Disclaimer: I own Fat Man, Larry, Lewis, and Vallowsmeir. Everything else is probs not mine.
Ben's Note of Sheer Awesome: And here's the next chapter, just in time for Christmas! Sorry for the wait. I'm dealing with my senior year, school drama, drama in general, the whole deal. BUT, I will keep all my attention on this story when I can, I promise you that! I hope you guys continue to enjoy what I write and it means a lot to me from all of those who have supported me from the beginning. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
*Update* The twist from the previous chapter has been removed. The outcome it still the same, but the votes have been slightly altered to fit the elimination. I realized the twist was kind of a dumb idea and doesn't really fit with the overall point of the story. I think removing it makes the story better in the long run, and that's why it was removed.
Catch Me If You Can!
E23 P1: Reorganization
The night was clear and bright over Rehabillitation Labs as the stars were just starting to appear in the sky. There was a soft glow coming from the many, many lights shining from the labs as a camera panned down from the sky to two people standing in front of a small reception building.
"Don't you typically do these intros with Lewis?" Jumba asked as he nervously shifted in front of the camera. "I'm not all too comfortable being in front of a camera. It's not like I'm popular with some authorities of the law."
"Oh Jumba, relax!" Pinkie giggled, bouncing onto her head. "I should technically be having a mental break by being too negative, but do you see me quitting this show? Nope! If I can handle the drama and not lose my mind completely, then you can stand in front of a camera and not die!"
Jumba rolled his eyes, muttering to himself. "Honestly Lewis, I thought we went over your need to be surrounded by crazy people," Jumba grumbled. "And then you leave my Lab and go off to marry one..."
"What was that Jumba? I couldn't hear you!"
"Nothing Pinkie, nothing," Jumba said, giving her a fake smile. "Go ahead and start the intro and I'll fill in the blanks where I need to."
"Oh, right!" Pinkie giggled. "Last time on Total Drama All Stars, we hit the merge! YAY! It only took us twenty-one other episodes to even get close to this! The teams are both NO MORE and it's every amazing person for themselves!"
"The show also swapped location to my lab, Rehabilitation Labs," Jumba said simply. "Here, the challenges will become a lot more difficult. Patients that live here will become involed in some of the challenges as well.)
"The overall feeling for the merge was more or less that same!" Pinkie giggled. "All of the contestants had been waiting for it and pretty much expected it! Mr. Coconut made preparations with Tyler and Val's alliance, Noah didn't care, Larry tried to make sure he was in the best place, and Beth was out in the middle seemingly doomed!"
"You sound very biased in this recap," Jumba said flatly.
"Because I am!" Pinkie giggled. "The challenge for the day was a weird one, that's for sure! All of the contestants were lulled to sleep and their memories were erased! During the challenge, they did a mock version of Town of Salem, a game similar to the normal one, only people die!"
"As an overall challenge, the team to have surviving members remaining at the end won immunity," Jumba said. "The teams were unknown amongst the contestants as they tested and tried to eliminate the other teams. In all honesty, the overall challenge was a bit boring as it just appeared to be strategy."
"It kind of was, but that's ok!" Pinkie giggled. "We knew that challenge would be hard to execute, we just have to live with the end outcome! Anyway, the winners of the challenge were the townies thanks to Scott of all people, who, through a face of good, managed to defeat the others. This rewarded Beth, Dakota, Katie, Noah, and Scott all immunity for the vote!"
"The vote appeared to be close," Jumba said. "Overall though, thanks to Scott's and Val's massive plans, it was Alejandro that was eliminated. After a sad good-bye to Dawn and Larry, he took Patient 249, otherwise known as the Spring of Shame, out of the contest."
Pinkie cocked her head to the side. "Do you know all your patients by number?" Pinkie asked in amazement. "What about their names?"
"I prefer working with numbers, so I've given every patient a number and that is what I refer them to," Jumba said simply. "It's Reuben's job to memorize all the names and the patient's needs. I just know the numbers and what their demonic powers are. It's better that way too. That way if anyone tries to take out the Lab, they have to not only remove me from the picture, but Reuben as well."
"Makes sense to me!" Pinkie giggled, then turned toward the camera with a huge smile on her face. "So, what will happen today? Can Dawn recover from the loss of her boyfriend? Will Dakota be able to stand up to Val's grip over the game? Is Katie going to be able to remain sane with all her allies? And how many friends is Izzy going to end up having help her through the contest? Find out today on Total Drama All Stars!"
(Theme Song; I wanna be famous)
(Staff Common Room)
Inside the building containing Fat Man's medical license was a big room that appeared to be set up like a teacher's lounge. A few couches were set up and vending machines lined the walls. There were a few tables in the rooms with chairs lined around them and a fridge off to the side of the room.
In this room was Lewis, who was pacing back and forth across the room with his cell phone to his ear. He had a small smile on his face from the things he was hearing on it. Unbeknownst to Lewis, Maud walked out from Fat Man's office and sat on one of the couches, saying nothing.
"Yes Mr. Grills, I'm honored," Lewis said. "Yes, thank you. Uh huh. Yes, certainly. Consider it done. Also, I had a small question. Is there any money in the budget to try and make things in the game safer? I've gotten a few calls from fans about the show not being safe enough... oh. Right then. I understand."
Lewis was quiet for a moment, listening intently to what Mr. Grills was saying. Maud continued to be quiet as she watched Lewis tense. "Um, with all due respect sir, Scott's not only pestering my niece. He's starting to get comfortable and harm other girls in the contest as well," Lewis said nervously. "I'm aware he's good for ratings, but isn't he starting to get a little dangerous? Shouldn't we at least penalize him or arrest him after the contest? He's flat out admitted to raping my niece and considering to rape other contestants."
Maud's ears twitched as she heard a stern voice over the phone. She saw Lewis deflate, already knowing the answer before Lewis spoke. "I understand sir. Scott will not be penalized or have negative bias toward him for the rest of the time he's in the contest," Lewis sighed. Then, Lewis cracked his knuckles angrily, Maud's eyes staring at his fists. "But the second he's eliminated Mr. Grills, you better have police here ready to arrest him. Or..." Lewis said this quietly, but loud enough for Maud to catch it. "...I'll kill him."
There was an eerie silence in the room after that statement was said. The phone seemed quiet most of all before a response was given. Lewis nodded, a small smile returning to his face. "Good. Sorry if I was blunt, I deeply apologize. Talk to you later. Thanks for the promotion."
Lewis took the cell phone and hung up, letting out a sigh. "Just a few more days," he said. "Once the book is secured, I'll have time to focus on what matters."
"Promotion?" Maud drawled, taking this moment to speak. Lewis startled, gasping for breath as he looked over at Maud. "Why would your boss promote you?"
"Because I'm actually good at what I do, unlike my uncle," Lewis said, straitening himself out. "Mr. Grills gave me another season and wants me to look through some audition tapes. Looks like we're going to be here for another year."
"I can barely contain my excitement," Maud said, lacking any emotion. "Anyone get sacked, like my sister? She needs to be away from you."
"Harhar," Lewis grumbled. "No, no one got fired. Even Slender didn't get fired, and we don't even know where he is right now. Sorry Maud, but you're stuck with me for a long, long time."
" #$%. I thought I was free from you for just a moment," Maud drawled. "I won't ever give up hope though."
(Hotel)
After the elimination, had occurred, the fourteen remaining contestants went off to their designated places to rest. In the Hotel, inside one of the rooms, Noah and Dakota were both resting. Noah was reading a different book than before while Dakota seemed to be writing a list of something. Dakota glanced up for a moment and paused as she read the title of Noah's book.
"101 Ways to Feel Emotions?" Dakota asked with a giggle. "Since when were you ever interested in feeling emotions?"
"I'm not," Noah drawled. "I'm just marveling at how stupid you guys are. I mean, take number twelve. 'Being with someone who you care about most'. How does that care even come to be? Isn't being able to care a feeling in the first place? This book has so many flaws it's not even worth the read."
"Then why are you reading it?"
"I lost my other book," Noah grumbled. "Someone left a note saying Bonnie took it. I don't know who the #$% Bonnie is, but I do know she knows how to rob a book from a triple combo safe, several chains, and a boulder strapped to it."
Dakota blinked in surprise. "You seriously store your book in that?" Dakota asked him. "How come I never saw you use it before? And how the heck did she get in something that complicated?"
"It's hidden off camera whenever we move," Noah shrugged. "And she stole the whole safe."
"How did..."
"Don't ask me useless questions, because I seriously don't even want to know the answer to them," Noah grumbled. Deciding to shift focus, Noah asked, "What's the list for? Is it ways to get me eliminated?"
"No," Dakota giggled, rolling her eyes. "I'm listing the pros and cons for accepting Lewis' offer. I'm thinking about leaning toward saying yes, especially what Val said to us yesterday, but I wanted to make sure I had all the consequences in front of me before I decided on it."
"Put on the pro list 'something to focus on other than me'."
"Noah!" Dakota pouted. "You know I'll never stop thinking about you. I love you. Haven't you accepted that yet?
Silence.
"I actually have never heard those words from you," Noah said, shifting. "Point being, I don't care which one you chose. But, since this book is a pile of porcupine crap, I'm willing to listen to the list."
Dakota nodded and held it up. "Pros. I get to help Lewis so he isn't so stressed I can control the spirit of hatred so that I can manipulate my strength, and we have something over Val to prevent him from eliminating one of us."
"I don't like that last one. I want to be eliminated #$%it," Noah grumbled.
"Cons," Dakota continued, "I have to watch my temper constantly, I can't let myself go completely in challenges which reduces chances of immunity, and I can't let myself get over stressed with eliminations." Dakota paused for a moment. "That last one won't be a problem though. You'll just have to decide who to vote for and tell me right before we vote."
"Great, make me do something I'd rather not," Noah grumbled. "You know I hate everyone here, right? How the heck am I going to decide who to vote for?"
"Just randomly chose anyone who isn't Izzy and Zeke," Dakota shrugged. "Or Val, since he seems to be watching our movements. Just vote the most annoying person in the game right now and I'll do whatever."
Noah paused and then gave a chuckle, that surprised Dakota for a moment. "Wow. You have so much faith in me your trusting me to eliminate anyone annoying, which is literally everyone else here except for you, and even you grate on my nerves sometimes," Noah chuckled.
"Well, might as well let you make one of the last few choices you'll ever make," Dakota snarked. Noah let out a gasp, which made Dakota cover her mouth. "Sorry! Was that too soon?" Dakota asked nervously.
"No," Noah said, chuckling. "I'm just surprised that I'm starting to grow on you."
Confessional: Growing takes a lot of work.
Dakota: Out of everyone left, I'm sure Noah could probably handle me being... well, different. I mean, if I take Bean, and I'm still debating it, I'm going to have trouble... well... keeping him in check. I saw how he was inside of Lewis, and if that's the kind of thing Lewis has to live with every day, I'm not sure it's going to be as easy as it looks. But Noah has never not been there for me, so if I need him, I'm sure he'll be willing to help.
Noah: (Shaking his head, a light smile playing on his lips.) I was not expecting that out of Dakota. Sure, I love her tender personality, but a little snark is appreciated. (He pauses.) Love... what is it really? I can't feel... I won't feel... but can I accept Dakota's feelings for me? Probably not, but who cares? I certainly don't.
Katie was sighing in bliss as she sat on a chair in a robe in a golden spa room. A man with purple skin and green 'tattoos' on his arms was rubbing her feet with expert precision. On his face was a long, snout-like nose and, on occasion, he shot out a green ray to his hands and continued to rub Katie's feet. Katie sighed whenever he did this, sinking into the chair in bliss.
"Yeah, totally worth it," Katie sighed. "Thank you, guidebook, for guiding me to Lax. This feels so good..."
"I know how else you could feel good."
Katie physically cringed, temporarily forgetting about being relaxed and turned her head. Scott was chuckling in the doorway to the spa, smirking at Katie in her robe. He couldn't see anything as Katie made sure she was fully covered in case this happened, but it didn't stop Scott from imagining what was underneath it.
"I have a boyfriend Scott," Katie said, shivering. "If anyone is going to give me that kind of pleasure, it's him, not you. Did you need something?"
"Just watching is all," Scott smirked. "Actually, I do have a request for you. Ever since my memory was wiped, I've been thinking. Maybe... just maybe, don't hold me to anything... I'm willing to make amends for my mistakes."
Katie physically beamed at this statement. "Are you for real! Scott, I'm so proud of you!" Katie said, a giant smile on her face. "I knew there was good in you somewhere! I just had to take the time to see it."
"Yeah, well, don't hold me to it," Scott warned. "My desires are full and trust me, it's taking all my self-control to take you right there on that chair you sexy #$%." Scott said that sentence with a perverted smirk, making Katie's happiness dwindle away completely. "Just keep in mind I might change and tell Dawn that for me, would you?"
"Why give her false hope?" Katie asked suspiciously. "If you really want to change, why not wait to tell her yourself when you do?"
"Because," Scott said, evil literally oozing from his smile. "I like seeing her squirm. Turns me on. Later Katie. I'll be seeing that sexy body before elimination." Scott licked his lips and left the room before pausing. "Oh, and make sure I win immunity. I kind of need it."
Once Scott was gone, Katie sighed, shaking her head. "Why do I even try with him?" Katie asked Lax, who continued to rub her feet. "He's not changing, even though he said he was. I mean, I think I saw the glimpse of the real Scott during the last challenge, but how will I know if that Scott will ever really surface?"
"May I make a suggestion?" Lax asked in a thick Polynesian accent. "Instead of focusing on Scott, why not focus on yourself? As I've seen in the last few episodes, you've been worried too much about others. Bridgette, Scott, Mike, they are all your focus. Instead of focusing on them, why take a day and focus more on you?"
Katie paused and then gave a genuine smile to Lax. "Wow. That's actually really good advice," Katie said. "Maybe I will just take a 'me' day. Starting with finishing this massage. How do you make me feel so relaxed?"
Lax smiled and pointed to his nose. "I'm descended of a demon who dwells in the realm of Sloth," Lax said. "I don't know my father, but my mother though, who lives over in Hawaii right now, was able to describe him well enough to Jumba to help us figure it out more or less. My nose shoots green rays that help one relax, which is why my profession is headed to therapy."
"That's actually really cool," Katie smiled. "So... this might be a weird question, but what's it like being the son of a demon? Is it weird?"
"Not really," Lax said with a shrug. "From some things Reuben, has said, I'm probably the son of Noroff, one of the principle judges in the ring of Sloth. Those who live in Sloth care less about human/demon relations. They're still disgusted, but they won't attack their offspring or their 'spouse'. Overall, it's not too much being different than being born from two different ethnicities."
"Oh, I see," Katie giggled. "I just thought it was different than normal living."
"For me, this is as normal as you going out for ice cream with your parents," Lax said simply. "Yeah, I have powers that allow me to let people relax. Yeah, my dad is part demon. But that's just normal for me and my friends here. We all have one parent that's a demon. That's just the norm for us."
"Well, the norm is good for me right now," Katie sighed, Lax rubbing her feet. "Thanks for doing this."
"Its what I was born to do," Lax smiled.
Confessional: I was born to be a confessional.
Katie: (Giggles, holding up her toes, showing they were painted yellow.) Lax is super fun! I wonder why Lewis gave up living here. (Pauses.) Probably because of Pinkie. Yep, that must be it. (Stops for another moment.) Maybe Lax is right. Maybe I should just take a break from the contest and just enjoy me. I mean, I can talk to Mike a little bit, but for today, I'm just going to take a 'Katie Day'.
Scott: (Bursts out laughing.) Me? Change? HA! No #$% way! I'm starting to realize that my 'reckless' behavior might cost me Katie's vote, and considering how much Val needs me to organize his stay in the game, I can't really let her get sidetrack. I should probably go on an immunity run to guarantee my safety. Val isn't in any immediate danger, Mal has Bridgette under his thumb, and Dawn is a weak pathetic #$%. (Smirks and then lets out a laugh.) Oh, the merge is going to be fun for me!
(Medical Room)
Gathered in Fat Man's office, the doctor, Stich, Reuben, and Foxy were all sitting around in a circle. The three bodies were lying on the table behind them, unmoving. Reuben had set the wallet on a table in the middle of all of them, looking at it carefully. Also on the table was a plate of egg salad sandwiches.
"Egg salad. Great sandwich, the only one I can't make myself eat," Reuben sighed. "Well, except for baloney. Curse you baloney. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy."
Foxy grabbed one of the sandwiches, taking a bite before widening his eyes. "This be tha best sandwich I've ever eaten!" he said, taking another savoring bite. "Why can't ye be eating these? Ye be makin' them taste delicious!"
Reuben sighed, taking a seat. "Egg salad is my specialty. I make the best egg salad sandwich in the universe. True story, I actually have a certificate saying it's the best in the universe. But... well... I grew up eating too many and I can't eat them anymore."
"Tragic," Fat Man said, stuffing one in his mouth. "But not the point of this meeting. Did you two gain any knowledge to Lewis being the shooter?"
"No direct evidence," Stich sighed. "What's worse is we can't even do plan B until tomorrow since Remmy's too tired. Reuben, did you get anything I didn't?"
"A few actually," Reuben said. "One, the last sandwich Lewis ate was... a roast beef sandwich with Italian bread, lettuce, cheddar cheese, and a tiny bit of mayo. He also had three pickles on the side. Not a bad pick, I personally would have had a tomato on it."
"Something other than the sandwiches," Fat Man said flatly.
"Well, in that case," Reuben said, chuckling. "Lewis wallet was empty. I know Lewis, he's a pretty wealthy guy, and he almost always carries at least a twenty in his wallet. The fact it's empty wouldn't be a concern if he had been at the store recently, but as we all know, Pinkie does the shopping for the show. This could connect to Lewis' occasional disappearances."
"But why would his wallet be empty?" Foxy asked. "He be shootin' people, not buyin' things."
"I'm not sure how the two interconnect, but I can say this much," Reuben said. "I'm in the mood for a sandwich." Reuben reached over and grabbed an PB&J sandwich, promptly taking a bite from it. "Ah, that's good."
"We'll figure out more as times go on," Fat Man said. "Since Remmy is out of commission, we'll have to wait a few days in order to use him."
"Or," Reuben said, setting his sandwich aside. "We could go with my plan C."
"No," Fat Man said flatly.
"Plan C? What be that plan?" Foxy asked.
"It involves Swapper, a pair of Siamese twins who were born to a demon with strong mental abilities," Reuben said. "They have the ability to swap the minds of two people. I proposed it to Fat Man as a fallback in case Remmy fell through, but Fat Man has a medical stand on this."
"Swapper's powers are flat out unpredictable," Fat Man said. "I checked their medical records and there have been several examples where the people swapped weren't able to be reversed for several hours. Plus, parties who don't want to be swapped end up swapped anyways. And considering the fact the friends we want to swap are in a coma, we don't know the side effects."
"Let me be the one to swap," Foxy said simply. Everyone looked at Foxy, stunned. "I be part machine, yes? So be Chica. We be compatible to each other and there'd be no risk so long as it's a brief conversation."
"I still do not grant my approval," Fat Man grunted.
Stich thought about something for a moment before smirking. "Hey Foxy? Did Sunset sign a contract to be an official staff member like I did when I joined the crew?"
"Aye, she did," Foxy nodded.
"Did you?"
Foxy smirked. "Nay, I haven't."
"Then Fat Man has no say over what you can or can't do," Stich said simply. "Since this is staff property, he can't tell you whether or not you can swap personalities. Lea's in the same boat."
"I would be in the same boat if I didn't love this sandwich," Reuben said, taking a bite out of a grilled cheese he random pulled out of nowhere. "I need to be conscience, so I'll just help monitor Swapper if you go through with it."
Fat Man sighed. "Fine. I'll allow only Foxy to transfer with Chica. When Remmy's rested, we can try again with the other patients. But that's my final decision."
"One I can live with," Stich chuckled.
(Motel)
In the lesser of the two buildings, the Motel was fairly nice. In one of the two rooms that it consisted of, Bridgette was nervously resting on the bed, slightly rocking back and forth nervously. She glanced around the room as she waited for Larry, breathing deeply. She was still somewhat stressed about the previous vote.
"Everything's ok. Larry's still here and he'll know what to do," Bridgette breathed. "I really thought he was going to be eliminated... oh I shouldn't have voted for him... it's ok though. He'll help me. He always does."
"You know," Larry chuckled, walking into the room. "Voting for your allies isn't really smiled upon Bridgette. I mean, sure, Alejandro probably voted for me last night, but I still considered him an ally and didn't vote for him."
Bridgette tensed, biting her lips. "Well, um... you see Larry, I didn't..." Bridgette started.
"Relax. I saw you talking to Scott earlier and I put two and two together," Larry said. "Blackmail I'm assuming. That's typically how Scott works, and knowing Scott, he probably wanted to hurt you by targeting me."
Bridgette blinked before offering Larry a small smile and a nod. "Mal's actually blackmailing me, but he needed a spokesperson during the day," Bridgette said. "They wanted me to vote for you last night. Obviously that fell through... I'm sorry about Al. I know he was a good friend of yours."
"Indeed, one of my best friends, maybe next to Shrub," Larry sighed. "But we have to push on. I'll have to keep an eye on Dawn since Al isn't here to make sure she's safe anymore, meaning I'll have less time on strategy. And seeing as your now being blackmailed, that isn't really a good thing for us."
Bridgette nodded, letting out a sigh. Then, a thought occurred to her and she sat up straight. "Wait, maybe this is a good thing for us," Bridgette said. "Think about it. If Mal is blackmailing me to vote his way, then I'm technically safe since he needs me for the moment. I'll follow his instructions and you can just do what I do."
Larry thought it over for a moment. "I guess the idea itself seems harmless," Larry said. "But if the target turns to me or Dawn, I'll have to sit out. Still, it's a pretty solid plan. Better than anything I have right now, anyway. If you have any say in who goes, could you try swaying them to vote for someone in Izzy's alliance? They have far too many people in the merge and it's a threat to pretty much everyone else."
"Sure, I can mention it," Bridgette said with a smile. "But isn't Izzy Dawn's sister? Shouldn't we try saving her?"
"At this point, Izzy's a big threat, especially with Zeke on her side," Larry pointed out. "I'm sure Dawn would understand the situation of the target goes to Izzy. But perhaps not, so let's not worry about that currently. The real question now is how we're going to use Mal's alliance against itself so we can get you out of the blackmail arrangement."
"One step at a time Larry," Bridgette said, giving him a him a half smile. "I'll be fine until we figure out a plan. It's not like Mal can physically hurt me at this point unless we end up in the same room set up, right?"
"Mal might not, but Scott sure can," Larry cautioned. "Just keep an eye out for him, alright?"
"Larry, I'll be ok. I just need support from you when I need it is all," Bridgette smiled.
Confessional: I have some support beams somewhere...
Larry: (Let's out a sigh.) My issue here is that I have two very emotional allies right now. One just lost her boyfriend and the other is being blackmailed. I need to help both girls, but my problem is that I can't save both of them at once. Tomorrow morning Dawn is my priority. I'll try to help Bridgette when I can, but I only have so many hours of the day.
Bridgette: (Sighs.) I understand that Larry's going to be busy, so I need to pick up the slack when it comes to strategy. Mal's calling the shots, but there has to be a way to take both him and Scott out at once without being directly involved. I just have to find out how...
In the second room of the Motel, Tyler was relaxing on his bed with a smile on his face. He had felt ok with the vote and didn't really care how it ended up. As he was resting, he glanced up for a moment and got a puzzled look on his face. "What exactly are you doing?" Tyler asked.
He asked this because Izzy was listening carefully. She was sitting next to a girl with giant pink ears and was covered in pink fur. She also had a tail, which appeared to have a speaker inside of it, which Izzy currently had her ear to. Tyler had been watching her for a while, but still had no idea what she was doing.
"I'm listening in on Larry's and Bridgette's conversation!" Izzy hushed him. "Shush is a good friend of mine! We dated a while back, but she isn't my type!"
"Nor is Izzy mine," Shush giggled.
"Cool," Tyler chuckled, then paused. "Wait, how are you listening in on other people's conversations?"
"I have the ability to hear anything if I tune in on the right frequency. I can project what I here through my tail," Shush blushed. "But all I've been getting lately is a bunch of static. Happened roughly yesterday morning or so, right before you guys showed up."
Tyler paused for a moment. "That's weird. Do your powers normally get jammed like this?" Tyler asked.
"Not normally," Shush said. "They stopped once before, but that was when... well... never mind. Point is, I'm not quite sure what's wrong. A lot of other people are having problems with their powers too. Fibber can't detect lies accurately, Wishy-Washy's wish counter isn't filling up, and Whoops can actually walk."
"DEAR SANTA CLAUSE!" Izzy screamed. "Whoops is walking?"
"He hasn't tripped since you guys got here," Shush said. "He's actually more terrified than a lot of us. Still, point is, whatever's going on with my powers, we've only been able to catch snippets of their conversation since the static is so bad."
"What have you caught?" Tyler asked.
"Well," Izzy said with a giggle. "Larry says he's gay! At least, maybe! I don't know! Nor do I really care, because they're fun! Second, Bridgette's pregnant! Wait... Shush, did she say she was pregnant or has fasciitis?"
"How can you even mix those two up?" Shush asked quietly.
"Either way, their conversation is weird!" Izzy giggled. "But I did find out that they were teaming up with Scott to vote me or Zeke off! I think that's what they said anyway, I can't exactly recall what they said because most of it was static."
"Ouch. Tough luck for you guys. Do you think you can pull through?" Tyler asked her.
"Probably! I've done it before and I'm sure I could do it again if I actually try this time!" Izzy giggled. "Hey, do you mind if I leave? I want to go introduce Zeke to some friends of mine, Shush included, and I was wondering if you could cover for me if someone asked?"
"Sure, I don't mind," Tyler shrugged. "It was nice meeting you Shush."
"Same. Oh, and I'm a big fan of yours and Lindsey's," Shush blushed. "I hope you guys have a great life together."
"Thanks," Tyler grinned. "I appreciate it."
Confessional: Together forever!
Izzy: I'm not actually that worried about the eliminations! I should be, but I bet the challenges are all going to involve patients here, and last I checked, I'm good friends with a lot of them! So being eliminated doesn't scare me in the slightest! Now the conversation does prove that Larry is a pretty big threat, and not because he's gay or anything! (Pauses.) Wait, can an inanimate object with no gender even be gay? In fact, is Larry even really a guy? Have we been offending him this whole contest by misgendering him? (Stops.) Wow! Who knew none of us really understand Larry?
Larry: I feel as though someone is talking about weird things about me. (Shivers.) Either way, they aren't true. Unless they are. Probably not.
Tyler: (Seems to be thinking hard about something.) Izzy's a great girl, but if anything about the eavesdropping was accurate, Larry might be right about voting Izzy off. I mean, let's be honest. I'm no good at strategy, but Izzy's can be pretty good at challenges when she needs to be. Plus, she grew up here. I think Larry might be on to something. I'll mention it to Mr. Coconut later when I see him.
(The Death Wing)
After the sun had set, Leroy and Slender both emerged from the ship, both carrying a side of the book's glass casing as they left. Leroy led the way, sneaking into the Labs and leading Slender through a wooded area. The two walked for quite some time before Leroy gave a grunt.
"The first checkpoint is up here," he grunted. "We'll rest here until we can carry it farther."
"Why not just drop it off tonight and be done with it?" Slender asked him.
"Lewis might have hired me, but he doesn't trust me," Leroy grumbled. "He wants me to drop the book off at certain checkpoints per day. The book will be locked there for a few hours before it can be moved again. If I don't make it to the check point, the book locks for an entire day and immediately sends Lewis it's current location."
"Ok, I'll give Lewis that one. He knows how to protect his property," Magenta said, appearing next to Slender. "But why move the book in the first place?"
"It's been there for over four years," Slender said simply. "Too many people found out. Once the Anachronator was put in the Hall of Frozen Patients, people began to wonder why. It wasn't because he was evil or anything, but because he created the Book of Premonition in the first place."
"Which no one knew about until Dawn #$% it up," Leroy grumbled. "Stupid piece of #$% daughter..."
"Dawn? How does Dawn tie into the Book of Premonition?" Magenta ask.
"Well, that's where things get tricky," Slender said. "Dawn is one with nature. She isn't part demon per se, but she does indeed have powers that are unexplainable, much like Izzy does. Like Izzy, Dawn grew up a little bit around the patients. The Anachronator, before his freezing, was particularly fond of Dawn."
"He was her godfather before he was frozen," Leroy grumbled. " #$% #$% never realized how much he did for her..."
"Right before the freezing, when the Anachronator himself figured he was far too dangerous after the books creation, he decided to create a fail-safe. If the book had fallen into anyone else's hands, particularly that of evil, he created a Holophoner, which functioned in a similar fashion to the Book of Premonition, only through music."
"The problem with that was, he specifically designed the stupid thing to work for one person," Leroy grumbled. "It's a tricky piece of machinery that, according to the Anachronator, is supposed to be invented roughly three thousand years from now, give or take a hundred or so years. Very few people in the future can play a regular Holophoner, but one that can show information about the past, present, and future? One would have to have a certain nature of them to be able to #$% play the thing."
"And since Dawn was in tune with Mother Earth and could sense things about the Anachronator..."
"She could play it," Magenta guessed. "So how does that tie in to everyone finding out about the book?"
"Well... after the Anachronator froze, Dawn was hurting on the inside because of the loss of one of her best friends," Slender said awkwardly. "She of course knew about the book, just not it's contents or how important it actually was. So, after a few weeks, she played out her sorrows about the loss of the Anachronator and how it was the book's fault."
"And when she did, the image the device played showed the creation of the book and it's function," Leroy grumbled. "Since Dawn didn't know exactly where the book was taken, that wasn't shown in the hologram, but the idea something so powerful was out there in the first place pretty much got every demon out there looking for the thing. That's how we got Val's attention in the first place."
"So the Holophoner has similar powers that the Book did, and when Dawn played it, the image was transmitted for everyone to see?" Magenta asked. "How'd she pull that off?"
"Hurt is one of the stronger emotions the Holophoner can sense," Slender explained. "The more Dawn hurt, the bigger the Holophoner projected. If some father I know didn't make her hurt so bad by abusing her over and over, I bet the initial projection wouldn't have been so big. But because Dawn was hurt that badly..."
"The image was projected on the sky all across the world for ten seconds," Leroy sneered. "Ten seconds was all anyone needed. Bart, Val, even #$% we didn't even know instantly knew about the book and went off looking for it. And it was all that little #$% fault!"
"As I said, if some father didn't abuse her so much..."
"It is not my fault Slender!" Leroy growled. "She was always an imperfect little #$%! Blonde hair, a nature freak, and a little #$% who ruins everything!"
"Where exactly did the Holophoner end up?" Magenta asked, bringing the subject back on topic. "After Dawn played the image, what happened then?"
"She lost it," Slender shrugged. "She was disowned by Leroy, who's a complete moron, and she came to Lewis with nothing but the clothes on her back. We don't really even know where it even ended up."
"Hmph. How #$% daft are you?" Leroy asked. Slender turned to him in confusion. "You really think I'd let her keep the thing? I have it, dumb #$%."
Slender paused, looking at Leroy carefully. "Wait a minute... you had the Holophoner all this time?" Slender asked, completely miffed. "Why didn't you tell us? If anyone got a hold of it and actually figured out how to use it..."
"Total chaos, yeah, yeah," Leroy waved aside. "One could say almost total destruction like if Val got ahold of the book or the Anachronator. One with all three could be a god in this universe, wouldn't you say?"
There was complete silence amongst them. Slender seemed to glare facelessly at Leroy while Leroy smirked. Magenta processed what was going on in her mind and let out a gasp that only Slender could hear. Slender continued to stare at Leroy, knowing precisely what his deal was.
"You're going to trade the Holophoner to Lewis in exchange for letting the Anachronator walk free."
"Took you long enough," Leroy chuckled darkly.
(Time-Out Corner)
As the night wore on, the losing contestants from the last challenge were separated and placed in their separate cells. In the one cell in the back corner of the room, Mr. Coconut was pacing back and forth, glancing around at the clock hung up on the wall. He let out a sigh as he sat against the wall.
"I find this completely unneeded," Mr. Coconut grumbled. "If we wanted to lock ourselves up to die, I would merely let my suit run out of power. Which is what's happening anyway, since I can't find a place to charge myself."
"It's just the way things have been set up," Dawn said distantly. She was sitting in the back of the cell, looking up at the ceiling and caressing her tummy. "You shouldn't complain. It was, after all, your fault you lost the challenge. No use in complaining about your own failure."
Mr. Coconut paused, glancing at Dawn carefully. "I may not be the social type, but even I know that snark was very uncharacteristic coming from you. I don't mind at all, in fact, it's quite nice to see someone can make a comeback, but it doesn't fit of what I know of you."
"Who really knows me anyway?" Dawn asked, sighing. "Al doesn't know the things I've done... neither does Larry. None of my friends know me. Just what they see on camera or the facade I put up to hide who I really am..."
There was a silence between them for a moment. Mr. Coconut stood up and walked over to Dawn, looking down at her. "I may not know how to act in social situations," Mr. Coconut said simply, "but I do know what it's like to lose someone close to you. You lost Alejandro, and yes, it hurts. I lost Sadie a few rounds back. But you learn to cope. I'll see her again after I win the million, and hopefully she still deeply values our friendship as I do. Alejandro will probably be waiting for you wherever eliminated contestants go and he'll be the first one to greet you when you get there."
Dawn thought about those words and a smile slowly crept on her face. "Thank you," she said with a smile. "You know... I remember us talking in the last challenge. I think we were trying to comfort each other from the loss of memories we both had."
"Ugh. Don't remind me," Mr. Coconut groaned. "That was not my finest moment. I'm typically good at strategy challenges, but without my memories... how can I be that much of a complete idiot?"
"I thought it was kind of funny," Dawn giggled. "You know, after I got my memory back. That was a weird experience though. Some people acted the same while others did a one eighty in personality. Makes you wonder what the true person is deep inside."
"I'm not a mindless idiot," Mr. Coconut groaned. "This conversation suddenly turned sour. I'll let you rest. You have a lot of strategy to make up for tomorrow since your strategist is gone, and I do believe in fair play. I wish you a good night sleep and I shall return to my boredom."
"Ok. Thanks for the talk," Dawn smiled. "Maybe to keep you from getting to bored, you should think of hypothetical scenarios of the order you'll be voting everyone off in. It doesn't interest me, but according to your aura, it'd keep you entertained."
"I've tried it, and it actually does keep me occupied," Mr. Coconut chuckled. "You should hear about the one where you go next. I end up in the finale with Beth of all people. I'm still not quite sure how that ended up working out, but if I ponder more about it, perhaps the answer will be clear."
Confessional: To be clear is to be foggy!
Mr. Coconut: Of course, the reason I take out Dawn in that scenario is something I would never do in real life, despite it being a logical reason. I take her out because she's pregnant and she's too much of an initial danger social wise. Now, I don't want that to be the only reason I eliminate her since it's pretty degrading to her, but I will need to take care of her in the near future. Whether that's eliminating her or bringing her to the finale with me, I haven't quite decided yet.
Dawn: Mr. Coconut is a lot like Alejandro in a way. He's simply misunderstood. He loves strategy and that's his strong point, but it doesn't completely define him as a person. He does care about his friends and I'm pretty sure he would have saved Sadie if he could. I think people kind of look at his hard exterior and don't see how much he really cares for his friends. But, he is a coconut after all, so maybe it's just my affinity for nature talking.
In another cell, closest to the main exit, Val seemed to be meditating while Mike, or Mal in this case, was pacing around the cell. Mal seemed to be annoyed by the lifeless Val and was openly grumbling to himself as he paced around. After a few minutes of doing this, Mal stopped and glared at Val angrily. "Do you have to be so annoyingly existent?" Mal grumbled.
"In every single alternate dimension, except for the select few I'm not actually in," Val said simply. "And for your information, I'm trying to get ahold of Pink. Her powers typically throw off my ability to connect dreams, but she said she'd keep a direct channel open for me to communicate with her the last time we met. However, that channel does not seem to be open."
"I don't really give a #$% about the whole heist thing," Mal grumbled, rolling his eyes. "All I want is to win the trillion and ruin Mike's life. So far, the ruining of Mike's life is going rather well, but as far as I can see, you aren't really focusing on how to win me this game."
"Scott's the strategy man. The whole reason I allied with him was because he could make it so I could stay in the game longer. I'm not in the game to win, I'm in it to get close to the item I seek," Val said simply. "You are merely a pawn to help me stay here so I can achieve my goal. If you want to negotiate, talk to Scott."
Mal rolled his eyes, sitting against the wall with a grunt. "You know, the only reason I'm helping you is because everyone else here sees Mike as a villain," Mal grumbled. "At least this way I actually have an idea of who to vote for and I'm not just stabbing in the dark. But mark my words, if I end up eventually having to vote you off, I'll have sweet, sweet pleasure in doing so. Because you really are kind of annoying."
"Noted, and for your information, you're a scape-goat at this point," Val said simply. "Every episode you remain on this show is a blessing from me and Scott. All we really need is your idol, but if all else fails, Scott can make a very convincing fake."
"Whatever. I'll do my part. Just don't get any stupid ideas. I have someone's life to ruin," Mal muttered. "Who should I plan on eliminating in case we can't talk later? Might as well have a general idea."
"As of now, I'm going to try and have Scott spread the word in eliminating Zeke or Izzy," Val said simply. "Zeke's an automatic target as he strengthens Izzy and he's physically capable at dominating challenges, which makes it difficult for Scott to remain immune. Izzy is in the same boat, only she has the home field advantage. I don't care which one goes home, but so long as it's one of them, things should be good for us."
"Fine. Any preference or do I have to figure everything out for myself when elimination time comes like I normally do?" Mal muttered.
"When it doubt, always vote for Izzy," Val said flatly. "She's far too human for her own good... if I didn't have this 'good image' to keep up, I would have flat out killed her at this point. Shame what I can't do because I have to be... good." Val shuddered. "Oh well. The time for charades is nearing it's end and I can actually kill someone. I'm actually hoping it'll be Dawn. I know she has 'sentimental value' to Scott, but killing two humans at once is like Christmas, only more demonic and less cheery."
"It's times like these I'm glad to be in Mike's head and not yours. And that's saying something, because I hate this guy," Mal muttered.
Confessional: I don't really hate anyone to be honest!
Vallowsmeir: I wasn't kidding. The second we get a chance to dump Mal, I'm doing it. He's too much of a lose canon. Of course, we need his idol in the end, and I highly doubt a fake will cut it. I bet there's some type of mechanism hidden in each of the idols, just in case a fake was made. But Scott's stolen things before, so if push comes to shove, we can always steal Mal's idol if needs be.
Mike: (His hair is down, revealing Mal. He appears to have a big smirk on his face.) I can almost guarantee Val's planning to try and get rid of me. Well, there's one tiny problem with that. He tries to vote me off, I use the idol, the very thing he's keeping me around for. He might try to take it from me by force, but I don't actually keep the idol on me at all times, just in case Scott gets sneaky. I do bring it to eliminations, just in case, but in general? It's hardly ever on me. Now, when Val needs it for the heist, sure, I'll let him use it. But that won't stop me from ousting him the second he's done using it. Gets Mike back in good with the others and I can slowly destroy him from the outskirts. It's a win-win really.
In the third and final cell, Zeke seemed to be completely at peace with himself. His beanie was over his eyes and he couldn't help but feel complete peace inside of his cell. Sure, he would have rathered having some time with his girlfriend, but peace was a nice thing to have every once in a while. Everything was nice a quiet...
"HIYA ZEKE!"
...until that moment.
Zeke gave out a chuckle and lifted his hat off of his eyes. He saw Izzy standing on the other side of his cell with Shush and another boy who had a very skinny body but a giant forehead and long pointed ears. The boy's skin was orange and he had a big smile on his face.
"Hello Izzy," Zeke chuckled. "I should have figured you'd come down to visit me. You do tend to pop up in places you aren't allowed to be in. Wish I had that kind of law breaking spirit."
BLARGH!
Zeke blinked in surprise at the loud, very obnoxious noise. Izzy merely giggled, covering her mouth in joy. The noise appeared to have come from the orange colored boy, who's forehead lit up as the noise escaped his mouth. Zeke eyed him carefully before looking back at Izzy.
"I reckon that's normal eh?" Zeke wagered a guess.
"Indeed," the boy chuckled. "I do apologize if that was rather rude. I do try to keep my abilities in check, but I often times fail in that. I'm Fibber and that's Shush. We're good friends of Izzy."
"Yep!" Izzy giggled. "I figured we'd come visit you since you seemed lonely! Although... why don't you want a law-breaking spirit? I don't really mind! Just wondering!"
Zeke blinked. "How'd you know I was bluffing eh?" he asked. He paused for a moment and then chuckled, looking over at Fibber. "My soul mate is Dakota eh."
BLARGH!
"Ah," Zeke chuckled. "I reckon your ability is that you can detect lies?"
"Indeed," Fibber chuckled. "I'm also cursed to only ever tell the truth, but that isn't too much of a bother. I have nothing really to lie about, so that's good. Anyway, it's nice to meet Izzy's boyfriend. I've been telling her forever to settle down with someone."
"She did date me for a few months Fibber," Shush said, rolling her eyes. "Back then you said we were meant for each other."
"My correct wording was that you two look great together. To say you were meant for each other would infer I knew the future, and inferences are typically lies that haven't happened yet," Fibber said simply. "Same thing with Zeke here. I can't predict the future, but I do know that he and Izzy seem to fit together like puzzle pieces. If it works out, then terrific. I personally believe it will, but I can't say it will, because it could in the future become a lie."
"Makes a mighty ton amount of sense to me eh," Zeke chuckled. "Stick to being honest when you can. I reckon that's a strong moral lesson to learn from eh. So, what do you two do for a living?"
"I work part time as a CIA operative," Shush said, blushing. "Um... actually, I'd rather not get into it too much."
"She has a crush on this co-worker of hers!" Izzy chuckled. Shush gasped and blushed furiously while Izzy burst out into giggles. "I can smell brain waves remember? It's all over you! I think it's super cute!"
"As for me, I work part time at police stations," Fibber said. "I'm quite useful at confessions. Even half-lies are still lies, and I can easily detect the difference. I would be a full-time cop, but my calling is here. Plus, I'd miss Izzy's visits too much."
"Aw!" Izzy giggled, hugging Fibber tightly. "And I know that's the absolute truth too!"
Zeke smiled, relaxing against the wall. "You guys seem a lot like family eh," Zeke said. "No wonder Izzy calls you Uncle Fibber. It's a mighty fine pleasure to meet ya eh. I'd shake your hand, but the wall and all."
"We'll have time for that tomorrow," Fibber assured him with a smile.
Confessional: Time is a trivial thing!
Zeke: Ya know, if me and Izzy seriously date for a long time, I wouldn't mind bonding with a lot of her friends eh. They really seem like good people and Izzy seems super happy around them eh. I might be a bit simple and not understand all this complexity, but that doesn't make Izzy's friends bad people. It all comes down to their personalities, and Fibber's a mighty fine fella to know from what I've seen of him.
(Forest Outside the Labs)
As everyone else was relaxing inside the labs, Lea was patrolling around the outside, his chakrams over his shoulder. He had a piece of wood in his hand that he was roasting in a small fire. He was glancing around the area carefully while at the same time looking somewhat upset as he walked around the forest.
"You know, you would think Lewis would get it memorized that I hate guard duty," Lea muttered. "Then again, he might be evil, so maybe that's why he keeps assigning me to patrol. At least it's not raining this time."
Lea continued to make his way around the Labs, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. As he walked, he couldn't help but feel as though something was following him. He paused for a moment and took a long sniff of the air. He stopped moving and twirled his chakrams in his hands.
"There's one smell I know like the smell of burning wood," Lea said. "Your flesh reeks."
A loud chuckling came from behind Lea, which made Lea's hands clench around his weapons. Lea smelled the air again and instantly knew the person behind him was closer. He didn't loosen his grip on his chakrams as he felt the presence almost pressed up to his ear.
"It's what happens when a mortal burns you completely to the point death will happen."
"Oh, so your Latus," Lea said with a light chuckle. "I've been trying to hunt for you for quite a few years. Snicket likes to keep me watching the more elusive demons. Didn't realize you stunk so bad. Makes me glad I never ended up finding you."
"I'm touched. I've been keeping tabs on you as well," the voice rasped. "Listen Lea, I need a favor from you. That or I'll kill you. I already have Noah on borrowed time and I would love to watch someone else with fire powers to rot."
"I have that memorized," Lea shivered. "And it wasn't a pretty image to memorize. What do you want?"
There was a harsh chuckle in his ear, making Lea clench his hands harder. "There's a poltergeist around here," Latus said harshly. "She's been annoying, so annoying that I can't focus on why I'm here. I need someone with fire powers to keep her at bay. You're the only one conscious that fits the bill."
"Heard about Sunset? Poor deal with her," Lea sighed. "Would you like to come by and see her? I'm sure she would love a house visit from someone with fire powers like we do. Heck, I'm sure Fat Man would love to get a tissue sample from you and Stich might have a butt load of questions..."
Lea gasped in pain as a light but extremely painful warmth lightly touched his back. "I care nothing about Sunset Shimmer. She is better off unconscious to me than she is conscious, especially with things she knows. And, for your sake, you'll keep her unconscious."
"I got it memorized," Lea said suspiciously. "Now, what do you want with the poltergeist?"
"Simple. She's trying to sneak into the labs because of the demon on your cast list," Latus said hoarsely. "I need you to keep her from entering. Keep doing this, and I won't have Lewis shoot you."
Silence.
"How do you know it's Lewis shooting us?"
"What's keeping me from burning your entire soul to a crisp? Keep the poltergeist out. If she gets in, you'll be the one who gets burned. And trust me, I love burning my victims till there is nothing left of them. Keep that little tid-bit memorized."
The presence from behind Lea vanished, and with a sniff, Lea confirmed Latus was gone. Lea crumpled a little, resting with his knees bent. Breathing heavy, Lea made his chakrams vanish in a fiery circle and sighed. "Great. Lewis set me up. #$%it Lewis... why do you keep making yourself look more and more guilty?" Lea grumbled.
(Courtyard)
It was quiet and dark out in the courtyard. There were a few lights set up to illuminate the area, but not all too much. Outside wandering the courtyard was Tyler, who had decided to get some fresh air. He breathed in as much as he could before letting out a blissful sigh, smiling to himself.
"You know, the outdoors really suit me," Tyler said with a smile. "I really should come out here more outside of challenges. It's super refreshing when times are as stressful as they have been the past few days."
Tyler smiled with a relaxed sigh and folded his arms behind his head. As he walked, Tyler spotted a water fountain not too far from where he was. He eyed it for a moment before shrugging and walking over to it. In bent over to take a drink when he heard a low grunt. Tyler paused and glanced up, noticing Beth, who had a very angry look on her face.
"Is this going to be a thing with you and the fountain?" Beth muttered.
"In my defense, you walk near these things to begin with. It's not my fault we keep running into each other when I'm trying to drink something," Tyler chuckled awkwardly. There was silence for a moment before Tyler sighed. "Is this going to turn into you yelling at me?"
"No," Beth sighed, shaking her head. "Look, I thought about what you said... and honestly, I'm not sure what I feel. But until I figure out what I feel, can you just keep me in the loop on who you and Mr. Coconut are voting for? It's not like I have a lot of allies right now anyway... and while I still hate your guts, I need something to hold onto ally wise."
Tyler thought about it for a moment before chuckling. "It's progress," Tyler said. "I haven't managed to talk to Mr. Coconut yet, but I overheard Izzy overhearing something Larry was saying to Bridgette. We think he's planning on voting off Zeke or Izzy. We're not quite sure which, but either option has promise."
"Interesting," Beth grumbled. "Thanks, I guess. Don't think we're friends again though."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Tyler chuckled. Beth rolled her eyes and walked off, grumbling to herself. Tyler shrugged and went back to his drink, only for him to notice something in the grass. Tyler reached down and picked it up, to find that he had found the Teef Idol. "Well, that was certainly unexpected," Tyler chuckled. "I'll just hold onto this for safe keeping."
Confessional: Dreams are pretty deceptive.
Beth: (Groans, glaring at the camera.) Don't think I've gotten soft! I'm still peeved at Dawn for ruining everything. And you know, that's exactly what I'm going to focus on in these next few rounds: making her suffer. But... Tyler is willing to overlook my absolutely hatred of him and Lindsey... maybe we can eventually be friends again? You know, after I win the contest and buy myself twenty pairs of shoes to make Lindsey feel jealous.
Tyler: Is Beth back to how she was? No, but I don't think that's what I really want. (Sighs.) It's complicated and touchy feely, which I'm not good at, but I think maybe she's changed a little bit for the better. Not the jerk part, but the fact she's been trying to do something she's known forever that she'd fail at. Does that make sense? (Sighs.) I hope so because I kind of lost myself.
As the night wore on, Dakota was also making her way through the courtyard. She had come to a decision about Lewis (without any help from Noah) and decided to go off and look for him. She figured Lewis would see her leaving the Hotel via one of the cameras and would meet up with her at some point. After about ten minutes of walking, Dakota let out a sigh.
"Maybe I should just let him know my decision at the challenge tomorrow?" Dakota mused to herself. "He is pretty busy right now and he might not notice where I am. Besides, he's probably off spending time with Pinkie. It has only been a week or so since they got married after all."
"That's true, but she understands that I have business to attend to," a voice chuckled. Dakota turned and smiled when she saw it was Lewis who was talking to her. "You've come to a decision about Bean transferring over to you?"
"Yeah, I have," Dakota said. "I talked it over with Noah, and he wasn't really much help. But I weighed the pros and the cons... and I think I'll give it a try. If anything, it'll just be a disadvantage to me, but since you cut me a break all those weeks ago, I sort of deserve it."
"A fair point," Lewis chuckled. "The transfer can be done two nights from now. After the second elimination from this point, meet me over at the main staff building. Noah can come if he wants. I also recommend not doing anything too stressful before or after the transfer takes place. It's the early stages that he's the most problematic."
"Sounds good," Dakota nodded. "Do you, um, think I'll be able to handle him as well as you do? We seemed to get along ok, but I'm not all too sure if I'll be able to do it..."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Lewis smiled. "If it gets too rough we can always transfer Bean back into me. Just keep me posted in case you change your mind."
"Ok. Thanks Lewis. I'll be ready for you in two days," Dakota smiled.
Confessional: Two is way more than one!
Dakota: Lewis knows what he's doing. I just need to try and avoid being eliminated so we can go through with the transfer. (Pauses for a moment and crosses her legs.) Am I doing the right thing? I mean, I think I'm doing the right thing, but how do I really know? Noah isn't much help with these kinds of decisions and Lewis specifically told me not to mention it to Izzy. (Sighs.) I just hope I know what I'm doing...
(Morning)
The sun rose over the horizon as morning took it's turn in the world. As the sun rose higher and higher in the sky, the prison cells clicked open and everyone was able to head out to the courtyard to converse with each other. Mike was by himself at one of the tables, sighing to himself.
"Well, from the looks of things, Alejandro was voted off last night," he sighed. "I guess it's for the best. He was kind of mean to me a few days ago, even though I kind of deserved it for whatever I did." Mike let out a sigh again. "Still, I wish I could remember what happened last night. That would at least make me feel better."
Mike sighed for a third time, merely shaking his head. As he did so, Katie walked up to his table and slid into it on the opposite side as him. Mike noticed her and gave her a weak smile, which she kindly returned. However, the smile was quickly gone as Mike sighed again, making Katie don a look of concern.
"Are you doing ok Mike?" Katie asked him. "You seem a little depressed."
"It's just this stupid memory loss," Mike muttered. "I would like to just remember one night. I don't think it's that hard to ask, don't you think? All I want is to just remember who I'm voting for so I don't get accused of things I'm not aware of."
Katie nodded, quiet for a moment. "You know Mike, I think maybe you should relax a little bit," Katie said. "I know it must be rough losing your memory at night, but I'm sure things will just get better. I plan on taking a me day today, so maybe you should do the same. Just take time to focus on you and maybe you'll feel a little better."
Mike thought about this for a moment before nodding a little. "You know, maybe your right. Maybe I am just over stressing this to an extreme," Mike said with a breath. "If I take time to relax, maybe things aren't as bad as they seem. Thanks Katie. You really are a great friend, especially when no one else in the contest seems to be."
"It's not a problem at all," Katie smiled. "You're a nice little distraction from my other 'friend' in this contest, so I should be thanking you. Now, sorry to leave in a hurry, but I have plans to just spend time by myself. I hope you do well in the challenge today!"
"Same. Not that you necessarily need it as much as me, but winning would be nice," Mike said with a weak smile. "Let's just hope we aren't targets for right now."
Confessional: Are you painted red and white?
Mike: Am I worried? A little. I mean, all of my original allies are against me, the girl I trusted most is gone and it's apparently my fault, and the only person left willing to give me a remote chance doesn't seem to have a big say in the votes herself. I don't doubt Katie, honest, but she just doesn't seem to socialize with other people. Then again, I don't either, so I'm not really one to judge or complain, huh?
Katie: While today is going to be all about me, I wanted to double check on Mike, just to see if he'd be ok. He's probably had a rough game, kind of like I'm having right now. I know for a fact he needs moral support, and that's what I'm here for. But maybe if we both take 'me' days, we can both see clearer what needs to be done. (Thinks for a moment.) Maybe I should have a chat with Tyler too when I have a moment. Maybe he'll have a suggestion on how I can relax myself.
Val was walking around the courtyard, glaring at all the contestants he passed. He was having a very irritable morning for some reason and it was taking all of his concentration to not kill someone. As he walked, his bead eyes found a certain red head and he let out a sigh, needing some good strategy talk.
However, right after he took a step, his vision suddenly went all static. Val paused, waiting for something to happen. His vision cleared into a blood red room, one he typically went to in his own dreams. Val looked around and raised a metaphoric eyebrow at what he saw.
Standing before him was Pink, but her image was distorted. Different portions of her were scattered too far to one side and parts of her were missing altogether. She had a ticked off expression on her face, especially when the dream suddenly got fuzzy for a second. The image returned somewhat to normal, but Pink's image was still heavily distorted.
"You took you're #$% sweet time," Val muttered. "If you were here right now I would RIP YOUR LIMBS OFF AND FORCE FEED THEM TO YOU!"
"You think I've been having a wonderful time away from you?" Pink scowled. "These have been the worst days of my entire life! This STUPID fallen angel won't #$% leave me ALONE! Fire is bad enough, but someone with that much power that emits fire from existing?! Do you realize how physically EXHAUGHSTING that is for me, A DEMON WHO'S WEAK TO FIRE?!"
Val scowled at the mention of the fallen angel, shaking his head. "Ugh. Latus is here. Of course. Of all times, now has to be the time," Val grumbled. "How much can you hold out for?"
"Are you #$% KIDDING ME?! I've been dealing with Latus for DAYS! He's been following me since the asylum episode! His fire is ten times worse than Lea's is, and I only ran into Lea for a moment! I'll be lucky if I can walk tomorrow!"
"Complaining about it does nothing to solve it," Val muttered. "What about Slenderstine? Is she in the area to get you out if you need it?"
"Nowhere to be seen, probably getting ready for the heist," Pink grumbled. Pink's image suddenly disappeared for a moment before popping back on, even more distorted than ever. "UGH! I can barely even hold this channel open! I can't get into the Labs, Val, and I'm almost out of energy to keep trying, and it's only been one night. Either figure out what Latus wants or do the heist without me."
"That's not an..." Val started to say. However, the entire image fizzled out at once and Val was standing back in the courtyard. Val cursed to himself, shaking his head angrily. "Of course things have to go wrong so close to the end..."
"I'm guessing from your angry demeanor Pink just contacted you," Scott said. From the time Val had been in the 'dream', Scott had noticed and relocated to a table closer to Val. He was currently resting on top of the table, looking at the sky. "She's not in position and she won't be for a while, correct?"
"Worse. She physically can't get there," Val grumbled. "Remember Noah's old friend who doomed him to die? Yeah, Latus is guarding the entrance to the Labs. Don't know why, don't give a #$%, but point is, his fire powers are so strong they are draining Pink's energy by just being close to him."
"Ouch. But wait, wouldn't Lea's powers just do the same?"
"Yes, but at a much smaller scale. If Lea were guarding the Labs, which in all probability he might be, Pink's energy would still drain, but not at the rate it currently is," Val grumbled. "Point is, we need to push back the heist until we can get Pink into the Labs without literally killing her. Question is how to do that without drawing too much attention to ourselves..."
Scott pondered the problem for a moment before smirking. "You know, I have two options, both being pretty good," Scott said. "We could try voting off Noah, or maybe someone closely allied to him. Latus might take that as a message that we're willing to negotiate."
"I was telling Mal last night we might be taking out Izzy," Val mused, nodding at the idea. "What would be the other option?"
"We send Mal out to investigate," Scott said. "You did say he was dead weight. If we sent him out to take care of Latus, he'd be earning his keep and might possibly be out of our hair. It's a win-win if you ask me. The only problem with that particular plan is he can't bomb the next few challenges so we can send him out."
"That sounds quite reasonable as well," Val mused. "I'll take some time to think it over. I do appreciate your counsel, as always. Think you can find a way of eliminating Izzy without drawing attention to ourselves?"
"I'm sure I can think of something," Scott chuckled
Confessional: Day dreams really are that distracting.
Scott: The way I'm thinking for this particular elimination might be tricky. You see, to take out Izzy, you have to make it seem like I'm targeting someone else. If you give someone options, it's easy to manipulate the outcome to what I desire. For instance, we want Izzy gone. In order to convince people to vote for Izzy, I'll propose her boyfriend, Zeke, for elimination. Using proper trickery, I can easily convince people to vote for Izzy by comparing her stronger, more dangerous qualities to Zeke's lesser qualities. And even if this backfires, both are strong threats close to Noah. I'm sure Val doesn't care about the details, he just wants the job done.
Vallowsmeir: (Seems to be pondering hard about something.) My issue now is a lot more complicated than it was. Slenderstine is more than likely in place for when the signal is given. Mal has the idol I need, and Scott is working the specifics of the game. My problem now is something I didn't foresee: a main player out of the picture. I need three keys to get in. The key Izzy gave me a while ago, an idol, and a mortal with a soul of a demon. I have two easily accessible things in the game. The other is outside unable to get in. (Sighs.) Scott's plan better work...
As the time for the challenge drew closer, Larry was making an effort to find Dawn. He had been searching for her all morning but was having trouble locating her. After an hour or so of searching, the head sighed in relief when he found the moon child resting on a bench, rubbing her tummy and looking off into the distance. Larry walked over to her and sat on one side of her. Dawn didn't make any gesture to signify Larry's presence, which Larry took notice of.
"I didn't vote for him you know," Larry said.
"I know. I can see it in your aura," Dawn said.
Silence.
"I know how much he loves you. He's loved you since the beginning of the contest, even though he didn't really call it that back then. That Chef Idol... he had it ever since he was banished on that demon ship. He wanted to give it to you so you could be happy. I just don't think he ever realized that he should have used it on yourselves."
Silence.
"I don't think we would have ever become such good friends if it weren't for you," Larry said. "In fact, I think you truly brought the best out of him. Alejandro is a changed man, and you, Dawn Crayak, showed the world who he became. He's a changed person Dawn, and he loves you for accepting who he became and his mistakes he came to redeem. He's not here right now, and I'm sorry I couldn't do more to save him. If I could have traded places with him, I would have. But that fact is I couldn't. And I'm here now to help you get through this contest so you can be with him again one million dollars richer. That is, if I don't get the money myself for my people."
There was another silence, but this one felt different to Larry. He looked intently at Dawn and saw a small smile on her face and a tear in her eye. Larry would have smiled if he could, but alas, he was only a dead head. Before he could say anything else, Dawn reached over and grabbed one of Larry's metal hands. She brought it over and placed it on her stomach. It didn't take long for Larry to feel a very distinct kick.
"I told Al the gender right before he left," Dawn said with a smile. "I hope... I hope he loves the baby as much as I do already..."
"He loves you Dawn. And by extension, he loves your child," Larry said. "He might not be here to say it to you directly... but I know him well enough to know that's what he would say to you right now."
Dawn nodded, smiling a little bigger. "Thanks Larry. I know he would want me to keep going... but do you mind helping me a little to get there?"
"It's what I've been doing since the start of this contest," Larry chuckled.
Confessional: Dang, the start was a very long time ago too.
Dawn: I know Al isn't here now, but that's what this game is about. We lose people we love, and we have to keep going for them. I may have lost Al last night, but I'll see him again soon, whether I win or lose. (She smiles.) I love you Al. I hope that you miss me right now as much as I miss you... well, I don't wish that... but it would make me feel better knowing I'm worth a lot to you...
Larry: She might not be at her best now, but that's understandable. When you lose someone you're super close to, it hurts. Dawn lost her boyfriend and that's a very hard thing to lose, especially in a game that's emotionally taxing every single day. But I'm still here for her and we do have her sister to count on if we need it. However, I might have to vote Izzy off soon… but if I do, I won't tell Dawn about it until after. I don't need to stress her out too much at this point.
After a few hours of a free morning, Lewis and Pinkie all gathered the contestants together in a big part of the square. Some looked quite excited for the challenge while others look less enthusiastic. Pinkie gave everyone a warm smile while Lewis gave them all a polite wave.
"Good morning everyone and welcome to your twenty-third challenge," Lewis said. "Day two of the merge, and things are only going to get harder from here. We recommend you keep your allies close, but your enemies closer. Now then, Pinkie will be introducing today's challenge."
"Yay!" Pinkie giggled. "So, here at Rehabilitation Labs, there are a lot of patients with fun and unique abilities! We decided to have a little fun with that and send you guys off to explore the Labs and get to know some of the patients! So, for today's challenge, were bringing back the TDI classic!"
"You all may remember in TDI Chris tasked the contestants to find an animal and bring it back to the main camp," Lewis said. "Well, were doing the same thing, only instead of an animal, we want you to find a specific patient here at the labs and bring them back here. It's the same concept, only with civilized beings."
"Don't think that automatically makes it easy though!" Pinkie said, wagging her finger back and forth with a giggle. "While these guys might be civilized, they will still put up a challenge! Don't let your guard down for even a second!"
"How are we even supposed to find these patients?" Noah asked.
"Simple! Well hand each of you an envelope with a name of the patient you are tasked to find!" Pinkie said. "Inside will have characteristics about the patient, a picture of what they look like, and places they might frequent! These places won't be specific, but it might give you a general idea on where they might be!"
"Yay! I love all of these guys!" Izzy giggled.
"Alright, now well just get to handed out the envelopes…" Lewis started.
"Hang on!" Tyler said. Everyone looked at him as Tyler pulled out the Teef Idol and walked over to Lewis. He handed it to Lewis with a smirk. "I want to place this on Izzy, if I still can."
"You can," Lewis nodded. "This is indeed the Teef Idol. The rules of the Teef Idol state that the victim of this idol must do an extra task added onto the main challenge. Izzy, instead of just finding one patient, you must find two. By playing this idol, it is now out of play."
"Cool! Like I said, I love these people!" Izzy giggled.
"One more thing while Lewis is handing out the envelopes!" Pinkie giggled as Lewis grabbed a stack of envelopes and started to walk around, randomly handing one to each contestant. "Like with the original challenge in TDI, this challenge will also have a reward and a consequence! Four people will get immunity today, but the person that gets back here first will be allowed to have dinner with the staff with one person of their choice accompanying!" The contestants seemed to beam at this. While the food wasn't completely awful anyways, a nice meal with the main staff would be nice as well.
"However," Pinkie said, causing a few contestants to groan. "The last contestant to return here with the patient will not only be in the prison cells, but must suffer inside a cell with Plute, Mrs. Sickly, and Mr. Stenchy alone. We figured we should give you a little incentive to try and win immunity today!" This disadvantage, although not too obviously bad, still gave everyone a little bit of a scare.
With the consequence fresh in mind, Lewis walked around the group and made sure each contestant got one envelope, except for Izzy, who got two, who merely smiled at the fact. Each one had a name written on it. The names written on each of the contestant's envelopes went as follows:
Beth had Snafu.
Bridgette had Yin.
Dakota had Clip.
Dawn had Richter.
Ezekiel had Retro.
Izzy had Yaarp and Swirly.
Katie had Yang.
Larry had Phantasmo.
Mike had Nosy.
Mr. Coconut had Sparky.
Noah had Bonnie/Clyde. (He was aware that there were two names on his envelope. He didn't really care.)
Scott had Hunkahunka.
Tyler had Kixx.
Vallowsmeir had Fibber.
"Be sure to bring your patient back here as soon as you find them," Lewis said, once he was finished handing out invitation. "Remember, first four back get immunity, first place gets a reward, and last place deals with a night of torture. You guys may begin… now!"
The contestants scattered off, tearing open their envelopes as they went. Lewis and Pinkie turned to the camera and smiled. "Who will win the challenge today? Who will win that special reward and who will lose and find out the terrible horrors in store for them in the consequence?" Lewis asked. "Find out… after the break!"
"This episode is brought to you by Corn Flakes! They may be bland, but that's what sugar is for!" Pinkie giggled randomly.
Confessional: Don't dis the corn flakes.
Mr. Coconut: (Has an impressed air about him for some reason.) I wasn't aware Tyler had the Teef Idol. I guess he must have just found it recently and hasn't had the time to tell me. Still, playing it on Izzy was actually a rather clever move on his part. Perhaps she's who we should target next…(Lets out a sigh.) On a rather tragic side note, my suit isn't fully charged. Whether this spells out trouble for me or not, I'm not sure I mind. The disadvantage for losing might not even affect me directly, so I don't mind losing… not that I'll try to lose on purpose.
Dawn: (Smiles lightly.) I know Richter, more or less. He's not my favorite person in the world, especially with my baby. He's… kind of rough on people, even though he's a sweet guy. Hopefully he understands and isn't too rough with me this time… Hopefully…
Katie: Yang… I wonder what that means. Like Yin and Yang? Maybe Yang hangs out with Yin? If there is a Yin…(Shakes her head.) Well, where ever Yang is, I hope he's somewhere that's distracting and I can have a nice and relaxing day. I'm pretty sure I won't come back last, so I'm pretty sure today will be one hundred percent about me relaxing and not worrying about a thing.
Beth: (Glaring at her envelope intensely.) Didn't Lewis mention a guy named Snafu on our tour yesterday? And wasn't he a bad name for us to hear? I swear, if this game is #$% rigged against me, I'm going to #$% hurt someone! (Sighs.) #$%, is my temper really that bad? Ugh… another thing that's negatively affected by my attempts to woo… I mean kill Tyler.
BN: Well, that wraps up the chapter! Hope you guys liked it and like how the plots are unraveling! I'll keep trying to update as much as I can and get the next elimination out before I go back to school next week! I hope you guys keep enjoying my plans for this story and stick around for the eventual end game! I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Like? Hate? Meh? Tell me about it in a review! Or don't! Either works!
Next Time: The contestants go off to find the patients. Some succeed while other have a pretty rough time with it. Drama goes on in the staff while some just try to avoid the drama. Someone wins the reward, immunity is given out, someone loses the challenge and deals with the smelly consequences, and someone else is voted out of the competition.
