Chapter 31
After a week on Jamaica the Total Drama Jumbo Jet was finally back in the air with its remaining contestants on their way to the destination of the next challenge. It had been a little quiet since most people were sad about DJ staying on Jamaica when the show was over but he promised he'd write to them whenever he had the chance. Of course that was not the topic of tonight's conversation…
"Why are we in the loser class? We won last time or didn't lose anyway." Heather complained.
"Mr. Mophead didn't say much except that he needed first class for a special guest. Maybe he's bringing on a celebrity or something." Elliot grinned. "Wonder what sucker he had to bribe to get onto this deathtrap?"
"And he had to leave us all back here." Heather drawled. "Just perfect."
"Aw, relax guys, it's not the end of the world. Anyone want some Jamaican peppers?" Owen held some out in his hand.
"Owen, those will burn your stomach." Gwen pointed out.
"Not as long as I have this milk." Owen held up a carton of milk.
To prove his point he ate them and everyone watched as his face turned red.
"Hot, hot, hot!" He gasped before drinking the milk.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, I have to be anywhere but here." Alejandro said, walking out of the room.
"What's his deal?" Elliot asked.
"Maybe he dislikes funny." Duncan commented.
"He has a sense of humour." Courtney retorted.
Xxx
Confessional: Alejandro
"Aw, how many more of these episodes are there? It takes a lot to try to think around these losers."
End Confessional
Xxx
No one bothered to go after him, even after they heard him shouting.
"Did you hear that?" Courtney stood up.
"Sounded like Al!" Owen realized. "You think he's in trouble?"
"We can hope." Noah replied.
"Attention worthless passengers, we've been denied permission to land so you're going to have to jump."
This was met by everyone complaining about Chris' torture.
"And Chef may have miscounted parachutes."
"I'm paid to cook not do math!" Chef retorted.
"So you might want to light a pepper under your pants and grab one before they're gone."
Five minutes later almost everyone had a parachute except for two…
"Aw, life why do you hate me so?" Noah groaned.
A moment later and both Noah and Owen were screaming as they plummeted out of the plane.
Xxx
Surprisingly enough everyone had survived their descent into what Gwen had soon realized was London. After the last person landed which ended up being Owen and Noah landing top of the bus Chris had brought the host assembled everyone into the bus, except for one person.
"Wait, where's Alejandro?" Heather asked, realizing that she hadn't seen him anywhere.
"Yes, where is he?" Chris asked cryptically. "The answer? In a sec, but first…GUN IT CHEF!"
Chef slammed down on the gas and the bus moved at high speed.
"London, home to some wicked stuff." Chris started, holding a microphone to amplify his voice. "Big Ben, the London Eye, the sandwich stuffed with French Fries known as the Chip Buttie."
"I want some Chip Buttie please!" Owen spoke up.
"London's also home to Scotland Yard, the world's biggest crime busting outfit but there was one case even Scotland Yard couldn't crack. Jack…The Rippper!" Chris declared.
His voice had a desired effect as everyone, even Gwen, Dawn, and Elliot gasped in shock.
"The whacko serial killer who terrorized Victorian London. Today, you'll be tracking that bad boy down but be careful, Jack's also hunting you. That's why Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Hot is now shorthanded." Chris explained.
"What?! The Ripper got Al?! Not Al!" Owen exclaimed.
"Next stop, Tower of London." Chris finished.
"Do you think he's okay? Um, because that's a big advantage for us. Yay!" Heather said nervously.
"Yeah, yay!" Elliot smirked. "I'm sure he's fine, Heather. And if he's hurt it's probably nothing a hug and kiss won't cure."
"Wh-wha-what?!" Heather said, her cheeks turning red.
"AHA!" Elliot pointed at her. "You are so crushing on him!"
"AM NOT!" Heather turned around so no one could see her face.
"Well can I say that I know tons about the Ripper? I did a speech on him in Grade Six." Gwen smiled.
What no one but her closest friends knew was that Gwen had read up on Jack the Ripper when she heard he had been involved in spirit activity. When he started killing and no one could find him which led a group of Spirit Avatars investigating the killings. There were shocked to discover that Jack the Ripper was the spirit of a deceased human who become powerful enough to possess people and use them to kill with the hosts not remembering what had happened. Despite their best efforts the Spirit Avatars had yet to find a way to force Jack the Ripper to move on as any Method meant to stop him didn't destroy him but instead sent him into a dormant state that lasted depending on how powerful the Method was.
Andromeda had told Gwen this during her first year of training and the little girl had started studying up on Jack the Ripper and other famous killers, of course she made sure her mother never found out about this. It probably would have worried Elizabeth to see her daughter taking an interest in studying killers, not that she would think Gwen was obsessed with them. Gwen understood how protective her mother was and how she tried to be a 'cool mom' by letting her children do things most parents would be hesitant to let their kids try but even she would get nervous if she learned her daughter was reading about a whole lot of serial killers.
"Wow, that's actually useful of you." Courtney commented, surprised by what she said.
"The librarian said my fascination was morbid and sometimes down what offensive." Gwen smiled.
"Nice." Duncan smirked.
"Shouldn't we look for Alejandro? You know, just to make sure this isn't another scheme of his?" Heather spoke up, trying to cover up her worry.
"Let them look. Besides, he's fine." Courtney replied. "Get this, my Grade Six speech: the Tower of London."
"Wow, that's good to know." Gwen smiled.
Xxx
Confessional: Courtney
"Well, it looks Gwen will be useful in this challenge. I know she's an enemy and all but maybe I can use to her take down Heather and Duncan. I know Alejandro well enough to know he's fine but I can mess with Heather and probably get her on my side." Courtney smirked. "I'll take down Duncan after that and hopefully get Cody on my side. The prize money is mine and I'll make sure Duncan doesn't get a cent for using me!"
End Confessional
Xxx
The contestants were now standing outside the Tower of London with three guards standing behind Chris.
"Your challenge is to follow a series of clues through the tower complex, all the way to the Ripper's secret lair. Bag the criminal mastermind before he gets you, you win. Your first clue will be found during the changing of the guard." Chris said, holding out three bags. "And when I say change, I mean change the guards. Your clue is found in his uniform, so one of you has to strip him down to his gitch until you find it."
Chris smiled with sparkling teeth as everyone gasped in horror.
"Eew!" Lindsay squealed.
"Whoa! Strip a dude? I'm out!" Tyler declared.
"Me too! Daddy would kill me if he saw me doing this." Elliot agreed.
"Up to you, bro. A million bucks, all I'm saying. And while you're at it…" Chris held up a finger as a familiar chime was heard.
Everyone groaned, knowing what it meant.
Owen: Its creepy how they stand there
And don't even blink
I don't want to see his bum, all naked and pink!
Noah: Hey buddy
Can we bribe you to strip yourself down?
He held out a ten dollar bill while Owen held out some sushi he got from Japan.
Owen: Yum-Yum Happy Go Time Fish?
"Don't kill him you clown!" Noah smacked the fish out of his hands.
Elliot and Lindsay: No way we can strip them!
Daddy will freak!
Heather: And I'm allergic to uniforms.
"Okay, that's just weak." Gwen crossed her arms.
Duncan: Ain't going near that!
Those guys and their unforms
They just reek!
Heather: If we're going to find that clue...
Courtney: There's only one thing to do.
Heather: Force someone to strip him down!
Heather and Courtney: And sorry, Gwen, that is you!
"What?!" Gwen gasped.
Dawn: I can try
Team Amazon stared at her in shock.
Dawn: We are all children of nature
There's no need to be meek.
Ezekiel: This is sick, even for me, eh!
Lindsay: If we're going to find that clue
There's only one thing to do
Force someone to strip him down
And, sorry, Zeke that is you!
She pushed Zeke into the guard as the prairie boy yelped and fell back.
Noah: If we're going to find that clue...
Owen: There's only one thing to do.
Noah: Force someone to strip him down!
Noah and Owen: And Tyler, dude, that is you!
They pointed at Tyler who had a horrified look on his face.
Ezekiel: Hey, Lindsay, it's Tyler!
He was pointing at a picture of Tyler plastered to the guard's face.
Ezekiel: And I think he wants to strip!
Lindsay: Poor honey! Quick, get out of those things
And that will help I bet!
She started stripping the guard down as Tyler and Dawn got to work.
Gwen: Yeah we're gonna find that clue
Heather: We're doing what Chris proposed
Courtney and Elliot: Force someone to strip him down
Team Amazon except Cody and Duncan: Cause if we don't we're hosed!
Courtney: Totally ho-oh-Oh-oh-Oh-oh-Oh-oh-hosed!
"...I think one of eardrums got busted." Elliot said, rubbing her left ear. "Show off."
Dawn simply stared at the ground before pulling his right shoe off and a piece of paper fell out.
"Now that is lucky." Gwen remarked.
"There's no luck with me, Gwen." Dawn picked up the piece of paper and walked back to her team. "The guard's aura told me he was hoping that someone would pull his shoe off first to find the clue so I wouldn't have to strip him naked."
"How do you do that?" Cody asked. "Always knowing what everyone else is thinking?"
"It's easy...I have good eyes." Dawn replied with a smile as she handed the paper over.
Courtney took it and looked it over. "Quick, follow me!"
She took off with the rest of Team Amazon behind her.
Xxx
Courtney led her team into what looked like a medieval torture chamber.
"Oh my gosh! This is the very room Anne Boleyn before Henry the Eight beheaded her!" Courtney gasped.
"What is with the creepy deaths?" Heather asked.
"It's a medieval torture rack. Tie someone and stretch." Chef walked wearing a mask and holding an axe while laughing evilly.
"I volunteer Heather!" Gwen spoke up.
"I second that motion!" Courtney agreed.
"Hey!" Heather protested.
"What? You tried force me to strip that guy, payback's a bitch." Gwen smirked. "Who'd like to carry the motion?"
"For!" Elliot and Duncan raised their hands.
"Really, Gwen, is this necessary?" Dawn sighed.
"Maybe not someone has to do it." Gwen shrugged. "I don't see anyone else volunteering."
"I already went through that traumatic experience in Germany. So I'm out." Duncan stepped back.
"And look at it this way, if we lose you can't get voted off for trying." Gwen whispered in Heather's ear. "Plus we can't let anyone suspect our deal right now."
Heather wanted to argue but unfortunately Gwen brought up some very good points. A moment later Heather was strapped into the rack while Gwen was pulling the rope.
"If it makes you feel better I'm actually trying to not enjoy this so much." Gwen said as she turned the wheel.
Heather let out a scream as the rope stretched her limbs. "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE YOU BITCH!"
"Every cloud has a silver lining!" Courtney laughed along with everyone else.
Xxx
Confessional: Gwen
"I don't get it! Before Courtney was all mad at me for one thing or another but she's actually being...deal able. This is something I never thought I'd see and to be honest if I go over the edge and start making lists someone just rack me."
Xxx
Confessional: Courtney
"I never thought I'd day it but Gwen is not actually a boy stealing social freak after all. I know I'd said I destroy her and all but she actually might be innocent in Duncan's evil schemes. She might even be a good person to have on your side which is why Heather must have asked her for an alliance and not just because she has more than one friend. Too bad she doesn't stand a chance but she could help take Duncan down.
I can even imagine facing her in the finals. Obviously I'd win, she after all doesn't carry a list."
Xxx
Confessional: Duncan
"Oh I see what's going on. Courtney's getting all buddy with Gwen to get her on the 'Let's take Duncan down' club. Well, Courtney just so you know it takes more than being buddies to get someone on your side!"
End Confessional
Xxx
"STOP ENJOYING THIS YOU BITCHES!" Heather shrieked.
"Sorry, sorry, but come on, like you wouldn't do the same?" Gwen asked as she spun the wheel, stretching Heather's limbs further.
"THAT IS NOT THE POINT!" Heather retorted.
Fortunately she didn't have to endure anymore pain as the rack opened revealing the second clue.
"There it is!" Courtney pointed.
Gwen picked it up and read it over. "If your teammate can still use her feet bring her down for something to eat."
Courtney frowned in thought for a second before she realized what it meant. "The banquet hall! Back downstairs off the courtyard! Heather?"
Dawn had already untied Heather and the raven haired girl stood up stretching her limbs. "Please! I'm fine!"
Everyone heard a crack as she stretched that made them chuckle.
"At least tell me I look taller." Heather glared at her team as they walked past her.
"Oh yeah, you could be a runway model." Courtney said jokingly.
"That's a stretch." Gwen snickered.
Dawn put Heather's arm over her shoulder and helped her walk. A moment later they were staring through a window into the banquet hall which had jewels and food on a table.
"There is a bunch of what looks like jewelry cases on the table. I guess we go in and get one of them but can it be that easy?" Courtney asked.
"How about you two gal pals go in and check it out while we guard the door?" Heather folded her arms.
"Really?" Gwen asked with a frown.
"How is that fair?" Courtney asked.
"I'll show you fair! Have you even seen the rack marks on my ankles!?" Heather snapped, actually managing to scare nearly everyone.
"Good enough for me." Duncan said as he followed Gwen and Courtney inside.
"Why are you coming?" Courtney frowned.
"Why not?" Duncan retorted as he stood next to Gwen.
'Oh no. Not this again.' Gwen mentally groaned.
"Oh come on!" Elliot said as she opened the doors. "No more couple drama!"
"It's a bad idea to stay separate Heather." Dawn pointed out. "Remember, Jack the Ripper will come if you're alone."
"It's just a phoney set up by Chris, Dawn. Relax and go help them out." Heather pulled out her nail file. "I don't want Gwen getting suspicious."
Dawn sighed and walked into the hall.
"Come on, come on, where's the clue?" Courtney rummaged through the box of jewels on the far left side of the table. "Gold toothpick, emerald coated toothbrush, what is with royals and their dentistry?"
Gwen looked behind everyone as her eyes widened. "Ask the guard dogs."
Everyone turned around to see around six very big and mean looking dogs growling at them.
"Oh boy! I hate when the owners sick their pooches on me!" Duncan hid behind Gwen.
"They are very hungry and they believe they have found dinner!" Dawn shivered as she stepped back.
"Nice doggies." Cody nervously stuttered.
"Is there anything round in there?" Gwen asked.
Courtney pulled out a sphere painted gold and blue in it and tossed it at Gwen. She held up the sphere for the dogs to see. To the surprise of everyone the dogs stopped growling and looked almost...playful.
"That's right, follow the shiny ball. Now sit!" Gwen commanded.
The dogs did as she commanded and sat while still staring at the golden sphere. Elliot, Dawn, and Courtney cooed at how adorable they looked.
"So cute!" Courtney gushed. "How did you do that?"
"I taught my lizards obedience. I guess Corgis are just as trainable and inbred." Gwen remarked, twirling the sphere with one finger.
"Hey look!" Elliot pointed at the sphere.
The sphere opened slightly at the middle, revealing the next clue!
"The clue! The clue!" Courtney took it happily.
With the clue found they walked out of the hall victoriously.
"Hey Heather, we found the..." Gwen and the rest stopped. "Oh no!"
She spotted Heather's nail file on the ground and picked it up.
"I told her it was a bad idea to separate but she didn't want any company."
"One teammate gone." Courtney remarked. "With Alejandro missing that's a total of two people missing."
"Read the clue." Gwen said quickly.
"The Ripper's most natural place has two levels inside its space. Go use your sack to bring the guy back at the red starting line to the race." Courtney read it over. "Think, think!"
"Okay, okay! The Ripper's most natural place...I remember that I wrote in my speech that the Ripper did his dirty work in Whitechapel." Gwen replied.
"So we go there and we look for a two story place." Courtney realized.
"Cool, going to the scene of the crime!" Duncan grinned.
Xxx
"I guess I forgot that most of Whitechapel would be closed at this time of night." Gwen commented.
"And it figures the only thing open would be a punk club." Courtney frowned as they walked through the front door.
"I ain't complaining." Duncan shrugged.
"Welcome your number one cut throat punk band: Der Schnitzel Kickers!" A person announced.
"All right!" Duncan grinned.
"Come on, we have to find a killer here!" Courtney called out but Duncan had run around the corner and vanished into the crowd. "Oh, he never listens!"
"I'll go find him." Gwen volunteered. "I know how to navigate through a punk band."
"Fine, we'll go upstairs and check around." Courtney replied.
Gwen nodded as Courtney and the others slipped away. She snuck into the crowd and found an empty seat for her to sit down and watch the show.
'Is it just me or are going things going too smoothly.' Gwen thought.
'What makes you say that?' Andromeda asked.
'I don't know. Maybe it's my paranoia kicking in but when Chris start blabbing about Jack the Ripper I was honestly afraid that something weird would happen. Last I heard they still haven't found a way to put the real Ripper to rest.' Gwen said.
'True but he should be dormant by now and we always have an Avatar on standby just in case something like that happens around here. The good news is that Jack the Ripper's spirit is unable to leave London because of his connection to it.' Andromeda replied thoughtfully. 'All we need to do is collect your teammate and leave. Carlos and the others should be here in the city by now so expect a Dimension Seal Method to be cast.'
'Oh yeah.' Gwen had almost completely forgotten about them. 'The Inferno Hunter, Carlos and his spirit, the Flaming King of the Inferno, showing up here. Maybe that's why I'm on edge.'
"Hey there."
Gwen looked up as Duncan sat on the other chair across from her.
"I was wondering when you'd show up." Gwen remarked. "Are you trying to get me killed?"
"What do you mean by that?" Duncan asked.
"Standing next to me while Courtney is around, agreeing with me on most subjects, and now this? What the hell are you playing at?" Gwen narrowed her right eye.
"I just want to get away from Courtney, all right?" Duncan shrugged.
"Just that? Please...you and Courtney have gone over the edge, now you're just pissing each other off for the hell of it." Gwen replied.
"And you don't get why?" Duncan retorted.
"I have said it before I am not involving myself in this. Why is that so hard to believe? Courtney's even stating to lay off on trying to destroy me." Gwen shook her head.
"That's her acting, wanting you to lower your guard so she can strike." Duncan reasoned.
"Well...it's obviously pretty good acting." Gwen leaned back on her chair. "Why can't you just let it go?"
"Because when Courtney holds a grudge she holds it for life. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life cowering in fear. I should have just quit in Egypt." Duncan grunted.
"That would be the smartest and dumbest thing to do. Chris would have been on your trail like a bloodhound in an instant." Gwen stood up. "Come on. Let's meet up with the others and find the Ripper."
"Okay, but first there's something I need to do." Duncan headed for the back of the stage.
"Come on." Gwen sighed and walked after him.
She followed him backstage where the dressing rooms where but when she managed to find him again he was walking out the back exit.
"Oh no you don't!" Gwen ran after him. "Come back here!"
As she ran outside the door to the dressing opened and Duncan walked, out carrying a bag.
"All right..." Duncan snickered as he looked inside. "Who needs an autograph when you've got this?"
"Duncan!"
Groaning he turned around as the rest of Team Amazon led by Courtney came around the corner. "Where have you been?!"
"Getting some souvenirs." Duncan hid the bag behind him.
"Come on, we have to find the Ripper!" Courtney exclaimed but stopped and looked around. "Hey, where's Gwen?"
"I don't know, I thought she was with you." Duncan pointed at her.
"She went after you while we searched the second floor for the Ripper." Dawn replied. "Perhaps we should check the concert and see if she still there."
"Yeah, it's not like the Ripper will get her in the middle of a crowd." Elliot reasoned.
However no matter how long or hard they searched they never found Gwen in the concert. They even walked outside expecting to find her but she was nowhere to be found. Eventually they were forced to head back to the plane despite protests from Cody and Elliot that they should continue looking. It didn't matter as they came in last place anyways.
Noah and Owen had managed to capture the Ripper who had been hiding in the very bus Chris had gathered them on before the challenge started. And Cody was shocked and terrified when he saw who it really was...
"SIERRA!?" Cody yelped and hid behind his team.
Sierra was dressed in a black cloak while a top hat had been used to cover her face but she looked very different from before. Maybe it was because of the black lines coming down her face showing that she had been crying and the tears mixed with her mascara.
"Yep, we hired Fanzilla to play the role of the Ripper by offering a chance back in the game if she didn't get caught." Chris explained. "Too bad since Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Hot managed to capture her and win the challenge."
"Whoo-Yoo/Yay!" Noah and Owen cheered.
"Yes, it's a good thing you did win." Alejandro said, glaring at Noah.
The bookworm chuckled nervously when he realized that Alejandro had heard every word Noah had said about him being a slippery eel.
"But where's Gwen?" Cody asked.
"That's a good question little man." Chris frowned. "We saw her talking to Duncan on the cameras in the concert but she chased after him and went out the back way."
"I never talked to her." Duncan crossed his arms.
"I know, we have you on camera stealing from the Der Schnitzel Kickers' dressing room." Chris replied.
"You did what?!" Courtney glared at Duncan.
"Uh...Chris?" Chef pointed at the screen showed the camera that was recording the back of the club.
They saw Gwen walk out of the back of the club and into a deserted alley.
"All right, Duncan, come on out." Gwen said irritably as she walked down the alley. "We got a challenge to win after all."
That was when someone wearing the same kind of cloak Sierra wore landed behind Gwen and punched Gwen in the back of her head. Everyone gasped in shock as Gwen lost conscious and fell over. The cloaked man picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder and walked out of the alley.
"That wasn't Sierra!" Chris gulped.
"Nu-huh!" Chef shook his head.
"We got to go back and get here!" Cody shouted.
"We can't! They threatened us to leave or be locked up!" Chris started pacing. "Oh boy! Oh boy! If she's hurt or killed I'll be sued so badly! Chef, get as many interns on the horn as you can and have find her!"
"On it!" Chef pulled out his phone.
"Will she be okay?" Lindsay asked, holding onto Tyler.
"Sure, why wouldn't she be?" Tyler chuckled nervously.
But everyone, even Heather was worried and wondered if Gwen was either dead...or worse.