Survivor: the Initiative episode 12

Survivor: the Initiative episode 12
Affirmations

Day 34

Lemar Hoskins, Battle Star, looked out at the other three contestants who remained in the game with him. It was evening, and the light over the Symkarian trees was dimming, with the light from the campfire they sat around chasing away the shadows of the forest that were fighting to take over for the night. Here they were, the final four. And, as far as Lemar could tell, they were more put together and comfortable than they had been the entire game.
“We’ve come a long way to get here. I could never have predicted this final four. A big black guy with a shield, a white lady with a sword, a winged multi-racial former cop, and an armored Irish-American. All from different walks of life, with different skills, different origins, different power sets. We’ve all had the chance to learn more about ourselves in this game, and to learn who it is we associate with. Not only that, but when this show airs, we’ll all be exposed to the public. But we can’t forget the reasons that we signed up with this program in the first place. For our own reasons, we all want to be heroes. Legal, certified, deputized heroes. And it is very difficult to remember all of that when we are caught up in this series of survival, challenges, and vote-outs.”
Lemar stretched his back and continued. “I have friendships and alliances with all of you. I admire all of you. I would be proud to be on a military team with any of you. And I hope we can all keep in mind that this competition, this game, is just that. It’s training for our future as heroes.”
MAULER, sitting in his boxer shorts across the fire from Lemar, smiled. “Aye, brother, I consider ye a friend as well. I’m glad we never crossed paths in my wayward days as a mercenary or a criminal. I’m proud to know ye now.”
Lemar nodded carefully. He appreciated the compliment and the condolences, but he would always be skeptical about someone who’d been a criminal at one time.
Unbidden by him, Nocturne turned toward Lemar. She kissed him on the cheek and nestled in closer to him. This was the first time she’d shown affection toward him in front of others. Lemar noticed Valkyrie, in her human form, smiling, and noticed MAULER looking shocked. “I admire your strength and your convictions, Lemar Hoskins. I am glad to know you.”
Lemar laughed now. “All this mutual approbation going on around here. Your turn, Valkyrie, tell me what a great guy I am?”
Valkyrie, so much nicer to look at in her smaller form now that she could choose to go back and forth between them, smiled smugly, her arms around her legs as the fire warmed her. “I can’t find a single negative thing to say about you, Battle Star. And that is a high compliment indeed.”

“I want you to know me, Lemar Hoskins. I want you to know my story.”
“Angela, I do know you. I—“
Angela Cairn, Nocturne, interrupted Battle Star. She was cuddling with him next to the fire. It was late at night now, and very dark, and MAULER and Valkyrie had already returned to their respective lean-tos. “Not in that way. You know the being I am now, and you know the being I was. But you don’t know my story. You don’t know how I became who I now am, the woman you now know.”
Battle Star, yawning into the night, patted her back. “I want to know you. Please, tell me your story.”
And so, with her voice a melodic trill, and with her emotional powers sending out waves of calm and comfort, Angela told her story. She told of her upbringing as a child of mixed races. She told of her constant need to prove herself self-sufficient and independent. She told of her enrollment in the police force and her gruff nature and work to prove herself better than all the men. She told of losing her friend and lover to a deadly mass murderer, and how it haunted her afterwards. She told of her transformation in the mutate-machines into the creature of the night, Nocturne. She told of her years spent hiding from herself and drinking the pain of others. And she told of her recent rebirth into this new confident being she had become.
As she finished, Angela noticed that her emotions had changed. She was no longer radiating comfort and calm, instead she was just feeling. No drawing in of emotions, no letting out. Just being. Juts comfortable. She felt tears come into her eyes as she realized that this was the first time in several years when she had been content to just be.
Battle Star rubbed her back and held her close. “Thank you for sharing your story with me,” he whispered. “I’m glad to know you, Angela Cairn.”
“And I you, Lemar.”

Day 35

Samantha Parrington, Valkyrie, in her immortal warrior form, drew her blade and slashed it through the air at Battle Star, careful that only the flat of the blade would strike him, and she was pleased when he parried the blow with his shield. Before he could move at her with strength that nearly matched her own, Samantha pushed into his shield with all of her strength and upset his footing, knocking him to the ground.
Samantha then turned and felt a startling wave of fear wash over her. She immediately recognized this as Nocturne’s powers. Fighting off the fear and steeling herself, Samantha scanned the trees and skyline for her attacker, but couldn’t find her right off. Nocturne’s natural ability to hide in her surroundings would serve her well. But Samantha did see MAULER, swooping down at her with his boot jets, his electric shock weapons primed and ready to fire.
Shaking off the nauseating fear, Samantha propelled herself toward the lake, and she felt the fear leave her as she got out of range. She knew MAULER was flying up behind her, but she refused to turn to see him. As she got within fifty yards of the lake, she could see it through the trees, and she heard MAULER’s weapons crackle, ready to fire. A thrill of exhilaration ran through her as she jumped behind a tree just as the electric burst came forward, striking the ground where she had just been standing, setting several small plants on fire and causing the dirt to explode upward. Valkyrie came out from behind the tree and saw MAULER landing directly in front of her. Then she turned to see Nocturne gently landing on the ground behind her. From a third direction, Battle Star came rushing out of the trees.
All of them were smiling.
Valkyrie laughed out loud. “Thank you for the sparring match, my friends! It is good to be back!”

Brendan Doyle, MAULER, was thrilled that there were only a few days left in the game. He was tired of living in the woods. He knew it was for a good cause and he knew it was all toward the meeting of his goals, but he was sick of being hungry, cold, and tired. And even more, now he longed more than ever to be with his son, Daniel, full-time. Brendan knew he would have to be smart it this time. No kidnapping or running off, no jail time. He would have to become a legitimate registered hero and then he could start the court battle for his kid. His brilliant, beautiful boy. He’d do it right. He’d be the dad that Daniel deserved.
That two-and-a-half days he’d got to spend with Daniel had been the best Brendan had ever had. Playing with his kid during the day, flying over the woods, telling him stories, holding him at night. It had been incredible. And then to, with Daniel’s help, win the immunity challenge! Daniel would have quite a story to tell all the kids back at the foster home. It gave Brendan just the charge he needed to make it through the end of the game. The boost in energy he had to have.
The game. Brendan needed to stay focused on the game. He figured he had played pretty smart most of the way through. His strategy at the beginning of the game had been to ally with all of the outcasts of the tribe, and he figured that would be what would pull him through, a leader in his own alliance. But that had all fallen apart because most the men on his tribe had been stark-raving crazy! Then he had formed that alliance with Sandstorm, and that partial one with the doting Number Nine, but both of those had crumbled to ashes around him. He had only made it this far in the game, he figured, because he was just a little less unstable than everyone around him.
Brendan figured he could win the game against Valkyrie and Nocturne both, assuming he could get a few more immunities, and assuming he wasn’t voted out first. He would have the jury votes to win the game, he knew it. He just had to find a way to get rid of Battle Star. A way that wouldn’t make the rest of the tribe mad…

Day 36

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE

At Jasper Sitwell’s instruction, the four remaining contestants took their places at various corners of a complex construction that was designed to test their balance, memory, efficiency, speed, and agility. Jasper instructed the contestants to work through the complex challenge as quickly as possible. He explained that they would have to rely on their own merits to get them farther in the game. After balancing on a series of beams and ropes, each contestant would have to work their way over a series of steep walls, using only a few small handholds to get across. Then they would be required to memorize a complicated series of numbers and letters, after which they would have to go back across the course and write them down. Each contestant could go back and forth across the course as many times as necessary, but the first to correctly replicate the code would win immunity and be guaranteed a spot in the final three.
When the contest began, Battle Star and Valkyrie broke out at a dead even on the balancing portion, but both had to start over multiple times, their large frames not conducive to balancing. Nocturne flitted over the balance portion and easily maneuvered over the steep walls, with MAULER not far behind her, she using her wings to support her and he using his armor’s hydraulics. When the duo reached the memorization pattern, MAULER used his suit’s systems to easily record the sequence. After returning to the beginning, he was able to replicate it easily while Nocturne struggled to write it down and the other two were only just reaching the pattern.
MAULER was given the immunity necklace again, blowing everyone’s minds.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
Valkyrie, Battle Star, MAULER, and Nocturne took their seats at tribal council and watched as Biohazard, Sandstorm, Steel Spider, Derwyddon, and Ion took their places on the jury bench, there to silently observe in preparation for the upcoming final vote. There was a bit of tension in the room as the jury reflected different emotions toward the surviving contestants. Anger, frustration, hope, annoyance. Jasper noted all of this as he began his questioning.
“Nocturne, there seems to be a shift in mood around camp the last few days. What do you attribute that to?”
“Jasper, there has indeed been a shift in mood. For those of us still in the game, we have learned more about ourselves and, I think, as a result, grown more comfortable in our own skins. When you add the visits from our family members earlier this week, I think I can speak for all of us when I say we have had a boost in confidence and self-assurance. We are all feeling better, and it is a wonderful thing.”
“Better than what? MAULER?”
“Well, better than the dark an’ depressing moods we’ve all been in of late. The rain went away and so did our poor attitudes, it seems.”
Jasper cleared his throat. “Valkyrie, do you find it more difficult to vote out your fellow contestants as you get farther into the game?”
“More difficult? No. As difficult, yes. But as Battle Star recently reminded us, it is less about the game itself and more about being a hero in the end. My vote tonight is simply towards who is the least deserving to be a hero.”
Jasper smiled. “Blunt as always. Let’s get to the voting.”
The first vote was for Valkyrie. This was from MAULER, who didn’t care who left at this point, and who made this decision based on whose departure might upset the jury the least.
The second vote was for Valkyrie. This was from Battle Star, who didn’t want Nocturne to leave yet and couldn’t vote for MAULER.
The third vote was for Nocturne. This was from Valkyrie, who found Nocturne least deserving of being a hero of the remaining contestants.
The fourth vote was for Valkyrie. This was from Nocturne, who was voting along with Battle Star.
Valkyrie laughed good-naturedly when the decision was read. She stood straight as Jasper extinguished her torch and turned to the others. “It’s about time you got rid of the biggest contestant in the game!” She walked away, laughing, leaving only three in the game.

And here we are, with only two votes, and three episodes, left! Thanks to those of you who have stuck around this far! The episodes get shorter (as I’m sure you’ve noticed) as the contestants get fewer, and all the final plans are in place to see this series wrapped up. Due to random selection, the contestant who has immunity, and a guaranteed spot in the final two is…. Battle Star. That means you can only vote out one of the other two contestants. This will be an interesting final two!!! Can’t hardly wait.

TEAM ROGERS:
Battle Star (Lemar Hoskins—immunity)
MAULER (Brendan Doyle)
Nocturne (Angela Cairn)