Author's Notes
I am finally back with the next chapter.
Wow, this is by far the hardest chapter to write, and it went through several rewrites, but I'm satisfied with the end result. This chapter is very different from what is used in Total Drama. You will see why.
But first, let's answer the reviews.
Guest 1138: Why do I feel like the chapter title made you have that idea? Now I have changed the title, but I am undecided whether to keep the new name, or to return the old one. This story goes through many constant edits. If you reread some past chapters, you will notice that some scenes are different from what you read before.
ZNBT: Close, but no. It was actually the lava scene in Ice Age, where Manny saves Diego from falling. That scene was very similar, but it had its differences.
Candela Monsoon: Glad to see you back. Regarding the plot of the story, I tell you that all the remaining contestants already have their own plot planned, so it will be difficult to choose the next one to get the kick.
Total Drama: Enchanted
Chapter 14 - Planet of the Critters
Rita was nervous. She found herself pacing back and forth in her cabin, glancing at the door from time to time, as if expecting someone to slam inside.
It had only been an hour since the last elimination ceremony, but Rita couldn't rest easy, and there was a reason for that.
She had revealed her teleportation device to the cast.
Of course that was not planned. She didn't plan on using it in front of everyone, but the deadly situation they were in during the challenge forced her to take desperate measures.
And now, hopefully some of the other contestants will start asking questions and searching for answers. She has to come up with a very good excuse before ...
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!
"Rita, open this door now!"
The cabin door slammed open with a kick from Hunter, who was frowning.
"Rita, I want answers, and I want them now!" he said threateningly.
"What are you talking about?" Rita asked in exasperation.
"Do not play innocent. I know well that you had something to do with that strange light that saved us from the lava pool."
"You don't have any proof to prove your theories."
Hunter catches her arm, before picking up the sleeve, revealing the device on Rita's wrist.
"What is this thing?" Hunter asked, peering at the device.
"It's just a bracelet" Rita replied. "It's not pretty?"
"Where did you get it from?"
"I did it myself."
Confessional
Rita - "I know that's a lie, and I don't like taking credit for something I didn't do, but that's better than telling everyone that I have in my hands a device from another planet that belongs to a shapeshifter alien who wants to get it back so he can invade our world."
"So it must be a typical mad scientist invention," Hunter said. "I saw some rays come out of this thing."
"It must have been your imagination," Rita guessed, shrugging. "After all, that's to be expected of someone with one eye."
Hunter growls at the mention of his left eye patch. "My eyesight is fine, and I'm sure what I saw."
"What's going on here?"
The two turn to see Otis and the other contestants peeking out the door.
"Hunter, what are you doing here?" Otis asked with a frown.
"I'm here to get answers" Hunter replied. "Our scientist here is cheating."
"What are you talking about?" Otis asked.
"She has in her possession an artifact that is against the rules," Hunter explained, removing the device from Rita's wrist.
"Hey! Give it back!" Rita demanded.
"The strange light that saved us from the lava pool was the product of this object!"
"And that bothers you?" Otis questioned. "You should be glad that object saved us all from certain death."
"Not when I realize that someone always possessed an artifact of that power" explained the hunter. "She is cheating, and I am not going to tolerate that."
"There's no rule that says Rita can't have a device that she made herself," Raymond said, entering the cabin along with everyone else.
"Felix can confirm if it's allowed or not."
They all turn to see Felix, waiting for the answer, but he just crosses his arms and frowns.
"I'd love to blame her for her actions, but thanks to that stupid cowgirl I've lost my rulebook," Felix explained. "I can't do anything here."
"Okay then I'll take it to Chris" Hunter said. "He sure has something to say about it."
When Hunter was about to leave the cabin, he is stopped by Otis, who grabs his arm tightly.
"You're not going anywhere, buddy," Otis expressed. "Give back that bracelet."
"I'll do it as soon as I get the answers I want," Hunter said.
"Enough, Hunter" said Otis, taking the device with his other hand. "Leave it already!"
"Give me that!" Hunter exclaimed, catching the device in his hands, but being unable to yank it from Otis' hands.
The two were fighting over the device, unaware that they were activating it by accident.
"Stop, both of you!" Rita exclaimed. "You're going to break it!"
The others simply fell silent, interested in where this discussion would go.
Before anyone else could say anything, the device started firing small bolts, causing Otis and Hunter to drop it and it fell to the ground.
The rays gather together, before ending up opening a huge portal below the campers, who try to get away and escape, but the portal ends up swallowing them and sending them to an unknown destination.
After the eleven contestants and the device are swallowed by the portal, it closes, leaving everything in silence.
The next morning, Chris is heading to the dining room, where he finds Chef with a pot full of potatoes in his hands.
"Hey Chef, have you seen the campers?" Chris asked. "I had planned to wake them up with fireworks inside the cabins, but no one was there."
"I haven't seen them all day" Chef replied. "And I wanted them to taste my new recipe for stale potatoes."
"Hm, that's weird" said Chris. "Where will those guys be?"
The eleven contestants were sleeping in the middle of an unknown landscape. They were in a totally dry and desolate place, with very few leafless trees, and a cloudy yellowish sky.
The first to wake up was Sonya, who is left stunned by the new scenery around her, before alerting her teammates.
"Guys… where are we?" she asked nervously.
Everyone else wakes up and stands up, admiring the strange place they were in.
"What is this place?" Otis wondered.
"I have no idea, and I've been around the world" Sonya replied.
"Guys" Diego called them. "I think we are in New Jersey."
"Will this be part of the competition?" Raymond questioned.
"I don't think so" Yoshi replied. "I have never seen or heard of a place like this."
"It seems like an endless desert" Karen commented fearfully.
"Oh, I want dessert!" Lucas exclaimed with a smile.
"No, Lucas, desert means there is nothing here" Raymond corrected him.
"Wanna chill, y'all? Obviously this is just one of Chris' stupid tricks to scare us" said Felix. "I know you can hear me Chris!"
Confessional
Chris McLean - "Just to clear things up: my tricks aren't stupid. I didn't have an episode planned about abandoning contestants to their fate in an unknown world ... but I accept it. I could use a break."
After fixing her glasses, Rita begins to observe and analyze the landscape, until she saw her prized teleportation device lying on the ground. She proceeds to retrieve it, but when she puts her hand on top of it, a leather boot steps on her hand firmly, preventing her from letting go.
She frowns and looks up, seeing that the boot belonged to Hunter, who had his arms crossed, and was not pleased at all.
"Do you want to explain this, Rita?"
"Get your foot off me" she ordered.
Hunter grunts and picks Rita up by the sweatshirt, then harshly flings her to the ground, then retrieves the device himself.
"This is your fault!" he growled, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Your stupid bracelet sent us to this desolate world!"
"Stop pointing your hand at me and spitting in my face" Rita said, cleaning her glasses. "It's not my fault. You and Otis were the ones who caused this mess by playing with my device."
"But YOU had this device in the first place, which sent us to a totally dry and desolate place, possibly out of our world! WITHOUT ANY POSSIBILITY OF RETURNING!" Hunter exclaimed angrily.
"Take your anger down, bounty hunter" Rita said. "This is not the end."
Lucas, who had built some coffins out of nowhere thinking that it is the end, turned to the scientist. "It is not?"
"Of course not" affirmed the scientist. "This has a simple solution: I just have to configure the device to take us back to our world."
Hunter understands what Rita wants to get at with that, and he holds the device tightly in his hand, determined not to return it.
"Hunter, give it back to Rita" Otis ordered.
Hunter is silent, not wanting to drop the device.
"Give it to her already, buddy" Raymond spoke. "I want to go home."
"No, it is very risky to use this device again," Hunter explained.
"So we'll be stuck here for life?" Lucas asked.
"Who says we are lost?" Felix spoke. "For sure this is just another of Chris' silly jokes! We just have to find our way back to the island."
"But we don't even know where we are," Sonya said.
"The device can give us the answer," said Rita, waiting for the device to be returned.
Hunter groans in frustration and reluctantly hands it back, not before saying, "If I see you trying something, you'll deal with me."
Rita smiles when she retrieves the device, and begins to analyze the star map.
"While you guys waste your time on that, I'll go for a walk" said Felix, putting on some sunglasses, and he walks off in a random direction.
Confessional
Felix - "Things were getting very tense. We had to remember that we were lost, covered in dirt, and hungry, but I remained resourceful as always. How good that one of us was able to remain calm and controlled in the face of adversity."
Felix had moved away from the group, while crossing some small hills until he stopped at the top of one, leaving a view that leaves him perplexed.
A few miles away was a dark mountain crowned with a giant skull with insect wings emerging. Around it you could see a whole swarm of insects flying, as if the place were a gigantic hive.
"A peculiar design, quite elaborate, and a little intimidating, but it is better than sleeping on the floor" was Felix's opinion about the place. "Hey fools, if you stopped whining, I found a place to rest!"
The others heard him and went to his side, finding themselves with the same sight of a gigantic dark fortress.
"That… is big" Otis said in amazement.
"It looks like the castle of a video game final boss," commented Raymond.
"More like a hive of wasps" Karen said with a disgusted expression.
"It could do with a little more color and life," Ginger said, admiring the place as if it were a painting.
"What the hell is this place?" Hunter asked with a frown.
Rita was using the holographic screen, researching their current location.
Current Location: Nexus System
"Uhm… what is a Nexon?" Lucas asked.
"It's pronounced Nexus" Rita corrected him. "That is the name of the planetary system we are in now, something similar to our Solar System."
"Wait, hold on!" Sonya spoke. "Are you telling us that we traveled to another planet?"
"That's impossible!" Felix said. "Trips to other worlds outside of our Solar System have never been confirmed."
"Of course there must be planets outside the Solar System," Rita said. "It is a vast universe."
"But that doesn't explain how we got here!" Sonya exclaimed.
"Neither how can we go back home," Ginger added.
"Everyone relax, I just have to find the correct coordinates on this device and we'll be leaving right away" Rita said, activating the holographic screen.
"Do it fast. This place gives me a really bad feeling" said Otis.
While waiting for their transport back home, Diego has a strange feeling and it gives him a chill. He sniffs the air, and then crouches on the ground, hearing a strange humming noise.
"Do you feel it too?" Hunter asked, who seemed to have the same strange feeling.
Diego nods, returning to his position, listening on the dry land.
"A hum… fast and fierce… underground."
After a few seconds of dead silence, the ground explodes, letting out a swarm of huge beetles that fly around them at top speed.
"Everyone down!" Otis exclaimed.
Most of the cast took cover to the ground, while the rest tried to defend themselves, but the insects were too fast, elusive, and they kept coming out.
Yoshi jumped on one, trying to hit the pressure points, but it ended up being his hand that got hurt, due to the hard exoskeleton of the insects. The insect spreads its wings, knocking Yoshi off of him, before catching him between its legs, but Yoshi manages to break them with a few quick martial arts movements, freeing himself.
Hunter had been cornered by the beetles, but he pulled out a knife hidden in his boot, before shoving it into one of the eyes, splashing a green liquid. Then he recovers it and continues cutting the other insects that approached him, staining himself with the green blood of the insects.
Confessional
Hunter - "Maybe Chris confiscated my best weapons, but I always keep knives in my boots just in case."
Otis kept crushing the skulls of insects with great ease due to his great strength, even catching one by the wings before throwing it to the ground and crushing its body with a stomp.
When another was about to attack him from behind, Diego arrives to save him by nibbling the skull of the beetle, until he ends up tearing it from the body, and then digging into its body like a wild animal.
"I have your back, my friend!"
Otis nods and continues beating the insects, until he decides to take out his metal mace again, but before he can continue fighting, a beetle catches the weapon between its jaws, and then swallows it whole.
"Hey! I worked a lot on that!" Otis groaned.
But before saying anything else, the beetle undergoes a mutation, and several spikes appear on its exoskeleton, and its body is strengthened with metal.
Confessional
Otis - "Ok, I didn't expect that. It was as if that bug had received an… update when it devoured my weapon."
However, the bugs kept emerging from the pit nonstop, rendering the cast's efforts futile. They all gather in a circle, seeing themselves surrounded by the swarm of bugs.
"We can't fight these creatures! There are too many!" Yoshi exclaimed.
"I have a plan! Everyone behind me! " Sonya exclaimed.
They all stand behind the singer as she pulled out her guitar and raised a pen in the air.
"Time to turn up the volume!"
Sonya strikes a powerful chord, creating a sonic blast, exploding the skulls of the closest beetles, sending the rest flying far away.
However, that wasn't much help, as more beetles emerged from the pit, and those who survived the sonic blast returned.
"Well, you only get one shot at the first impression," Otis commented.
"We must find a place to take refuge!" Karen said.
After a few seconds of quick eye searching, Yoshi finds something in the distance.
"Over there!" Yoshi pointed in a direction. "I can see a cave!"
"And what good will that do us?!" Felix questioned in exasperation.
"Do you have a better option?!" Sonya exclaimed. "Let's go to the cave!"
They all quickly ran into the cave, while the swarm of beetles tried to trap the cast between their slimy jaws, but Otis, Hunter, Diego, and Yoshi stayed behind to keep the insects occupied, and Raymond was skating in front of the group, punching to the giant insects with a hockey stick to clear the way.
Confessional
Raymond - "After the gladiator challenge, Chris never came to confiscate my hockey sticks, so I decided to keep them for myself. Who would say I would need them to face giant bugs?"
As they run, Rita begins to analyze the situation, before taking out her laser pointer, and making some adjustments.
"If those things work the same as normal insects in our world, then this should be the solution."
She activates her laser pointer and shoots in a far direction. Now the light is much bigger and brighter, causing the insects to stop their attack and be mesmerized by the bright light.
"Well done, Rita!" Sonya smiled.
"Hurry up, this doesn't have much power left," Rita explained, turning off the laser pointer when the bugs got far enough away. By doing that, the bugs returned to attack.
Everyone manages to enter the cave, except for Hunter, who stayed outside to try to scare the beetles with his knife in the air, but one of these arrives and takes the knife from the hunter, and then devours it in one bite.
Like the other insect, this one also undergoes a mutation, this time it was its front legs that turn into long, sharp knives. Hunter escapes and enters the cave with the others, only to see the beetles fly away.
Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, and falls to the ground to rest.
"I don't want to sound irritating or anything like that, but… WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?" cried Felix.
"I think with this we can confirm that we are no longer in the competition," said Otis.
"And why did those critters move away when we entered here?" Raymond asked. "I'm sure they can fit in here."
"Guys… I think we're not the only ones here."
Karen points in fear into the cave, where four pairs of red eyes emerge from the darkness, before attacking everyone with cobwebs.
From the cave emerges a gigantic creature that looks like the fusion between a spider and a scorpion. It was huge, with a red exoskeleton, eight legs, two claws, and a double-pointed stinger tail. With his tail he was dragging several sticky cobweb cocoons, where all the contestants were locked up.
The creature takes them inside the fortress, a dark place that seems made of rock, like a beehive. The walls and columns resemble insect parts, and there appear to be living parts that make up the structure. Upon entering the place, they are greeted by a gigantic swarm of beetles, which collect the cocoons and stick them on the ceiling, leaving them hanging upside down.
However, a huge figure appears, pushing the insects aside. It was a kind of giant robot with a humanoid shape, which in the stomach area emerged a green brain-shaped creature with red eyes and four tentacles. The robot's head takes out a kind of scanner, analyzing all those trapped in the cocoons, until it stops on a specific one, when it finds a valuable device inside.
"Take this cocoon to the throne room" ordered the brain creature to the beetles.
They obey and pluck the cocoon from the ceiling, then carry it to another room.
The beetles carry the cocoon to a special room, where there is a throne, which looks like a real insect, and moves as if it were alive. Sitting there was a gigantic dark figure.
The beetles open the cocoon, freeing the person locked inside: Rita.
She comes out of the cocoon totally dizzy and drenched with the same goo.
"Now I know what it feels like to be a chrysalis" she commented while cleaning her glasses.
After her mind clears, she observes her surroundings, analyzing that new location.
"So this is the human who was playing with my stuff."
That mysterious female voice paralyzed Rita, who turned towards the throne, finding herself face to face with the gigantic silhouette shaped like a spider hidden in the shadows, except for a monstrous claw that she used to give directions.
"If I remember correctly, Thorax kept mentioning a meddling human who kept bothering him during his mission" spoke the creature.
Confessional
Rita - "Uhh, so that's his real name ..."
"What was her name? ... Oh right, Clover" spat the spider lady.
Rita lets out a little laugh. "Sorry to disappoint you, ma'am, but I have no knowledge of this pest you call Clover."
"So who are you supposed to be?"
"My name is Rita Gross, and I am known as a science prodigy" said the scientist, boasting of herself, when she noticed that the teleportation device was no longer on her wrist.
"Did you miss something, human?" spoke the spider lady. "My good friend Sledge took it from you while they brought you here."
"And why did they bring me here in the first place?"
"So that I can meet the person who was able to invade my territory without my permission, and managed to manipulate a high caliber artifact without any complications" explained the spider lady.
"It was a lot easier than I expected" Rita replied. "I expected a real challenge, but it was just child's play."
The two of them fell into a tense silence, with Rita keeping a serious expression, and it seems that the spider lady too, before the latter spoke again.
"Do you have any idea who I am?"
"I should know it?"
"It would be good if you knew, because I am the leader of this wonderful empire" said the woman, emerging from the darkness and revealing her identity.
She is a huge individual, has four black walking spider legs and two pairs of clawed arms; two small and two large. His body is dark purple, green hair, six red eyes, sharp teeth, and a long green face. She wears a magenta jabot with an amulet.
"I am known by many names, but you can call me ... Big Momma."
After a while, one of the cocoons in the room opens when Otis manages to destroy the shell with a fist and manages to escape. A few seconds later, Hunter manages to open the cocoon with another knife, managing to free himself as well. They were both bathed in a sticky substance.
"This is disgusting," Otis groaned, trying to get the goo off himself.
"Stop complaining and help me" said Hunter, when he went to open the other cocoons with the knife.
Otis nods and takes out a pair of scissors to cut through the cocoons, freeing everyone else.
They all manage to fall to the ground safely, completely bathed in the same viscous liquid.
"If I ever said that being on an island of torture with Chris was the worst, then now I have another opinion" commented Raymond.
"Now I'm going to throw up" Karen moaned, throwing up on a cocoon.
"Ok, we are all free" said Felix. "Let's go before those critters come back to eat us."
"We can't leave without Rita" Yoshi reminded him. "She's the one with that teleporter and she's the only one who knows how to use it."
"Speaking of Rita, where is she?" Sonya asked.
"I heard from inside the cocoon that they gave the order to take her to the throne room," Hunter explained.
Before anyone else said anything, they heard heavy footsteps approaching. They all hide inside the cocoons to avoid being discovered.
The steps belonged to the giant robot with the green brain sticking out of the stomach. In a tentacle he held the teleportation device.
"I never thought I'd see you again" said the creature, admiring the device. "I already assumed that Thorax was very clumsy in his work, but that some humans could take it from him is just humiliating."
When the robot man leaves the room, allowing the contestants to come out of their hiding places.
"That robot had Rita's gadget" Yoshi noted.
"More like a disgusting talking brain" said Karen with a disgusted grimace.
"Let's get back to our main problem," Sonya said. "How are we going to get out of here?"
"We have three problems that we must solve: rescue Rita, recover the device, and get out without being caught by those critters," Otis quoted.
"How are we supposed to escape a swarm of beetles that can turn into what they eat?" asked Felix. "It is impossible".
"Yeah, it's impossible," Lucas added pityingly. "It's not like we can just make a beacon of light like those bug killing lamps to kill all the beetles at the same time."
They all fell silent, listening to Lucas's unexpected brilliant plan.
"Lucas, you are a genius!" Raymond exclaimed.
"Don't geniuses come from lamps?" Lucas asked.
"Not that kind of genius, genius" Felix said with a frown.
"Oh, the other thing" Lucas smiled. "They tell me very often."
"What? A genius?"
"No, Lucas."
Confessional
Raymond - "What easy comes, easy goes".
Hunter puts his hand to his chin, thinking of a solution. After a minute, a plan came to mind.
"Otis, you will be in charge of building that beacon of light, and the others will help him."
Otis nods, checking his bag of tools.
"Sonya and Ginger are going to retrieve the device."
Ginger hugs Sonya with joy, and the singer returns the hug.
"Diego, you and I are going to rescue Rita."
"Just to be clear, if I die, I will sue all of you," Felix commented.
Sonya and Ginger silently followed the robot man into a control room, where he activated several holographic displays, while the robot's hands connected to the system.
"Insectoid production is going great," the brain quoted. "New colonies have been added to the star map. Resources are being successfully extracted. Organic life is being eradicated."
Sonya was perusing the room, finding the device on a desk, as she searched for an opportunity to retrieve it and escape.
"We have to create a distraction somehow, Ginger" she whispered to her friend ... who was no longer with her.
Sonya is horrified to see Ginger walking towards the robot man in complete tranquility, as she marvels at the holographic displays flying around, as if it were a light show.
"The technology of this planet is so archaic" commented the brain with a sigh.
"I wouldn't say that. It seems amazing to me."
The creature freezes, and turns to see the person who was invading the place.
"Hi, I'm Ginger!" greeted the girl.
The creature pulled up a screen to record an audio.
"Apparently there is an infestation of Gingers in the territory."
"I'm much nicer than I look" said Ginger with a smile.
"And how many more Gingers roam this area?" the brain asked, looking around.
"No one else, just me."
"And have the Gingers replaced humans as the dominant species on Earth?"
"Oh, of course not. I'm a human too" replied the girl.
"Oh well, that's a relief" said the creature, before going back to work.
"Now it's my turn to ask you some questions" Ginger spoke. "What's your name? How old are you? What are you doing here? Does that robot have a mind of its own? Can I use your bathroom? Do you want to be my friend?"
Sonya blinks, surprised by Ginger's good humor despite the situation she got into.
Confessional
Sonya - "I don't know if that's the bravest thing anyone has ever done..., or the dumbest thing."
Despite the questions and the situation, the brain takes the time to answer them politely.
"My name is Sledge. I'm thousands of years old. I'm the commander of this empire. You could say that it has a mind. What is a bathroom? And no, I don't need friends."
"That's not true, everyone needs a friend in their lives" Ginger replied sadly.
"Friends are distractions and a waste of time, just like this conversation that has been distracting me from my work" replied the creature. "And do you know what I do with distractions?"
"Don't tell me! Let me guess!" Ginger exclaimed excitedly, while thinking of an answer, but none came to her. "Ok, I give up."
The robot towers over her, covering Ginger in an intimidating silhouette.
"I annihilate them."
"So ... are you going to annihilate me?" Ginger asked, not looking intimidated.
"That's right" the brain nodded. "As humans say before an execution: Any last words?"
"Actually, I just have one last question," Ginger spoke, before pointing to a corner of the room. "What is that?"
Sledge turns to where she was pointing, but he saw nothing. Upon returning his sight to the human, he saw another human who quickly delivered a strong direct blow to the brain with a guitar, causing him to roar in pain.
As the creature moaned in pain, Sonya took the moment to take the device and Ginger in her hands.
"I have the device! Let's go!" Sonya exclaimed, escaping from the place with Ginger on her arm.
"Bye, chewed gum!" Ginger said goodbye with a smile.
The remaining contestants were tasked with building a machine that would work like a giant bug-killing lamp. From time to time, some insectoids would appear, so they would hide or destroy it. To the surprise of most, the interior of the beetles contained technological parts, something that they took advantage of to facilitate the task of building the machine.
While some were loading pieces, Felix took the opportunity to chat with Raymond.
"So… who do you plan to vote for next?" the blond asked.
"Are you being serious now?" Raymond arched an eyebrow. "We are in the middle of a giant alien hive, and you want to discuss strategies?"
"I know this is not the right time, but you have to remember that once we finish here, we will go straight back to the competition" explained Felix. "It is good to take advantage of the moments of rest to discuss some strategy."
"Ugh, alright" Raymond snorted, helping to load up some tech pieces. "Who do you want to kick out now?"
"I was thinking of finally voting for Hunter. He is already surviving longer than necessary. He is a strong player, and he will become very dangerous if he reaches the merge" explained Felix.
Raymond was considering it. That was a good point. "And what about Lucas and Yoshi?"
"I'll discuss that later, but I'd rather talk about it first with someone I can trust, like you" Felix explained.
"And what if the other team is the one going to elimination?" Raymond asked.
"In case we get to that scenario, well I suggest we get rid of Otis."
"Why him? Wouldn't it be better to vote for Rita? Thanks to her we're in this mess."
"Yes, she is extremely intelligent, but without her toys, she is not a real threat" explained the blonde. "Otis, on the other hand, is strong, cunning, and skilled. Like Hunter, he too will be a threat if he manages to achieve merge."
"Okay, I'll play that game" Raymond shrugs.
Confessional
Felix - "I agree that that was not a good time to talk about the competition when we were working on saving our skins, but I need to maintain control over my alliance with the boys, but I prefer to keep a good attitude about Raymond, since Lucas He's totally useless, and Yoshi is giving me a bad vibe lately."
While working on the machine, Otis knew they needed a kind of light that would attract the attention of the giant beetles, but he didn't know what they could use as a light source.
"We need an object that emits a bright light," said the mechanic.
"Does a laser pointer work?"
Otis turned and saw Karen offering him a laser pointer.
"Where did you get it from?" Otis asked suspiciously.
"A girl should always be ready for any situation. I figured she would be of use to us later" Karen smiled innocently.
"Well… thanks" Otis took the laser pointer and added it to the machine.
Confessional
Otis - "Karen is my main suspect for being the mole, but I can't be sure if it is her, or is there someone else behind all this. Until then, I'll keep my eyes on her."
Karen - "Why do I have that laser pointer? I have noticed that the caveman is attracted to those points of light as if he were a cat, so it would not hurt to have it in hand."
"We got the device back!" Sonya exclaimed, as she and Ginger returned to the main group with the teleportation device in the rocker's hands.
"Excellent" Otis smiled. "Now we just have to wait for Diego, Rita and Hunter, and we get out of here."
"Why is there so much interest in going to Earth?" Rita asked.
"Your planet Earth is full of the resources I need to feed my empire" she explained. "I can assure you that, if I can extract all life from that world, I will be able to empower my empire ... forever."
"And why haven't you conquered it until now?"
"I was planning to do it, but the device to open a wormhole had broken when entering the atmosphere of your planet, dividing it into three parts" explained the woman. "Thorax already recovered the first, you just brought me the second, and the third is still missing."
Confessional
Rita - "So there is still a missing piece… That is valuable information."
"So when you find the three pieces, you're going to invade our world" Rita summed up.
"You are a very intelligent human."
"Thank you, I am proud of that."
"It would be a waste to let someone of your intelligence and knowledge be annihilated along with that ball of mud" said the spider lady with a smile.
Rita is curious about that phrase. "What do you mean by that, ma'am?"
"You're going to need a new home when the big day comes, and I'm the only one who can offer you that. You can be part of this happy family, and I'll protect you… for a price."
"I don't have anything I can offer you in return" Rita replied.
"I think if you have something, inside your mind" said Big Momma, approaching her guest with a monstrous claw.
"What?"
"Take a look, I have everything around here: a great expanding empire, many treasures and riches, and a vast and faithful army; but there is one thing in your world that has stolen my attention. An object that could be very valuable and unique, that can only be found in your world."
"What object are we talking about?" Rita asked with a frown.
"Tell me everything you know about ... the Heart of Darkness."
Rita had a confused expression. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I heard that in your world there is a legend about a magical amulet ..."
"Excuse me, Big Momma!" Rita interrupted, raising her hands. "Could you please avoid using the M word?"
"Which word? Magic?"
"That same one" replied the scientist. "Don't tell me that you also believe in magic."
"Well yeah, I do. Any problem with that?"
"Of course I have a problem, because magic is NOT real" said the scientist. "Magic is just science without meaning, potions are only chemicals, and the so-called "witches" are only alchemists. As a woman of science it is my duty to have an explanation for everything, and I do not believe in magic, I prefer to solve problems by scientific means."
"So you don't have any knowledge about magical amulets, mystical legends, or supposed gods?"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I am not inclined to collect that kind of knowledge. There are fantastic stories about the gods of ancient mythology, and about valuable and powerful objects, but just as you said: they are just legends."
"EXCUSE ME! Does anyone live here?!"
They all turned to see Diego babbling loudly, desperately trying to get attention. He walked calmly, ignoring the insects that threatened to attack and devour him.
"Is it the queen bee's room by any chance?" Diego gasped when he saw Big Momma, who was looking at him in confusion. "I can't believe it! Are you the queen of these insects? What a thrill to finally meet you! Legends don't do you justice, my lady."
"Shut up that primate" Big Momma ordered.
The beetles begin to drag Diego towards the exit, while he makes an effort to free himself and continue babbling.
"Oh please! I had to travel to another planet just to be in your presence, ma'am!" Diego continued speaking. "I know it was very impertinent of me to come uninvited, but I really needed to meet the queen of all this wonderful place."
Big Momma kept her attention on making sure they get rid of the unwanted visit, while Rita just waited silently to see the outcome of this problem.
"Psst"
Rita turns her head to a dark corner, where she heard that sound, finding Hunter's silhouette. He gestures for her to catch up and finally be able to escape.
Rita slowly moves away from the sight of Big Momma, who kept watching Diego babble. The two of them walked away from the place, walking as close to the wall as possible to stay in the shadows and avoid being discovered.
Unfortunately, one of the insects turns its head, catching them in the act, and lets out a deafening screech to get attention. Big Momma notices and finds the two running towards the exit.
"NOBODY IS LEAVING!" she exclaimed.
"I'm leaving! Bye!" Diego exclaimed, freeing herself from the beetles' jaws and running towards the exit with them.
The three of them left the throne room and went to join the others, but they all watched as a gigantic swarm of bugs came out of the windows, flying directly towards them to devour them.
When they were about to attack, a gigantic beam of light emerges from another area of the castle and is shot into the sky, the product of the luminous beacon built by Otis. The bright light manages to steal the attention of all the beetles, whose eyes sparkle and fly straight into the light as if called upon, only to be shocked at the slightest contact with the light, and then fall to the ground, totally charred.
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Otis celebrated along with everyone else when Hunter, Diego, and Rita arrived.
"Now that we're all together, we can finally get out of this bug jar!" Felix said.
"But they took the device from me" Rita reminded him.
"A teleportation device on command" Sonya called, throwing the device at Rita.
The scientist rewrites the coordinates, and reopens a portal back to her world, but when they were about to cross it and escape, a great explosion occurs in the throne room, destroying the wall when the gigantic figure of Big Momma emerges from there, watching them with fury.
"Do you think you can run away, humans?! In time you will be safe in your little ball of mud called Earth!"
The evil expression on Big Momma intensifies, looking very intimidating.
"But soon it will be MY world."
After saying that, everyone enters the portal, managing to escape successfully.
The scene returns to Pahkitew Island, where a portal opens in the middle of the forest, and the contestants crash out of there.
"We came back!" Lucas exclaimed happily.
"I hope I never go back to that bug jar again" Raymond said wearily.
"We are finally safe!" Ginger smiled.
"No, we are not!" Felix spoke. "Did you hear that spider lady? She and all those beetles want to invade our world!"
"No need to worry" said Rita, showing the device. "Without this device, they cannot come here. We are safe with this in our hands."
"But we can't just stay quiet and pretend this never happened" Sonya said. "The public has to know about this."
"It's impossible. No one is going to believe us" Yoshi said.
Everyone was silent for a minute, not knowing what to do now, until Ginger spoke:
"Maybe this is a story that no one should ever tell."
"Agreed" they all said in unison.
As everyone went back to camp, everyone had the same doubt in their heads.
"Why was that spider lady so interested in invading our world?" Raymond asked. "I know our world is great, but I don't see what is special about it above the rest."
"She explained to me the Earth has all the resources she needs to be able to feed her empire for life" said Rita.
"Not only that," Hunter added. "I listened to the whole conversation, and that giant cockroach was very interested in an object called Heart of Darkness."
"And what is that?" Sonya asked.
"I can answer that" Yoshi said. "During my training time I was reading books on legendary magical items, and the Heart of Darkness was one of these."
"Why did you read about magical things?" Raymond asked.
"I tried magic once, but I didn't have the potential to cast spells" Yoshi shrugs. "Returning to the main theme, legend has it that this talisman has the ability to unlock very powerful dark magic, but at the same time very dangerous, and can only be manipulated by beings with a mastery of magic without losing control or succumbing to darkness itself".
"Is that a true story?" Otis asked incredulously.
"There is nothing confirmed, and it is possible that I am wrong, but all legends have an origin" Yoshi explained.
Karen shows a lot of interest in this supposed magic item, and takes a photo that an old contestant had given her.
"Uhm, Yoshi" Karen spoke sheepishly. "Does this Heart of Darkness you mention look like this thing?"
She shows him the photo of an amulet, and Yoshi's eyes widen in surprise.
"Yes, it's the same one. Where did you get that photo?"
"I… I like to collect photos of rare and precious objects" Karen replied nervously.
"Do you like to collect things too?!" Ginger exclaimed with a smile.
Confessional
Karen - "I think I have made a BIG mistake."
They had all returned to camp, where they found Chris and Chef having some kind of outdoor party, with delicious food and music.
"Ahem!" Felix caught the attention of the two hosts.
Chef lets out a cry of fear when he jumps into the arms of Chris, who had a smile.
"Oh, you are still alive" said the host. "I already assumed that you were dead."
"Let me understand one thing: while we were lost and hungry in a jar of bugs, you and Chef were relaxing and enjoying our absence?" Sonya asked with a frown.
"I'd like to say no, but it would be a lie" Chris smiled.
"Anyway, I'll go take a shower and then go straight to sleep" said Felix, trying to get away, but he was stopped by Chris.
"Oh no, you guys aren't going anywhere, because we still need to do an elimination ceremony."
"But there was no challenge, and no one won anything," Otis reminded him.
"And for that, all of you are going to the elimination ceremony," Chris explained. "That will be your way of making up for running away and hiding from me all day."
All the contestants groaned in frustration.
"Interns! Go clean the Sling of Shame or something!" the host ordered them.
Chris and Chef were playing chess, although the host was not in the mood.
"What shall we do now, Chef? We have no material for an episode thanks to those elusive contestants."
"We can do a compilation episode," suggested Chef Hatchet. "We just have to edit some scenes and that's it."
"Nah, nobody likes to see something that happened before. That's being unoriginal."
Before anyone else could say anything else, Chris's cell phone rings, and the classic tone of the show is heard.
"Chris McLean, the greatest host in the history of television. Who is this honor for?"
An unfamiliar voice spoke on the other end of the line, and Chris sounded interested.
"Oh, it's just you… What juicy news to bring today?… Really? You have everything?… Well done! Send me the footage right away!… Yes, yes, I'll give you a raise of your allowance… Keep up the good work."
"Who was it?" asked Chef.
"Just an old friend" Chris smiled, going to the control room at the hotel, to later download some videos. Those videos showed the contestants' adventure in the world of beetles.
"Good news, Chef! We have an episode!"
"Where did you get all this from?" Chef asked with a surprised expression upon seeing the screen.
"Let's just say ... I have eyes everywhere."
All eleven contestants had performed at the elimination ceremony. They were all very exhausted and you could tell they wanted to go to sleep. However, this time they were all standing next to the Sling of Shame at Chris's request. There they found the interns, cleaning the slingshot.
"Who did you vote for?" Raymond asked Felix.
"Logically, I am not going to go against a member of my team when I have the opportunity to reduce the defenses of the other team" explained Felix.
"Who knows? There could be a plot twist and everyone voted for you," Raymond said, shrugging.
"I'd like to see it," Felix said simply.
Chris makes it to the elimination zone, but this time he didn't have the classic marshmallow plate.
"In case you're wondering, I'm not handing out marshmallows to anyone" Chris said. "Because I am not going to announce the people who have been saved for today."
They all showed nervous expressions. This time, they were all in danger of being eliminated.
"I have read the votes, and I have to say that there was a lot of variety this time. Some voted by strategy, others were guided by personal taste, and the rest seem to just vote randomly."
"The votes have been counted, but today the final vote is mine, and the person who will go home through the Sling of Shame tonight will be ..."
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"These interns"
Chris pulls the lever, shooting the interns, who had no time to react when they were thrown into the air and away from the island, while their screams were heard in the distance.
Some contestants grunt in frustration, and the rest sigh in relief.
"That's right, today I ignore the votes" Chris smiled. "It's not Total Drama without an episode without elimination."
"But you said every episode someone would be eliminated," Hunter reminded him.
"Yeah, about that ... I lied too" Chris shrugs. "You can go to rest now, but I assure you that tomorrow you will have a rather fun challenge to make up for your absence."
When everyone had gone back to their cabins, Chris returned to the camera.
"What could have been a day without an episode turned into a great episode. The tension is growing, and not only between the contestants, but I will take care of that. Will we have an elimination again? That I can assure you. Who will be the next to face the slingshot? We'll find out next time, in ... "
"Total! Drama! Enchanted!"
Rita was lying on her bunk, checking the device's screen again, enjoying the solitude of the cabin, being the only girl left on the team.
"Rita Gross"
Rita is shocked to hear the voice, but calms down to see that it was only Hunter, who had entered silently.
"Oh it's just you"
"They may be able to forgive what you did, but I won't."
"What do you want now?"
"I know very well what you are thinking, and I'm here to tell you to stop right now" Hunter said with a frown.
"And why would I want to do that?" she asked.
"Because you're playing with forces you don't understand, Rita," he said seriously. "Tempt the wolf, and sooner or later she will bite your hand."
"I admit I've been a bit careless" she said. "There will be no mistakes next time."
"There won't be a next time," Hunter said threateningly.
"No? What will you do about it? Sue me? Accuse me? Attack me? I don't think so" Rita scoffed.
"What do you mean with that?"
"I remind you of the place we are now: an island of torture plagued by naive hormonal teenagers, and with a loose impostor who seeks to end our hopes of winning," explained the scientist. "If you dare to touch a single hair of mine, everyone here is going to assume that you are that impostor who seeks to get rid of me. After having saved them from that jar of bugs, they all trust me, despite the circumstances, and they they will swallow whatever I give them, unlike you."
"This is no longer a game, Rita."
"Then let me add something else to the formula" Rita smiled. "It shows perfectly well that you have a criminal record, Hunter. I can just move some things, and I can give you a fate worse than elimination, something like... join Duncan and Scarlett in jail."
Rita turns her back on him, while smirking.
"That's checkmate, Hunter."
Hunter clenches his fists furiously, knowing that the scientist is correct in several respects. He lets out a sigh and runs a hand through his hair.
"Fine, I'm going to let you continue with your twisted games, but I can assure you one thing: you are going to make a mistake, which will cost you dearly" he said. "And when that happens, I hope to be there by your side to say: I told you so."
Hunter goes to the door, and before leaving, he leaves one last message for Rita:
"You have been warned."
And with that said, Hunter leaves the cabin, leaving Rita alone, who returns to her bunk, going back to playing with the screen.
"Do you want this device back, Thorax? Then come get it… if you dare."
CONTESTANTS
Raptor Falcons: Diego, Rita, Otis.
Rabid Rabbits: Felix, Ginger, Hunter, Karen, Lucas, Raymond, Sonya, Yoshi.
Eliminated: Bianca (Raptor Falcons), Isaac (Raptor Falcons), Erika (Raptor Falcons), Chantal (Rabid Rabbits), Tony (Raptor Falcons), Clover (Raptor Falcons), Agatha (Raptor Falcons), Julien (Raptor Falcons), Pearl (Raptor Falcons), Nigel (Rabid Rabbits), Maggie (Rabid Rabbits)
Surprise! An episode without elimination!
This has been quite a complicated chapter to write. Here we were literally in a totally new setting, and we may not go back there for a while.
Here we go a long way with the Invasion arc (Tony/Thorax's story arc) and we meet the real head of all this chaos: Big Momma (yes, that was the best name I could think of) and we already had our first confrontation. Now you can get an idea of what to expect when the "big day" arrives.
Also, that's not the only plot going on here. Here it is mentioned about a certain amulet of a contestant who had been forgotten.
This chapter went through many rewrites, because I was thinking about what Tony's home world would be like. My original idea was to make the place look like a Utopia, and for Big Momma to act like a friendly and charismatic queen, but later reveal his true colors as a tyrant seeking control of everything.
Big Momma and Sledge were created based on two famous animated villains. Big Momma was created based on a certain Disney villain with a twisted taste for destroying planets throughout the galaxy, and Sledge was created based on a villain shaped like a talking brain inside a robot, who seeks to terraform the Earth with mutagen.
On the beetles, we have witnessed how dangerous they are. They are inspired by certain pests from another animated movie. I challenge you to guess the movie and the thing it was inspired by.
Speaking now of the contestants, I must say that it was difficult to write down their possible reactions to a completely unknown world. I tried to give it the Camp Castaways episode vibe.
However, I quite enjoyed writing them all during the escape plan. Ginger being quite social despite the situation, Lucas inadvertently giving a brilliant idea, Felix denying being on another planet, Diego talking to the queen as if nothing bad was happening, etc.
But the stars of this episode were Hunter and Rita. The scientist is blameless, and the hunter refuses to let it pass. In the end, both are on "good terms" (obviously not, but you get the idea).
Speaking of Chris now, I remember saying that this season is full of surprises, and I wasn't going to leave our sadistic host out. How did he get all those videos? As Chris said: A good host never reveals his secrets.
Like the previous chapters, this one is also full of references. The talk between Ginger and Sledge is a pretty funny one, but it's not the only one. Can you find them all?
Well, time for the questions section for you to answer only if you are interested.
Did you like the episode?
What do you think of the new scenario?
What do you think of the new characters introduced?
What do you think will happen next?
Do you think Rita went out of line with threatening Hunter, with sending him to jail?
What do you think of the attitude shown by all the contestants?
Who do you think will be the next eliminated?
Well, see you in the next episode. Goodbye.