With things happening all around them, the group will get a chance to rest once they reach a new civilisation. But stuff has a tendancy to turn bad, and hidden secrets will be revealed. One way or another.
Aztec 13: Sorry to burst your bubble, bud. I feel it's unnecessary to have a lot of the group play a part because the web of the theme will only revolve around a small percent of the group.
We see the truck convoy heading to a new area. In front of them was a small settlement, with buildings made of metal and concrete. It was just a small town.
On a part of the convoy, we see the Pahkitew island cast. More specifically, we see Shawn slouching on the top of the hood, watching the area move by.
"I don't like this." Shawn says.
"What is it?" Sky asked.
"The town seems deserted. Nobody is here." Shawn states. "Is something going on?"
"You sure?" Dave asked. "Aren't you overreacting?"
"There is no such thing as overreacting in a situation like this." Shawn states. "We are trapped in a different timeline. Honestly the only thing that beats a zombie apocalypse in terms of terror."
"But the existence of the soldiers proves the point of a still-standing human civilization." Max states. "If your kinemortophobia is still apparent in the wake of this unprecedented disaster, I suggest you should have no play in the direction of the group."
"I know… and I get it. But I at least have some concern for the group." Shawn states. "I feel like this might take a different direction than expected."
"Hmm. Seems like a thought provoking conundrum." Leonard states.
"But worst case scenario, we'll get transported to a new location in the world." Jasmine states.
"Wherever you go, I'm not following." Max states. "While you go through the inevitable paperwork, I'll make my way back where Canada once stood and rule the land- Whaa!"
Max was thrown out the back of the truck as it halted in its tracks.
"Gah! Inertia!" Max exclaimed.
"Looks like we've stopped. But we better stay just in case there is another attack like last time." Jasmine states.
"Hey, wait a minute." Max states. "Why are we away from the town?"
The group hears this and notices that the truck convoy has already driven past the small town and is already a couple hundred meters away.
"How did I miss that?" Shawn asked.
"And I thought we'll be stopping at a nearby settlement. That's a settlement right there." Rodney states.
As the questions dragged on, Sky was the first one to turn around to see what they had parked nearby.
"Um… guys?" Sky notifies the group.
The group turns upon hearing this and basks at the sight of what is nearby. A large port-like area on dry land. A large concrete platform that acts as a dock for a large spaceship, probably several decameters long and had a building set up nearby, probably acting as a travel board.
Chapter 4: A Spark of Optimism
"We're going where?!" Courtney yelled.
The group was seen surrounding the lead truck of the convoy as the soldier that's second in command explains to them the details.
"I can't believe this is happening." Gwen rolled her eyes.
"I can't believe this is happening!" Harold says enthusiastically.
"Seriously. Is this real? Someone better holler me awake if this is a dream." Leshawna states. "We're seriously going out of planet?!"
"I assure you that this is necessary. Due to some political complications, Blisk was advised to send you to another planet." The soldier explains. "Just expect lots of paperwork to be held when you arrive. I hope you take this relatively well."
"Sure, yeah. Relatively." Duncan states.
"Just what do you take us for?!" Courtney yelled. "The only thing you should fight in is in a mosh pit of metalheads! And-"
"And what? Back in your time this would be illegal?" The soldier asked. "I suggest you stare at a watch. It would be more productive than what you're doing right now."
A bunch of unrest was brewing within the group as we see Emma sitting on the floor, legs crossed and staring at the ship.
"No use trying to argue. Might as well muster up the guts to get transported to who knows where." Emma states.
Emma takes out a small notepad and begins to list the group's immediate itineraries. It mostly includes stuff for the near immediate future, like their citizenship problems and their new financial status. As she wrote, Kitty walked up to her and sat nearby.
"Already making plans, huh?" Kitty says as she notices this. "Man… this sucks. Paperwork for travelling is hassle enough, but paperwork for moving? To another planet? Ugh… what kind of grand fate or destiny bullshit have we wound up in?"
"We'll find a way. I've already stated before back in the convoy. I'm not gonna let this group crumble." Emma says. "And you still seemed pretty optimistic back there. You're letting paperwork slow you down?"
"Don't you dare say it." Kitty sighed.
"Typical." Emma smirked.
Kitty does a light punch on Emma's shoulder as she chuckles. After this, Emma continued on the itinerary.
"Like I said. I'm gonna try and keep this group in check while the others are still managing their thoughts." Emma explains.
"And you already have your thoughts in check, huh? Bit of a flex, don'tcha think?" Kitty says.
"Well… not exactly." Emma says. "But law school has caused me to train myself in the art of focus. Once more people begin to help out, I'll be able to have time to clear my thoughts."
"Yeah… good luck with that I guess." Kitty says. "I'll try and find stuff to eat. Maybe I can convince the others to join you. The sooner you can gather your thoughts, the better."
Kitty stood up and walked away to explore the area. Emma continued on the itineraries. But as she continued to write, electric charges were seen gathering in her hand and into the pen.
"Huh." Emma tries to keep silent in seeing this. "Well, glad to see it more controllable."
Emma tries to channel some of the electricity into the pen, and it begins to float due to the magnetism.
"At least I can somewhat control it. Who knows what'll happen if I can't." Emma says.
As she tries to stop the flow of electricity, another spark unexpectedly shoots out of her, quickly crawling across the concrete floor and towards a generator next to another building.
"Oh shit." Emma exclaimed.
The spark reaches the generator, and something pops inside it. The building then loses power.
"What the?" A man was seen walking out in confusion.
"Man. Better try and keep it under control." Emma says.
Emma got up while trying not to overthink it. While this was a bad situation for her to be in, it didn't stop her from trying.
A Few Hours Later…
After a lot of paperwork, the group all have gotten permission to get transported. Apparently, the planet they'll be permanently moving to is a planet called Solace, and that the trip will be over in less than an hour. The last one surprised almost all of them, as it hinted toward the existence of warp tech.
The trip will be tomorrow though, and so our group spreads around the area to find stuff to do. We then see Shawn and Jasmine sitting near the ship, staring at it in awe.
"You said something about being trapped in another era is scarier than a zombie apocalypse, right?" Jasmine asked. "Well, I figure if enough time is put into the former, this new life might have a chance to be better than. Like, there is no Total Drama anymore. We aren't burdened to stay in the games."
"You're just making me think about zombies again, Jasmine." Shawn sighed. "Not helping here."
"Alright. Jeez." Jasmine chuckled. "But still. A situation like this may not be reversable, technically speaking. But I know we can at least make this work."
"Yeah. I guess I can see where you're getting at." Shawn says. "Do you suggest we try and take control?"
"Is that even a question?" Jasmine smiled. "Hopefully there are other people who might help us. Want to take a look around?"
"Sure. Why not?" Shawn states. "We've got the whole day ahead of us. Plenty of time to prepare."
As the two turn to spread out and find people to help them in their cause, someone runs into Shawn. As he drops to the ground, the two turn to see that Lightning had run into him.
"Sha-what now?!" Lightning exclaimed. "Hey! What are you doing getting in my way?!"
"I was about to ask you the same thing. Why did you run into us?" Shawn asked.
"Lightning didn't mean to run into you." Lightning stated. "In sha-fact, Lightning didn't even see you, fool."
"What? How does that work?" Shawn asked.
"Lightning don't know. But Lightning don't want to waste energy thinking." Lightning says.
Lightning got up and continued his run. The two looked confused, but didn't really think much of it. They then notice Kitty leading Gwen, Mike and Zoey to Emma, intending to let them help in the plan.
"Well. Looks like they're already ahead of us." Jasmine states.
"I guess so. Glad to see people beginning to take charge." Shawn says. "Let's join them."
The two then walk to the group, wishing to join them in helping the others. Emma was pretty stumped to see that Kitty had gathered quite a lot.
"Kit, is this really necessary?" Emma raised her eyebrow at this.
"Come on, Em. At least they also want to help." Kitty says.
"She's right, you know? I feel like you're underestimating your companions." Gwen states. "Mind stating your idea of movung to another planet?"
"Alright. So we are going to try and make a new life somewhere, right?" Emma asked. "Have you guys considered what to do when we try to renew our citizenship?"
"Of course. Blisk has already come up with an alibi for us." Gwen says. "We just have to be natural. For the paperwork, we'll just have to go through it."
"Good. We'll just have to make sure nobody fumbles up with the alibi." Emma says.
Later That Night…
Seeing as that there was no point in staying up, the group decided to sleep early to ease the stress. And besides, the ship wouldn't leave until tomorrow. Emma was just lying down on the cold cement floor as there were no places to hold over eighty people.
"Are you planning to stay up?" Kitty asked.
"Nah. I'll can do my thinking early morning. Besides, what else do you think you wanna do?" Emma asked.
"Nothing, really. I just thought you'd be up until midnight thinking." Kitty states.
"Well, it's been an exhausting day. Might as well, you know?" Emma states.
As she was about to sleep, someone walked up to the two. It was a middle aged-man with a standard outfit.
"Oi, where's that redhead?" The man said.
Emma looks to see the middle aged man, and he seems pretty pissed off.
"Huh? Looking for someone?" Emma asked.
"Yeah, a curly redhead. Bitch stole my bottle of beer from me." The man says. "She ran over in this direction. Got anything to do with her?"
"Listen man. I-" Kitty then notices the slightly flustered look on his face. "Are you drunk?"
"That doesn't matter. Where is she?!" The man asked, getting angrier by the second.
"Look man. There could be many curly redheads here. Can you be more specific?" Emma states
Suddenly a shattering sound was heard behind her. Emma and Kitty turn to see a shattered bottle of beer and Izzy was seen incredibly energetic.
"Come on. I thought this was supposed to be strong stuff." Izzy complained, not looking flustered at all. "Man, what kind of alcohol tolerance do you have?" She turned her attention to the man.
"That little-" The man looked like he was about to charge.
"Whoa! Calm down!" Emma quickly stood up in seeing this. "Maybe I can compensate with another bottle."
"Oh, come on Ems." Izzy walked into the conversation. "That's not gonna work on a drunk person."
"You two know this bitch?" The man asked. "You better calm her down or else I'll have something to do with it!"
"Aw, calm down ya brute." Izzy states. "I don't think you have a right to get angry when you get drunk to that stuff."
The man loses it, and goes in for a punch at Izzy. Emma quickly reacts and grabs his arm.
"Oh no, you don't!" Emma yelled.
Emma threw the man's body off balanca before spinning for an elbow strike at his back. Electricity flashed around her body, and the elbow strike lands, sending waves of energy into the man.
"Gah!" The man yelled in pain.
"Whoa!" Kitty yelped in surprise.
As the man knelt in pain, Emma was still continuing to glow with electrical energy. She clenches her fist, trying to get a feel for the electrical energy.
"This is weirder than I expected." Emma states.
"Emma?! Is that electricity?" Kitty asked.
"Isn't the electrical flare around me enough of a hint?" Emma asked.
"But that means…" Kitty states.
"You are the second mutant!" Izzy yelled out.
Kitty immediately jumped at Izzy and covered her mouth.
"Not out loud, psycho!" Kitty yelled. "But still, what the?"
"I found it on the way here. I spent a couple of minutes trying to control it." Emma says. "I guess I'm a mutant now." She then turns off the electrical flare around her and sighs. "We should tell the rest tomorrow. Let's get this guy to an infirmary."
The man groaned in pain as he was lying on the ground.
"We tell them he was drunk and almost attacked Izzy." Emma says.
"That's exactly what happened." Izzy states.
"Of course, we leave out the electricity part." Kitty sighed.
The Next Day…
We cut to a building that overlooked the docking area around the early morning. We see Kuben Blisk looking through some holograms figuring out what the mercenaries stole from their database. As he checked through it, something entered the room through the door. It was a female shaped robot, with grey and tan-beige designs and dark teal cloth designs that extend to a hood that covers her head. She held a strange katana that glowed blue energy. This was Ash, a companion of Blisk as well as a simulacrum. She used to be a human by the name of Ashleigh Reid, but after a failed mission, she was rebuilt into a robot body and joined the Mercenary Syndicate, the governing body of the Outlands.
"I believe you have let something slip through our hands, Blisk." Ash coldly states. "Letting a bunch of rogue mercenaries steal some of the Syndicate's data is surprisingly pathetic of you."
"Cool your jets, Ash." Blisk snarked. "These are not any rogue mercenaries."
Blisk brings up a hologram of the jet the mercenaries escaped from. More specifically, it was a close up of a marking etched into the side of the jet. It was a carving of an initial, L.S.
"Remember that fiasco that happened that led to the explosion in Kings Canyon?" Blisk asked.
"How can I? After all, you're the one who let a Salvonian into the games. Two of them to be exact." Ash states.
"Well, I did some digging and saw that the bombs Maggie had acquired had this exact logo on it." Blisk says.
"So what? It could've very well been stolen and smuggled." Ash states.
"The Syndicate has noticed a behavior in these attacks, and a lot of them have a connection to this 'L.S'." Blisk says. "We should look into this."
"Depends. Are you going to force me to join you?" Ash asked.
"Of course not. It's your choice, Ash." Blisk states.
"Then I'm not coming. This thing doesn't concern me." Ash says.
"Then why'd you come all the way here?" Blisk asked.
"It does not concern you, Blisk." Ash says. "You of all people know the value of secrecy."
"Can't argue with you there." Blisk says. "Just focus on what you're doing, and I'll focus on mine."
As Blisk continues to analyse the data, Ash moves to the window and observes the scene outside. More specifically, the Total Drama group.
"They're here…" Ash states. "You've seen them now. Let's move on."
"Listen, I didn't come all they way here to just glance at them." Ash's human consciousness, Leigh, speaks up. "Are you not interested in what they would do?"
"Of course not. We've put that past behind us long ago." Ash states. "It wouldn't matter to us. It would be a high chance for them to encounter us."
"Just so you know, the past comes back to bite everyone in the ass eventually." Leigh states.
"I'd like to see ours try." Ash says.
A Bit Of Travelling Later…
The trip was short. Way shorter than anyone had expected. An hour away from one planet to another, it's ridiculous to the group. But now they reach the planet of Solace, and the doors of the ship open up to the scenic view of the landscape. It was an arid but grassy landscape that was pretty refreshing. Gwen was the first of her group to exit the ship, and she takes in the scenery and the surprisingly fresh air in the area.
"Well. We're here." Gwen sighed. "This is Solace, huh? This place is not bad at all."
"First thing on the criteria. Renew citizenship." Courtney followed behind. "We renew citizen ship and use the money Blisk lent us to go get apartments."
"And we discuss what to do next right after, right?" Duncan asked. "I'm not really sure how to progress from there."
"We're not supposed to know exactly how to progress. We just take any opportunity we can and take it by the horns." Courtney says.
"I'm not sure that's the way we should think, Court." Gwen states. "There could be consequences if we get too reckless."
"I'm just saying. It's good to be optimistic." Courtney states.
"Whatever. Just be more careful in considering our options." Gwen says. "I don't want our situation to go awry again."
Gwen looked onwards at the city, sighing while taking in the reality of the situation knowing that there was no way back to their former lives.
Later That Afternoon…
We cut to Gwen, Duncan and Courtney along with Owen, Heather and Alejandro searching through the streets of the city. They have now split up with the rest of the group and are now trying to find a place to stay. This was easier said than done, and they had trouble finding one that had an opening.
"Okay, I'll be the first to say that this is incredibly ridiculous." Courtney sighed. "We've been searching for hours."
"Oh shut your yapper. This is natural." Heather states. "It's actually a good thing if a lot of the city's apartments are occupied. It means more affordable pricing."
"And what good is an affordable apartment if we can't find one?" Courtney says.
"Ugh, can we at least take a break? I don't remember a moment in my life where I've walked this long." Owen groaned.
"I guess we can take a break. Maybe we can get some grub?" Gwen says. "There seems to be a bar up ahead, if you're interested."
"Sure. I could probably try the strong stuff." Duncan smirked.
"Not at a time like this, you're not." Courtney says. "Maybe not stoke the fire of what would be an alcohol addiction."
"If it's a situation like this? I would be more surprised if all of us steered clear of alcohol as a coping mechanism." Owen states.
The group then entered the bar, which was named Paradise Lounge on the big sign outside. As they find the place incredibly well maintained, they immediately find a man up front, cleaning the counters. The man was dressed in a yellow flannel jumpsuit covered in a grey overall vest with many strange nodes on his body, and had giant orange goggles above his eyes.
"Um, excuse me? May I ask if there are any available apartments in the area?" Courtney asked.
"Court. We're here to take a break. Worry about the apartments later." Heather states.
"And that's a problem how?" Courtney snarked.
"Ask if there is a menu we can use." Duncan states.
"What he said." Owen added.
"Yeah, I'm getting parched. Heather, calm down and let Courtney talk to this man so we can move on." Alejandro states.
After Heather reluctantly agreed to keep quiet, Courtney returned her attention to the man at the counter.
"Just bring up the menu. We'll make this quick." Courtney says.
The man didn't respond, and he continued to wipe the counter. This confused the group, and definitely annoyed Courtney.
"Hey! Are you even an employee in this establishment?!" Courtney yelled. "Quit ignoring me!"
"Oh, crap. Sorry." Another man comes in, looking exactly like the man wiping the counter, strange outfit and all. "What can I get you?"
"We were asking for the menu, but I believe you should tell your twin something about respect, or an ear doctor." Courtney says.
"Oh, you must be new here. Sorry, this is just a gimmick I set up whenever I'm not around." The man says.
The man snaps his fingers, and the other man wiping the counters disappears in a fuzz of light, surprising the group.
"Hah, you should've seen the looks on your faces. Consider yourselves bam-to-the-boozled." The man laughs at the reaction. "You guys seem interesting. The name's Elliot Witt, but you can call me Mirage."
"Ugh, I don't like you already." Heather states.
"Relax, it's just a hologram. Been a passion of mine since I was a kid." Mirage states. "You were going to order something, right? Looking for the menu?"
Mirage moves under the counters and grabs a couple menus that he hands to the group.
"Happy Hour will start tonight. Maybe save some of your strength for the strong stuff on sale at that time." Mirage says.
"I can try." Duncan smirked at the prospect.
"Um, I'm sure that's nice, but do you have anything regarding an available apartment nearby?" Courtney asked.
"Oh, glad you asked. There is a room just recently available a few floors up." Mirage says. "I'll be able to send you to the owner of the place if you're interested."
"Sweet." Duncan says.
"But I'm sure you're either starved or thirsty from the house searching. Want some pork chops? They're my specialty." Mirage asked.
"Boy, do I want? Of course!" Owen was excited about this.
"Ugh, fine. Might as well." Heather says.
A Couple Hours Later…
After the meal, the group went and bought a room in the apartment complex just above the Paradise Lounge. It was already past sundown, and seeing that the bar wasn't active at the time, Mirage decides to close it down for the night. But as he makes preperations, Gwen walks into the bar.
"Hey, thanks for helping us with the place." Gwen says. "Think this is a good neighborhood?"
"Well, it's mild to say the least. You won't have to worry about anything dangerous." Mirage states. "You can just sit back, relax and grab drinks from the Lounge."
"That's reassuring." Gwen says.
Gwen moves to the counter in the middle of the bar. She notices that Mirage was holding a device in his hand.
"Say, you control holograms with that thing?" Gwen asked.
"Is the sky blue? Hah. Of course I can." Mirage states. "The only reason I use this in the bar is when I'm not around."
"When you're not around?" Gwen asked. "Are you the only one working here?"
"Well, sorta. I mean, some of my friends help me from time to time, but it's mostly just me." Mirage says.
"Wow, that is a pretty bad business strategy." Gwen says as she sat down.
"I gotta ask. Where are you from exactly?" Mirage asked.
"Oh, um… I just recently moved from Earth. I'm… not exactly sure if it's permanent, but it kinda sucks." Gwen explains. "We just arrived today, and I'm thinking of already finding a job."
"Oh, so is that why you're here?" Mirage asked. "Look, I know we just met, but I think you should at least know the business before jumping in."
"You seriously overestimate the skill of a barista." Gwen raised her eyebrow at this. "It's just general knowledge."
"Okay, okay. You got me there." Mirage shrugged his shoulders at this. "I'll have some paperwork out for you to fill out. Once I have that sorted, maybe you can start the day after tommorow."
"Ah, thanks." Gwen smiled at this.
As Mirage went to the back looking for the papers to sign, Gwen reached into her pocket and brought out the bloodied pencil again.
"Aaron… Mom… Dad… that sacrifice I made years ago… the things I have done is now in vain. I will never get to see you again…" Gwen frowned. "But… I promise to help my friends live their lives here. I promise to everyone… that we can make it through this."
Gwen looks at the pencil in her hand and grips it tightly.
"Stay strong. Don't let your mind wander to that night." Gwen took deep breaths as she talked to herself. "I will not let that night stop me."
Sorry for the wait on this one guys. Strangely, this is also the same time of year when I took the haitus of the original Second Chances. I think I'm gaining a bit of a pattern.