(A/N: Okay, so this update is going to be a bit short, but that's because the next chapter is going to be huge. All the questions from this season will be wrapped up, from the identity of the bunny man, what Chris' dad was working on in the island, and what VIA really is.)
It was two days after the excursion to Boney Island, and Chris had the six contestants gathered outside a bunker.
"Okay kids," he said, "there aren't many of you left, and inside is one of your most dangerous challenges yet. All you have to do is make it from one end of the bunker to the other- while avoiding everything in your way."
"Another bunker challenge?" Gwen groaned, "these ALWAYS end badly!"
"And that's why it makes for such phenomenal TV viewing," Chris agreed, "so get going. This bunker leads from one side f the island to the other. The first person to make it out wins immunity from tonight's elimination, while the other five competitors will remain on the chopping block."
CONFESSIONAL: Gwen
Okay, I've gotten to the final three before, and I can do it again. I just need to stay focused, and then I can say goodbye to this island forever. There's a lot I can do with the million dollars- like finally be able to afford a place of my own. I just need to hang in a little longer.
CONFESSIONAL: Sunny
Okay, so, Veronica and Miri may have been eliminated, Lucky left for dead, and my confidence in myself totally destroyed, but that's okay! I just need to keep it together long enough to outlast Quinn, and I'm golden! Probably.
CONFESSIONAL: Duncan
Okay, six players left. Sixth place is the best I've ever done, so I'm kinda feeling the pressure about now- but that time, there was only fourteen other competitors. I've already outlasted twenty one! I honestly think I've got a shot if DJ and I stick together and make it to the finals. Besides, how hard can it be to make it from one side of the bunker to the other? I've got this challenge in the bag.
CONFESSIONAL: Johnny
So far so good. But somethin' tells me if I don't start winnin' challenges, my days here are numbered.
CONFESSIONAL: DJ
So, six people left. I honestly never thought I'd make it this far. I'm pretty nervous, but if I could win the million? Man, that'd be something. I just hope I can even get the chance to compete in the finals.
CONFESSIONAL: Quinn
Twenty one down, five to go. A lot of the big competition has been eliminated already, but I still have Duncan and Johnny to worry about. DJ is too much of a crybaby to pose a real threat, Gwen isn't a match for me physically, and Sunny? Heh. She's worthless in any real challenges. I just need to make sure I win immunity in this challenge, otherwise I'll be forced to use my treasure chest. If I win, the other players will probably send Johnny home, leaving me to cash in the chest some other time- a guaranteed ticket to the final four.
END CONFESSIONALS
Chris opened the vault door, and beckoned everyone inside.
"Get going, we don't have all day," Chris ordered.
The six campers stepped inside, and Chris immediately slammed the door shut behind them.
"Well, that's disheartening," Duncan sighed.
"Yeah. So what are we supposed to do?" DJ asked, "Do we just-"
Quinn immediately took off running down the hall, the other contestants quickly following suit.
"Oh, that bitch!" Sunny exclaimed, "She can't win this challenge or she'll get immunity!"
The five were eventually forced to come to a stop when they found the hall split into two separate corridors.
"Of course," Duncan sighed, "just great. Which way are we supposed to go?"
"Eenie meanie- this way!" DJ exclaimed, pointing to the left.
"...whatever, works for me," Duncan shrugged before following his friend down the corridor.
Johnny thought a moment before heading down the right path.
"Why don't we go left and stick with Duncan and DJ?" Gwen suggested, "Strength in numbers, right?"
"Sure," Sunny agreed, "let's go."
"Hey guys," Gwen called as the two set off, "wait up!"
~o.0.o~
Chris sat in his cabin, sorting through a pile of notes.
"So, this is what it's come to?" VIA asked, "You've finally decided to do it?"
"Oh, it's perfect," Chris smiled, "with the cast and camera crew searching through the bunker, they'll be able to find it for me. Then I'll just review the footage, and it'll lead me straight there. I'll activate it and then the island will be-"
"Gone," VIA finished, "are you sure this is wise?"
"Of course it is," Chris laughed, "it's all coming to a close... All... All those years here. Poof. Up in smoke. No one will ever get hurt here again."
"And what of the people still here?"
"What people?" Chris asked, sounding genuinely confused, "oh, right, them. Well... the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
"You sound like your father," VIA commented.
Chris glared at VIA, and slowly got to his feet. Without a word, he lifted a nearby paperweight, and walked over to VIA.
"I've had about enough of you," Chris smiled, "consider your intern position terminated."
Chris lifted the paperweight, and then sent it crashing into VIA's screen. The broken monitor hissed and sparked before falling silent.
Chris took a deep breath, smiled, and walked back over to the couch.
"It's finally time to say goodbye to this awful place," he said, sitting back down, "and then maybe I'll host another reality show. Something with singing. That would be nice."
~o.0.o~
Duncan, DJ, Gwen and Sunny walked down the hallway, wary of their surroundings.
"This is too weird," Duncan muttered, "Chris made this sound like it would be dangerous, but we haven't found ANYTHING yet."
"Maybe he's trying to lure us into a false sense of security?" DJ thought, "I don't know, man, nothing on this show ever makes sense."
"Maybe he is," Gwen said, "but... I don't know, something doesn't feel right here. I mean, I've had that feeling all season, but... something isn't right here."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Duncan agreed, "this might seem weird, but I almost feel like... I don't know, we're getting closer to something important."
"Like a million dollars?" DJ asked, "There are only six of us left."
Duncan thought a moment before nodding.
"I guess that's true. The game is almost over- but still. I can't help but shake the feeling we're not getting the whole picture here."
The four continued along in silence for a while until Duncan asked, "Hey, what do you think ever happened to Blaineley?"
"Blaineley?" Gwen asked, "I don't know, why would that be important?"
"No idea," Duncan admitted, "I just, I don't know. It seems like every other loose end is getting tied up this season. I mean, Sierra and Sadie were both arrested."
"Well, wasn't Blaineley arrested too?" Gwen asked.
"Well yeah, but... wait, do you ever stop to think about why so many people on this show are taken away by the authorities?" Duncan asked.
"No, I just sort of go with it," Gwen admitted.
~o.0.o~
Johnny wandered through the hall, scanning the environment for any sort of anomaly. For a while, he didn't find anything, until he spotted a few drops of blood on the ground.
"What in the world?"
Johnny knelt down and gently dabbed the blood with a finger. It was incredibly fresh- whatever it had come from had to be nearby. As he looked further down the pathway, Johnny realized there was a trail of blood leading into the shadows. Johnny sighed and hung his head for a moment before getting to his feet and following the trail.
"Well, if this ain't the dumbest thing I've ever done, I don't know what is."
Much to his surprise, however, it was no lurking horror he encountered attention end of the trail, no masked killer, no wild animal. It was Quinn, slouched against the wall, her leg dripping blood.
"Quinn?" Johnny frowned, "What happened?"
"What's it look like?" Quinn snapped, "It was some kind of trap, a blade flew out and cut my leg open- it hurts bad."
"Right. Well, you have fun," Johnny said as he started to walk off.
"What, are you serious?" Quinn demanded, "You're just going leave me here?"
"Ain't that what you did to Lucky?" Johnny asked.
"Hey, I didn't see you go back to bail him out- but you can save me from bleeding to death in an underground vault!" Quinn exclaimed, "come on, have some mercy!"
"...fine," Johnny said after a while, "let me see your wound."
Johnny examined the cut on Quinn's leg, sighed, and pulled some cloth out of his coat.
"Here. Hold still while I wrap it," Johnny told her.
As Johnny looked down to dress the wound, Quinn flashed a brief smile.
CONFESSIONAL: Quinn
It was a long shot, but the gamble paid off. I had a fifty-fifty chance that Johnny would go down the same path as me, and the fact that he's alone makes it even better. I gave myself that injury- now I just need to play it up, and go along with Johnny until the end. Then I'll get the drop on him, and take immunity for myself- it's perfect!
END CONFESSIONAL
Once Johnny finished bandaging Quinn's wound, he helped her to her feet.
"There," Johnny sighed, "your leg should be fine in a day or two, the cut wasn't that bad."
"You sure?" Quinn groaned, "It really hurts."
"I'm sure it does," Johnny shrugged, "now let's get moving."
As Johnny stormed off, Quinn limped along to keep up.
"Hold on!" She shouted, "I can only move so fast!"
"Pardon me if I ain't exactly sympathetic," Johnny told her, "try to keep up. And don't set off anymore traps."
"Sure thing, prick," Quinn said under her breath.
~o.0.o~
Duncan, DJ, Gwen and Sunny continued along until at last they came to a dead end.
"Ugh, great," Duncan muttered, "now we have to go all the way back!"
"...maybe not," Gwen said absently.
The goth girl examined the walls carefully, looking for any trace of... Well, no one knew.
"Earth to Gwen," Duncan called, "what do you mean by that?"
"I'm just saying, these old vaults have housed some pretty weird stuff," she reasoned, "maybe there's a hidden passage or something."
"Girl, have you lost your mind?" DJ asked, "If there WAS a hidden passage, why on earth would we want to take it? Who knows what could be hidden around here?"
"It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Gwen said, "Listen, we've spent enough time already, and we can't afford to have Quinn win immunity."
"I guess you got that right,"DJ admitted, "I don't even know who I would vote for if she won. You guys are all so nice, I don't want to send you home."
"All apart of the game, DJ," Duncan sighed, "but hopefully we can find a secret passageway leading straight to the exit and be sitting on the beach sipping piña coladas within ten minutes."
"As long as they're non- alcoholic."
"You're no fun."
"Guys, focus," Gwen snapped, "come on. What do you see?"
"A bunch of empty walls," Sunny muttered, "I appreciate where you're coming from, Gwen, but-"
"Oh hey, a switch!" DJ exclaimed.
There was a click as DJ pushed a well concealed button on the wall, and then the grinding of metal on metal as one of the walls slid open to reveal a room full of switches and monitors.
"Oh come on!" Duncan exclaimed, "What the hell is this?!"
~o.0.o~
Chris watched the four enter the room from his security feed, a smile on his face.
"Finally," he said, "they found it- the control room."
But he couldn't have them messing around in there- that would risk detonating the island prematurely.
Oh, yes. Chris planned to blow the island away. Deep in one of the vaults was a single but almost impossibly effective power generator. If it were to overload, the resulting explosion would be catastrophic. Oh yes. The island needed to burn.
But not yet.
Chris got to his feet, and walked over to the radio he had tuned in to the PA system used in the various vaults on the island.
~o.0.o~
Just As the four contestants started to look around the control room, Chris' voice came over the intercom.
"What are you guys doing?" He demanded, "This area is off limits! You're going to have to turn around!"
"Great, NOW he tells us," Duncan muttered.
"Yeah, now get your butts moving. I wouldn't want you to accidentally overload any nuclear generators or anything," Chris snapped.
"... That was an odd thing to say," Gwen pointed out.
"Yeah," Duncan agreed, "why'd you get that specific-"
"Because- just get moving!"
~o.0.o~
"Wait. Stop here."
Johnny suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway.
"What?" Quinn demanded, "What could suddenly be so important that-"
Quinn fell silent when Johnny pointed to a door that was just to his left.
"...oh," Quinn frowned.
Johnny tried to open the door, but found it locked. Just as he was about to give up, he remembered the key he had found- or rather, been given- on the beach. He reached into his coat and pulled it out, and, after finding the keyhole, inserted it. Johnny took a deep breath, and turned the key.
Success.
Johnny allowed himself a smile as the door slowly creaked open, and he stepped inside.
"Come on," he told Quinn, motioning for her to follow.
Quinn scowled, but nevertheless followed him inside.
It seemed to be some sort of break room- there were several dining tables, as well as chairs, a microwave, and paper plates that littered the room along with plastic utensil.
As Johnny stepped forward, he felt a sudden surge of pain, an his mind was filled with images of... a party. They were... Happy, at first. But they got darker, and darker, and darker until-
"Johnny," Quinn snapped, "what are you doing?"
Johnny shook his head, and rubbed his eyes.
"Uh, nothing," he said, "listen, why don't you have a seat and rest your leg while I poke around some?"
"Whatever," Quinn muttered, "just make sure you hurry up."
"I'll be quick, don't you worry."
Quinn say down, and hung her head as Johnny disappeared from view. She waited impatiently for a few minutes until Johnny reappeared, carrying a few small boxes of dried food with him.
"Okay, I'm- whoops!"
Johnny stumbled, and the boxes he was carrying were showered across the floor.
"Smooth," Quinn smirked.
"Darn it- listen, can you help me pick these up?" Johnny asked.
"Fine, whatever," Quinn shrugged.
Quinn got up, and walked across the room. When she turned her back to pick up a package, however, she heard the door slam behind her. When she spun around to see what had happened, she realized Johnny was gone.
"Hey, what the-"
Quinn rushed over to the door, and could see Johnny through the window. When she tried to open the door, she found the knob wouldn't turn.
"What the hell are you doing? You can't leave me here! I'm-"
"Injured, yeah," Johnny nodded, "except I know you'll be okay, and so do you. That cut wasn't deep- because you did it yourself."
"I don't know what-"
"Yeah, go ahead, keep treating me like a fool. I know a self-inflicted cut when I see one. So what was the plan, pretend to be injured until you could get the upper hand?"
"Of course not!" Quinn insisted, "I just- fuck it. Yeah, that was the plan. But I guess you saw through it, huh? Okay, listen. Let me out of here, and I'll make it worth your while."
"Not interested," Johnny said.
"Just hear me out-"
"That what you said to Lucky? I'm not going to bargain with you," Johnny told her, "I don't care what you offer me. And I wish I could say this was about nobility, but the truth is, I want to see you go down as much as anyone else."
"You asshole!" Quinn shouted, "Let me out now or you'll be- hey, don't you walk away from me!"
But it was no use. Johnny was already gone. Quinn tried the door again, to no avail. She craned her head to look out of the window, and saw Johnny had pushed a chair under the doorknob. Quinn let out a cry of frustration, and started to pound against the door.
"I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS! YOU HEAR ME? I'LL GET YOU!"
~o.0.o~
It took a while, but eventually, Johnny came a huge, metal door at the end of the hallway.
"I hope this is it," he said to himself, "here we go."
Johnny hit a button on the side of the frame, and the door slowly creaked open to reveal... Daylight. Johnny stepped outside with a smile on his face, and was greeted by Chris, who looked slightly... unbalanced. Johnny couldn't tell what, but anyone would be able to tell there was definitely something off about the man's presence.
"Well, about time someone got here," the host yawned, "it looks like you win immunity!"
Johnny smiled, and tipped his hat at the host.
"I saw what you did to Quinn by the way," Chris smiled, "harsh. At least that's what I would say if it was anyone else. Anyway, you're free to go back to camp, I'll inform you when it's time for elimination."
"Right," Johnny nodded, "thanks."
~o.0.o~
As it would turn out, it was nearly half an hour before Duncan's group reached the exit, and it took another twenty minutes for Quinn to finally escape the room Johnny had left her in.
"Well, Quinn," Chris smiled as she exited the vault, "last place- looks like you're on the chopping block."
"Aww, that's a shame," Sunny grinned, "although I can't imagine who'd want to send YOU home."
"Everyone, elimination is in one hour," Chris announced, "I'll see you all then."
~o.0.o~
An hour flew by, and everyone gathered at the stage for elimination.
"Okay," Chris said, "well, since nearly everyone voted for the same person, I don't think I need to pass out marshmallows. Quinn, time to-"
"Wait a second," Quinn interrupted, "I'm cashing this in for immunity!"
Quinn reached under her chair, and pulled out the treasure chest she had been keeping.
"No!" Sunny exclaimed, "Damn it!"
"Well, in that case," Chris shrugged, "Johnny and Quinn, you each get marshmallows. Gwen, you're also safe. And the next marshmallow goes to... Sunny."
Duncan and DJ's jaws dropped, and the two looked at each other nervously.
"And the last marshmallow goes to...
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"... Duncan!"
"What?" DJ groaned, "Aww, man!"
CONFESSIONAL: Quinn
Yeah, the more I thought about it, the more I realized DJ was a huge threat. If it ever came down to a vote, he'd definitely win, and I needed to split him and Duncan up.
END CONFESSIONAL
"Crap. Later dude," Duncan sighed, "I'm sorry we couldn't go to the finals together."
"Don't worry about it, man," DJ smiled, "I managed to beat twenty one other people, that counts for something, right?"
"Yeah, it does," Duncan smiled, "good luck, man, I'll see you when the season is over."
~o.0.o~
After the elimination ceremony was over, Chris headed into his cabin to get all the materials he would need.
"Okay, time to end this," Chris told himself.
"Oh, I couldn't agree more," VIA chimed in.
TO BE CONTINUED
(Okay, like I said, a bit in the short side, but this chapter was really more to set up the next, which is when everything reaches a head. Also, two things.
I'm sorry if you had difficulty finding this chapter. My account was broken into, and all my stories deleted, so as a result all the favorites and follows for this story were removed.
Second, I want to make it perfectly clear I didn't get the whole "blow up the island" idea from Pahkitew Island. Normally I wouldn't feel like I needed to justify myself like this, but I'll be honest, Pahkitew Island is one of the worst professional cartoons I've ever seen. If you like it, cool, but gods did I hate the new season. Anyway, the next chapter is going to be huge- don't miss it!)