Chapter 20: Day 15 — Eye for an Eye
*COCKLE DOODLE DOO*
*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
"Six eggs? Is that normal?" Vegeta asked.
"Who cares," Hassim said. "We have food to replace the rice. We run out today."
"The bananas have gone bad too. And there's no new bunch ," Sugar said.
"And the goat is falling fast," Vegeta said. "I'll start fishing again since I ate it all. See about getting coconuts off the red side of the beaches."
"Sentimentality aside, we are still on the red team," Hassim said, "If they get too sick and we lose the next elimination challenge, we're done."
"No. I'm done," Vegeta said. "If that happens, mutiny and join the blue team. Use what you've watched me do to get them back on their feet and crush them. I'm sure between the Kentucky Colonel and the Easter Bunny, you two can get them chickens and eggs at least."
"Easter Bunny?" Hassim asked.
"What?" he looked at Sugar Petal. "They are small, adorable and make eggs magically appear in the morning."
She looked down and blushed.
"They also bite, kick and have surprisingly sharp claws. Don't ask me how I know that… "
Sugar looked up, surprised.
"Are you alright with that nickname?"
"You never asked me that," Hassim protested.
"You're a grown man. Get a thicker skin," Vegeta said. He turned back to Sugar Petal, "Are you ok being called that?"
She was silent for a long time.
"Sugar Petal?"
"I like bunnies, Mr. Vegeta."
"Good. You guys eat. I'm going to murder fish. Don't be surprised if only two ATVS pull up." Vegeta grabbed the spears and left.
"That's good…" Sugar said. "He needs to eat. I know he says he's used to it but it's not good for him. He needs more than us."
Hassim looked around the camp. "He definitely has put in the effort to keep us comfortable." He looks down at the blue bag. "So you want to cook those up?"
"Cooked eggs will go bad while uncooked lasts a week. Let's save some for dinner."
"So, two or three?"
"Three."
The sun had fully come up over the horizon when the six crews came to the Blue beach. They were surprised to see a large fire at the exit to the ATV path.
"I think that's your job, Randy," Tom said.
"Ok, get the cameras out and ride up," Randy ordered.
Vegeta did not even look up from devouring his current victim when the ATVs rolled up.
"A little early even for you," Nathan said.
"Tell that to the chickens," Vegeta said between swallows.
"Not taking anything back?" Randy asked.
"I will," he said. "I've barely eaten in two days. Shut up."
"Ok, Nathan you guys stay here. We'll continue to camp," Randy ordered.
His and Jackie's teams ride off.
"So then… What's on today's agenda?" Nathan asked.
"Going up top and giving Sugar Petal her spa day. Hassim will want his lazy day too, but Sugar is my priority."
"And you?" he asked.
"Get a bunch of soap plants. Make the blinds for Sugar Petal. More fishing. Need to set up that second filter yet. Give Sugar her bracelet I finished last night. I have an idea for more jewelry. See if I can talk her into it."
"You can't even take a lazy day yourself, can you?"
"It's your own saying that 'idle hands do the devil's work'," he swallowed. "Trust me." He glared up at him, "You want me distracted for the current bullshit." Vegeta savagely tore into the next fish.
The two heard the ATVs come up and had the back gate open for them when they arrived.
"Good Morning everyone," Sugar said smiling.
"Good morning, Sugar Petal," Randy said.
"I'm sorry, but we have already eaten," she said, "Food is low. So, we only had eggs with moringa leaves. But we held a mask as we cooked so you will have some nice video."
"That's better than nothing…" one of the cameramen said, annoyed.
"Sugar Petal," Randy started. "I've been told today would be the last day for your medications?"
"Yes?"
"Then we will need to take your watch back when we leave tonight."
"I… I understand," she said, hanging her head. She turned around and walked back into camp.
There, they saw Hassim packing away his cooking utensils and other gear in one of the backpacks.
Hassim looked behind him, "We'll be packed to head up shortly."
"Take your time," Randy said sitting down on the bench, "Vegeta won't be back for a while. I think he's trying to eat every fish in the ocean," he added chuckling.
"Yeah… I bet he could," Hassim said flatly while everyone else chuckled.
"What's wrong, Hassim?" Sugar asked giggling.
Hassim paused thinking about the revelation from their previous conversation about his religion's food.
"You try cooking for him sometime," he redirected the question.
Everyone laughed again.
Eventually the group heard the low rumble of an ATV crawling along.
Vegeta walked into camp holding a shark skin gathered into a bag. "So, everyone ready to head up top?" he asked, tossing the skin onto the bar. It fell open showing a few other skins and jaws, plus the machete in its holster.
Sugar noticed something wrong with the jaws. "What is wrong with those teeth? They are all bent and sideways?"
"Not all sharks have pointy teeth. Pointy teeth eat fish, these sharks eat crabs."
"Wow, Mr. Vegeta! You know everything!"
He chuckled, "No. I just manage to not fall asleep during a boring educational program waiting on the annual festival to the African Flying Sharks."
"There are FLYING SHARKS?!" Sugar Petal screamed terrified.
"In Africa, yes."
"Wait… Do you mean Shark Week?" Nathan's cameraman asked.
"Maybe… but I only know of one festival celebrating flying sharks."
"So, what are you going to make? They can't cut or make drills?" she asks.
He smiled, "Jewelry. Imagine a string of these flanking a pendant."
Sugar Petal covered her mouth and gasped.
Hassim put his hands on his hips. "So, when do I get my necklace?"
Vegeta looked at him surprised. "YOU want a necklace?"
"I would like a souvenir, and I'm sure everyone else will too when you parade Sugar out like a peacock."
Vegeta looked him up and down. "I'm just copying the type of jewelry my mother wore. You're going to need to be rather specific in what you want."
"Wait, so you're literally treating Sugar Petal like a queen?" Randy asked.
"Yes," Vegeta turned around and faced him. He crossed his arms. "And after everything, I think she fucking deserves it!"
Randy pointed his finger up, "That's a good edit theme. I need to report that to the producers."
Vegeta rolled his eyes, "Whatever… I got palm trees to massacre. Lady's first, Hassim. You'll get your soak after." He grabbed the machete.
Sugar stopped him from leaving again by walking in front of him. "Oh! Mr. Vegeta! You remember when I said sleep on it?"
"Yeah?" Vegeta said unenthusiastically. He was mentally planning how to sneak near the Red beach.
"I had one! I was in the water looking up, and I saw a net holding all the stars above me."
Vegeta blinked as her words actually penetrated his thoughts. "You mean like a circus tent?"
"Yes!"
Vegeta looked over at the net pile. There was not much left.
"6 by 10, braiding ropes…" he began doing the math in his head. "We might be able to pull that off, at least for the clean water part. But I'll worry about that. Just enjoy today."
Vegeta walked around her and into the Hive. He came out with a massive roll of small vines that had been braided into cords and left out the front with his camera team in tow.
The blue team stopped their conversations when they saw the crews set up to film a landing. About ten minutes later, a surprise face came off the boat.
"Bob?!"
"What the hell happened to the camp?!" Bob shouted, surprised.
"Long story," Casey said. She hugged him. "Welcome back."
"I can see why we were let go early," he said looking at the large ash and debris pile. "How much survived?"
"The producers only left us with the original kit. They smashed and burnt the rest," she said.
"Wait… The producers did this? What the hell happened?"
"Protecting Sugar Petal from sexual harassment by Jason. One of Vegeta's crewmembers was fired on the spot for intervening too. We haven't heard any other news. But before you blow up about them being here… "
Bob raised his hand, "Just, just stop…" Then he formed his fists. "Where's Jason?"
"Transferred to the red team," Daisuke said. "It was a risk, but Casey thought of a malicious compliance that got Jason transferred. But Bob, Nick mutinied and left after they burned the camp. Vegeta refused to take him and he's with Michael."
"So everything is destroyed and we're a man down," Bob said, crossing his arms. Then he smiled, "I'm proud of you guys. But it sucks that Nick is gone. I assume I'm not the only one who was thinking he was the next vote out?"
"Yeah…" Jerry said. "This next vote is going to suck…"
Bob sighed and pinched his eyes closed, "I got an earful from Ichiro. He was actually part of hurting Sugar Petal. Apparently, Michael convinced the team to torture her until she was medevacked so they could save the first vote for Vegeta."
"What?!" everyone shouted at once.
He opened his eyes. "He beat her. Starved her. Looked on as she was dragged into the water and held under like something out of my torture training in the Army," he shouted. "I don't care how much he personally hated Vegeta going into this. Waterboarding an innocent girl is not a compromise over the first vote out!"
"And with Nick over there, the red team is now 5-3 against Vegeta," Jerry said. "If we win, Vegeta is out. But if we keep losing, those people are one step closer to winning."
"I've been thinking hard about how to utterly decimate them…" Bob said. "But Nick being over there, that complicates things… As much as we like Vegeta, sacrificing Vegeta would force Hassim and Sugar Petal to mutiny. Then we would have the numerical advantage going into the merge."
"And the other ideas?" Jessica asked.
"Either convince the three of them to join us now or riskiest of all, have some of us join him to give him the voting advantage."
"Gutting us by three people would really hurt," Jerry said. "But I don't think we would even be allowed to do that. You didn't see the hell storm when our camp was burned. The producers were at each other's throats and security fired their machine guns in the air."
Bob's eyes widened.
"And the fact we were punished and Vegeta's producer was literally hogtied and dragged into the boats means Vegeta's on knife's edge with them," Casey said. "Sugar Petal was only allowed to stay if she gave up her rights to any rewards. She's only here to avoid the penalty at this point."
"So people on the red team are torturing each other and the producers are firing guns as well," Bob said. "Christ help us."
"I'm going to get a lot of hate for this when this airs," Jamal said. "But growing up I was told if I saw something to just cross the street and keep walking." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "We're practically in the middle of a gang war now with both gangs self-destructing at the same time. I mean who ever heard of attempted murder and gun shots on The Last Survivor. Man, I don't even care about the money anymore."
"I… Have to agree with Jamal," Jessica said. "Now that the guns are no longer metaphorically out, our job right now is literally survival." Her face hardened, "I did not get blackmailed on the lives of everyone I know and dragged halfway around the world only to be shot dead by my captors."
Everyone looked at her.
"That's… way too close to the mark to feel comfortable," Jerry awkwardly chuckled.
"We'll be rebuilding camp for the next few days," Daisuke said. "If we focus on that, keeping our heads down until either team swap or merger should be easy."
Bob walked over to the new shelter. It was built much closer to the tree line, and although less ambitious, looked surprisingly sturdier. Jessica probably designed it off what she was familiar with or Casey was copying Vegeta. Poles dug into the sand. The palm roof was done and the two sides that were up were woven bamboo strips instead of palm leaves like the first. The others were completed, but on the ground, while two bamboo platforms were being put in on opposite ends.
"Putting the beds in?" Bob asked.
"Yep," Daisuke smiled walking up. "All the pieces are made. We just need to put them together once the sun moves. Jessica didn't want us getting sunburned since they burnt our clothes too."
"Yeah," Jerry said, "let's get back to the shade. It feels like we're on the surface of the sun."
"Now that I got my stone edge remade," Jessica said. "I'll get started on the shirts."
"No you don't, workaholic," Casey said pushing her towards the trees, "Water and siesta. This is dangerously too hot. We have to be over 100 heat index."
"Or what everyone else on the planet calls 40," Jessica corrected.
Vegeta could hear the ocean waves as his group neared the beaches. He turned to Nathan and his group. "Stay hidden please. I'm going to only cut from the trees farthest from the water then lower them down quietly with the rope."
Vegeta then walked up to a tree, staying hidden in the shade, and climbed up. He then tied the cord around several of the leaves. Vegeta cut them off at the base and lowered them down. Not the quietest of operations, especially with the handful of coconuts falling, but it was far better than the last time.
It was probably sometime past 9am, and the heat was picking up fast. Vegeta did have as much as he wanted, but if he could keep the crews from filming from the ends, this would be enough for two long sides.
Vegeta was about to tell the crew of his plan when he heard talking. He looked and saw four people walking up the small beach through the holes in the trees.
Vegeta dropped to the ground.
Nathan and his crew did not even need to be told at this point. Nathan and the technician also dropped down. The cameraman ducked behind a tree, unable to crouch because he could scratch the lens.
The group stopped almost directly in front of them in the sand. It was Ichiro, returned from exile island, and a camera crew. They began questioning him, and it became obvious this was a confessional.
"I really feel sorry for Nick," Ichiro said, "He came over here looking for a way out and judging from the upgraded shelter, the stone tools and everyone talking about all the fish he brought in, he more than pulled his weight for those lazy asses. I mean, you guys are supposed to tell us when we walk out of bounds since we're not on an island this year. So, him not being told then getting kicked off because of it is pretty messed up. I know the contract said you can do anything to us minus shooting us in the head, but it's not fair."
Ichiro then looked towards the trees, worrying Vegeta for a moment.
"After spending the day with Bob, it's tempting to mutiny and head to their team, but I don't feel comfortable giving Vegeta any more leverage." He looked back at the crew, "But Bob was right about something. If we wanted to get Sugar Petal out of the game, we should have simply thrown the first game instead of pushing her into a medical evac. Might try talking Michael into throwing the next game ourselves, but instead of targeting Vegeta, we vote Sugar Petal out. Then Vegeta loses his motivation to cause crap and if he does any vengeance, he'll either get thrown out of the game or we vote him out next."
"And if he mutinies and joins the Blue team?" the crewman asked.
"Once they have to deal with him constantly, they'll vote him quick. He's dangerous in every sense of the word, and from what Bob said, they don't need him for anything. Vegeta's a target no matter what."
*fuzz* "Hey Nathan! What's taking Vegeta so long?" *fuzz*
Vegeta grimaced.
The group jumped. "Who's there?!" their field producer shouted.
"Just us," Nathan said, raising his hand in the air. He slowly stood up. "Come on guys."
The technician stood and the cameraman came out from behind the tree.
"Why were you guys-"
"Where's Vegeta?!" Ichiro demanded.
Vegeta jumped to his feet. "Right here, asshole."
"What are you doing here?"
"I was cutting palm leaves until you interrupted us."
"You were spying on us!"
Vegeta pointed at the rocks next to them. "I am literally at the farthest point from your camp. Pretty crappy spying spot since you can't even see your camp from here. Isn't that why you came out this far to give you confessional?" Vegeta crossed his arms, "And I think it's a perfectly reasonable behavior to hide in the bushes when the last time you interacted with someone, you were attacked with a machete. Sorry you're so butt hurt I overheard your machinations, but life isn't fair, is it?"
Vegeta smiled seeing Ichiro make the 'kryptonian face', as he called it. "But I'll trade you one machination for another…"
"I'm not voting out Michael!" Ichiro pointed at him.
"Bob obviously convinced you Michael is a Satanist, -"
"But he's better than you!"
"I'm here because I'm getting blackmailed on my honor," Vegeta said, pointing at himself with his thumb. "I don't give a shit about this game." He dropped his arms to his side, trying to relax and look non threatening. "I've spent the past few years trying to learn the ways of this world so I can be a man my son can look up to. Humans do NOT work a person to death with no food and only diseased filled water. And only a small amount of that water at that. But Michael did. And he manipulated people who would NEVER do so into doing it as well. If, I wasn't here-"
"Yes. Yes, I would turn on Michael!" Ichiro shouted, pointing at him. "But you ARE here. And I would rather risk Michael winning than work with you on ANYTHING!"
"Then go join the Blue team. You can fuck both of us there."
"And give you the advantage in the fire tiebreakers? Hell no!"
"Play the long game. I'm a target. Fuck the red team and take me out after merger."
"You've been cultivating alliances with the blue team this whole time! Only way to get rid of you is before you can call that favor in."
"You're acting like I gave them an offer they couldn't refuse. You're the one kissing Michael's ring."
"Shut up!"
Vegeta's facade began to crack. "You do realize the producers have every incentive to never allow anything about where I come from into the final broadcast right? All the people you're competing for will only see you siding with a man who tried to kill a girl against the man who saved her."
"Then I'll just explain to my kids who you are!"
Vegeta was fighting his instincts to start screaming. "I'm a citizen of this planet and now a full fledged member of Earth Special Forces. I did not destroy East City. The man who did I executed for disobeying orders and I have the special forces as witnesses. And since we first had to fight alongside, I have been an indispensable ally. Whether you like it or not, you are breathing because of me. What you are counting on is the worst of humanity coming to your rescue. That the hatred and bigotry that has plagued your species will rise up and-"
"This isn't about racism! This is about morality!" Ichiro shouts back.
Vegeta dropped the act and crossed his arms, "You know, there's a saying I've heard that fits this situation. 'You can't crucify yourself because you can't drive in the last nail.' If you want to throw yourself on your self-righteous grenade, that's your own business. But keep little Sugar out of it!"
"She shouldn't even be here even worse than you!"
Vegeta straightened his back like an arching cobra, "For your sake. You better mean not being on this game than not being alive." Vegeta turned around grabbed the palm leaves, cord and machete and stormed off through the bushes.
Ichiro immediately hurried back to the Red camp.
At the Red Camp, Michael and Sam were trying again to get the fire going.
"Come on…" Michael said frustrated. "This damn thing worked before."
Sam stopped rubbing the sticks together. "I… I need a sec," he panted.
"Hey Michael!" Ichiro came striding into camp. "Vegeta was over cutting palm leaves when I went for my confessional."
"What?! What happened?"
"After a short argument, he left with what he already cut."
"And you didn't do anything to stop him?" Michael said angrily.
"With what? We don't have a machete anymore while his group does. I'm not some professional fighter to go up against even a normal armed man, let alone HIM."
Michael took a calming breath through his nose. "Ok… Ichiro, can you help Sam with the fire? I'm going to check on the baked potato."
Ichiro took Michael's place with the plow while he walked over to Becky resting in the shade on the rug.
"You awake for once?"
"Yeah, what do you want?" she asked not moving.
"Ichiro caught Vegeta cutting palm leaves again. He's building something."
"Another late night, tonight?"
"Maybe. Whoever is Vegeta's new boss keeps shouting over the radio. Let's see what we can get today before we make any solid plans."
Vegeta came back to the camp, and it was deserted. He walked inside and climbed into the tree house. He came back down holding a bone comb and grabbed two of the water buckets. He then climbed the nearby tree and filled the buckets with soap bark.
He walked to the stream, and bristled seeing the bridge still up. Vegeta went into the stream and grabbed the top made of lashed, alternating pieces of dragon bamboo. He carried it to camp and leaned it against the Hive. After retrieving the two sawhorses, he made his way up the hill.
As he entered the clearing, the heat was in full force. But so was the wind.
Vegeta saw Sugar Petal working on the fishing net. She and Hassim seemed to have brought the whole thing up plus the two half machetes and other tools in the backpacks. It was laid out across the clearing and Sugar was weaving long leaves and strips of some type of bark into the wide net.
Vegeta dropped the palm leaves and buckets, "I tell you to take it easy woman, and I find you working?!"
"Is that all you were able to get?" Hassim said, frustrated.
"Thank Ichiro for that," Vegeta said storming over to the large shelter, "We have enough for the two long sides. As long as you bastards don't film her from either end, she can strip and have a REAL bath." He walked over and grabbed several large stones and the bamboo frames he made yesterday and set them next to the trough. Once the frames were secure, he turned to Hassim. "Ok, Hassim. Do your thing."
He walked over to Sugar Petal with the buckets. "Ok. This is the soap bark we talked about. It is used to make shampoo, so it makes lots of suds. And don't get it in your eyes. It burns. When you're done, step out of the water and use the buckets to dump clean water on you. Make sure it runs into the dirty water half. Ok?"
"Yes. We brought the clothes you found. Hassim and I are going to wear those while we dry. Wait… is that a comb?"
"Yep. Carved it a few days ago."
Sugar Petal's face reminded him of when his son got a giant chocolate bar as big as he was for his birthday.
"So, what the hell are you doing with the net? I'm the workaholic here. You're supposed to relax."
"Well, I took the bark off the branches Hassim got for wood today. Then there's the leaves from the fan palm leaves. I think I got it big enough to shade the water now."
Vegeta looks over the rubbish threaded through the net. It looks big enough, probably only needed another few feet for the overhang of the tent. "Looks good. Let's get your bath ready."
Sugar left the shelter and slipped her sandals back on. The two quickly helped Hassim tie the palms for the blinds. Afterwards, Sugar gave the watch to Vegeta, grabbed two of her Hawaiian shirts and the two buckets.
"Ok!" Vegeta shouted, "Camera crews choose a side! You're going to be there for at least an hour."
"Hassim, where are you going to be?" Jackie asked.
"In the big shelter."
"Ok, my crew on the right side!"
"You staying over here, Randy?" Nathan asked.
"Yes," he said, laying in the other shelter. "Your team head over with them… My team on this side!" he shouted.
Once everyone was in place, Sugar took her things and walked behind the screens. She stripped naked and put her legs in the water. It was warm, but it had been baking in the sun.
For the first time in two weeks, she reverently lets her hair out of her pigtails. Her hair was so matted, it would not even lay flat. She carefully gathered a section of her hair and slowly began to untangle it before putting the comb through it. Afterwards, she braided that piece of her hair to keep it out of the way as she took the next piece. It took a full half hour to untangle her hair that now reached well down her thighs.
Sugar Petal put the comb aside and slid into the water. She leaned back, dipping her head under the water and wetting her head. She then took the bark and started scrubbing.
The sun was blaring overhead. The air was now raw humidity making the breeze useless. Hassim was sprawled out on one side of the shelter. Vegeta was sitting up finishing weaving vines into the shading net. He did not want to waste any more on rope. Crewmembers had been on rotation under the shelter as well. Currently it was Jackie and the two technicians.
"What time is it now?" Hassim asked.
Vegeta looked at the watch. "11:48."
Suddenly Vegeta heard a crack of thunder and practically shot through the roof. "How far away is that?!"
Jackie pulled out her cell phone. "It's out over the water. It won't be coming ashore." She put her phone away. "We all know you're paranoid. But we'll tell you if there will be heavy rain."
"You ok in there, Sugar Petal?" Hassim shouted.
"I'm dumping water on myself! Almost done!"
"Finally," Hassim sat up.
"She's a woman. Be patient," Vegeta said.
Sugar stepped out from behind the screen. She had taken her Hawaiian shirt, slipped one arm in the sleeve, wrapped it across her front and around her back, then slipped the other arm into the final sleeve.
Everyone silently stared at her.
She curled up and stepped back. "What… What is it?"
"I'm sorry," Nathan said, waving his hands in front of him. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just you look so much older without those pigtails. It's really shocking."
"Yeah," Hassim said. "You look like 27 or so with your hair down. Adds like a decade to you."
Vegeta nodded, "I think you shouldn't put your hair back up. Or at least not in pigtails."
He stood. "Physical presence is a huge factor in how people perceive you." He walked over, "In one of my battles to defend this planet I faced off against a father and son. I had just barely survived the son and was about to faint to be honest, but I stood tall, put my cocky ass grin on and hammed it up." He stopped in front of her, "He fell for the bluff and ran. If I hadn't pulled that off, the human race would be extinct."
Vegeta smiled, "You look strong without those shackles in your hair. You're an adult now. I think it's time to embrace it. This is who you are, not some kawaii doll."
"I- I'll think about it," she said softly. "Your turn Hassim!" she said walking around Vegeta, "I left the other shirt as a drying towel!"
Vegeta sighed in frustration.
Hassim grabbed one of the shorts and walked behind the screen.
"Remember not to get it in your eyes!" Vegeta shouted.
Hassim made quick work of his bath and came out in the shorts. Vegeta roared in laughter. "You look ridiculous! Like that dancer from the wall hanger commercials."
Hassim walked over holding the shorts up with one hand and the soaking wet towel shirt in the other. "Yeah. I can't even tighten these enough to stay up." He dropped the towel. "So, how long will it take to wash the clothes?"
"I think drying is more of the issue. If I could use my ki they'd be dry instantly. I also think you wouldn't like smoky clothes from a fire."
"I can watch a fire," Sugar said.
"Let's see how it does on its own, first," Vegeta called over to her. He turned back to Hassim, "Cut some vine and make yourself a belt at least."
Vegeta walked over to the screens. He took the rocks off the bases and propped them back up against the carved wall. He then headed over to the outlet he blocked with stones and removed them. Water gushed out.
"What are you doing?" Jackie got out first.
Vegeta jumped in the water and began splashing the water out. "Getting rid of the dirty water. It will refill by tonight."
It takes several minutes for Vegeta to empty the section because he was being filmed. Then he grabbed all the clothes, shoved them into a backpack and started down the trail. Nathan and his crew followed.
Hassim walked over to the large shelter and laid down.
"Wind is back, now," Sugar said.
"It's probably because the barriers are gone."
"Hey Hassim?"
"Yeah?"
"Do I really look like I'm 27 with my hair down?"
"Yeah. You do. I'll confess, I've been seeing you as nothing like a child and couldn't understand why Vegeta was treating you like an adult. But you are more mature than you let on, aren't you?"
"…Answering that would breach my music contract," she answered after a long pause.
"Don't let Vegeta pressure you into doing something that could cost you your job," Hassim said. "He doesn't seem to understand a lot of things."
Sugar turned her head to look at him. "I think Vegeta understands things better than you give him credit for. Just like you thought with me." She looked back at the roof, "I don't know many things. My whole life has been one locked room to the next. Every second planned out." She closed her eyes, "Total obedience. Instantaneous obedience. Anything less than perfection punished." Emotion cracked into her voice, "Vegeta understands MANY THINGS."
Hassim sat up startled. "Sugar Petal." He tried to touch her arm.
"No!" she pulled her arm away. She scrambled out the back of the shelter. "Don't touch me!" Sugar Petal disappeared into the grass and bushes directly behind the shelter.
"Sugar wait!" Hassim tried to go after her, but his pants slipped off. He looked down and tried to pull them up, but when he looked back at the bushes, she's gone.
Sugar Petal scrambled up the hill in her bare feet. She could hear the crunching of sneakers behind her.
"Where did she go?"
"I don't hear anything."
"I can't see through the grass."
"God damn that girl."
"Sugar!" someone screamed, "Keep heading to your right! Nick got kicked yesterday for wandering out of bounds!"
"Don't encourage her! Sugar! Stop and come back!"
She did not stop, but did start drifting to her right. Soon, the six-foot grasses and brush turned into small diameter bamboo and short trees. Then she walked into a break in the canopy.
Banana trees. Dozens and dozens. Tall and proud, unlike their short trees.
Sugar Petal walked through the overgrowth looking for one with ripe fruit. She continued up the hill and found a path freshly cut through the undergrowth.
"Blue team has been here," she thought. Then she heard voices. Sugar ran deeper into the overgrowth.
"Did you hear that?" Jessica said.
"Probably a loud bird…" Daisuke said. "So back to voting out Bob, Jerry is on board. You would make three."
"Leaving Bob, Casey and Jamal. Three on three."
"What feelings do you have with Jamal? Casey is a no go for sure, so we need to sway him."
Jessica looked towards the trees, then down into the Amaranth patch.
"What's wrong?"
"Something doesn't feel right…"
Sugar Petal tumbled down the cliff into the muddy river below. She surfaced coughing and gagging and grabbed onto the brush she just cartwheeled through. She looked up.
It was easily 15 feet, but the loose dirt and the plants barely attached to it meant there was no climbing back up here. She wanted to shout for help, but it was the blue team that would answer. She could not face them after she cost them everything. She started to cry, but stopped herself.
She wasn't a child. She was an adult. She looked like an adult. Her appearance had been smothered just like her personality. Grown in a box like square watermelons. Her grandmother was an unquestioned matriarch in life and now revealed to be her ancestral guardian in death. Her parents disobeyed her and died in the North. Her parents wanted her to submit to Michael and her teammates to the point of obeying their decision and accepting her death, and by inference, her owners at the record label.
Sugar saw something colored drip with the water across her left eye. She touched her forehead and her fingers came back red. He then touched the area in her hair that really hurt above her eye. It came back soaked. She did not panic. She had head injuries before as a child in the North. Even small cuts bled a lot. It might need stitches, but she was otherwise indifferent. She thought of her grandmother again, and what the left side of her face looked like under the eye patch that was more of a mask for the upper-left part of her face.
Sugar Petal came to the conclusion that her grandmother cut her scalp to remind her of that fact and give her courage. She was not a helpless child. She was a woman. She would need to apologize to Hassim, but for now, she made her way downstream looking for a safe place to climb up.
Copying her grandmother's stories of hiding in wood debris down the Amnok river, she stepped out a few feet from the bank and leaned on her back. The current picked her up and took her downstream. It was barely moving outside the main current channel, but it was faster than walking.
Jessica and Daisuke had filled their basket with plantains and were preparing to start heading back to camp when their crew's radio lit up.
*fuzz* Blue crews. This is Red 9. Sugar Petal ran off after a confrontation and we've lost her. She was heading towards the plantain grove. Over. *fuzz*
The field producer grabbed his radio. "This is Blue 6. We are currently filming in the grove. We have not run into her. Over."
*fuzz* She's quieter than a mouse when she wants to be. You sure you haven't heard anything? Over. *fuzz*
"Just a loud animal call from the river about 15 minutes ago. Over."
*fuzz* "You mean the CLIFF BY THE RIVER?!" *fuzz*
Jessica and Daisuke dropped their baskets and ran up the hill.
"Wait!" the field producer yelled, "It's hidden by the trees!" The crew ran after them.
Vegeta jerked his head violently towards Nathan overhearing his radio. He stopped rinsing the clothes and stood up. He looked downstream, then panned across the opposite bank. The crew recognized he was not looking at the bamboo.
"Is she ok?" Nathan asked.
"Yes. Her presence is lucid and completely calm." He lowered his brows. "And focused and determined." He looked at Nathan. "She's moving too fast to be running. I think she's floating down the river."
"… I can't call that in…" Nathan said. "You'll get kicked off for using your powers."
"Then ask them to search the river. If she fell in, the current would have washed her downstream."
Nathan picked up his radio. "If she fell in the water, she would have been swept downstream. Get the boats over there!" He took his finger off the button. "You're 100% sure she's alright?"
"As far as I can tell without telepathy, yes. But with how fucking weak minded you all are, I'm not going to use it while she's in the river."
"What do you mean 'weak-minded'?" the cameraman said, offended.
"You people get dizzy over basic conversation and pass out over a superficial reading. I can't believe there are humans so frail."
Nathan put his hand between Vegeta and the cameraman. "There's no reason to get upset here," he sighed. "Contestants are supposed to be honest with the cameras."
"I've always heard," Vegeta raised his hands and made air quotes, "Voices", he crossed his arms, "when around my own race. But any actual training in mind reading and telepathy I learned here, from HUMANS," he stressed. "I have NEVER met a human that got ill. I didn't even think it was fucking possible until one of your mercenaries fainted."
"Security forces are not mercenaries," Nathan said.
"Potato. Tomato. Only difference I see is which side of the weapon you're on."
*fuzz* Send over a boat! Daisuke and the cameraman are in the water. They don't report any injuries, but there is no way to climb up anywhere close to here. *fuzz*
The blue team, that had been gathered around the radios, glanced at each other. Then they all jumped up and ran down the beach.
"And the camera?"
"Wet but physically intact. No clue about the footage."
"Tsk. I didn't think this show aired on Saturday mornings," Vegeta deadpanned.
"It doesn't. Why?" the cameraman said, but Nathan and the technician stifled their laughs.
Nathan facepalmed, "Because people keep running off of cliffs…"
Up at the plantains, Hassim, with Jackie's crew, burst out of the grasses and weeds.
Jessica and the blue crew turned around and saw Hassim in his oversized shorts held up by a vine around his waist.
"What the hell are you wearing?" Jessica asked, picking her jaw off the ground.
"Vegeta found a suitcase in the mangroves," Hassim said, jogging over to the edge. "Are you guys ok?"
"Yeah we're good," the cameraman said, holding the camera above his head.
"I can't pull you up, but do you want me to get some vine rope to pull the camera up?"
"No, it's safer like this," he answered.
Hassim looked at Jessica and the remaining crew. "I am so sorry. I don't know what I said to set her off. She just started crying and ran."
"What were you talking about?" Daisuke called up.
"About career advice Vegeta had given her. He's-" he paused. "He is not the best source to get advice from… And leave it like that."
"He's a violent brawler?" he asked.
Hassim's eyes widened and jaw dropped slightly. "Wha… What makes you think that?"
"Besides his behavior and having a personal security handler, the fighting stance he took when they burned camp. Jerry and I know a brawler when we see it. He was two seconds from exploding the whole time."
Sweat rolled down Hassim's face. "He... He… He… Yeah... H-He exploded afterwards."
"If you guys ever feel unsafe, feel free to join the blue team," he called up.
"Oh, no. It's nothing like that. We're perfectly safe. Don't need to like someone to get through this game, do we?"
"We'll if you need anything, the invitation's always open."
"Vegeta ordered us to mutiny to the blue team when he gets voted out. He's the other camp's number one target."
Jessica and Daisuke looked at the crew members.
"Don't look at us. We can't tell you anything about the other contestants," the Blue team's field producer said to Jessica.
Daisuke looked at the cameraman with him in the water. He became nervous, even a little scared, and looked away avoiding eye contact.
Daisuke's got goose bumps on the back of his neck. He looked back up the cliff, "And Nick? Maybe he can join and make it a split vote for a fire challenge?"
"Nick got disqualified. We're 4-3 again."
"Nick's gone?" Jessica asked, startled.
Hassim nodded.
"Oh, poor Nick! That lawsuit…"
"Why don't you talk to Vegeta about the three of you joining us right now?"
"Vegeta doesn't want to risk losing the camps he's built for us. He's made two now, and honestly, we're very comfortable right now."
Jessica gasped. "Two? Was yours destroyed too?"
Hassim looked at Jackie, "Am I allowed to say?"
"No," she shook her head.
"Hey Hassim?" Daisuke called up. "Why don't you help Jessica carry our stuff back to camp? I'm sure someone is on their way here, but that doesn't mean you can't meet them halfway. You'll have a camera crew this time too."
Hassim turned to Jackie, "I don't mind. I can join Vegeta afterwards at the stream."
"I don't want to risk you guys after what happened," she said.
"What about the other team? They are just sitting at camp with no one there."
Jackie picked up her radio. "Hey Randy. Hassim just had the idea of your team filming the guys in the water since their camera got destroyed."
*fuzz* "Why don't you stay there and send Hassim back to camp, instead." *fuzz*
"Is that an order, Sir?"
*fuzz* "Hassim can stay there, come here, or go find Vegeta. You stay there." *fuzz*
Jackie lowered her radio. "So? What do you want to do?"
"I'll head back, then…" He looked down the cliff. "You guys take care."
"We will. Thank you," Daisuke said.
Hassim nodded to Jessica and left back through the grass.
At the Red Beach, the four were gathered around the small but catching fire staring at the three producers standing in the distance holding their radios.
Michael was twirling a small stick in his fingers. "Whatever is happening. They don't want us to know about it."
"We know Sugar Petal fell off a cliff into a river," Becky said. "The bitch is either dead or getting medevac out."
"Let's not jump to conclusions considering the LAST TIME she fell off a cliff," Ichiro glared at her.
"And the bitch deserved it."
Michael raised his arms, one palm facing each of them. "Ok, that's enough! Ichiro, go take the new spear and try to get some fish for dinner."
Ichiro grabbed the spear and headed into the water. He stopped when he was chest deep and glanced back at camp. Looked like a three-way argument was starting up again for Kami knew how many times today since he returned.
"Then go join the Blue team. You can fuck both of us there."
Vegeta's words about joining the blue team crossed his mind. He shook it off and dove into the water.
As she floated on her back, Sugar Petal watched the cliff lose its steepness, but not its height. Then she spotted it. Bamboo and trees growing up a much gentler hillside. But she also noticed the current pulling further away from the bank.
She floated a few more minutes before rolling over to swim to shore. She discovered a large sand bank built up against a large flat rock jutting far into the river. She began to walk into the shallower water, but it was almost quicksand. On her first step her leg began sinking rapidly but she got herself out before she sank to her knees.
Instead, she doggie paddled with her hands touching the sand over to the rock. Here, she found that the submerged part of the rock underpinned the sandbar and she only sank half way up her calf before hitting solid ground.
Sugar Petal laid down on the sunny rock. With gravity in full force, she began feeling the full force of her bruises. She was very sore, but she didn't notice any problems moving. After resting for a few minutes, she sat up and looked at the hill behind her. It was almost a straight line between the barren dirt of the hillside face and the start of the forest. Ground water was leaking out here, covering the hillside with a sheen of mud.
She then noticed all the animal tracks. It looked like a slip and slide. The mud and sand only left imprints on the bottom half, but there was a clear path from the top to the bottom. And there was a large streak of mud coming from the water onto the rock. Animals had been using this place to play, sliding down the hillside then climbing onto the rock to go back through the bamboo and trees.
Sugar Petal stood, walked to the edge of the rock, took off her wrap and spent several minutes wringing it out.
A large log gently floated in place across the river near the opposite bank.
She did not notice it suddenly submerge.
Sugar Petal turned and put the wrap back on as she walked to the trees. She climbed up. At the top, she discovered a walking trail of compacted dirt hidden in the tall plants. She followed it across the ridgetop and discovered steps terraced into the slope as it finally started to dip down.
Then she heard the loud scream of outboard motors. She carefully peaked through the plants and spotted two boats racing upriver.
"Wait. Stop the boat! Stop the boat!" Conner yelled.
The boat slowed down. The others sped ahead before noticing and turning around.
"What's wrong?" the medic asked.
He pointed at the rock, "Isn't this the perfect place to climb out of the water?" Conner pointed upstream, "Other boats, go pick up the others. We're searching here."
The other boats turned and raced off.
Conner's boat pulled up to the sandbar and he climbed onto the rock. He immediately spotted the bloody handprints, footprints and a smear. "We got bloody prints! She's been here!"
The three medics and the film crew climbed onto the rock. There were a few hand prints, a small blood smear and footprints leading from the smear to the trees on the hillside.
"Grab the backboard and come on," the lead medic said, running over to the hillside. He began climbing.
The two medics grabbed the backboard and the others helped get it through the trees.
They emerged on the trail.
"This isn't on the map I was shown," Conner said.
The field producer grabbed his radio, "We found evidence where she climbed out of the water. She's bleeding. The old fisherman's trail is still visible. Get medical teams to the old dock. We'll try and intercept her.
*fuzz* "Get a medical team to the old dock. We'll try and intercept her." *fuzz*
"I thought you said she was ok?!" Nathan shouted.
"I said she was calm," Vegeta retorted. "Whatever cuts and scratches she has are not enough to worry her. If she was seriously hurt, she'd be panicking."
Sugar Petal entered a clearing at the bottom of the trail. She was near the mouth of the river and could see the tidal flats and what looked like bamboo and plastic in the distance. She walked over to the water through the short grass and saw old tree stumps with rotting ropes tied around them with their ends dangling at the edge of the water.
"Boats can land here," she concluded. She sat down to wait until the boats returned.
Soon, she began to hear people calling her name. This time, she did not run.
"I'm over here!" she shouted, waving, not knowing exactly where the voices were coming from.
"She's down there!"
Sugar Petal turned and saw several people running down the trail towards her.
The medics got to her first and began unpacking their kits.
"What hurts?" the lead medic said, putting his gloves on.
"All the blood is from the cut in my hair," she said. "I'm just a little sore otherwise."
"Ok, let us see. We will need to get you out on a backboard when the boats get here to be safe."
"Ok," Sugar Petal sat down.
The medics took distilled water from their packs and rinsed her hair. "There it is. Wow, no wonder there was so much blood. This is going to need staples. It's stopped bleeding on its own. Let's wait until we get to camp to clean it. We don't have enough here to break it open again." He turned to the producer, "Call in she has a bleeding head injury and to get the X-ray machine warmed up.
The field producer grabbed his radio. "We found her at the dock. She's bleeding from a head injury. Get X-ray ready for arrival. Over."
*fuzz* "We've retrieved the others. Medics see no obvious injuries but want both screened. Over." *fuzz*
"Wha… What does he mean by others?" Sugar stuttered.
Conner saw the fear in her face. "Two searchers just slipped into the river," he said trying to minimize it, "No harm done. Just stay calm and let the medics do their thing."
The lead medic placed gauze on the cut and wrapped it in place, "Ok. We need to get the neck brace on you then bet you onto the backboard. Ready?"
"Ok."
Just then the boat returned and grounded itself in the shallow water.
"Ok, everyone. Let's move and get her out of here!" he shouted orders.
After the second boat took off with Daisuke and the cameraman, Jessica grabbed the basket full of plantains and made her way down the path they cut with Jackie's crew plus the blue crew's surviving members in tow.
"So, what are you thinking right now?" the blue field producer asked Jessica.
"I'm worried about little Sugar," Jessica said. "First, she almost dies because of something the Red team did to her, then SHE gets punished for being the victim of Michael and Jason instead of them, and now she falls off a cliff. These have been the two weeks of hell for her. No wonder she's clinging to Vegeta…"
"What do you mean clinging?" he continued.
"Any other person would have gone to exile island. But she gave up the money just to survive the next couple weeks."
"You sounded disapproving of Vegeta when you said his name?"
"Vegeta is protecting and supporting Sugar Petal, and it sounds like that won't end after the show. I'm happy she found him."
"You don't sound thrilled at that thought?" he continued to press.
Jessica turned around and confronted him. "Why do you keep pressing on Vegeta? What ILLUMINATING revelation do you think just happened?"
She adjusted her baskets and pointed at him with her newly freed hand, "I care about Sugar Petal. Vegeta does. Ichiro doesn't. Casey could actually be right and Vegeta's some pyramid-building alien that used psychic attacks to drop that guard. I don't care. Whatever those two brought into this game will last after this game and is their own problem."
She points at the ground, "I'm worried about the here and now. And right now, we have a sheltered little girl who was told by her uncle and her managers this was a singing competition who has almost died twice now plus whatever Michael did to her at machete point while YOU GUYS JUST FILMED!" Jessica turned around and stomped down the hill.
"You ok Jessica?!"
The Blue team rounded a corner in the trail and came out from behind the bamboo and trees.
"We heard you scream," Bob said, leading the group.
Casey pushed past him. She hugged Jessica, "Oh Jessica are you ok?"
She hugged back. "Yeah, just worried about Sugar Petal." They separated, "Daisuke wasn't injured that he noticed."
"Good. Hopefully it stays that way," Bob said as Jamal stepped around him and took the basket.
"Hassim came out of the bushes after Sugar Petal," Jessica said. She looked over at Jackie, "That's why there is a red team camera crew here." She looks back at the group, "Nick's been kicked off."
"What?!" Bob and Jerry shouted as everyone else gasped. Casey put her hands over her mouth and looked away, "Oh Lord Jesus, no…"
"What the hell happened?" Jamal asked.
"Hassim didn't say."
"Bet it was Jason. That son of a bitch," Casey said.
"Would the contract forbid fundraising to pay that off?" Bob asked.
"Almost 100% sure, yes." the blue producer said, "And any of you giving money would fall under sharing prizes."
"Damn it…" Bob said. He ran his hand down his face. "Well, we can't do anything here… Let's head back to camp and wait for Daisuke. It's getting way too hot away from the beach."
"Yes," Jessica said, "I think it's better we all talk about what else Hassim said about the red team with everyone there."
"Ok, now that there is another crew, we will be heading back to Vegeta's camp," Jackie said, turning around. She waved her arm back up the hill, "Ok, let's go!"
The cameraman turned off the camera and the three headed back up the path.
"Why are they heading back up the hill?" Jamal asked after they were out of earshot.
"Hassim said they have a second camp now. Jackie shot him down before he could say anything."
"If they are heading up the hill, that means it would have to be in the common zone."
"Let's just get back to the beach and talk there," Casey said, starting back down the trail, "Bob's right. It's too damn hot."
Vegeta entered the original camp with the wet clothing in the backpack.
"Wow, it's actually a little cooler down here," the technician said.
"Asphalt effect?" Nathan shrugged confused.
Vegeta entered the hive and placed the backpack on the floor. He headed over to the steps where the clothesline pieces were lying on the floor underneath. He came out and began to set it up.
"You're not taking it up the hill?" Nathan asked.
"Do you really think those two want their underwear filmed for the world to see? It can dry just as well down here." Suddenly Vegeta jerked his head towards the south.
"What's wrong?" Nathan asked.
"My son's energy spiked. He's not emotional though, so he's not throwing a tantrum."
"Is that good or bad?"
He looked back at him. "If I could talk to my family, I could find out. But I'm not allowed to use telepathy," he said with a sarcastic bite. Vegeta looked back in the direction of the resort. "He is at the age for tank removal. If my genes are finally kicking in, I need to stop the games and convince Bulma to let me get him in the GR."
Then Vegeta's eyebrows lowered. "Nathan, I need you to call the resort."
"Why?"
He looked back at him and raised his fist to chest height, "Because my family is in full panic mode. That's why! Trunks isn't with them! He's run off again! Yamcha is the closest, send him after him now!"
Meanwhile at the resort…
"Give me back my fucking scouter right now!" Bulma screamed.
The security guards were holding her back.
"Mr. Reynolds, please we do really need those back," Panchy pleaded.
"No. These are clearly communication devices and are contraband."
"If my son dies, I'll kill every last one of you before my husband even gets the chance!"
"Look you," Dr. Brief said, letting his anger crack through his friendly façade. "Scouters are not just alien walkie-talkies. They are used to scout, measure and track biological signatures. We don't know how to track energies naturally, so we need that equipment to watch my grandson. He's a runner and has run hundreds of miles in less than a minute!"
"We're on an island," Reynolds said, "If you cannot keep track of your child, we are not liable."
"You will be when it comes out you took those from us?!" Bulma shouted.
"We've already had this discussion, Mrs. Bulma," Reynolds smiled.
"And what discussion was this?" Dr. Brief seethed, already guessing blackmail. This wasn't his first rodeo over exploiting Vegeta's identity.
*fuzz* Crew 17 calling HQ, over. *fuzz*
Reynolds picked up his radio. "This is Reynolds. What is it, over."
*fuzz* Vegeta claims to have the passive ability to sense people's locations. He says his son has run off and is a long distance away. The closest person to him is Yamcha. Over. *fuzz*
*fuzz* "Contorta calling Mr. Reynolds! *fuzz* a panicking voice screamed over the static. *fuzz* We have an immediate situation. We found a toddler over here. No clue where he came from and we can't get him to answer our questions. He keeps talking about playing with birds." *fuzz*
Panchy collapsed to the ground. "Oh, thank God they found him," she cried into her palms. Dr. Brief knelt and hugged her.
A shaking and frightened voice came over the radio. *fuzz* Ahhhhh, Mr. Reynolds? Th-The new guy you set over just grabbed the kid and went up… h-he hasn't come down yet. *fuzz*
A few seconds later, Yamcha landed holding Trunks in his arms. The boy is perfectly dry, even his shoes.
"I found him!"
"Trunks! What the hell did you think you were doing?!" Bulma screeched.
Trunks was caught by surprise and started to cry. "I… I play birdie Mama!"
"I don't care what you were doing! Do not do anything Daddy and Gohan can do without Daddy here until we go home! Got it?!"
Trunks cried harder and put his face into Yamcha's shirt.
"Here, I got you sweetie. Come to Nana," Panchy said, taking him from Yamcha.
"Mom, don't comfort him!" Bulma shouted.
While they argued over the crying toddler, Yamcha noticed the scouters in Reynolds' hands.
"Mr. Reynolds," Yamcha said firmly. "You NEED to give the scouters back to the Briefs. Trunks is a runner and can run hundreds of miles in a split second. It doesn't matter if you're watching him. He will just vanish right in front of your face. Those are used to track him. Vegeta's not here and you've moved me to Contorta. Unless we're deliberately paying attention, we're not going to notice right away."
"Or I can send the boy and his grandparents' home," Reynolds smiled smugly. His face soured, "Now. Vegeta had his team call in about 'sensing' his son was missing, and I've heard that word several times now. What is it?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like. Being able to sense where people are. It's like radar, but with people." Yamcha put his hands up, "Let me finish. Once you learn it, it's always on so it's not an active skill like telepathy. It's like hearing sound. It's always passive in the background." He lowered his arms, "Vegeta and I weren't actively hunting for Trunks' location, we just eventually noticed he was a good distance away from his family, which is bad. I flew directly there and Vegeta had his camera crew radio it in."
"So, there is no way to order Vegeta to stop using it?"
"Might as well tell him to stop breathing," Yamcha retorted.
"Get back to your post. Now!" he barked.
Yamcha glared at him briefly before turning and flying off.
Back at the camp, Vegeta sighed. "Ok… He's back with his mother." Vegeta continued setting up and hanging the clothes.
*fuzz* Tell Vegeta his son has been located and returned to his family. *fuzz* Reynolds' voice came over the radio. *fuzz* And tell Vegeta, even if this is a passive ability that can't be turned off, to ignore it and do not act on any information he gathers. Over. *fuzz*
Did you just hear that?" Jerry whispered to Bob. The two are in the rear directly behind the field producer.
Bob looked at her and then down at Casey leading the way. "Don't tell Casey. She's already being obsessive over Vegeta."
"Still think everything is fake? If it was smoke and mirrors, the producers wouldn't be taking this seriously."
"Still. Don't tell Casey. We don't need her to mutiny to go on a wild goose chase, even if she catches the goose."
Jessica was in front of the producer and heard the conversation behind her.
"Is Vegeta really enlightened enough to do what I've been working towards for a decade?" she thought. "No… He's too off balance. But something is definitely wrong with him… If that empty dark sensation is his energy, then that swirl was him using it on Sugar Petal. That could be why he has rules specifically for him. But if that's the case, why haven't they come after me?" She looked towards the river, "I can't sense people very far away, but if that was him, I felt him miles away." She looked forward at Casey. "And here I was saying we should keep our distance from the red team… I… I should talk with Daisuke after this before I do anything."
The sun said it was close to 3 p.m.
Vegeta was sitting in the large shelter working on beading. Hassim was pacing in the shadow of the finished netting. A call came over the radio, *fuzz* Sugar Petal has been cleared to return to the game. Randy, send one of your crews to meet her at Vegeta's main camp with Sugar's original clothing. She's been given temporary ones. The golf cart will be there in 20 minutes. *fuzz*
"Oh, thank Allah," Hassim said, dropping to his knees.
"I told you she was fine. Get up," Vegeta said, putting the jewelry down. He stood up, grabbed her sandals and walked to the path. "Stop being a drama queen and come on."
Hassim grabbed a backpack and followed.
The two men and their teams made their way down the hill, Vegeta in the lead. "Don't be so weak around her. It was not your fault. From what you said happened, she let her emotions slip through the mask and she ran off. It's a completely normal response. I plan on praising her for recovering so quickly and calmly extracting herself from the situation. The little girl who came here wouldn't be able to do that would she?"
He looked towards his feet and envisioned Michael peeing in her mouth. "No… I guess not." After a few moments of silence, Hassim looked up, "But Vegeta, that is not a normal response. Not even remotely close."
Vegeta stopped and looked over his shoulder at him, "The distance between the collective delusion your race suffers from and actual reality is so vast no medications can hope to bridge it. She is completely normal, and would be considered so on every planet but this one." Vegeta turned around and refused to talk the rest of the way.
Vegeta waded across and set up the bridge. They entered camp.
Chickens were clucking and scratching loudly. The sound of the wind was still louder. It was clear from the area that branches and twigs were breaking and tumbling down to the ground.
Vegeta opened the gate and let everyone walk in before shutting the gate behind him. Hassim spotted and walked over to the clothes line.
"Still damp," Hassim called over.
Vegeta sighed, "Fine… I'll get a fire going."
"Let's just save that for tonight and bring the line up top for now?" Hassim said. "We can just give her another Hawaiian shirt until these dry completely. You said that's why you strung her bikini down here, right?"
Vegeta gave a mixture of an annoyed growl and sigh. "Sugar is a very modest woman. Not an exhibitionist like my wife. I thought she would appreciate her underwear not appearing in every televised shot."
Hassim thought of something looking at Vegeta, who was dressed in a skin-tight, long-sleeved black shirt and gray capri drawstring pants. "You don't like showing any skin, do you?"
"I only undress for my doctor and my wife, and only because they make me."
"I didn't ask about getting naked."
"I feel naked without my goddess damn gloves!" Vegeta said. "At least you're a race that considers clothes a necessity and not optional."
"Seriously?" several people said.
Vegeta gave a strangled chuckle. "Sksss, humph. Yea." He tugged at his turtleneck, "And I was the one in turtlenecks, as you call them." He let go and the fabric rebounded with an audible snap.
"And your own people?" Hassim asked.
"We wore clothes." He looked away. "Thank the Goddess..." he muttered. He looked into the fire pit. "I'm heading to the outhouse. Ash is getting a little thick." Vegeta announced as he walked to an undecorated side door and slid out to keep the mob of chickens racing around to that side of the camp.
Vegeta was scooping ash into a basket lined with leaves when the sound of crunching leaves and twigs made him turn around.
An ATV had pulled off into the banana grove while he continued to hear something spinning its wheels on the incline.
"Hassim! They're here!" Vegeta shouted as he went to the gate. Hassim quickly came out of the hive with a new shirt.
Vegeta opened the gate and saw an ATV and a new film crew already filming. Connor's golf cart had spun out with Sugar Petal in a hospital gown and a medic in the back seat.
Her head was bandaged.
"Just give up and walk," he called out. "Stop digging up my path!"
Conner sighed and turned around. "Backing up!"
Conner allowed the cart to gently roll back down the track. "Ok let's set this up again." He turned and drove back down the track before driving back up for the cameras. Then he got out and made a show of extending his hand and helping Sugar Petal off the cart and up the hill.
Vegeta moved aside and the three entered. The medic pointed and guided Sugar Petal to a chair. The new film crew gathered around as everyone else was ordered to stay back.
"Sugar Petal," Conner said. "You have no idea how happy we all are you survived your fall. And now you're ready to rejoin the game."
He stepped aside and the medic stepped forward. A cameraman moved in to film a closeup of the medic cutting the bandages. He pulled the wrappings off then removed the gauze from her hair.
Vegeta's heart dropped seeing the section of shaved hair surrounding a large gash that had been stapled shut. The whole area glistened from the waterproofing glue.
"Go change your clothes," the medic ordered.
"Sugar, here." Hassim held out the Hawaiian shirt.
She took it and disappeared into the hive. She quickly returned and gave the hospital gown back to the medic.
He turned and left.
"I return her to your capable hands, Vegeta," Conner nodded. He then glanced to the side. "Hassim," he said almost as an afterthought. He then left.
"Oh no, your hair," Hassim said after they were finally gone.
"It's ok," Sugar Petal said as she combed over her hair with her fingers. "I'll just have a wig then hair extensions for a while."
Vegeta looked hard at her.
Sugar Petal looked down and away. "I… I don't think this is something you can fix with bamboo, Mr. Vegeta."
"We'll see," he said walking away. "I'm going to get the decoy bridge ready. I'll be back after sun set."