Ticket here, welcome back to "Man versus Machine!" We'll see the fallout of last nights hectic Tribal, and that major play to even the odds. Plus, someone's game gets called out for what it is. The fun, or "fun" for other castaways never stops.

Enjoy!

(New) Man: Clank, Daisy, Dark Samus, Drax, Montgomery Gator, and Sektor

(New) Machine: Chun-Li, Cyrax, Megatron, Rick Grimes, Rocket Raccoon, and Silver Sonic

Thirteen are left. Who will be voted out next?

Man

Night 14

The six losers enter camp once again, and lean their torches on the torch tree. The last time someone tried to pull a move like Clank, it worked. Fight for Fiji, The FaThree took a big shot at the Roku. Blu was taken out.

This time, Sektor had a great counter.

Clank approaches Sektor and has one thing to say.

"Smart move. What gave it away?"

"I waited for the Kylosian to break." Sektor responds.

Sektor: I assume the opposition is playing the best they can. Their best move was to put it on the "safest" of our group, so when Drax showed his cards, I had an easy counter. That gator was too obvious of a guess.

Drax slumps down by the fire. "I am a fool."

Daisy sits by his side. "You can't keep a pokerface forever."

"You were just disappointed."

"Well it is what it is. We're not in the doghouse yet." She responds.

Daisy: We've been in the doghouse, and it sucks that Drax is blaming himself. I did for like, two minutes, but we couldn't have seen that coming! For all we know, Sektor already planned it. He's a computer come to life!

Drax sighs. "We've always said we'll come back stronger tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come."

"That's a cool quote." She responds, grabbing the flint. "But we'll make it come."

Drax grabs the machete to assist her. "Words of wisdom."

"I just thought it was good advice."

Drax: I didn't know about the Mighty Gazelle, but the robots gave him a finger on the throat.

He slashes his own.

Drax: Now here we are. Three against the world.

Later in the night, everyone's laying in the shelter. Daisy's out, Clanks almost there, and the three robots are basically powered off. Drax leaves the shelter and heads out into the night.

"Going for a tinkle." he mutters, walking past a few trees..but he hears a rustling. He swings around, and sees a raccoon chilling on a branch.

"You don't gotta let the world know you need to piss."

"Rocket. Aggravating as usual."

Rocket jumps off the branch, and gets welcomed with a fist bump. "You know why I'm here."

"How did you get here?"

"I have my ways." You couldn't be more cryptic, raccoon. "Has Monty been a pain in the ass?"

"He's calmed down. It can't be this easy, he's going to start again."

"Can't duck you forever." Rocket kicks a twig to the side. "Anything else important here?"

"He's with Sektor and Samus. Sektor used one of those idols and got Gazelle. It's a matter of time before they chase Clank." Drax spills.

"He's one of the smartest we got. He'll find a way to force a tie. You two just have to do what he says."

"So we're his pawns?"

"No, its cause if he goes, they'll come for you next." Rocket explains.

"That's..fair."

Rocket: After a nice swim ovah here, Drax gave me everything. It's only fair I did the same. Rocket playing fair, I know.

"The three people we got

"Are we honoring it?"

"Depends on what they do at merge." Rocket admits. "If they try pulling a fast one, we'll move quicker."

"Ahh.." Drax shakes his head up and down. "Strategy."

"Fun isn't it?"

Rocket: If shit hits the fan, I gotta get Drax to side with me over our humans. He's been with 'em two weeks straight, so why not start now?

The raccoon reveals the information on his new tribe. Megatron's an outsider, Cyrax and Silver Sonic trust him, and the three people are tight.

"I'm gettin' ready for the turf war. Once Megatron's done all hell's breaking loose." Rocket reveals. "Your team got a head start."

"We can win. Megatron has put himself into a corner."

"Let's hope you don't end up the same way."

In Drax's confessional, he's next to that same tree Rocket climbed.

Drax: A war is coming. I'm ecstatic at the sight, all my bottled anger is useful…but this isn't a normal war where I can devastate my opponent. I care for these people. Rocket's one of my best friends, I've known him for years. On the other side are my friends from Man, we've struggled together too. Either way I go, someone will feel the sting of betrayal.

Man

Day 15

Despite what went down yesterday, camp life isn't dead for the new tribe. Clank, Daisy, Drax, and..even MONTY are sitting on shore together.

There's nine squares, and Clank marks an "X" in the middle. "Nobody's beaten you in this game till now." Monty cracks a smirk, and makes his move.

He marks an "O" at the top right corner. One diagonal out for Clank. "Your move."

Clank places an X at the left corner. He's one more away from a win, but it's obvious to Monty, who blocks that off, by marking on the bottom right. "Nice try."

Clank places an X on the left center. He has two ways to win: place an X on the bottom left, or place one next to the center.

Monty sees the situation he's in. "Awww shit." He places a O at the bottom left, but Clank wraps it up..with an X at the center's right.

Drax gasps at the brutal combat. "He put him in a lose-lose. Is he a god?"

"He used the strats, I gotta respect it." Daisy responds. "My turn."

The gator gets to his feet. "You got me." He actually..offers his hand? Clank doesn't hesitate to take it. "I'll teach you about double threats tomorrow."

Monty: It's so..damn weird how we all just get along now. Nobody's been screamin' like they used to, hell im chillin' with the alien that came for me first! I give it a few hours before the show goes on.

He heads to the sidelines as Daisy steps up next..or rather sits down. "Bring it on!"

"I'll let you go first this time." Clank surrendering his first turn, let's see where it goes.

As the two compete in lethal warfare, Drax and Monty watch.

"..that was a solid effort. Couldn't stop his Double Threat though." Drax with a..compliment?

"Hey man that..now wait a damn minute."

Drax just stares. "Compliment."

"For real? That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"It feels weird to me too." Drax admits. "Why aren't we fighting?"

"Don't feel like it right now."

"I'm always up for one."

Monty sets a hand on his shoulder. "Don't."

Cut to a Drax confession.

Drax: When the politicians went away, the rest of us played. Don't know where they went, maybe looked for an idol, but that gator stood back. It's odd just standing next to him, and speaking civilly.

Drax is right, because Sektor and "Samus" are looking in the forest as a pack. They always replant idols after they are used, so

'Samus' rips a branch off and uses it to poke up a tree. "They know how long we've been gone."

Sektor tosses a loose branch aside. "We won't leave empty handed."

"We can force a tie."

Sektor turns to his ally. "We'll still force one, but a merge is coming soon. If we make it there, it's a free pass after Megatron leaves."

Dark Samus just stares. "You sure we shouldn't use him?"

"He's too destructive to be kept around."

"I'm well aware…thanks for your vision."

"I sense sarcasm." Uh oh. "I see what you are looking to do, but if he he can't improve, he won't be salvaged.

It's taking everything in her, but all she responds with is. "Ok."

"Don't take it to heart." Sektor says, digging through a bush.

"Nothings been taken."

Dark Samus gets a confessional.

Dark Samus: Sektor loves to explain what I already know…Cyrax must be having a blast away from him. I have no choice but to tolerate him. He's my only chance at getting to merge, after that I don't care what happens with him.

Machine

Day 15

On the new machines tribe, four are sitting cross-legged in the sand. All of Man, and Cyrax himself.

"Let the positive energy flow through you.." Ulala whispers.

Besides that, it's dead silent. For three of them, it's another, much needed moment of peace.

Ulala: We're still on the road to recovery. Losing another one would set us back, but when I told Chun, she said we should relax. What better way than this?

A butterfly flies into their session. It flies past the humans, and lands on Cyrax's head. He watches as it crawls all over his head, but he doesn't swat it away.

"Hello, small creature." He whispers.

Cyrax: This journey has shown me another side of myself. Getting a break from the others is raising my mental health.

He gets to his feet. "Any of you have a thirst that needs quenched?"

"Me." (Ulala)

"I do." (Chun)

"Then I will return."

He heads out, leaving the three alone. What a nice trip to the well, sure hope nobody interrupts it. When Cyrax reaches the well, he pulls that bucket out.

Stomp.

Stomp.

Stomp.

He picks up on the footsteps and turns to see Megatron. "We must discuss the next step in our plan."

"Our plan? You haven't made any plans with me since the swap."

"This one benefits us." What's he cooking? "We need to rally against man. If they make it to merge intact, they can snatch the numbers and run us off. Knowing who's on the other side, our tribe is tearing itself apart."

Cyrax shakes his head. "You've burnt many bridges already."

"Put that aside! If we don't take one out, we might as well hand them the game."

Cyrax tilts his mechanical head. "Why are you so focused on tribal lines? You could be making amends with our new residents."

"They'll reject me."

"The road to Ponderosa is paved with assumptions." Cyrax hits back. "You look so lowly on humans that you smell your own odor."

Megatron grits his metal teeth. "Do you three want to lose?"

"We let our biases go. You cannot. That's why you are where you are, and we are where we're at." Cyrax hitting him bluntly. "What you did to the sack creature was brutal, but your inability to apologize tells me, and them all they need to know."

Megatron huffs. "Am I supposed to let them run me over?

"You refuse to learn."

"I refuse to lay down."

Cyrax just turns around and scoops water into a few canteens. "Laying down is in your best interest. The bigger you are, the harder you'll fall."

"You want me to surrender for what? So you can pretend you enjoy their company?"

"Who said it was pretend?" Cyrax asks, tightening a lid. "This is a social experiment at its core, most can't fake their feelings."

"You have access to all the knowledge in the world, yet you can't see you're at the bottom. Disappointing." Megatron, not making it better for himself.

"You figured out Silver's origin, which none of us knew coming in. That was impressive. You know what isn't? Killing your own game. Do you expect to win on immunities alone?" Cyrax asks. "I'm looking to assist you, but you're turning me away."

"Then assist me..in toppling the other team."

Cyrax's eyes can't roll, but he feels like doing it. "Unlike your life, steamrolling doesn't work in this game. I can't save someone who can't save themselves." His canteens are filled, so he just leaves Megatron behind at the water well.

The Decepticon walks to the waterwell, and punches a brick out!

"He thinks he knows everything. I tried to warn him. But he wouldn't listen.."

Megatron: For a machine who's supposed to be logical, he can't even see the flaws in his own. Why would you let the enemy inside your base? Why not fortify it?

Cyrax isn't as angry as he is though, and heads back to the shore with Man's canteens. He hands them out one by one, and gets his credit for it.

"Did a bear jump at ya?" Rick asks, a smile on his face.

"My visit took longer than expected. But I was able to pass him."

"..Do I need to ask?" Chun cuts in, all four well aware of who it was.

"Your suspicions are correct."

She's just stone-faced. "He's doing it to himself."

"He would not listen to me." Cyrax spills. "Stuck in his own ways. He even stated that this trip was a strategic play. It's only common decency."

"Don't let him bother you. He can stay bitter." Chun has no mercy for him.

Cyrax: He claimed I'm tactful, but has no tact himself. He just needs to dominate every game talk he has. That's all he is focused on. It's not about finding a new side, or building bonds to get you further. It's about the Decepticons and nothing else.

Elsewhere, Silver Sonic's laying on a tree..or at least trying to. He doesn't look comfortable kicking his legs back. "Is this how he does it?"

"SILVER!"

He jump and falls from the tree. He just walks it off, and Rocket spots him. "The hell you doin up there?"

"Clearing my head for the challenge. It is inevitable." He admits.

Rocket's got his hands on his hips. "C'mon, you've only been hanging around for the game. We're gonna go rafting, tag along with us."

Silv huffs. "That's a slow process. I would rather discuss what we can do moving forward."

"Don't pull a Megatron, get outta bed."

"Ugh…" The Metal hedgehog brushes his body off.

"Can't stay in solitude forever." Rocket points out.

"I'll work on it." He hits back.

Silver Sonic: There's been a tweak in my program. Is this what it feels like to be invited? Hmph. Maybe I should have went to Scrapnik Island. Then I'd be prepared to interact with others.

Later, when the time actually comes to raft, there's three out there: Rocket, Silver Sonic, and Chun-Li. Who knows where the others went.

For now, it's all about them.

Chun's sitting there with a fishing rod, waiting for a bite. That camp has enough already, so why not take it easy? Who knows. "It's a slow day." She comments, no bite yet.

"I'll go down there myself." Rocket says, grabbing his spear and jumping into the water. That leaves Chun and Silver alone. A rare combination.

"I don't know much about you." Chun admits. "What brought you to Borneo?"

Rare personal question for the hedgehog. "After being a lackey I decided to come on and prove that I'm more. Other players have attempted to challenge me on that."

"Megatron?"

"Exactly."

Li nods. "It's like I told Cyrax. He can stay bitter, his tantrums aren't worth doubting yourself over."

"Much appreciated."

Li turns back to the ocean. Still no bite. While she's focused on fish, the robot himself remembers that discussion a couple days back with his own allies. If there was any moment, it's now. Right?

Cut to his confessional.

Silver Sonic: Rocket said I shouldn't bring up strategy, but it was the perfect time.

He makes his move. "We know Megatron's the outsider. It's in our best interest to align."

"..all six of us?" She asks.

"All six. The merge is coming. It's better we pick him off before he causes more chaos."

"We can work. Doesn't bother me."

Cut to her confessional.

Chun-Li: Out of everyone in that squad, I trust him the least. The other two will at least come and talk to us. He's quiet, quiet as hell.

Out from the water, comes Rocket with fish on his spear. "Three points. Should I go for four?" He asks.

"Do what you want. The tribe will be impressed if you do." Chun the instigator.

He dives back in.

We actually get a confessional from him.

Rocket: It was dead silent when I got up there. Silver, my guy, ask her about herself!

—-

We're seeing good and bad social play. Monty and Cyrax are trying on their tribes, while people like Megatron, Sektor, and Silver Sonic aren't. There's still a chance for them to improve though. Megatron and Sektor are the public enemies on each tribe, while Silver still has a little time left to try..even though Chun-Li may come for him later.

Cyrax and Rocket seem to be getting along with their three guests. We'll see how that ends up.

Next chapter features a Reward Challenge, and it's aftermath!