(A/N: Before this chapter begins, just in case any of you were interested, I decided to officially announce the fourth season. It will involve the thirteen TDROTI teens, plus one other person as the contestants. And yes, there will be cameos. Just figured I'd let you guys know. Anyway, this chapter definitely isn't the greatest, but I figured I would publish this now and move on to bigger and better things rather than wait another couple of weeks to update.)
Noah looked out of the shuttle window, and watched in horror as the rocket began to take off.
"Oh my god, IZZY!" Noah shouted, "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
"What?" Izzy said, "Oh, right, the rocket! HA! Well, I didn't do actually do anything this time."
"Oh, right," Sadie scoffed, "and you expect us to believe that?"
"Okay, YOU shut up," Noah snapped at Sadie, "Izzy, seriously. Just tell me what happened-"
The rocket suddenly jerked forward, and began to speed up at a rapid pace. Noah glanced out of the window, and saw the other contestants watching them from ground level.
"Great," Noah groaned, "not only am I going to die, but I'm going to die with the two most annoying people in the history of history."
"Don't worry Noah," Izzy smiled, "I'll figure out a way to save us! I'll just start pulling circuits and see if something happens-"
"NO!" Noah shouted, "Don't start pulling wires! We will totally die if you start-"
Meanwhile, at ground level, the other nine contestants watched the rocket begin to drift further and further into the night sky.
"So," Justin murmured, "what, uh… what exactly should we be doing?"
"We… save them? Somehow?" Josh suggested.
"Yeah, but… SADIE is up there!" Duncan said.
"Well, ONE of use has to do something!" Courtney said.
"Okay, any volunteers?" Justin asked.
Nobody said anything.
"Okay then," Justin sighed.
~10 Hours Earlier…~
Josh, Justin and Noah sat in first class, celebrating the elimination of Alejandro.
"Finally we got that jerk gone!" Josh smiled, "Quicker than I expected, too!"
"Right," Noah nodded, "now that we've gotten him out of the way, we should make a few moves of our own- then before anyone realizes what happened, we'll be in firm control of the game."
"Dude, relax," Justin smirked, "you're starting to sound like Heather."
"I'm just saying," Noah shrugged, "now would be the opportune time to do something. With all of the influence Alejandro had- or didn't have- his absence is going to have a big impact on the game."
"Look," Justin sighed, "He's gone, you're right. The wicked witch is dead. I think we've earned a little down time, at least for now."
"Yeah, right," Noah nodded, "…so, why does Alejandro hate you so much, anyway?"
"Trust me, you don't wanna know," Justin hissed.
"No, I kind of do," Noah insisted, "we spent half a season chasing this shmuck; I'd kind of like to know why."
"…because he was a bad person?" Justin asked.
"Not good enough," Noah frowned, "no half-baked answers, just tell us why he immediately came gunning for you when the show started."
"Lots of reasons," Justin scoffed.
"So it's going to be like that, huh?" Noah asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't get the memo it was story time!" Justin snapped, "Yes, yes, why don't we start a fire, then have everyone gather in a circle while I tell the story of my horrible life? Just drop it, alright?"
"Alright, alright, fine," Noah said, "I'll stop asking."
"Good," Justin sighed, "…so, Josh. How's that whole thing with Tweek going?"
"Not well," Josh replied, "so far I haven't been able to find anything. In fact, there's no evidence that anyone else was even with Tweek when he was kidnapped."
"I thought you said there was ripped fabric in the confessional when Tweek was taken," Noah pointed out.
"There was," Josh reasoned, "but the thing is, that could have been Tweek's. "
"So then who kicked the door down?" Noah demanded.
"Again, I don't know!" Josh exclaimed, "Actually, it doesn't even seem like it WAS kicked down! There were no marks or indents to indicate that it was, and there weren't signs of a struggle either."
"…So you're just going to stop looking?" Noah asked.
"There's nothing to look at," Josh frowned, "unless I can find something else to go off of, and soon, there really isn't much I can do. Although, I have to say, I'm starting to get a little worried. And not just about Tweek."
"What is it, then?" Justin asked.
"Alejandro," Josh frowned, "I mean, we eliminated him, right?"
"Right," Justin nodded, so why would we have to worry about him again?"
"Because when on a show like this does the bad guy just get his comeuppance, and then everything goes back to normal?" Josh asks, "I mean, it doesn't work like that! There's always someone else."
"Right," Justin nodded, "who else would be planning out other contestant's departures, let alone ours?"
As it would turn out, that person was Eva, who was currently sitting in the cargo hold, looking back and forth between the contestants. She was contemplating who would be the easiest to manipulate at this time- Bridgette, who would probably want revenge for Alejandro's elimination, seemed like the best choice.
Eva turned to the blonde, and offered a kind- though incredibly forced- smile.
"So," Eva smiled, "how are you doing?"
"Fine," Bridgette snapped, "just leave me alone."
"Look," Eva said, "I just think we can help each other out. We both have something the other needs."
"Really?" Bridgette frowned, "And what would that be?"
"Simple," Eva shrugged, "you need payback on the guys who got rid of Alejandro, I need an alliance."
Bridgette looked around the cargo hold before speaking again. None of the other contestants were paying them any attention, so she decided it was safe to go on.
"Why would I trust you?" Bridgette asked.
What Eva wanted to say was something along the lines of, "Well, you trusted Alejandro with absolutely little to no reason, so this shouldn't seem like too much of a stretch on the imagination."
"You don't have to trust me," Eva reasoned, "not yet, anyway. Trust is something you have to earn, right? So, we could work together for a little while, and see how that goes."
"Well… alright," Bridgette sighed, "but only if you promise that we'll take down Justin."
"Oh, don't worry," Eva smirked, "I promise."
"Attention, contestants," Chris announced, "we are en route to our destination today. We will be arriving there momentarily- please be ready to compete in today's challenge. That is all."
~o.0.o~
A few minutes later, the plane touched down at its destination for the day.
"Welcome," Chris announced, "To the JFK space center!"
"Wait," Courtney gasped, "you mean the place where NASA launches all their rockets and shuttles and-"
"Yes, yes," Chris scoffed, "take a breath, woman! Although I have the feeling you'll like today's challenge. I have a few friends who were able to pull some strings for today's challenge. Inside the space center are three partially constructed rockets. You'll be working in groups-"
Everyone smiled once Chris mentioned groups. Noah, Justin, and Josh all huddled together, with Geoff, Owen, and Courtney doing the same. Seeing, this, Chris smirked.
"Did I mention I would ASSIGN you your group?" the host chuckled, "Yeah, bet you don't feel so good now. Anyway, you'll be working in your groups to finish constructing the rockets, and then perform a successful launch. Whichever team manages to launch their rocket the highest wins- and the other two teams will be on the chopping block. Questions?"
"How are we supposed to BUILD the rockets?" Heather asked.
"I'm sorry, do I look like a rocket engineer?" Chris snapped, "FIGURE IT OUT! Now, I'll assign you to your teams. Team one is Josh, Eva, Heather, and Owen. Team two is Justin, Geoff, Duncan, and Bridgette, Team three is Noah, Courtney, and Izzy."
"What?" Noah groaned, "Why do I have to be with Izzy?"
"I can switch teams with Noah, if he wants!" Geoff offered.
"No can do," Chris smirked, "I handpicked the teams myself to create the best possible amounts of drama and tension. So, let's get inside and-"
All of a sudden, a voice was heard screaming in the distance.
"CHRIS!" the voice shrieked, "You started a new season WITHOUT ME?"
"…Who is that?" Chris asked, "I don't like it when random women I don't remember run down the street yelling my name. It creates a bad impression."
"…Why, does that sort of thing happen often?" Noah asked.
The contestants all scanned the distance, until at last they found the source of the noise- a very familiar figure that was approaching the contestants.
"Oh no," Justin groaned, "please tell me that's not-"
"Yes, it is!" Sadie snapped, "How could you guys forget me? This show is nothing without me!"
"I'm… fairly certain you have no idea what you're talking about," Noah frowned.
"You have to let me back in," Sadie insisted, "the ratings will pick right back up!"
"…But the ratings haven't dropped," Chris frowned, "if anything, they've skyrocketed after our past two episodes-"
"And they'll skyrocket even more," Sadie assured the host, "as SOON as you let me back on."
"That's really not going to happen," Chris frowned.
"Well, I'm not leaving," Sadie huffed, "if you don't let me back on, I'll call my lawyers and-"
"Oh for the love of- FINE!" Chris snapped, "I'll tell you what: today you can work with Noah, Courtney and Izzy. If your team wins, then I'll let you back in the game. Alright?"
"Deal!" Sadie smiled, "Trust me Chris, you won't regret this!"
"I already do," the host muttered.
Once Sadie took her place with her team, Noah let out a groan. It was bad enough he had to work with Izzy, but now this?
"Okay," Chris said, "follow me inside, and I'll get you guys all set up."
~o.0.o~
A while later, the contestants were each gathered around one of three rockets.
"Okay," Chris said, "you have twelve hours to get a rocket up and running- we'll be doing launches once the time runs out, regardless of whether or not everyone is finished. Now, these rockets are nearly finished- you just have to add the final components, and make any modifications you want to help out with the launch. Get to it!"
With that, the contestants all began work on their rockets.
Before his team began building, Noah pulled Izzy aside.
"Listen," he said to the redhead, "can you do me a favor?"
"Sure!" Izzy smiled, "What is it?"
"Can you throw the challenge today?" Noah asked, "I mean, I know you could probably make the best rocket here, but I need you to not do that."
"Why?" Izzy asked.
"So Sadie doesn't get back on the show," Noah hissed, "look, I have enough on my plate to deal with, and I certainly don't want HER added to the mix, alright?"
"I don't know," Izzy frowned.
"Think about it this way," Noah continued, "you want to win, right? Don't you want a million dollars?"
"Not really," Izzy shrugged, "I mean, I made enough money from raiding ancient tombs and what not. You wouldn't BELIEVE what kinds of things the government-"
"I don't need to hear it," Noah snapped, "just… as a favor, alright? For me?"
"Well," Izzy frowned.
"Well?" Noah asked.
"Alright!" Izzy cheered, "But only if you dance with me!"
"Okay, tha- wait, what?" Noah asked.
"Yeah, you TOTALLY have to dance!" Izzy nodded, "That'll be fun! Just you and me, dancing on camera together, and then Sadie doesn't get back in the game!"
"…No," Noah hissed, "NO!"
"Noah…."
"I would rather have my intestines ripped out and then force fed to me," Noah snapped, "fine then; I'll do a good job losing on my own."
"Great," Noah sighed to himself, "now I might get eliminated for throwing today's match-"
When Noah turned to walk away, he found himself face to face with Sadie.
"You know, I overheard that little conversation over there," Sadie hissed.
"Oh?" Noah said, raising an eyebrow, "I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at."
"Don't play dumb with me!" Sadie snapped, "You were planning to throw the match with Izzy so that I couldn't get back into the game!"
"Okay, and?" Noah frowned.
"You don't think there's something wrong with that?" Sadie asked.
"The way I see it, I'm doing us all a favor," Noah snapped, "now, if you'll excuse me-"
"Don't bother trying to sabotage us," Sadie growled, "I won't let you!"
"Right," Noah frowned.
~9 Hours Later~
By now, the contestants were beginning to finish up the core designs on their rockets, and starting to add their own modifications. Izzy was nearly done with her rocket, and called Noah over.
"Hey Noah?" the redhead asked, "Can you help me with something inside?"
Noah shrugged, and followed Izzy inside.
"I just needed your help with a few calibrations," she explained, "I'm really not that great with numbers and all."
"Really?" Noah asked, "You always seemed like some sort of evil genius to me. I would have assumed that would be right up your ally."
"Aww, you think I'm an evil genius?" Izzy asked.
"That… wasn't necessarily a compliment, but sure, whatever," Noah shrugged.
Noah was then alerted to the presence of a third person- Sadie, who had just crept up behind the two.
"What are you doing in here, Noah?" Sadie asked.
"Funny," Noah said, "I was just about to ask you the same thing."
"You're not going to tamper with anything in here," Sadie huffed, "I won't let you! I'm getting back in this game, no matter wha-"
Sadie was cut off when the rocket gave a sudden lurch, and then began to rise into the air.
Noah looked out of the shuttle window, and watched in horror as the rocket began to take off.
"Oh my god, IZZY!" Noah shouted, "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
~o.0.o~
"Great," Noah groaned, "that's just GREAT! How are we supposed to get back down there?"
"Oh, I have an idea!" Izzy cheered.
"No!" Sadie snapped, "Nobody wants to hear any of YOUR ideas."
"It's all we have right now," Noah snapped, "I might regret saying this, but… go ahead, Izzy."
"Okay!" Izzy said, "We could manually remove all of the fuel from the rockets' engine, and then let it CRASH back down!"
"Do you… have anything a little less suicidal?" Noah asked.
"Less BORING, you mean?" Izzy scoffed, "Well, I do have a spare parachute that might be able to let us DRIFT down…"
"Just one?" Noah frowned, "I mean, a parachute WOULD work at this height, but at the rate of ascension, we'd have to move fast."
"Yep, just the one," Izzy nodded, "it could probably hold all of us if we tried, though."
"Forget it!" Sadie scoffed, "I'm just going to let Chris come and rescue us."
"…Right," Noah frowned, "that's Chris, the very image of human kindness. You were saying, Izzy?"
"Okay, right," Izzy continued, "I would strap on the parachute to myself, and then use a spare bit of rope I carry around to tie us together- then we should be able to parachute down without a problem!"
"…Alright," Noah sighed, "but only because we have nothing else to go off of."
"Okay," Izzy smiled, "let's get set up, then…
Back in the space center, the contestants were alerted when sirens began to sound in the distance.
"Great," Chris moaned, "I was HOPING this wouldn't happen. Okay, pack up, its time to go!"
"Go?" Duncan asked, "But what about Izzy and Noah?"
"They shouldn't have gotten themselves launched into space," Chris snapped, "but if you want to stick around here and get carted off to JAIL, fine."
"I thought you said it was okay for us to be here!" Duncan exclaimed.
"Right," Chris scoffed, "did I also happen to mention I'm a Chinese fighter pilot? It's called LYING, you should all be used to it by now."
"So who wins?" Eva asked.
"Nobody wins!" Chris snapped, "You all lose, every one of you! You're ALL going to the chopping block tonight."
CONFESSIONAL: Eva
"Actually, that works to my advantage. See, there's a loose end I need to tie. There's really only one person left who can still pin me as a threat, and they need to disappear."
END CONFESSIONAL
As the contestants began to pack up, Izzy and Noah fell through the giant hole in the roof, and landed on the floor.
"IZZY!" Noah groaned, "I thought you said the parachute was SECURE!"
"It was!" Izzy insisted, "At least until, you know, the wind pressure ripped it up. Or maybe it was the weight. You should go on a diet, Noah!"
"Wait, where's Sadie?" Duncan asked.
"Who?" Izzy frowned, "Oh, HER. Well, she was convinced that Chris would come along and save her, so she decided to stay put. Funny, huh?"
"Yes," Chris chuckled, "actually, that is."
The sirens began to get closer, and Chris let out a sigh.
"Look," he said, "we REALLY need to get going. As soon as we get back on the plane, I want all of you to cast your votes and report to the elimination room."
~o.0.o~
"Okay," Chris said, "that challenge was kind of a flop, but whatever. Setbacks happen now and then. Anyway, it's time to announce tonight's loser. If you receive a bag of peanuts, you're safe, if you don't, then you're eliminated. First bag goes to…
Courtney.
Justin.
Izzy.
Heather.
Noah.
Josh.
Izzy.
Geoff.
Eva.
Bridgette and Owen, that leaves you guys without immunity for tonight. The last bag goes to…
.
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"…BRIDGETTE!"
"WHAT?" Geoff exclaimed, "But how is Owen out?"
At this, Noah looked sheepishly at his feet, while Justin and Josh exchanged glances.
"Aw, it's okay," Owen smiled, "besides, maybe they'll give me my old job as aftermath host back!"
"Yeah," Geoff sighed, "it's just… well, I'll miss you, brah."
"I'll miss you guys too," Owen smiled, strapping on a parachute, "I'll see you all later!"
And so, with a smile on his face, Owen took the drop of shame.
CONFESSIONAL: Noah
"Before the ceremony, Eva approached me, and asked me to help her vote out Owen. Now, normally I don't trust people I barely know, but Eva told me that since Owen was friends with Courtney and Geoff, that would be an alliance that would be progressively more difficult to break up as the game went on. Which is true- numbers wise, that was the thing that would pose a threat to Josh, Justin and I. Not that I have anything against the three- it's just business, nothing personal."
CONFESSIONAL: Eva
"Well, that worked like a charm. Owen may have been stupid, but he knew I was behind LeShawna's elimination, right? Now, if he TOLD anyone I was behind that, people would begin to suspect my intentions. Which is why I had Noah and his two stoolies help me get rid of him. Now, you might be thinking that Noah is ALSO a loose end because of that. Well, that may be true. But I have a plan to keep him too busy to focus on getting back at me."
END CONFESSIONALS
After the elimination ceremony, Eva found Geoff skulking near the back of the cargo hold with Courtney.
"Hey guys," Eva said, sitting down next to them, "how's it going?"
"How do you think?" Geoff groaned, "My best friend was just eliminated from the game!"
"It'll be okay, Geoff," Courtney frowned, "besides, he didn't seem all too broken up about it."
"I don't even understand how he got voted off," Geoff sighed, "I mean, it's not like he did anything-"
"I know how," Eva said.
"What?" Geoff asked.
Before responding, Eva took a quick glance around the cargo hold- Noah, Justin, and Josh were nowhere in sight. The other contestants- Duncan, Heather, Izzy and Bridgette were paying no attention.
"It was Noah," Eva whispered, "he asked me to help vote Owen off tonight."
"He did what?" Geoff asked.
"I said no," Eva frowned, "and he didn't seem all too upset about it, but he wanted Owen gone bad for some reason."
"That- I gotta go talk to him about this," Geoff huffed, getting to his feet.
"No!" Eva exclaimed, "Then he'll KNOW I told you!"
"Wait a second," Courtney asked, "how do we know YOU'RE telling the truth?"
"You can't," Eva shrugged, "but think about this- remember all those shady moves Noah pulled last season?"
"That's true," Courtney frowned, "but I don't know, something doesn't seem right about it."
"Then don't believe me," Eva snapped, "see if I care. But when he comes for you guys next, don't come crying to me."
With that, Eva stormed off, leaving Geoff and Courtney alone.
"Well?" Courtney asked, "What do you think?"
"I don't know," Geoff frowned, "I don't trust either of them, to be honest. We should probably be on our toes around both."
~Hours later, somewhere in the depths of space~
A lone rocket drifted among the stars, cruising towards a currently undefined destination. Aboard it was one passenger- a teenage girl.
"Chris?" Sadie called, "You guys are coming to get me, right? CHRISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"