In
the sumptuousness of her luxury trailer suite, Winnowill is rudely awoken
by her clock radio. She slams her hand on the clock, then bundles her sheet
around her shoulders. “Just five minutes more...”
A racket over her head wakes her from bed. “All right, all right! I’m up! Damn it, Two-Edge, stop jumping on the roof!”
Two-Edge: (cackling) I love being First Assistant Director.As Day 22 dawns at Camp Kumquat, Swift is fast asleep under the shelter. So is Tyleet. Crescent is floating about the campfire as Brightmetal and Strongbow are seen quietly conferring in the distance. The camera catches Strongbow leaning in close to send to Brightmetal. Cheipar, gathering branches for firewood at the edge of the jungle, watches their encounter with a suspicious eye.
Swift is slowly waking up. “Ugh... I hate this. It’s not the sleeping on the ground and the lack of decent cable TV that gets to me, I’m a Wolfrider – I remember the old days before the Palace came along. But the effort... the acting... the endless posturing. Waking up next to complete strangers – I miss my tribe. I miss my family. I think I’m getting burnout or something.”
Tyleet too, is not too optimistic for the future. “We’ll be at the halfway point by tonight. But I wonder how much more I’ve got in me. I came back to this game because I was sure I could do better.” She looks down at the inflamed wound on her leg. “My leg hurts. My back hurts. My head hurts. Somehow... I’m still hanging on. My chief, my lifemate... they’ve all left me. I feel so alone sometimes.”
Over at Camp Green Moon, the mood is noticeably more optimistic – for everyone except Nightfall and Coppersky. The gravity of Nightfall’s situation is clear. “I am living on borrowed time,” she tells the camera. “My chief is gone. My tribemates are gone. My only hope is I can endure until the merge.”
The reason for Coppersky’s glum mood is harder to discern. Weatherbird sits down next to the brooding Sun Villager and offers a sympathetic ear.
“I hate this place,” Coppersky explains. “Hate the bugs. Hate the humidity. Hate... being homesick. I never get homesick. I always go home before it happens. I do what I want... go where I want. And now I’m stuck in this game that’s just... dragging on.”
He sighs and rolls over on his back, looking up at the canopy. “I miss Sust. I miss Wing. I miss all the gang at Oasis. Scat... I even miss my parents... a little. Lord Haken is probably having all sorts of mini-series adventures without me. And Lady Chani... High Ones... she’s like... Judy Garland.”
Weatherbird: Coppersky’s lonely. I know he comes across as this whole “Don’t touch me, plebeian,” kind of guy. But he has this whole other side to him... and it’s a side he hasn’t let anyone see in this game. And I think it’s really taking its toll on him.
Coppersky: You can’t show any weakness in this game. You just can’t – especially not with this Warp elves still running around. And I didn’t come to this island to take in the sun. If I’m going to be stuck out here... well, I’m going to play to win.Swift takes a swim in the waters off Camp Kumquat, then consults with Strongbow. “We did well the other day,” she says. “We worked as a team, and we sent one of the other team home. At this rate we can go into the merge strong. We’re not going to mess with success, are we?”
**Of course not,** Strongbow sends. **I never change my plan when its working.**
Swift: He and Brightmetal are up to something.Tree-mail arrives, which Cheipar fetches. He reads it, wrinkles his nose, then passes it over to Brightmetal. “Uh... ‘Come one, come all... first fall loses all. Dare to strive for what can be... lose your courage and defeated be.’ Aw... Dad, you gotta stop writing poetry. It’s just painful.”
Tyleet: I think we’re going to compete in some variant of the Trial of Hand. I remember Shenshen and Zhantee setting up the logs back in the day at Thorny Mountain.Meanwhile, the elves at Green Moon are preparing in earnest. “This a good day for us,” Spar says. “We’ve got equal numbers, and... well, the crackskull notwithstanding, we’ve all got excellent balance – ow! Weatherbird!” she yelps as Weatherbird yanks a hank of her hair in reprimand.Strongbow: **All I want to know is who left the other team last night.**
The tribes meet in the tidal marsh. Stumps are planted out in the water. Winnowill is holding what looks like an old American Gladiators foam-padded staff. “Come on in, Kumquat. Get your look at the new Green Moon tribe. That’s right – Skywise, voted off at the last tribal council.”
Swift: Well, I’ll be damned.
Strongbow: **Yes! Nightfall is still there.**“Let’s get down to business,” Winnowill says. “This will be a one-on-one reward challenge. Armed combat three feet above the water. Now, you’ll face off with an opponent from the other tribe on those stumps out there in the water. And you’ll fight with this little puppies,” she holds the staff aloft. “If you can knock your opponent into the water, you win a point for your tribe. First tribe to ten points wins. Now, for each rounds, names will be randomly drawn from a hat. You may only have to fight once. You may have to fight three or four times. Who knows? For the winning tribe, I have a very special reward. A night at your very own private movie theatre, enjoying a mystery feature and full snack-bar privileges. Six fully reclining La-Z-boys and surround-sound speakers await you, if you have the strength to come out ahead today.”
Swift: Now, normally, I’d be jumping up and down with glee. But I can’t help but fear... what sort of movie is Winnowill going to subject the winners too?
Strongbow: **Chick flick, I’m guessing. Steel Magnolias.**
Coppersky: (shudder) Sound of Music."Now... first draw...” she reaches into the convenient hat. “Strongbow versus Savin.”
Strongbow and Savin wade out to the stumps and struggle to climb up the ladders attached to the sides. They raise their staffs and prepare to do combat. At Winnowill’s signal, Strongbow starts with a provoking jab at Savin. Savin raises her staff to block. Strongbow takes a wild swing at her. Savin ducks. Strongbow teeters off balance for a moment, then regains his footing. She swings at him, but he parries the blow. They spar back and forth for several minutes in the hot sun. Suddenly, Savin scores a blow to his ribcage. As Strongbow stumbles, she finishes him off and he tumbles into the water.
Winnowill: One point, Green Moon. Next draw... Crescent and Coppersky.“Be gentle,” Crescent says as she fumbles with the staff. Coppersky lunges at her with precision strikes. Crescent ducks and weaves with the coordination of a spirit. Coppersky tries to swing his staff down and clip her legs. Crescent levitates in the air briefly to avoid the blow. The fight goes on. And on. Crescent has not made a single aggressive move. She simply weaves or lets the staff pass through her non corporeal body. Five minutes. Ten. Soon Coppersky is exhausted. Crescent springs into action and bumps him off-balance with her staff. Coppersky falls into the water. The score is tied one-to-one.
Winnowill: Next round. Swift and Weatherbird. The temperature is 110 degrees, by the way.Swift mounts the stump. “Respect your elders, little bird,” she grins savagely as she wields her staff. Weatherbird only cocks her head to one side playfully. The two duel on the stumps for several minutes. At length Swift scores a glancing blow, and Weatherbird topples. Exhausted, Swift returns to the beach, only to find that Winnowill has drawn her name again. She returns to the stumps to face off against Nightfall. Swift is slick with sweat and unsteady on her feet. Nightfall is at the top of her game. Still, Swift endures for a few thrusts and parries before she is defeated. Nightfall returns to the beach to the cheers of her tribemates, while Swift is called up again. “Oh, come on!” she moans as Winnowill draws her name. This time her opponent is Littlefire. Swift trudges back out to the stumps and pulls herself up again. Littlefire is fidgeting on the stump, weapon in hand.
“Boo!” Swift says. Littlefire flinches, and Swift fells him with a jab of the staff.
Swift:(near death) I’m done. No more. Take my name out of that damned hat.The pairs continue. Strongbow versus Weatherbird. Cheipar versus Nightfall. Tyleet versus Spar. “You’re pretty,” Spar remarks flirtatiously before giving Tyleet a sound thrashing. The Green Moon takes an early lead, but is soon falling under the superior strength and coordination of the opposite tribe. “They’ve got Crescent, who no living creature can take down,” Coppersky moans. “And they’ve got the Rock. We’re screwed.”
Tyleet: This heat is unbearable. It’s over a hundred and twenty degrees now.Brightmetal lives up to his ill-advised and almost-certainly copyrighted nickname, as he fells Savin and Coppersky is succession. When the final draw, Cheipar and Littlefire, is announced, Littlefire forfeits rather than face his brother. It makes little difference. The Kumquats win 10 to 6. Everyone is exhausted and dangerously dehydrated – except Winnowill, of course, who has been sipping piña coladas all afternoon. The stricken but triumphant Kumquats climb into a dune buggy to ride to their reward, while the demoralized Green Moon elves return to their campsite.
Nightfall: Littlefire is a weak link. The two times he was called to fight, he just gave up. I don’t know how he justifies living with Wolfriders in his world. Wolfriders don’t just lie down and wait to die.
Savin: We have to face it. As long as Brightmetal is in form, we’re going to lose every single one of those challenges.
The
dune buggy drops the Kumquat tribe on the edge of a wooded glade. They
can smell the buttered popcorn in the distance. After following a path
through the jungle for a few minutes, they arrive at the movie theatre.
A large screen is suspended between four trees. The snack counter, manned
by a surly local human, is overflowing with treats. Swift orders up a giant
tub of popcorn. Tyleet curls up in her seat with gummy worms. Strongbow
thoughtfully sips a low-fat latte while Cheipar treats himself to a huge
helping of nachos, and Brightmetal takes one of everything.
Swift: I couldn’t believe it. It was Lord of the Rings! That was so nice of Winnowill!
Tyleet: I love Tolkien. We had a blast watching Fellowship of the Ring – Special Extended Edition. Three hours later, we were all feeling so refreshed.
Brightmetal: (puzzled) Then... Two Towers started playing.
Swift: (weary) And... well, we thought, okay, sure. Double feature. And after another three hours and loose change, we were all ready to hit the hay.
Strongbow:(cross-eyed)**Then... Return of the King started playing. All four-and-a-half hours of it.**
Cheipar: Precious wants to sleep now. No more 140 decibel surround-sound – we doesn’t likes it, precious. Not a bit of it.
Crescent: Ohh... I think the special Oscar retrospective was still playing when the orcs... I mean the trolls, came to wake us up the next day.
Swift:(cross-eyed) Fourteen. Hours. Of swelling. Orchestral. Themes.Over at Camp Green Moon, Littlefire stares up at the morning sky and wonders aloud how the movie night went. Coppersky grumbles something from under his blanket and tries to go back to sleep.
The shell-shocked Kumquats limp back into camp and collapse under their shelter to sleep – except Crescent, who simply faded away at the base of a mangrove tree. Tyleet wakes up often to scratch at her leg and apply more antihistamine cream. Strongbow snores. Brightmetal rolls over and falls off his little pallet onto the sand. Peace reigns.
The Green Moon camp is buzzing with activity. Nightfall is trying hard to ingratiate herself with Spar and Coppersky. “Groveling desperation doesn’t become her,” says Coppersky. “On the other hand, Winnowill might spring the merge on us sooner than we realize. And if I’m going to be stuck with Nightfall once the merge happens, it’s better to let her tell her friends that I took care of her.
Nightfall: I do what I must to survive. I do what any wolf would do. I show throat when I must. And I choose my prey with care.Over at Camp Kumquat, the tribe is finally awake again. Swift is humming epic instrumental themes to herself as she gathers firewood. Cheipar is preparing shellfish for grilling in leaves Strongbow is curls up reading a copy of Chicken Soup for the Trolls Soul. Brightmetal appears, holding Chicken Soup for the Archer’s Soul.
“I think we’ve got our books messed up,” Brightmetal says dryly.
Strongbow frowns and looks at the cover of his book. **Well, that would explain it,** he sends as he exchanges books with Brightmetal.
Cheipar notices they linger to exchange further words, and he nods meaningfully to Swift. “I know,” Swift says. “And they know I know.” Cheipar can only shake his head in wonderment.
On Day 24, the tribes on both sides of the bay awaken to find treemail. It promises a very special immunity challenge and the threat of “double disaster” for the losing tribe. “What do you think?” Brightmetal asks Swift. “Losers have to vote two people out?”
“Maybe... maybe it means the losing tribe will vote out their last member, then get absorbed by the other tribe. We might not have a merge after all... just a hostile takeover.”
Crescent: I still say we’re overthinking things. We get too far ahead of ourselves trying to see every little wrinkle in Winnowill’s plan, and we risk tripping over what’s right in front of us. I wish I could make Father understand that.At Camp Green Moon, Savin formulate a hopeful theory. “I wonder if it means we get to choose one of their members to go at tribal council. If so we could take care of Brightmetal right away. I hate to say it about one of our own... but he’s just too much of physical threat.”
The tribes meet for the immunity challenge to find the course laid out underwater. A series of floating platforms stretch out several hundred yards from the beach. Brightmetal moans audibly. “Not more water. I’m getting waterlogged, I swear.”
Winnowill explains the rules of the game. It’s an underwater race with six stations. Each tribe member must swim along the bottom of the bay, following a sunken rope and releasing markers every twenty feet. Each elf swims a hundred feet to the next platform. If an elf misses releasing a floating marker, he cannot continue. The elf on the next platform cannot jump in and commence swimming until his companion is completely out of the water and on the platform. First tribe to get one member on the shore wins.
“Now, I know you’re all wondering about the ‘double disaster,’” Winnowill says. “And all I can say right now is that the losing tribe will be going to a ver-ry special tribal council. And when you return to your campsite after, you’ll be hard-pressed to recognize your tribe.”
Swift: Infernal trolls in hell! What is that supposed to mean?Savin: “when you return...” Oh... see, is she going to take away our shelter or something? That would so her form. You got to council, and when you get back, your shelter is gone and all that’s left are the cooking pots and your one dagger – if that!
Coppersky: Well, we catch a break because Brightmetal can’t swim... but then, Littlefire isn’t exactly a waterbaby, either. So... all bets are off.The elves take their positions. Swift and Savin are at the first pair of platforms. Strongbow and Coppersky are at the second. Brightmetal and Spar at the third, Tyleet and Littlefire at the fourth, and Cheipar and Weatherbird at the fifth. Weatherbird and Cheipar silently flirt as they wait for the signal. Winnowill takes up the starter’s shotgun and fires a round of buckshot into the air. Swift and Savin plunge into the water and begin to dive. Savin’s aquatic heritage puts her at an advantage, and she takes the early lead. The moment she is up on the platform, Coppersky dives into the water. Strongbow is close behind. Both struggle a little to free the markers as they haul themselves along the rope underwater. Coppersky has to surface for a breath, buying Strongbow precious moments. Brightmetal and Spar enter the water at the same time. But whereas Spar swims methodically underwater, Brightmetal struggles to keep himself submerged. He as lost a lot of ground.
Brightmetal: I just kept bobbing up like a cork. Swift says it’s because I hold all my air in – well, I’m certainly not going to let it out when I’m ten feet underwater!Spar reaches the platform and Littlefire is in the water the moment she hauls herself on board. He swims towards Weatherbird’s platform as she sends encouragement. He is unusually focused, and swims very quickly, practically tearing the markers off the underwater rope. Brightmetal has now just managed to haul himself up onto his platform, and Tyleet dives in. She is unable to catch up to Littlefire before he surfaces at Weatherbird’s platform. “Littlefire! Get up!” Weatherbird shouted. “On the platform, now!
Littlefire climbs up, and Weatherbird dives into the water. A few moments later, Tyleet reaches Cheipar. But he cannot make up the ground lost. Weatherbird staggers onto the beach, and Winnowill proclaims the Green Moon tribe the winner.
Swift: Blech, I say. Blech. There’s no other word for it.
Winnowill: See you at tribal council tonight, Kumquats.The Kumquats return to their camp dejected. Swift and Cheipar cannot help but nothing that Brightmetal has drifted away from them to talk with Strongbow and Tyleet. “Why do I doubt they’re just chatting,” Swift broods. She looks over at Brightmetal, now talking to Strongbow. Just then, Brightmetal looks up, see Swift, and grins widely.
“So... Swift?” he then asks Strongbow softly. Strongbow nods tersely.
**It’s a strategic move,** Strongbow sends to Crescent. **We cannot allow Swift to survive to the merge. You must realize that. Brightmetal is a strong ally. We can work together at the merge. And if the merge is still several days away... well, we can eliminate Brightmetal later.**
“I can’t believe this!” Crescent hisses. “You promised Swift you’d work together until the merge.”
**We don’t owe them anything. They’re not real Wolfriders. We have to think of ourselves, Crescent.**
Crescent: Father says we’re just using Brightmetal... but the more I think about it, the more I think Brightmetal is using him.Swift and Brightmetal pass each other as he heads out for a water run. “Hey, chieftess,” Brightmetal beams. “Hey, Brightmetal,” Swift remarks. “Is it on?” Brightmetal nods. “Oh, yeah. It’s on.”
Swift hurries to Cheipar and tells him what’s happened. Before Cheipar can grieve, Swift continues. “We have to hurry. We need at least one more vote for a tie – High Ones, I hate even numbers. But look, if we can swing Crescent or Tyleet – or Crescent and Tyleet – we can get Brightmetal out of here. You get to work on Crescent. I’ll take Tyleet. This isn’t over yet.”
Crescent
and Tyleet sit together on the beach, watching the sun slowly set. “Are
you sure this is right?” Crescent asks Tyleet. “I mean... throwing in our
lot with Brightmetal? Taking out Swift? Father... he went behind my back
to get rid of Cutter, so he could make a deal with Brightmetal. And then
he promised me we’d concentrate on staying together as a united tribe.
Now he and Brightmetal are going after Swift... and we’re just supposed
to go along with it?”
Tyleet: I feel very nervous these days. Side with Brightmetal and Strongbow... it’s safe. For now. But the Alternaverse owns the other tribe. If I go down in history as the one who helped vote their chief off... or if Brightmetal decides to turn on me – because he would – I know he would! He’s smile and wish me the best and stab me in the back. We all know it.Later in the afternoon, Cheipar manages to corner Crescent, and finds that she is having serious doubts. “Father... he just... expects me to follow him. And Brightmetal... he thinks I have this alliance with him. I thought I could trust him. And... Father says we can trust him... at least until we turn on him. I don’t like it. I don’t like this backstabbing... these lies. I know that’s part of this game... but shouldn’t you try to rise above this all?”
Cheipar: It’s not too late to stop this.
Crescent: Turn against Father... kin against kin – how much better is that? I’d be just as bad as the others.
Cheipar: In the end, there can only be one standing. Do you want that to be Brightmetal?Swift is helping Tyleet gather firewood. “Are you sure you want to be Brightmetal’s pawn?” she whispers in Tyleet’s ear. “Or Strongbow’s? I saw the reruns of that last Survivor – you got blind sided because you didn’t look out for yourself.”
As night begins to descend over the camp, everyone packs up their belongings. “Take everything that’s not nailed down,” Swift says. “I wouldn’t put it past the trolls to sneak in and steal everything.” She glances up at Brightmetal. He grins.
Brightmetal: (cheerful) Nothing personal, chieftess.
Swift: Oh, I know. I know. (pats his back) I’ll buy you a drink when this is all over.Thunder sounds ominously in the distance. A light rain begins to fall with impeccable timing. Brightmetal talks to Crescent as they begin to march towards tribal council. “We’re still good, aren’t we?” he asks her. Crescent keeps a frosty silence. “It’s just a game,” he says when she hesitates. “Are you playing the game, or not? And if you’re not... well, why are you here?”
“I’m playing the game,” Crescent says, more to herself than to him.
Winnowill greets them all at tribal council. “Welcome, welcome to a ver-ry special tribal council. I see you brought all your belongings with you... not entirely sure your camp will be there when you return, hmm? Why, I do believe you’re all becoming paranoid.”
Swift: We just want to cover all our bases.“So, Brightmetal, how’s the tribal unity these days?” Winnowill asks. Brightmetal laughs. “Tribal unity? What’s that, Gamma? We’re past the halfway point. We don’t have time for those luxuries now.”
Winnowill: Swift. When Cutter left, he predicted you wouldn’t survive the next tribal council. Now, here you are. Tell me, are you going home tonight?“Well... we don’t really go home, do we? You keep us under lock and key so we can’t leak info to the tabloids.”
Winnowill: (tight) Fine. Are you going to the celebrity isolation tank tonight?Swift shrugs. “Might do. Might do. I’m not sure yet. But... well, it wouldn’t surprise me.” When Winnowill asks Brightmetal the same question, he is equally evasive. “I’m playing the game hard. And eventually you get to a point where people realize you’re more a threat than a help.”
“Tyleet,” Winnowill says. “You’re still limping, I see. Frankly, I’m surprised you’ve made it this far. You’re not the strongest player physically, not the strongest mentally, and to be honest... your hair is the most charismatic thing about you. Last time you got voted off early on. Why do you think you’ve made it this far this season?”
Tyleet: Winnowill, you have to remember I had just Recognized. I was in pretty good shape for a pregnant woman. But I had some morning sickness... and some other health issues. But I’m back, I’m stronger, and I think I’m going to surprise a few people. I think I already have.Winnowill shrugs. “To be honest, I forget you’re there most of the time. And it is time to vote. Tyleet. You can go first.”
The elves vote one by one. Winnowill goes to collect the ballots. Brightmetal reaches out and gives Swift’s hand a squeeze. “You’re going down,” he murmurs through tightly clenched tight. Swift smiles as she disengages her hand from his politely. “Bite me, troll-boy,” she purrs.
Winnowill
gathers the votes. The tension mounts. The rain falls. The music soars.
“Once the votes are read, the decision is final, the person voted out will
be asked to leave the tribal council area immediately. I’ll read the votes.
First vote.... Swift. Second vote.... Brightmetal. Third vote... um...
let me see here... Swift. And... what have we here... Brightmetal. That’s...
two votes Swift... two votes Brightmetal. And... fifth vote...”
Swift: (nerves frayed) Oh, get on with it!“Temper, temper. Let’s see... fifth vote...” she turned over the next ballot. “Brightmetal. That’s three for Brightmetal, two for Swift. Still room for a tie. And the last vote... Brightmetal.”
Strongbow’s jaw drops. Swift burst into nervous laughter. So does Brightmetal. He hesitates a moment, before gathering his bags and turns towards his tribemates. “You play the game, all right,” he teases Crescent darkly, before bringing his torch over to Winnowill.
“Brightmetal, the tribe has spoken. It’s time for you to leave.”
“Thanks, Gamma,” Brightmetal says. He tries to hug her, and Winnowill recoils. “Ugh, shower first, please.”
Brightmetal shrugs and turns to leave. “Oh, wait a moment, Brightmetal. It seems such a cold night tonight – what a shame to send you on your way without a friend. And you see, at this – the last tribal council before the merge...” – gasps go up from the elves – “the elf voted off has the honour of choosing a friend to accompany him out of the game. Brightmetal... who do you want out of the game tonight?”
Swift: (moans in defeat) Ah, merciful hell.Brightmetal bursts out laughing. “Well... serious? Well... as much as I’d love to do my friends a favour and take out Strongbow tonight... I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have join me than my dear chieftess.”
Swift: Yep. I’m coming.Swift gathers her belongs and brings her torch over. “Swift – Brightmetal has spoken,” Winnowill says. “It’s time for you to leave.”
“Peace out,” Swift waves to her tribemates. Cheipar looks overwhelmed. Strongbow is brooding. Crescent and Tyleet exchange nervous glances.
The Kumquat tribe, its numbers now decimated, returns to camp dejected. They find their shelter still in place. But the first belongings they did not carry are now neatly stacked in a pile in the sheeting rain. A piece of laminated parchment is staked to the pile of supplies. So is a small iron key dangling from a red ribbon.
“‘Enclosed is a map to the Green Moon tribe,’” Tyleet reads aloud. “‘Start
marching. The merge starts now.’”
BRIGHTMETAL AND SWIFT’S LAST WORDS
 Brightmetal:
Whoaho! Trust Gamma to pull a fast one!
Swift: (laughing) It’s this guy’s fault. It’s all his fault. Brightmetal: (throws arm over her shoulder) Couldn’t have happened to a nicer lady! Swift: You’re so bad!  Brightmetal:
So, I guess we’re out of the game now.
Swift: Ah, who needs the money? Mo money, mo problems! Brightmetal: (laughing) Are you drunk, woman? Swift: Not enough! Come on, I owe you a margarita! Brightmetal: Go Alternaverse! Swift: Go Cheipar! You can win this one, baby! |