Chapter 12: Operation Charlie Tango Foxtrot
Reviews:
Gucci Mane LaFlare: Thanks. I was particularly proud of all of those jokes, so I'm glad they stuck the landing.
EndeavorT: In anyone else's hands, the doll would have caused loss after loss. But for Mike, there are fates far worse than elimination.
Phenomenal Ultra Instinct: Glad you thought so. Duncan hasn't interacted with Mike much, so he hasn't realized. And it's more than possible that Scarlett is said psycho redhead.
DSX62415: Total Drama Island takes place in 2007, so gay won't be in for a few years yet. Yes, Heather is lucky in that regard, Jo is getting on her team's nerves, and at least Dakota didn't get mutated. This episode is low-action, so I figured I had space to add plenty of other stuff.
insertnamehere21: Sometimes the truth hurts.
Knight: Well, I obviously wasn't going to mutate her, even if I could. But I'm not nice enough to let her get away completely unscathed either. Unfortunately for Dakota, I develop characters best by putting them in situations of emotional pain, so...
QueenAzulaThinksYourWorthless: Max was the most painful cut so far, but I had no alternatives. Do you seriously think I wouldn't have Mal and Scarlett interact? Yes, Heather is very lucky to have Ella around. As always, I'm glad Aiden's presence doesn't feel like an intrusion to my readers. I was very afraid upon writing that he wouldn't fit comfortably into Total Drama and would turn readers off from the story, and I'm glad to hear that is not the case.
Teams:
Gophers: B, Beardo, Beth, Brick, Dawn, Duncan, Ella, Heather, Jasmine, Sammy
Bass: Courtney, DJ, Ezekiel, Lindsay, Mike, Sam, Scarlett, Scott, Topher, Tyler
Moose: Aiden, Cameron, Cody, Eva, Harold, Jo, LeShawna, Lightning, Noah, Owen, Shawn
Badgers: Alejandro, Bridgette, Geoff, Gwen, Justin, Katie, Sadie, Sierra, Sky, Trent, Zoey
The episode opened the morning after Max's elimination. Sam was walking out of the washrooms when he heard sobbing coming from behind the building. He walked around to the back of the building to see Dakota with green hair, crying. He asked her, "What's wrong?"
Dakota responded, "That little troll Max turned my hair green!"
Sam, unsure of what to say, ventured, "That's…terrible?"
Dakota sighed. "You don't understand."
Sam said, "No, I don't. I've never really thought looks were that important."
Dakota sighed again. "I'm kinda jealous of you. My mother, you might have heard of her? Carolina Northwest?"
Sam frowned. "The fashion designer?"
"She always taught me that looks were the most important thing ever. If I didn't look good, I was a bad daughter and I was bringing shame to the family."
Sam, horrified, exclaimed, "That's terrible!"
Dakota nodded. "That's what Daddy thought. He divorced her a few years ago when he found out, and the judge gave him full custody of me with no visitation. My mother tried to overturn the decision a few times, but never succeeded." She looked down, and said, "Still, my looks have always been an important part of my life. I'm scared. What if people really do stop liking me?"
Sam placed his hand on her shoulder. "Look, your mother, if I can even call her that, isn't part of your life anymore. You don't need to let her keep affecting you. And don't worry about people not liking you anymore. Hehe, I mean, I have lots of friends, and I'm one of the ugliest people on this island."
Dakota sighed. "But you're a nice person. Even if you're not attractive, you're a sweet, fun guy that people like to be around. People like you for who you are, and you know that. People like me because I'm rich and hot. I just...I know that doesn't mean anything, but even that being taken away from me...it scares me."
Sam frowned. "Dakota, you don't need to be rich and hot for people to like you. You are a nice person, and even if you weren't rich and hot, that wouldn't change. And if your old friends don't see that, you should get new ones who do."
Dakota smiled slightly. "Thanks, Sam. I needed to hear that."
"No problem," said Sam. "And if we're being honest, I kinda like the green hair."
Dakota chuckled. "You don't mean that."
Sam nodded. "Yeah, I do! It kinda makes you look like Lady Palutena from the Kid Icarus games."
Dakota frowned. "I don't play video games, so I don't know who that is."
Sam fake-gasped. "You don't play video games? Well, we definitely need to do something about that." He looked around to make sure no one was watching, reached into his pocket, and handed her a handheld gaming device. "Here. You need it more than I do." He then handed her a few cartridges. "These are a few good entry-level games. You're not quite ready for the hardcore stuff yet."
Dakota smiled and took the gaming device. "I'll try them out when I get some free time."
A little later, Chris had assembled the teams for their challenge. "Attention, campers! Today's challenge will test your survival skills to the limit! Prepare yourselves for the game that will crush the weak, that will reduce the seemingly tough to a wreck...laser tag!"
Sam pumped his fist. "Yes! I love laser tag!"
Chris continued, "The objective is to defend your flag, and be the first to reach the enemy flag."
Cody interjected, "Tower defense mode! Even better!" He and Sam exchanged fist-bumps.
Chris scowled. "Yeah, we get it. You guys are gamer nerds. Can I continue?"
Cody said, "Go ahead."
"You will be required to wear these special vests," the host continued, as Chef and the interns brought out a large number of vests with green lights in the center of the front. "If you get hit, you're out. Your blaster will deactivate, and you will receive a painful shock. The challenge ends when someone reaches the flag, or when one team is completely eliminated from the challenge. Oh, and by the way, those blasters have a slow rate of fire. But you do only have to land one shot to get someone out."
The Gophers' flag was near the mountain, surrounded by rocks, both real and fake. Jasmine said, "Brick, Sammy, Beth, Ella, and Beardo, you stay here and defend the flag. I'll take B, Dawn, Duncan, and Heather to attack the enemy bases."
Brick frowned. "I wanted to be on the strike team."
Jasmine said, "You and I are best suited to lead the teams for this challenge, and my survival skills are better suited to leading the strike team. You're best suited to defend the base."
Brick nodded and saluted. "Okay. I won't let the enemy reach the flag." The two groups then parted ways.
The Bass team's flag was near the stream. Scarlett, who was holding the fedora from the fashion challenge, suggested, "I should lead the attack team. I will take Mike, Topher, Lindsay, and Tyler."
Scott shrugged. "Fine with me."
Confessional: Scott
"I wanted to be in a group with Courtney and DJ anyway. With Rodney gone, I need to work on making new alliances."
End confessional
After Scarlett's group departed, Scott turned to try to talk to DJ. However, Sam tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Scott, I was thinking, if we put me in one of these trees, I could take out attackers without them seeing me."
Scott thought for a moment. "That's a pretty good idea. You've been holding out on me."
Sam smirked. "I'm a gamer. Finding a concealed location to shoot from is an important skill for PvP games. An ambush is harder to react to than a straightforward attack."
Scott nodded. "Can you shoot?"
Sam grinned self-assuredly. "Can I shoot? Mister, you're looking at the Surrey laser tag champion, three years running! Heck yeah, I can shoot!"
Scott grinned maliciously. "They won't know what hit 'em! DJ, come help me get Sam into one of these trees!"
Confessional: Scott
"No, I'm not considering allying with Sam. Yet. But I am beginning to think he might be worth keeping around, until we have no choice but to get rid of him."
End confessional
The Badgers' flag had been set up by the lake. Sky looked at it critically. "Okay, upside, they can't attack from that direction. Downside, we're short on cover. All we have are a few fake rocks, and that won't be enough to protect us from enemy fire."
Alejandro suggested, "Then we will have to set up our own. Geoff, can you lend your strength to assist me with this undertaking?"
Geoff replied, "Sure, bro. Let's get right on it."
Sky said, "Okay, you two defend the base, along with...Katie, Sadie, and Bridgette. The rest of us will be on the attack."
Justin asked, "Hey, can I be on defense too? I don't really feel like trudging through the woods."
This seemed to annoy Gwen, who said, "No, you can't, unless you want to help work on the defenses."
Justin rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll attack. What are we waiting for?"
Confessional: Justin
"Hmm. Gwen is somewhat well-liked by our team yet probably not enough to make me a target for getting rid of her, she has a clear ally, and she's not attracted to me, or at least not enough for me to manipulate her. After this challenge, perhaps I should talk to Alejandro about getting her out."
End confessional
The Moose flag had been set up in the woods with no truly distinguishable landmarks. "It's awesome," Harold commented about the setup. "The other teams might not even be able to find us!"
"Glad you like it, Split-screen," Jo commented. "Now, I'm taking Eva, Shawn of the Dead, Lightbulb, Stage Fright, and Butterball to go after the flags. The rest of you, defend our flag." She began to walk away, and when the others that she named hesitated, she called, "You coming, maggots? Or do I have to do everything myself?" The five campers she named began to follow her.
"Jo isn't very nice, is she?" Owen whispered to Lightning.
"Well, bein' nice ain't really the point of the game," Lightning said. "Joe might be rude, but he gets stuff done. What do you think, Angry Girl?" he asked Eva.
Eva scowled. "Jo creases me, but so do most people. Honestly, Noah and Cameron are the only people on this team that I don't find annoying at all. But Jo specifically? She's supremely bossy, but she does have actual skills. I'm not sure if it's worth the tradeoff to keep her."
Lightning shrugged. "It's called a winning attitude."
Some minutes later, the Moose attack team reached the general area of the Bass flag. Shawn said, "Okay, so I see four people guarding the flag. I'll scout the area a bit more thoroughly, and then we can make a plan—"
"Or," Jo cut him off, "We charge in and take it by force. There are six of us and only four of them."
"But—" Shawn tried to say something, but Jo wasn't listening. She, and the other four strike team members, were already charging. Shawn groaned and followed.
Both sides exchanged laser blasts. And to their credit, both sides did do an excellent job of avoiding the shots. However, Owen was hit early by several shots, DJ was taken out by a well-placed shot from Shawn, and a shot from Ezekiel managed to hit Aiden. Upon seeing the quiet teen convulse in pain, Ezekiel shouted, "I got 'im!"
The four remaining Moose attackers all hid behind Owen. "Okay, so they're good shots," Jo conceded. "But we can still get them. We'll use Butterball as a shield to get close, and then hit them hard!"
Owen said, "Guys? I don't know if I like that plan."
"Oh, shut up," Jo commanded. "They already got you out. It's not like they can shock you again."
The three remaining defenders hid behind the beaver dam, in case the attackers tried to shoot at them. "Wait for it..." Scott said to Courtney and Ezekiel, as the attackers got closer.
Suddenly, a laser came from the trees and hit Eva. "They have a sniper!" Shawn shouted. He ran, with Jo and Lightning following. Seeing their teammates break and run, Owen, Eva, and Aiden started running as well.
Scott, Courtney, and Ezekiel raised their blasters and fired, but none of their shots connected. By the time they were able to try again, the attackers had escaped.
"Well, they won't be back," Scott commented. "Looks like Sam's idea was a winner."
Confessional: Shawn
"Believe it or not, one of the biggest dangers in a zombie apocalypse is actually other survivors. There's the risk of them raiding your base, killing you-or worse-and stealing all of your supplies. And there's the chance that you'll get desperate enough to have to do so yourself. Rule one of raids: scout thoroughly! Now we have to head back and hope that with a strong defense, we can outlast the enemy."
End confessional
The Bass attackers were walking through the woods. Scarlett asked the four, "So we are all in agreement on who to vote for when we next lose?" Upon hearing the other four agree, she said, "Good. Now to the task at hand." Scarlett placed the fedora on Mike's head. He gasped, his hair slicked back, and he became Manitoba Smith. However, he had a troubled look on his face.
"Mr. Smith?" Scarlett said. "We are in the midst of a war exercise, and I assumed your survivalist expertise would be invaluable."
"Yeah?" he replied tersely. "Sorry, Sheila, I'm not feeling quite right. All of my instincts are screaming that something bloody awful is coming."
"Be that as it may," Scarlett said to the adventurer personality, "We should concentrate on the task at hand."
What they didn't see was the Badger attack team sneaking up on them. Sierra caught sight of them first. "It's Topher and some of the other Bass," she whispered. "We should do a surprise attack, so they can't attack our flag."
The Badgers suddenly sprang out of the bushes and took out all of the Bass attackers, starting with Scarlett and Manitoba. However, Lindsay did manage to hit Trent before being taken out.
Confessional: Mike
"I don't know if it's the curse, but I've been having really bad luck lately."
End confessional
The five remaining Badger attackers kept moving. Zoey hesitantly approached Gwen. "Hey, Gwen, we're friends, right?"
Gwen shrugged. "Sure. I'd say we are." When gwen was no longer looking, Zoey pumped her fist.
Confessional: Zoey
"Yes! I don't really have many friends back home. Or any at all. Everyone says I'm too 'desperate,' and then they avoid me after that."
End confessional
Shortly after, they happened upon the Moose attackers. None of them could see that Owen, Eva, and Aiden were out, so they all assumed all six members of the attack team were still in. Justin stepped on a stick, and they all swiveled around. "Who's there?" Jo called.
Sky thought quickly. "I'll draw them off. You guys head to one of the flags." She then dashed out and shot Jo, before quickly retreating.
Lightning saw who it was quickly. "It's Gymnast Girl! I'll get her!" He ran after her, dodging a shot from her. He shot, but missed, and then the two rushed away.
Shawn groaned. "Well, I'm heading back to base. He can find his own way."
At the Badger base, the Badger defenders had set up a makeshift barricade out of dead bushes, rocks, and assorted junk from the boathouse. "Nice work," Geoff said. "This defense is looking pretty sweet."
"Indeed," Alejandro agreed. "We should be quite well-defended here."
A thought occurred to Geoff. "Wouldn't it be funny if we set all this up, and no one attacked us?"
At the Gopher base, the Badger attack team was planning their attack. "There are five of them and only four of us," Gwen pointed out. "That's going to make this a lot harder."
"We can do it," Sierra contradicted her. "As long as we're stealthy and strike first."
Using the trees to hide their approach, the attack team got as close as possible. They then dashed out, and a shot from Gwen hit Brick. However, the Gophers were prepared, and they all fired back. Zoey, Sierra, and Gwen were all taken out. However, Sierra did manage to hit Ella first. As the battle took place, Beardo imitated the sounds of a laser battle from a science fiction movie.
Justin, seeing that he was the only one left, thought quickly. When Beth and Beardo aimed their blasters at him, he pulled up his shirt, revealing his abs. The two of them hesitated.
"You don't want to blast me," Justin said.
"We don't want to blast you," the two of them repeated in monotone voices.
"You want to let me take the flag," he continued.
"We want to let you take the flag."
Justin grinned, and stepped forwards to take the flag. However, he was halted by a blast from Sammy.
"Sorry, Justin, but I'm into tall guys," she said.
Confessional: Beth
"I don't know what happened! I wath going to shoot Juthtin, but then, all of a sudden, it wath like he had thome kind of power over me!"
Confessional: Beardo
Beardo's confessional consisted of him making hypnosis sound effects, and miming circles with his hands. His eyes then rolled back, and he slouched over dramatically.
Confessional: Justin
"Yes, I used hypnosis on them. And it almost worked. I guess Samey is more strong-willed than she looks."
End confessional
Lightning and Sky were still trying to blast each other. Sky kept jumping acrobatically to avoid Lightning's blasts, while Lightning dodged more traditionally by running in zigzags and changing direction irregularly. Eventually they reached the thousand-but-actually-hundred-foot-high cliff. Seeing that there was nowhere left for Sky to run, both athletes took aim and fired, taking each other out.
After recovering from the shock, Sky said to Lightning, impressed, "Those were some nice moves back there."
Lightning nodded. "Sha-yeah, they were! This is the Lightning we're talking about. But you, you had some sweet moves back there too."
"Thanks. I'm actually training to be an Olympian gymnast."
Lightning looked impressed. "Well, that's pretty cool. Bein' in the Olympics means you gotta be like, a total superstar."
Sky nodded. "What about you? What are you training for?"
"I am glad you asked. Look out, world, Lightning's goin' to the Super Bowl, just like Pops!"
"Wow. Then I guess we're both inspired by the athletes in our family. My older sister River was actually in the Olympics for rhythmic gymnastics."
"Sha-dang! What are the odds?"
Confessional: Lightning
"Yeah, Sky's pretty cool. Lightning wishes she was on my team. We'd be unstoppable!"
Confessional: Sky
"Lightning and I have a lot in common, and it would have been nice if he was on my team. But I'm here to win, not to make friends."
End confessional
As Shawn was making his way back to the Moose flag, he spied the Gopher attackers. He quickly hid, and heard Jasmine say, "Okay, I'll scout ahead, then we can plan our attack." He waited for the Australian to pass him, then he stealthily pursued her. After they left the other four behind, when Jasmine could see the base, he blasted her.
"Oww!" she looked to see where the laser had come from, and she saw Shawn in a tree. He then jumped down from the tree, and ran past her to the flag.
Confessional: Jasmine
"Wow, Shawn has some real skills. I didn't even hear him move once!"
End confessional
Jasmine ran back to her teammates. "They've got six people guarding the flag. And one of them got me."
Heather was not pleased. "Great. Now what?"
Dawn spoke up. "Don't give up yet. I sense B has an idea."
Shawn quickly told his team what happened to the others. "So we're the only ones left. Also, a group of the Gophers is coming. I got Jasmine, but the rest of them should get here soon."
Suddenly, a laser hit Harold. "Ha! Take that, nerd!"
"It's them!" Shawn shouted. Duncan, Heather, and B were firing at the Moose, using the trees as cover. The five remaining defenders hid behind rocks and returned fire, but they were unable to hit any of their attackers.
Unbeknownst to the defenders, they were facing away from where Jasmine and Dawn were. On the ground was a large rock, with a large piece of wood over it acting as a lever. Dawn was standing on one end, and Jasmine was holding a boulder over the other end.
"You sure this will work?" Jasmine asked.
"Of course," Dawn replied. "Launch me."
Jasmine dropped the boulder, sending Dawn flying. She ended up slamming into the top of the flagpole painfully, and she dropped to the ground.
Confessional: B
B smacked his forehead with his hand repeatedly.
End confessional
"And the Gophers win!" Chris's voice came over the intercom. "Moose, I will see you at elimination." All of the defenders' shoulders visibly slumped.
Cody was the first to perk up. He walked over to Heather, and said, "Hey, that was some good shooting. You can take a shot at me any time."
Heather obliged by blasting his vest. Once he recovered from the shock, he said, "I guess that's a no, then?"
A bit later, Ella was off in the forest, where she encountered Dawn. "Oh, hello, Dawn! I was not expecting to see you here," she said.
"I come out here when I wish to relax and clear my head," Dawn replied. "I feel much more at peace in nature than around others."
"I am surprised B is not with you," Ella commented. "The two of you rarely seem to do things separately."
"B and I complement each other well, but I find peace in nature, and he finds it in technology. He is likely working on a mechanical project right now. But you, your aura tells me that you feel troubled. May I ask what is the matter?"
Ella sighed. "I feel bad about voting out Max. He's my friend, and even though he messed up the challenge, I feel like I betrayed him. Worse, I asked him to help me in the first place, so I feel it was my fault that he was eliminated."
Dawn paused for a moment. "I don't know what to tell you. I could tell by his aura that having a friend who doesn't dismiss him is definitely healthy for Max. And for all his talk of evil, he is too lonely to hold a grudge against you. Feeling that you betrayed him is natural, but that is the nature of a game like Total Drama. There can only be one winner."
Ella thought about it. "May I join you?"
Dawn gestured for Ella to sit across from her. "Certainly."
At the mess hall, Jo was chewing out Lightning. "Who told you to desert your team to chase down Sky? You messed everything up!" Lightning was too stunned to speak, but Leshawna chimed in, "You're certainly one to talk, white girl. From what Shawn tells me, it's your fault we lost!"
Jo stared at her, shocked, but Leshawna wasn't finished. "I am sick of you acting like you're better than us! You think you're the only one who can lead, but all you done is talk down to all of us, and make things worse! Give me one good reason why we shouldn't vote you out tonight."
Jo sputtered, "You-you can't! It's because of me that we have only lost twice! You need me!"
Leshawna faked thinking hard. "From what I can remember, we got third in the first challenge 'cause of Cameron, won the second one 'cause of Shawn, won the third 'cause of Eva, you weren't even in the talent show, you didn't do much in the camping trip, we got second in the Truth or Scare challenge 'cause B can't talk, Tyler's scared of chickens, and I don't even know what was up with Rodney.
"We would have lost Izzy either way, we would have been out of the fashion challenge either way, and we won the cooking challenge 'cause of Lightning, Shawn, and Cameron. So the way I see it, no, we don't need you."
There was a brief moment of silence, until Harold broke it by saying, "Well, I know who I'm voting for." The Moose then began to leave the table, leaving Jo, who still looked shocked.
Confessional: Harold
"Is it weird that if found it attractive how Leshawna stuck it to Jo like that?"
End confessional
At the Campfire Ceremony, Chris was holding a plate of marshmallows. "Ordinarily, I don't show the votes from the confessional. But because we all know who's going home tonight, let's just see how Jo's attitude came back to bite her in the butt!" Chef carried in a TV screen, and it showed the confessionals.
Confessional: Aiden
"Let's face it, this vote is just a formality. We all know Jo is going home."
Confessional: Cameron
"I vote for Jo. Serves her right for being such a bully."
Confessional: Cody
"I'm voting for Jo. Man, I am so glad you don't show these."
Confessional: Eva
"I was wondering if keeping Jo around was worth the tradeoff. I've decided that no, it is not."
Confessional: Harold
"I vote for Jo! Gosh, that just feels so awesome to say."
Confessional: Leshawna
"Girl, I have had it up to here with your attitude. Good. Bye."
Confessional: Lightning
"Dude, I can't believe I tried to defend Jo! He is sha-outta here."
Confessional: Noah
"They say pride cometh before a fall, and Jo is nothing if not prideful. Now, let's make that fall happen, shall we?"
Confessional: Shawn
"Goodbye, Jo. If this was the best you could do battle strategy-wise, good luck when the zombies come."
Confessional: Jo
"Uhh...Lightning?"
End confessional
Jo scowled at her teammates. "I was your strongest player! You'll never win without me!"
Leshawna scowled back. "We'll take our chances."
Jo lunged at her, but was caught by Chef, who dragged her onto the Boat of Losers. The boat then sped away, with Jo screaming obscenities as it did so.
Chris said, "I will not miss her. Anyway, the rest of you are safe. For tonight."
In the middle of the night, a figure snuck out of the boys' side of the Badger cabin, holding an armful of bottles. As he slunk out of the cabin, he whistled a creepy tune. He then went over the communal washrooms and dropped the bottles into the septic tank.
Reasons for elimination: It should be fairly obvious.
What do I think of Jo as a character? I'll tell you what I think of Jo. I can't stand her. She's arrogant, unpleasant, a complete bully, and also kind of a loser. Over the course of her entire Total Drama run, she was only responsible for two eliminations. And it's not even like she was that good in challenges either. Literally the only reason she made the merge in ROTI is because of Scott. A lot of people hate Lightning for being "a jerk with an attitude problem," and he is one, but Jo is on a whole different level.
This is my first original challenge, so what do you think? Was it a good challenge? A poor one? Just kind of average? I would appreciate the feedback. Constructive criticism welcome! I do have a lot challenges planned, but I do still need some ideas, particularly for the four-team phase but also some for the two-team phase. The idea is for the challenges to get more sadistic over time, PM me if you have ideas. Do not leave your challenge suggestions in the reviews, or I will not consider them.
Did you like the beginning? I was especially proud of that part.
Elimination order:
52: Dave, the Germaphobe
51: Staci, the Compulsive Liar
50: Dakota, the Fame-Monger
49: Sugar, the Pageant Queen
48: Amy, the Evil Twin
47: Leonard, the LARPer
46: Anne Maria, the Jersey Shore Reject
45: Izzy, the Psycho Hose Beast (still out there?)
44: Rodney, the Lovesick Farm Boy
43: Max, the Super-Villain Wannabe
42: Jo, the Take-No-Prisoners Jockette
