Author's Note
And here we are at long last, the first part to the grand finale of Total Shuffled Action. The second part isn't actually done yet, but its only the final quarter left and although I haven't decided yet exactly how to close out the season, I do have a general idea of what to do. I won't lie, though - I might end up having to push myself tomorrow to get it done so I can start the Celebrity Manhunt Special on time.
This episode, though...I'm quite nervous about posting it. I won't say why, though - I don't want to spoil something I've been looking forward to for so long.
But first, there are reviews to answer...nearly thirty of them in total, to be exact.
Call Me Ishamael: Oh, is that right? Well, you aren't the only one who went with Jo vs Lightning at least. I wonder if you'll have guessed what happens next?
Elizabeth Life Stone: That's just about right...we're at the second-to-last episode of the main season, and the winner is upon us...
FOWLKON: Oh my, is that a bit of salt I taste? Haha, no matter. I'll admit I could have handled the tie differently, but overall I do like the surprise it gave you and others.
StayOuttaMyShed: Aha, well your salt is definitely understandable. I know I probably would've been mad that Lightning was booted over Scarlett too had I not been the one writing it - especially with the way the race portion ended last episode. But on the other hand, I do think these next to chapters will help you, and the others who didn't like what happened last episode, to understand what I was thinking with the Scarlett vs Jo finale. I truly hope you enjoy what is to come.
The Prime Writer: Oh, you don't need to worry - I'm fairly certain I said Scarlett will fall eventually, and I stand by that. I'm glad you liked last chapter, Scarlett's win aside. You're right in that it definitely has a different feel without the Duncney drama or Owen's sabotage, but that can't really be helped. And yeah, it was fun showing off how far Lightning and Jo had come these past two seasons. That aside...I hope you enjoy the finale.
Karts of Sugar Rush: Thanks! To be honest, I would probably have changed the animals even if I hadn't gone to the final three over the final four since I don't want to copy the canon challenge too much. That's also the reason I didn't do the tricked-out den gag: it worked for Beth and her raccoon, but it just wouldn't have been the same with who I had to work with. Also, I'm super happy you liked the final race segment. I wanted it to be intense and dramatic, and it seems like I pulled it off.
StarHeart Specials: Ohoho, I hope it meets your expectations!
Bruno 14: Thanks! And yeah, I'm pretty sure everyone is rooting for Jo to win at this point. I'm glad you liked seeing Jo and the bear work together, as well as Lightning and the moose. As for who will be joining next season...well, it's only a couple more weeks until you'll find out!
Ddynamo: Thank you so much for letting me know about that plagiarizer! I reported the story, at least, as did a few others from the TDWF, but I don't know if anything's happened besides them editing out (most?) of my material. And yeah, having Scarlett get her own ending is a big reason why I wanted her in the finale. Regarding the audition tapes, you're right in that I didn't really have plans to include them. But now that I think about it, they might be an interesting thing to do once the main series has ended. Disappointing to hear that you're gonna discontinue your plans for the OC competition, but I do still look forward to the randomized elimination one.
acosta perez jose ramiro: Yeah, the shark was the first one I decided to do away with. I'm glad you liked the cat and moose!
Ali6132: Aha, yeah, so did pretty much everyone who's left a review. And you're spot on about the animal comparisons - I didn't exactly have them in mind while writing last chapter, but it seems obvious in hindsight. I'm also glad you liked Scarlett's parting line to Lightning, and I hope you enjoy what else she has to offer in the remainder of this season.
Glowing Insanity: You got that right! About nobody really expecting Scarlett as a finalist, at least. As for whether or not it makes less sense than Jo-Lightning...well, I suppose I can't really comment on that. As for how dark these next two chapters are gonna be...well, you'll just have to find that out for yourself, I'm afraid.
White Weasel: Wow, it's nice to see such enthusiasm over the Final Two! I hope I don't let you down with the finale. Also, I'm happy you liked how the previous challenge went, from being sudden-death to a vote and back again. Like you said, it really fits with Chris' character.
Knifez: Yeah, I figured you'd be the most bummed of all seeing how big a fan of Lightning you are. I am glad you at least liked last chapter otherwise. I...as much as your review did tug at my heartstrings, I'm not gonna say anything about what may or may not happen with Lightning in the future. Sorry. I hope you at least enjoy the next two chapters a little bit.
turn forever you and me: Huh, you're probably one of the only people who were hoping for a Scarlett vs Lightning finale then. I'm glad you're really looking forward to the finale, though. As for you guess about next season's cast...well, you put two new guys when there's only gonna be one, but other than that you'll just have to wait until the end of the month to find out if you guessed right!
RedHornedUnicowz: Thanks! I'm glad I was able to create that much tension last chapter. As for how the winner is going to be picked...well, I'm afraid you'll just have to wait and see.
I. M. Poik: Fair enough, fair enough. I figured Lightning's elimination would be controversial, and I was right. It's always a tricky path with deciding who to eliminate and when, since everyone has character they want to see go far, and others they want to see fall short. I expect I'll run into some of the same problems in TSWT, especially since it's the third season with this cast. Still, I'm glad you're sticking around to review the finale and check out the newbies for next season, and I hope you'll stick around to review TSWT as well.
Invader Cole: I'm glad you liked the surprise, even if it did mean a sad end for Lightning like you said. You're right in that this set-up mirrors the canon finale in many ways, but with Jo and Scarlett instead of Duncan and Beth, things may not be as straightforward.
Guest #1: Aye, many people were hoping to see Lightning beat out Scarlett. I had to disappoint them, but knowing what's coming I think it'll be worth it. As for your guesses as to next season's newbies, keep in mind that they were randomly selected like the rest of the cast. Aside from ensuring that there was one boy and one girl, I had no influence on who got shuffled into the slots - it was all up to luck.
BuckJohnson: Thanks, I'm glad you liked what I did with Jo last chapter, and also in general. Regarding what happened with Topher and the fundraiser, I don't really intend on bringing that up in the future, at least not in the main series - I won't rule out it getting covered by some spin-off one-shot though. I'm also glad that you like DJammy being official, and that you didn't mind season one's final three getting the early boot. I'll try to keep in mind what you said about giving the underdogs more time to shine next season, though, but no promises that it'll be true for all of them that end up participating. You'll have to wait, of course, to find out more about who's in the cats for next season, but I do appreciate hearing your guesses regardless. Other than that, well, I hope you enjoy the finale!
Zak Saturday: Hmmm...well, don't forget that Scarlett also picked the flash drive back up again. I don't know if that'll change your prediction though.
Star Saber21: Thanks, and I'm happy you liked the animal buddies I picked. Like you said, they were all pretty good matches. And yeah, Sammy's attempt to oust a cheater backfired pretty badly. It's sad, but sometimes these things happen. Jo vs Scarlett has been a finale I've been looking forward to for a long time, and I only hope I was able to properly bring the vision I had for it to life in these next to chapters. I hope you enjoy them.
OMAC001: Final showdown indeed... As for what will become of Scarlett's flash drive...only I know for sure.
Guest #2: My apologies, but I don't know if you've reviewed in the past since you didn't leave a proper name. And with so many reviews, I'm not certain if any of the regular reviewers are missing. Nevertheless, thank you! As salty and/or disappointed as it has made people, I am glad I was able to catch my readers off-guard with the Final Two. You are right, though, about it being sad and ironic that Sammy's efforts ended up guaranteeing Scarlett a place here. As for which ending will end up being canon...well, I think by the end of it all it will be incredibly obvious. But I don't want to spoil the surprise. Also, I am totally hoping to one day have a TVtropes entry for this series.
And at long last, the reviews have been accounted for. The last bit of bookkeeping that needs to be done is the reminder, for those who may have somehow forgotten, that the finalists are Jo and Scarlett.
Oh, and one last thing...this won't make sense now, but trust me when I say that this chapter is exactly how I intend it to be. Or, well, as exact as I can get it since I only have the patience for so much double-checking. The point is, even if it seems like there's something missing (especially towards the end), just trust me that I intended the chapter to be that way...
- Fangren
Episode 25
"Last time, on Total Drama Action!" The opening shot of the film lot quickly flashed to the scene of Jo watching intently as her roommate woke up, followed by her conspiring with her fellow jock. "After learning of Scarlett's potentially cheating ways, Jo and Lightning agreed to team up to take her down."
"But those little weasels weren't the only animals on set," the host continued over footage of Chef revealing the three caged-up animals, and the three contestants later having their bonds with their chosen partners judged, "as the cast were each paired up with an animal buddy to train in their image."
"While some bonded with their animals," Jo and her bear buddy jumped and cheered in unison, "others butted heads." Lightning's moose buddy was shown literally giving the uber-jock a headbutt that sent him flying.
"In the end, the sudden death almost became a sudden flop when Lightning and Scarlett seemed to tie for last place," Chris explained over clips of the two racing towards the finish line while being attacked by the other's buddy. "The cast prepared for a vote, and with Jo immune it looked like Scarlett was about to go home." The start of the vote was shown, as was Chris dramatically cutting it short. "Lucky her, then, that we found another angle on the race footage that saved her skin!" The brainiac's narrow victory was shown again.
"With Lightning forced to take the Lame-o-sine instead," the jock issued one last warning before his ride sped off, "we were left with our Final Two." Jo and Scarlett were shown exchanging dark looks, and the camera pulled back to show the paused footage on a monitor in the control tent.
"Who woulda guessed?" Chris asked with a shrug as the camera pulled back even further to show him seated nearby. "And who'll be taking home our grand prize of one million dollars?" He waved his hands around a bit, then pointed at the camera. "Find out right now," the scene flashed to him standing in front of the cast trailers, "on Total! Drama! Action!"
xxx
(Fade to Opening Theme)
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine;
You guys are on my mind!
Ya asked me what I wanted to be,
And now I think the answer is plain to see!
I wanna be...famous!
I wanna live close to the sun!
Well pack your bags, 'cause I've already won!
Everythin' to prove, nothin' in my way;
I'll get there one day.
'Cause 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)
I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous! (Na-na nanananaa, nanana-nanaa, na-nananananaa)
(Fade to Episode)
xxx
The episode opened at night, zooming in to a shot of the cast trailers. The lights were on inside only one of them.
"So," Jo said in a stilted manner just before the camera cut to the trailer's interior, showing the Final Two staring at each other from their beds on opposite walls.
"Quite," Scarlett said, adjusting her glasses with a slightly mocking smile on her face.
Jo frowned. "Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because you lucked into the finale with me," she told her opponent.
"I wouldn't dream of it!" the brainiac replied. "I fully expect you to show me the exact same level of competitive competence that you would have afforded to Lightning. Although I doubt that'll be necessary to beat me, excepting of course that the final challenge is more intellectual in nature."
The jock-ette pursed her lips. "You're trying to throw me off my game, aren't you?" she asked with a suspicious tone. "Trying to make me feel overconfident, then end up underestimating you in the final challenge."
"Wow," Scarlett said with the barest hint of sarcasm, "you've already seen right through my ruse. Of course, given how strong of a competitor you are, I suppose that's to be expected."
"Yeah, I'm not gonna fall for it so don't bother," Jo told her. "I know you're too slippery to let my guard down. Like I said, I'm not gonna go easy on you."
The brainiac smirked. "Does that entail staying up all night again with the misguided hope of catching me in the act of some imagined wrongdoing?"
Jo scowled at her, then scoffed. "Like I need to. There's nothing you can do to mess with the competition now. No more voting, nobody to manipulate, just the two of us going head to head until one of us is a million bucks richer."
Scarlett chuckled lowly. "That seems to be the case, doesn't it?" She shrugged, then leaned back in her bed. "One of us will achieve victory soon enough, so why waste time and energy fighting now? Let's just make one last attempt at a full night's sleep."
"...right...," Jo said, slowly and with visible skepticism as she laid back in her own bed and closed her eyes one at a time.
A second later and accompanied by a dramatic twist in the background music, the camera cut to the roof hatch as it swung open and a canister was dropped inside the room. Already spraying some kind of purple gas when it hit the floor, it immediately caught the two girls' attention.
"What the-?1" Scarlett exclaimed, sitting back up with her covers held up and a look of panic on her face.
"Seriously?!" Jo said irately just before the gas sent the young women asleep.
/
The scene faded to black, then faded back in to the two sleeping contestants tied tightly to what looked like a wooden mast set in front of some manner of wood-and-rope riggings. It was Jo who awoke first.
"Huh?" she grunted in confusion as she looked around, her drowsiness rapidly fading away. "The heck?! Hey Sleeping Brainy," she gave the girl on her right as much of kick as she could manage, "wake up! We've been shanghaied!"
With a dramatic note, the scene rapidly zoomed out. The area the two young women were in was revealed to be, in fact, an old sailing ship with the sails all furled – or at least something that resembled one. Notably, both bow and stern were little more than scaffolding, and the whole thing sat far too high in the water.
Scarlett finally awoke with a vigorous shake of her head, then quickly looked around with a hint of panic in her eyes. "What's going on? Is everything still okay?" she asked, although it seemed more to herself than to Jo.
"What are you talking about?" the jock-ette replied incredulously. "Did you not understand the part about us being tied to a boat, or do I have to explain it to you?"
Scarlett blinked, then shook her head. "Right. My apologies, my mind was...elsewhere, in a manner of speaking." She struggled against her bonds for a moment but to no avail, then said "Am I correct in assuming that our final challenge has begun?"
"It better be," Jo said as she too tried to free herself, "because I'm gonna have a few words for McLean if it's not."
"At any rate," Scarlett said as she began to squirm again, "I suppose our first task is to break these bonds."
"And whoever gets out first," the jock-ette added with a grunt, "gets a head start on the rest of the challenge."
xxx
"Had it been anybody else," Jo confessed, "I might have been willing to work together to untie the ropes. But up against Scarlett, I want every advantage I can get."
xxx
"The only truly difficult thing about the ropes was the sense of urgency in untying them," Scarlett confidently explained. "Fortunately, Jo didn't seem to be particularly adept with the knots so I had time to figure them out at a reasonable pace."
xxx
The footage cut back to the two girls getting free of the ropes around their bodies at about the same time; more ropes which had presumably bound them to the mast were already lying on the deck.
"Breakfast, anyone?" Chef Hatchet asked as he wheeled a covered meal cart up to them from stern-wards on the ship.
"Let me guess," Jo said gruffly, "today's ridiculous excuse for breakfast is fried fish heads." The shot cut to a close-up of the dish cover as Chef raised it and a cloud of steam was released, and Scarlett raised her brow in surprise. "Or maybe bilge rat," Jo continued, "to keep with the theme."
"Not quite," Scarlett said with a small smile, prompting her rival to finally look down at the meal.
A harp played as the camera panned across a close-up of their breakfast: A stack of thick pancakes with butter and syrup. Bacon and eggs. Pineapple. Fruit juice. Muffins. Every last piece looked absolutely delicious.
"Whoa, am I dreaming?" Jo asked in disbelief.
"Fresh fruit to ward off scurvy," Chef explained as the focus moved to him, "hot flapjacks to prevent, uh, lice...or whatever, all prepared to my highest personal standards."
xxx
"Chef has standards?!" Jo asked the confessional camera in disbelief. "Here I thought the big guy just couldn't cook! Not that I'd ever tell him that," she said with a quick look around the room, "I'd like to eat actual food for once on this show."
xxx
The two young women were shown happily chowing down before they were distracted by a rope being lowered just inches above the food cart. They backed away quickly as Chris McLean slid down from above wearing full pirate regalia – including a blue-and-yellow macaw sitting blank-eyed and at an odd angle on his shoulder.
"Yarr, maties!" he told them in a pirate accent as a jaunty sea shanty began to play in the background. "Me parrot Chris Jr. Jr. Jr. and I," he adjusted the apparently fake bird so that it was standing up straight, "want to congratulate ye landlubbers fer makin' it to the Final Two! And as ye can prob'ly tell, today be..." A deep and dark sound was played as the camera zoomed in even closer. "Space Zombies Movie Day!" The riff seemed to fall flat, and both girls stared at him in confusion and disbelief.
"It's actually Pirate Movie day!" he corrected in his normal voice. "And you're on deck for a swashbuckling obstacle course, followed by a treasure hunt through the entire season's challenges." He leaned towards Scarlett before continuing. "And if you wanna claim your million dollar booty, you're gonna have to dig deep and give it all you've got."
xxx
Scarlett began her confessional with a sniff of contempt. "Oh, I'll give it all I've got alright," the brainiac said. "I may not be as physically fit as Jo, but I'll soon prove that my superior intellect is more than enough to compensate."
xxx
"Obstacle course and treasure hunt, eh?" Jo said with a confident grin, punching her own palm. "Sounds like my kinda challenge. I can't get too cocky, though. Scarlett will probably have an edge if there's any puzzles or stuff like that, so I'll make sure to get as much of a lead as I can first."
xxx
The scene resumed with a close-up of Chris holding out two boxes of cotton swabs, each of which was grabbed by one of the finalists. "Obstacle number one," the host told them as the shot briefly zoomed out to show Jo and Scarlett, then cut over to the rear of the ship as a sasquatch and a bear entered what looked like a pair of restrooms, "swab the poop deck."
A few wet farts were heard, and the two contestants cringed in disgust. The shot cut back to the restrooms as a bell rang, signaling each door as it opened and its occupant emerged along with a cloud of noxious fumes. The sasquatch was holding its nose, and the bear paused and lit a match behind it
"Obstacle number two, pun intended," Chris continued with two raised fingers, then pointed at a nearby barrel containing a pair of flags – one gray, the other red. "Grab a flag, shimmy up the greased mast," the shot panned over to the mast in question where Chef was slathering on the grease with a scowl, "and fly your jolly roger." The shot quick-panned up to the greasy crow's nest, then over to a cannon that had an air pump attached. "And finally, a cannon ball! The target is the monster-chomped movie set."
The shot cut back to Chris and the finalists, the host raising a pistol high into the air and the castmates with their swabs at the ready. "Ready! Set!" The two girls withdrew a single swab from their boxes. "Aaaannd...GO!" He fired his pistol, and the finalist were off.
A low but tense song beginning in the background, Jo and Scarlett quickly ran into the restrooms – and immediately came back out, gagging and gasping for air. "Aaaagggh, what did the overgrown ape eat?!" Jo exclaimed before both contestants went back inside.
"I get it," Chris told Chef as the latter wheeled the meal cart over, "the food's laced with laxatives, right? Nice!" he gave the hulking man a thumbs up.
"Nope!" Chef said bluntly. "Just goin' out in style!"
"Going out?" the host repeated in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"That's the last meal I'm ever gonna serve on this two-bit show!" Chef declared, waving his greasy paintbrush around, and patting it against his apron. "I got me a gig cheffin' on a swanky cruise ship, so you can kiss my behind goodbye!"
"Yeah yeah, and I got the job hosting the Oscars," Chris said mockingly. "Very funny."
In reply, Chef slapped the greasy brush against the host's hat so that it stuck. "Who's laughin'?" he said darkly.
The restrooms were shown again, Jo coming back out for air while Scarlett was only heard coughing heavily and exclaiming "This can't possibly have been caused by one bear!"
"You'd be surprised!" Jo called out with a grin before turning her head back in the direction of the host. "Hey McLean, I need more swabs!" Another box was tossed her way, and once she'd caught them she retreated back into her restroom.
"If our contestants think they have it rough," Chris said as the camera cut back to him and Chef, "the people on Chef's fancy cruise ship will have to suffer through his slop with no chance of winning a million!" He got a bit closer to his partner's face, and Chef loomed in the rest of the way.
"I don't think you wanna keep goin' there," he told the host menacingly.
The scene cut back to the restrooms, Scarlett coming out for air this time and with several strands of hair out of order. Unfortunately for her, Jo also came out – but not for air, as was clear by her satisfied face. "Looks like Jo will be the first to finish the deck!" Chris said from off-camera.
Scarlett scowled. "Don't think you've beaten me!" she told her rival.
Jo snorted as she walked over to grab her gray flag. "I wasn't gonna, but I sure have-" She was cut off in shock as the sasquatch suddenly ran past her and Chris, clutching its behind. "...the lead..."
"Looks like bigfoot's not done yet," the host said as the ape-man was shown running back into the restroom, and a few more wet farts uttered forth a second later. The bell rang, the door opened, and the sasquatch walked out in a cloud of gas. "Which means Jo isn't either," Chris added with a grin as he handed Jo another box of cotton swabs.
The jock-ette took them with a grimace, then ran back over to the restrooms. Just as she was about to re-enter, Scarlett burst out of the door on the right. "The lead is mine!" she declared with a cackle of laughter, with even more hairs out of place on her head.
"Don't get used to it!" Jo retorted. "I'll get through this before you can even blink!"
"Oh really?" Scarlett told her with a wide grin. "Because I'm fairly certain I've already blinked several times since I emerged. If I were you, I'd get back to work."
Jo pursed her lips in irritation. "You'd better hope you can climb quickly!" she yelled before barging back into her assigned restroom.
xxx
"That freaking sasquatch!" Jo exclaimed angrily. "Thanks to it's inability to hold it, that Know-it-All has the lead! Uggh," she crossed her arms, "now I actually have to hope she sucks as much at climbing as at every other sport."
xxx
The footage cut back to Scarlett running towards the greasy mast with her red flag in hand. She tried to get a jumping start, but she just slid back down. Furrowing her brow, she took a step back and tapped her chin in thought, then snapped her fingers and smirked. She jumped at the pole again, and while the change in her technique wasn't obvious from the camera angle, it did seem to allow her to shimmy up the mast much more easily.
Just as the brainiac disappeared off-camera, Jo ran into the scene. "Aww, darn it!" she yelled upon noticing her rival. She hurried up the mast as well, and seemed to have less trouble climbing than Scarlett initially had. The camera quick-panned further up the mast to show the jock-ette rapidly catching up to the brainiac.
Scarlett looked down and smiled at Jo. "Sorry, but you'll have to wait your turn," she said sharply before lashing out with her foot and kicking her rival in the head. Jo slid back down the pole and barely stopped herself from landing, then the shot cut back up to Scarlett's flag.
The music welled up triumphantly, and the camera pulled back to show Scarlett eagerly tying her flag to the top of the mast while sitting on the highest spar. "Yes!" she shouted. "Victory is mine! Ahahahaha!"
/
The scene cut back to Chris and Chef. "You can't bail," the host said, "we're a team!"
"I fly solo," Chef retorted. "I'm a maverick."
"Dude," Chris laughed, "without this job, you'd still be selling street meat outside the bus station." Chef growled angrily at him, and walked away.
/
Jo was shown climbing again with a determined expression, her gray flag clenched in her teeth. She was alerted by the sound of laughter approaching her from above, and looked up just in time to see a cackling Scarlett sliding back down the mast. The two girls collided, and Jo fell once again – this time, however, she was unable to stop herself from crashing through the planks of the deck and landing in the water with a splash.
"Like I said," Scarlett called out with a grin, a significant amount of hair now out-of-place, "you should've waited your turn!" Jo resurfaced with a scowl, but by then the brainiac had already moved on.
"You ever fired an air cannon before?" Chef asked as Scarlett came up to him leaning against the railing by the cannon, whistling to himself.
"Not this specific model," the brainiac answered as she absentmindedly tried to tend to her bun, "but I'm familiar with the basics."
"If you're goin' to hit that target," Chef said with a point, the camera cutting to the partially-eaten city set used in the first episode of the season, "it's gonna take a whooole lotta air." The camera cut back to him as he motioned down to the air pump at his feet. Scarlett pursed her lips at it, then shrugged.
/
The scene flashed ahead to Scarlett pumping air as fast as she could. "This is...oddly quiet," she said after a moment, still concentrating on her task. "The lack of verbal abuse is making me suspicious. Is there something I'm missing?" She looked back over her shoulder at Chef, who was sulking behind her.
The hulking man seemed to be taken off-guard by the comment, and hastily yelled "You mind your own business, girl!"
Scarlett wordlessly turned her attention back to the pump, and the shot cut in for a triumphant close-up as the needle on the pump's pressure gauge reached the end. "Finished," Scarlett announced with a satisfied smirk, wiping the sweat from her brow.
"Get in!" Chris told her as he walked up.
The brainiac raised an eyebrow. "We're launching ourselves?" she asked.
"Yup," the host nodded, "so you'd better buckle up." Scarlett walked off with a scowl, and Chris turned to Chef. "You gonna fire the cannon or are you just gonna stand there and be useless?" he asked in annoyance.
"N-n-now you see that," Chef stuttered, "that attitude is why I'm outta here! I've had it with watching you do your bogus job and get all the glory," Chris uttered a low gasp, "while I'm stuck with all the grunt work!"
"Hosting is way harder than what you do," Chris countered. "I dare you to try it some time!"
"Fine!" Chef said. "Let's go!" he leaned his face towards the host, who answered with the same.
"Fine! Be my guest!" Chris said.
A throat being cleared off-screen got the attention of both. "Excuse me," Scarlett said in annoyance as the camera cut to her sticking out of the cannon with a star-patterned helmet and goggles on her head, "but would somebody launch me already?"
"Okay," the host said, pulling out a remote control and raising a finger to press its button. He paused after a moment, then handed it over to Chef with a smile. Chef pressed the button himself, and the shot cut back to Scarlett as a beep preceded the cannon firing. The brainiac was launched into the air with a shout, and the focus moved back to the two adults.
"Piece of cake!" Chef told the host. "Just like the rest of your job."
"Oh," Chris retorted angrily as fast-paced music began in the background, "you'll see!"
"Hey!" a voice called from off camera.
"I'll see what?" Chef countered. "How easy it is?"
"HEY!" the voice repeated impatiently.
"Have you even ever read a cue card?" Chris asked angrily. The two men began to growl at one another.
"HEY JERKS!" the voice shouted.
"WHAT?!" Chris and Chef answered in unison.
The camera cut to Jo standing at the top of the mast, her expression filled with annoyance but her flag tied to the mast above her rival's. "I finished this part!" she told them angrily. "So get ready because I'm coming down!" She turned to climb back down, but slipped on the spar she was standing on and fell back down. "Not again!" she shouted before crashing through the wooden deck with another splash.
"Sorry girl," Chef told her as he and Chris walked over to the second hole she'd made, "but I'm gonna have to leave you in the hands of Mr. Personality over here," he pointed at the host with his thumb, "and get on with my super-easy hosting duties."
"I'm totally capable of shooting a girl out of a cannon on my own, thank you," Chris shot.
"Guess we'll see," Chef replied before he started to walk away.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Chris asked. "It's about that time?" Chef was shown stopping in his tracks and raising his eyebrows. "When people might go to the fridge or change channels and not come back?
Chef coughed into his fist, then turned to face the camera. "Who will win the million bucks?" he asked in an extremely stilted fashion. "Who will not? Do not touch that clicker." He pointed at the camera, then crossed his arms. "We will find out, right after this." He paused a moment, then leaned forward and yelled "I SAID GET YOUR HANDS OFF THAT CLICKER!"
(Fade to Commercial and Back)
The episode resumed with a shot of Scarlett flying through the air with the sun behind her, screaming as she finally came to a landing on one of the city set's sidewalks. The shot zoomed out as she landed head-first, bouncing off her helmet and landing safely on her butt; the helmet was flung off in the impact. The camera zoomed in as she groaned and shook her head, her hair now completely free of its usual style – it was surprisingly long, and swept up in spikes on either side.
"Everything seems in order...," she muttered as she patted herself down, the sound of a helicopter slowly rising in the background. "Except for that..."
A sudden cloud of dust got her attention, and the shot pulled back to show Chef Hatchet descending upon the scene on a helicopter-carried rope ladder. "I'm coming, keep your shirt on!" he said as he landed and took out a stack of note cards from his back pocket. A party tune began to play as the helicopter left and Chef looked at his cards.
"Sweet landing, girl," he read awkwardly, "I'm your righteous new host, uh," he paused to read his lines again then looked at the camera, "Chef!" He paused a little too long, grinning nervously and moving his eyes from the camera to the contestant.
"Can we hurry this along?" Scarlett asked bluntly, making a feeble attempt at tidying her hair while the party music fizzled out.
"Work with me here, kid," Chef told her gruffly. He cleared his throat, then continued with his host attempt. "The rest of today's challenge is a ganar-uh," he faltered and re-read the line, then waved his hand so that Scarlett had to quickly duck, "gnarly treasure hunt!"
"Yes, I already know that," the brainiac said impatiently.
"Oh," Chef said smugly, "and did you also know that if you correctly answer a trivia question, you skip the challenge and move on to the next one?"
"No," Scarlett said bluntly, "but it's a welcome addition."
"Okay, uh, girl," Chef read from his notes, "who got the space boot after the Alien Movie challenge?"
"Geoff and Bridgette," the brainiac answered matter-of-factly.
"Follow-up question," Chef said, interrupting the girl as she was about to leave. "What was the weirdest thing that ever happened to Geoff's cast?"
Scarlett sighed in displeasure. "As I honestly neither know nor particularly care, is it correct to assume I'll have to do the challenge?"
"Too bad, then!" Chef read from his cards. "Time to get it on with the alien!"
"Alien?" Scarlett repeated, raising an eyebrow as dramatic music began to build. "Which alien?"
"That alien!" Chef said, pointing behind her. A few chanted notes were followed by a roar as the camera moved behind the young woman to show the giant animatronic monster crouched down and facing her. "And in the spirit of Bridgette and Geoff," Chef told her as the view switched to a close-up of Scarlett's shocked face, "you gotta mack on that space creature! And it's gonna be nice and slobbery," he added darkly into a walkie talkie, the scene briefly cutting away to the control tent where a blond male intern waited in the motion capture suit.
A few more chanted notes played as Scarlett's shock faded into a wide and vicious grin. "Actually," she said while slowly reaching behind her back, "since you were so kind as to bring this to me, I have a different idea." Chef was shown raising an eyebrow in confusion before the focus cut back to Scarlett pulling out a complex-looking remote control, the background music rising sharply in intensity. The device was very similar to the object Beth had been shown sleep-twirling several episodes earlier.
"Uh, like what?" Chef asked with a wary glance at her remote.
Scarlett grinned darkly, lowering her head and allowing the rest of her hair to fall out of place. "Like this," she answered, her eyes turning red as she pressed the most prominent button on the remote.
The music faded out as the shot cut to a close-up of the animatronic monster's toothy face as its eyes seemed to dull, and its body slumped slightly.
"Uhhh...," Chef said in open-mouth confusion before, all at once, the monster hummed back to life, the intense chanted music resumed, and the animatronic monster slammed its fist into the gawking form of Chef Hatchet. The man dropped his walkie talkie and was sent flying, and Scarlett broke out into roaring, sinister laughter.
/
The scene abruptly flashed back to Jo, dripping wet as she pulled herself back onto the deck of the pirate ship set. She immediately noticed something off-screen, and a touching tune began as the shot cut to Chris crying.
"Uhh, since when do you cry?" the jock-ette asked skeptically as she approached.
Chris sniffed and glared at her, the camera pulling back to show him chopping onions. "I don't," he told her. "Stupid Chef's doing my job, so I'm doing his stupid job."
"What, did you get in a fight or something?" Jo asked brusquely.
"None of your beeswax!" Chris yelled. "Scarlett has the lead now and you've got an air cannon to pump. Go!" The camera quick-panned over to the cannon in question.
/
"But...but how? Why?" Chef asked in fear and confusion as the scene cut back to him sitting on the ground and shaking his head.
Scarlett laughed, then pressed a few buttons and moved a few joysticks on her remote. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten the deal we made?" she asked as the monster lowered its hand and she stepped onto it, and Chef's eyes widened. "I mean, I understand that it was over a month ago," she continued as the monster stood up and stomped towards the fallen man, "but considering you were disciplined for it afterward I'd think you'd have remembered it. After all," she smirked as the monster towered over Chef, then grabbed him as he tried to run, "it isn't every day you agree to allow a contestant some unsupervised time off-camera with an animatronic monster."
She had the monster hold him up level with her, then had him squeezed so that he yelped in pain. "You told me you just wanted to see how it worked and give it some improvements! And besides, it was only for like two hours!"
Scarlett snorted. "Please, you were called away before I even started! I had no reason to honor the time limit you stipulated, and it was child's play to get the handful of peons wandering around to look the other way while I worked."
"So what, you've been workin' on this thing all season?" Chef asked as the monster turned and carried them both away.
"Actually, I believe I only put about five hours total into this," Scarlett said after a moment's thought. "Directly, at least, as I built most of the control box on my own time. Fortunately I was able to work out a manual override for the motion capture mechanism early on," she smiled smugly, "but I suppose that is one of the benefits of being a true genius."
/
The scene cut back to Jo, now loaded into the cannon and wearing the same style of helmet and goggles her rival had earlier. "Okay McLean," she told the host, "fire away! I got a lead to regain!"
Chris wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Darn these salty trade winds..." he said with a quavering voice.
Jo frowned and rolled her eyes as a sad melody began to play. "Let me guess, those onions still bugging you?"
"Chef's leaving the show!" the host cried.
"Yeah, I'm not surprised. Considering all the crap you've put him through I'm surprised he didn't leave sooner. Maybe if you started treating him with actual respect he'd stick around."
Chris wiped a tear away from his eye. "R-r-really?" he asked.
Jo shrugged. "Well, it probably couldn't hurt to give him a bigger paycheck, either."
The touching music reached its peak as Chris wiped his eyes on his sleeve again. He smiled, then pressed the button on the remote.
Jo was fired from the cannon with a surprised yell. The camera lingered on Chris as he watched her, sniffing and raising his hand to shield his eyes. "I guess I should go check on the big guy..." he said to himself, his voice still quavering.
/
"So you really did rig those votes?" Chef asked, still in the clutches of Scarlett's monster.
"Correct," the brainiac answered. "It was laughably simple to figure out how the voting devices worked, and once I did I added a way to hack into them to this." The shot zoomed in on the remote control in her hand as she motioned to it, then cut back to her close-up. "I was careful to cover my tracks, of course. Determining who would be using each device at each vote was fairly difficult, as was getting the timing right on the graphical cuts within the devices themselves, but it was worth it to ensure that the changed votes were plausible."
"How the heck did you do all that without anybody seein' you?" Chef asked in strained disbelief.
"Simple. I kept the device under my clothes during the votes," she explained, "the controls are easy enough to operate without being seen as anything other than an idle gesture. And when I didn't need it, I generally kept it in my mattress. I'm still not certain how Beth was able to get her hands on it that time, though..."
She adopted a thoughtful look, but it was interrupted by a cannon shot off in the distance. The monster stopped in its tracks, and Scarlett looked over with a smile. "It seems Jo has finally cleared the first part of your little 'challenge'." She chuckled darkly to herself. "Not that it matters anymore since by all standards I've beaten her. Incidentally," she looked over at Chef, "I'd like you to lead me to where the million dollars was to be awarded so I can claim what is rightfully mine."
"The Aftermath studio?" Chef asked. "Why should I take you-" He was cut off when the hand holding him squeezed tighter, cracking several bones by the sound of it.
"Keep in mind," Scarlett told him with narrowed eyes as she moved the monster's hands closer together, "that I will kill you if you don't do as I say."
"You ain't got the guts," the military man said defiantly.
Scarlett pursed her lips and pressed a button again, causing the monster's hand to squeeze harder and Chef to holler in pain.
/
The scene flashed back over to Jo as she landed with a bounce on the sidewalk, her helmet already gone. "Oof! Now where the heck am I supposed to go now?" she wondered aloud as she stood up and rubbed her lower back.
She looked around the city set, the camera following her vision to see it deserted. "Seriously, shouldn't Chef have been here to give me the next part of the challenge?"
"Good question," Chris said as he suddenly arrived courtesy of the helicopter's rope ladder. "I guess he's not as cut out for the hosting life as he thought." He stepped down to the ground and dusted himself off, then looked up at the helicopter idling just off-camera above him. A garbled voice was heard calling down to him, but he just squinted in confusion. "WHAT?" he yelled up at it. "I CAN"T HEAR YOU!" A muffled growl was heard, and the helicopter flew off.
"Wonder what that was about," Chris said with a shrug.
"Who cares?!" Jo exclaimed. "Just give me the challenge already!"
"Just a minute," the host said impatiently while patting himself down in search of something, "I think I gave all my notes to Chef. I need to-" he stopped when he noticed something on the ground, and the camera cut to a close-up of the walkie talkie that had been dropped there earlier. "Jeez," Chris said as he picked it up, "he dropped this too? He is so not a good host."
He pushed the button on the side "Yo, this is Chris-" he began before he was interrupted by a voice shouting loud enough to cause the host to recoil in shock. His eyes widened, and he quickly held it back up to his ears. "What happened?!" he asked frantically, and was answered in turn by more unintelligible blather. "She WHAT?! How could this happen?!" Another unintelligible response. "Chef was KIDNAPPED?!" In his shock, he dropped the walkie talkie.
The shot cut to Jo, who was now looking disturbed as well. "What...what's going on, McLean?"
"What's going on?!" Chris echoed, throwing his pirate hat down and putting his hands in his hair as he stared at her with wide eyes. "What's going on is that Scarlett somehow hijacked the animatronic alien monster, kidnapped Chef, and is now going on a rampage through the film lot!"
Jo gaped. She tried to say something but failed twice, and eventually said "Wow. Didn't think she had it in her."
The host looked at her in disbelief. "Yeah, neither did anybody!" he told her scathingly. "But now I have a grade-A disaster on my hands right in the middle of the finale! I have to do something before she completely wrecks my show! Or wrecks Chef! Fortunately," he added with a deep and bitter breath as he bent down to pick up the walkie talkie, "I already know where she's going."
"So then what the heck am I supposed to do?" Jo asked as the host started to walk away. "'Cause if you haven't noticed, I'm still trying to win a million bucks!"
"Jo, I don't even have time to care about that right now," Chris told her. "Scarlett and her monster are more important."
"Not to me!" Jo countered. "It's not my problem if she decides to wander off in the middle of a challenge. I came here to win, and all this means to me is that she's basically handing it to me."
"Yeah, I still don't care right now," Chris told her. "Now I gotta get to safety and figure out how to stop her." He started to leave, but once again Jo interrupted him.
"Well, could you at least declare me the winner first?" the jock-ette asked.
Chris grit his teeth and palmed his face. "Look, I'll sort out the stupid challenge when this is all over with, okay?" he told her. "Just, I don't know, stay here until then or something." He finally ran off, leaving Jo to cross her arms and sulk.
/
The scene flashed back to the animatronic monster, its master, and its victim. Once again, tense music started up in the background.
"The Aftermath studio is right there, okay!" Chef said with panic in his voice, gesturing slightly with his head. "So don't crush me!"
"Excellent," Scarlett said with an evil smirk as she had the monster stop. "I take it the original plan for the finale was to have the winner receive their prize and accolades as part of the TDA Aftermath Show?"
Chef shut his mouth and averted his gaze in stubborn silence. Scarlett frowned in displeasure, then pressed a button on her remote. The monster squeezed Chef again, causing him to yelp in pain. "Yeah, okay!" he told her. "The producers wanted a cast reunion for the finale, so they decided to end the season on that after show. But I don't know where in the studio they're keepin' the million bucks."
Scarlett grinned. "I doubt finding it will be much of a problem. And more importantly, it seems I won't have to waste time searching for my other prize."
"Other prize?" Chef asked in confusion as he watched Scarlett raise the hand she was standing on. "What other prize?"
The evil genius began a low and dark laugh as she reached the level of the monster's head. She flicked a switch and its mouth opened up, then she reached up and took her glasses off. "Oh, you'll see soon enough," she told Chef as she wiped her lenses with a cloth from her pocket, "you'll all see." With another round of laughter, she folded her glasses and tucked them into her shirt, then stepped into the animatronic monster's mouth.
/
The tense musical score was quickly replaced by something more peppy and electronic as the scene flashed to what looked like another of the film lot's many numbered studios. This one, however, looked much better kept, and it seemed to be located closer to civilization judging by the filled parking lots just visible to one side.
The camera flashed inside to none other than Dakota Milton, former Total Drama contestant and current TDA Aftermath host. "Okay people!" she said as she walked along a hallway addressing a handful of familiar-looking crew members that were walking about, herself followed by a slightly older white woman who was trying to apply make-up to the heiress' face. "This is our big day, so we need to make sure everything is perfect for the finale! The fans are counting on us to bring them a fantastic end to this season!" A few of the workers ignored her, but several others smiled or gave her some other gesture that they'd heard her loud and clear.
Dakota nodded, then paused to allow the make-up artist following her to finish up and scurry off. "Okay then, what's next?" she asked herself as she started to move again. After a few seconds of thought her eyes were caught by something ahead of her, and the camera pulled back to show Sam leaning against the wall playing a video game. "Oh hey Sam," she asked her boyfriend, "how are things going on your end?"
"Hmm?" the gamer grunted absentmindedly as he lifted his gaze from his handheld. His face lit up when he saw his girlfriend. "Oh! Right, uh, most of the others are ready and on-stage," he brought his hand to the back of his neck, "but Amy and Lightning are still pretty mad that they aren't getting interviewed."
Dakota sighed in exasperation. "Do they, like, not realize that this is supposed to be the finale? We're supposed to focus on the winner, not the losers."
"Yeah, I told them that, but Amy thinks that since everyone else who was eliminated got to speak that she should too," Sam explained. "And at first, Lightning was just saying stuff about how only winners deserved to be interviewed, but then, I don't know, I guess he realized that he wanted to tell his story too."
"Uggh, why are they doing this now..., Dakota pouted. "Well, they're certainly not getting anything if they don't get their butts ready in time for the show."
"Right," Sam nodded, "I'll go tell them that."
The gamer turned to leave, but his cohost held an arm out to stop him. "Before you go, did you ask everyone who they were supporting?"
"Yeah," Sam said, "and it's pretty much unanimous for Jo. Even Beardo and Topher said they were rooting for her, although it seemed kinda grudging. I think Amy's the only one who's still supporting Scarlett at this point, and I'm pretty sure Staci said she was undecided. Well," the gamer admitted with another awkward rub of the back of his neck, "either that or something about her great-great cousin or something who invented voting, it was hard to tell."
"Huh," Dakota said with a thoughtful look. "I guess Jo better win then. It's gonna be hard to get people excited for Scarlett."
"Huhuh, yup," the gamer chuckled. "Well, I guess I'll go talk to Amy and Lightning again. See you in a few!" He waved at his girlfriend, then turned and hustled away.
"See you then, Sam!" Dakota smiled, returning the wave.
/
The scene flashed over to a red helicopter flying through the sky over the film lot. Chris McLean was climbing up a rope ladder that was hanging from it, and soon pulled himself into the lone seat next to the pilot.
"Okay, I need to get a handle on things from a safe distance," the host told the pilot. "With Scarlett on the war path, I am not risking my own neck to try saving anyone."
The pilot nodded, and maneuvered the helicopter in an arc off to the left. "Heck, aside from Chef I wouldn't even care that much if this weren't supposed to be the finale. But since it is, I have to figure out how to resolve this so that it can still be made into an episode or two." He uttered a sigh of contempt. "Hosting is such a tough job. Chef did not know what he was getting himself into."
The camera briefly cut to outside the helicopter as it continued along, its occupants sitting in silence. Returning to the host's close-up as he frowned, Chris added "I hope the big lug is okay though. I'd really hate to have to replace him."
/
A flash took the scene to the city set, the camera zooming in to show Jo sitting on the stoop of a fake apartment building. She was hunched over with her chin rested on her hands, and was drumming her fingers impatiently.
"Freaking Scarlett...," she muttered, "why'd she have to go and ruin my win like this? It's like the least fair thing on the planet, and..." She suddenly perked up, shook her head, and slapped herself. "Okay, when did I become someone who whines about things not being fair?" She said loudly. "I'm a doer, not a complainer. And besides," she stood up dramatically, "why should I wait around here when I can at least watch Scarlett get taken down a peg?"
A short but dramatic tune played, and the jock-ette ran off.
/
A soft and quick version of the Aftermath theme played as the scene cut back to the other studio's main stage. A large red-and-gold throne has been added in the space between the guest couches and the hosts' seats, and aside from Sam and Dakota all the former contestants had were present. The back row of the Peanut Gallery was filled by Staci, Sugar, Ezekiel, and Scott – the four who'd been stuck on the sidelines all season – as well as Sierra, the fifth boot. In front of them were Beardo, Topher, Alejandro, Geoff, Bridgette, and Shawn, all of whom had also suffered an elimination in the season's first half.
The remaining seven were all on the Guest Couch. The back row had the guests from the previous Aftermath, Dawn, Beth, and Sammy, and the nice twin in particular seemed to have been seriously injured recently based on her extensive casts. The front row, in turn, held the four most recent losers: Lightning; Amy, who was in even worse shape than her sister; DJ; and B.
The hosts themselves were standing in the front of the stage surveying their peers; behind them in the foreground the audience could just about be seen.
Something thumped ominously in the far distance, but nobody took notice.
"Okay, looks like everyone's in place and looking good!" Dakota announced with a smile, her boyfriend still busying himself with one of his handhelds next to her. She turned to face the audience, then leaned towards the camera and winked. "Pretty soon we'll get that live challenge feed up and running so everyone can watch Jo and Scarlett compete in the most exciting Total Drama Action challenge yet!" The audience cheered. "So just sit tight 'til then, and-"
She was interrupted by another thump, this time much louder and from much closer. The ex-contestants in the gallery looked around in confusion while the audience began to murmur, and even Sam looked up from his game. More loud thumps came, and even started to shake the studio a little bit.
Dakota's cellphone started to ring, and she quickly pulled it out. "Sorry folks," she told the audience, "this should only take a moment, okay?" In one fluid motion she turned her back to the crowd and put her phone to her ear, a scowl forming on her face. "How many times have I said not to call me when I'm on the air!" she hissed angrily under her breath. "What do you mean someone's coming?" Dakota asked in disbelief. "The challenge was supposed to take, like, a couple hours!"
"Uhh, Dakota?" Sam said nervously as the thumping around them grew louder.
"What do you mean the monster's been hijacked?" the heiress asked, oblivious to the world around her. "What monster?"
"Dakota!" Sam exclaimed, tugging frantically on his girlfriend's arm just as, with a dramatic spike in the music, the animatronic alien monster crashed through the side of the building just beyond the Peanut Gallery. The gamer managed to pull Dakota to the side before a piece of wall fell on her, and the audience began to scream and flee.
"Oh crap," the heiress said in a panic, scrambling to get her cellphone back to her ear. The monster roared and burst an even bigger hole in the side of the studio, and started to step in. Chef was still clutched in the mechanical beast's right hand, and looked to be dazed. "It's Scarlett!" Dakota shouted. "She's taken over that thing!"
"What?!" Bridgette exclaimed from the Peanut Gallery, all of whom were looking at the monster in terror. "Why would she do that?!"
With another crash, the monster finished getting itself into the studio and hunched over facing the hosts. "Quite simple!" the voice of the brainiac came from within, and the cameras present zoomed in on the creature's mouth to reveal the no-longer-bespectacled redhead looking out from behind it fangs. "I wish to claim what should have been mine to begin with! And a few other things, of course."
"The million dollars?" Sam asked, still on the floor with his girlfriend. "I get that it's a lotta money, but don't you think this is taking things too far? I mean, you were already in the finals!"
Scarlett growled. "And why should I allow this insipid competition to end on terms that aren't my own? Especially since this season shouldn't have happened in the first place! I was the last person to have the case in the post-season-one challenge, so I should have won the million then! But instead," she continued to rant as the others were shown with disturbed expressions, "I had to force my way through a second round of humiliation just to get another opportunity! And now that I'm here, I want! That! CASE!"
"No way!" Lightning shouted, standing up bravely. "You lost back then, and you still haven't won now! You don't deserve the money!"
"Why do you assume I'm giving you all a choice?" Scarlett hissed.
"Pfft, Lightning ain't afraid of you!" the uber-jock boasted. "He's beaten that monster once, he'll do it again!" A triumphant battle anthem began to play as Lightning charged towards the monster, jumping up and grabbing a boom mic as he ran.
Scarlett's eyes narrowed, and the monster was shown standing up slightly and thus widening the hole in the ceiling. The shot cut back to Lightning who was now holding the microphone like a lance, but both jock and the music accompanying him stopped suddenly. Moments later, Chef Hatchet was thrown screaming at Lightning, and the two crashed together into a heap.
"And just in case the rest of you have any ideas about stopping me...," Scarlett added with a menacing look towards the Peanut Gallery. The monster stood up further, and the eleven campers were shown watching with even greater terror.
"Run for it!" Scott shouted as Beardo sounded off an air raid siren, but despite the teens' frantic scramble they weren't able to get far enough away from the deceptively fast tail that was swung at them. The monstrous appendage swiped through human and couch alike, scattering the contestants and leaving them seemingly as out-of-commission as Lightning and Chef.
What few audience members that remained screamed even louder, and those seated on the guest couch joined them. Beth and B were the first to flee backstage, while a crying DJ quickly grabbed Dawn and Sammy – both of whom seemed unable to move – and flung them over his shoulders. "I-I don't understand! This isn't what was supposed to happen!" Dawn said in panic as she was taken away with her friends.
The only ones left were Amy, who was too injured to do more than hobble away, and the hosts, who were clinging to each other on the floor. "Now as I was saying," Scarlett said from the mouth of the monster, "give me the million dollars!"
"I'll get you anything you want," Amy cried, "just don't hurt me too!" She finally managed to get backstage, and the hosts gasped.
"And now, for my second prize..." Scarlett said menacingly as the monster began to step towards the terrified lovers.
"D-do something, Sam!" Dakota cried as she clung even harder to the gamer.
"I'm trying," he told her, "but my darn legs just won't move!"
"Now as I recall," the brainiac said as the monster leaned towards the two and stretched out its arms, "you happen to have a very doting and obscenely rich father. Isn't that right, Dakota?"
"I-I-" the heiress stammered through rapidly-forming tears as a clawed hand reached closer and closer.
"No!" Sam exclaimed suddenly, standing up with renewed resolve. "I won't let you take her!"
Scarlett laughed, and the monster casually tossed the fat young man aside. He landed on the throne that had been set aside for the season's winner and hit his head, falling unconscious with a grunt and dropping the gaming handheld he'd been playing earlier.
"Sam!" Dakota cried in anguish.
"As I was saying...," Scarlett said with a dark grin as the monster picked up the now-sobbing hostess by the arm. It lifted her in front of its mouth, and the evil genius inside quickly stuck her arm out through the teeth and swiped the cellphone her victim had been carrying. The mouth opened up slightly, and with a grin she made a call. "Hello, Mr. Milton?" she said. "Who I am doesn't really matter. What does matter is that I have your daughter now. And I will continue to have her until you deliver...," she paused to tap her chin mockingly in thought, "let's make it one billion dollars to the set of the Total Drama Aftermath Show within the next two hours. I trust you know the address." She paused to listen, then smiled. "But of course!" she said. "Just one moment."
She quickly pressed a button on her remote control, and the arm holding Dakota moved her closer to Scarlett. The mastermind held the cellphone up, and uttered a single command: "Talk."
"Daddy...," Dakota sobbed weakly, "help me...please..."
"I assume you find that satisfactory?" Scarlett asked as she quickly pulled the phone back to her. "Good. I'm feeling generous, so I'll allow you an extra half-hour to think it over and prepare the money. I await your answer."
She ended the call with a click, pocketed the phone, and laughed. "Oh, this day is turning out quite well," she told herself while having her animatronic minion enclose Dakota in its fist. "The only thing better would be-"
"Stop right there, Scarlett!" the voice of Chris McLean came through a megaphone, prompting the villainess to duck back into her monster's mouth. "Drop the girl, and step out of the monster!"
The shot flashed outside to show Chris leaning out of the helicopter that was hovering well above the studio, the monster shown hunkering further into the building down below with its back to the handsome host. "I've already alerted the authorities and they'll be here any minute. If you give yourself up before then, though, you might be able to get off with a lighter sentence." There was no obvious reaction or response from the monster, causing Chris to scowl, then motion to the pilot to move the helicopter slightly closer. "Hey, are you listening to me?!" he shouted. "You've pretty much lost, so just give up so the RCMP doesn't have to hurt you!"
"Why on earth would I give up now," Scarlett said calmly, "when my third prize has finally presented itself?"
"What?" Chris asked through the megaphone. "I didn't catch that!" The helicopter moved slightly closer, and Scarlett grinned.
In one swift and sudden movement, the animatronic whipped around and threw a large chunk of broken building at the helicopter. Startled, the pilot tried to maneuver out of the way but was unsuccessful – the tail was hit, and the helicopter was sent into a spiraling nosedive.
"We gotta bail!" Chris yelled before he and the pilot grabbed parachutes and jumped. Their chutes deployed without issue, and for a moment it looked like both men were going to float safely to the ground away from the crash helicopter.
And then, accompanied by dramatically rising music, the animatronic monster appeared behind the helpless form of Chris McLean. He looked back over his shoulder and screamed as the alien beast's free hand closed around him.
/
The scene became eerily silent as it flashed to Jo as she ran through the film lot. "Darn it, why am I having so much trouble finding that freaking monster?" the jock-ette muttered to herself, looking from side to side as she ran. "I should've just gone with McLean..."
She spent a few more seconds searching, then skidded to a halt as she came upon the numbered studios. "What the heck happened?" She murmured with wide eyes, the camera rotating behind her to show the animatronic monster standing tall and proud outside the partially-wrecked studio. Its hands still held Dakota and Chris, though both victims seemed to have passed out, and Scarlett herself was just visible inside the creature's mouth. Jo's brow furrowed, and she moved forward in a low but swift sneak from setpiece to setpiece.
The scene focused on the monster as Scarlett had it turn back towards the Aftermath studio and had it bend down slightly. "And what do we have here?" she asked mockingly. "Have you come to protest as well, or do you have an intelligent plan?"
The camera panned over to the hole in the studio as the heavily-bandaged form of Amy slowly rose into view. "Umm, no," she said with a nervousness more fitting of her sister than herself, "I actually came here to give you the million dollars, just like you wanted." She raised up the case with a minor bit of effort, then opened it to show it full of money.
"Excellent!" Scarlett told her with a smirk. "Perhaps you're not as useless as I thought." Amy flinched and momentarily scowled, but seemed to think the better of it. "Now, I want you to toss it over to me so I can collect it at my leisure."
Amy obliged, though her effort was feeble and the closed case ended up tumbling more distance than it was thrown. "Umm, you're not, like, gonna hurt me, right?"
"Yes, so long as you leave," Scarlett told her sharply. Amy immediately yelped and ducked back out of sight. A moment later, the evil genius looked down at the case and grinned. "Although it's hardly a drop in the proverbial bucket anymore, it's oddly satisfying to know that this particular million dollars is finally in my grasp."
"Not yet it isn't!" The shout was accompanied by a dramatic flare in the music and a gasp from the brainiac. She looked down and the camera followed, showing Jo dashing out from between the alien monster's legs towards the case. She slid feet-first and grabbed it as she passed, then tucked it under her arms and got back to her feet with a triumphant smirk on her face.
"NO!" Scarlett yelled angrily, shorting out the music as the monster stomped down angrily almost on top of the jock-ette. Jo managed to dodge, but only the first blow – the second was a giant-sized kick right through her path that caught her and sent her flying for several yards.
"You know," the brainiac said with an odd calmness as the monster slowly stomped towards the fallen young woman who was struggling to recover, "I was hoping you'd show up. After all, it is entirely because of you that all this has happened."
Jo coughed, then looked up at Scarlett in confusion. "I've grown tired of explaining this," the brainiac said with a contemptuous look, "but I suppose I must do so once more due to your ignorance. Because of you, I did not win the initial million-dollar challenge that took place between seasons. Because of you, I was forced to humiliate myself in the competition once again in order to earn what was rightfully mine to begin with." Stomp.
"Because of you, I had to take several so-called drastic measures to ensure the proper outcome: rigging the eliminations of Beardo and Dawn, taking control of this glorious animatronic creation, and, of course, crushing all those who could stand in my way just a few minutes ago." Stomp.
"What...what are you talking about?" Jo asked as she got back to her feet. Her eyes popped open in realization as she looked at the captive hosts, and she added "Wait, what did you do to the others?"
Scarlett smirked as a cellphone began to ring inside the monster's mouth with her. "You'll find out soon enough. But for now, I have a call to take." She held the phone up to her ear, and said "Hello Mr. Milton, so great to hear from you. I take it you've made your decision?" She paused a moment, and her grin became absolutely devilish. "Excellent. You've made the right choice. I assure you that so long as the promised amount arrives on time, your daughter will make it back to you in one piece."
She flipped the phone shut, then the monster's mouth slowly opened to give the two young women a better view of each other. "In case you didn't hear," Scarlett taunted, "that was Dakota's father agreeing to pay a billion-dollar ransom for his precious daughter. I'm not one to pass up a good opportunity, you understand." Both her and Jo's eyes darted to the unconscious heiress for a moment. "And in conjunction with the five-hundred million the producers have already agreed to pay for Chris," she had the monster take a thundering step towards Jo and the case on the ground between them, "not to mention this show's prize money," another step came between the jock-ette and the million dollars, "I'd say the outcome of our little contest is obvious."
Jo grit her teeth, then dashed off between the monster's legs again. Scarlett sighed, then had the monster set Dakota and Chris on the ground. "And yet, it seems I still have to spell things out for you," the brainiac grunted as the monster turned back around.
The scene cut back to the jock-ette as she ran along, having already picked the case of money back up. She slowed when a large shadow passed over her, then stopped entirely when the monster landed in front of her with a titanic crash. Jo growled in frustration and turned to run again, but the monster was too quick – it grabbed her and the million-dollar case before either could get very far.
Dark and dramatic music began to build in the background as Jo was slowly lifted to eye-level with Scarlett, who had opened the mouth a little more. Moving a joystick on her remote control, the captured jock-ette was moved face-to-face with the evil genius.
Scarlett smirked. "I win, Jo!" She hammered a finger down on one of the remote's more prominent buttons, causing the hand holding the jock-ette to tighten its grip and the girl inside to holler in pain. Scarlett began to laugh again, starting low but quickly building up into an evil and raucous show of triumph that echoed over the film lot. Both it and Jo's cries of pain continued as the damage was surveyed, one panning shot at a time.
The downed helicopter and the unconscious forms of Dakota Milton and Chris McLean lying on the street.
The trashed Aftermath studio, as seen from the outside.
The wreckage of the Peanut Gallery, the former contestants it had housed only now picking themselves back up with fear on their faces.
Chef and Lightning, who'd also just about regained their senses – though both were shooting apprehensive looks off-screen.
And finally Sam, still unconscious on the winner's throne. His gaming handheld was at his feet, and the camera began to zoom in on it. As it did the sounds of pain and dark triumph faded into the telltale hiss of static, and soon enough text could be made out on the console's otherwise all-black screen. It promptly took over the scene.
[GAME OVER]
[Continue from last Checkpoint?]
[YES] [NO]
The arrow used to select the choice blinked a few times, and the whole scene slowly faded into static.
[Episode 25 – Scarlett Fever]
[END]