DISCLAIMER:
Welcome, episode 68 is here. The best four challenge had started and is a team battle. Who will get the immunity? Courtney and Brick or Mike and Sammy? And who will be the one eliminated? Find out now here in Total Drama Tyranny of the Masses.
And remember to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter. This helps me a lot to improve this and other stories. But if you're not the reviewer type, at least mark it as a favorite, that way I will know you're having a good time. Now, as always let me answer last week's reviews before getting started.
theswenuser: More or less, you will find the details of the tasks right now, and about the winning team, I would not be that sure.
Harmony735: Yes, it was. I hope at least it was enjoyable ;)
amit. avrashmi: Ok, your guesses are interesting. It will depend on which team win the challenge. I also about which one will be the blast from the past you will have to wait to find out.
Tempokeep: Hehehe, sorry for clowning you with that 1 chapter/episode ;)
And true, I felt that it was necessary to closure the DAM aftermath because it was too big just to ignore it. And the interns are there but will not have the same camera as the contestants.
Nice predictions. I wonder what will happen next.
And as always, a HUGE shoutout and THANKS to Geofics, who helps me proofread the episodes. I know, I put it in all the chapters, but it's because it's the least I can do. Thanks for your help.
Total Drama belongs to Fresh TV, its creators, and associates companies. I don't own anything from the properties used in this fic.
There is no such thing as a free show part 2
Last time on Total Drama Tyranny of the masses, the new challenge had started, a survival multi challenge in which our campers put to the test their skills and ingenuity against each other.
But to make things more interesting, we grouped them into two teams. Our favorite CIT Courtney and the big-hearted cadet Brick will compete against the black horse Samey, teamed with the boring Mike, who has been everything this season but boring.
Now, these two teams will compete in a race against the clock to find their own challenge area and perform as many tasks as they can, but we have some nice surprises prepared for them.
Can these improvised teams put aside their differences? Who will win the immunity, the bossy, and the wussy or lamey and goofy? And which of these 4 contestants will be eliminated tonight? Find out next on Total Drama: Tyranny of the Masses.
Courtney was tapping her foot on the ground as Brick jumped off a tree. Things weren't going as she was expecting.
"North is in that direction ma'am," said the cadet pointing at his side.
"Thanks Brick, that means we're in the area around this place, which seems… like … some kind of stain," said Courtney while squinting at the map. "WHY IS THIS MAP SO BADLY DRAWN! It's part of the challenge!?"
Brick looked over her shoulder. "Calm down ma'am. I think it's a rock, like that one. That would mean you're right, and we're here. So if we walk in that direction, we'll be in the challenge area in 10 minutes."
Courtney took a moment to take a deep breath, looked at the map, and then at the forest. "You're right, Brick, then let's go. We don't have time to waste."
She began to run in that direction as the cadet followed her, looking around nervously. He noticed Courtney was acting weirdly, but at this moment, the darkness worried him a lot more than his teammate's attitude.
"C-Can we walk together? Darkness makes me nervous..." asked Brick, his voice trembling.
"The darkness?" asked Courtney looking at him while raising an eyebrow. "I mean, it's not too dark tonight."
The cadet looked at the ground, embarrassed. "I know that, but I still can't help but be anxious."
Courtney then realized she was acting as always. She was putting her own experiences and opinions over Brick without thinking about his feelings.
"Ok, don't worry. Just wait a moment," said Courtney looking for a big branch.
Once she found it, the former CIT ripped one of her shirt's sleeves and tied it to one side of the branch, then took out a lighter and lit the cloth.
"Here, it's an improvised torch. Now let's go," said Courtney, giving the torch to her teammate.
"But ma'am, your shirt…" said Brick, lowering his unibrow.
Courtney just smiled and shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Just focus on winning the challenge. Now hurry, without fuel, the torch will burn out quickly."
Brick nodded, just as Courtney said it took only a few minutes for the shirt to burn out and ignite the branch, but it was enough time to help him with his fear.
On the other side of the forest, Mike and the twin were walking toward the challenge area. The guy was the one guiding them and looking at the map and compass.
"Ugh, I can't believe they just gave us a handmade map and a trashy compass. It's like they want to make the challenge harder than it should," said the twin, putting her hands behind her head.
Mike smiled as he looked at the compass, trying to find the north. "It's not so bad. At least we have a compass, and Courtney's map is as bad as this one, so don't worry too much." He then looked at her, winking. "Also, I'm surprised you're around. After all, I thought you would give it a rest after your sister came back to the island."
"No, I couldn't rest. My sister AMY is still a little hurt after the mountain challenge, and I'm helping her. I hope it doesn't bother you," said Amy, winking back at him. It was reassuring she didn't have to feign in front of him.
"Of course not. I only wanted to be sure," Mike's smile showed the gap between his teeth. "Now let's do our best to win this challenge."
The pair advanced through the forest, but after some time, they still couldn't find their way. There wasn't any sign of the challenge point.
"It's weird, the map shows there should be a big black mound around here, but there is no sign of any mound or hill around," said Mike while scratching his head.
This was stressing him. He usually could read a map easily and find the tracks of any animal. But somehow, reading this map at night was harder than hunting dingoes in the Australian Outback.
"Are you sure that's a mound?" asked Amy looking at the map. "It could be a hole."
"A hole?" asked Mike aloud. And honestly, it could be. The image could even be an accident, a stain on the map. "Yes, it could be. Basically, it could be anything."
Amy blanched. "That means we're lost?"
"A little lost," said Mike rubbing his arm while trying to think of a way out of the situation.
"Perfect! Chris gave us a useless map, with a cheap watch, and now we're lost" said the twin biting her thumb. "Ok, let's try to think about it. Maybe we can go back the way we came and find a different way?
The spiky-haired guy smiled. "A-Sammy , that's a great idea! In fact, we can find a way without going back."
"Really?" asked the twin, perplexed.
"Yes, I just need to look for tracks of other people in the forest and follow them to the challenge area. At least one or two people should have gone there to prepare it. And it'll be easier to track a person than to try to read this map," said Mike, crouching and looking for tracks in the ground.
Amy nodded, smiling smugly. "Yes, of course, it's a great idea. I'm glad I thought about it."
After a moment, Mike found what he was looking for. There were some footprints pointing to the west. It was just a hunch, but he knew it was the best way to find the challenge area.
"Follow me," said the spiky-haired guy, walking fast while looking at the track, closely followed by the twin.
And Mike's hunch was right. After some minutes, they found an opening in the woods, with a campfire, a small wooden desk, and an envelope over it. The envelope had a rock over it to keep it in place.
"You did it! Mik, you're really awesome," said Amy looking around the place. "But it seems a little empty for a and area in which we need to perform many tasks, doesn't it?"
Amy looked around. Funny enough, this place was really close to the place she was building the road today. If only she had known the challenge zone would be so close.
Meanwhile, the former multiple Mike took the letter and opened it. Inside was a beautifully written letter.
"What the-" said Mike as he read the letter.
Courtney and Brick also arrived at their challenge area. The cadet felt a sense of ease as he watched the campfire. At least the darkness won't be a problem anymore.
As on Mike's side, there was an envelope on a table with a rock over it. Courtney took out the letter from the envelope as Brick put the handmade torch in the campfire.
"Ok, so this is the challenge," muttered Courtney as she read the letter.
"What does it say? Is it another map?" asked Brick. Maybe the challenge was a big treasure hunt.
"No, it's the challenge instructions," said the Latin girl and began to read it aloud. "Congratulations campers, Now the true challenge begins. This is a list of 20 tasks. You have until sunrise to perform as many as you can. We won't provide you with tools or materials to perform the tasks. You need to find your own. The team which performed more tasks successfully will get immunity."
Brick nodded while rubbing his chin. "Ok, so it's direct competition. I like that!"
"P.S. Courtney, as I'm sure you're wondering right now, in case of a tie, both teams lose immunity, and the vote will be free for all." read Courtney as she rolled her eyes. "What a jerk. He didn't have to single me out."
"Don't get angry, it's just as expected from Chris," said Brick, trying to comfort her. "What's the first item of the list?"
"Built a shelter," read Courtney, who was still frowning. "WHAT? Does he have an idea of how hard it is to build a shelter?"
Brick began to look around, trying to calm her. "We can build a small shelter with some branches. Let's try to remain positive, and everything will be fine."
"You… you're really a great guy to work with," said Courtney, authentically awed. "You're right. There is no use in losing our heads, I'll make a list of the tasks from easiest to hardest, and we'll attack the easier ones first."
Courtney took off her notebook and organized the tasks from the top if they were easy to the bottom if they were harder.
At the same time, Brick took a stick from the campfire and went to look for branches to build the shelter. He needed 2 forked branches and a long, more or less straight one to start.
"This may work," murmured Brick, but the dark night still made him nervous, even if he had a torch.
Then he heard a sound, it was like a cry.
"Wh-who is there?" asked the cadet, walking slowly toward the cry's direction.
He found some fallen trees, probably from when the interns were building that road, and some rocks stacked at the side, but no sign of whoever was making that cry-like sound.
"H-hellooo?" asked Brick, looking around carefully. But suddenly there it was again
"Aaaaaahhh!" shouted Brick, dropping the branches he had gathered and the torch. Realizing he dropped the torch, he tried to catch it, but it was too dangerous. So he kicked it into the air and caught it when it was falling like a cheerleader.
"Phew, I'm sure the twins would be proud," said Brick, drying the sweat from his forehead.
After the small problem, the cadet found the source of the crying. It was a small bunny, its leg injured.
Brick scratched his head. "So it was only you. Ha, I can't believe I was scared by you, little friend," he then looked at the injury. "So that's why you're crying."
He knew there was no time for this. Courtney would definitely get angry if he took his time. It was time to take the branches and go back.
Then he heard it again, the sad crying of the bunny.
"Ok, if I hurry, she may not notice it," murmured Brick, as he bandaged the injury with his handkerchief.
"There you're, as good as new," said the cadet as he finished dressing the wound. The bunny stopped crying and looked at him with wide eyes, caressing his head against Brick's hand.
"BRIIIICK! Come here, hurry!" shouted Courtney. It sounded important.
Brick saluted at the small animal. "Sorry, friend but duty calls."
He was about to run back and took the branches, but he heard the small bunny crying again. He looked at it, and it was slowly hopping behind him.
"Sorry, I have to go. There is no way I can take you with me," said Brick, turning his face away from the bunny.
The small animal's reply was crying some more and jumping weakly behind him.
Back in the challenge area, Courtney was tapping her foot, waiting for the cadet to come back.
"Where is he? Did something happen?" muttered Courtney nervously.
Then Brick arrived as fast as he could, holding some large branches and the torch.
"Hello Ma'am, are you ok? What happened?" asked Brick, letting the branches in the ground and putting the torch back in the campfire.
Courtney's first instinct was to yell at him, but she knew it wasn't fair because he was doing his part, and not everyone was just waiting for her to give orders. Bad habits are hard to break.
"Yes, I'm fine, but I need your help," said Courtney, giving him her notebook. "I wrote a list with all the tasks in the order I think are easier to do. Please start performing them while I'm away."
"What? Where are you going?" asked Brick, looking at the list.
Courtney took the map and was looking at the stars, trying to find the north. "The last task is to recover the flag at the top of the mountain, and it has a value of 5 tasks."
"Really?" asked Brick, shocked.
"Yes, it's written in the small letters at the side of the last task," said the former CIT, giving him the original list.
The cadet squinted at the list, put it closer to his face, but it didn't make sense. "Are you sure it's a written message? It seems only like random characters."
"Yes, I'm sure, look," she took the sheet and gave it to him again, upside down. "Now read it."
"Ohh, it's true. Chris really likes to do things in the most twisted way," replied the cadet, rubbing his neck.
Courtney made a small smile. "Totally, it's the Chris McLean jerk style."
She then took something from her pocket and gave it to him, "so take this and please try to do as many tasks as you can."
"A switchblade?" Brick then looked at it carefully and recognized it, "but this is Duncan's blade."
"Don't worry about details. I'll be on my way. Be careful," said Courtney as she took a stick from the campfire.
Brick raised a hand, interrupting her. "Wait a minute, ma'am. Maybe I should go instead. I mean it's dangerous out there."
"Thanks Brick, but it's also really dark, so don't push yourself and work here." she said, winking, "Thanks for worrying about me, but I'll be fine. I'm a trained counselor after all."
"Ok ma'am, as you wish," said the cadet saluting.
She then nodded and began to walk away. "See you later."
"IIIkkkk" said what appeared to be Brick, but was actually the bunny he had hidden in his shirt.
Courtney looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, IIIIIIkk wish you good luck," said the cadet blushing.
She then went away as fast as she could while Brick began to build the shelter. Letting the small bunny go out of his shirt.
"Ok, it seems it's just the two of us now. Let's do this," said Brick, smiling at his small friend.
Confessional: Brick
"I like to work with Courtney, but she seems to be worried, and I think it's not about the challenge. Maybe she is disheartened about Duncan leaving? I mean, they were really close to each other, maybe I should try to cheer her up when she comes back," said Brick rubbing his chin.
"Mik, are you ok?" asked Amy, looking at Mike's shocked expression.
"No, the list is full of hard tasks like making a shelter, making a well, and preparing dinner. And we have only 7 hours," said Mike rubbing his arm nervously.
Amy shrugged. "That's all? Don't worry, because Brick and Courtney have to do the same tasks. So we just need to do more than them."
"You're right, but even then," Mike was worried. Yes, what the twin said was logical. But Brick and Courtney were resourceful people, so he would feel more confident if they could complete the list.
"So first thing is to build a shelter," said Amy reading the list, "what? A fucking shelter?" Is Chris crazy? It took 7 people carrying materials and like 3 hours to make our shelter in our season. How are we supposed to do this?"
Mike rubbed his chin. "More improvised shelters need a tarp to cover, we can do something with branches, but it would be easier if we could dig a hole."
"A hole?" asked Amy, tilting her head.
"Yes, because that way we could just make a small shelter without the need to spend a lot of time looking for branches and building it," said the spiky-haired guy. "But it would probably take more time digging."
This gave the twin an idea. "Just wait here, and do something else on the list."
"Wait AM- I mean SAM" shouted Mike, messing up the names and losing the timing to stop her.
Meanwhile Amy ran toward the place she was building the road, and as she knew, it was really close.
And there it was, the shovel she was using.
"Ok how lucky! I just found this lying around," said Amy in a Sammy-like tone. "Mik will be so happy."
Smirking, she then ran the way back to the challenge area, in which Mike was using some rope to make a cage of sticks.
"Sammy, where did you go? I was worried," said Mike, standing up quickly and walking to the twin's side."
"Wouldn't you like to know," replied Amy, smirking and winking, "but look what I found, a shovel."
"Wow, a shovel!" shouted Mike, but then noticed there was something weird about the whole situation. "Where did you find it?"
"Laying on the ground."
"Are you saying you went to the woods, and just like that, there was a shovel laying in the ground?"
"Yes."
"A relatively new shovel that isn't even rusted."
"Yes, we're really lucky, aren't we?"
Mike gave up. "Yes we're. I'll begin digging the place for the shelter. Meanwhile, read the list and choose another task to start."
"Yes, as you wish," said Amy mocking a salute.
The tasks were hard, all of them about survival and most about building something. Build a three-layer totem, carve a Chris McLean bust.
"This, I can do this. Forage for some food, I just saw some bushes with berries and some mushrooms. I'll right back," said the twin leaving Mike digging.
"She is just full of energy. I guess she wants to win as much as I do," said Mike, who also started to dig with more eagerness.
Amy found the berries and the mushrooms. She even knew which mushrooms weren't poisonous.
It wasn't by luck. The older twin studied a lot about foraging while waiting for a new season. Why? Because if she came back and needed to forage her food, she wouldn't need Jasmine or other people to get her food and avoid the risk of being poisoned (again).
It was funny. Her inferiority complex and resentment against her sister helped her push her own limits. She really learned a lot of new skills. She grew a lot more as a person thanks to that experience.
She took the food and ran back to the challenge area. She hoped it was more than enough for the task.
"Food is here," said Amy, spreading the berries and fungi over the table. But what she found awed her.
Mike had already made 2 small shelters, they seemed like small huts, but if you lay in the hole (or more like a small trench) below them, you could sleep protected from the environment.
"Wow, I know I'm saying wow a lot, but wow," said the twin, looking at the fast built shelters. "Did you also learn that thanks to your Aussie personality?"
"Yes, thanks to Manitoba, he'll be the star of this challenge," said Mike, nodding.
They then looked at the list, Amy was studying the items, but Mike was worried about one item in particular.
"The well sounds silly. I mean I doubt there is water under the island," said Amy, reading the list, "but maybe we can make a hole and fill it with water."
He didn't listen to her, too immersed in his thoughts. "The last item, looking for the flag. Doesn't feel out of place?"
"Really? How so?" asked Amy. She really doesn't give it too much thought.
"Because it's the only task that takes you out of the challenge area. And probably take more time than most of the other tasks. It would be silly to complete it. But there it is sitting at the end of the list," said the pointy-hairy guy. "And my gut feeling is that there is something wrong with it."
Amy looked at it. It didn't seem to be anything weird with the task. Then she notices the small letters just next to the task.
"Is that a message or a stain?" asked Amy, squinting closer to the sheet.
Mike looked carefully at the sheet. After examining it, they realized the message was upside down, and the text gave them a shiver down their spine.
"It counts as five tasks? This is one of the reasons why I hate Chris," said Amy, stomping her foot at the ground, "And we wasted a lot of time figuring it out."
"I'll go look for it. You meanwhile perform more tasks," said Mike, taking the map and the compass.
Amy tilted her head. "Wouldn't it be better if we went together?"
"No, there is a chance Courtney and Brick also figured it out, and both teams get the flag. In that case, the team with fewer tasks would lose," said Mike, looking her in the eyes. "So I need you to stay here and perform as many tasks as you can."
"Ok, Ok, there is no need to be so intense. I'll do it," said Amy winking. "Just hurry up."
Mike nodded and ran toward the north while Amy figured what task she should perform next.
Confessional: Sammy
"Mike is a great partner to work with. He's kind, smart, and very positive. Also, his friendship with my sister makes our teamwork quite good. I'm only afraid of meeting him in the final. He sometimes seems like an insurmountable wall," she then sighed and folded her arms. "I wonder if I can beat him in the finale."
The woods were dark. It was lucky she decided to go into it instead of Brick. After all, he would be terrified.
Thinking about her teammates' well-being felt weird and warm inside her chest. She was taught to think about everyone in terms of how useful they are. How much they could help her to achieve their goal.
But that was one of her problems, people aren't tools. They have feelings, aspirations, and dreams. And no one deserves to be used as a stepping stone. Well it only took her 19 years to discover something so evident. Luckily she's smart, or it would take her more years.
Courtney looked at the sky and found Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, and of course Polaris. The north was there, so this must be the mountain in which she would find the yellow flag.
"And everyone laughed at me because I was a CIT. Look how that training is useful now," she muttered proudly as she began to climb the mountain.
Climbing this was really different from the other climbing she has done in the rest of the season. The cliff in the fifth challenge, the quarry in the seventh, or the snow mountain in the seventeenth challenge. Those felt like the rock was made to be climbed. But this one wasn't.
This felt like a normal rock wall, like those she climbed a lot in encampments. Yes, it wasn't as easy as the others, but she felt more familiar climbing one of these.
The stone was cool. After all, the sun went down hours ago, and it lost heat as the night advanced. There was a weak breeze because the rock blocked the air current, but it was covered in dirt.
Courtney had some problems climbing without a rope, especially as her sweat turned the dirt into slippery mud, but even with that handicap she could do it. Once she arrives at the top, she'll take the flag and then go back to help Brick with some tasks.
While she was climbing, Mike arrived at the mountain. But he didn't have that warm feeling in his chest. He was nervous.
The challenge wasn't going the way he expected. Even with Manitoba's skills, he didn't feel confident in performing the tasks on the list. It was that weird feeling of frustration that happened when he found something none of his personalities knew how to do.
This was especially stressful with Manitoba. He's an explorer and survivalist in the Australian Outback. It shouldn't be so different here in Canada, right?
Wrong! There are many differences, from the type of fauna and flora to even the sky. Who would say that the stars in the northern hemisphere would be so different from the southern hemisphere? Where was the southern cross?
Anyway, he had the map and compass. This helped him find the mountain, then he just needed to climb and find the yellow flag.
Climbing is something he can do, he loved to climb. Not because of any personality, it was something HE liked, and that relaxed him. So he began to go up.
And surprisingly, this rock was hard to climb, more than in past challenges. AND HE LOVED IT. The challenge made him feel more alive, so even if it was a little more dangerous, he was enjoying it.
But as he was climbing, he saw it, and he felt a shiver down his spine.
And simultaneously, in the corner of her eye, Courtney also noticed it.
She saw Mike chasing after her.
He saw Courtney climbing some meters ahead of him.
And they both realized that there was only one flag on the top of the mountain.
Back with Brick, the cadet looked at the list while patting the small bunny on his head.
So far, he has built the shelter and also built a birdhouse. Now he was looking at what to do next.
"I need to make a bowl, and also to … catch an animal?" he said, surprised.
Brick and the bunny looked at each other's eyes. "Little friend, it seems you can help me with the challenge after all."
The bunny twitched his nose as if it understood Brick.
"And the next item is to … skin an animal?" Brick blanched, looking at the list with horror. "Are they crazy?"
Brick looked at the bunny, who was rubbing his head against the cadet's hand, unaware of the grimy task.
"Don't worry, little friend, we don't skin friends here. I prefer to be eliminated than to…" he didn't finish the sentence. It was too horrible.
But the rest of the items were about building things or finding things, which meant to go away from the challenge area. This was dangerous, not only because it was dark, but because he may get lost in the forest without Courtney to guide him.
"What do I do, little friend?" Brick asked the bunny. He then raised an eyebrow. "I'm so desperate that I'm talking with an animal?"
But the bunny ran toward the trees, Brick following behind it, and then he found it. A big branch, it was wide enough to try to carve a bowl.
"Look at you, you're a really smart fella, aren't you," said Brick while patting the rabbit's head again.
He then split the branch in two and began to carve it. He wasn't as good as Duncan, but he knew his way with the knife after peeling thousands of potatoes.
"And after this, we'll carve Chris's bust, little friend. I just hope Courtney comes back before we finish," said the cadet smiling.
Yes, he was talking with the rabbit, but he also didn't care anymore.
And in Mike's challenge area, things weren't exactly better. The twin was doing her best with the tasks list.
"Ok, if life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. And what I have is a shovel, so…" Amy was muttering as she read the list one more time.
They have the shelter, an animal trap to catch something, and another pit she made to capture the animal. Then she saw it.
"Built a birdhouse?" It sounded simple enough. They had to make one in middle-school crafts class, so it couldn't be so hard, right?
But then she remembered that she didn't build it but extorted Sammy into building it alone.
"Hahaha, I was really a shitty sister," said Amy, sighing. "It seems like I'll be paying my karma for a long time."
But that wouldn't discourage her. After all, she needed to make up with Sammy. But to build a birdhouse, she needed glue, didn't she?
Then she had an idea. It wasn't a great idea but it's not like she had something better.
She began to look at the trees around the campfire, looking for a hollow one.
And then she found it.
"Ok, this will work," saying this, she took some grass and sticks and climbed the tree until she found a hole.
After making sure, there were no animals inside the trunk (such a shame because she needed to capture one), she began to fill the hole with the grass and sticks until it seemed like a nest.
"Not bad if I say so myself," said the twin to no one in particular. It really seemed like a place a bird would make a nest.
The twin then went down the tree and heard something in the woods.
"Mike, is that you?" she asked, but no one answered.
And on the mountain, the race was on.
Neither of the racers knew if there were 2 flags or only one, but they didn't want to take the risk.
Courtney had the advantage. She was in a higher position, was strong and good at physical activities.
But Mike was a better climber with longer limbs. And was coming closer to the Latin girl.
And there was also the psychological battle. After all, Mike beat Courtney in all the direct challenges they competed so far. This weighed heavily on the former CIT's mind.
Both competitors were on close terms. They consider each other a friend who helped them find answers to questions they had been agonizing about. But this was different.
Because if there was only one flag, then the loser of this race would lose the challenge and face elimination.
So both made haste, trying their best to climb. Courtney focused on the top and Mike on her.
The situation was dire. The darkness made climbing harder, especially free climbing like they were doing right now. A misstep would mean not only losing the race but probably a big injury.
Even then, both were focused on winning. Because they weren't competing only for themselves, but for their teammates, who were doing their best to win the challenge.
Courtney tried to climb faster, but the earth and stone hill became dangerous as the slippery mud was all over her hands.
But the same was for her opponent, Mike was trying to advance faster, but there weren't many good rocks he could choose to climb faster. So he spent more time searching for good rocks to use to climb than Courtney.
After several intense minutes, Mike began to come closer and closer to the Latin girl. It was a desperate race with the odds against Courtney. She was anxious and felt as if the top went further and further away from her the closer she was.
And then one reached the top.
Mike tiredness was replaced with enthusiasm as he reached the top. And as he thought, there was only a flag.
Courtney looked at him and at the flag from the border as she pushed her body onto the top, a few seconds too late. Her frustration was so much that she didn't realize the flag was a pole with one of Chef's shirts tied at the top.
But suddenly, fate smiled at her.
"NOOOOOO!" The muddy ledge under Mike's feet gave away, crumbling, and the tall guy fell from the mountain.
For her it was the best of luck. Now she could take the flag and run away to her challenge area. Mike would be fine, probably. But it wasn't her problem. After all, this is a dangerous game, and both knew it. She just needed to ignore him.
Mike, on the other side, felt as if time stopped. He was so hyped that he didn't notice the ground giving up. Now he was falling. His mind was focused on holding to the side of the cliff, at least to break his fall.
And then, as he desperately tried to reach the border, something grabbed his hand.
"Don't let go," shouted Courtney, holding his hand with both of hers. She was dragged through the ground as she tried to hold him, her clothes and face dirty with mud.
"Thanks, I owe you a big one," shouted Mike.
After a moment, both were huffing and puffing at the top of the hill.
"That was a close one. Thanks, Courtney," said Mike, with a big smile on his face. "I can't believe how fast you reacted."
"Don't mention it. You would do the same for me," replied the Latin girl.
Yes, the best option to win was letting him fall. She would do that in the past without a second thought. But not anymore, she wasn't that kind of person, or she was trying to not be.
After resting a little away from the border, they began to talk about the problem at hand.
"So there is only one flag, that Chris is a jerk," said Courtney, sighing.
Mike shrugged. "I don't think it's a bad idea. I mean, it makes the competition more interesting." He then chuckled. "But a shirt? Is the budget that low?"
"I'm not sure, but it's really funny now that you mention it," she said, laughing, but her laugh was short-lived. "But now what should we do?"
"That's easy, you take the flag," Mike wink. "You saved my life. You deserve it."
The Latin girl glared at him. "What? But I didn't save you for that. You reached the top first. You deserve it."
"Courtney, if it wasn't for you, I would be in the bottom, with a hell of a headache if I was lucky. It's not unfair. It's the least I can do," said the thin guy.
"NO, it's n-"
"Just accept my gratitude, girl. It's not that hard," said Mike, looking seriously at her. "Not all things need a rational reason behind them. Sometimes you just need to accept other people's feelings."
She sighed and bit the inner part of her cheek. After a small self-argument, she spoke. "Ok fine, you're right."
Both then looked together for a way to go down the hill without climbing and made haste back to their respective challenge areas. There were less than two hours before the end of the challenge.
Confessional: Courtney
"No, I didn't save Mike for the flag. I saved him because it was the right thing to do, and I accepted it to respect his feelings and gratitude." Said Courtney, still with dirt all over her. "Why is the right thing to do so hard and emotionally taxing?"
Confessional: Mike
Mike was rubbing his arm, smiling nervously. "Did I just lose the challenge? Maybe. But I don't regret it. After all, I would lose the flag anyway if I fell down the hill, and Courtney risked falling with me. But that doesn't mean I gave up. This challenge isn't over until the tasks are counted."
In the last two hours, both teams did their best. On one hand, Courtney and Brick were working together quite well, with the extra motivation of getting the flag.
On the other hand, Amy didn't get angry after Mike returned empty-handed, and both tried to work harder to compensate for their loss. She even captured a squirrel which scared her a lot while Mike was away.
But mercilessly, the sun came out. Steve and Logan ran into each encampment to announce the end of the challenge.
"Good Morning campers," said Chris, walking into Mike and Sammy's challenge area.
Both the cheerleader and the spiky-haired guy looked at him with dark circles under their eyes. But both were smiling.
"You seem to be in a good mood. That's cool," said the host, winking. "Now, let's see how many tasks you performed."
Mike pointed at the table. "Of course, take a look."
Chris walked and looked at the shelters. "Wow, you dug it under the earth and made a tent to cover your head. You really thought about this."
"Yes, Mike thought of it. It's quite clever, isn't it," said the twin, smiling.
"Sadly, you would get all your clothes dirty under that, but I guess it's the best you could do, so I'll give you one point." Added the host, shrugging.
Both contestants sighed.
"If he doesn't like to get dirty, why would he go camping?" whispered Amy.
Mike shrugged. "It's Chris. I think he just does things without thinking."
The host glared at them but couldn't hear what they were talking about. "Oh well, let's see what more you have."
Chris took a look at many of the things in the point, smiling.
"You also made a birdhouse, brought food, captured a squirrel, made a really small bowl," he then looked at a pit filled with water, "I guess this counts as a well. A nice animal trap, a really ugly dreamcatcher, an animal cage, and a weather vane. Not bad, only a question, where did you get the rope for the dreamcatcher?"
"I found it around," said Mike shrugging.
The host wasn't too sure about the answer but wasn't interested in arguing with him. "10 points, not bad. Now let's meet with the other judge to know which team won the immunity.
Chris went out of the camp, followed by Mike and Amy.
At the same time, in Courtney's camp, Chef was the one making the evaluation.
"Ok maggots, get ready because I'm here to look at the tasks," shouted Chef, giving an annoyed gaze at the campers.
"You are? Where is Chris?" asked Courtney, not liking the situation.
Chef shrugged. "To make this fair, each one will be judging one team. So stop nagging and let's get started."
"Nagging?" The Latin girl was offended, but Brick quickly held her back.
"Follow me sir, I'll show you around," said the cadet saluting.
The campers and Chef walked to the encampment and showed him around. The big man crouched and looked at the shelter.
"A leaf hut? It's a nice idea, well done," said Chef, smirking at the campers' ingenuity, "sometimes you're smarter than you seem, maggots."
"Thanks?" said Courtney, not really grateful. Brick just chuckled at her comment.
Chef then continued to look at the rest of the tasks. "You also made," the big man took and examined the birdhouse, "the ugliest birdhouse I ever saw, captured a rabbit, made a nasty bowl."
"We also found some berries for dinner, sir," said Brick, saluting.
"You call a handful of fruits and berries a dinner? Ha! Good try soldier, but that didn't pass. The task is to prepare dinner, not to collect some snacks," said Chef, glaring at them.
Courtney stood up, standing in front of the co-host. "That isn't fair!
"I'm the damn judge, so I decide what's fair. If you don't like it, I can stop right now, and you end with 4 points," shouted Chef. The Latin girl reluctantly stood back. "That's better. You also build an animal trap, a weather vane which is useless on this island, a paddle, a solar clock, and … a three-layer totem. You really are bad at this."
He then looked at the table and found a really weird human head. "What's this?"
"Chris McLean," said Courtney rolling her eyes. "I mean it's obvious."
"Hahahaha," Chef laughed so hard he had to sit and hold his sides. The Latin girl blushed profusely. The co-host at last stopped laughing, drying his tears. "That's great, you got the point. I can't wait to show it to him. Is there something else?"
Courtney took the flag and gave it to him. "Yes, this one."
"Oh yes, my shirt. You're the ones who got it," he said, untying it and putting it over his shoulder. "So you got five points. Great! Now let's go back to the campsite so we can find who won."
Chef also took Chris' bust and chuckled again while being followed by Courtney and Brick. The dice were cast. They either won or lost.
At the campsite, Charlotte was filming the hosts and the competitors.
"Welcome back campers. Now we'll reveal which pair won the challenge and, of course, the immunity and which pair will be put tonight for elimination," said Chris looking at the 4 remaining contestants.
The tension was evident in the 2 men and 2 women. Brick gulped, Amy was biting her thumb, Mike was rubbing his arm, and Courtney was biting the inside of her cheek.
"And the winners of the immunity win 14 vs. 10 are… BRICK AND COURTNEY! Congratulations," said Chris, he and Chef lazily clapping.
"YES," Shouted Courtney, as she and Brick hugged each other. Mike made a sad smile while Amy groaned and threw her head back.
"I know, this abomination you called my bust should take some points from your total, but whatever," said Chris, glaring at the figuring while Chef laughed. "We'll meet at the campfire at 8:00 pm for the elimination ceremony."
As the hosts went away, the 4 campers went together.
"Congratulations," said Mike, trying to force a smile.
"Thanks," said Courtney. Even if she was supposed to be happy, she somehow felt upset.
Brick saluted, "It was an honor to compete against you, my friends. Best of luck." He then began to walk away.
Everyone knew what Brick was doing. He hated to talk about strategy, so he was going away to let them talk if they wanted.
But this wasn't the moment. Amy smiled and waved at both Mike and Courtney. "See you later."
Then they stood alone. Mike and Courtney looked into each other's eyes. The Latin girl then turned her gaze away. "Mike, I-"
"Don't worry, vote for whoever you want," said Mike. He, at last, could make his natural goofy smile. "Of course I would prefer it if you voted for Sammy, but you should vote for whoever is better for your game." He then walked away. Leaving a thoughtful Courtney alone.
Meanwhile, the twins got together. It was the moment to make the swap.
"Are you sure you want to be in the elimination ceremony?" asked Amy while washing her make-up,
"Yes, I mean, I'm the one supposed to be in the competition," replied Sammy, not expecting the question. "Why are you asking?"
Amy rolled her eyes. "Ugh, it's obvious. Because there is a good chance we'll go in a tiebreaker against Mik. So maybe I should be the one going against him."
"Do you think you can beat him?" asked the younger twin. Her sister has a point.
"No, honestly no," replied Amy in an upset tone, "But maybe the tiebreaker is something we're good at, so we may have a chance."
Sammy smiled at her sister. "Then don't worry about it. If we can't win, either way, let me try it."
"Are you sure?" asked the older sister.
"Yes, after all I'm the one in the final 4, so let me at least try to win the place in the final 3," said the younger twin, shrugging.
Amy wanted to protest, but they were playing this as a team, "Ok, good luck, sis."
"Should we try to convince Brick and Courtney to vote with us?" asked Sammy, now that the issue of who would be in the elimination ceremony was resolved.
"No, Brick will vote for whoever he wants, and Courtney is cunning. She knows Mike is more dangerous than us, so she'll vote for Mike," said Amy shrugging. "So let's go and take a rest before the ceremony."
Sammy chuckled. "Don't you need to go and help to build that road around the island?"
"Nah, I'm skipping today. What will Chris do? He isn't paying us until after the season is released," said the older twin in a mocking tone.
The twins then went to the beach and enjoyed some time together before the ceremony.
Brick went jogging around the island as he always does and then relaxed at docks alone. He would vote for whom he feels should leave the island as he always does, but somehow this time was harder.
Mike thought about looking for Brick, but he felt it would be a small betrayal against Amy, who was his friend. There was no correct answer, so he decided to let it be. This was unfair because of everyone he could go against in the elimination, the twin was the one he didn't want to compete against.
And Courtney stood in the Mess hall, she knew who was the best option to vote, but somehow that way of thinking that was natural for her all her life felt wrong now. But there was no good alternative. She either voted him, Sammy, or voted null and let the other 3 decide who goes off the island.
The four contestants were already meeting at the campfire. It seemed emptier than ever. Courtney and Brick were sitting in the second row, while Mike and Sammy were at the front.
Chris smiled at them, holding a tray with 3 marshmallows. "The last challenge was a great one. I must say you did a great job improvising and performing your tasks. But one team was superior, and the other will pay the price."
"That mean it will be a double elimination?" asked Sammy, blanching.
"What? Of course not. I have 3 marshmallows in my tray, so 3 of you will be here on the island tomorrow to compete again. The unfortunate fourth one will put on the vest of failure and leave the island in the chopper of shame," said the host, showing them the tray. "Now you can stand and vote for your least favorite camper."
The four campers stood up and went into the voting booth. This was a hard one.
"By the way, we don't have tablets anymore. There is a sheet with your four names. Mark the one you chose. If you mark more than one, your vote will be invalid," shouted Chris. Brick nodded, Mike and Sammy chuckled, and Courtney rolled her eyes.
Vote confessional: Brick
"This handwriting is beautiful," said the cadet, scratching his head with the pen. "I don't want to vote for anyone, but I think one deserves to stay more than the other, so I'll vote with my heart."
Vote confessional: Courtney
"The votation should be an easy one, but I'm still not sure. Both are my friends but…" she looked at the list and chose one. "There, I just hope I don't regret it later."
Vote confessional: Mike
"Is it fair to vote for the other person instead of yourself? I mean Amy is my friend, but I also want to stay in the competition. But I don't want to be mean," he sighed and marked the list. "Sometimes being the nice Mike is just impossible."
Vote confessional: Sammy
The twin put her tongue over her lip. "And it's done. Now I must be ready for any result. Either I stay, I have to compete in a tiebreaker or…" she gulped, "I'm eliminated."
"I must admit you didn't have many options at all, but anyway, it was interesting to see your votes," said Chris nodding and smiling.
"So without further ado, Brick, and Courtney here are your marshmallows," said Chris, throwing them. The soldier and the former CIT caught them automatically, looking anxiously at Sammy and Mike.
The host smiled and continued, "And there is only one more marshmallow and 2 campers. Samey you did a good job improvising tasks and stealing that shovel, but it wasn't enough to win." The twin looked ashamed at the ground.
"And Mike, you failed to get the flag and lost an important advantage," Mike nodded, smiling as Chris continued. "Both have reason to go, but only one can be eliminated. So tonight, the camper with more votes is…
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"Both of you, so we will have a tiebreaker."
The campers were shocked. Sammy groaned, and Mike rubbed his arm nervously.
"So, what's the tiebreaker?" asked Courtney in a cracking voice.
Chris chuckled. "Easy Courtney, you're not in danger, remember? Let the others ask about it."
The former CIT blushed as Sammy raised her hand. "Ok, so what will be the tiebreaker?"
"Nice question Samey," he then looked at the side, "Steve, give me the pebbles and Logan the special pouch."
The young intern gave Chris his shirt, and Steve gave him 10 pebbles, one with a TD painted on the side. Chris put them in the shirt and held it like a pouch.
"You will come and take a pebble from the pouch, the one who finds THE TD special stone will advance to the best 3," said Chris, shaking the pouch. "Samey, ladies first."
"That's a little sexist, isn't it?" asked the younger twin.
Chris rolled his eyes. "Fine, then youngest first, who happens to be you. Can you hurry? This is a 26 minutes show."
Sammy walked and took out the first stone and … it was an ordinary stone.
Then Mike took out the second stone which … was also an ordinary stone.
Both took turns taking out stones
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The third stone...
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The fourth stone…
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The fifth stone...
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And the fifth one had the mark
"Tiebreaker is over! Samey is in the final 3, and Mike is in 4th place in this season!" shouted Chris in an excited voice.
Sammy covered her mouth, excited, while Mike looked at the ground, letting out a frustrated groan.
"Congratulations Sammy," said Mike, shaking her hand.
"Thanks Mike," said Sammy, not knowing how to feel.
Chris clapped. "Now Mike, you have a date with the chopper of shame."
The spiky-haired guy went to the dock, followed by the remaining campers.
"It was a pleasure to compete with you, soldier," said Brick, saluting.
Mike returned the salute. "Same for me, good luck."
Sammy hugged him. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, all of us want to win. I wouldn't be sorry if I was in your place," said the spiky-haired guy. "So just do your best."
Then it was Courtney's turn. She just smirked. "So you beat me every time and run away while you are ahead."
"We can compete next time, but I'm not sure if you'll beat me then," said Mike with a playful smile.
Then Max began to make the sounds of the chopper, as Chef used the jetpack to fly and pick Mike, taking him over the lake.
"Cut!" shouted Chris, as Chef took back Mike. "And well-done Chef, at least you didn't sink him in the lake."
Chef thumbed up as he went to bring the canoe of shame.
Meanwhile, Dawn and Amy were waiting for Mike to also give him their farewells.
The old twin jumped and hugged him. "It's a shame. I really wanted a finale between you and Sammy."
"Hehehe, believe me I tried," said Mike hugging her.
"But you learned a lot of things and made many friends, so I think you won something more valuable than the million," added Dawn, making a small smile.
Amy glared at her. "That's a really lame consolation, don't you think?"
"Eh? No, of course no," replied Dawn confused.
"Hehehe, Sorry I was just messing with you. You're totally right, girly," said Amy, patting her head.
The aura reader looked at her, frowning. "Please don't make those rude jokes. I'm quite gullible."
"And also respect Dawn, Amy. She's older than you," said Mike, holding the twin's shoulder.
"WHAT?" shouted Amy red as a tomato, as every one of the presents laughed.
Chef arrived in the canoe, glaring at the happy teenagers. "Ok, Let's go spaghetti arms. I want to be back before midnight."
Mike jumped into the canoe as everyone waved at him. Multiple Mike, one of the best competitors in the season, was out.
Chris waited for the canoe to be out of sight before closing the episode. "And after a dramatic elimination, there are only 3 left. Which 2 will reach the finale? And who will be unfortunate enough to rank 3rd this season? Find out in the next exciting episode of Total Drama, Tyranny of the Masses."
Author Notes:
And only three remain. We're at the door of the finale. What will happen next? Why Sammy apologized to Mike? What was worrying Courtney? And can Brick reach the finale while keeping his code? Find the answers in the next episode of Total Drama Tyranny of the masses
Mike was one of my favorite characters to write in this story, I found it weird how most stories either put the personalities back or just eliminate him early. So I wanted to write him, after all-stars without personalities, and made him interesting. I hope you enjoyed it reading him as much as I enjoyed writing him.
Votes:
Mike :2 (lose tiebreaker)
Sammy: 2
Immunity idols left: all used
D.A.M. Eliminations left: all used
Remaining players: Brick, Courtney, Sammy
Eliminated: Cameron, Jasmine, Max, Lindsay, Dawn, Jay, Lightning, Charlotte, Beth, Cody. Zoey, Dramaman, Shawn, Alejandro, Sky, Topher, Amy, Charlotte(r), Heather, Cody(r), Lilly, Duncan, Mike
As always, thanks for reading and I hope you like it.