Title: Rosmole (1/?)
Author: Kata
E-mail: Katayla@juno.com
Disclaimer: Despite writing fanfic for over a year now, I still don't own them. Does that really surprise you?
Rating: PG
Catergory: All conventional couples, with an emphasis on my favorites. :-) (M/M, K/T)
Summary: The Mole, with a Roswellian twist.
Author's notes: This is an idea I've had ever since I became obsessed with The Mole. I really want to know what you think about this one.
******
Ten friends playing for up to one million dollars. Among them a saboteur, a traitor, the mole. The winner? The one who answers the question, who is the mole?
Anderson Cooper stepped out from behind a large rock. "If you watched our show last year, you'll notice things are a little different. Instead of ten strangers, we have picked ten friends, one of whom will betray the rest, the mole." He walked over to a large clearing, hands behind his back. "Our contestants are all from Roswell, New Mexico. That's right; Roswell, site of the infamous UFO crash. You may also notice our contestants are quite a bit younger. Eight teenagers, and two of their parents. Will their youth and friendship help them win it all? Or will they crack under the pressure?" Anderson walked to the center of the clearing. "We begin our journey in Germany, on the outskirts of Berlin. Let's meet our contestants. They are: Amy DeLuca; her daughter, Maria ; Isabel Evans; her brother, Max; Michael Guerin; Tess Harding; Liz Parker; Jim and his son Kyle Valenti; and finally, Alex Whitman." One by one, each contestant entered the clearing, until they were all gathered in a large semi-circle around Anderson Cooper. "Welcome."
They all smiled nervously back at their host. Only Maria broke the silence with a small, "hi."
"Since you all know each other, I'm assuming introductions will be immaterial." At the group nod, Anderson continued, "You all know the rules of the game. You will work together to make money for a group pot. One of you, however, is working for us, and will try to sabotage your efforts. Are you ready for your first task?" Once again, the ten contestants nodded. "It's a simple task; to find your hotel. You have two hours to win ten thousand dollars. Your only help will be this van, and the clues within it." Anderson Cooper gestured to a large vehicle behind him. "Any questions? Then-- go!"
The group rushed to the van. Tess reached it first, and yanked on the passenger door, only to find it wouldn't budge. "It's locked," she told the others.
"Locked?" Maria asked. "But why would they do that?"
Max walked around the car, trying each door. "They're all locked!"
"There must be a key somewhere," Michael said.
"Check under the bumper," Amy suggested. "That's where I keep my spare."
"Really?" Michael raised his eyebrows. "I'll have to remember that."
"You are not stealing my car anymore, Spaceboy!" Maria yelled, smacking Michael in the arm.
Anderson Cooper was watching the group from a distance, a small smile playing on his lips. Oh, yes, this would be an interesting group to watch.
Liz checked under the bumper. "No key!"
"Anyone know how to break in?" Isabel asked. "Sheriff? You must have experience helping people get into locked cars."
"Not without a coat hanger or something like that."
Alex was searching his pockets. "Would a paper clip help?"
Jim took it doubtfully. "I'll try." He unbent the paper clip, and started jiggling it around in the lock.
"Almost... almost... got it!"
"All right!" Maria yelled, and hurried to jump into the car.
"Come on, open the doors for the rest of us!" Kyle shouted after her. Soon the group was swarming over the insides and outsides of the van, trying to find clues.
"I found a hotel brochure," Amy said, holding it out. "It says the hotel's in... Eberswalde."
She stumbled over the German pronunciation. "It has directions on it."
"Let's go!" Tess shouted.
"They're in German."
Isabel groaned. "And we're all Spanish students!"
"Actually, I speak a little German," Tess said. "I traveled here with... my father." Can't say that name, she reminded herself. They didn't know who would be watching the show.
"Um... one problem. Guys?" Kyle said. Everyone turned to look at him. "Anyone got the keys?"
"I knew this was too easy," Maria murmured. "Okay, Sheriff? You HAVE to know how to hot-wire a car."
Valenti looked uncertain. "I used to be able to, but...."
"It's worth a shot, Dad."
Jim shrugged, and moved outside to look under the hood of the car. It was twenty minutes later when he finally got it started.
"Okay, let's go!" Amy said, as they all piled in the van, finally on their way.
"What?" Michael asked Maria, who had a puzzled look on her face.
She shook her head. "Nothing. Just-- don't you think the Sheriff took an awfully long time to do that?"
"Don't ask me," Michael said. "I'm the one who wrecked your Jetta, remember?"
Maria smiled, "He could be the mole. Or you could be the mole, and use this information against me."
"Paranoid!"
"Hey, Spaceboy, I'm the one who watched the show. I know how it works."
As Michael and Maria continued happily bickering, Jim was trying to get directions from Tess.
"I'm sorry, Jim. It's been a long time. Okay, I'm pretty sure 'rechts' is right."
"Pretty sure?" Amy asked.
"Just go right. You can always blame me later."
Jim pulled the van out on the road, following Tess' sometimes dubious instructions. In the back, the others were talking quietly... except for Michael and Maria who were shouting at the top of their lungs. In the back seat, Max was trying to talk to Liz.
"Liz, come on, we're going to be spending a lot of time together. You can't just ignore me."
Liz sighed. "Max, don't you get it? I never had a choice in any of this. Not in the game, not in--" she broke off, suddenly aware of the videocamera taping their every move. "I don't even know if I want to be a part of this group anymore."
"Liz, you can't turn your back on us."
"Max, it's just too hard. I don't feel like my own person anymore. Everytime I think I've got everything worked out, something new comes up. Even you--" Once again, Liz broke off, for fear of revealing a secret. They had too many secrets.
Max's eyes were sorrowful, remembering his earlier premonition that just who he was would hurt Liz. "I'm sorry." Before he could say anything more, the van started making spluttering sounds, and finally slid to a stop.
"Great, Dad! You broke the van. We're never going to win anything this way." Kyle groaned.
"I don't think it was me, Kyle." Jim stepped out of the van, and propped the hood open. Michael started to get out of the car, but Maria stopped him.
"No way! Remember what you did to my car?"
Amy was watching Maria. "I don't want to know. I don't want to know. I may never let you have the car again, but I don't want to know."
"Mom!" Maria leaned back in her seat, muttering something about overprotective moms who followed their daughters everywhere.
Jim climbed back in the van. "Someone let all the oil out," he reported.
"Let it out?" Alex asked. "As in purposefully?"
"What did you expect?" Isabel asked. "This *is* The Mole, after all."
"No one had the chance to take it out," Tess said. "Jim is the only one who got near the oil, and we were all watching him."
Kyle shook his head. "You can let the oil out from under the car, and we were all under there looking for the key."
"And of course no one of us thought to check the oil before we left," Jim said, shaking his head. "There was probably a huge pile under the van."
"It doesn't matter," Maria said. "Well, I mean, of course it matters, because we can't go anywhere, but--"
"Maria, you're babbling," Michael pointed out.
Maria shot him a dirty look. "The point is, we need to figure out how to fix the problem, not what happened."
"Our only chance is to walk to a gas station," Kyle said.
"Glad you volunteered," Jim said.
"What? No, Dad--"
"Take Tess with you to translate, and hurry. We only have an hour." Jim tossed Kyle his wallet. "Have fun!'
Kyle climbed out of the car, grumbling about parents who ruined their children's fun, and waited for Tess to join him.
"Now, Kyle," she admonished him. "Is that any way to talk about your dad?"
"You look far too happy," he replied in a moody voice. "Don't tell me you actually want to be walking out here."
Tess shrugged. "It's better than being stuffed in that van with nine other people, including two that don't
want to be there."
"Max and Liz?"
Tess nodded. "They only came because Maria made them. Neither one really wanted to spend any extra time with me."
"Tess--"
"Anyway," Tess said, quickly changing the subject. "Could anyone really have taken that oil out?"
Kyle shrugged. "You'd have to know how, but it's just a matter of unscrewing a cap."
"Oh." Tess sounded disappointed. "Kyle?"
"Hm?"
"Do you know where we're going?"
Kyle laughed. "Not really, but there's gotta be a sign somewhere."
A couple of minutes later, they found a sign. Tess stared out it for a couple of minutes, trying to remember her German.
"Okay," she finally said. "It's the next exit."
"Are you sure?"
"Are you going to question everything I do?"
"Sorry."
"It's okay. I wouldn't want to fight with my favorite human, would I?" She stuck her tongue out at him, and started running.
"Tess! Hey, wait up!"
Back at the van, the others were starting to get restless.
"Where are they?" Liz grumbled, checking her watch.
"They are walking, Liz," Maria pointed out. "And besides, this is all part of the adventure."
"Some adventure." Liz walked over to sit on a nearby rock.
"What with her?" Amy asked her daughter.
Maria shrugged. "She didn't want to come. She and Max still have some problems to work out."
A couple of minutes later, a car sped up to them, and Tess and Kyle hopped out, followed by the driver, a tall, middle-aged man.
"I hear you have some car trouble," he said, in a distinct German accent.
Jim nodded. "The oil's gone."
"So they told me. That will only take a couple of minutes to fix."
True to his word, the group was off in less than ten minutes.
"How much time do we have left?" Michael asked anxiously.
"Twenty minutes," Jim said tersely.
"Than go faster!" Amy broke in. "This is Germany. You're supposed to go fast!"
"I'm the Sheriff. It's unethical!"
"Do you want me to drive?" Amy asked, knowing his male ego would prevent him from letting a female
drive.
Jim didn't answer, but increased his speed. They made it to Eberswalde, with five minutes to find the hotel.
"It should be just ahead," Tess said, looking down at the instructions. "There!"
Jim sped into the small parking lot, and slammed the brakes down. "Come on! We're running out of time."
The group jumped out of the van, pausing only when Isabel tripped over the curb. Anderson was waiting patiently in the lobby.
"In with two minutes to spare. Good job, gang. That's ten thousand for the group pot."
Nearby Alex had collapsed in a chair. "Good. Just point me to my room."
Isabel laughed. "Get up. You're not any tired than the rest of us!"
Anderson smiled. "You've earned yourselves a break. Today and tomorrow are yours. Have fun exploring
the town, but be ready for your next challenge."
They were too tired to do anything much that day, but the next was full of fun. There was a swimming pool that everyone got thrown into a least once, and Maria and Isabel nearly bought the local stores out of business. (Or so Michael claimed)
When the time for the next challenge rolled around, everyone was rested and ready. They met in the hotel lobby, with their bags packed. The ten contestants gathered in a semi-circle around their host.
"Are you ready for your next challenge?" Anderson asked, rubbing his hands together.
"Do we really have a choice?" Kyle asked.
"Well, no, but it's polite to ask." Anderson shot a quick grin at the group. "I see your all packed, so let's get to the van. I'll tell you about your next challenge when we reach our next hotel."
Maria groaned. "Because of course it would be far too much trouble to tell us now!"
Maria was only more annoyed when they arrived at a hotel halfway across town. "What was wrong with the hotel we had?" she demanded.
Michael swung his arm around her. "Come on, babe, play the game!"
"Babe? Michael, do you have any idea how sexist that is?" Maria shook her head and left him to talk to Liz.
Once again, the group gathered in the lobby of a hotel. "Okay, now I'll tell you about the challenge,"
Anderson told them. "It's simple. One of you will have this ring of keys." he held out a keychain with ten keys dangling from it. "All you have to do is get everyone in their rooms, with their bags, within fifteen minutes. Room numbers are on the keys. Oh, and one more thing, to make it fun, you have to be in alphabetical order and numerical order."
"So a person with an A name would have to be in the lowest numbered room?" Alex clarified.
"Right. Each room is worth $10,000 for a total of $100,000. Any more questions?" Everyone shook their heads. "Then... on your marks, get set, go!" Anderson tossed the keys at the group. Michael caught them.
"What's the lowest number?" Isabel asked.
Michael started flipping through the keys. "202... 308...no...oh! here! 101."
"Okay, so who would that be?" Tess asked.
"Not to be a spoilsport or anything," Maria cut in, "but shouldn't we discuss this AFTER we start walking."
"Whatever you say, babe."
"This way," Amy said, after checking a sign. Before long, they were in front of a door bearing a 101 nameplate.
"So this is... Amy's room," Isabel said, after a quick glance around the room.
"Right," Michael said, as he unlocked the door. "No! Wait, Alex!"
"Gee guys, don't you know your alphabet?" Alex asked, as he swung into the door.
Michael opened his mouth for a retort, but before he could speak, Maria jabbed him in the ribs. "Move, move Spaceboy! We've already wasted time!"
"What room's next?" Kyle asked, as they rushed down the hall.
"202," Michael answered.
"Are you sure?" Maria asked. "I thought I saw a 150."
Michael checked the keys. "Oh, right." They continued running down the hall.
After a few moments, Tess spoke, "Um, guys? Have you noticed we're up to 175?"
The friends looked at each other with dismayed gazes, before turning around and running the other way.
"Hurry, hurry!" Maria urged, hopping from one foot to the other, as Michael struggled with the key.
"I'm not used to keys, okay?" Michael snapped.
"Here, give it to me." Maria snatched the keys from Michael and began jiggling the doorknob.
"Ha! Not as easy as you thought, is it?"
"Hon?" Amy broke in. "Maybe you should use the key marked 150?"
Maria slapped herself. "Thanks, Mom." With the right key in hand, it took only seconds to open the door.
"Who's room?" Kyle asked.
"Amy's," Isabel answered. She wasn't one to make the same mistake twice.
"Go!" Maria shouted, pushing her mother into the room.
"Nice to know you care," Amy remarked mildly as she stepped into the room.
The remaining eight continued their rush down the hall.
"What room is next?" Kyle asked.
"202," Maria responded.
"How much time do we have left?" The question came from Tess.
"I don't know," Maria answered. "Michael was keeping the time.
"What? I don't have a watch!"
"Did anyone bother to keep track?" Isabel asked in a withering voice. "Great. I'm with a bunch of idiots."
"Don't play innocent," Maria snapped. "You have a watch; why didn't *you* keep time?"
"Would you all just shut up?" Liz shouted. "This is just a dumb game."
Maria shot a question glance at her best friend. Liz rarely shouted. "We're wasting time. Let's just find the room. I'm sure Anderson will find us when the time is up."
"We need to go to the next floor," Tess suddenly said.
"How do you know?" Michael demanded.
"Read the sign!"
"It's in German!"
"Trust me. It says we have to go up a level."
"We can't trust you!" Maria shouted. "That's the whole point of the game."
The Sheriff broke in. "If there's one thing I've learned being sheriff, it's that sometimes you have to trust your enemies. Come on." He led the group to the second floor, where they quickly found room 202.
"Told you," Tess said smugly.
Maria ignored her. "Whose room is this?" She asked, as she unlocked the door.
Michael was murmuring to himself. "A...B...C...... Isabel!'
"Go, go, go!" Isabel stepped into the room and shut the door behind her.
The others continued their mad rush down the hall-- and just barely missed slamming into Anderson
Cooper.
"Time's up," he announced.
"Only 30,000 dollars," Michael groaned, slumping against the wall.
"Hey, quit doing my job!" Anderson interjected. "You now have $40,000 in your group pot.
The first execution is tonight. Until then, you're free."
The contestants first spread out across the hotel, but eventually gathered in the pool area.
"Who is the mole?" Michael asked, rubbing his hands together.
"Does it matter?" Max asked.
"Of course it does! Do you know how much money we're playing for?"
"Do you know how much danger we're in?" Max asked. "We are constantly followed by cameras!"
"Max!" Liz exclaimed. "Be quiet!" She gestured back at the cameras.
"I'm not that dumb," Max snapped. "If we're going to risk our lives for some dumb game, then at least I can
put my powers to good use. They can't hear us."
"Can my mom hear us?" Maria asked pointedly.
Kyle shook his head, and pointed to the far side of the pool where Amy and Jim were splashing each other. "They're in their own world."
"We're just normal teens," Isabel said quietly. "That's *all* Max."
"We don't know who will watch this!"
"Don't be silly, Max," Tess broke in. "Our enemies already know who we are. Being on national TV isn't
going to change that."
"Fine," Max snapped. "But I don't like it." He turned and walked off.
"Well, I guess he isn't the mole," Michael muttered.
"Michael!" Liz reprimanded. "This is serious!"
"No, it's not, Liz. If you think about it, this is the safest place we could be. We're constantly surrounded by cameras. We can't use our powers, but neither can our enemies. We're just normal teens." Michael concluded. He looked around at the others. "Let's all agree on that, okay? Just for this game, forget about the Skins, the Granolith, our powers, and for once, have a normal life." At the nods of the others, Michael suddenly switched the subject. "Okay, so who is the mole?"
"Like we're going to tell you!" Maria snorted.
"Does that mean you know something?"
"No, it doesn't mean I know something." Maria retorted.
"Oh, yeah? We'll see if your story changes once I dump you into the water." He began moving towards
Maria. She screamed, and took off in a run, Michael following close behind.
Slowly, the group dissipated across the hotel, finally feeling the freedom to be normal teens. Isabel, Tess, Alex, and Kyle decided to join Amy and Jim's splash fest, and Liz disappeared into her room. The time until the execution seemed to fly, and soon, they were all taking their tests, answering questions like "what color of shoes was the mole wearing on the first day?" (The fact that none of they guys knew what color of shoes *they* were wearing probably gave the girls an advantage.)
"All right," Anderson said. "Now that you've all taken the test, it's time for our first execution. You all know how it works. The person with the most wrong answers leaves, and the rest of you continue playing. When you're ready, I'll enter your name into the computer. If a green thumbprint appears, you stay. If a red thumbprint appears, you are the moles first victim, and you'll have to take your bags and leave the game. Who wants to go first?"
Michael shrugged. "Might as well." He breathed a sigh of relief when a green thumbprint showed on the screen.
One by one, Maria, Isabel, and Alex had their names entered, and saw a green thumbprint. Then it was Max's turn. A red thumbprint.
"Sorry, Max," was all Anderson said.
One by one Max hugged his friends good-bye (with the exception of Liz, who ignored him), whispering a quick 'be careful' into each of their ears, before departing.
"Congratulations," Anderson said, to the remaining contestants. "You've survived the first execution. See
you tomorrow for the next challenge."
One by one, they departed to their hotel rooms, wondering what the next day would bring, and asking the age old question, "who is the mole?" (Except for the mole, of course, who stayed up late, plotting ways to ruin the next days challenge.)