Survivor: the Initiative Episode 14

Survivor: the Initiative episode 14
What it Takes to be a Hero

Day 39

On their final evening at their camp, Battle Star and MAULER had eaten all of their remaining food, saving only a few pieces of fruit for breakfast. There hadn’t been a lot of stores left; some gathered fruits and nuts, and a few pieces of fish they had caught. They had enjoyed their final fire, barely speaking a word to each other the entire night. They had both slept little, too cold to sleep on their own but unwilling to cuddle into each other, not without a girl between them at least.
As morning came, they destroyed their shelter with a few blows and blasts and watched the meager lean-tos they had been using collapse in on themselves. Then Battle Star put on his costume and mask, full hero regalia this time, and polished his shield; he wanted to look good for the jury. MAULER dusted off his fully charged suit. At the last minute, though, he chose not to wear it to the tribal council, and went instead in his dirty clothing and his unkempt beard. When Battle Star questioned him about it, MAULER simply stated that he wanted to win. Battle Star laughed, shook the hand of his opponent, and told him he was up for the challenge.
And with that, the two men, one white and one black, one a trained hero and the other a former villain, walked into their final tribal council, to face a jury of their peers in what would be votes for their success or failure.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

Jasper Sitwell nodded to the two men and then brought in the jury. He told them they would all have an opportunity to question the two final contestants, one at a time, before casting their final vote for the sole survivor, and the winner of the competition. Then Jasper sat down, ready to eagerly watch what would then unfold.

BIOHAZARD

The power-inhibiting collar still tightly around his neck to block his emotionally-charged and reactive powers (and what a relief!), Fletcher Traynor looked over the final two with disdain. He was the first member of the jury, and, thus, had had the most time to reflect on the game, to watch the tribal councils with tonight’s vote in mind. As the game had gotten farther in, Fletcher had experienced the gamut of emotions. He’d been angry, bored, apathetic, and even cheerful at times. And as the ranks had thinned further and further, he’d been more and more excited to see who would make it to the end. And now here he was, in the final tribal council before the final two. He pretty much knew who he was going to vote for already, but now was his chance.
Fletcher looked at Battle Star. “There was a time in the game when I was pretty angry at you. You were our tribe leader, in action if not in title, and you let me be isolated and estranged the entire game. When Brother Nature kicked me out of the tribe, you didn’t try to stop him. I want you to tell me why.”
Battle Star nodded. “It wasn’t anything personal, kid. When I first got in this game, I was pretty bitter about all of us being required to register as heroes. I mean, there’s this mix of bad guys, former heroes, and guys like you with no experience that no one has ever heard of. I was mad. I wanted all of us, especially kids like you and Gomi, to have to figure yourselves out. I wasn’t here to be your parent. I never disrespected you, I just wanted you to be able to fight your own battles. If you are ever gonna make it as a trained hero, that’s what it’s gonna take.”
With pursed lips, Fletcher turned to MAULER. “Early in the game, you approached me for an alliance. I believed you were sincere. Later, I learned that you had offered the same deal to at least three other contestants. I want you to explain to me why you should get my vote after your deception.”
“Ah, laddie, i’ tweren’t nothing personal. I realized at the beginnin’ o’ the game that the men’s tribe had a bunch’a loners an’ misfits on it. When no cohesive alliances were formin’, I took it upon meself to try and form connections with each’a ye. Twas my hope at that time that I’d get meself through the early parts’a the game. Turns out, that strategy didnae help me all that much.”
Fletcher nodded at Jasper. He was ready to cast his vote.
Biohazard voted for Battle Star to win.

STEEL SPIDER
Oliver Osnick took a deep breath and centered himself, pushing the crazy deep back down in him where he belonged. Since he’d been kicked out of the game (he refused to see it any other way), he’d been heavily medicated. He was beginning to realize that in his life, if he was ever going to be a successful hero, a successful person, a capable human being, then he would have to stay on meds and in therapy. The government could take his arm, he guessed, but they could also give him the tools he needed to have everything he wanted. Success, a career, a family. This was his way out.
In an effort to be imposing, Ollie raised himself up on his long spidery legs, mentally controlling them through the harness he’d designed. He truly was brilliant, and he knew it.
“My questions for both of you are the same. I want to hear the worst mistake you made in the game, and I want to know what you would have done differently if you had the chance.”
MAULER thought, and answered quickly. This was easy for him. “Although this may make him a bit angry, my biggest mistake was aligning meself with Sandstorm. He had plots to try and take out the powerful opponents in the game, and I thought that gettin’ rid’a the tougher competitors, like Battle Star and Valkyrie, would serve me in the long run. It turned out that Sandstorm’s strategy an’ motivations nearly destroyed me own game play. No offense intended ta ye, Sandstorm.”
Battle Star took a bit longer to answer. “This is still hard for me to admit. My biggest mistake was in allowing myself to get so depressed and despondent. My usual fighting spirit was gone for days, and I felt sorry for myself for the first time in years. I should never have done that.”
Ollie felt a wave of annoyance at Battle Star’s answer and changed his vote at the last minute.
Steel Spider voted for MAULER to win.

DERWYDDON
Smoothing his ancient brown (but now clean) robes over his legs, and taking a moment to adjust the rope sash that cinched about his waist, Derwyddon, the ancient and conflicted druid, smiled. He still hadn’t cut his beard. He still wasn’t settled within himself. He didn’t know what lay ahead for him, and he was only beginning to learn that maybe that was okay. Maybe he didn’t need to know that a divine path lay ahead of him. Maybe it was all right to just live life and see what was to come next. He prayed he was strong enough to find faith in himself.
“MAULER, where do you see yourself in five years? What are your plans? And how would winning this game influence that?”
“Ach, but I’ve given that a lot of thought these last few days. I’ve spent much’a me life failin’ and tryin’ ta get the right things in the wrong ways. After me son was born, it took some time for me tae learn that my time is measured by the growth of me boy now. I want to be a hero. I want to make my Daniel proud. Winnin’ this game, it’ll show me and my boy both that I’ve got what it takes to make a new life. In five years? I want tae be a hero, servin’ me country, and I want tae be a stable presence in my son’s life, tae be the dad he deserves.”
“Battle Star, same question to you.”
“Honestly, Derwyddon, I just don’t know. I want to serve my country. Eventually, I want to settle down and have a family. But I don’t have plans. I don’t know what will come next for me, but I hope to be ready for it.”
Derwyddon considered the answers, and he easily decided which plan he respected more.
Derwyddon voted for MAULER to win.

SANDSTORM
Tony Trainer pulled his sandy grit armor tight about himself, tight against his frame. Someone could fire a bazooka at him and it wouldn’t penetrate his armor. Tony knew that things were bad for him at this point. He was on the jury, but he felt like he was the one being judged. He’d come into this competition so cold, so calculating, so… arrogant. He had a lot to learn about himself yet, and he would be, hopefully, far far away from the public eye when that happened. What would this do to him, to his family, when this show was broadcast? When the whole nation, the whole world, knew he was a murderer? What would that do to his future? What was next for him? He didn’t know and he was truly scared to find out the answers.
Tony turned to the two men, both of whom had been his primary allies in the game. MAULER had just stated that allying with Tony had been his biggest mistake, but Tony couldn’t find it in himself to be angry or bitter. It just… was.
“Both of you were my allies. Both of you learned in time that you couldn’t trust me. I’d like to know why. Why is it you found me untrustworthy?”
Battle Star locked eyes with Tony, who quickly looked away. “I quit trusting you because you lied to me and kept things from me. Trust is given until broken, then it has to be earned back.”
MAULER looked at the other jury members as he spoke. “I didn’t trust ye, Sandstorm, because ye were deceiving and a bit scary. I—“
Tony, annoyed, cut him off. “You knew my plan when you allied with me. You were then, and you are now, just trying to distance yourself from me so that the other jury members won’t judge you. Let me tell you, that cowardly approach doesn’t get my respect or my vote. You want to fight me, you do it head on.”
Sandstorm collected his breath, then voted for Battle Star to win.

VALKYRIE
Samantha Parrington fingered the sword hilt on her belt, her blade safely sheathed at her side. She stood in her full Asgardian regalia, her black skin suit with the impressive metal bra shells, her hair was pulled back in pigtails. She looked every bit the Viking warrior woman that she was meant to represent. And she was proud to be so. She was learning to accept her nature, the immortal warrior combined with the fragile yet strong mortal. Samantha truly felt she could face anything. And she was so thrilled to reconcile with her parents after this game, to rebuild that part of her life that had been void for so long. She was grateful for the chance she’d had to be in this game, and for the things it had taught her about herself.
And with that, she narrowed her eyes at her two competitors. Two of the most worthy competitors of the game, so far as she was concerned, but she wasn’t about to let them off easily. It was Valkyrie’s nature to challenge, provoke, and boat-rock. Tonight would be no different.
“MAULER, on what planet do you think the public can forget everything about a person and only focus on the present? Do you think that anyone will ever forget that you were a mercenary-for-hire? That you committed criminal acts for money? That you stole the very armored suit you wear into battle? That it took you years to choose to be in your son’s life? That you’ve been in prison and battled the nation’s heroes for profit? Do you really think that just because you are declared a ‘hero’ that we can forget what you’ve done?”
MAULER cleared his throat, taking a moment to focus, his nostrils flaring so as not to show his anger. “Valkyrie, I knew ye’d have the toughest one. Look, I dinnae expect anyone tae forget where I come from. In fact, I dinnae want them ta. I want to remember what happened to me so that I know what I dinnae want tae go back ta. I’m nae proud’a the things I’ve done. I chose not tae wear my armor tonight for one reason. I dinnae want ta be considered for a vote based on my past or based on me powers. I want to be voted on me own merits.”
Valkyrie considered, then laughed, just to unsettle him. Then she turned to Battle Star. “You consider yourself a leader and a hero. You fault yourself for weakness. I fault your game play itself, Lemar. You told Biohazard moments ago that your approach was to let the men on your tribe fend for themselves. If you are such a great leader, would they not have been better off with your guidance and instruction? If you have so much to offer, why have you not offered it?”
Battle Star stared past her and into the fire. “I—the answer to that is not one I care to admit. I don’t trust this new Initiative program. I felt like anyone getting involved in it deserved to suffer a bit, I suppose, like I had. I stood out against the program, and I was arrested and convicted for it. Guess I’m not as confident as you expected, hm?”
Samantha thanked them both, then moved to vote.
Valkyrie voted for MAULER to win.

ION

With her energy form tightly wrapped into her containment suit, Voletta Todd turned her form toward her former competitors. When she felt the bitterness and frustration wash over her, she didn’t try to hide from it as she would in the past. This game had taught her many things about herself, but one thing she knew is that she had to stop herself from feeling like she wasn’t human. She may not have a body, but she had her mind, she had emotion, she had goals and wishes and hopes and desires. She had been thinking that her experience must be rather like someone who lost a limb, who became paralyzed, or who lost their sight. Voletta had lost her whole body! It had taken her years to cope, but she knew she had it in her to be a better person.
Voletta looked at the two men sitting before her. Unshaven, unshowered, in clothes that were unwashed. Their motivations, their goals, their very characteristics, were laid bare before her. And she had already made her decision. There was no reason to prolong their pain, though part of her wanted to take a poke at their human souls like the others had.
“I will not make the both of you squirm. I have no questions. My decision has been made.”
Ion voted for Battle Star to win.

NOCTURNE
Angela Cairn felt a wave of elation pass through her being, and she couldn’t contain it. The emotion washed off of her and over the others, lightening the incredibly tense mood in the room. She watched Battle Star smile at her emotional relay, a soft smile on his lips. MAULER looked a bit surprised to be feeling so happy, and she was glad to give them the gift of peace in this moment.
“I… feel.” She allowed a smile to cross her face, and her teeth gleamed in the fire light. She smoothed her wings out behind her. “For the years after my transformation, I did not allow myself to feel. Instead, I absorbed the pain of others, relishing in their misery so that I wouldn’t have to feel my own. But today, I feel. I embrace my own feeling.”
Angela locked eyes with MAULER. “Brendan, from you, I sense fear. The greatest emotion I ever sensed from you is fear. You mask it with bravado, determination, and inattention, but it is fear that drives you. I want to ask you now, what is it you are afraid of? I have wondered this since the first moment I met you.”
MAULER’s face paled, and he looked away. “I—I’m afraid, I’ll admit it tae ye. I’m afraid’a failin’. I’ve turned out tae be a failure me entire life. I’m afraid I’ll fail at this, too, just like I have on everythin’ else.”
Angela nodded, and she knew he spoke the truth. She avoided the temptation to take this fear from him and replace it with calm. This needed to be MAULER’s battle to fight.
Angela turned to Battle Star, a man she’d grown to care for, maybe even love. “Lemar, from you, I have always sensed pity. Pity in yourself. The under-riding, subconscious emotion that seems to rule all of your actions and mindsets. I feel that you often excuse yourself for these reasons. That you often feel the world owes you something. Why is this, Lemar? What does the world owe you, and why?”
With her enhanced hearing, Angela could hear Battle Star’s teeth gritting, and she felt the anger roll off of him. Its intensity startled her slightly. “Angela, I care for you, but you are wrong. It isn’t self-pity you are sensing, it is… well, it’s a standard that I hold myself to. It’s a drive to prove to myself that I’m better than what I think I can be. And you have no right to use your powers and pick me apart like that. That should have nothing to do with your vote.”
Angela looked away from his angry gaze. Then she picked up her pen and thought. Who should she vote for? She had her answer in moments, and she cast her vote, guarding her emotions for once.

5 MONTHS LATER

That night, Jasper Sitwell had gathered the seven votes and sealed them away. He’d bid the contestants farewell, and they had been ushered off back to America, where they would be entered into the training camps for the Initiative. And then he’d sat back while the first season of Survivor: the Initiative had been broadcast to the general public. The 16 heroes-in-training (who were now trained) had played out the dramas and challenges of their competition in Slorenia before all of America. The show had been an absolute hit. The public had thrilled at watching these super-powered individuals battling it out for the honor of being the sole survivor.
And now, here at a beautiful and opulent tribal council shelter, before an audience of thousands, Jasper, dressed in a tuxedo, stood with his date on his arm. The beautiful Silver Sable had agreed to accompany him from the premiere, and she still made him sweat, but never had he had such a woman on his arm.
Jasper saw Battle Star and MAULER, both out of costume now and dressed in elegant clothing, sat next to each other. Both men had changed, had come into their own. Jasper knew both men would make fine heroes in the service of their country.
The other contestants sat nearby with a few exceptions. A few had washed out of training. Brother Nature hadn’t lasted a month, and had voluntarily returned to prison. Sandstorm had been tried for his crimes and was serving out his time. Biohazard had returned to Project: PEGASUS in an attempt to get his powers under control. Derwyddon had simply disappeared one day; they’d awakened and he was no longer in camp, and no one had been able to find him since. Tempo had joined some mutant cause and was on the run. And Phantom Blonde had decided to retire to a civilian life, realizing her lack of powers didn’t serve her well in the Initiative. But the other two men and six women were gathered here, ready to see the contests results, and prepared to enter the service of their country when all was done.
Jasper felt the anticipation move through the room as he read off the votes one at a time. Battle Star, MAULER, Battle Star, MAULER, Battle Star, MAULER. A three-three tie with one vote left to read.
And with the cameras recording and the heroes watching, Jasper addressed the group with the final vote.
“And the winner. Of Survivor: the Initiative. Is.”
A collective breath.
“Brendan Doyle. MAULER!”
Jasper smiled as Doyle stood up, whooped into the air, then turned and gave an uncharacteristic hug to his competitor, Battle Star, who seemed genuinely happy for Doyle. Doyle then shocked them all by leaping down into the audience, rushing across the room, and scooping up young Daniel Doyle in his arms. Jasper saw tears streaking down Doyle’s face as he spun around and around, his son in his arms.
Redemption, Jasper thought to himself, couldn’t be granted by the public, couldn’t be given by registering as a hero, couldn’t be won by serving time in jail. And yet at this moment, in Jasper Sitwell’s eyes, Brendan Doyle was a man redeemed. Redeemed in the one place it mattered: in the arms and eyes of his son.

Survivor: The Initiative Episode 13

Survivor: the Initiative episode 13
Three’s a Crowd

Day 37

Pushing himself forward with his mental control over his armor, Brendan Doyle, MAULER flew over the Symkarian forest and lake, his suit fully charged in the solar rays. He felt good. Alive. He felt better than he had in years. He was one of the final three! When this show broadcast, he would be a world famous hero, whether he won the game or not. The name of MAULER, the name of Brendan Doyle, the former mercenary, the former criminal, would be a household name. And everyone would know he was Daniel’s dad. He’d make his kid proud. At this moment, it didn’t matter that Brendan hadn’t showered in weeks, or that he hadn’t slept in a nice bed or that he hadn’t eaten a good meal. He had only two days left in Symkaria, and he knew he could potentially win the game. He stood every chance.
As Brendan skimmed his armor over the lake water, trailing a hand in it, he thought about the jury and how they would place their votes. He hoped that Sandstorm still respected him, despite Brendan’s betrayal, but he knew that all of them trusted Sandstorm the least and knew him the least. He’d had early alliances and friendships with Biohazard and Derwyddon, and Steel Spider would probably vote however Derwyddon did, unless those two still weren’t getting along. Valkyrie and Ion both didn’t have any love for Brendan, but he hoped to appease them with his final speeches. He could actually pull this off. He could do it.
And if history held true, he would win the final immunity. He’d won before, now he just needed to hold that trend.

With her wings spread wide and her clawed fingers stretched to the sky, Angela Cairn, Nocturne, stood in the early morning light and felt the cool air wash over her. She had never cared particularly about this game, this competition, or frankly about being a hero in the Initiative program itself, but she had to admit a sense of exhilaration at reaching the end of the game. She felt good for two reasons. One, the game was nearly over (and she could shower soon!), and two, she had found herself again. She felt like Angela again, not just that stunted creature she had been for so long. And, she had to admit, a small bit of pride swelled within her at the potential of winning this game. There would be a high amount of honor that accompanied the victory, and, though honor was never something she had sought out, Angela did like the idea of being crowned the winner.
Angela closed her eyes and stepped from the tree she’d been standing on and into the air. With her wings softly straining, it was enough to keep her aloft. She just stood there, barely moving, reaching out with her emotional sensing abilities, and felt the calm and confidence radiating out of her. Her heightened senses picked up the sounds of the birds, the breeze, the burrowing animals, the lapping of the lake water on the shore, the sounds of the early morning forest. She willed her prehensile hair to spread out behind her and felt it cascade down her back.
This. This was the creature she had become.
Angela felt a smile across her face, and she wondered at this new life she’d been granted.

Lemar Hoskins, Battle Star, ran his finger over the blunt edge of his shield, then looked out across the landscape. This was it. The final competition in preparation for the final tribal councils. After a lengthy month full of failed alliances, difficult challenges, a rough time making things work, and even an uncharacteristic bout with depression, Lemar had made it to the end of the competition. And frankly, he wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
When Lemar thought about the competition, he felt a wave of confusion and frustration pass through him. Sixteen super-powered individuals, all from vastly different walks of life and with vastly different power sets. Who was he to say who could or could not be a hero? Who was he to say that even he had the right to be a hero?
Lemar knew his recent history prior to the game had not been his proudest. He had made a public stand against the government’s registration act. He’d been incarcerated because of it, had brought shame to his family, and had besmirched his own name and reputation. He wanted a second chance. He hadn’t felt that this game was that important. It was a game! But wouldn’t a victory give him greater recognition as a hero, and allow him to clear his name even faster?
Lemar stood and felt a resolve pass through him. Somehow he’d made it to the final three. He was now determined to be the sole survivor.

The three final contestants walked through the foggy morning toward the hilltop, looking impressive, Jasper Sitwell had to admit. Battle Star, strong and stoic behind his shield. MAULER, flying through the air in his polished armor. And Nocturne, flying forward with confidence radiating out of her. Jasper explained that they would be going on a hike that would last the majority of the morning. At each mile marker, they would gather a small heroic idol that represented each of the contestants they had voted out thus far. They would then toss those gathered idols into the fire at the final destination, where the three of them would undergo the final immunity challenge. Jasper could sense the hope and determination from each of the contestants, and he could tell that they each wanted to win.
As they picked up the idol representing Gladiatrix, the first contestant voted out, Nocturne commented briefly on what a strong-willed woman Robin Braxton was and how she came on way too strong in her tribe at the beginning. Nocturne laughed that they’d only had room for one super-strong warrior woman in the tribe, and Valkyrie had seen to it very quickly that Gladiatrix didn’t stay around.
Nocturne grew strangely quiet when they retrieved Tempo’s idol. Battle Star asked her about Tempo and if she’d been difficult to vote out, and Nocturne frowned, saying that Tempo had reflected an air of cold determination and a sense of being prejudiced like no one she’d ever seen. She said that of all those voted out, Tempo may have needed this game more than any of the others, but that her stand-offish nature and bullying attitude had estranged her from the others.
They soon came to Brother Nature’s idol, and Nocturne sensed the strong reactions from both men toward this former competitor. Brother Nature, Battle Star explained, was crazy, pure and simple, and had the emotional capacity of a child. MAULER laughed, patting Battle Star on the back, and wondered out loud how different the game would have been with that lad going to the end.
The Phantom Blonde, Nocturne commented, was spoiled, self-centered, and not even super-powered, but her alliance with powerful competitors had almost allowed her to stick in the game for a long period of time. Nocturne recounted how Valkyrie had surprised them all by announcing that only worthy competitors should be in the game and had turned on her ally. One of the many game-changing moments. MAULER laughed about how Blondie sure was a looker, though.
All three of them recounted the fifth tribal council and how shocking it had been to have to vote two contestants out. Battle Star recounted how difficult it had been to vote Free Spirit out so early in the game, and how if he’d known about Sandstorm’s true intentions earlier on, then things would have been much different. MAULER talked about voting out little Gomi, and wondered what had ever become of that strange lad’s even stranger lobster, which had apparently gone missing.
Ah, Number Nine, MAULER commented. He said he’d been so surprised to see how much attention she’d thrown on him after the tribe reshuffle. Nocturne talked about Number Nine’s struggles with memory and inner self, and how she seemed at war with her very nature. They all took a moment to wish Number Nine well on her path, and hoped she would find happiness.
Then they passed the icons representing members of the jury, six in all so far, and the trio knew that one more of them would be joining the jury this evening. Biohazard, who had never been able to seize control of his acidic powers. Steel Spider, whose struggles with his own mental health led to multiple challenges in the game. Derwyddon, who had struggled repeatedly with his own faith in his gods and in himself. Sandstorm, who had struggled to find his own path to heroism through varying levels of villainy. Ion, whose hatred of self and of her own nature had tainted her every thought and action. And Valkyrie, who had found herself so confident and flawless as a god, but so imperfect as a human.
This, their jury. The peers and fellow competitors that would be judging them.
It was then that they arrived at the final immunity challenge.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE

As the contestants watched, Jasper Sitwell showed them the virtual reality programs they would each be using to upload their minds and skill-sets into, a very high tech piece of government equipment. They would each be assigned a set of random computer-generated super heroes, a group of four for each of them, and that they would be each be briefed briefly on their assigned teams. Then they would each be uploaded into a complex scenario, where they would be required to take down a group of vitual villains and rescue a group of virtual hostages. They would each be required to command their own teams, who would only follow their orders, and they would be scored on their initiative, their timeliness, their resourcefulness, and their success rate. The contestant with the highest score would win the final immunity competition.
The three contestants were uploaded into the virtual reality system simultaneously, and each were briefed on their randomly selected teams. Battle Star was placed on a team that included the Mandrill, the Scarlet Witch, and Frog Man. Nocturne’s team consisted of Slyde, Tigra, and the Fixer. MAULER’s team included Ghost Rider, Red Zeppelin, and Firestar. In time, the virtual teams were uploaded into the hostage scenario: five members of the Serpent Society (King Cobra, Rattler, Fer-de-Lance, Coachwhip, and Anaconda) had staged a bank robbery, and had taken a group of stages. The police had surrounded the bank and the heroes had been called in to save them. The three contestants had no idea what each of the others were doing with the same scenarios.
MAULER immediately ordered his team to storm the bank building. As he burst through the windows with Red Zeppelin and Ghost Rider at his side, he took out Rattler with a burst from his blaze cannon while Firestar and Ghost Rider contained the female snakes in circles of fire. But King Cobra proved too difficult for the heroes and managed to kill not only four of the seven hostages, but Red Zeppelin as well. MAULER exited the scenario with a heavy heart, his mind reeling on what he could have done differently.
Nocturne had a much different approach. She’d asked her teammates to hang back while she stood outside the bank and pushed a wave of calm over the entire building. Once she was positive the criminals had calmed themselves sufficiently, she’d been prepared to go in and negotiate the hostages’ rescue, but her teammates, feeling discounted and impatient, had stormed the building. Slyde, Tigra, and the Fixer rescued the hostages with Nocturne rushing behind them to aid in the battle.
Battle Star took a few minutes to talk to his teammates, briefing them on their battle plan. He ordered the Scarlet Witch to turn one of the wall’s invisible, allowing him to scope out the situation inside. He then ordered the Mandrill to coat the building with pheromones, allowing the monkey-man to take control of the female villains inside. With that done, he and Frog-Man rushed in through the window and quickly took down Rattler (Frog-Man’s kick to the head) while Battle Star wrestled King Cobra for the gun. Though the rescue took longer than in the other scenarios, there were no casualties and all the skills of the various heroes had been used.
Having received the highest ratings, Battle Star was declared the winner of the final immunity competition.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
Tribal council was a very different experience this time around. The seven jury members entered and viewed the proceedings. Jasper explained that no one could vote for Battle Star, and that he would be selecting who would join him in the final two, as MAULER and Nocturne’s votes would simply cancel each other out.
Battle Star asked both of them to give him their final reasons why they should be in the final two with him. He listened as MAULER described wanting to be a good father to his young son, and wanting to prove to the world that he had changed his ways and was a true hero-in-training now. Nocturne gave a strangely short speech about trusting Battle Star’s judgment.
When Battle Star selected MAULER as his competitor in the final two, Nocturne quietly and easily left the area and smiled at the others as she had her torch extinguished. She continued to radiate calmness to the others are she left the room.
Jasper announced that the final tribal council would take place the next morning.
Battle Star and MAULER locked eyes, shook hands, and headed back to camp.

Thank you for reading this, the penultimate episode in Survivor! Next issue it is the big jury vote and the winner is finally declared! Please post your votes for WHO you want to WIN (not who you want out). No immunity this round, vote as you will. :D

The final two:

Battle Star (Lemar Hoskins)
MAULER (Brendan Doyle)

And our jury:
Biohazard (Fletcher Traynor)
Steel Spider (Ollie Osnick)
Derwyddon
Sandstorm (Tony Trainer)
Ion (Voletta Todd)
Valkyrie (Samantha Parrington)
Nocturne (Angela Cairn)