"Gah!"

Cody fell out of bed clumsily, his sheets going with him as he crashed onto the floor of the boys cabin. The wood creaked painfully as he fell down onto the ancient boards, and he let out a muffled groan from beneath his pile of pillows and blankets.

Last night's nightmare hadn't been fun. Then again, wasn't the whole point of a nightmare to be unenjoyable? No one ever thought they were a good thing, but–

"Yo, dude. You alive?"

Cody blinked, and suddenly his focus was dragged back to reality. Duncan stood over him, a slightly confused look on his face as he eyed the brunette.

"Uh… I'm fine," Cody said, "Just, ah, had a bad dream."

Duncan cocked his unibrow. "You threw yourself off your bunk."

Cody shrugged lamely. "Yeah?"

He kept the look up for a few more seconds, but the delinquent was quick to relent and walked away. "Whatever." Duncan went back towards his bunk, quickly donning one of his signature skull shirts - by the looks of things, he hadn't been up for much longer than Cody. "You ready for the challenge today?"

The geek nodded, quickly tiptoeing back towards his own bed in an attempt to not wake the still sleeping DJ up. "As ready as I'll ever be. I don't know what we'll be doing, but I can't imagine it's something at least one of us can't win."

Of course, he knew what the challenge was going to be for today - building a bike, and then two races. Cody had been somewhat eager in the days leading up to now, a strange excitement coursing through him at the prospect of competing in this specific challenge. He was good at building things, that much was evident from his time in Sweden with the whole 'Gwen's face' fiasco, and loved working with his hands. When this episode had originally aired all those years ago, he had found himself slightly jealous of those who had made it this far last time around.

But now it was his turn. He had a pretty damn good idea on how to build a bike, and he knew his chances at winning today were high. And if he won today…

Duncan smirked. "Damn straight. If things go to plan, Heather is gone," he said, before pausing, "But on the off chance she does win… who do we think is the biggest remaining threat?"

Cody placed a hand to his chin in thought, briefly contemplating Duncan's question before the understanding of what he was asking fully took hold. "What?"

"You heard me," Duncan said, nonchalant as can be as he turned away from Cody, "If we need to give someone other than Heather the boot, who do you think should go first? I'm thinking Lindsay, but if Gwen or Leshawna are a bigger threat in your eyes…"

"I'll have to think about it," Cody said quickly, worry starting to seep into his form.

He knew they were getting close to the end. Hell, he had a conversation with himself the other day about how he knew he might have to start voting out his friends soon, but to have the reality of the situation staring him in the face was a completely different story.

For his part, Duncan merely shrugged. "Just saying - take all the time you need. But you should keep in mind that you might have to make that decision by the end of the day."

Cody nodded absentmindedly back, too preoccupied with his own concerns to respond in any greater capacity.

—

Confessional: Duncan

"The way I see it," he began lazily, "Cody's biggest weakness is himself - too soft, too indecisive. If I can put some pressure on him without him realizing, it'll only be so long before he cracks underneath it."

Duncan crossed his arms behind his head. "And if not? No big deal, just means that I've got a strong ally to help me take out some of the competition - and make it even easier to catch him by surprise later!"

—

He wasn't feeling very hungry at breakfast - even Chef Hatchet's high-quality food wasn't enough to rouse his appetite - and so his plate of food was left to slowly go cold as he stared into the walls of the main lodge.

"Hey Cody!"

Or not.

Leshawna and Gwen plopped down on the opposite side of the table as him, friendly smiles on their faces as they greeted him. Cody waved back lamely, eyes still unfocused as his brain continued to churn along - until Leshawna started snapping her fingers in his face, causing him to break out of his stupor.

"There you are!" She joked, "You looked like a zombie! Did you hear anything we said?"

Cody turned crimson from embarrassment. "Uh, no, sorry. Did I miss anything important?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Well, first Leshawna was trying to steal your breakfast–"

"Nuh-uh!" Leshawna interrupted, "All I asked was if he was willing to share!"

"-And then I asked if you were gonna join all of us in the hot tub later," the goth finished, "Everyone's feeling pretty drained from the shitty challenges and awful quarters, so we're planning on having a night where we all just destress… except Heather. Me and Leshawna are gonna lock her in the bathrooms beforehand."

That got Cody to laugh, burying his face in his hands as he snickered at the thought. "Sure," he said after he regained control of himself, "I'll join. And you can have my breakfast, too - I'm not hungry."

He pushed his plate over towards the girls, and Leshawna was more than happy to dig in (with Gwen not too far behind).

"Why the long face, hun?" Leshawna asked between forkfuls of pancake and bacon, "You look like you just learned that your dog died."

Cody's frown deepened. "I don't have a dog."

"It's a figure of speech, genius," Gwen muttered, rolling her eyes, "But you do look kinda pissy this morning– well, maybe not pissy. Just kinda mopey."

He sighed through his nose - it seemed like they weren't keen on letting him off the hook - and thought about the best way to respond. "Just… a little nervous about the game, I guess."

"Nervous?" Leshawna repeated, "You're one of the toughest competitors here! Whaddya got to be nervous about?"

Cody rubbed his arm awkwardly. He really wasn't in the mood for this conversation. "I've just been thinking about how we're getting pretty close to the end, and that it's going to get hard to vote for people after every challenge. Most of you guys are my friends…"

"Yeah," Leshawna snorted, "Most of us. You really gonna lose sleep over voting out Heather or Courtney?"

He looked down, trying to hide his eyes - they'd give away the fact that he wasn't being honest in a heartbeat. "No, but what if they're safe in a challenge? I don't want to have to pick between anyone."

Truth be told, he didn't know if he could - at least, without really beating himself up over it. He'd feel pretty damn guilty if Leshawna or Gwen were eliminated because of his vote. He knew it was just a game in the end, but that ever-present fear that he'd be ostracized from his peers on the show for such a move was just too strong.

Gwen hummed. "Well, at the end of the day it is a competition, we're all here to win after all," she said smoothly, "No offense, but if you're the only thing standing between me and a hundred-thousand dollars, I'm not losing sleep over kicking you to the curb."

Cody rolled his eyes. "None taken."

"Besides," Leshawna added, finally adding her two cents, "None of us are gonna blame you for playing to win! It's just how it is with this kinda thing."

She gave him a sideways glance. "But that doesn't mean you can just go and vote us out, got it? We still got a score to settle with Heather - and don't you forget it?"

He smiled weakly back. "Wouldn't dream of it."

If only the three of them remembered there were other people in the mess hall.

–

"Welcome to the arts and crafts center–"

"More like the arts and crap center," Duncan interrupted.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it used to be an outhouse, but now it's where Chef parks his roadhog."

The host opened the door to the small shed, and even Cody had to whistle in appreciation at the beauty that was Chef Hatchet's motorcycle in all its glory. It really was a thing of beauty - freshly polished with a sleek paint job and finely-tuned pieces that showed just how much care Chef had put into it.

It was a shame Heather was going to turn it to scrap for parts in the challenge today. The memory left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Which brings us to your challenge!" Chris said, "Building your own wheels!"

Bridgette looked up in surprise. "We have to build motorcycles?"

Leshawna wrinkled her nose. "Ain't no way I'm getting my hands all dirty and covered in oil. What if it gets in my hair?!"

Chris shrugged before gesturing to a pile of scrap and metal beside the shed. "Build whatever you want. You'll find all the parts you need in our bike depot."

Bridgette sighed in relief, and Duncan snapped his fingers in frustration.

—

Confessional: Duncan

"I guess seeing Chef's bike got my hopes up a little too high for this lame-o show," he sighed, "But I can still get some work done with whatever junk they scrounged up for us."

—

"Once you've collected the basics," their host continued, "You can trick them out any way you want with props from the arts and crafts center. Best design wins!"

Chris hopped onto his four-wheeler, ready to leave the remaining nine competitors to their own devices. "And to prove I'm a nice guy," he finished, "I'm even throwing in a bike manual!"

He tossed a thick, brown book into the crowd, something Heather was more than happy to reach out and snap up– until she realized the entire thing was coated in mold.

"Ew!" She cried, throwing it away in a frenzy, "It's furry!"

No one made any effort to catch it after that declaration, and the manual landed in the grass with a quiet thump.

Gwen poked at it with her foot. "Do they really expect us to use that thing?" She asked, one eyebrow raised, "It looks like it's older than Canada."

"Whatever," Courtney said, "Does anyone actually know how to build a bicycle? I hate to say it, but we might need to work together for this…"

Duncan raised his hand. "You could say I have some experience."

—

Confessional: Duncan

"I used to build bikes back home with my brothers all the time!" He said confidently, before his smirk turned into a frown, "Okay, so I used to steal them from the dweebs down the street and crash them into the school wall. The point is - this is something I know."

Duncan leant back against the wall of the confessional. "And if it gets Courtney to be all over me for the rest of the challenge, I can't complain."

—

"Nevermind!" Courtney shouted immediately, dragging Duncan towards the scrap pile, "Every couple for themselves!"

Lindsay sighed at the mention of couples - the most Cody had heard from her since Tyler was voted off a week ago. "They're the only couple left…" she whispered sadly.

Heather rolled her eyes. "Get moving!" She barked, before whispering something into Lindsay's ear that made the blonde straighten up immediately. She dragged Lindsay towards the shed (although she didn't put up any resistance), leaving Leshawna, Gwen, Bridgette, DJ, and himself to watch each pair's interactions.

"Man," Leshawna whistled, "Some of the people on this show are Crazy with a capital C. It's like they aren't even human."

Gwen gave Courtney and Duncan a sideways glance - the CIT was barking out orders to him like a madwoman, and he could only roll his eyes in amusement as he began putting two bikes together. "Odds they break up before the final challenge?"

"Aw, c'mon guys," DJ interrupted, "They aren't that bad. I think Duncan and Courtney are good for each other!"

Bridgette eyed Heather warily. "I don't know," she said softly, "Leshawna might be onto something."

"That's what I'm saying! At least someone sees it…" Leshawna trailed off slowly, before lowering her voice. "Maybe the lot of us should team up? We outnumber the four of them, and can make sure someone like Heather or Duncan doesn't win it all. What do you guys say?"

"I'm in," Gwen replied quickly, agreeing with her friend, "Anything to make sure Heather goes down."

Cody hid his surprise at the offer well, but Bridgette didn't have the greatest poker face.

And neither did DJ.

"Uh, no– maybe– I mean…" the gentle giant trailed off awkwardly as he stuttered his way through a reply, "I don't know– I'm not sure? I better go and get started on the challenge!"

He was quick to run over to the rest of the nine remaining contestants, leaving Leshawna and Gwen lost for words.

"Well, that was normal," Leshawna said, snorting, "Wonder what's up with him."

She turned back to Cody and Bridgette. "What about you guys? Cody, I know how you feel about them, and Bridgette, we're ready to bury the hatchet if it means you guys work with us."

Bridgette hesitated, but DJ's little meltdown gave Cody time to come up with an excuse for both of them. "Maybe," he replied, calm as could be on the outside, "It depends on how this challenge goes. The way DJ reacted tells me he probably already has an alliance, and if we start working together now we might be the ones outnumbered at a vote - it might be smarter to wait until at least tonight to decide on anything."

Leshawna nodded slowly, processing Cody's words slowly. "Alright, that makes sense. Better to keep things under wraps until we can at least talk about it in private."

"Sounds good," Gwen added, "We might not even need anything official if Heather or Duncan end up vulnerable tonight…"

Cody turned his back on the girls. "Yep, but we should probably get to the challenge - we've wasted enough time as it is, and we don't even know how long we have until Chris comes back. I'll see you guys later."

And just like that, it was as if their conversation had never happened.

—

Confessional: Bridgette

She looked exhausted. "I can't believe how… how political this competition has gotten!" She groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "Everyone's trying to get on everyone's good side, form alliances, and backstab, and it's insane! Just yesterday Gwen, Leshawna, and Courtney were plotting to pick off Heather, and they already turned on her! But Courtney's not exactly innocent, either, what with her whole 'Bass Alliance' thing she was talking about during the last challenge."

Bridgette sighed, before raising her head slightly to meet the camera again. "It's probably even worse for Cody - everybody has been trying to get him on their side - and he has to negotiate for the both of us. Sometimes I feel like I've only made it this far because I've been getting carried by my team, or by Cody, or by coasting under the radar."

She shuddered. "I can't imagine I'm here for much longer. But maybe it's for the best… if I can't even help in a single challenge, what right do I have to win a hundred-thousand dollars?"

—

Cody hummed to himself as he rummaged through the junk Chris had provided them, occasionally brightening up as he found a piece of scrap that was actually usable. Surprisingly, there was a good chunk of worthwhile parts - he was nearly finished, and it felt like he had barely started!

He took a brief moment to check up on his fellow contestants, wherever they were working. Most of them had stuck around the small clearing they had been left in by Chris, but a few (i.e. Heather and Lindsay) were nowhere to be found.

It didn't surprise him - he was pretty sure they were busy cannibalizing Chef Hatchet's bike inside the shed.

Heather was such a bitch. It was like he had no effect on her at all.

Duncan was hard at work on his own bike, and it looked like Courtney had finally taken the initiative and joined her boyfriend in working. She was by no means a pro, but with Duncan's help she was able to create something that looked usable, if boring.

The same could not be said for DJ. Just like last time around, he was more focused on his own safety, and was preoccupied with building himself padding for his joints, arms, legs, head, chest… well, you get the idea. Cody was sure he'd get something to trot out to the race course, just like last time, but he had no faith in the man's bike actually working.

Gwen and Leshawna were working together this time, and Cody was interested in seeing how Leshawna's bike turned out - if she got one together at all. Unlike the first time around, Izzy was no longer here to take both of them out of the challenge today, but that meant the girl had to actually build a bike this time (something that was clearly not in her expertise). Gwen basically had to handhold her through the entire thing.

And finally, Bridgette, who was currently struggling to figure out the filthy manual. Cody didn't know what had come over his friend, but she had been adamant in declining his repeated offers of help when he had realized she was having issues. It initially felt like she was rebuking him out of anger at something he had done, but when she had seen the troubled look on his face Bridgette was quick to reassure him that this was just something she 'had to do'.

Man, girls were weird sometimes. He didn't even pretend to understand what she was talking about.

Maybe this was why–

"Shit!"

Cody hissed in pain as the bike chain he had been linking together snagged on his finger, pinching his skin tightly for a second before he yanked his hand back. He shook the stinging pain out as heads turned to look over at the commotion.

"You alright?" DJ called.

He nodded, still wincing slightly. "Yeah. Just wasn't paying attention."

"Why would you not be paying attention?" Courtney started, already in full-on lecture mode. "We're in a challenge! In a competition! For a hundred… thousand… dollars…"

Courtney trailed off slowly as she laid her eyes on Cody's bike, eyes widening as she realized just how far along he was. "How is that even possible? How are you already done?"

Duncan peeked his head up from beneath his own bike, and he had a similar, if not more appreciative reaction. "Nice work, nerd. Built bikes before?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I just kinda like working with my hands. And I'm not done; I barely even have the frame built."

"Dude, a bike is ninety percent frame," Gwen said, rolling her eyes, "Most of us haven't even gotten two wheels ready yet."

Cody shrugged. "This is nothing. I once built a–"

He almost said he once built a giant replica of her face, but caught himself at the last second. Not only would it be insanely weird and creepy, but also completely unexplainable unless he outed himself as a time traveler, which again, was completely unexplainable and would likely send him to the loony bin.

"Built what?"

He didn't have an answer at the ready. "Uh… a, ah, go-kart."

Duncan whistled in appreciation. "So this is even easier for you, huh? Respect, I didn't know you had it in ya. You know I once built one of those–"

"Back to work!" Courtney interrupted, "We can chit-chat when we're caught up!"

He rolled his eyes in irritation, but Cody could sense a touch of amusement from the delinquent. "We're ahead of literally everybody aside from Cody. Cut me some slack, will you?"

"I'll cut you some slack when you've won a hundred grand!"

As the attention slowly drifted away from Cody once more, he let out a breath of relief he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

That was close. Way too close.

He needed to keep his head in the game, lest he lose it completely.

–

"Well campers, we gave you the parts, let's see what you came up with!"

Chris gave each teen and their bikes an appreciative glance.

"Excellent aerodynamics Heather!" He said, approaching Heather and her (Lindsay's) bike.

"It only weighs two ounces!" She bragged, even though it was obviously a lie. Cody wasn't the only one to roll his eyes at that comment.

"Like her brain," Gwen not-so-subtly whispered, causing snickers to erupt among the teens.

Heather shot the goth a dirty look as Chris walked over to inspect her own bike. "Spooky," he commented, "Yet practical. Well done. Really dig the wings."

Gwen smirked. "Knew someone would appreciate it," she scoffed, before turning to Leshawna.

"Oh, please," Leshawna replied, rolling her eyes, "Those big old things are just gonna slow you down!"

"I dunno," Heather said quickly, stepping in, "I can think of a few of your own big old things–"

"Anyways!" Chris interrupted, "As much fun as this is, this is a thirty-minute show. Leshawna, show us what you've got!"

There wasn't much to show. It was eerily similar to Gwen's bike, albeit without the wings and horns on the handlebars. It also looked a bit rougher/unsteadier, which Cody attributed to the greater lack of experience on Leshawna's side.

"I'm sensing a pattern here…" the host muttered, "But whatever! Duncan, you've got a wicked Mad Max mobile, dude!"

Duncan smiled back. "I know. It rocks."

Chris hummed. "Indeed! Hope you win."

"Hey!" Courtney shouted, "You can't pick favorites!"

"What? Of course I can!" Chris laughed in her face. "In fact, I do! I just have to make sure my preferences don't impact my hosting capabilities - and they most certainly don't."

—

Confessional: Chris

He sat as professionally as he could on the outhouse seat. "Cody and Heather are by far the greatest ratings magnets for the show, and, I have to say, those two are definitely up there on the top of my list! Owen was always fun, Duncan can be cool when he's not all moody… oh, and Geoff! Love that guy!"

—

"Your bike looks very… boring."

Courtney's eye twitched at the response. "What?! It looks like a bike! A normal, standard bike!"

Chris nodded his head in agreement. "Yep, which is why this one sucks. I did say they'd be judged by design, didn't I? This looks like the kind of thing I could find in a store."

She looked like she was about to blow a gasket on the host, but Duncan walked over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. At the gesture Courtney sighed heavily, but thankfully no longer looked like she was going to blow up on Chris.

"Anywho… Lindsay!" Chris eyed her bike… and it was the first one Cody had seen that looked nothing like their original interpretations. "...Not gonna lie, I was kind of expecting more from you."

Lindsay shrugged weakly. "Sorry."

It was just as good as Leshawna's, maybe worse. It looked rideable, sure, but not much better than that. The horse head that had become iconic for Lindsay in his original time was nowhere to be seen, the mop-tail was gone, even the bell and the streamers on the handlebars were gone.

"Whatever," Chris said after a minute, "I guess some of you just aren't interested in winning."

He looked over towards DJ and his bike… and immediately saw the training wheels. "My mistake… I guess most of you aren't interested in winning."

DJ slouched over, but it was hard for him too do considering the amount of protective padding he had covered himself with.

"Alright…" Chris sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he walked over to Cody. "Please tell me you gave some effort."

"Look for yourself!" Cody said proudly, pride blossoming in his chest as his creation was unveiled.

Unlike most of the bikes the cast had created (aside from perhaps Duncan's), his bike was almost entirely made of metal over wood. The frame was tightly wound, so much so that Chris had to rub his eyes to make sure the thing wasn't welded together somehow. It was a rich sky-blue, with red accents breaking up the monotony every so often.

The tires were large and rugged, as though they were taken from an ATV. Out of the center of each wheel a large spike poked out, perfect for interfering with an opposing racer in close-quarters. The seat was a full-on chair and the handlebars were pushed up, giving the option for a nice cruise or intense bursts of cardio.

Oh yeah, and his bike also had an engine - just like Duncan and Heather's.

"Man…" Chris said, eyes wide, "How the hell did you make this so quickly?"

"That's what we were saying!" Courtney groaned, "It's like it was magic!"

Cody shrugged. "I was having fun. Took some liberties."

It took Chris a moment to find his voice again. "I, uh… I see that. Awesome stuff!"

Finally, he approached Bridgette's bike - and was once again disappointed. "This sure is, uh, a bike."

Bridgette blushed, fidgeting in place awkwardly. "I tried to use the manual…"

"Seriously?" Chris snorted, "That was pretty much a gag. Thing was made before I was born."

"So it was made in the forties?" Duncan quipped, getting another round of laughs from the teens - and the camera crew.

"Hey!" Chris shouted, "Knock it off! I'm twenty-seven years young!"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Whatever floats your boat, grandpa. Who won?"

"No one won yet!" Chris said, tone harsh. "The challenge isn't even close to over!"

"But you said that the best design wins?" Bridgette asked.

"Yeah, I did," he admitted, "And Cody won that. By a lot. But he only won the award of being the bike I like the most. The actual challenge is that we're gonna race these babies! Hard!"

"Ha!" Heather scoffed, "Awesome! Because my bike is built for speed, right, Lindsay?"

Lindsay didn't react.

Chris gave her a moment to respond, but she made no effort to do so. "Okay…" he said, "Anyone know what's up with that?… Scratch that, I don't care. But unfortunately for you Heather, you won't be riding it. You'll be switching bikes! Yeah, cruel twist, huh? Maybe you should be nicer to the host next time!"

No one looked pleased, but they didn't speak up either. Shock seemed to be the major emotion on most people's faces.

Chris looked smug. "That's what I thought. Alrighty then, see ya at the beach!"

–

"Okay," the host began, "Here's how it works. Everyone picks a name out of the helmet to see who's bike you're riding. If your bike makes it across the finish line, then you get to ride it in the final round for invincibility!"

Cody reached in and plucked out a single slip of paper… only to frown slightly as he realized who's bike he had received.

"Leshawna," he called, "Please tell me you tested your bike."

The girl raised a single eyebrow. "Tested? I barely had time to build it! You'll be lucky if the wheels don't fall off after the first hundred meters!"

He couldn't do anything but roll his eyes. "Thanks for the confidence booster. Whose bike did you get?"

"Duncan's." Leshawna made a face. "I was hoping to get Heather's and crash it immediately, but it looks like that plan is a bust. How do I even ride this thing? There isn't even a chain that connects the wheels!"

Cody snapped his fingers - that was a smart plan. Unfortunately, by the looks of things, most people's bike selections were the same as they were the first time around. Lindsay got Heather's bike, Duncan had Lindsay's (and looked pissed about it), and Heather had DJ's. Courtney and Bridgette had each other's, which left Gwen with Cody's and DJ with Gwen's.

At least it looked like there was a good chance he made it to the final race - and acquired all the risk and reward that came with it.

"Okay racers!" Chris announced, "On your marks…"

Cody leaned forward on Leshawna's bike. Most of the rest of them followed suit.

"Get set… paramedics on standby…"

His grip on the handlebars tightened. Even if this wasn't the greatest bike, he'd be damned if he let that stop him.

"Drag!"

A lot of things happened at once in that instant.

The only one that mattered to Cody was that the moment he put pressure on the pedals, they fell right off.

Along with the chain.

And the front wheel.

"Gah!" He sputtered like an idiot as he plummeted face first into the sand and nearly everybody whizzed past him.

"Ooh!" Leshawna winced as she saw him collapse. "Sorry 'bout that!"

Whatever Cody tried to say, it was muffled by the sand in his mouth. He imagined that he looked just like an ostrich.

By the time he was able to get the sand out of his eyes, ears, and nose, everybody except for Heather was long gone. She couldn't get DJ's bike to move an inch, and had resorted to pushing the pile of junk from behind out of frustration.

Damn. It looked like he was going to miss the whole race… even if he had a pretty good idea of who would be making it to the second round.

He started to jog to the finish, but by the time he made it the competition was long over.

"Cody!" DJ called, "Welcome to the final round!"

"Thanks," he grunted out, "Who else made it?"

"You, me, Heather, Lindsay, and Duncan," Gwen recited, "Nice bike by the way, it kicked their butts."

They shared a smirk and a fist bump. "Thanks," he replied happily, "Now we just gotta make sure Heather eats dirt, yeah?"

"Gladly."

"Alright, winner's circle!" Chris announced, "It's time to head over to the TDI motocross!"

Even with the adrenaline coursing through his veins, Cody couldn't help but feel a bit worried. This was the closest he could get to knocking off Heather… but also to his own elimination.

He could only hope that the second option didn't happen.

–

Chris's ATV rumbled as he revved it up, eyeing the remaining five challengers with anticipation.

"Campers!" He announced, "Welcome to the motocross challenge! Using your own bikes, you'll race the course avoiding hidden pitfalls! There's dodging the landmines, maneuvering through the oil slick, and finally, jumping the piranhas!"

None of them were fazed. Either they were simply too tough to be worried, or they were seemingly completely apathetic to the danger.

"Oh yeah!" Chris added, "One more thing! Anyone who crosses gets invincibility, anybody who doesn't is up for elimination with the rest of the losers up there!"

He gestured towards the top of the cliff, where Leshawna, DJ, Bridgette, and Courtney were waiting. The only response he received was Courtney flipping him the bird.

But Cody didn't see any of that. He froze the moment the rules were announced.

"Anyone who crosses gets invincibility!"

Where had that come from? Was he to blame for this rule change? If he was, how?

Whatever the reason, it certainly took some of the wind out of Cody's sails. There was a much lesser threat of him being eliminated tonight thanks to it, but…

It also meant he and Gwen could work together to try and take out Heather.

And no one would suspect a thing.

The two of them shared a dirty look behind the others' backs.

This was going to be fun.

—

Confessional: Gwen

"You know, I've never been able to tell exactly what someone was thinking based on the look in their eyes," she explained, smirking confidently, "Until today. Me and Cody are on exactly the same page with this one."

—

Confessional: Chris

"To be honest," he began, "We were originally gonna do a 'first to cross gets invincibility, last one to cross is eliminated' thing, but we kind of had to change some things last-minute. The challenge didn't sit well with our test audiences, and the producers weren't happy with the idea of losing one of our stars to what they called 'random chance'.

The host rolled his eyes. "Kinda ruins the point, though, doesn't it?" He complained, before flashing the camera his professional TV smile, "But hey! I get paid either way - no skin off my back!"

—

"Racers, take your positions… and go!"

Cody blinked in surprise at the sudden commencement, but he didn't let it stop him. A single flick of the dial in the middle of his handlebars and his engine roared to life - sending him flying down the beach, right beside Duncan, Lindsay, Heather and Gwen.

The minefield was the first obstacle, and it came up way sooner than Cody expected. He and Duncan flew along the ramps at incredible speeds, mines constantly exploding behind them and the girls battled it out for third place. He heard Heather constantly screaming, which was promising - but he couldn't be certain about anything until the end of the race.

Sure enough, at the sound of another explosion, he saw the first goth to ever achieve flight as Gwen was launched over the cliffside and eliminated from the race.

Damn. There goes plan A.

The oil slick was coming up quick now, and Duncan and Cody both shared a worried look before they entered the tar. He knew this was where Duncan was taken out in the original race, and had a funny feeling that it might take out both of them this time, considering the similarities between their bikes.

Which was why he came prepared. Not only were his tires chosen specifically for liquid and sand, but he also installed pedals just in case he needed to use them over the engine. It was rough, it was ugly, but he did manage to make it across to the other side of the oil without wiping out.

The same could not be said for Duncan, who spiraled out of control and ate it the moment he hit the obstacle.

But that was fine. Soon enough, he'd have to–

Heather whizzed by him as they reached open terrain, and Cody immediately hit the engine once more. Whatever Lindsay did to her bike this time around made it much better - but it wasn't good enough. She didn't realize it at first, but by the time he caught up to Heather he was already moving to ram into her from the side.

"What the– Cody?!" She shouted, "What the hell are you doing?!"

Cody laughed at the priceless expression on her face. "Making sure you lose!" He roared back, "I told you I wasn't going to let you get away with this, didn't I?"

Heather gasped before swerving away from him, just barely avoiding one of Cody's wheels catching itself in Heather's own - something that would have likely spelled the end of the race for both of them.

"Get lost, dweeb!" She hissed, turning her eyes back to the road, "Eat my dust!"

She practically flew over the piranha pit, but so did Cody - both of them were going at speeds that meant a wipeout was going to suck.

The finish line was less than a hundred meters away, and invincibility looked to be Heather's for the taking, but Cody had one last trick up his sleeve.

He turned the dial for his engine all the way up.

It was such a shame; he really liked this bike.

But there was no way it, nor Heather's bike, would be surviving this.

The engine exploded - literally - launching Cody forward at a velocity that would turn most pedestrians into a splat on the pavement. His bike slammed into Heather's, and the two of them were sent tumbling in the air wildly with no way to control which way they landed.

Heather screamed like a madwoman, but screaming wouldn't save her. Invincibility was as good as–

"WHAT A FINISH!" Chris roared, "A MESSY, BRUTAL BATTLE THAT ENDS IN A TIE! INVINCIBILITY FOR CODY AND HEATHER!"

Cody hit the sand and was sent sprawling, but was quick to pull himself up in the hopes that Chris had misspoke.

Alas, it wasn't so. Both he and Heather had landed far past the finish line, both of their bikes broken beyond recognition.

Heather groaned, but when he looked over there was an unmistakable, victorious gleam in her eyes.

Great. Just great.

"And it looks like Lindsay will join Heather and Cody as safe for tonight!" Chris narrated, "Although it looks like she took her time making it to the finish, it seems to have paid off!"

Once again, Lindsay didn't bother celebrating. She simply dropped her bike onto the beach and walked off.

"Well then!" Chris clapped his hands together eagerly. "Cody, Heather, and Lindsay are all safe, but Duncan and Gwen have joined the rest of the losers on the chopping block tonight! Get some rest kiddos, I'll see you all at the campfire ceremony!"

Cody sighed. Another challenge, another wasted effort. And now, he had to vote out one of his friends.

The only question was… which one would it be?

–

"We're voting for Gwen."

Well, that was fast.

Cody, DJ, and Duncan were all gathered in the boys cabin, deciding on who to vote for - although it seemed like Duncan had seen fit to make the choice for them.

"I mean, it's either her or Leshawna, right?" DJ asked, "We don't exactly have many options."

Duncan nodded. "Exactly. It's nothing personal, but one of them's got to go, and it's Gwen's turn to walk the Dock. Got it?"

DJ nodded back, but Cody remained silent.

This just felt… so wrong. He knew Gwen and Leshawna had reassured him that it was just a game, that there were no hard feelings, but still. It just didn't sit right with him, no matter how many times he reminded himself that it wasn't going to ruin his friendships.

"–Cody? Cody? Are you in there?"

He blinked, realizing that DJ and Duncan were staring at him. "Sorry," he said, his face heating up, "What were you saying?"

Duncan rolled his eyes. "You really need to stop zoning out so much, dude," he snarked, "But whatever. Just making sure you're fine with voting for Gwen."

"Oh, yeah," he mumbled, "I guess."

He knew he didn't exactly sound enthusiastic about it, but it seemed like it was enough for Duncan.

"Good," he said, nodding in approval, "That's all I needed to hear. I'm going to hang out with Courtney until the vote, I'll see you two around."

And with that, Duncan left. DJ and Cody awkwardly stared at each other for a few moments, before the gentle giant coughed into his fist.

"I'm, uh…" DJ rubbed his shoulder. "I'm gonna go on a walk. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah," Cody repeated, "See ya."

After a moment he was alone, with nothing but his tumultuous thoughts to accompany him. Was this really the right choice? What other option did he have? How did he even end up in this situation?

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. Maybe he was just overthinking everything? DJ said he was going on a walk; that sounded pretty good right about now. Some fresh air could do him some good.

The summer air was warm, but not uncomfortably so anymore. There were only a few weeks left until fall, and you could definitely feel the fact that the peak of summer had passed. It made for a comfortable evening temperature, and it felt much nicer to be free from the stuffy cabins.

A small smile graced his lips as he took off towards the woods, only to let out a muffled scream as he was grabbed by someone and pulled into the nearest bush.

"What the–?!" He tried to shout, but was silenced as a hand reached around and slammed his mouth shut.

"Be quiet!"

Cody's eyes darted over towards the person who had spoken, only to relax as he realized it was Leshawna - accompanied by Gwen and Bridgette. Once she realized he wasn't going to be making any more noise, the girl released her grip on him.

"Uh, hi?" He tried, only to be shushed.

"Be quiet!" Leshawna hissed, "There are ears all over this place! Courtney especially has been looking for Bridgette."

Cody, wisely, chose to shut his mouth at the murderous look in her eyes (and inched back away from her).

She nodded at his actions. "Good. Now then, we know about you two's alliance with DJ, Courtney, and Duncan. Don't try and deny it."

His eyes widened in surprise. "How?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "DJ gave it away when we tried to convince him to vote with us. He cracked like an egg under the pressure. Kind of sad, actually."

"Mhm!" Leshawna nodded in agreement. "But I don't care about that. Past is in the past, like I said. But we know Duncan is gunning for Gwen to get the boot tonight. What I need to know is if you're gonna join us in getting rid of him instead, Cody."

Man, was he seriously being coerced into voting someone else off again? This was like the third challenge in a row. "I–"

Leshawna put up a hand to stop him. "Unless you're going to say yes or no, I don't want to hear it. Are you really gonna work with Duncan? He's probably planning to dump you two the moment he doesn't need you. He's not keeping you around over DJ or Courtney, you know. And he's a bully, too - I know you remember the kind of shit he was pulling on Harold!"

It seemed all three of them noticed his hesitation - which he didn't really think they could blame him for. It almost felt like he was tossed around by everybody just because they all thought he was a reliable vote for them.

"Bridgette agrees with us!" Gwen blurted out, "Tell him, girl!"

The aforementioned surfer blushed as everybody's eyes suddenly shifted over to her. "I mean…" she trailed off slowly, before finding her voice. "Just look at the way they've acted throughout the game. Heather is a liar and manipulator, and hasn't cared in the slightest for the people she's hurt. Duncan and Courtney aren't as bad, but they certainly aren't saints either. He has DJ wrapped around his finger, they've dominated the Killer Bass from the beginning of the competition, and it just feels wrong to side with them over Gwen and Leshawna. Duncan has been in the shadows since the beginning, just like Heather, and the only difference is that he's been subtle about it. Do we really want to just give in to his orders, just for him to throw us away later anyways?"

Silence. Even Leshawna looked surprised with the amount of passion Bridgette had put into her little speech.

Cody shook his head, mind made up.

"No, we don't."

Leshawna pumped her fist in the air. "That's what I'm talking about!" She whisper-shouted, "Put 'er there!"

She fist-bumped Bridgette, then himself, and then Gwen. "So tonight we're voting for Duncan," she said, "And Heather the next chance we get. Got it?"

All of them nodded, but Cody frowned. "What about Heather and Lindsay?" He asked, "We don't know how they're going to vote. If they both vote for Gwen, even the four of us together won't be enough to win."

Leshawna shook her head. "Ain't no way Heather would target Gwen over me - you haven't seen the kind of stuff we've been going through for the past week in the girls cabin."

Gwen nodded her head. "It's been a warzone."

"But on the off chance that she does," Leshawna finished, "I'm going to be talking to Lindsay after this. I think I can strong-arm her - I mean, have you seen the way she's been acting lately? A strong gust of wind could blow her away."

Cody scowled. "I know. I've been trying to talk to her, but she's always being guarded by Heather."

"Then leave it to us." Gwen smiled darkly. "If anyone can distract Heather, it's us."

They shared a hushed laugh, but Cody couldn't dispel that small bubble of worry in his gut. It felt like he was forgetting something, or maybe doing something wrong.

But he couldn't afford to falter now. He had made his bed, and now was the time to lie in it.

–

"Campers… pardon my French, but this has been one hell of an episode!"

Chris looked absolutely ecstatic as he stood at the oil drum in front of the bonfire, eight marshmallows on his plate. He rapped his fingers against the drum, creating a low reverberation that almost sounded like the beat of a drum. "I mean, the anticipation for this one was through the roof, and you exceeded even my expectations! Hope we can keep this energy up all the way through to the finale!"

Cody fought to not roll his eyes at the host's act. It had gotten old several challenges ago, and most of the campers were in agreement.

"Get on with it!" Heather snapped, "Some of us have better things to do than sit here and wait for your stupid spiel!"

Chris just smirked at her. "Normally I'd be annoyed with you for that little jab, but I'm in such a good mood today I'll let it slide… but I'm going to take my time with this one."

Heather just rolled her eyes. "What. Ever."

"Anywho… campers!" Chris began again, eyeing all nine of the remaining teens. "On this plate, I have eight marshmallows. The camper who does not receive a marshmallow tonight must immediately walk the Dock of Shame, board the Boat of Losers, and never return. Since Cody, Heather, and Lindsay all got immunity, they're safe. Also safe are DJ and Bridgette."

With each name he listed off, he flicked a marshmallow off his plate to the aforementioned camper. Cody feigned disinterest in the elimination, but his heart was pounding in his chest with every second that ticked by.

"Courtney… and Leshawna!" Chris announced, "Marshmallows for the both of you!"

Courtney smirked triumphantly, while Leshawna was much more reserved, focusing her eyes towards Duncan and Gwen. Conveniently, they were both seated next to each other, meaning all eyes were focused on the two of them.

"Last marshmallow, guys, and I've gotta say that the votes tonight really surprised me! Like, really, really surprised me!"

If Chris was trying to garner a reaction from the two teens, he didn't get one. Gwen rolled her eyes at the performance, while Duncan didn't so much as blink.

"...Really? That disinterested?" The host huffed. "Whatever. You'll never win with that attitude. But between the two of you, the Kiss reject that is getting sent packing tonight is…"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Gwen! Pack your bags!" Chris announced, "Duncan, you live another three days!"

Heather laughed at the surprised look on Gwen's face, even though she was quick to play it off. Duncan caught his marshmallow with ease, as cool and disinterested as ever.

"Adios," he said simply, "Nothing personal."

"Actually," Heather interrupted, "It most certainly is personal! Remember Harold's ant farm? I do! Hope it was worth losing a hundred-thousand dollars over!"

Gwen stood up silently, before flipping Heather off. "If it meant I never had to see your skanky ass again, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Heather stood up, enraged and looking like she was about to spit something nasty right back at her, but was interrupted by Leshawna pushing her into a bush.

"Sorry, girl," she said morosely, "I tried."

"Don't worry about it," Gwen replied easily, sharing a brief hug with her friend, "Just make sure you kick her ass for me."

Leshawna nodded her head. "Will do! She crossed the wrong sister!"

Gwen quickly moved on, offering Bridgette a similar hug and a friendly wave to Cody and DJ before she made her way down the Dock of Shame, disappearing quickly in the darkness of night.

"Buh-bye, Gwenny!" Heather called, "Hope your boyfriend–"

"That's it!" Leshawna shouted, standing back up and rushing at Heather, "I'm gonna tear you a new one, you little toothpick!"

Heather screamed in fright as she was charged, before sprinting back to the cabins. Bridgette and Courtney hurried after them, and it wasn't long at all until Cody was left alone at the bonfire, staring silently into the flames.

He lost another friend today, and another chance to take out Heather and Duncan.

He wasn't going to get many more.

—

A/N: Hope you enjoy the new chapter! Been a while, huh?

Can't tell you how nice it was to finally finish this chapter - big weight off my back!

Let me know how it was, I'm still a little rusty writing out Cody and TDI!

Make sure to review! Here's hoping the next chapter doesn't take nearly as long…