs, followed closely by the rest of the unit. DJ sighed and asked no one in particular, "So...what now?"
"I...I don't know," Courtney admitted, squatting down and hugging her legs. "We did everything we could to figure out who attacked Tofino, and then our only suspect...what did we miss?"
"I don't know either, eh." Ezekiel climbed down to the dock and sat next to the bay, looking into its pristine waters. Bridgette and Geoff both stood on the plank, looking at each other in shock. Courtney sighed, "I was so sure we had our man...guess not..."
"Hold on," Bridgette said, looking up. "Didn't Alejandro say that Captain Herbert was chasing the attacker when he got killed?"
Courtney shrugged, brushing off what she felt was an unimportant question. Bridgette smirked at her, although she felt no joy at all. "How did Alejandro know that Herbert was chasing after the attacker...when he claims he didn't see the attacker?"
"Because he's...he's..." Courtney jumped up. "Because that bastard is the attacker! He framed Enke, and while we were out of the way..."
"Killed him," Ezekiel finished, also rising. "Man, if only we'd realized that earlier, eh."
DJ asked, slouched back against the ferry, stroking Bunny's helm. "But...he was helping find the attacker! He couldn't have been..."
"Wake up, DJ. It isn't that hard to work both sides like Alejandro did," Courtney snapped. . "Well, I guess we have no choice but to confront him..."
"Confront who now, chica?" Alejandro glared down at them as he stomped down the steps, the energy of each step seeming to shake the entire structure. "You're accusing me of attacking the cities because I worded something wrong?"
"You said, in your own words, you 'didn't see a damn thing'" Courtney marched to towards the stairs. "That's pretty damn clear to me."
Alejandro rolled his eyes . "All I saw that night was two silhouettes enter the warehouse and one exit. After the attacker left, I went over to the warehouse to check what had happened. Not a smart move on my part.
Her breaths still hissed. The CIT stopped, her glare softening just a bit. "But...if not you...who else? I mean, whoever did it had not only had to be a palace official, he or she had to be very close to King Enke—unless..."
"How could I have attacked Ucluelet and Bamfield when I was always either guarding the king or searching for the attacker with royal guards?" Alejandro scowled down at her. "Stop wasting my time and try to find the real attacker—it's been too soon since the assassination for him to have gone far."
As he headed back into the citadel, Courtney's fists relaxed . DJ walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Forget about him. Come on, we got a psycho to find."
"Fine. Whatever." Courtney stormed back to Geoff and said, "I still don't trust him. I'm going ask the first guard I find where that warehouse is, and then I'm gonna take a look at it. You guys can go look in the palace for anyone suspicious, but I doubt you'll find one more questionable than Alejandro. Later."
"Wait a minute!" Geoff barred her way as she tried to march away from the Cathedral. "You sure you don't want anyone to come with you?"
"If someone wants to come with me, fine," she said. Ezekiel and DJ looked at each other. The prairie boy said, "I...don't get along with her too well, eh."
DJ shrugged. "Well, I;m terrified of her." Ezekiel grinned. "Okay, then."
"I'll go with her," Bridgette announced with a roll of her eyes. Courtney did the same. "Well, I was kinda hoping for someone who could actually fight, but..."
"Stop complaining," Bridgette chastised. As the two girls hurried off, Geoff turned to his DJ. "So...should we try to find your division?"
Courtney growled at the warehouse. "Damn it...his story checks out."
The remains of the building, blackened and crumbling, taunted her just by existing and having open space on each side of it. She sighed and looked down at the ground. Next to her, Bridgette gave her a sidelong look. "You still think Alejandro's guilty, don't you?"
Courtney nodded slowly. "Yeah..sorry, I'm not willing just yet to accept what he said was just 'bad wording'. Let me guess—you think I'm obsessing too much on this."
"Well, you do have trouble admitting you're wrong," Bridgette joked, trying to elicit emotion. "But seriously, Alejandro is definitely...what on earth?"
Courtney looked up to see what Bridgette had; flames erupting on the northern outskirts. As Bridgette gaped in silence, Courtney yelped, "The hell...there's no way Alejandro could have gotten there that fast, with the ferries shut down..."
"Let's go, Courtney!" The surfer grabbed her wrist and took off, dragging the CIT behind her. Courtney squawked, "What-"
Bridgette didn't listen to her friend's complaints as she raced towards the inferno.
Geoff charged toward the blaze, hellbent on putting an end to its destruction. Ezekiel matched him step for step. The two mightiest of Geoff's group, undeterred by the rush of fleeing townsfolk and the threat of fiery death, did not falter when they felt the fire's heat. No thoughts of retreat crossed their minds when fireballs were spewed into the air, the bonfire spreading across the northern end of Clearwater.
However, none of that applied to DJ. He crept behind his comrades, head down and trembling. As they drew near enough for the heat of the pyre to strike them, Geoff looked over at Ezekiel and asked, "So...gonna use that water spell to put out the fire, man?"
"Huh?" Ezekiel blinked, matching the party boy's look. "Nah, too many people in the area, eh. I thought we were trying to find whoever did this..."
"Wait...then who's gonna put out the fire? And seriously, if there are people in there..."
"Tofino's soldiers should be taking care of it," DJ squeaked, less terrified by the prospect of chasing the arsonist than of charging headlong into fire. "Although, I suppose a water spell couldn't hurt."
"Mine could, eh," Ezekiel chuckled despite the situation. Geoff remembered a blast of water erupting from underneath a galleon and shuddered at the though of Clearwater meeting the same fate. As the scalding licks of fire lashed at him, he ground to a halt, "Yeah...I think we should go another way. "
"But how would we find him?" Ezekiel asked as Geoff planted Enceladus in the wood to lean against. "I think it would be a much better idea to help people out here; chances are-"
"Chances are you two are gonna be swallowed by the flames if you don't move," Kiefer snapped, glaring down at them from atop his Great Dane. As Ezekiel and Geoff bolted away from the inferno, Paige leaned against the dog and stretched. "As Sir Devon said, the Tofinan military can take care of the flames. We should be pursuing the attacker. And since Kyle here has an owl..."
A blue-eyed knight with wild blond hair, sans an animal, waved at them. "Already got Stolas scanning the city."
"Awesome!" Geoff extended a hand for a high-five from Kyle. Kiefer barked, "Concentrate, Chosen One! You should be keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious."
"But it's just..." Geoff caught Ezekiel's look, telling him not to fight over it. Kiefer ignored the Chosen One's complaint and, arms crossed, said, "Okay, since we don't have all night to wait for that owl, I say we head north until it comes back."
"And if he didn't go north?" Paige asked, looking doubtful. "We probably wouldn't be able to catch up with him if we went the wrong way. Assuming he's even fleeing."
"No one with any sense would stick around after killing a king, eh," Ezekiel reasoned, already heading north. "After the assassination, he headed north and started this fire, probably to distract the military."
"Fine. But I think we should head a bit east as well, in case he just made a beeline for the coast."
"Agreed. Let's move." Kiefer's dog bounded forward, threatening to leave everyone else behind. An owl hooted as it came to rest on its master's shoulder and leaned in. After three more hoots, Kyle said, "Okay, Stolas found someone heading towards the coast by himself. Tall, huge...wait, what? Oh, sorry, missing a hand, not..."
He shuddered at whatever thought he'd heard. Before he could continue, a shrill voice shattered the silence. "So if your bird found someone, why are you just standing around?"
Ezekiel shook off his shock and gave Courtney a brief wave as she strode up to them, Bridgette pacing along beside her. "Hey, Cour-"
"Not now." She turned to glare at Geoff. "Let's get moving. Now."
Kiefer nodded and said, "If Kyle can send Stolas after the guy, I'll follow and engage. Hopefully, I'll be able to take him down myself."
"How would we follow you?" Bridgette asked, trying to catch her breath—Courtney could move fast when she wanted to. "It's not like we have anything to guide us..."
"Uitbarsting." Ezekiel pulled up a loose plank. The end caught fire. He explained, "The owl can carry this, eh. We'll be able to follow like that."
"Or," Courtney said, glaring at the country boy, "We can give Sir Kiefer Enceladus and not endanger the bird."
Kiefer took the burning stick. "Absolutely not. The sacred sword is not to be used in combat by anyone but the Chosen One; accidents are said to befall anyone else. Besides, I am already well-armed. Kyle?"
He handed the beacon to the blond animal knight, the flame glinting in his eyes. Courtney noted with some appreciation and awe that the flame hadn't burned any more of the plank since Ezekiel had cast the spell. Hooting, Stolas extended a talon and grabbed hold of the burning wood. It took off, clutching its cargo with its other claw and weaving an erratic pattern as it flew towards the coast. Courtney blinked, trying to figure out how a barn owl could lift a piece of wood—on fire, no less—and still be able to fly. Without a word, Kiefer planted a foot against his dog's side, shocking Bridgette even more. The dog yipped in pain but wheeled around to follow Stolas. Paige sighed and said, "I wish he'd stop doing that. I mean, he even trained Justin to listen to verbal commands!"
"I don't get how someone who relies so much on an animal can treat his partner like that," Bridgette groaned, the faintest trace of a snarl forming on her face. Beside her, Geoff shook his head, as though snapping himself out of a trance. "Wait...Justin...what?"
"The dog, not the scumbag," Courtney informed him as she started to stride towards the orange glow hovering over Clearwater. As the others started to shuffle after her, DJ turned to two of the animal knights. "JC. Larson. You guys go tell the Tofinan military that we may have found the attacker. Meet with us near-"
The grating sound of metal on metal interrupted the captain. The top of the Cathedral split and opened as a metal cylinder rose from the hole. It towered over the entirety of Clearwater for several silent seconds before the top of it swiveled on a hinge, revealing what looked like a cannon. As the metal behemoth's gears jumped to life, spinning the gun in a circle, Kyle noted, "Defenses. Damn good ones, too."
Courtney snapped out of her surprise and elbowed Geoff's ribs. Hard. "Stop wasting time looking at that thing and move! We need to catch up with Kiefer!"
The massive canine skittered to a halt on the Tofinan shoreline, spraying the massive beast of a man with sand. Its rider growled. "Alright, ugly. Time's up."
Said ugly returned Kiefer's glare as an owl came to rest beside the dog. Without a word, he flashed his left hand, revealing a wicked iron hook. The animal knight sniggered at the stunted weapon. "That's what you're gonna fight me with?"
He reached behind himself and pulled out a sword. Five wide feet of steel gleamed in the moonlight as Kiefer pointed the claymore at his foe. The giant responded in the most villainous way possible. He gave the least manly scream possible and took off the other way, entering a futile footrace with the Great Dane.
"Wow...where did that sword come from?"
Bridgette summarized her friends' thoughts as they approached the scene of the battle. Kiefer and his opponent, silhouettes dancing in the little light that shone on the beach, spewed up the sands as a dark mist, clouding the battle. The claymore hammered down on the unknown man, his own unseen weapon incapable of blocking several dozen pounds of iron. With speed unexpected for a man his size, the assailant ducked and sidestepped the wide-arcing strikes, attempting to strike back with whatever weapon he wielded without success. Kiefer drove him further back with each swing of the mighty blade.
From behind Bridgette, Ezekiel replied, "No idea, eh. Did anyone see it on him?"
"He's just good at keeping it hidden," DJ noted as though concealing a blade the size of its owner was nothing out of the ordinary. If not for her hurry to catch up with the dog-riding knight, Courtney would have stopped to stare at the captain. "DJ. Kiefer's sword is as big as he is! How the hell do you conceal that?"
"As you would say, not important now," Geoff called from up front, his details illuminated by Enceladus. Courtney chose to bite her tongue, the taste of blood in her mouth a small price to pay for her dignity.
A wounded howl pierced the night like an explosion as the blade came inches from removing the man's arm. Still whimpering, he received a blow from the flat side of the sword, sending him sprawling to the cold sand. As the dog stepped over to the fallen attacker, Geoff whooped and slowed his advance, now less than fifteen meters from the battle. "Yeah! Way to go, dude!"
"Don't count him out yet." Paige's dash was as brisk as ever.. "He's desperate now..."
"Yeah, sure." Geoff watched as Kiefer and the assailant appeared to exchange a few words. Courtney passed him, eager to discover the assailant's identity. Without warning, Justin boomed out a gruff bark and reared back, throwing Kiefer to the ground. Paige's eyes widened as the downed criminal drew something from his pocket and smashed it against the ground. Everything went a blinding white as the ball's explosion scalded their eyes. During their moments of blindness, Justin's raucous bark sounded, followed by Kiefer's cries for help and orders for Justin to stop.
Once his eyesight returned, Geoff blinked and scanned the beach. The assailant had left during that time, disappearing into the night without a sound. Of greater importance to everyone not named Courtney, the shadow of Justin stumbled into an alleyway, gripping a writhing, yelping figure's wrist in his mouth. Kiefer. Paige gave a shout and started after him, but the blond knight—Kyle, if Geoff remembered right—beat her to it. "I got him! Go after that guy!"
Paige stalled and turned to DJ. "Your orders, Sir Devon?"
"Kyle can deal with Justin. We gotta go after whoever that was. Let's go."
"Huh," Courtney murmured. Bridgette glanced at her. "What?"
"Just surprised that DJ of all people is so calm."
"DJ may be a scaredy-cat." Paige crouched down where she had last seen the attacker, "But he's actualy not too bad a leader...as long as nothing's happening around him, of course."
"Yeah...no offense, DJ." Ignoring the warning glare she received from Bridgette, she continued. "But how did you even become the captain? I mean, you're a nice guy and all, but Kiefer doesn't seem like the type to frighten easily. He's almost scary in battle..."
"Yeah, Kiefer's great. He actually used to be captain." DJ knelt by Paige and beckoned Geoff over. "If Justin wasn't confused so easily, he'd be the one ordering me around."
"What?" Then it clicked in Courtney's mind what he had said. She screeched, "You mean you're the captain of your division entirely because you have the most competent ANIMAL, never mind the fact it's a god damn RABBIT?"
"Well, kinda," DJ muttered. Everything now sounded like he was underwater. He wondered if the effects of Courtney's outburst were permanent. "When I came here, I had to fight Kiefer for the top spot. And I won!"
"May I ask what the dog did in the fight?"
"Justin? He chased after Stolas for the entire battle. Kinda lucky; if he didn't do that, Bunny probably wouldn't have been able to trip Kiefer."
"You won because Kiefer tripped?"
"Yeah. I was...oh, I hate to admit it, but I spent most of the fight running away—I mean, that sword is really scary—and...um..."
"...Why the hell does your division even exist?"
"Honestly? We're experimental."
Courtney slammed a palm to her forehead and dug her nails into her scalp. "Stop. Talking. Already."
"Uh, guys?" Geoff and Paige said at the same time. After exchanging an amused smirk with her, Geoff continued, "So, what now? That dude's long gone..."
"And badly wounded," Paige reached out to lower Enceladus. The purple light shone down on the ground, revealing red splatters on the sand. Bridgette peered over her boyfriend's shoulder. "So, we're gonna follow the blood trail?"
Paige never got the oppurtunity to answer. A high-pitched metallic whine split the ears of everyone within miles of Clearwater. A red ball of light began to collect on the metallic construct protruding from the Cathedra. Its end pointed down at the party. Geoff and Bridgette gaped, Ezekiel rifled through his books, Courtney swore and DJ curled into a fetal position. Paige took a glance at each of them and screamed, "Move it! That's a damn laser!"
At once, Geoff's party and the entire Sixteenth division moved as a wave of humanity, sprinting as far from the battle site as possible. After a few seconds, the cannon unleashed its crimson fury. Less than a second later, the battlefield exploded, propelling sand and stone high into the air. The group flew through the air and landed in a heap on the first grasses of the great Tofinan marsh.
As humans and animals alike struggled to untangle themselves amid Courtney's complaints, a cadre of soldiers approached, cloaked by the darkness. One of the first to stand, Geoff noted that the fires in Clearwater had been extinguished. Suddenly, he found a gun pointblank before his nose. A harsh, familiar voice commanded, "Rise. Keep your hands up. And if you value your life, Enceladus will stay where you dropped it."
Taking a quick glance at where Enceladus lay at his feet, Geoff complied, stretching towards the heavens as he rose, trembling from the blast. He gasped when he saw who stood before him. "Alejandro?"
"Silence." Alejandro's gun moved with Geoff's face. "You, Bridgette, Courtney and Ezekiel are under arrest for acts of terrorism brought against the province of Tofino."
In the marshlands, a bulky man with a large gash running down his chest clambered into a small cave, moaning and on the verge of tears. Panting and staring down at his own blood, he growled in a rather non-threatening voice, "Ooh, if that knight shows up again...owww..."
His head snapped up to look at the other occupant of the cavern. The bound and gagged sage ceased his struggling and met his captor's insane gaze. The large man said, "We're leaving tomorrow..."
"Have you lost your mind, Alejandro?" Courtney shouted, glancing over the two dozen guns pointed at her and her companions. The Sixteenth had been allowed to go free, and they had disappeared without anyone noticing. This further incensing her. Damn it DJ, I thought Geoff was your friend. "We've only been in the province for two days! How could we be the ones responsible?"
"Lo siento," Alejandro replied, his expression closer to that of a hungry crocodile than someone truly sorry, "but we have our own evidence. You have already been judged to be guilty, and now you are required to return to the Cathedral for sentencing. Unless you want my men to pass judgment now, of course—all twenty-four would be willing to execute you on the spot."
"Excuse me?" Bridgette's eyes narrowed, raised fingers twitching. "May we see or hear your so-called 'evidence'?"
Alejandro chuckled and brushed a strand of hair out of his face. "I'm sorry, but I cannot show you. The sooner we carry out your sentences, the sooner Clearwater will be calm again. You understand."
"Oh, this is such bullshit!" Only the threat of machine gun fire kept Courtney from reaching out to strangle him. "I've read the laws of Tofino, and I know that judging defendants without them being present for testimony is entirely illegal, as is denying them their right to hear what evidence is being presented against them. And furthermore, it is entirely illegal to execute foreigners without trial in times of peace!"
"...For someone about to die, you sure are boring." Alejandro yawned and smirked at her furthered indignation."And I do know my rights of Captain of the Guard...but you forget one thing."
"And what's that?"
"There is no one to stop a ruler from doing as he wishes. Even an interim king such as myself has total control. And seeing how easy it is to create court documents following your executions..." He trailed off, chortling. "And besides, I have my own ambitions. Imagine how much support I would get in my bid for kingship as the hero who ended the months of bombings in Tofino? You outlanders—and yes, I do know of the 'real' world—are the perfect scapegoats. And should Wawanakwa object...well, Queen Heather will undoubtedly back me once she hears I've done away with the Chosen One. He'll never admit it, but Chris is downright terrified of Discordia."
"So...this is a political ploy, eh," Ezekiel noted, calmer than his comrades. "I guess you're behind the Sage's kidnapping, as well?"
Courtney threw him a sidelong glare. "Does he look like a steroid junkie to you?"
Alejandro stifled a grin. "No, I had nothing to do with the kidnapping. That was just a stroke of luck. But enough talk. Vamos."
As he turned to head back to the Cathedral, something glinted in Enceladus's light. Something long and slender, covered in metal...Alejandro cried as he felt something crawl—no, slither up his leg and dig its teeth into him. Squirming and flailing his arms, he fell to the ground and the armor-coated coral snake, fast as lightning, slithered over to another soldier. Alejandro felt twenty-three guns turn towards the unlucky man..."No! Don't sh-"
The rat-a-tat of rapid fire shots drowned out his command. Lights sparked as bullets flew, piercing the soldier's armor and turning him into Swiss cheese in a second. He collapsed and the guns fell silent...and brought forth their cacophony once more as the snake, unharmed, darted out of the ruined armor. The snake moved too fast for the soldiers to kill. Scaley found its way into another soldier's armor, and he met the same fate as the first. The disturbance became full-on bedlam. A massive dog with bloodied teeth leaped out and dragged a soldier down with its iron-clamp jaws. An owl flew down from the night sky and clawed inside the helmet of another soldier. Another snake followed the coral snake's lead in entering a soldier's armor. Unlike Scaly, it wrapped its thick body around the man's chest, constricting him. A rabbit, curled up in an armored, spike-laden ball, came flying from the darkness, knocking out one of Alejandro's men before hopping up to return to its thrower. A soldier, moving away from the fray, froze up and collapsed. Several seconds later, a jet black scorpion made its way out of his helmet and onto the sand.
Alejandro knew a losing situation when he saw one. Cursing under his breath, he crawled through the melee, hoping against hope that none of the vicious animals would target him. By some miracle, he made it through his doomed legion and took off towards the Cathedral, ignoring the pain of his snakebite. Watching from behind a rock, Paige frowned but resumed wrapping a bandage around Kiefer's wrist. The wounded knight looked up and asked, "What?"
"...Nothing. I think enough soldiers are gone to get the Chosen One out of here."
DJ appeared from the shadows, Bunny in tow. "Looks like it. I'll take care of it."
He snuck out from behind the stone and, whimpering, ran towards Geoff, watching the soldiers to make sure no scary guns were pointed his way. He gripped his friend's shoulders. "Geoff, man! We gotta get outta here now!"
"Gotcha, dude," Geoff responded. He signaled to his comrades before following the captain out into the swamp. Once they were a good distance away, DJ said, "Okay, look guys. Alejandro got away and will be back with more men any time. We gotta pick up the attacker's blood trail and follow it to the Sage..."
"Because the Sage is the only one who can clear our names, right?" Courtney asked. DJ nodded. Panting, Bridgette looked up and asked, "What about your division, DJ?"
"They can handle it." Courtney smirked at him. "Honestly, DJ. I didn't think you had the guts to try something like that. I'd say you're actually a better leader than Geoff."
"Just doing what I need to help my man," DJ shrugged. The CIT's good mood was short lived, however; before they had gone fifty meters, the ground collapsed beneath them, dropping them into an underground lake. Courtney's comrades braced themselves as she opened her mouth...
A/N: Okay, yeah, that was shortish. However, the next chapter is just about finished and should be up tomorrow after revision. I'll explain why this chapter's so short and why it took so long with my next update.
