A/N: This was one of my favorite episodes to plan. I hope you guys enjoy it. :)
"Last time on Total Drama House Party..." Hatchet stood in the foyer for the recap. "There was a whole lotta wipin' out as our contestants took on an obstacle course one at a time. Sonamjit didn't even try in the challenge, while David and Judy competed to see who could get the best time. Tucker even proved to do surprisin'ly well... until Rachel found a way to... throw him off, let's say. Outside of the challenge, David and Mac joined up with Erica and Bailey, though they both seem loyal to Sonamjit. It seemed like Rachel was about to go home, but in the end, Tucker's disagreeable self cost him the game once again. Will Ernie manage with no more allies? Will all the double-playin' of alliances bite anyone in the ass? Will Franklin ever give up on gettin' rid of Sonamjit? Find out ya fool! Only on Total! Drama! HOUSE PARTY!"
Ernie and Franklin went out to the backyard after the elimination.
"Well..." Ernie droned. "I wonder, like, how much longer I have in the game now that, ya know, I'm all out of allies."
"You don't have to be," Franklin told him.
"Is that, like, an offer?" Ernie asked.
"It is," Franklin confirmed. "I'm trying to get Sonamjit eliminated, but nobody else seems to be going for it."
"That's because Sonamjit isn't a threat," Ernie told him. "Rachel's a threat. David and Judy are challenge threats. You might even be a threat too, ya know?"
"Wouldn't it make sense to be on a threat's good side?" Franklin asked.
"I suppose," Ernie pondered. "But yeah, there's no point in taking out Sonamjit."
"She's been gunning for you ever since she came back," Franklin told him. "First Lauren, then Tucker, then you. That was her order."
"Really?" Ernie said in a half-caring manner. "And you know this how?"
"I'm supposed to be in an alliance with her, but I'll take any chance I can to get rid of her," Franklin explained.
"So I should, like, be in an alliance with someone who's trying to get his ally eliminated," Ernie recapped. "Great logic there."
"Tch," was Franklin's only response.
"Ah well. Time for more sleep," Ernie said as he laid down in one of the patio chairs and went to sleep.
Confessional:
Ernie: If Franklin keeps, ya know, gunning for Sonam, he's not going to get anything done. Sonam may be after my head, but with people starting to realize, ya know, that Rachel's a threat, I think I might be able to work around that. Maybe get Chris-Bot to help too if it decides to, ya know, cooperate.
Franklin: Ernie may be right. I should probably let the thing with Sonamjit go. She may have been rude to Bailey, which is unforgivable to me, but she is a vote on my side, and after Ernie goes, she promised she'd vote however the rest of us want. Ugh... Why does the kid who sounds like he's stoned all the time make more sense than I do in this situation?
Bailey, Rachel, Judy, and Erica all made their way down to the basement.
"That was really close," Rachel said with a sigh of relief.
"I'll say," Judy said. "I was seriously worried Tucker would have stayed over someone who actually deserves to be here, like you."
"Well, thanks, I try," Rachel giggled.
"Get a load of that garbage," Erica muttered to Bailey.
"She may be here now, but I have a feeling we were close in taking her out tonight," Bailey whispered back. "She should be gone soon."
"If I find out those two guys are responsible for this..." Erica growled.
"Actually, I think David does have it out for Tucker..." Bailey thought aloud. "I'm unsure where Mac stands on him though."
"Freaking David... I'd kick his ass if he couldn't snap me like a twig," Erica pouted.
"Let's try to keep him on our good side for now," Bailey recommended. "With Tucker gone, he has no reason not to vote for Rachel."
"Eh, good point," Erica acquiesced.
"What are you two talking about?" Judy asked.
"Boys," Bailey lied quickly.
"Ooh, that's so cool. Which boys?" Judy asked.
Erica glared at Bailey.
Confessional:
Erica: Three eliminations into the merge and Rachel's still here?! Ugh! (she takes a deep breath) Okay, to be fair, she was pretty close to going last night. If she doesn't go tonight, though, I'm going to be pissed.
Bailey: I wonder if Franklin or Judy would be okay with voting for Rachel. True, she is in a side alliance with them, but I am in their main alliance, which they promised comes first.
Judy: I think Bailey would be super cute with Franklin. I'm not sure what Erica's type would be. Maybe David?
Rachel: I think people are starting to catch on to my big alliance. Both Sonamjit and I were among the last people to get a soda at the elimination. I'm wondering if we could get someone else to join us. Safety in numbers, you know?
David, Mac, and Sonamjit all made their way to the first place rooms.
"Aw, it's been so long," Mac said wistfully. "I haven't slept up here since day two."
"The very day... my innocence was shattered..." Sonamjit droned.
"Right..." David said awkwardly. "But hey, anything for my friends, you know?"
"Anything?" Mac asked. "Would you allow yourself to be flayed, quartered, and left for the birds so we could make it another round in the game?" he asked with a dark chuckle.
"No, but you did just give me inspiration for an awesome new song!" David cheered.
"You two... are disgusting..." Sonamjit leered.
"What?" Mac asked defensively.
"Taking something... like friendship... and... perverting it so... Ugh!" Sonamjit said in disgust.
"I didn't know it meant that much to you," Mac said apologetically.
"My friends... helped me... make it through... They're the reason... I became a clown at all..." Sonamjit reminisced. "Vikki... Stewart... Retardo... you were wrong..."
"Make it through?" Mac asked. "Make it through what?"
"Middle school... What else...?" Sonamjit responded.
"Are we just going to ignore the fact that she has a friend named Retardo the Clown?" David asked.
"Yes," Mac responded simply.
Confessional:
Sonamjit: Why... did I think... being away... from my friends... was a good idea...?
David: I dunno, Sonam seems kind of melodramatic to me, but as long as she's keeping me and Mac alive in the game, it's no skin off my nose. Besides, she helped me take out Tucker, so that's cool.
Mac: It's a scientifically proven fact that middle school is the most miserable time in any kid's life. ...At least I think it's scientifically proven. And if it isn't, it should be!
Sonamjit made her way to the armory.
"...Another day... another alliance meeting..." Sonamjit told herself as she approached the door.
She entered the armory and walked forward to the middle of the room. She stopped when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye.
"What the...?" she asked nobody in particular as she went forward to investigate.
On the left corner of the room, Chris-Bot sat, a huge gash in its head.
"Whoa!" Sonamjit gasped. "I should... tell the others..." With that, Sonamjit dashed out of the armory.
Confessional:
Sonamjit: Hatchet said... there would be... a punishment... if someone... broke Chris-Bot... I wonder... who it was...
Sonamjit found Franklin and Judy both on their way to the armory.
"Sonam? What's up?" Franklin asked.
"Chris-Bot..." Sonamjit panted as she pointed behind her. "Armory... destroyed..."
"What?" Judy asked in both shock and confusion.
"Follow... me..." Sonamjit instructed.
Sonamjit led her alliancemates to the armory, where, true enough, Chris-Bot lay motionless in the corner of the room.
All of a sudden, the intercom came to life.
"Attention, maggots!" Hatchet shouted. "I want all of y'all in the foyer ASAP! Get to it!"
"This might have something to do with what happened here," Franklin guessed. "Let's go."
Confessional:
Franklin: I wonder if this means there won't be a challenge today.
Judy: I don't know who did this, but whoever they are, they have my gratitude.
The contestants all met up in the foyer at Hatchet's request.
"Isn't it a bit early for a challenge?" Ernie asked.
"Evidently not!" Hatchet shouted. "Because one of y'all broke a major rule!"
"Whoa. Who was it?" Mac asked with a grin.
"That's for y'all to figure out for yourselves!" Hatchet barked.
"I'm confused," David admitted.
"Here's the deal!" Hatchet shouted. "One of y'all broke the Chris-Bot after I explicitly told you not to! So I've decided to make a little game out of it! I'll give y'all thirty minutes to search the scene of the crime for clues and stuff. After that, we'll hold an open discussion on who you think did it! If y'all can figure out who it is, that person will be eliminated on the spot. If you guess wrong, though, then one of y'all who didn't do it will be randomly selected and promptly eliminated, PLUS the person who did do it will get a penalty vote for each soda ceremony until the game's over!"
"So one of us could go home even though we didn't do anything?" Erica gasped.
"That's right. So try not to mess it up!" Hatchet ordered.
"Wait, so you do know who did it?" Rachel asked.
"I do. I just thought it'd be fun to watch y'all turn on each other tryin' to figure out who did it. Heheheh," Hatchet chuckled.
"It's in... the armory..." Sonamjit told the others. "Let's go..."
Confessional:
Ernie: Well shoot, there goes the closest thing I had to, like, an ally in this game. Geez.
Mac: Whoa, it's almost like a trial. Only this time I didn't actually hurt anyone... or did I? Heeheehahaha!
Rachel: Finally, a challenge that can test my mental ability. This season has been sorely lacking in those, I find. Maybe because the host is Mr. Hatchet. No offense to him, but he doesn't seem like the type to come up with lots of mental challenges.
The nine contestants made it to the armory.
"Well, time to investigate," Franklin told the others. "To think one of us did this."
"I wonder who it is," Bailey thought aloud.
"Only one way to find out," Rachel said as she opened the door.
"I'll check the robot," Ernie said as he entered the room. "Who wants to join me?"
"Why does someone have to join you?" Judy asked.
"Would you trust a single person alone with evidence? What if they, ya know, did the deed?" Ernie mentioned. "They could, like, tamper with evidence and stuff."
"That's surprisingly... honorable... of you..." Sonamjit said.
"I may stab backs once in a while, but, ya know, our games are all on the line here," Ernie said. "So don't let anyone investigate alone."
"I'll investigate with Franklin," Judy decided.
"Me and Mac will pair up too," David added.
"Erica and I can pair up," Rachel grinned as she wrapped her good arm around Erica's shoulder.
"Screw you," Erica growled.
"I suppose the last three of us will have to go together," Bailey said to Sonamjit and Ernie.
"Fine..." Sonamjit groaned.
Confessional:
Bailey: I haven't spoken much with Ernie or Sonamjit, since they both seem rather antisocial, but I feel that it wouldn't hurt to at least establish some sort of bond with them.
Rachel: As much as I hate to say it, I think Erica may be succeeding in trying to get the numbers against me, so I'm going to have a bit of a talk with her while we investigate.
Erica: It's official. Rachel has it out for me.
Bailey, Ernie, and Sonamjit each began their investigation on the robot.
"Well, we can get that gash on its head out of the way pretty quickly," Ernie stated. "Probably, ya know, came from one of the weapons in this very room."
"That's... what I thought... too... when I first saw it..." Sonamjit agreed.
"You two seem to be getting along nicely," Bailey smiled.
"He's still... my target..." Sonamjit leered. "He just had... a good point..."
"Yeah. Anyway," Ernie said. "Back to, ya know, the topic at hand. It looks like this gash is the only wound, so to speak, on this thing."
"So it was probably a one-hit kill," Bailey nodded.
"Kill...?" Sonamjit asked. "It wasn't... a person..."
"Well, for all intents and purposes, we're more or less investigating a murder," Bailey said. "The fact that the victim wasn't human is almost irrelevant."
"That's grim," Ernie chuckled.
"Either way, these little details could be important," Bailey decided. "We should keep them in mind."
Confessional:
Sonamjit: Bailey's... a show-off...
Franklin and Judy examined the back-left corner of the room, where they found a broken camera and an archer's arrow on the floor.
"Whoa. What's this about?" Judy asked.
"It looks as though whoever did this tried to disable the camera in order to avoid getting caught," Franklin explained.
"And yet Hatchet still knows who did it," Judy said. "Guess they didn't do a very good job of covering their tracks.
"Guess not," Franklin said as he examined the arrow. "These arrows are pretty well-crafted if I do say so myself. And considering I'm of Native American descent, that's high praise."
"...Right," Judy said awkwardly.
David and Mac examined some of the weapon racks.
"Dude, imagine what kind of damage you could do with these things!" Mac said in awe. "This is some gladiator madness right here! Heeheehahaha!"
"You're not helping your case, dude," David told him.
"Aw, whatever," Mac grinned. "I'm not worried."
"Why not?" David asked.
"I never worry. It's no good for you," Mac explained.
"Whatever works for you, dude," David shrugged as he examined the rack of bows. "Hey, is it weird that there's an axe with all these bows?"
"Depends. Is it weird that there's a bow with all these axes?" Mac asked as he checked the rack of axes. "Maybe these are clues."
"Aw, that'd be sweet," David agreed.
Confessional:
Judy: I wonder what tribe Franklin descends from. I've never thought too much about his Native American heritage until now.
David: I hope I don't mess this up. I've made it this far, and I don't plan on backing out now.
Rachel and Erica went to the back-right corner of the room.
"Why are we here?" Erica asked.
"Because," Rachel said as she pointed towards the ceiling, which dropped a bit of water every couple seconds. "The ceiling is leaking."
"So?" Erica asked.
"Did you not notice the footprints?" Rachel asked.
"What footprints?" Erica asked.
Rachel pointed to the side of a large puddle the leak had caused. There were barely-visible water footprints coming from the puddle. The footprints looked like they came from someone wearing sneakers.
"I have eyesight is garbage," Erica reminded Rachel. "Not that I'd expect you to remember."
"Okay, what do you have against me?" Rachel asked. "I have done nothing to you."
"I-I... uh..." Erica stammered.
"This is about Barry, isn't it?" Rachel asked.
"What about Barry? I hated him," Erica insisted.
"No you didn't," Rachel responded. "You were smitten with him. It couldn't have been more obvious. Are you jealous that he chose me over you?"
"No! Shut up! No!" Erica denied.
"He was nothing but nice to you and spent a lot of time with you in the premerge," Rachel told her. "The only person to blame for him not choosing you is you. Because you kept pushing him away."
Erica huffed and walked out of the room.
"Erica! Come back!" Rachel called. As she walked after Erica, she noticed that the wet footprints continued out the door. "Weird," Rachel noted.
Rachel left the armory to find Erica walking through the hall. Rachel kept an eye on the footprints and noticed that they ended right in front of a door which Erica had already passed. Rachel opened the door to find a bathroom on the other side.
"Interesting," Rachel noted.
Confessional:
Erica: Rachel needs to go to hell. How smug do you have to be to say something like that? Like she has me all figured out! (a tear runs down Erica's face) I'm not jealous!
Rachel: Well, I think each of us found some clues. I can only hope the rest of the challenge goes my way.
Each of the contestants returned to the foyer. They were surprised to see nine podiums all arranged in a circle, with an extra seat off to the side. Hatchet sat in that extra seat.
"Alright, y'all. Go ahead and take a podium!" Hatchet instructed.
Bailey took the closest podium to the group. To her right was Franklin. To his right was Judy. To her right was Rachel. To her right was Sonamjit. To her right was Mac. To his right was David. To his right was Erica. To her right was Ernie. To his right was Bailey.
"This discussion is gonna take as long as it has to for y'all to come to an agreement," Hatchet explained. "Once a majority of y'all can agree on who's guilty, then it will end and the punishments will be handed out accordin'ly."
"So, to make absolute, 100% sure, one of us is the culprit?" Rachel asked.
"What about that is so hard to understand?!" Hatchet snapped.
"It could have been Yolonda for all we know," Rachel said aside.
"I'm just glad it did happen," Judy said. "Robots freak me out."
"Well, I think we should start with, ya know, the obvious suspect," Ernie said matter-of-factly.
"And that is...?" David asked.
"Sonamjit," Ernie answered.
"Me...?" Sonamjit asked. "Why am I... the obvious suspect...?!"
"Well, you mentioned during investigation that you, like, thought the finishing blow was done by one of the weapons in the room when you first saw it," Ernie explained. "Tell me, when you have been able to see it, ya know, before the rest of us?"
"I... I saw it... I was the first to find it..." Sonamjit insisted.
"And when was this?" Ernie asked.
"Hell if I know... I don't wear a watch..." Sonamjit scowled.
"An estimate, please," Ernie demanded.
"Don't you think you're being a bit harsh?" Judy asked.
"I don't know about you, but I'd rather not risk getting eliminated over a sloppy job in this challenge," Ernie said.
"I can vouch for Sonamjit," Franklin said. "She came to Judy and me to show us the destroyed robot. This was early-ish in the morning, probably around 8."
"That doesn't help her case at all..." Bailey said, bemused.
"Can anyone vouch for Sonamjit before 8?" Ernie asked.
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"David can vouch for me," Mac said. "We went to get breakfast at that time."
"Yeah, that's right," David nodded. "But yeah, I dunno about Sonam."
"You guys... suck..." Sonamjit growled.
"Okay, before we go making such final decisions, I think we should try to get an understanding of what exactly happened," Rachel stated.
"Why bother?" Erica asked. "It's obvious she did it."
"Exactly. Things are never so obvious early on," Rachel said. "I doubt Hatchet would bother to set all this up if the answer was that simple."
"Who can say?" Hatchet snickered.
"So what else is there to talk about?" Mac asked.
"Well, my group examined the robot itself," Bailey said. "From what we could find, the only injury, so to speak, was a deep gash in the head."
"We believe it might have been caused by one of the weapons in the armory," Ernie stated.
"Not much room for debate there," Erica snarked. "What's the point in bringing in your own weapon to an armory?"
"Hold on, I just realized something," David said. "Was this a planned thing?"
"What do you mean?" Franklin asked.
"Like, did whoever did it walk into the armory expecting to trash the Chris-Bot, or did it just... happen?" David elaborated.
"Well, all crimes need a motive, right?" Judy mentioned. "So it was probably a planned thing."
"I doubt it," Ernie said. "Chris-Bot was, ya know, a creeper. You couldn't really, like, predict where it'd be."
"Well aren't you... the expert...?" Sonamjit remarked.
"I am," Ernie said simply. "The point is, this was probably done on the spot."
"But why would they do it at all then?" David wondered.
"Maybe they had something to hide," Bailey proposed. "After all, Chris-Bot is designed to relay information, right? Maybe they said something they didn't want anyone else to hear, and just then found Chris-Bot waiting in the corner."
"That seems awfully specific," Erica remarked. "You mean they were talking to themself out loud?"
"And if they had something to say, wouldn't they use the confessional?" Rachel continued.
"It was just a guess," Bailey said. "What other motive would the culprit have had?"
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"So, are we going to mention the clues we found, or...?" David asked.
"Well, what did you find?" Franklin asked.
"I found an axe in a rack of bows," David answered.
"And I found a bow in a rack of axes," Mac added.
"What kind of axe was it?" Judy asked curiously.
"Pretty small. You could probably use it with one hand," David recalled.
"The bow was pretty basic, not that anyone asked," Mac said. "But it wasn't a crossbow, so you'd need both hands to use it."
"How is the bow at all relevant?" Erica asked.
"Well, Judy and I found an arrow and a shattered camera," Franklin said. "It looks like the culprit probably shot the camera off the ceiling with a bow and arrow."
"How... do you know... it was the culprit...?" Sonamjit asked.
"Well, who else would do it?" Franklin asked bluntly.
"...Good point..." Sonamjit conceded.
"So, like, what you're saying is that the culprit used the axe to break the robot, and the bow to disarm the camera?" Ernie asked.
"So I guess this rules me out as the culprit then," Rachel said.
"How?" Erica snarled.
"Uh..." Rachel wiggled her casted arm.
"That proves nothing," Erica leered.
"My arm is broken," Rachel said. "I can't shoot a bow and arrow with one arm."
"We don't even know that bow is the same one used to shoot the arrow!" Erica shouted.
"I don't know," Bailey said. "The two weapons in the opposite places that they would normally be also happen to be the two weapons used in the crime? I don't think that's a coincidence."
"Sounds like they culprit was in a rush to get out of there," Mac guessed.
"We don't even know Rachel's arm is really broken!" Erica shouted. "She could be faking it!"
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"Are we done fooling around now?" Ernie asked.
"Hatchet, would you bring my X-rays from when I broke my arm? If only so Erica will leave me alone" Rachel requested.
Hatchet took a cell phone from his pocket, dialed a number, and waited for the other end to pick up.
"Yeah, Rachel wants her X-rays," Hatchet said. "Okay, good." Hatchet ended the call. "Now keep goin' with the discussion!"
"I don't even remember where we were," Judy admitted.
"The axe being used as, ya know, the murder weapon, so to speak," Ernie said. "I think it makes sense. There weren't any other, like, signs of damage or anything aside from the gash in its head, which could probably be caused by an axe."
"Wait..." Sonamjit said. "What came first... the axe... or the bow...?"
"Assuming the crime wasn't premeditated, I'm willing to assume the axe," Rachel said.
"But then... why bother... with the bow... if they were... already caught...?" Sonamjit asked.
"They were probably already in a panic after having broken such a major rule," Franklin said. "Given the circumstance, it would make sense to do something irrational like that, because it would make sense to them at the time."
"You say this like you're the one who did it," Erica pointed out.
"Heh. I see how it is," Franklin chuckled. "One suspicious comment and you blame the guy in a gang.
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"What?" Bailey said quietly.
"Oh, have I not mentioned that before?" Franklin asked.
"You might have failed to bring it up," Judy said nervously.
"Yeah, I'm in a gang," Franklin said. "The Plateau Coyotes, we're called."
"Cool!" Mac grinned. "How many people have you killed?"
"I won't answer that question," Franklin said flatly.
"You never struck me as the type," Rachel said.
"I may have done a few things that others might have considered illegal, but I had my reasons for each of those times," Franklin explained.
"Such as...?" Sonamjit asked.
"Well, think about it. Why do a lot of people join gangs?" Franklin asked.
"For drugs? I dunno," David shrugged.
"Because they lack a family presence in their lives," Franklin said. "As most of you know, my father was an alcoholic and my mother paid no attention to me. I also have no siblings."
"Whoa. Who knew?" Mac remarked to Sonamjit.
"I joined the Plateau Coyotes so I could have a family," Franklin explained. "And yeah, those guys were more of a family to me than my bastard parents ever were. I do what I do to protect my family."
"Whatever happened to putting justice in high regard?" Bailey asked.
"It is second to friendship," Franklin said. "I will do anything for the ones I love, and I will not apologize for doing so. I will admit to it if and when I do break the law."
"Yeah, that's great and all, but what about Chris-Bot?" Ernie asked. "Did you break Chris-Bot?"
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"I did," Franklin admitted.
"Whoa! He just straight-up admitted it!" Mac gasped.
"I said I would, did I not?" Franklin asked.
"So why did it take this long to admit it?" Bailey asked.
"I wanted to see if you guys would find me out," Franklin shrugged.
"That's it?!" Erica asked. "You could have saved us so much time!"
"So... I guess you don't need these?" a paramedic asked as he arrived with Rachel's X-Rays.
"Evidently not," Rachel said.
"So... I guess we can all agree on who did it," Judy said.
"Wait," Ernie commanded. "Why did you do it?" he asked Franklin.
"I wanted to see what would happen," Franklin said simply. "I was curious to see what the penalty is. Guess now we know. And I'd made it so far in this game, too."
"..." Bailey opened her mouth to say something, but she froze up.
"You look like you have something you want to say, Bailey," Franklin noticed.
"It's... It's just..." Bailey stammered. "This isn't the Franklin I know."
"Oh?" Franklin asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The Franklin I know would never give up this easily," Bailey frowned. "Even if you did do it, would you really leave the game so readily? You really wanted that prize money."
Franklin paused.
"Someday you'll understand, Bailey," Franklin told his friend as he put her hand on her shoulder.
"So, do y'all have a consensus?" Hatchet asked.
"I think we do..." Sonamjit confirmed.
"Well then..." Hatchet started.
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"No, that's wrong!" David suddenly shouted.
"David! What is your deal?!" Hatchet snapped.
"Okay, but wait!" David said. "The Chris-Bot was in the left side of the room, right?"
"Yeah, so?" Erica asked.
"So... look at Franklin!" David said as he gestured at Franklin.
"What about... Ohhhhhhhhhh," Mac realized.
"I see..." Ernie muttered.
"You're referring to my eyepatch, aren't you?" Franklin asked.
"Yeah. If it was Franklin, he wouldn't have known Chris-Bot was there at all," David explained. "Since Chris-Bot was on the left side of the room, and Franklin doesn't even have a left eye!"
"Okay, but answer me this:" Franklin said. "What if Chris-Bot started on the right side of the room and I simply moved it?"
"We already established the culprit was in a rush, right?" Bailey asked. "I don't think you would have had time to do that."
"Oh, Bailey..." Franklin said with a genuine smile.
"Why would the culprit be in a rush anyway?" Mac asked.
"To flee the scene of the crime, obviously," Erica said. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be caught in the same room as where a crime happened."
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"...I agree with David," Rachel said. "I don't think it was Franklin.
"Oh? And why not?" Franklin asked.
"While I was investigating, I found that there's a leak in the ceiling on the opposite corner of where the incident took place," Rachel explained. "I think someone was hiding back there."
"I don't see what that has to do with anything," Ernie said.
"Let me finish," Rachel said. "The leaky ceiling left a puddle on the floor. From that puddle were wet footprints leading up to the nearest bathroom that look like they came from a sneaker."
"Really...?" Sonamjit asked. "I don't... remember those... from when I... first arrived..."
"Are you sure you or Erica didn't make those while you were investigating?" David asked.
"I'm sure," Rachel nodded. "The footprints came from sneakers. I wear Mary Janes and Erica wears slip-ons."
"Weird. Where did the footprints come from?" Judy asked.
"A ghoooooooooooost!" Mac said ominously.
"Why is he still allowed to talk?" Erica asked.
"And more importantly, how does this apply to me?" Franklin asked.
"I'm getting there," Rachel huffed. "Now, logic dictates that the only person who could have left those footprints is the culprit themself."
"How come?" Bailey asked.
"Well, if a witness had been hiding behind there the entire time, they would have said something by now," Rachel explained. "And considering that there was a broken robot sitting in the corner of the room, I doubt anyone would have gone back there after it happened until Erica and I began to investigate."
"What... does this... have to do... with the culprit...?" Sonamjit asked.
"You said it yourself," Rachel continued. "You said you didn't see the footprints when you first entered the room. This can only mean that, while Sonamjit was in the room, the culprit was in the room."
"And since Franklin wears dress shoes, it couldn't have been him," Bailey deduced.
"Exactly," Rachel nodded.
"If that's what you choose to believe," Franklin sighed.
"Hold on," Ernie said. "We can't, ya know, count out Sonamjit just yet. After all, she, like, wears sneakers."
"Well, I ask this: before Hatchet told us about what had happened, did anybody enter the armory at any point today?" Rachel asked.
"I... was the first... to see the robot... in its current state..." Sonamjit answered.
"And then Sonamjit came to me and Franklin and showed us," Judy said.
"Were there footprints when you guys were there?" Rachel asked.
"I... I can't say," Judy said. "I don't remember."
"Dude, this is intense!" David commented.
"So... what you're saying... is that it couldn't have been me...?" Sonamjit asked Rachel. "Since... I never had a reason... to go back there...?"
"Exactly," Rachel agreed.
"So, whoever did it is someone who wears sneakers, right?" Bailey asked.
"David and I have alibis, remember? So it couldn't have been us," Mac reminded.
"So that leaves..." Bailey paused to look at everyone's shoes. Bailey wore sandals, Franklin wore dress shoes, Judy wore sneakers, Rachel wore Mary Janes, Sonamjit wore sneakers, Mac wore loafers, David wore sneakers, Erica wore slip-ons, and Ernie wore sneakers. "Judy and Ernie."
"But I have an alibi," Judy said. "I was with Franklin when Sonam came to show us what had happened."
"Do you have an alibi for before that?" Ernie asked.
"She does," Franklin said.
"I thought we agreed everything you say is a boldfaced lie after you tried pinning it on yourself," Erica remarked.
"So we shouldn't listen to Franklin then?" Mac asked.
"I'm confused!" David whined.
"Well, think about it," Ernie said. "If what Sonamjit said is, ya know, true, and that the footprints weren't there when she first arrived, and if nobody went back there between the time she went to get Judy and Franklin, and the investigation, then it's only logical that the culprit hid back in that corner while Sonamjit was in the room."
"...Seriously?" Sonamjit asked, surprised.
"Rachel, where did you say the footprints led again?" Ernie asked.
"The bathroom. Why?" Rachel asked.
"Just as I thought," Ernie smirked. "It is my belief that the culprit waited for Sonam to flee the room before leaving. Upon realizing that their shoes were wet, they stopped at the bathroom to dry them off before going about as if nothing had even happened."
"Th-that's ridiculous!" Judy said defensively. "For all we know, he could be making this up to take the blame off of him!"
"He could?" David asked.
"Well yeah," Judy said. "He wears sneakers too. Roughly the same size I wear, too. It has to be him!"
"On what grounds?" Ernie asked.
"Well, I know I didn't do it, and you're the only possible suspect left!" Judy explained.
"You call that concrete evidence?" Erica snarked.
"Well I believe the same thing," Ernie said calmly. "And so far I'm the one with the more logical argument, so, like, unless you have some groundbreaking piece of evidence that pins the blame on me, your jig is up."
Judy looked at the others nervously as she began to sweat.
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"Hold on a moment," Franklin abruptly said.
"What is it now...?" Sonamjit asked.
"There's something I forgot to mention," Franklin said.
"I thought we weren't allowed to listen to you," Mac said.
"You believed me when I mentioned the broken camera and the arrow, didn't you?" Franklin asked. "This is equally as important."
"What is it?" Rachel asked hesitantly.
"Judy let me borrow her shoes this morning," Franklin said.
"...What?" David asked.
"Y-yeah, that's right," Judy confirmed.
"Then why aren't you wearing them now?" Erica asked impatiently.
"Judy wanted them back," Franklin said simply.
"More importantly, why would you give them to him in the first place?" Ernie asked Judy.
"I told her I was going to the house's gym," Franklin said. "I didn't want to ruin my good shoes, so I asked to borrow hers."
"W-what he said," Judy nodded.
"Hey, why don't you let Judy speak for herself?" Erica leered.
"I swear I didn't do it, guys!" Judy cried. "It was Ernie!"
"She's right," Franklin said. "Think about it. If it was Judy, she'd have to leave the armory after Sonamjit, right?"
"Right," Bailey nodded.
"In addition to this, she would have had to take the time to dry her wet shoes off in the bathroom, yes?" Franklin continued.
"So what?" Rachel asked.
"In that case, when would she have had the time to find me before Sonamjit did?" Franklin asked.
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"It's a big house," Ernie insisted. "Besides, it was hard enough for me to, like, find Chris-Bot when it was still functional."
"Why would you want to?" David asked.
"It was a decent way to collect information," Ernie said. "The point is, it's hard to find people in this huge mansion. Therefore, there's, like, a possibility that Judy did the deed and still found Franklin before Sonamjit could."
"But it's also possible it could have been me," Franklin said.
"Stop talking..." Ernie told him. "You began with one point and ended with another. Ya know, in the same argument."
"There's also a chance that you did it, you know," Erica pointed out to Ernie. "You still don't have an alibi for the time, and no proof to save you."
"...Perhaps," Ernie said. "But the same can be said for Judy, couldn't it? The difference is, I have an argument against her."
"At least... give her a chance... to speak..." Sonamjit said.
Everyone's eyes went to Judy.
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Judy burst into tears.
"Whoa. Didn't see that coming," David commented.
"I didn't do it," Judy insisted. "I swear, I didn't! But I can't prove it!"
"Um, it's okay," Bailey said awkwardly. "There there?"
"Are we seriously... just going to... let her stand there... crying... and keep blaming her...?" Sonamjit asked.
"Crying isn't solid evidence," Erica said. "I could do it too if I really wanted, but I have more dignity than that."
"Actually, I'm willing to accept her crying as evidence," Ernie said.
"Really?" Franklin asked.
"Yes. Evidence that she did do it," Ernie nodded.
"Wh-What?" Judy whimpered.
"I don't know Judy very well, but I do know that she's not the type to break down and cry this easily, ya know?" Ernie explained. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen her in a bad mood."
"Well I haven't been accused for a crime yet!" Judy retorted.
"Yeah, lay off her," Franklin said with a glare. "Why don't you just admit that you did it?"
"So, what, you're giving up on trying to convince us it was you?" David asked Franklin.
"Er..." Franklin said.
"So does that mean the thing with borrowing her shoes was a lie too?" Mac asked.
"Alright, I'll confess that it was," Franklin shrugged. "But I don't see how-"
"But Judy agreed that she did let him borrow her shoes," Bailey said, somewhat confused.
"So does that mean Judy was lying too?" Rachel asked.
"Now hold on a second," Franklin said sternly. "I'm not going to sit here and let you guys accuse Judy of something she didn't do!"
"We've just established Judy's word, like, can't be trusted," Ernie said.
"Yeah, as much as I don't like Ernie, I'm starting to side with him right now," David admitted. "I don't want to risk randomly going home, is all."
"I want to trust her," Bailey said. "But I can't."
"I didn't do it!" Judy sobbed.
"Alright, if you're so smart, I want you to tell me one thing!" Franklin demanded. "What's her motive?"
"Motive?" Mac asked.
"That's right," Franklin said. "Unless you can establish a motive, your argument is baseless!"
"You're just grasping at straws at this point," Erica said in disgust.
"Well, what would my motive be if it were me?" Ernie asked.
"Isn't it obvious?!" Franklin asked. "Now that Tucker's gone, you're all out of allies! So you did this hoping to blame it on someone else so you could get by another round!"
"I didn't know this trial thing would even happen," Ernie said. "I don't think any of us could have, like, guessed it."
"A likely story," Franklin said. "But you can't prove that! Just like you how you can't prove Judy's the culprit!"
The room went silent.
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"Judy, what is you said at the very beginning of this discussion?" Ernie asked.
"I... I don't know," Judy sniveled. "How should I remember something like that?"
"Well, I remember," Ernie said. "You said that robots freak you out."
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I..." Judy stammered.
"Which, considering this crime wasn't premeditated, illustrates a pretty good motive for her..." Rachel thought aloud.
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I..."
"If you really think about it, it does make sense," Bailey admitted.
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I..."
"Anyone else in the mood for some nachos?" Mac asked.
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I..."
"Let's try and paint a whole picture here, shall we?" Ernie asked.
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I..."
"Judy went into the armory for God knows what reason," Ernie explained. "Once she arrived, she saw Chris-Bot out of the corner of her left eye. Due to an apparent fear of robots she has, she grabbed the closest weapon to her and, without thinking, swung it into the robot's head, destroying it. In her panic, she figured it'd be a good idea to disable the camera in the room in a misguided attempt not to be caught, unaware that it had already caught her doing the deed. As she did so, however, I can only assume she heard Sonamjit's footsteps incoming, because she hastily returned the weapons she'd used to the incorrect racks and hid in the back corner, where the ceiling had a leak. As soon as Sonamjit left the armory to tell others about Chris-Bot, Judy left after her, only to notice that her shoes were wet. So, after she went into the bathroom to dry them off, she met up with Franklin before Sonamjit could, likely by chance, which helped her create a flimsy alibi for the time. All the time acting like she had no idea what was going on. But you did know, Judy. Because YOU are the culprit in this crime!"
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"Wow, that was pretty impressive," Rachel remarked. "No 'like' or 'ya know' or anything in that monologue."
"So, like, how about it, Judy?" Ernie asked.
"I... I... I..." Judy stammered
"Look what you've done to her!" Franklin shouted. "Isn't this more than enough?! Look what kind of emotional anguish she's in! All because of Ernie and his lies!"
"...That's enough, Franklin..." Judy muttered.
"What?" Franklin asked.
"It's over..." Judy said. "...I did it..."
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"So you admit it, huh?" David asked.
"I do," Judy said with a sigh. "Everything Ernie said is more or less spot-on."
"Naturally," Ernie said smugly.
"I went into the armory for some alone time," Judy explained. "I have a fascinating with weaponry, so the armory has been my happy place from the beginning."
"I guess you didn't like seeing Chris-Bot in your happy place, huh?" David asked.
"No," Judy confirmed quietly. "Ernie's right. I panicked and did some things I shouldn't have."
"So what the hell was Franklin's deal?" Erica asked.
"Well, I did a favor for Franklin earlier in the game, and he said he'd owe me one," Judy explained.
"Kinky," Mac chuckled.
"Not that kind of favor," Franklin scowled.
"I asked him to do whatever he could to take the blame off of me," Judy continued. "He was persistent, I'll give him that."
"And in the end, pointing out the lack of a motive led to them finding a motive and figuring it out," Franklin said as he shook his head. "I'm ashamed, I must admit."
"So much for justice..." Sonamjit remarked.
"But hey, you tried, and I really appreciate it," Judy told Franklin with a sad smile.
"By the way, Franklin, is it true, what you said?" Bailey asked. "About being in a gang?"
"It is," Franklin nodded. "Sad but true."
"So, I take it we've all reached a consensus here?" Hatchet asked.
"I think so," Mac said. The others all nodded.
"Well then. In that case..." Hatchet said.
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"You are correct!" Hatchet announced. "Judy is the culprit and will be goin' home tonight!"
"Tonight? So I still get to stay for the rest of the day?" Judy asked.
"Tonight means tonight!" Hatchet shouted. "Enjoy the rest of your time in the game while you still can!"
"I will," Judy said with a small smile.
"And hold up!" Hatchet continued. "Ernie, since you did the best at figurin' out who the culprit was, I'm givin' you first class privileges. So choose two people to join you in first class."
"Aw geez, let's see..." Ernie said as he looked over the remaining contestants. "Erica and Bailey."
"Okay?" Bailey said in a pleased yet confused tone.
"And choose two to sleep outside," Hatchet instructed.
"David and Sonamjit," Ernie said without missing a beat.
"So that means Rachel, Franklin, and Mac will sleep in the basement," Hatchet nodded. "Now I'd say it's about lunchtime. Dismissed!"
Confessional:
Judy: That was the most stressful thing I've ever had to go through in my life. Forget robots, being on trial is now my biggest fear!
Mac: That was so intense! My heart was pounding like crazy! Heeheehahaha!
Sonamjit: Let this be... a lesson... to you all... Failure... and disappointment... are inevitable...
Rachel, Franklin, Sonamjit, and Judy all met up in the foyer one last time.
"I don't think this room will ever feel the same again," Rachel commented.
"Hey, at least it was a robot who startled me and not a person," Judy joked. "If I'd axed a person, I'd probably need therapy. And I wouldn't even be able to pay for it because I'd still be eliminated."
"You seem to be... taking this... elimination... well..." Sonamjit remarked.
"I started to accept it as the discussion neared the end," Judy said. "And hey, I made the single digits, so that's still pretty cool."
"I have to say, nice fake-crying during the trial," Franklin complimented. "I never knew you were an actress."
"Oh, I'm no actress," Judy said modestly. "I was so stressed that those tears were more real than I'd probably have intended."
"Well, I'll miss you," Rachel said sincerely. "You were my only real gal pal in this game."
"Thanks. That means a lot," Judy smiled. "I'll miss you guys, too."
"Well, let's spend the rest of the day doing what you want to do," Franklin decided.
"Ooh! Let's go to the game room and do karaoke!" Judy decided.
"You're the boss," Franklin smiled.
"I'll pass..." Sonamjit said. "I can't sing..."
"You sure?" Judy asked.
"I need... alone time..." Sonamjit said. "The trial... was stressful..."
"Okay. You can do that," Judy smiled.
Confessional:
Judy: Even if I didn't win, I'm glad I left with some real friends. Even if one of them is a lawbreaker.
Rachel: So, we're down to eight again, and I don't think anyone's coming back this time. If they do, can Barry come back? Please?
Erica and Bailey met up in the ballroom.
"So, I guess Rachel didn't go home today, either," Erica grumbled.
"There isn't much we could have done about that," Bailey told her.
"I know," Erica grumbled. "But she's so smug, I feel like she's taunting me just by being here!"
"I'm sorry to hear that," Bailey said. "If it makes you feel any better, she's losing an ally in Judy tonight."
"That does actually help," Erica nodded.
"By the way, why do you think Ernie chose us to join him in first class?" Bailey asked.
"He's probably trying to suck up to us," Erica scoffed. "He's out of allies, so he's picking from the bottom of the barrel."
"Right..." Bailey said, taking some offense at Erica's comment.
"Eh, he's willing to vote for Rachel, so I say we humor him," Erica said. "We can dump him right after she's gone. If the trial proved anything today, it's that Ernie can be pretty smart when he wants to be. I don't want him being a threat too."
"I agree," Bailey nodded. "The two of us make a good pair, I've noticed."
"I guess," Erica shrugged. "At the very least neither of us are targets, from what I've seen."
"I think we could make the final two, honestly," Bailey smiled.
"Whatever," Erica responded.
Confessional:
Erica: There's no way Bailey wants to take me to the final two. Look at me. But she's been willing to vote out Rachel to prove her loyalty to me, so I'll act like I buy her little facade until I don't have to anymore.
Bailey: In actuality, I'd rather take Franklin to the final two. Sure, he's more likely to beat me in a physical challenge, but I feel like he needs a win more than I do. With Judy gone, I will try to get Erica third place, though.
Sonamjit met up with David and Mac in the rec room.
"I... hate... today..." Sonamjit said harshly.
"We can get Ernie next time," Mac said.
"Not only did he... not get eliminated... but he... was such a showoff..." Sonamjit frowned.
"He totally thinks he's better than us," David nodded. "I can't stand him either."
"Aw, he's not that bad," Mac said.
"You... never had... to share a team with him..." Sonamjit said. "He acts... harmless... and then... he avoids elimination... every time..."
"And he acts like he's smarter than everyone else here," David added.
"Eh, if you insist," Mac shrugged.
"So, any thoughts on Judy leaving?" David asked.
"It... matters not... to me..." Sonamjit said. "I knew... she would go... eventually..."
"Yeah, I never really knew her," Mac said. "She seemed nice enough though."
"Yeah, same," David nodded. "Do any of us really know anyone from Team Thunder?"
"I talked to a bunch of them at the Motel of Rejects," Mac said. "Ziggy's cool, but the others I met were a bit much. Except Bailey, but I don't think she even talked to me."
"Aw, who needs other people?" David asked. "We have each other."
Mac and Sonamjit gave him a weird look.
"That sounded way less sappy in my head," David admitted.
Confessional:
David: I dunno, no one from either of the alliances I'm in has left ever since the merge started, so I think I'm set to go to the end.
Ernie relaxed in the hot tub room.
"Started from the bottom, now we're here," Ernie smirked. "I could get used to this."
Confessional:
Ernie: I know I'm a target, so I'm gonna, like, try to win as many challenges as I can. Not every day will be this lucky for me, so I should enjoy it while I can.
The eight contestants, as well as Judy, met in the foyer for the elimination.
"Judy, you've been found out as the culprit in the crime of breakin' Chris-Bot," Hatchet said. "Any last words?"
"I just want to say I'm going to miss you all," Judy smiled. "Even the people I didn't really know all that well. This game's been a blast and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything."
"We'll miss you too," Franklin nodded.
"Group hug!" Rachel announced as she hugged Judy. Franklin, Bailey, Mac, and David joined in.
"Alright, alright, let's get this finished," Hatchet said, annoyed.
The contestants let go of Judy.
"Alright. I'll see you guys later," Judy said with a wave as she went out the Door of Shame.
"Well, eight of you are left, and no, nobody's comin' back this time," Hatchet told the remaining contestants. "The game's nearin' the final stretch. Y'all best be on your A-games. Dismissed!"
Confessional:
Franklin: I lost a valuable ally and a friend today. Ernie is right. I should stop going after Sonamjit. After all, he is the one who really deserves to go.
"And after quite the unconventional episode, Judy goes home," Hatchet told the audience. "Is Ernie in hot water? Can David slide his way to the end? Will Erica affect the game in any way? Find out next time, on Total! Drama! HOUSE PARTY!"
Votes:
None
A/N: So, how was the mystery? Did you guys figure it out before the contestants did? I'm a fan of mysteries, and I thought it'd be fun to emulate Dangan Ronpa a bit into today's episode and see how it turned out. Tell me what you guys think.
As for Judy, her main role was to be a supporting character for whatever alliance leader she happened to be involved with. I needed a positive mediator for Team Thunder to keep it from being too overdramatic, but now that the merge has happened, her role has been fulfilled. I decided to keep her longer than other early merge boots like Lauren and Tucker because I feel like, with all the scheming going on, we could use a bit more positivity. In the end, though, Judy was never meant to win, but, like her or not, she manages to net ninth place.