Survivor: Okinawa
Episode 10- Hearts and Ice
by Mario Lanza




Miyagi Tribe (red): Michelle Kin-Fraley, Lance McHale, Hogan Mueller, Joni Newman, Mike Ruff, Isabella Smith, Amy Twieg




DAY 28



After hours of landscaping, Mike's garden was finally starting to take shape. The flatness of the sand had now been transformed into leafy monuments... some bright stalks of palm had been transported over from the mainland for shade... and the large earthy pit in the middle was now a homemade dug-out oasis. And now, leaning up against his makeshift rake-- the big man from New York took a moment to step back and admire his handiwork. He had been working on this all morning, working on it all alone-- and now it was starting to look beautiful.

"Looks good," he nodded to himself, as he reached down with his rake to smooth out one of the sections of sand. And that just about did it. Now it was perfect. Now he could go show it off to the rest of the tribe.

For this was Miyagi's new "Fallen Comrades Garden."

"I built it," Mike would later admit, "As a tribute to the players who had left the tribe." He shrugged. "And sure, mainly it was a dedication to Matt-- because I honestly missed the kid. I couldn't believe it but I actually missed his weird sense of humor and random comments that made no sense." Mike chuckled. "So this morning I decided-- with nothing else that needed to be done-- that I would go out and build a memorial. I would go out and build a memorial to Ryan... and Matt... and to all the Miyagis who were no longer with us."

He paused, and then added with a characteristic Mike smirk:

"Oh... and the garden is also a blatant suck-up to the jury." He grinned. "But they don't have to know that. All they have to know is that I miss Matt and wanted to honor him... which I do. And if they decide to honor me later with their jury votes..." He shrugged, happily. "Well I don't really have a problem with that."

He smiled.

And then set off to go finish his task.

The first item that the garden needed was something to symbolize Matt Carter. Mike needed something special to represent the young man whom he had been unable to vote for last night. He needed just the right totem that Matt would want for himself. And clearly, this choice wasn't going to be very difficult.

"Hey. can I borrow Matt's hockey mask?" Mike asked, as he joined Amy down by the beach. The young mom was doing her best to wash her hair in the ocean... trying valiantly with a homemade concoction of seaweed and orange juice. It wasn't working very well.

"Matt's mask?" Amy asked. "Why?"

"Here," smiled Mike, "I'll show you." He took her by the hand. "You're gonna love it."

He led Amy down to the southern shore of the island. And once they were in visual range of his garden, he pointed it out. And even from here Amy was impressed. With large leafy palms, tall crafted sand spires, and a small flame burning atop a large stick-- it looked beautiful. Heck, compared to this sandy little spit they lived on-- it looked like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

"It's my Fallen Comrades Garden," Mike told her. "I built it to pay tribute to those who have been voted out. And I kinda wanted Matt's mask to represent him-- since that's how most people would remember him best."

"Oh Mike," breathed Amy, "It's wonderful." She looked up at him. "How long did it take you?"

"Most of the morning."

"Do you have anything for Ryan yet?"

"Yeah," he nodded. And he carefully stepped over some low-hanging vines to walk over to the flaming stick. "This torch is for him." He smiled. "Ryan was the one who torched the roach nests back at Kamiya... so I gave him an ever-burning flame."

Amy laughed.

"But yeah," added Mike, "I have a spot over here set up for Big Red." He pointed to a dug out section of the sand, sitting right next to a pool of water. "So if you want to let me borrow the mask, I'll put it there." He shrugged. "Maybe prop it with some deer parts or a machete or something."

Amy laughed again.

"Oh, Matt would -love- this," she said, as she reached to hug Mike. "You did good, Mike. It's great."

The two of them spent the next hour or so setting up Matt's shrine in the garden-- Mike moving sand around with his rake and Amy arranging the leaves and flowers as best as she could. And although this was a fun activity to memorialize their friend-- Amy couldn't resist prodding Mike a little about strategy as they worked. After all... she was Amy. She wasn't one to sit here and just arrange flowers.

"So my hunch..." she asked, absent-mindedly, "Is that you were the one who didn't vote for Matt last night." She turned to look at him. "Tell me if I'm correct or not."

Mike just stared at her, neither confirming nor denying.

"I think that one of you guys got Hogan to switch sides," she continued, "Either Joni or you... and then you either wanted to kiss butt to Matt in the jury, or you just couldn't vote for your friend." She paused. "But once you had Hogan's vote it didn't matter who -you- voted for, as long as it wasn't a Kamiya." She paused again, smiling. "Am I right?"

"I told Matt I wouldn't vote for him," Mike admitted, finally, "And I didn't. I voted for Hogan instead."

"Ha!" Amy beamed. "I knew it."

"But do you know what's funny?" he added, pausing, "What's funny is that Michelle and the Kamiyans think I did it to set up Hogan. They think I did it just to set him up so you'd get pissed at him."

Amy looked confused.

"Michelle even went up to me after the vote," Mike confessed, "And told me she tipped her cap to me for the great move. She said that I ensured you'd be mad at Hogan instead of being mad at Kamiya. She thought it was brilliant."

"Well I -am- mad at Hogan," Amy admitted, "I'm -furious-. I think he may have cost us the game with his stupid little maneuver."

"It's possible," Mike shrugged, "But just know that I wasn't trying to set anybody up. Hogan did what he did with or without my help. My only loyalty was to not vote out Matt..." He paused. "... And I didn't. I did exactly what I said I would."

"Fair enough," Amy nodded. "But it doesn't make it sting any less."

"I know." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "But no matter what you might hear, or Michelle might say, just realize I voted for Hogan only because I wouldn't vote for Matt."

Amy and Mike engaged in small talk for a while after this... as their growing respect bond starting to strengthen and solidify. The two of them had always gotten along fairly well-- and at this point Amy decided to be nosy. She felt she knew Mike well enough... and probably thought she knew the answer anyway. So she finally decided to ask the question that had been on her mind for some time.

"Mike, I don't mean to be nosy," she started, "But do you have a significant other to speak of? Anyone special back home?"

"Yes," Mike nodded, not looking up.

He didn't elaborate-- but Amy had a hunch she knew what was coming. She'd hung around Mike enough in the last week to realize he had a few secrets about him. And she had a pretty good idea that Christopher Collins wasn't the only gay teammate she had had in this game.

"You have an idea, don't you?" said Mike, looking up at her now.

"Well..." she smiled, "Maybe..."

"You're on the right track," he said, "Just keep going."

"Well if I can take a guess..." Amy started, "I would say you might prefer the same gender that I prefer." She paused, carefully. "Correct?"

"Wait," joked Mike, "You're a lesbian??"

"No!" Amy laughed. "You know what I mean."

"Well yes..." Mike finally admitted. "I don't know how you got it but yes I'm gay." He nodded. "And hopefully Joe can show up for the family challenge." He looked wistful. "I'd love to get to see him out here."

"How long have you guys been together?" she asked.

"About three years."

"Well if I get to see anyone," Amy added, "I hope I get to see my two boys-- Brandon and Alex." She winced. "But I don't know if they'd let me see them both. They'd probably make me choose or something."

Mike laughed.

"Or else we can make them walk the plank," he joked, "Like in Pearl Islands."

"They'd do it!" Amy grinned, "Except they can't swim. That might pose a problem."

Mike smiled.

"So both you and Chris are gay..." Amy said.

"Yeah, but he never told me," Mike said. "I never found out until after the switch. He tried to hide it-- and I don't think he ever knew about me. I think he would be surprised to find out I was gay too."

"Chris wouldn't tell me he was gay," Amy commented, "He didn't think a Mormon could take it. I had to figure it out for myself." She shrugged. "I doubt he ever told Joni either."

"You know who was onto me first?" Mike smiled.

"Emma?"

"No," Mike said, waving his hand, "She figured it out later-- but it was Murtz. Murtz told me he thought I was gay on day one. He also figured out that Chris was gay too."

"Really?"

"Yeah," grinned Mike. "Murtz had the most amazing Gaydar. But it was for the weirdest reasons too..." He laughed. "He said he thought I was gay because of the gnome. He said it was like Marsellus from Big Brother."

"Oh wow!" Amy laughed.

"But he was right," Mike shrugged, "I dunno how he did it, but he was right."

Then Mike remembered something.

"Oh speaking of the gnome..." he added, "I think Mario needs to come out here and live in the garden too. I think this should be his new home." He smiled. "He can watch over the garden and keep it safe."

"So does that mean the garden is gay too?" Amy joked.

"Cute."

But Amy agreed to go back to camp and get the gnome... as well as the hockey mask. Now that Matt's spot was all cleared out, she went back to get the infamous mask. It was time to go memorialize her friend.

"I'll be back," she said, "So keep it safe until the gnome gets here."

"Will do..." he grinned. "I'll be here."

Then he turned to look at the Garden.

The Garden that was going to win him a jury vote.

The Garden that was going to sucker four people into voting for him.

"I'll be here..." he called up. "I'll just be tending to my garden until you get back."



^^



As Mike tended to his new garden, most of the rest of the Miyagis were scattered out around the island, doing chores or just socializing. The only two who happened to be missing in action were Isabella and Michelle, as the two women had gone for an early morning sweet potato run over to the mainland. It was an odd pairing, too-- as a few people suspected that Isabella might be pushed into the ocean somewhere along the way-- but nevertheless it was something that just needed to be done. Friends or not, the tribe needed to go get food, each and every day. And if nothing else, that was probably the reason why Kamiya was willing to keep Isabella around for a while. They hated to do it, but they -still- planned to get rid of her as soon as the time was right.

Even if that moment might take a few votes to get here.

But as the rest of the tribe worked, one lone tribe member remained inside the shelter for most of the morning. One teenage girl remained huddled under the blankets near the fire, trying her best to stay warm against the chilly ocean breeze. For it was true that Joni Newman had problems with the temperature out here at times. She was small and she didn't have a whole lot of body fat. Some days she just huddled up inside to stay warm.

And now, as she sat alone in the shelter-- she gave a short confessional. And as expected, she was thrilled beyond belief as to how the vote had gone down last night.

"I can't believe I did it," she beamed, "I mean... I thought Hogan might vote for Matt... but I was stunned at how fast it happened and how eager he was to do it. And I can't believe I was the one who ended up saving Kamiya!"

She laughed to herself as she stared out to sea. She was watching Lance and Hogan as the two young men went spear fishing along the shore. They didn't appear to be having much luck.

"I'm either better at this game than I thought," she continued, "Or else I'm just really really lucky." She shrugged. "And I don't know what it is for sure. Maybe I'm just in the right place at the right time. Maybe I just convince people better than I think I do."

She shrugged again, still dumbfounded by how easy it had all gone down.

"Honestly," she sighed, "I couldn't tell you what it is. But I -can- tell that you it's pretty dang good to be a survivor right now." She smiled again. "I'm sure things will change again, as usual, but right now I think I've earned the right to be happy."

She shook her head, still smiling.

"Final seven... final seven, and still standing strong. Who would have believed it?"

And although Joni was basking in the afterglow of her triumph-- her fellow teen was not feeling quite so jovial this morning. For it was true that Hogan Mueller was having some pangs of regret about the vote last night. Oh sure... he knew he had done the right thing. He had promised -never- to vote for Joni and he had kept his word. Just as he knew she would do in the same situation. Hogan and Joni were tight, that much had never been in question. And besides, Hogan had never been under -any- impression that he factored into Amy's endgame plans with Sato. He had always known he was Sato's fourth wheel-- so last night's switching of sides should not really have surprised anybody.

"But what galls me about the vote," Hogan admitted in an earlier confessional, "Was that one of the Kamiyans voted for me. After -all- the crap they gave me about staying strong and being one of their team-- one of them ended up voting for me anyway. And that just makes me mad. What kind of crap is that?"

So today Hogan's job was to explain things to Lance-- and to make him understand. He needed to make sure Lance knew -why- things had happened the way they did-- and how this was in no way a blow against Sato. He needed to make sure Lance was still on his side.

"And I didn't do it to turn on you guys," Hogan explained, as he stood waist-deep in the ocean, "I didn't mean to do that at all."

Lance nodded, still trying to take all this in.

"I did it because it was coming down to you or Matt," Hogan finished. "Kamiya was gonna vote for you and force a tie. They had Emma, they had Joni-- and there was nothing we could have done to stop that tie." He gestured with his hand back towards the beach. "They were gonna force that tie and make sure a Sato drew that rock. Because -three- of us were vulnerable, and only one of them."

"True," nodded Lance.

"So I just did the math," Hogan shrugged. "I didn't want to leave. I didn't want -you- to leave and I didn't want Joni to leave. So the only person that left..." He shook his head. "... Was Matt."

He patted Lance on the shoulder.

"And I know you're pissed," he finished, "And I know Amy's probably peeved too. But I did it to save you, Lance. I got them to shift the vote away from you and onto Matt instead..." He sighed. "Otherwise it very well could have been one of us to go home." He paused, smiling. "And I was -not- gonna let that happen."

"So who voted for you then?" asked Lance.

"I don't know!" Hogan exclaimed. "And I wish I did cause I'd like to punch them in the face. They all promised not to vote for me or for you. But one of them did it anyway."

Lance snorted.

"Sounds like Kamiya," he said, dryly.

"But that's why I did it," Hogan finished. "I never turned on anybody. All I did was get me and you to the next step... and I have Joni's word she'll stick with me for a while. She's promised not to vote for me."

"But if you had voted for Joni, she'd be gone!" Lance noted, looking pained. "I mean... there were only three votes for Matt without you. You were the swing vote!"

"I know," Hogan observed softly, "Isn't that shitty?"

"Agh," Lance said, shaking his head. "We were so close. I mean... I respect what you did and all but..." He shook his head again. "But you're placing a -lot- of faith in a person I personally don't think has much character. Or honor."

"I know..." Hogan explained, "But look at it this way. Joni's been my informant through this whole thing. She tells me -everything- that happens on Kamiya. She's good, Lance." He nodded. "I know you don't trust her much... but she's good. She wants to vote Mike out anyway. She's never liked him much."

Lance eyed the young Eagle Scout, suspiciously.

"And you trust her? I mean... she's lied to us before, Hogan."

"I know."

"She could just be pulling your leg again. You could be the very next one to go home."

"No, no..." Hogan shook his head. "She's really sincere this time. We had a big talk after she went back to Kamiya at the merge." He grinned. "I gave it to her pretty bad for screwing us over and she apologized. She felt horrible."

Lance grunted, silently.

"Anyway," Hogan added, "Joni and I are still friends and..." He paused. "And I probably wouldn't have voted for her last night anyway. I won't vote for her and she won't vote for me. That's always been the deal."

"Well..." Lance sighed. "I suppose that's fair."

He was silent for a moment as he digested this information.

"Well no matter what happens," he finally added, "Or what Amy says, I thank you for saving me, Hogan. I don't know if it was the smartest move in the world... but I do appreciate it."

Hogan nodded.

"And Amy's upset," Lance continued. "I can't lie to you, she's not real happy about this."

Hogan nodded again.

"But she'll calm down soon enough," Lance added. "So just go talk to her... explain your side... and I'm sure she'll be fine with it. All she wants is an explanation."

Hogan smiled, happily.

"And you're sure Joni will vote with us next?" Lance finished. "You're absolutely one hundred percent sure?"

"Yeah," Hogan nodded. "She promised."

"Well then..." Lance sighed, "I guess that's our only hope right now. We're placing our future in the game in the hands of Joni Newman."

He shook his head, mournfully.

Because deep down... he knew it was over for Sato.



^^



Hogan went off to talk to Amy soon after, so Lance was left alone to finish his spear-fishing. And as much as he wanted to bring in a bunch of fish for the tribe today-- Lance's heart just wasn't into it. Oh, he wasn't the type to just slack off when all appeared to be lost; only a poor sport would do something like that. But he knew right now that things looked bleak. Things could not possibly look any worse for Sato-- as their fate in the game now rested squarely on the shoulders of a sixteen year old girl whom he didn't trust in the slightest.

He didn't trust her-- and he never had.

And that meant it was time for a confessional.

"Sato?" he asked sorrowfully, as he watched Hogan splashing happily up the beach to shore, "What Sato? There -is- no more Sato... and I don't know if there ever was one in the first place."

He shook his head sadly, as he now stared down at the water.

"With last night's vote... Sato has now crumbled to pieces. And it's not like Matt was the glue that held us together or anything. No, it was the way that he left the game. It was because Hogan cast a vote for his teammate... and handed the majority right back to the Kamiyans." He sighed. "Hogan handed it right back to them like a batting practice fastball, and this of course sent Amy into an outrage. And that just brings me back to my original question..."

He shook his head again.

"What Sato?"

He started walking back to shore now, slinging his spear across his shoulder to keep it dry.

"So what I heard this morning is that Amy now wants to get rid of Hogan. And what I just heard from Hogan is that he has no use for Amy." Lance scowled now as he sloshed through the knee-deep water. "And hearing them -both- want the other one out is like a shot through my heart. Because we survived -all- odds at Sato just to make it here. We got through -everything- together as a group. We're the final three Satos... plus Hogan and I were the two male outcasts at the start!" He sighed again. "And after coming so far, all of us together, it's all for naught. We're crumbling right before my eyes... and I don't think there's anything I can do to stop it."

Lance heard a speedboat approaching from the sea and he turned around, surprised. Uh oh, what was this? Why was Jeff Probst coming to visit them? This couldn't possibly be good.

"All I can say..." he continued, "Is that I will -not- vote for a Sato the rest of the game, unless it is in the final three, or in a jury vote. Because I don't think Amy and Hogan comprehend how deep the Sato green runs in me. I don't think either of them can understand the pride I have in our tribe." He shook his head again. "Because I've dedicated this game to all of them. To Elisabeth-- my fallen friend. To Henry, the strategist who got blindsided. To David, the family man who got screwed by a twist. To Beth, the woman who didn't deserve the treatment she got from Kamiya." He paused. "And to Matt... the kid who always spoke what was on his mind. I want one of the Satos to win it for those five. I want one of us to win it for our friends... and I don't think -any- of the Kamiyas have a sense of anything like that in their souls."

Lance continued to trudge back to shore, looking for all the world like a kid who had just lost his favorite toy.

"And right now..." he added, "I feel like Ralph in the Lord of the Flies. Everyone is turning into savages around me, my friends are threatening to cut each other open, and there's little hope that order will be restored." He looked angry. "And here I sit, being forced to choose. Do I want to become a savage like the rest of them? Or do I want to stand up for myself and risk being slaughtered?" He kicked at the water, angrily. "Frankly I'm just waiting for the naval officer to come to the island... and help restore some order to this place."

He turned to look at Jeff, who was nearing shore in his boat. And from the looks of things, Jeff had brought a visitor. Lance couldn't identify who it was.

"All I know," he finished, now sitting down in the sand, "Is that if I go next, Hogan and Amy will turn on each other like dogs. They'll take each other out and I hate it. I think about it all the time and I hate it."

He looked down now, sadly shaking his head.

"Sato? What Sato? I don't think we ever had a Sato in the first place."



^^



The visitor to the island today was a diminutive little bald man, wrapped up in black robes. Jeff led the strange visitor off the boat and over to the center of camp-- where he was greeted by Isabella and Amy. The two women looked at the man, puzzled, before Jeff finally let them in on the secret.

"This is Kataro," said Jeff, as the bald man bowed slightly to his left. "He'll be living with you guys today to help you train for the reward challenge." Jeff smiled. "He's a monk from one of the temples back on the mainland, so make sure he feels welcome."

"Ah, hello Kataro," Isabella smiled, doing her best bow in return. "Welcome to Miyagi."

"Back on the boat," Jeff said, cocking his thumb behind him, "I have about fifty sheets of ice. That's what your challenge will be tonight-- to punch through sheets of ice." He nodded as Amy groaned. "And that's what Kataro's gonna do today-- he'll be teaching you the proper way to do it. So you don't break your hand or anything."

"Cool," smiled Isabella.

"So if you two can come down with me," Jeff offered, "I need somebody to help me unload ice."

And just like that-- Miyagi now had an eighth member for the day.



^^



Most of the Miyagis spent the afternoon working with Kataro down by the beach. Hogan, Isabella, Amy and Lance took turns holding the ice sheets for each other-- as the small little monk showed them the finer points of focusing their power into one square inch of their fist. And it was a painful lesson to be sure, as Amy had already sprained her wrist slightly from a failed punch. She sat on the sand and watched as Isabella became the first person to punch through two sheets of ice at once. Kataro patted her on the back as she smiled, happily. Isabella seemed to already be getting the hang of it.

But as the Miyagis practiced their punches-- three of their teammates had stolen away for a while to go have a strategy talk. The three original Kamiyas (all except Isabella) had journeyed over to the mainland on the premise of going on a "water run." And now here, safe from the prying ears of their nosy teammates-- the three of them planned out their strategy for the rest of the game.

"The only thing we have to be careful of," Michelle explained, as she sat for a picnic lunch with Mike and Joni, "Is to not tip Emma off. We have to make her think we forgave her... and not give her -any- reason to turn on us again."

Mike nodded, as did Joni.

"So just play nice with her," Michelle continued, "Forgive... but don't forget. Let bygones be bygones for now." She grinned. "Welcome her back without hesitation, let her know she's wanted and then... -BAM-!" She chuckled. "Take the bitch out the first chance we get."

She nodded, as Joni laughed.

"But no matter what you do..." Michelle finished, "Do -not- let her weasel her way back in. Don't let her get a foothold here again. Because you know what happens when she does."

"I'm planning on offering her a final two deal," Joni said.

"Good," Michelle said. "We'll probably all have to do that at some point. Just make sure she feels important."

"Hell..." grinned Mike, "I've already got one with her. I've had one with her since day four."

"Man..." laughed Michelle, "She's a sneaky little one, isn't she? Was she working with you all along?"

"She seemed to think so."

Michelle laughed, so did Joni.

"Anyway..." Michelle said, once she had gained her composure, "The fact that Matt didn't high five her last night was good enough for me. She's gonna need some protection and she'll come crawling back to us. She's gonna need our vote... because Matt made it perfectly clear that Sato wanted nothing to do with her."

"I think," Mike added, "That we take out a Sato next... and then Emma. Just cut her off the minute we have the numbers. And if it doesn't happen that vote... then it happens next. Or next. Just the minute we regain majority... she'll have her head on the chopping block at every vote." He shrugged. "Just my opinion, of course."

"Oh I agree 100%," said Michelle.

"Me too," glared Joni. "There is -no- way she gets to that final two. No way. Even if she -would- be an easy opponent, I don't think any of us should even consider it."

"Unless the wheel saves her again," Mike joked. "Remember, we have to deal with it for two more votes."

"Ugh," spat Joni. "Don't even get me started on the Wheel."

"Come on," Mike said, patting her on the back, "We all love the Wheel. The Wheel is our friend."

"Yeah, great," Joni muttered. "I've been screwed by it twice. I love the Wheel like I love throwing up."

Mike laughed out loud.

"Oh!" Joni exclaimed, "I almost forgot! I had a fascinating chat with Emma today that you're gonna love."

Michelle raised her eyebrow.

"I told her that no matter what happened," Joni grinned, "I didn't hate her. I told her I had been mad at the time... but it was against my nature to hate -any- Harry Potter fan." She laughed. "Emma seemed to buy it. She started talking girl talk again. She started to complain about Mike, and how he doesn't like women much. She thought it was weird since Mike was gay and all. She thinks you're weird."

Mike nodded, not smiling.

"But anyway..." Joni waved her hand, "Just typical Emma. It was pretty much the same chat I could have had with her on day two. She might as well just type up a transcript and hand it out. The conversations never change."

"So how is Hogan holding up today?" Michelle asked suddenly. "Was Amy pissed at him?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded, "We talked about it when I was building my garden. She wants to vote for Hogan next. She can't stand him anymore."

"Excellent," laughed Michelle. "Way to go, Hogan! Thanks!"

"I guess we can just add him to the list..." Mike smiled. "Right now we have the hated players, consisting of Emma and Hogan." He paused. "And the nice, honest players-- consisting of Michelle, Mike and Joni."

Michelle laughed out loud.

"But you guys, please don't vote Hogan out next," Joni pleaded, "At least save him for last. I think we kind of owe him something for switching sides. Even if it -was- a stupid thing to do."

"No problem," Michelle nodded. "I have no beef with Hogan. He's harmless."

"Agreed," nodded Mike.

And the picnic continued, in jovial cheerfulness. The Kamiyans were on top of the world today, secure in the knowledge that they would more than likely be the final three players left in the game. Barring any unforeseen tragedy... or random betrayal... all things were greenlighted now for a Kamiyan thrust to victory. There was very little that could stop them.

And Michelle... ever the vigilant one... wanted to be ever so certain about this.

"If you guys would indulge me..." she added, once the final sweet potato had been eaten, "I think we should make a pact. One final pact."

She waited for Mike and Joni to be silent... then she continued.

"I say that if -any- of us turns on the other two. And if -any- one of the three of us takes a Sato to the final two over a Kamiyan... then we all agree to vote for the Sato to win."

She shrugged.

"I hate to do this, but I think we just need to get it out in the open. I just want to say it flat out and make it official. If any of us betrays Kamiya... we all agree not to let that person win."

"I'm in," Joni nodded, without hesitation. "I would never take a Sato." She grinned. "Even though Hogan thinks we have some sort of final two deal... my loyalty has always been to Kamiya."

Mike didn't reply right away, but knew he had to say something. Because in many ways, Michelle was a lot like Murtz. If you didn't agree with her right off the bat, she tended to get suspicious.

"We need to include Emma on that list too," he added. "If any of us takes Emma to the final two... we vote for Emma to win." He nodded. "Because I know she's an easy win... but she doesn't deserve to be there over the three of us."

And with that... the final three pact was settled. Kamiya was going to stick together to the end. They were going to ride this thing together all the way to the end. And if they didn't...

... Well then God help the one who decided to get greedy.



^^



The day passed in relative calm, as most of the Miyagis spent their time with Kataro, trying to learn how to smash ice with their fists. And Isabella was clearly the best student of the bunch so far, the smallest female topping them all-- proving without a doubt that it really -was- about mind over matter. Just after lunch she managed to punch through three sheets of ice at once-- a feat which brought a wide grin to the face of her teacher. Kataro and Isabella exchanged a quick glance and he knew... he knew right away. She obviously had the mental focus to succeed in this task. It was just something some people happened to be born with-- some people just had an innate sense of self discipline and mental focus, and some did not.

And this petite woman with the blonde hair definitely had it.

And as Kataro fawned over his new favorite student, Amy excused herself to go met up with Lance. She had seen the pre-school teacher moping around up by the shelter-- and she needed to go have a word with him. She needed to make sure the two of them were still on the same page.

"Hey Lance," she smiled, "What's up?" She grinned at him. "Tired of smashing the ice?"

"Yeah," he nodded, sadly, "Something like that."

"Don't tell me you're still upset about Hogan," she said, giving him a quick, reassuring hug. "We can still take this thing. With or without Hogan."

"I hope you know he means well..." Lance said. "I mean I know it hurt us in the long run... but just remember his heart is in the right place."

"Oh I know," Amy said.

"But I'm not gonna vote for him," Lance added. "And I hope you know that. I'll go down fighting if I have to... but not if it means voting out a Sato."

Amy nodded. She understood.

"So what's this I hear about you and Mike?" she finally asked. "I've heard Hogan say that you and Mike have a deal." She peered at him. "That's not true, is it?"

"Nah," Lance shrugged, "Mike and I just have an understanding. I'll warn him and he'll warn me. But nothing more is implied. It's just a common courtesy."

"Good," she smiled. "I just wanted to hear it from you." She laughed. "Because you'll forgive me if I listen to anything Hogan says anymore."

"I wouldn't betray you," he said, solemnly. "My only alliance since Henry left has been with you and Hogan." He nodded. "And that's how it will stay."

"Well you know where I stand..." she finally added. "You know I won't do anything to save Hogan." She saw the hurt look on Lance's face and quickly added, "I'm sorry Lance, but he doesn't have much of an excuse. I'm not putting my neck out for him anymore." She scowled. "He at -least- could have warned us..."

"He said he just didn't have time..."

"Whatever," Amy scoffed. "That's a lie. He chickened out to save himself."

"But we can't just vote him out," Lance said. "We need his vote, Amy. We can't just bully him into a corner."

"Oh voting him out isn't my first priority," Amy said, shaking her head. "I won't ditch Hogan. I'll go make nice with him right now." She paused. "But I will -not- trust Hogan, ever again." She put her hands on her hips, angrily. "Period."

"I just wish I had known..." Lance sighed, "How close he and Joni were. I mean, I -knew- they were friends. But I had no idea he would pick her over his own team. I just never expected him to do something like that."

Amy shook her head, angrily, as she looked down at the ground.

"But maybe Joni is telling the truth," Lance shrugged. "Maybe she really -does- intend to take him to the final two."

"Fat chance," snorted Amy.

"So let me ask you something..." Lance said.

"Shoot."

"If a Kamiya offered you a deal," he asked, "Would you take it? Would you take one of their deals to get yourself further in this game?"

"Oh you know I'd have to," she said, sadly. "And I'd feel awful... but..."

"Nah," he shook his head. "You're a good person, Amy. Just do what you have to do. If you think it would hurt you in a jury vote, don't... But if you think something will help you win..." He shrugged. "Then just do it. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Lance, but I will -never- vote for you," she said, truthfully.

"Don't say that."

"But it's true." She smiled and then walked over to give him a hug. "Lance, you and I have been through too much to have it come to that. So yeah I may take a deal if I have to... but not if I have to vote for you. You have my word on it."

"And I won't ditch you," said Lance. "I won't ditch you -or- Hogan. You have my solemn word of honor on that."

"Well..." she smiled, as she hugged her best friend in the game, "Maybe something good will happen at the vote."

"Such as...?"

"Well maybe all three of us will win immunity." She smiled at him. "Stranger things have happened, you know..."

"That would sure make things interesting..."

And for the first time all day, Lance McHale actually smiled.

"Although I hate to say it," Amy couldn't resist adding, "But I wouldn't mind if Hogan was the only vulnerable Sato too. That really wouldn't upset me at all."



^^



The Kamiyans returned to the island just before dinner-- with Michelle and Mike hefting a large pile of sugarcane over to the tribe's table. Their trip to the mainland had been successful, and the food was met with great anticipation.

"Where's Emma?" Michelle asked, once all the cane had been stored.

"She's down practicing with Kataro," Amy said. "She's been down there all day."

"Still???"

"Yeah," nodded Amy. "That's all she's been doing all day-- hitting ice. And it must be nice for her that all the ice is here today." She grinned. "She finally has someone with the same social skills as her to talk to."

Michelle laughed out loud.

"Well I'm gonna go down and practice," Michelle said, nodding towards the ice. She noted that Joni and Hogan had joined Isabella... and she wanted to go take some cracks at the ice. "Is it hard to do?"

"Kind of," nodded Amy. "I hurt my wrist a little-- but the guys aren't having much luck with it either." She laughed. "It seems the bigger you are, the harder it is to do."

"Great," said Michelle, "So I guess Emma or Joni is gonna win tonight."

"More than likely."

And as Michelle trotted down to join her practicing teammates, Amy noted that Mike was still wandering out around camp. He hadn't gone down to smash the ice yet... and Amy knew an opportunity when she saw one. It wasn't like the Kamiyans were ever off by themselves. They tended to stick together like flypaper. She couldn't possibly pass up this chance.

"Hey Mike," she called, walking over to join him.

"Oh hey, Amy."

"Can I run something by you...?" she grinned, coyly.

"Sure."

"Well," she started, "It's no secret that Matt was supposed to be my final two partner. He was my best friend in the game and he was pretty much all I had."

"Yeah," nodded Mike.

"And please correct me if I'm wrong," she added, "But I believe Ryan was -your- final two partner. I know he seemed to think so." She peered up at him. "Correct?"

"Yeah," Mike said. "That was the plan."

"So my deal is this..." She tried her best not to look needy. "What say the two of us work together for a while? I mean, we both could use a friend right about now..." She smiled, hopefully. "And I hope you don't think I'm begging because I'm not. It's just that..." she shrugged. "Both of us are kind of on shaky ground I think. Nobody wants you in the final two... and nobody wants me in the final two."

Mike just smirked.

"So is there any chance here...?" she asked. "Any chance at all?"

"We can talk about it," Mike finally smiled. "But after the challenge, okay? I have to go practice smashing some ice first."

"Yeah."

"Plus Joni wants to throw a party tonight," Mike said, "Did you hear?"

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded, "She wants to throw a Harry Potter party. We're all supposed to dress up like a character from the books."

"Oh, fun," smiled Amy,

"I'm already supposed to be Hagrid," smirked Mike. "Not like I had much of a choice. I mean Hogan's our Harry and Lance is our Ron. Not much left for me anyway."

"Well you'll make an excellent Hagrid," Amy laughed, putting an arm around his shoulder. "You've always been our gentle giant around camp."

And the two of them exchanged a smile.



^^



The rest of the evening was spent smashing ice with Kataro as... one by one... the Miyagis took their turn trying to punch holes through the thick bluish sheets of ice. And they all used the tips he gave them too: Focus your power... punch in one straight motion... punch through the ice... remember your breathing...

But some were clearly better at it than the others.

"Damnit!" Hogan cried, as he cracked his fist against yet another sheet of ice. And for the fifth consecutive try... Hogan had failed. He slunk back to the end of the line, ashamed, as he was being schooled by the much smaller females of the tribe. Maybe it was true what Kataro kept repeating to them. Maybe it -was- mind over matter. After all, Joni and Isabella were clearly the best at it so far. Maybe it had something to do with being a dancer...?

And as dusk approached the island, Isabella Smith finally stole away from the group. For the first time all day, she excused herself from her little monk buddy and went to go give a confessional. This was the first time she had left the beach since lunchtime.

And although the rest of the tribe did not yet know it... Isabella had already more or less mastered this skill. None of them had been here just an hour ago, when she did the impossible. She managed to smash through -four- sheets of ice at once. Even Kataro had been stunned when she had finally managed four-- as that was a skill that often took trained monks months to master. The leap from three to four was a big deal, and Isabella had passed it on her third try. Kataro had seemed overjoyed too, patting her on the back like a proud father. He had been grinning from ear to ear-- and it made her feel good.

But now, she had other things on her mind. Challenge or no challenge, Isabella had a game of Survivor to win. And it was time to get back to business.

"I'm having a blast right now," she smiled, as she sat down by a rock. "Because there's really no feeling quite like having seven people all ready to vote you out...and you preventing it." She laughed, "And not only am I preventing it, but I've also been getting them to do what I want as well. So I kind of have the best of both worlds right now!" She smiled happily. "And sure... there have been some rough times out here. The last week or so has been extremely hard-- but I just look at it as a challenge to overcome. It's just something new I have to get around."

She paused, shrugging.

"And although I definitely have my work cut out for me... I also feel like I've laid some good groundwork to rebuild. And I think I've already weaseled my way back into Kamiya. At least somewhat."

Then she laughed.

"But do you know how different this is for me now? Do you realize how things have changed?" She shook her head, admiringly. "Before... I could get -anyone- to do what I wanted and they never suspected me. That's just a talent I happen to have." She shrugged. "But since they all started to hate me... now they all suspect me of -everything- that happens around camp. And do you know what? They're usually right!"

She giggled.

"So that's the new challenge," she concluded. "I have to find a way to get a majority of these people-- not one of who are loyal to me in any way-- and I have to get them to do my bidding. Now I actually have to jump in the mudpit myself... instead of having others do my dirty work."

She shrugged.

"But it's a challenge, and I like it."

She paused, changing topics ever so slightly.

"This is all kind of like the movie 'Kill Bill'," she noted. "Everyone thinks the bride is dead... and they don't give her a second thought. They all just write her off, and assume she'll drift away in peace." She grinned. "But she's not dead at all, and neither am I. Just like in the movie, I'm here to kill every last one of them on my way to the top..."

She laughed, rolling a piece of shell back and forth between her hands as she spoke.

"And then of course, we come to my final confrontation with "Bill." But who on Earth could my Bill be? Who would be the best adversary for me to fight at the end?"

She shook her head now, sadly.

"Well my original plan was to have Matt there, but he kind of ended up cutting himself loose." She paused, almost looking wistful for a moment. If you blinked, you might have missed it-- but for a moment there she almost looked sad. "I liked Matt. He was just this big red wounded bird... and I wanted to help him. I just wanted to reach out and help him... and he almost came back to bite me."

She chuckled.

"I had no idea that helping a wounded bird would end up turning into a Hitchcock movie. But c'est la vie. I guess that's life."

She then turned to look over at the ice-- where the majority of her teammates were still practicing.

"I can't possibly take Amy or Joni to the final two," she noted. "I mean, I like and respect them both-- but they're obviously big threats. And there's not a chance in hell I'd take Hogan. He's been both patronizing and annoying to me and I have no use for him whatsoever. Plus he's Joni's security blanket and I want him on that jury as soon as humanly possible."

She now paused to take a look at Lance, watching as the young man punched through two sheets of ice at a time.

"Lance..." she murmured, "Now he's an interesting choice. But..." she shook her head, "The problem is that the guy plays this game in an eternal mist. He's a nice guy and all, but if you don't happen to share his morals or act the same way he does, he just cannot deal with you." She shook her head again. "He's almost like a religious zealot in some ways. He thinks he's so right and he's just blinded by that conviction. But what he can't see is the hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness that he's really displaying to the world. He just can't see that at all."

And with the rest of the choices narrowed down, Isabella finally came to the two from which she would have to choose. She didn't like her options here-- but it wasn't as if the tribe was leaving her very many other choices. It was going to have to be Mike or it was going to have to be Michelle. There was just nobody else here to pick from.

"I like to call those two "M&M"," she smiled. "Only instead of "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand"... their motto could be "Stabs you in the back, even their friends." She smirked somewhat. "And... well... this is Survivor. We all do what we have to do. And while I don't like the way they've carried out their betrayals, I at least understand why they've done the things they have done."

She paused, shrugging.

Then she stood up.

"And if I have my way at all... I'll be sitting in front of the jury on day thirty-nine. And I'll be sitting next to one of those two..."

She smiled.

"... And I'll be arguing that -my- betrayals were better, as well as more strategic, as any of theirs..."



^^



The reward challenge started just after 8:00-- as the darkness had started to overtake the small sandy island in the sea. Jeff Probst arrived via speedboat and had the players line up in the sand, single-file. He then stood before them and explained the rules of tonight's challenge.

"One of the most important tenets of the martial arts," he said, "Is that the mind is -much- stronger than the fist. And today we're going to test that. Today, we're going to see if... once and for all... mind really -can- conquer matter."

He motioned behind him, where Kataro stood. The diminutive bald monk stepped forward and nodded his head.

"You guys know Kataro," said Jeff, "He lived with you today, he helped you train, and today we're gonna see how much you learned. So if you took his teachings to heart... it should be no problem." He shrugged. "You should be able to smash through the ice without so much as a second thought."

Jeff smiled.

"And the reward for the winner is something special. The winner of tonight's challenge will be going with Kataro to his temple tomorrow. You will spend a day with the monks... training... teaching... and learning." A few players clapped their hands, excitedly. "And this is probably the -best- reward you will get out here so I hope you guys really want this. You will get twenty-four hours of total relaxation... and a chance to escape from the game for a while."

Amy smiled happily. So did Mike.

Jeff stepped aside and motioned to a table. On it stood a large wooden object, like a vice. There were two wooden boards-- held together by large metal screws-- and in between the boards was a large thick sheet of ice. This was an ice holder.

"We've drawn for random order," said Jeff, "So you guys are all gonna step up and try to smash one sheet. And if anyone does, then they move on to the second round... where you will do -two- sheets of ice." He nodded. "Any questions?"

There were none.

"Okay," added Jeff, as a few players started to applaud. "Here we go, guys. Round one begins. Lance, you're up first."

Lance McHale smiled and stepped forward. The pre-school teacher from San Diego stared at the sheet of ice... as Kataro watched on intently. Lance focused his mind now... trying to remember what he had been taught. Aim for the center... put all your power into one square inch... use one quick sharp blow...

And with a quick yell, Lance thrust his hand out in a violent karate chop motion.

-SMASH!-

The sheet of ice crumbled into pieces as Lance expertly sawed it in half. He smiled now, happily, and started to rub his hand. But he had done it. The players applauded politely as Lance moved on to the second round.

"Next up," said Jeff, "Hogan."

The young Eagle Scout walked up and took his turn in front of the vice. A new sheet of ice now sat in it... and Hogan stared at it... psyching himself up. He got an angry look on his face... tried to focus... and then struck out in one quick punch.

-CRACK!-

His hand hit the ice and stopped. Hogan let out an awful wail of pain as the ice stayed solid, refusing to bend to his muscular arm. But he had failed. In a surprise to nobody but himself, Hogan Mueller was eliminated.

"It's not all about strength, guys," said Jeff. "Emma, come on up, show us how it's done."

Isabella walked up now, the third player to try. And she knew this wasn't going to be much of a challenge. She could do one sheet in her sleep by this point. Kataro gave her a proud nod as she walked up and took her place before the ice. She closed her eyes for a second... trying to summon up some power. Then she opened her eyes and... in one quick strike... she broke through the ice.

-SMASH!-

Isabella smiled happily as Kataro patted her on the shoulder. She then went back to the line to the polite applause of the other players.

"Amy, come on up."

Amy walked up now, her red buff tied around her forehead, karate-style. She smiled at Kataro once and then turned to face a new sheet of ice. She stared at it for a second... remembering her training... and hoping her wrist wasn't going to act up. And then... in one quick strike...

-SMASH!-

...Amy advanced to round two.

"Joni, come on up."

The young girl from Utah walked up now, trying her best to glare a hole in the sheet of ice. The other players laughed at this image and then were silent as Joni took her position. She stared at the ice for a long moment... remembering what Kataro taught her. Then she struck out.

-SMASH!-

The ice smashed before her as Joni let out a wounded yelp of pain.

"Urg!" she said, holding her right hand. But she had done it. The players applauded as Joni advanced to round two. Hogan gave her a congratulatory pat on the back.

"Michelle!" said Jeff. "Come on up."

The fiery woman from Nashville stepped up now, looking confident and strong. She cocked her right arm back... staring angrily at the ice. Kataro looked on curiously as Michelle's eyes began to narrow... then she focused... then she struck.

-SMASH!-

The ice broke easily and Michelle advanced to round two.

"Last person in round one," said Jeff, "The big man. Mike, come on up, show us how it's done."

Mike walked up now, staring at the new sheet of ice in the holder. He stared at it for a moment... trying to remember what he had been taught. Then in one quick strike...

-SMASH!-

He pulverized it.

"Mike moves on!" said Jeff, as the players applauded, impressed. "Everybody but Hogan advances to round two!"



^^


Round two began just moments later-- once the players had been given a chance to rest.

Lance McHale stepped up first now... ready to face the next challenge. Now he stared at -two- sheets of ice... sitting in the holder. And they were two thick sheets. This round was going to take some skill.

The air was thick with tension as Lance focused. He narrowed his eyes... breathing deeply... and stared at the ice in the holder. Then in one quick motion... he lashed out.

-CRACK!-

The ice failed to break and Lance reacted by shaking his hand, wincing. But he was now eliminated, and he went to take his seat next to Hogan.

"Emma, you're up."

Isabella walked up now and tried her best to focus her energy. She tried to look focused but in reality was a little bored. She knew nobody could beat her in this event. She knew from the look on Kataro's face that she would be seeing him tomorrow at the temple. He was already making plans, you could see it. And in one quick motion... Isabella yelled and struck the ice with her hand.

-SMASH!-

The ice sheets shattered to the ground as Isabella tried her best to look surprised. But she had done it. The players applauded as she moved on easily to round three.

"Amy," said Jeff, "Round two."

Amy Twieg walked up now, buff still tied in a headband around her forehead. She smiled as she focused her attention on the task at hand. Kataro watched her, paying attention to her right hand. Amy, as usual, had excellent form. And then... in one motion... she struck.

-SMASH!-

The ice fell to the ground... and Amy advanced happily to round three.

"Joni!" said Jeff. "You're up."

Joni Newman walked up now, hand still smarting from her first attempt. But she took her position... the small dancer staring at two thick sheets of ice. And like before... she struck out in one quick motion, just as Kataro had taught her.

-SMASH!-

Joni pumped her fist as the players around her applauded. But she had done it. And she moved on to round three.

"Michelle! Round two!"

Michelle walked up now... staring at her ice. And unlike the others... she didn't pause to focus her energy. She just struck out with fury, almost immediately upon facing the ice.

-SMASH!-

Her ice broke easily... and Michelle advanced to round three.

"Mike! You're up."

The big man from New York walked up now... slowly standing in front of the ice. He stood for a long moment... breathing... focusing... directing his attention. And then in one quick strike...

-CRACK!-

Mike's hand stopped against the side of the ice. And his eyes opened in surprise as Michelle gasped in shock behind him. Mike had failed. The big man failed to break two sheets of ice, and he had been eliminated from the game.

"Well look at this," smiled Jeff, once Mike had taken his seat on the bench. "I guess it -is- true what they say."

He looked at the four finalists.

Isabella.

Amy.

Joni.

Michelle.

"I guess mind over matter is -truly- what counts," smiled Jeff. "Because we have an all female final round."



^^


Three sheets of ice greeted Isabella as she walked up to begin the final round. And though it looked daunting, she knew it could be done. She and Joni had both smashed through three sheets in practice-- with Isabella doing as many as four.

This one should be a piece of cake.

"Let's go, Emma," said Mike from behind her. And Isabella stood now, just staring at the three sheets of ice. She stood for a long moment... focusing. And to the other players her skinny little arms looked impossibly thin... too thin for a task like this. But Isabella was here for a reason, and it wasn't for her strength. It was for her focus.

But... as much as she would have loved that trip to the temple... as much as she would have loved a day to relax away from camp... that just wasn't going to be in the cards. It was always Isabella's strategy to never win a reward challenge. And she knew it would break Kataro's heart... but rules were rules. She wanted somebody else to win this instead.

-CRACK!-

Isabella's hand hit the side of the ice and stopped. And she yelped out in pain, loudly, as she caught a quick look of surprise on the monk's face. But he knew. He had seen her change her arm angle at the last minute and he knew. He flashed his star pupil a quick look of disapproval... as Isabella tried her best to avoid his gaze. She knew how ashamed he must feel right about now.

And just like that, Isabella Smith was eliminated from the contest.

Amy Twieg stepped up now to take her turn. The young woman from Wisconsin stared at her three sheets of ice. Buff tied around her forehead... she took deep breaths, trying to breathe from the diaphragm. She focused her attention on a single spot on the ice...

The air was quiet.

And with a yell, Amy struck out.

-SMASH!-

The players applauded loudly as Amy's hand burrowed through the ice. Smiling happily, she had done it. She had conquered three sheets of ice. She never had conquered three in practice either, so now she was ecstatic.

"Joni," said Jeff. "Gotta do three or you're eliminated."

Joni Newman walked up now, a bit intimidated by the sight of three sheets of ice. She stared at the holder now... glaring at it once again. She was trying to psych herself up. She looked over at Kataro and he gave her a reassuring nod. With Isabella out of the contest... she was his new favorite pupil. And closing her eyes, Joni took a deep breath. She focused her power. She raised her right arm.

And in one motion, she struck.

-SMASH!-

Her eyes opened in surprise as all three sheets of ice broke under her hand. The players burst into applause as Joni smiled from cheek to cheek. She had done it. She had actually tied Amy!

"Okay Michelle," said Jeff, "Three sheets. Gotta break all three to advance."

Michelle Kin-Fraley walked up now, her red buff tied around her neck. She stared at the ice as she approached. Like Amy, she focused on one single spot in the center. But unlike Amy, she didn't wait to strike.

With a yell, Michelle crashed her hand through all three sheets with a fury.

-SMASH!-

And Michelle advanced as well.

"Okay," said Jeff. "Here's what we have."

He looked over at his three finalists.

"Amy, Joni and Michelle have done what the rest of you could not. They have smashed through six sheets of ice and have all proven themselves to be worthy of this reward."

All three females smiled happily.

"But..." shrugged Jeff, "The reward is for one person, and one person alone. So what we're gonna do now is have a tiebreaker. Behind me are thirty sheets of ice. Ten for each person."

Sure enough, there were three tables behind Jeff, each one with ten sheets of ice on it. The sheets sat in single holders each, so the players would only be able to smash through one at a time.

"The player who can smash through the most ice in thirty seconds wins reward," said Jeff. "So are you ladies ready?"

Amy, Joni and Michelle each lined up before a table. Within two minutes, they were all standing and ready to go.

"At this point it isn't about strength," said Jeff. "It is about who wants this the most. Who wants this reward the most, and who is willing to fight through the pain to do it." He grinned. "Because I -know- all three of you are feeling some pain right about now."

He smiled, and looked at his watch.

"Thirty seconds. This is for reward."

He held his right arm in the air.

"Survivors ready... GO!"

The rest of the tribe stood around and cheered as the three females started thrusting their hands into single sheets of ice. And while these sheets weren't as thick as the ones before... this time the players were tired. And right away... all three of them started to struggle.

Amy failed to get through her second sheet of ice. She tried again and again... her wrist now starting to swell up from the impacts... but she just couldn't get it broken. Frustrated, she paused a moment to catch her breath-- hands resting down on her hips.

Joni smashed through two but then got stuck on her third one. She stopped to glare at it now, her right hand bright red from the repeated blows against the cold ice. And like Amy, her hand was starting to hurt.

Like Joni, Michelle was stuck on her third as well. She got through two... but her strength was starting to ebb. With a grunt, she smashed the third ice sheet again and again... with no effect. And now she was starting to completely run out of strength.

Jeff watched as the three females smashed away. Joni and Michelle were tied for the lead... with Amy one sheet behind. This one was going to go right down to the wire.

He looked at his watch.

Ten seconds.

Nine seconds.

At eight seconds, Joni finally smashed through her third sheet of ice. With a cry of surprise, she now took the lead, to rousing applause around her. But now she was in the lead. Now she had three.

Seven seconds.

Six seconds.

Amy was still trying for her second sheet, but she just couldn't do it. She dropped her head now, sighing. Amy was simply out of gas.

Five seconds.

At four seconds, Michelle let loose with a final, massive strike against her third sheet. The players watched in anticipation... but the ice didn't break. To the surprise of everyone but Kataro... Joni still had the lead.

Three seconds.

Two seconds.

Joni stared at Jeff, expectantly. But there was still one second to go. And in the final moment, Michelle let out an angry grunt of anger. She lashed out as hard as she could. And in one vicious crack, her hand connected with her third sheet of ice.

"That's time!" announced Jeff.

The tribe all looked at Michelle's third sheet of ice. But despite all her efforts, it still sat fully intact... still in one piece. Her last ditch effort had simply not been enough.

"Joni!" announced Jeff. "Wins reward!"

With a shriek of delight, Joni thrust her hands in the air, excitedly. And the players applauded as she held her hands over her mouth, not believing she had won something, She just didn't think it would ever happen.

"Congratulations," said Jeff, as Joni then clung to him in a hug. "You're going with Kataro to the temple tomorrow. You'll be gone all day." He smiled. "So get ready for a day you will never forget."

And the players gathered around as Joni shrieked with joy. She had won. She couldn't believe she had actually won.

And to top it all off... The icing on the cake... For the first time ever...

She had actually beaten Amy in a challenge.




DAY 29




Joni Newman packed her backpack carefully, being sure to take everything she was going to need on her trip. And as she packed, she laughed self-consciously at the way she was going to present herself to the monks of the temple. Because it was true she actually hadn't planned this out very well. Due to the tribe's Harry Potter party last night... Joni currently had a head full of fluffy, poofy brown hair. It was due to her role as Hermione... a role which had required Isabella and Amy to tease out her hair to ridiculous lengths. And after sleeping on it for a night, now her hair was simply out of control.

And Joni laughed. Because now she was going to visit one of the most holy and mystical places on Earth.

And she happened to look like a circus clown.

"Uh..." she muttered, as she stuffed her favorite pair of sweatpants into her pack, "Perhaps next time we should plan our party for a different night instead." She laughed, still somewhat embarrassed. "But oh well, it should be fun. I just hope the monks don't kick me out or anything."

And as she continued her packing, she took a moment to reflect upon the way the game had changed recently. As she was all alone in the shelter (as usual), Joni was able to give a quick confessional before she took off on her trip.

"It's funny how the game can change so fast," she said, "Especially because I've been on such an emotional roller coaster lately." She shook her head, smiling. "I come within -inches- of leaving the game at the last vote... and now I -am- leaving. I'm leaving for a day with the monks!" She started giggling again, thinking of the way she had won yesterday's challenge. For it was true that Joni had won more or less because the rest of her tribe had been out doing tasks all day. Michelle and Amy had simply been exhausted during that final tiebreaker round. So Joni's insistence on resting in the shelter all day had paid off, bigtime, and now she was headed off on the field trip of a lifetime.

"I'm really excited," she added, "I mean-- how many people get to go learn from monks? Plus I've always loved the history behind them," she nodded, "And the power of mind that they can attain. I mean, you saw Kataro yesterday. He was wise, calm, patient..." She grinned. "Everything that I want to... or should... become some day. It should be an amazing experience."

She paused for a moment, as she slung her backpack up on her shoulder. Now she was ready to go. Big, frizzy hair and all.

"The downside of course," she said, "Is that I'll be away from camp all day... and I'll probably be worrying about the game while I'm gone." She scowled somewhat as she said this. "Anything can happen while I'm gone, which we've all seen before out here. But..." she shrugged, "I'll just ask people to inform me what I missed. Hopefully they will. Michelle and Hogan will, anyway."

She raised her arms up, helplessly.

"If they all report back... and everybody's story matches up... then I can hope it worked out for the best. We'll see."

She started walking out of the shelter now, letting loose a long, deep exhale as she started her voyage.

"Either way, today should be amazing. It would be better if I could take somebody -with- me... but time by myself will be great. I love alone time." She smiled, happily. "I love time when I'm free to just... be who I want to be without worrying about how stupid I look."

She laughed again.

"So yeah, this is gonna be great."

And with that, Joni started her long walk down to the beach. She passed teammates along the way, all of them wishing her luck on her trip. Hogan gave her a high-five as she passed by. Isabella gave her a hug. Michelle whispered something in her ear. And Lance eyed her as she walked, suspiciously.

And as Joni boarded a waiting boat, she waved her goodbyes and was soon whisked away on her trip. She was soon gone, shuttled far off to the temple of the monks.

And for the day, the Miyagi tribe was now down to six.



^^



The island seemed a lot bigger with only six people remaining, and a lot of people didn't seem to know what to do. Mike and Michelle decided to just rest by the beach, as the two usual workhorses decided to take the day off-- and just chill out. And with Michelle off water duty for the day, she was amused to see Lance try to carry out the task instead. It always amused her to watch Lance try to work... because in Michelle's mind, Lance McHale was the most incompetent outdoorsman out here. She had never seen anyone work so hard with such little success before in her life. It was the number one reason why she didn't care much for Lance at all.

"Hey Mike," she said, elbowing the big man next to her, "Check it out. Lance thinks he's gonna work today."

"Oh wow," joked Mike, "You mean he'll do more than bring back one fish?"

"Yeah!" laughed Michelle, "I guess he finally figured out he can't fish for shit. Maybe he thinks he can carry water better instead."

And Michelle watched, amused, as Lance carried a large jug of water out of his boat. He had gone on a solo water run to the mainland-- his first by himself-- and retrieved a jug full of fresh water. Because unlike their original camps, this time the tribe had a nice, clean well. They did not need to boil mangrove water, they did not need to boil stream water. This time the water was fresh. They could drink it right out of the well if they wanted.

"Oh my God," Michelle gasped, as she continued to watched Lance, "Check it out, Mike. He thinks he has to boil it!"

"What??"

"I'm serious. I don't think anyone told him the water was clean. Check it out, he's boiling it!"

And Mike watched, amazed, as Lance poured the fresh water into the large boiling pot. Apparently Lance had never caught on that the tribe's water supply was now safe to drink.

"What an idiot!" Michelle laughed. "The first task he does since the merge... and he screws it up!"

And as Mike and Michelle watched from the beach, Lance continued to absently boil the already-fresh water. And as he didn't realize he was currently under scrutiny... Lance was taking a moment to give his latest thoughts on the state of the game. And as with most every time he had spoken recently, Lance wasn't very happy.

"That ice challenge last night was brutal," he complained, as he stoked the fire underneath the water pot, "Although I have to say I wasn't much happier that I got smoked by four ladies." He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "You know... when I started this game, I had a full tank of gas. I was ready to stomp on that gas pedal and win challenge after challenge, just for the sake of my team." He paused, scowling. "But instead I've kind of settled into a slow sputter. Just poor performance after poor performance..."

He shook his head again, sadly.

"And if I keep it up, all it will do is keep that immunity necklace around somebody else's neck." He paused. "As well as just make me look foolish."

He looked off towards the ocean, where Isabella sat sunning herself on the beach.

"Right now you've got kind of an interesting situation around camp. You've got several people keeping to themselves, because they think they've got a guaranteed spot in the final four. You've got people like Joni... stringing Hogan along because she thinks that she can. And in general, you just see people starting to get very cocky."

He nodded, grimly.

"But as we've all seen before, cockiness in this game is never a good thing." He smiled, faintly. "Just ask Ryan."

Now Lance noticed that he was being watched. He saw Mike and Michelle watching him from the beach. They both appeared to be smiling, so he waved down towards them.

"My fate right now," he admitted, "Appears to be in that big guy's hands. And I hate to put so much faith in Mike, because it's such a scary thought." He shrugged. "But I also know that if Mike keeps standing up for me and telling others to keep me around, at least I still have a chance." Then Lance shook his head. "But I know that he won't turn on Kamiya. Mike's no fool. I know that I'll have a spot in his tribute garden soon enough anyway."

Lance shook his head, angrily.

"All I can do is give my all in that immunity challenge tomorrow. I can't rely on Mike to save me forever. Eventually I'll have to stop by our local Okinawa gas station and maybe fill up my tank a bit." He scowled at the ground. "Because if I keep failing in challenges and keep getting smoked by lesser athletes... well, I might as well just let the ladies paint my fingernails red, so that they match my fists and my buff."

He shook his head again, bitterly.

"Only in Okinawa... Only in Okinawa..."

Michelle and Mike watched this speech, unaware of what Lance was saying. But it -was- evident that Lance was completely oblivious to the fact of what he was doing. And while Michelle thought it was funny at first, soon she had started to get upset.

"Have you ever noticed," she mentioned to Mike, "That Lance never does anything that needs to be done? All he does it mope around camp and save his energy for the challenges. Have you ever noticed that he hasn't done -anything- productive since we've merged?"

"Yup," nodded Mike.

"Half the day he just stands there and pokes the fire!" Michelle added.

Mike nodded.

"Heck," glared Michelle, "At least Joni cooks the food. She sucks around camp but at least she does -something-!"

Michelle glared at Lance some more, watching as continued to mope around the firepit.

"Well from this point on," she proclaimed, "If he doesn't put in some effort... if he doesn't start doing some work... then he doesn't eat." She continued her glare. "If you don't help us around camp, we won't reward you with food. Simple as that."

Mike looked over at Lance now, watching to see what was going on.

"And I know it's harsh," Michelle nodded, "But it's only fair. I know you like him but I'm sick of what he tries to do every day. It's really getting annoying."

"Well you know I can't tell people not to eat," Mike said, "But if you want to, go for it."

Michelle nodded.

"If you want..." Mike said, "I can tell him you're pissed at him."

Then he paused, smiling.

"Or you can do my idea and we just slack off too. We can just lay around all day like Lance and Hogan... maybe show them what it feels like. I mean, heck, we deserve it. We work our -butts- off around here."



^^



But Mike had made a promise to Lance, and it was a promise he meant to fulfill. Lance was supposed to be warned the minute he was in danger. That had always been part of their "gentlemen's agreement." So the moment Michelle headed off on her own, the big man went right up to Lance with an important message to deliver...

"Lance, we need to talk."

"What?" said Lance, looking up. He was still boiling the water, and hadn't heard Mike approaching from the sand.

"I gotta give you a heads up." Mike looked around quickly to make sure nobody was watching. "There are rumblings about sending you home tomorrow. I think you're gonna need to win immunity." He saw the crushed look on Lance's face... so he laid a hand on the young man's shoulder, sympathetically. "I'm sorry, I can only do so much to steer them away. But I think they want you gone pretty bad."

"But..." Lance was nearly speechless. He had known his time would be up soon, that much was obvious. But it's one thing to actually -hear- it come out of somebody else's mouth. This time it was serious. "Why me?"

"They're complaining that you don't do much work around camp. They're complaining that you sit around all day and save energy for the challenges." Mike pointed to the water in the pot. "And they complain that you do stuff that doesn't really need to be done... like boiling water that's already fresh."

Lance was still flabbergasted. He didn't know what to say. A cold panic ran up and down his spine.

"I just wanted to let you know," Mike added, his voice low, "Because it -is- being noticed. And even if I -don't- play along with them, I still have no idea whose side Hogan is on." He shrugged... smiled... and then offered up one small little lie.

Just a little one.

"I know you two are close... but you have to know that Hogan offered up your name as the boot choice last Council. If we didn't want to vote Matt, he was willing to vote for you. So I don't know -what- the guy is capable of anymore."

Lance had to sit down when he heard this news. The revelation that Hogan wasn't a loyal and trusted ally had hit him like a punch to the stomach. Hogan was one he always thought he could count on. After all... Hogan had voted for Matt as a defensive maneuver to save Lance last time. Hadn't he???

"Oh man," Lance said, stunned.

"I know..." Mike said, sadly. "And I'm not accusing you or blaming you or anything. I'm just repeating what I've been told." He patted Lance on the shoulder again, fraternally. "Just be sure to go all out in the challenge tomorrow. Don't let those bastards push you around." He smiled. "Do your best to stick it to them."

"I have to say..." said Lance, shaking his head, "That I'm just shocked. Because you know I don't slack off. I work as hard as anyone else out here!"

Mike nodded.

"And second," Lance added, "This is the only time I've ever tried to boil the water. I didn't even know we didn't have to. This isn't something I normally do!"

Mike nodded again.

"It's not like I'm hurting anything," Lance said. "I mean, it's not like I'm tainting it or anything. The water will still be good to drink anyway... so how am I hurting the tribe?"

"I don't know," Mike said, shaking his head, "But I can't be seen warning you. The powers that be won't like it."

"You mean Michelle?"

"I'm sorry. I can't name names. It'll just get me in trouble." Then Mike looked around, trying desperately to escape this line of conversation. "But I gotta go. We'll talk more later. I just wanted to make sure you knew."

And once Mike had left, Lance sat alone on one of the benches near the fire. He sat there for a long time... just thinking over what he had just heard. And he sat quietly, a stoic figure-- all alone with nothing but his thoughts. And though he had been hurt and stunned at first, in time that mood began to change.

In time he started to grow angry.

Then he started to grow determined.

And finally... his determination gave way to fury. Lance was not just angry now. Now Lance was enraged. How -dare- they start making up bullshit excuses just to justify a reason for voting him off. How dare they try to make this look like anything but a simple Pagonging! How -dare- the Kamiyas have enough self-righteous gall to start making this look like it was Lance's fault!

"Right now," he promised, "I have one goal in this game. My goal is to go to that challenge tomorrow and win. And I don't care what kind of challenge it is. If it's running... I'll outrun them all. If it's climbing... I'll climb anything they throw at me. If it's swimming... I'll break Olympic records with my speed through the water. They won't even know what hit them."

And at this Lance reached up to his head. He untied the red buff... the Miyagi buff... which had made its home there the past week. And quickly untying it, he cast it aside. He tossed the dirty red piece of cloth right into the fire, watching as it caught aflame with a satisfying sizzle.

And then he reached into his pocket...

... And brought out his green Sato buff.

The one he had never ever truly given up.

"I was just told," he added, as he tied his beloved green buff around his head, "That I'll be receiving votes tomorrow. And I know it's legit because it comes from Mike, who's always been a class act." Lance nodded, once the green was tied tightly around his head. "But all the Kamiya reasons are cop-outs. The only reason they want me gone is because I'm a Sato. They're gonna boot me... then Amy... then Hogan, and they don't think we're smart enough to figure it out."

He clenched one fist... then smacked it into his opposing palm.

"To tell you the truth," he added, his jaw set, "I'm -tired- of Kamiya's games. I'm going to be seriously sick to my stomach if one of these people wins. Because they had -one- real player... and that was Ryan. They all rode Ryan's coattails until he was booted. And now without him... they think they're all players, simply because they stumbled into a majority."

He shook his head, angrily.

"I've been suppressing a -lot- of anger for a while now. And I know I've come off as pretty calm... as pretty mellow... but I think we've now reached the point of no return. I think right now we're about to see everything just come right out and spill all over."

He started talking louder now, not caring if anybody was listening.

"I'm -tired- of people saying one thing to your face... and then talking behind your back. I'm -tired- of people treating this like it was middle school. So yeah I wanted to win immunity tomorrow. I wanted to win it for -me-."

He stood up now, looking around angrily at his fellow players in the game.

"But now they've given me a -new- reason to win it tomorrow. I'm not trying to save me anymore. Now I'm just trying to make sure that a Kamiya goes instead. That's all I want... that's what will keep me going..."

He glared at the camera, eyes raging underneath his green Sato buff.

"Now I just want to take them all down with me."



^^



Lance had just shifted his intensity into overdrive, but he wasn't the only one having a rough day. Fellow Sato Amy Twieg was currently having difficulties of her own. Once Joni had been shuttled off for the day-- Amy had made it her mission to get in good with Isabella and Michelle. With one powerful Kamiyan ally removed for the day, Amy had tried her best to go undo any damage to her reputation Joni might have done.

But Amy had been surprised... when Michelle proposed a new "all-girl" alliance nearly right off the bat.

"Because I don't trust Mike at all," Michelle confessed, once she had pulled Amy aside. "I know he's a Kamiyan and I know he's kind of an oaf... but I know he's in good with Lance. I know he's in good with Hogan. And I know he's in good with -you-!"

"Yeah," Amy nodded, "He is. Mike has an in with just about everybody out here."

"And that's why I kind of want to cut him off before he starts anything," Michelle added. "So screw me for being greedy here... but I don't want Mike to win. I'd rather have a female win over anything." She laughed. "You just know that's the way I am."

Amy nodded, though still somewhat dubious.

"So the plan," Michelle added, "Is to boot one of the guys tomorrow. And it doesn't matter to me, we can boot Hogan, we can boot Mike or we can boot Lance." She shrugged. "But we just make sure we have an all-girl final four and we should be set."

Michelle Kin-Fraley's strategy in this game had always more or less been a plan of "beat them to the punch." Her strategy was -always- to squash potential threats before they happened. Whether by making multiple alliances... making false promises... or separating her enemies, Michelle always tried to think two steps ahead of the opposition.

Which was exactly what she was doing now.

"Because while I fear Mike," she had admitted, in an earlier confessional, "I know he's not gonna make a move against me yet. But you can see in his sucking up to the Satos that he's laying the groundwork for something. He's either trying to win their jury votes, or he's trying to work a side deal against the girls." She grinned. "Because he knows he's outnumbered three to one and he'd be a fool to think people will let him coast by with his strength."

And though Michelle feared Amy... and Michelle feared Mike... what really terrified Michelle was a Mike-Amy alliance. If those two joined up, there was certain to be trouble. So Michelle was doing her best to head things off before they ever got to that point.

"Mike's been asking around," Amy said now, trying to see Michelle's reaction, "Because he knows he's not safe. He keeps asking me if he should be worried that the guys are outnumbered."

"That's good," Michelle nodded, "All the more reason for us to team up. He's starting to panic."

So Amy smiled. And... not believing a word she was hearing... she happily shook Michelle's hand. Ten minutes later she happily shook Isabella's hand, after a nearly identical conversation.

So Amy had a new final four deal.

An all female final four deal.

And she didn't believe this crap as far as she could throw it.



^^



Lance's fury came out almost immediately, as he soon cornered Mike down by the beach. And Mike was stunned by the manner of the normally mild-mannered pre-school teacher. Suddenly Lance looked like some sort of avenging archangel... as he came stomping down to the beach, fists clenched in rage.

"This whole experience has turned into little mindgames," Lance accused, "And I'm sick of it. I thought we'd left all that crap behind."

"What's up?" said a cautiously worried Mike.

"Nobody is doing any work today!" Lance shouted. "I mean, just look!" He pointed down to the beach, where Isabella sat sunning herself. Then he pointed off to the shore, where Amy and Michelle were going for a swim. "Everybody is slacking off today. So why target me for it? What's the purpose??"

"Maybe they're being lazy today to retaliate against you..." Mike started.

"Bull."

"Maybe somebody just got up on the wrong side of the bed," Mike shrugged.

"I think they just have it in for me," Lance said, "And they don't have the guts to tell me."

"Maybe..."

"But Mike, look..." Lance tried his best to look exasperated, "If you're going to vote with them, that's fine. If these people want to suck you in with their little middle school games, that's great. I'm happy for them. It must -really- be worth it in their sad little lives."

"Well yes," Mike confirmed, "As I said, I am leaning towards voting with them. But I'm not lying when I say I like you and Amy more." He nodded. "I wouldn't have warned you otherwise."

"So who is it?" Lance finally asked. "Who's leading the charge against me?"

"Uh..."

"Michelle?"

"I'm sorry..." Mike shook his head. "I can't name anybody. It would just get me in trouble."

"Oh, come on. I just want to discuss things in a civil manner with this person," Lance grinned. "You know, just kind of air out our differences..."

He patted Mike on the shoulder.

"I'd really appreciate it," he smiled.

"Can I at least ask them first?" asked Mike, hopefully.

"Sure, do whatever you need to do. After all..." Lance glared, "It's what people do around here, isn't it?"

"So wait, you're mad at -me- too?" Mike looked shocked.

"Not at you, specifically. But I don't like being targeted, no..." Lance shook his head. "I'm just tired of it all. I'm tired of -them-."

"Well all I did..." said Mike, sternly, "Was warn you about what I heard. Don't kill the messenger here. I'm just repeating what I've heard. All I'm doing is helping you."

"Repeating lies is sometimes as bad as telling lies..." Lance sighed. "Just please do the honorable thing here, Mike. I just don't know how you can deal with these people. Just... you know what to do... please just stand up for what is right."

"I've done exactly what I said I would..."

"No," said Lance, "What you've done is get me to blame -all- of the Kamiya for this... and you even blamed Hogan. But somehow you miraculously managed to cast yourself in a favorable light at the same time." He fixed Mike with a stern glare. "And if that isn't the worst, most obvious game I've ever seen... well I don't know what is."

Lance paused for a moment. Then he threw his hands in the air, frustrated, and started to walk away.

"You know," Mike called out, more angrily than he should have, "I'm sorry I ever told you. I didn't think you'd take it so personally!"

But Lance was gone. Lance was off to wherever he needed to go, so Mike had time to give a quick confessional.

"Well that was nice," he laughed, still watching the retreating form of Lance storm up the beach, "Thanks for the guilt trip, Lance." He shook his head, amused. "All I ever did was tell him I'd warn him and watch his back, and now he seems to think this is the backstabbing of the century. But all I did was tell him to try hard tomorrow! All I did was keep my promise!"

Mike shook his head now, still in disbelief.

"Although... in the long run... this may pose a bigger problem to me than it looks..."

He scowled.

"I'm a little worried now about an angry Lance being on the jury. I don't think he's gonna be a good juror for me at all..."

And that being said, Mike shrugged helplessly and went on his way. He had something else he had to do tonight. He had to go report back to Isabella and Michelle before Joni came back. He had to report to them that yes, Lance knew... Lance now knew he was next. It looked like somebody, somehow, had managed to tip the guy off.

Oh yes... and he had to tell them that Lance was being the biggest crybaby in the world about it.



^^



The tension on Yamako Island was about to heat up to record levels, but in a small jungle temple just across the sea-- a sixteen year old girl from Utah was currently having the time of her life. And while her tribe started to implode without her, Joni Newman was unaware of all of this. She had no idea what was happening back at camp-- as she was simply too caught up in the experience to care.

"Every time I look around this place," she smiled, as she sat alone on the grass, trying her best to meditate, "I feel like I've gone home again. And not because it's quiet here..." She laughed. "No, back at home my house is -never- quiet."

She looked around now, smiling-- taking big, deep breaths. She wanted to once again take in the serenity and beauty of it all.

"It's more because of the feeling here. It just -feels- like home. It's a place for study... for reflection... for togetherness. Just kind of a place of safety against all outside forces." She looked around again, watching as monks went about their daily routine, as if she wasn't even here. "Time seems to have stopped here. Time doesn't even seem to exist. Their daily life doesn't have anything to do with conforming to clocks, or schedules, or restrictions set forth by society."

She shrugged, again sighing happily in a state of peace and harmony.

"It's just a great place to come and be yourself."

Joni had been led here by her guide early this morning. The two of them had stepped off the boat just before breakfast and she had followed him, watching as the small man carefully picked his way along an almost invisible jungle trail. And once she had reached this clearing-- almost inaccessible unless you knew where you were going-- she had fallen in love at once.

There were ponds and a stream, all of them populated by endless supplies of koi...

There was the temple itself, red and gold but in no way ornate or garish. It looked humble, but beautiful-- like it was just supposed to be here...

There were paths and footbridges, crisscrossing the meadow at all sorts of angles...

And there were monks, scattered across the meadow, doing whatever it was they usually did. To her immediate right, one man sat playing a small bamboo pan flute. And the haunting melody of the flute was the only sound to be heard around here, other than the soft trickling of the stream in the background...

"And the books!" Joni almost squealed with delight now, fondly remembering her favorite part of the day today. "I could have stayed in their library all day! I just got so excited trying to leaf through everything they had..." She laughed. "Even if I really couldn't read most of them..."

But although Joni had spent an extraordinarily peaceful day at the temple-- most of it spent alone on the grass, either reading or reflecting-- it was sadly just about time to go. The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon... an event which she watched with despair.

"You know," she admitted, as she looked around for one final glance at her surroundings, "I'd love to talk more... but I kind of feel like I'm not supposed to." She tugged at her still-frizzy hair, nervously. "I mean I've had hundreds of questions all day, just begging to be asked, but I don't think I'm really meant to know the answers. It kind of seems sacrilegious to disrupt the peace."

She shrugged.

"But at least I know what it's like to be a Jedi now." She snickered, happily. "For one day at least. I mean, how many people really get to say that?"

And as the sun set, it was just about time for Joni to go. She sadly gathered up her backpack... and wistfully put her shoes back on her feet. If nothing else, she was going to miss the feel of the soft grass under her toes. But once she was all set, she slowly trudged across the meadow, where Kataro stood waiting for her by the entrance. She waved happily to him, but Kataro didn't seem to notice. As with the rest of the monks-- he tended to be a man of few emotions.

"Oh well," she sighed, as she caught her last sight of the meadow to which she would never again return in her life. "I had fun. I'm really glad I had a chance to come here."

Then she paused, turning to look at the camera crew slightly.

"Oh yeah, and I only ate the bread and the cheese that you guys set out for me here. I didn't touch the wine."

She grinned slyly, letting loose a wry smile.

"I'm only sixteen. Nice try."



^^



Joni's return to Yamako came well after dark, as most of her teammates had gone to sleep for the night. But the teenage girl stepped off her boat around 10:00 PM-- noticing that just one teammate had waited up for her. Just one familiar form sat on the sand... and it was -just- the person she was hoping to see.

It was Michelle.

Her friend.

And Michelle had waited up just to give her a camp update.

"We missed you so much!" Michelle said, as she caught Joni in a big hug, "So how was it?"

"It was great," smiled Joni. "Man, I so wish you guys could have come too. It was... it was just indescribable."

"Nah," said Michelle, "You earned it. You deserved it."

Joni smiled happily.

"So what's up," she finally asked, lowering her voice to a near-whisper. "What did I miss?"

"A lot."

"Oh? Anything important?"

"Well first off... Mike's been acting fishy." Michelle kept her voice low as well, trying her best to keep this as quiet as possible. "He's been telling me that he doesn't want you in the final three anymore. He thinks you're too likeable and Emma is an easier win. So he's been lobbying to keep Emma around instead."

"But we agreed she wouldn't be final three!"

"I know," Michelle nodded. "But Mike's also been making plans with Amy. He's been cozying up to her over by his garden... and they talk a -lot-."

"That jerk."

"It gets worse," Michelle added. "Mike -also- warned Lance that he was in danger at the vote tomorrow. So Lance has been throwing a pissy-fit all day, just generally ticking everybody else off. He's been kind of hard to deal with."

"Ugh." Joni looked sickened. "Why can't Mike just keep his mouth shut? Why does he have to suck up to everybody?"

"I don't know," Michelle said, "But I do know that I don't want him around very much longer."

"Neither do I."

"But the target is still Lance tomorrow," Michelle said.

"What about Amy?" Joni looked alarmed. "We're keeping Amy?"

"I kind of had to cut a side-deal with her today," Michelle nodded. "I wanted to keep her away from Mike. I gave her some story about an all-girl final four and she seemed to buy it. So I don't really want to dump her tomorrow if we don't have to. Besides..." she nodded, "Mike and Lance are tight too. Either way we're getting rid of a potential Mike ally. Plus Lance doesn't do jack around here anyway."

"But Hogan is safe, right?"

"Yes."

Joni sighed in relief.

"But if Lance wins immunity, it could be Hogan," Michelle added quickly. "So I'm just warning you. I know you guys are close but Hogan is one of the backup choices. And he -will- have to go sooner or later..."

"I know," Joni nodded, guiltily. "I know..."

"But as long as one of the Satos goes tomorrow," Michelle shrugged, "I don't really care. I'd prefer Lance, Amy, Hogan, in that order... but pretty much any of them will do."

"Yeah."

"So that's pretty much it," Michelle said.

Then she smiled.

"Oh yeah... and you need to do well in the immunity challenge tomorrow."

"What?" Joni looked worried.

"Well not specifically you, but -all- the Kamiyas. We can't slack off tomorrow because of that stupid wheel. Because Emma's been acting spacey again... Mike is acting fishy... and I still don't trust Amy as far as I can throw her."

"Yeah," nodded Joni, angrily, "Don't trust Amy. Ever."

"So we need to make sure at least -one- Sato finishes in the bottom three," Michelle nodded. "We can't let them all slip into immunity. That would be a disaster. Either Lance, Amy or Hogan have to be vulnerable at the vote..."

"Shouldn't be a problem," smiled Joni. "No matter what it is... we can at least beat -one- of them."

Michelle laughed.

"That's the spirit I like," she said, hugging Joni yet again, "It's why we miss you so much when you leave. Because otherwise we're stuck listening to Hogan grunt like a caveman... or Lance crying about how this game is unfair and it hurts his feelings."

She beamed down at her young friend, who was now giggling with delight.

"So welcome back, Jones. And let's go kick some Sato butt tomorrow."




DAY 30




"Come on in, guys," said Jeff, as the seven very wet players now lined up before him. One by one they took their places-- some shivering, some bundled up-- as the skies opened up all around them. "And sorry about this weather."

Jeff looked up now-- peering out from under his tan cap-- as surprised as the rest of them at the sudden change in weather. For it had been perfectly sunny when dawn broke, just two hours ago. But then the rains came... and they usually came with a fury. And as annoying as this unpredictability could be, it was pretty much par for the course around here. It had rained during more than half of the Okinawan challenges thus far.

"Your challenge today is for immunity," nodded Jeff, "And it is called 'Tomato Basket.'" He smiled-- as he motioned to the large muddy tomato patch directly behind him. "And you're gonna have a lot of fun in this rain because it's your job to harvest -this- field of tomatoes as best as you can."

A few players groaned, particularly Lance on the far left. Great, a farming challenge? He was supposed to save himself in a -farming- challenge? What was next-- milking cows?

"We planted this field just for you guys," joked Jeff, "This isn't an actual farm, so don't worry about tearing up somebody's field." He smiled. "Because you'll more or less be ripping this place apart. It's your job today to find -every- tomato... -every- plant... and get as much as you can into your basket before time runs out."

He reached down and picked up a large wicker basket. It looked like an oversize picnic basket.

"So run around this field, look under the plants, and get as many tomatoes as you can into your basket. But be warned that this -will- be harder than it looks and it will be over very quickly..."

He smiled now.

"... Because you will only get five minutes."

A few players groaned again. Mike in particular didn't look too pleased about this prospect. He just wasn't the fastest runner in the world.

"Five minutes," continued Jeff, "To fill up your basket as best as you can. And at the end of five minutes," he motioned towards a scale, "We bring the baskets back here and weigh them. Heaviest basket wins immunity."

He nodded.

"And of course... afterwards we spin the Sundial."

He motioned to his right, where the cursed wheel of fortune sat. The large round object was drenched at the moment, its wood stained dark with saturation from the rain.

"We spin the wheel at the end and hand out up to four immunities."

He smiled now, eagerly, and then clapped his hands together.

"So let's go, guys. Let's go harvest some tomatoes."

The players walked with Jeff to the large muddy tomato patch and looked it over. The field itself was about 100 feet by 100 feet-- and much to Mike's dismay, it was going to take a -lot- of speed for a person to properly cover it all. Even worse was the fact that the plants were bunched very closely together... and the mud on the ground was extra wet and sloshy because of all the rain.

In other words, this contest was going to be a mess.

"Line up, guys," said Jeff, as each player took a basket in their hands and stood at the starting line. Jeff then raised his right hand in the air, standing still as the rain pelted down all around them.

"This is for immunity..."

The players eagerly scanned the field, looking for any telltale signs of red. But due to the close proximity of all the plants-- all they could really see was green. Green and muddy brown. It looked like this was going to be like an Easter Egg hunt. All the goodies were underneath those leaves.

"Survivors ready..."

The players tensed... each trying to test their footing in the slippery brown mud below. The rain and mud were definitely going to make this contest interesting right off the bat.

"GO!!!!!"

The seven players took off into the field, each one running like a madman towards what they hoped was a well-populated section of tomato plants. But nobody had any idea where the tomatoes were-- this was all pretty much just guess and check.

And Joni Newman was the first one to slip. The teenager took one wrong step into the mud and ended up face first on the ground. Laughing, she sat up-- watching as Amy and Hogan did the same thing. Nearly half the players were now covered in mud.. and the contest had barely just begun.

But within seconds, Lance had reached his first tomato cluster. The young athlete was running with a determined fury right now-- running with all his might, as if racing against the devil himself. He reached into a patch, plucked out a bunch of overripe tomatoes, and placed them into his basket. Lance didn't even seem to notice when one of the tomatoes burst in his hand, covering his arm with red goo. Lance just moved on to the next patch... eagerly scanning with his eyes for any bit of red he could find.

As Lance ran ahead... far more quickly of the rest of the pack... Mike Ruff stayed back near the start of the patch. He didn't have the mobility or speed of the younger players, so he just hung back near the entrance, digging around on hands and knees for tomatoes. But for the most part Mike just laughed at the frantic sprinting of the other players around him. He was hoping maybe they'd all just tire themselves out. Maybe the tortoise could beat the hares yet again.

"Four minutes left!" said Jeff, looking at his watch.

As the first minute ended, Amy Twieg had about twenty tomatoes sitting in her basket. She stood up now... taking a glance around the field. To her left, Lance was still racing around like a madman. To her right, Hogan had found a particularly thick cluster of tomatoes and was smiling as he pulled them off their vine. And just behind her, Isabella carefully picked her way through a generous section of the field.

And then Amy spotted it.

Amy finally spotted the northwest corner of the field. And it was empty. It was completely empty of people... and completely full of tomatoes.

Wiping the mud off her hands, she took off in a dead sprint. Amy headed for the empty northwest corner of the field, trying her best to race through the thick mud. But what Amy -didn't- see was that Michelle had the exact same idea at the exact same time. The two women raced off to the northwest, passing up easy pickings along the way-- both of them anticipating the rich motherlode that hopefully awaited.

"Three minutes left!"

As the second minute passed, Isabella Smith finally looked down at her collection. And unlike most of the others, her basket was nearly -bulging- with tomatoes already. Her sharp eyes were coming in very handy out here. Her basket was so full, in fact, that she was already having problem carrying it. So... improvising... she came up with a new plan instead. She placed her basket on the ground and decided to carry tomatoes to it instead. She started to transport tomatoes to her basket in her buff, already knowing she was going to win this contest. It wasn't even going to be close. For you couldn't beat Isabella Smith in a food gathering challenge. That kind of thing just didn't happen.

"Two minutes left!"

As the third minute elapsed, Isabella was clearly having the most luck of the bunch. Mike was still scraping around near the entrance... digging and searching as best as he could without running. Joni was more or less completely covered in mud and tomato juice. She laughed as she fell yet again-- trying to clean up after her latest spill in the mud. Joni's basket was barely full at all.

Off to the east, Hogan and Lance were still racing around like rabbits. Both young men were nearly completely winded-- but both were still running around with a determined fury. And because his searching skills were next to worthless, Hogan was doing little more than follow Lance around at this point. Hogan just went where Lance went--- and looked for leftovers. That was pretty much all he could do.

But off in the fertile northwest corner of the field-- Amy and Michelle had finally hit the motherlode. Frantically, the two women dropped to their knees-- raking in the messy red tomatoes as fast as they could. And though they were both nearly covered in mud by now... the gamble appeared to be paying off. Amy and Michelle were currently gathering fruits faster than anybody else. Even Isabella.

"One minute!"

With just a minute remaining, Isabella's basket was just about full. So she stopped to catch her breath, taking a moment to look out at the rest of the players.

She saw Amy and Michelle frantically digging in the ground, both of them muddy from head to toe.

She saw Lance racing around like a jackrabbit... plucking tomatoes out whenever he saw them.

She saw Hogan right behind Lance, trying to emulate the exact same strategy... but with a little less luck. Poor Hogan appeared to be running around in a panic.

She saw Mike back near the entrance, leaning over and winded. His basket didn't appear to be very full at all.

And she had no idea where Joni was. Joni was digging around in the mud somewhere... and nobody could tell where she was.

"Emma," called Jeff, noticing that she had stopped working, "Is your basket full already?"

"Almost!" she smiled, happily.

"Emma's basket is full!" called Jeff... and this was a statement which caused the rest of the players to start putting in a bit more energy. Suddenly none of them wanted to lose.

Then Jeff looked at his watch.

"Thirty seconds!"

Isabella went back to work, rooting around some vines for just a few more tomatoes. At the same time, Amy and Michelle were frantically pulling leaves and vines aside to the northwest... hoping to find a few more telltale flashes of red.

"Twenty seconds!"

Lance raced along the northern edge of the field now... winded, but never going to give up. He knew that he desperately needed this. No way was he going to quit. And as he ran, he reached down every so often to snatch up a wayward tomato or two.

Hogan raced along the eastern edge of the patch... trying his best to emulate the success of Lance. He ran just as fast, of course, but Hogan's untrained eyes seemed to miss tomato after tomato. He didn't even realize it, either. In Hogan's mind, this section of the patch was just empty.

"Ten seconds!"

Mike was done now. He stood up, his basket half-full, and watched the other players finish their last few searches before the end.

"Five seconds!"

Joni finally popped up from inside a large patch of tomato plants. And in her hands she carried just two small tomatoes. She dumped them into her nearly empty basket and scowled at herself in frustration. Joni just wasn't cut out for contests such as this.

"Four..." counted down Jeff.

At the last moment, Amy finally saw one last hidden vine of tomatoes. Excitedly, she ran over... plucking them off quickly, one at a time.

"Three..."

Michelle was a few steps away from her basket as time ran down, so she had to start playing basketball. She started tossing tomatoes into her nearly-full basket from a few feet away. Just like she did every day at home, she started to shoot some hoops.

"Two..."

Lance saw three greenish tomatoes on a vine and plucked them off.

"One..."

Isabella's basket was officially full now. She placed one last tomato on top... and it rolled off. There was just no more room. Satisfied, she wiped her muddy hands on her shirt and smiled happily.

"That's it!" said Jeff. "Everybody stop!"

Exhausted, the players stopped what they were doing and all stood up. The only one still running-- Lance-- tried to skid to a halt but he slipped in the mud, landing on his back with a thud. The rest of the players saw it and laughed.

"Let's go, guys!" called out Jeff. "Bring your basket to the scale."

One by one, the muddy players trudged across the field, carrying their heavy baskets of tomatoes over to Jeff. The only one who had problems with this was Isabella, who could barely lift her heavy basket. Mike had to go over and help out.

"Hey Jeff," asked Mike, once he had placed Isabella's basket down next to the rest, "Can we keep these to eat?"

"Sorry," laughed Jeff. "They're for immunity only. You aren't taking anything back to camp." He shook his head, smiling, then pointed towards the first basket. "Okay, guys, it's time weigh these suckers. Mike, you're up first."

Mike Ruff walked over-- still covered with mud-- and carried his basket up to the large brass scale. The scale was pretty much just a large receptacle hanging from a tree branch-- much like a supermarket scale for weighing produce.

Mike dumped his tomatoes into the receptacle.

And watched the pointer as it spun to a large number 14 above.

"Fourteen pounds for Mike," said Jeff, as Mike shrugged. He wasn't sure if that was a good score or a bad score. He supposed he would have to wait and see.

"Emma," said Jeff, "The tomato queen. Come on up."

Again, Mike had to help Isabella carry her basket to the scale-- and the two of them worked together to tip it up and dump its contents into the brass receptacle. The scale groaned under the weight... and the black pointer above quickly shot to the right.

"Twenty-one pounds!" said Jeff, as the players oohed and ahhed, admiringly. Isabella smiled happily... receiving a few congratulatory pats on the back.

"Emma in the lead, Mike in second." said Jeff. "Hogan, come on up."

The young Eagle Scout walked over through the rain, hefting his basket along without much difficulty. He dumped its contents onto the scale and stood back to watch...

"Sixteen point four pounds," said Jeff, nodding. "Not bad. Good enough for second place."

Hogan walked back to the line... and Lance was now called up.

"Lance," smiled Jeff, "I -know- you want this immunity. You still look winded from all that running."

"Yeah," smiled Lance, breathless.

But Lance lugged his basket up to the scale, hopefully. He knew it felt heavy, so he was at least feeling somewhat confident. Cautiously optimistic... at least...

He placed the tomatoes onto the scale.

And watched-- happily-- as it came to just over nineteen pounds.

"Nineteen point three!" said Jeff, as a few players applauded. "Lance in second place, just behind Emma."

Amy patted Lance on the back and he went back to the line, smiling happily. Lance would be satisfied with second place. After all, second place got you immunity. Second place kept you safe. So as long as nobody else beat him... he would actually be okay...

"Joni," joked Jeff. "Ended up with about ten pounds of tomatoes -on- her, so let's see if she actually got any inside of her basket."

Joni laughed as she carted her basket up to the scale, and it didn't appear to weigh very much at all. So nobody was really surprised when the scale pointer barely moved at all.

"Nine point seven," said Jeff. Then he teased her, "Maybe next time try looking -above- the ground."

"Hey, I'm no farmer!" Joni protested... and then dutifully went back to her place in line.

"Okay guys, here's where we stand," said Jeff. And he turned to a small chalkboard, which was carefully shielded from the driving rain. "With two baskets remaining, these are our leaders."

And he tallied up all the names that had been announced so far:

1. EMMA 21.0
2. LANCE 19.3
3. HOGAN 16.4
4. MIKE 14.0
5. JONI 9.7

"Amy and Michelle," said Jeff, turning to the last two, "You guys looked like you had a lot of luck out in the northwest. So let's see how much you found. Amy, you first."

The players looked on anxiously as Amy Twieg brought her basket up to the scale. She looked nervous... but also appeared to be struggling with the weight. Lance looked on, anxiously. He wasn't sure if he really wanted Amy to beat him. But at the same time he knew they -both- needed this immunity tonight...

Amy dumped her tomatoes onto the scale.

She closed her eyes... and waited.

"Eighteen point nine!" announced Jeff. "Just behind Lance." And Amy sighed, with sudden mixed emotions. She knew she was in third... but she wasn't sure if third was going to be good enough. What she -really- wanted was that second place security...

"Emma, Lance, Amy, and Hogan," said Jeff. "Are the top four..."

And suddenly Lance noticed what was happening. Suddenly he realized what had a chance of happening.

"All three of us could be immune," he whispered excitedly to Amy. "All three of us might be safe!"

"Oh my God," gasped Amy, stunned. She hadn't even noticed it yet. They were all in the top four! The Satos were still all in the running!

"... Michelle," finished Jeff, "You're the last one left. Come on up and weigh in."

The Satos looked on anxiously as Michelle Kin-Fraley strode up to the scale. And they weren't the only ones who realized what was happening. Michelle was -just- as aware of what was about to happen, and how badly this could devastate Kamiya's chances in this game. True, Isabella had done her part... but Joni and Mike hadn't done jack. They had failed to win immunity. So that meant it was up to -her- to stop the Sato immunity train today.

She was going to have to do it by herself.

And the players looked on as Michelle poured her basket onto the scale. She tipped her basket up and listened as the tomatoes rattled down and thumped into the brass receptacle.

The scale groaned as it started to sag.

And the pointer settled...

At exactly sixteen pounds.

Michelle had failed.

"Sixteen pounds even," Jeff went up to read closely. "Good enough for fifth place. Just behind Hogan."

Michelle smiled, try to cover her frustration with a tight little angry grin. Because one look at the final standings said volumes about what was about to happen. One look at the chalkboard was enough to send shivers down the spine of -anybody- on Kamiya:

1. EMMA 21.0
2. LANCE 19.3
3. AMY 18.9
4. HOGAN 16.4
5. MICHELLE 16.0
6. MIKE 14.0
7. JONI 9.7

The players looked at the list, already brainstorming about what was going to happen at the vote tonight. And Lance exchanged a quick glance with Amy. A hopeful glance. Could they actually pull this off? Could they hope for four immunities a third time in a row? Was that even possible?

"And now," smiled Jeff, once the air was good and tense, "I believe we have something else we need to take care of..."

Seven pairs of eyes turned to the wheel-- to the Sundial. Its bright sections of red, yellow and green stared back at them, mockingly. It seemed to be laughing at them.

"Emma," said Jeff, "You're the maid of honor today. Come on up and give it a spin."

Isabella Smith strode quietly through the mud and over to the wheel. She walked up next to it, seeing the four golden sun amulets hanging from pegs underneath. And taking a deep breath... she reached out and gave it a quick spin...

The colors flashed by in a blur... rain flying off the wheel in small droplets. And because she wasn't the strongest player in the game, the wheel made just five rotations before it started to slow...

It slowed...

Amy held her breath.

And slowed...

Hogan crossed his fingers.

And slowed...

Michelle stood with arms crossed, looking upset.

And stopped...

And for the first time ever, the wheel stopped on the yellow section of the sun. It hadn't stopped on the four. For the first time in the history of Survivor...

"Three immunities!" said Jeff.

Hogan slumped his shoulders, sadly, as he had fallen just one short. He would be the only vulnerable Sato tonight. And he watched as Jeff plucked three of the sun amulets off of their pegs, handing them out to their lucky recipients.

The first was handed to Isabella, who placed it around her neck, looking happy.

"Well earned," said Jeff.

The second sun was tossed to Lance. The young man from San Diego caught it in midair... kissed it... and then clutched it tightly in his hand. And Lance looked as if he could not be happier. In many ways, he couldn't.

And the final immunity... as with every time before... was tossed to a very lucky Amy Twieg.

"Is this the third time you've gotten the last immunity?" asked Jeff, laughing.

"Shhh," said Amy. "Don't jinx me, Jeff!"

But Amy placed the amulet around her neck and smiled happily. She had -barely- won it... but all that mattered was that she had won it. For the third time in a row, Amy was going to be safe at Tribal Council.

"Okay," said Jeff, "That's all we have to do here. I'll see you guys tonight at Tribal Council..."

And as the Miyagis packed up, they glanced around at the four people who were going to be vulnerable tonight. They looked at the four people who they would have to choose from.

Hogan.

Michelle.

Mike.

And Joni.

And to a man, each of these four took once glance at that Sundial. And they took one glance at that lone little dangling sun amulet. It looked so lonely hanging up there. It looked so out of place... being unused and all...

And all four of them -desperately- wished they were wearing it right now.



^^



After the challenge, Hogan Mueller's immediate first thought was that he was going to be in trouble. After all, it didn't take a rocket scientist to do the basic math of this equation: Three Satos minute two immunities equals one vulnerable Hogan.

But Hogan's fears had been dissipated just moments later, on the walk back to camp-- when Joni told him he wasn't going to be going home. As he had hoped and prayed many times, Joni Newman was going to keep her word. She was going to keep her promise to never, ever vote for her friend Hogan.

"So it looks like the plan tonight," Hogan confessed, back at camp, "Is that we're all going to take out Mike. Since Joni can't vote for me-- she has to vote for a Kamiya." He grinned. "That's the way I tried to set it up and that's the way it's going to end up working out. And it looks like my plan to save -her- before will actually end up saving -me- in the end."

Hogan looked around camp as he spoke, trying to get a gauge on what everybody was doing. And he was trying to be very discrete about it too.

"Joni's first choice to go tonight was Amy... but then Amy got immune." He looked over at Amy, who was currently involved in an animated discussion with Michelle. "Then she wanted to get rid of Emma... but then Emma got immune." Hogan glanced around towards Isabella, who was talking to Lance over by the fire. "So that left Mike, who Joni's really never cared much for anyway..."

He shrugged.

"I have to say," he added, "That Mike won't see this vote coming at all... but he definitely brought it upon himself. He brought it upon himself last vote. I mean... the guy gave me all this honor crap about being true to my word... then he cast a vote for me anyway!" Hogan rolled his eyes. "Well thank you, Great Survivor God of Truth and Ethics, thank you for lying to me and then spitting in my face."

Hogan glared at Mike, who was sitting down by the beach... setting a fish trap.

"Mike is such a joke. I mean, he's just a joke. He's not the nicest person, he's full of crap, and nobody will really have a problem voting for him. Well... okay... maybe Lance will. But Lance is still mad that Mike didn't try to save him, so you never know."

Now Hogan stood up. A man of few words, his confessionals didn't tend to be overly wordy like some of the others. He was more or less done talking already.

"All I can say," he finished, "Is that thank God Joni is a person of her word. That's why I aligned with her in the first place and that's why I was so happy she won the reward. She totally deserved it and I'm glad she got to go."

He smiled, shrugging.

"But like I said, -nobody- will have a problem voting for Mike tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a unanimous vote..."

He grinned.

"... And Mike just won't see it coming at -all-."



^^



The plan to vote for Mike was confirmed by Joni just minutes later, once she had a chance to pull her friend Michelle aside. Because just as Michelle and Isabella had earlier feared-- Joni was -not- going to cast a vote for Hogan tonight. It just wasn't going to happen.

"...And I know I'm being a pain," Joni explained, "And I know I'm being difficult, and I'm sorry. But he saved my butt, Michelle. He saved my butt at the last vote and I'm not about to stab him in the back. Not tonight."

Michelle nodded. She didn't like it... but it wasn't as if this was unexpected news. Isabella had been warning her about something like this for a while now.

"Hogan stuck his neck out for us and we can't punish him for it," Joni continued, almost near tears. "I'm sorry Mich, but I can't do it. Don't ask me to do it."

"Look, nobody's asking you to do it..."

"Besides," Joni kept talking, "Mike voted for Hogan last time and he didn't even tell us. So if Hogan hadn't flipped on Sato... -I wouldn't even be here!-" Her voice started to quiver now. "And I know it's stupid to vote for a Kamiya but Mike is the one we can't trust. At least with Hogan we can control him. He'll be loyal to us all the way to the end!"

Michelle just sighed, putting an arm around the young girl's shoulder.

"Besides," Joni continued, "I know Emma hates Mike. She'll vote for him too. I know she will..."

Michelle remained silent, just letting Joni get it all out.

"... Plus Mike is an immunity threat," Joni added, "With that wheel and any strength challenges coming up... we might not be able to stop him. I don't know if we can always win immunity with him still here."

"So you're absolutely sure you won't vote for Hogan?" Michelle finally asked, softly.

"I'm sure," Joni said in a near-whisper.

Michelle shook her head, sadly. She didn't like this but she knew Joni and she knew what Joni was like. Joni was never going to give in on this. No matter what.

"Well what about -after- this vote?" Michelle asked. "What happens then? We could still have a 3-3 tie..."

"No," Joni shook her head. "That was part of my deal with Hogan. If we vote for Mike tonight, he will vote for Amy next. He gave me his word."

"And you believe him?"

"Yes." Joni was adamant. "Hogan never lies." She smiled. "Plus he said he needs Amy gone. He used the word "needs"... and that's a good sign. He doesn't want her here."

Michelle paused for a long moment.

Then sighed.

Then smiled and gave Joni a hug.

"Okay," she said, "If you trust Hogan, that's good enough for me. I'll vote for Mike tonight too. We just get Emma and it looks like it will be unanimous."

"Shouldn't be a problem..." Joni said, "Emma will go wherever the vote goes."

"No kidding," laughed Michelle. "Here sheepy, sheepy, sheepy. Come on sheep, come find out where the vote's gonna be... please come ask us how you're supposed to vote..."

And as the two women shared a nice moment along the beach, Hogan was currently relaying the big news to Amy. Much to her shocked ears, Hogan relayed the news that Mike was the one going home tonight. It wasn't going to be a Sato at all!

"What??" Amy looked shocked.

"I'm serious," Hogan nodded. "Joni won't vote for me, she'll only vote for Mike. And Kamiya will fall in right behind her. They're not gonna make waves."

But despite Hogan's enthusiasm, Amy had simply not been convinced. No way, this could not be happening. Joni was going to save Sato? No way.

But despite all of Amy's misgivings, she received a quick jolt of optimism when she asked Michelle about the vote. Suddenly Amy was starting to feel a ray of sunlight through all the rain. Because Michelle, in all honesty, told her the exact truth:

"It's Mike. I'm going to vote for Mike. I don't have much of a choice."

So that was -two- confirmations of a Mike vote tonight? Two? And Amy was heartened when she got a third confirmation from Joni herself. And by this point... she was beginning to float on air. Amy could barely contain her enthusiasm as she pulled Lance into a fishing boat... wanting to go have a private little chat at sea.

"You won't believe it," she practically gushed, "Lance, you are -not- going to believe this..."

"Yeah?"

"This is big..." she smiled.

"What is it?" Lance surmised. "Did Hogan get immunity too?"

"No!"

"Well then what?!" Lance looked annoyed.

"Mike is going home tonight!" Amy practically shouted. "I've gotten confirmations from three people, including Michelle and Joni. Joni won't vote for Hogan. She's handcuffed her own team, and they can't do anything about it!"

"That's great!" Lance said. But the pessimist side of him couldn't help adding, "... But that almost scares me even more, Amy."

"Why's that?"

"If Hogan can get Joni to flip so fast," he added, "They're obviously closer than we realized. It just tells me that Hogan's -still- not a Sato. All this does is buy us three more days. We'll be no safer at the next vote..."

"That -is- a problem," Amy agreed, "But we can't worry about that now. We can take Hogan out later if we have to. We can worry about that when we get there..."

Lance nodded.

"But this is big," Amy added. "Oh man. I can't believe it. Mike!"

"So you got this from Michelle?" Lance asked, suddenly wary.

"Yeah."

"She has an alliance with you, doesn't she?"

"Oh yeah," Amy nodded. "I hated to do it but it's the only way I could save my butt. She's got this idea for an all-girl alliance or some crap..." Amy laughed. "But yeah, she and I are supposedly aligned now."

"Has it ever struck you..." Lance said, looking back to shore, "That nobody ever mentions Michelle as a threat to win this game?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever put the pieces together?" Lance grinned, "That people accuse Mike of being friends with everyone... but nobody says the same thing about Michelle?"

"Yeah."

"Well I can tell you right now," Lance said, "That Michelle has an alliance with every person left in this game. Every person but me that is."

"What?"

"It's true," Lance nodded. "She's closer to Hogan than she lets on, but he's told me. He's pretty tight with her at times. Plus she's got that tie to Joni. Plus Emma..."

"And Mike," Amy nodded. "Mike says that Michelle is one of his best friends here..."

"Well all I'm saying," Lance now smiled, "Is that Mike isn't the biggest threat to win this game. It's Michelle. You saying that you have an alliance with her just proves it."

Amy was silent. She was just listening.

"Michelle's playing this game -brilliantly-," Lance said, "She hides behind that bluster, and hides behind her temper, but she's a lot sharper than she lets on."

Amy nodded. She agreed.

"But she's made one mistake thus far," Lance smiled, "She goes a bit overkill on all her ties and she assumes that people won't talk. She relies on the fact that nobody will find out she has alliances with -every player here-. She's relying on the Brian Heidik factor!"

"So what are you suggesting?" Amy asked. But deep down, she thought she already knew.

"I'm just saying maybe we can take Michelle out instead." Lance nodded. "And it's almost like we have to. She's got at least four different alliances to protect her. She's surrounded by protection at all times." He paused. "Amy, she's by far the best player here. And I don't think anybody else sees that."

Amy frowned slightly.

"Look at it this way," Lance said. "We needed that fourth immunity for Hogan to really tighten the screws on Kamiya. But now that Joni won't vote for him, we effectively have the same thing. Joni's loyalty is the same as a Hogan immunity..."

Amy nodded.

"But I don't know if Joni would vote for Michelle..." she said. "I mean, she'll vote for Mike because she doesn't like him. But now you want Joni to pick between Michelle and Hogan?? Are you trying to give the girl a breakdown??"

And at this Lance just laughed.

"No!" he smiled.

And for the first time all game, Lance actually suggested something sinister. For the first time all game... the clever strategist in Lance McHale finally peeked out and revealed its head. Because it was officially time to start ripping apart Kamiya at the seams. And Amy was astounded to see Lance's strategic nature finally emerge from its dormancy.

"If we play our cards right," he grinned, slyly, "We can force a tie between Mike and Michelle tonight. A 3-3-1 tie. And in the revote..."

He laughed.

"... We just make -them- choose which one they want to send home. Let's just watch them crumble down around themselves..."



^^



"Amy, I have some more good news."

It was Hogan, and he had something he needed to tell her.

"Emma told Joni she'll vote for Mike tonight too." He smiled. "So Joni was right, it's going to be unanimous."

So right now, if all went according to plan tonight, it looked like it very well could be a nice, clean 6-1 vote at Tribal Council. Joni was doing her part to be loyal. Kamiya was doing their part to fall in line. And Hogan was doing his part to lay low and not cause trouble. So far everything was working perfectly. And so long as the vote was going to be for Mike, everything looked like it was going to work out just fine.

But of course, sometimes things in Survivor have a way of changing at the last minute...

"Hey Hogan," said Lance, drawing the young Eagle Scout aside just after lunchtime, "Can we go have a little chat? There's something I need to run by you."

"Sure."

Lance drew Hogan off to a shady corner of the island, where the two of them could speak alone for a moment.

"First off," smiled Lance, "Great effort in the challenge, man. You did great. It's not your fault there were only three immunities."

"Thanks," nodded Hogan.

"But I have to tell you about a new plan that's kind of come up..."

"New plan?"

"Yeah," nodded Lance. "And I know we should have run this by you earlier... but things have kind of been hectic." He paused, seeing no response on Hogan's face. "But Amy and I think this is the best plan for us in the long run... and would give us the best chance in the game in the long run..."

"I'm not voting out Joni," Hogan said, sternly.

"No, no," Lance smiled, "Not Joni. I'm talking about a tie. I'm talking about forcing a tie tonight instead."

Hogan looked confused.

"It's like this," Lance said. "Joni, Michelle and Emma are going to vote for Mike. Right?"

"Yeah."

"So me, you and Amy all vote for Michelle." Lance grinned. "Bang. A 3-3 tie between Mike and Michelle... and then since Michelle can't revote-- she's the one to go home. We just sit back and watch as they crumble apart around us. They're going to hate each other over this."

Hogan thought about this, quietly.

"And as far as Joni goes," Lance added, "I realize that you two have built up a strong friendship. I just wanted you to know that we'll do -everything- we can to not have to vote her off next council. But my allegiances are to you and Amy, just like they've always been."

He smiled, then chuckled.

"So what do you think of the idea?" he added. "Do you like the idea of Kamiya falling to pieces at your feet? Don't you want to see those guys get what's coming to them?"

Hogan chuckled.

"Well, yeah..."

"Well then," smiled Lance, putting his arm around Hogan's shoulder, "I think it's time to go rip this game apart..."

And as the plan was now officially set in motion, Lance McHale retreated down to the beach by himself minutes later. Wearing a smile as wide as his face would allow, he launched one of the fishing boats out to sea, all alone.

Because with Operation "Krumble Kamiya" ready to go... he was starting to get excited.

"This game just got a -lot- more interesting," he chuckled, as he pulled his trusty fishing spear out from its sheath. "And I mean a -heck- of a lot more interesting."

He smiled, then clutched the little golden sun amulet that sat around his neck.

"First off, I have to say I owe the game a lot of respect. I respect the game, I respect its rules, and I give my thanks that I won't be the one going home tonight."

He grinned.

"But at this point, the three Satos have to do something to stop being picked off one by one-- and I think we found a way to do it. I think we actually found a way to get a bit of power back in this game... even if it's a tad bit sneaky the way we're going about it."

He shrugged.

"But if we're ever going to take a stand against Kamiya, this is where it has to happen. It has to happen tonight... at Tribal Council... and it has to work. Because if it doesn't, this could very well be the last chance Sato -ever- had in this game..."

He grinned again.

"In a perfect world," he explained, "We'll have a three-three tie tonight, and then Michelle will get tossed in the revote. Number one, because she's trouble, and number two, because she's just too dang arrogant about all her alliances right now." He smiled. "But the beauty of this is that Mike will -know- the Kamiya women turned on him. He'll survive the vote... he'll be mad... and he'll appreciate the fact that we spared him. That's what I'm counting on... and that's what I really hope pans out. I'm expecting him to join us and help boot Emma and Joni out next."

And at this, Lance sighed. He sighed heavily, knowing how much would be riding on this next vote. In his mind, this was -the- make-or-break point in the game of Okinawa. Tonight's vote was going to decide -everything-.

"So here's to Sato," he smiled, raising an imaginary toast into the air, "Here's to a risky plan and here's to the fact that I'm actually the one to come up with it this time."

Then he paused.

And smiled.

"And here's to changing the -entire- course of this game."



^^



In many cases, a plan such as Lance's might have worked. In most games of Survivor, a 3-3 vote would have been all but an inevitability by this point. But the only catch was that in Okinawa, things were always a little bit different. In Okinawa, things didn't always go according to plan.

Because in Okinawa, a player named Isabella Smith rarely... rarely... if -ever-... didn't get what she wanted.

"But if we vote for Mike tonight," she explained to Joni, "The Satos are just going to force a tie at the next vote. If we screw Mike tonight, we're just as screwed in three days!"

When Isabella had learned of Joni's plan to vote for Mike, she had been horrified. Vote for Mike? Over Hogan? How dumb did she think the Satos were? But then Isabella had watched as, one player at a time, the plan to vote for Mike had solidified. And now, much to her amazement, it was actually going to happen. And with Michelle's -blessing-, for crying out loud!

"And what happens," she calmly explained to Joni, "If all three Satos get immune next time? Remember we have one more vote with the wheel. What if all three of them get immune?"

"They won't."

"But what if they -do?-"

Normally Isabella had a pretty easy time getting people to see her way. In fact, she couldn't think of a single instance when she -hadn't- been able to sway somebody's mind just before a vote. In some ways, it was almost like a sport to her. But on this issue Joni was being particularly stubborn. As Michelle had found out earlier today-- Joni simply wasn't going to budge.

"If we save Hogan," she said sternly to Isabella, "He's going to owe us one. And I know him very well. He's not the type to not repay his debts. He's a very honorable guy, Emma."

"Maybe."

"He has -never- turned on me," Joni crossed her arms, somewhat defiantly, "And he's never going to. Plus he saved me last week... so this is something I just have to do."

"But all this really does," Isabella noted, "Is guarantee that you'll be the last Kamiya standing. How does it guarantee you anything more than that?"

"It doesn't. But it's just something I can't do. I can't vote for Hogan."

"Well..." sighed Isabella, "I understand that. I mean, I really do. I'm just concerned, you know?"

Joni just glared. She still didn't like Isabella much. She didn't think she ever would.

"And I'd love Mike gone too," Isabella added, "But I'm thinking of me, you and Mich as a threesome here. We've got to make sure -all- three of us make it to the final five. We have to make sure we're all going to have the majority!"

"It's not gonna happen, Emma. I'm sorry."

"Well then just remember this..." Isabella went for a new tactic. "Hogan didn't vote for Matt to save you, Joni. He did it to save himself. He did it gain favor over here..."

"You can't know that," Joni glared. "You don't even talk to him."

Isabella paused for a moment, trying to think this over. Man, Joni was a tough nut to crack. Isabella had no doubt it was a key reason why Joni Newman could very well win this game. She had absolutely no doubt about it.

"Well..." she sighed, "I'm just real worried about the next vote, Joni."

"Hogan promised. He promised he would vote for Amy next."

"I know, but..."

"All we have to do," Joni nodded, "Is make sure one of the Satos doesn't win immunity. That's all we have to do. And they won't... because I won't let them."

"Well," Isabella sighed again, "I've put all my concerns out there. I guess you know where I stand."

By now Michelle had finally wandered over, seeing her two Kamiyan teammates speaking in clipped and hushed tones off on their own. And Michelle definitely had to find out what was going on.

"What's up, ladies?" she asked with a smile. "Everything still set for the vote?"

"I was just making sure Emma was still with us," Joni nodded. "And she is, right? You're still voting with us for Mike tonight?"

"If it's Mike then it's Mike." Isabella shrugged. "I'm up for it, but I still think it's a big chance to take."

"If it fails," Joni said, "Then blame me."

"Well it's no use blaming -anyone- if we're all on the jury."

"Emma," Joni sighed loudly, "Don't you get it? I won't let that happen!" She laid a hand on Isabella's arm. "I'll do it all myself if I have to. -I won't let that happen!-"

"Emma," Michelle piped in, "Remember that Mike lies. We know that and we know he doesn't care if a Kamiya wins. He'll stab us so fast if there's a better option over there..."

"Mike will drop all of us in a minute," Joni confirmed.

"And if he knew we were discussing this," Michelle hissed, "He'd be over there with Amy right now. He'd make a deal so fast, we wouldn't even know what hit us!"

Isabella stood silent, slowly shaking her head.

"Look," Joni said, "We're not ganging up on you..."

"We respect your opinion," Michelle added.

"...But just this once," Joni finished, "It's something I have to do. I just hope you can understand."

And Isabella thought about it. For a long moment she stood alone, just staring out to sea. Could it be possible? Was the master manipulator of Okinawa going to leave this argument empty handed? Was Joni just never going to budge? Was this a war she actually couldn't win?

"I understand," she said softly, conceding defeat. And then to her everlasting shock, she found herself agreeing to the vote. She found herself caving in to the whims of her teammates. Isabella was going to cast a vote for Mike Ruff tonight.

Just like everybody else.



^^



But of course it wasn't going to be that easy. Oh, Isabella might concede defeat once. She might throw in the towel on one battle. But that certainly didn't mean the -war- was over. No, that much wasn't true at all. Sometimes you just needed to gather yourself a new army. Sometimes that was all that it took.

"Lance," Amy whispered to her fellow Sato around mid-afternoon, "Be careful. Emma's been working me -hard- to vote for Hogan tonight. She's being relentless and I think something's up. Just be careful..."

Sure enough, Isabella had spent nearly an hour with Amy just after lunch. And like her attack with Joni, Isabella simply wasn't going to give up. She pushed the all-female alliance again... and she pushed it hard. And unlike Joni... Amy seemed to at least humor her half of the time. At least Amy tried to be diplomatic about the whole thing.

"All I've ever wanted," Isabella finished, "Was to have an all-female final four. That's all I've -ever- wanted, Amy. I just think that would be awesome."

"I'd love that," Amy grinned.

"There's never been an all female final four," Isabella smiled. "And I know we can do it, too!"

"That -would- be a good story..." Amy laughed. "The game starts with a male alliance and ends with a female one."

"Plus there were only seven females to start..."

Isabella's main spiel to Amy was that the women would never feel secure if Joni still had Hogan to worry about. So long as Hogan was in the game-- a female final four would never be an absolute sure thing. Joni would always have that distraction running around... and it was going to be tough to work around.

"So how do y'all feel about all this?" Isabella said, cocking her head slightly. "I mean, is it something you'd like to do?"

"I'm definitely starting to warm up to it..." Amy smiled, lying through her teeth.

"But would you go for it if the rest of us voted Hogan?"

"If all three of you agreed," Amy sighed, "Then I'd definitely do it. But you know this would be hard. Hogan is a friend of mine..." She shook her head. "But if you really have Joni and Michelle on board... then yes I'd be in. I'll go along however you guys decide."

"Good," smiled Isabella, "Because I'm the same way. I'll go the same way everybody else decides too."

"Woo hoo!" Amy cheered, "Look at all the followers! Yay for the followers!" She laughed. "It's like we're on a double date. 'What do you want to do? I don't know... what do -you- want to do?'"

Isabella giggled.

And then at this point, Isabella started in on her big speech. It was almost the exact same one she had given to Matt... almost word for word.

"Amy..." she said, lowering her voice, "I know I'm taking a big chance talking to you like this... but I guess this might be the right time. I'm going to tell you some things that could get me in a lot of trouble, but I don't care. You just have to promise you won't repeat them."

"I won't," whispered Amy.

"Okay," smiled Emma. "Well first off, Joni and Michelle don't like Mike at all... So if we all get through this vote, it should be free and clear to the final four..."

By the end of the chat, Amy had finally agreed to vote for Hogan. Oh, she didn't plan on really doing it--- but Isabella was just so damn persistent that sometimes you just had to say yes. You had to say yes sometimes just to get her to shut up. But deep down, Amy would be the first to admit that she was starting to grow a little concerned. Isabella wouldn't be pushing this so hard if she didn't think it might actually work. Would she?

And with a small lingering doubt starting to nag at her brain, Amy decided to go right to the source instead.

She had somebody she definitely needed to talk to.



^^


"Joni," she asked, catching up alongside the young dancer, "Who are you voting for tonight? Are you still voting for Mike?"

Joni smiled, sweetly.

"Of course," she said truthfully. "I already told you, Amy. I'm -not- voting for Hogan. It's not going to happen. I just reassured him one more time."

"Good," sighed Amy, "I just wanted to make sure it was still set."

The two women exchanged a smile, and then Amy couldn't help but add...

"It's just that Emma's been working me pretty hard. She's been on me like velcro, she won't shut up about voting Hogan out instead."

"Oh I know!" smirked Joni. "I just want to smack her, like twice across the face. Just like... smack smack. Shut up, Emma."

"I don't blame her for worrying..." Amy grinned, "But still. Man, she just won't let up."

"She's irritating," Joni glowered. "And I can't stand her. She's been at me at least three times today." She shrugged. "I don't know-- maybe I should just write my answer on a log and beat her over the head with it. -NO EMMA, I WILL NOT VOTE FOR HOGAN TONIGHT! STOP ASKING ME!"-

Amy laughed, relieved. Once again Joni had reassured her. So she left, and Joni took a moment to give yet another frustrated confessional about Isabella. Her confessionals had been growing more and more exasperated as the day went on... as another endless Isabella voting talk came and went... and by this point Joni's confessionals were little more than just her thinking of creative ways to tell Isabella to shut up.

"Come here, Emma," Joni now said, motioning to the camera, "Come closer... just a little bit more..."

At this point Joni pretended to strangle the camera lens. She drew her hands in tightly, wrapping them around the round black lens of the camera. She pretended to make gurgling noises.

"Look into my eyes, Emma..." Joni droned, "Look into my eyes. Repeat after me..." She grinned, mischievously. "-Mike hates you, Emma! He will turn on you, just like you did to us. He doesn't want you here. There's no reason for you to save him!-"

Joni pretended to pound the camera now, lightly tapping it with her fist. She had an angry look on her face.

"Mike doesn't care about Kamiya, Emma. So why do you have to start voicing your opinion now? Why do you have to start being so pushy over this?!"



^^



And although tonight's vote appeared to be set in stone... once again things were about to change. Because just before dinner, Michelle finally came up to Joni, running as if out of breath. And as the teenager did her best to cook up the fish Mike's trap had caught-- Michelle said something which Joni wasn't expecting at all. It appeared that after a day of cajoling and convincing, Isabella's persistence had -finally- managed to pay off.

"Joni, I think we need to reconsider. I think we need to vote Hogan out tonight instead."

"What??" asked a surprised Joni.

"I'm serious," said Michelle, nodding. "And I know I said earlier I wouldn't... but Emma's convinced me we have to..."

"No!"

"... and Mike, Emma and I are all going to vote for Hogan tonight," Michelle finished. "Amy has said that she will too, and we'd really like you on board." She looked down at her smaller teammate. "Joni, we'd really like you in on this."

"But I can't!" Joni hissed, trying to keep her voice low.

"I know you don't agree with her," Michelle said, "But Emma makes a lot of sense. She's right. We can't give up this majority!"

"Dangit Michelle," Joni was frustrated, "Why'd you have to switch? We already agreed on this. This isn't something I want to do! I don't want to vote for Hogan!"

"Look," said a patient Michelle, "I know what I said and I know what I promised. But look at it this way... we need to keep you, me and Emma together. The three of us -have- to stay together as long as we can. And if two of us are voting one way, I think that we -all- should."

"-We all were going to vote for Mike!-" Joni said, a little too loudly. But she didn't care. Now she was fed up.

But this time Michelle wasn't going to bend. This time she went right for the throat. It was time to stop dicking around here. Joni needed to be set straight on this issue.

"Joni, just remember this..." Michelle looked very stern. "Remember that pact we made? That if any Kamiya votes against a Kamiya... then we will never vote for them to win?"

"Yeah."

"Well just keep that in mind. If you vote for Mike tonight... none of us can vote for you to win." She shook her head. "And I'm sorry but that's just the way it is."

Joni folded her arms across her chest, now furious. But she didn't say a word.

"We -need- to stay together, Joni," said Michelle, now laying a hand on Joni's shoulder, "And as your friend I'm just asking you to go along. Heck, as your final two partner I'm -begging- you. Please, vote for Hogan tonight. Please... for me..."

"Michelle, I can't..."

"Because I -want- to trust you," Michelle finished, "And I want to be your friend. But if you vote for Mike tonight it will be hard. It will be like what Emma did to us... all over again."

"Oh come on!"

"Joni, we need this." Michelle paused. "I need this."

And Joni just stood there. Oh, how she hated this. She didn't like anything about this... she didn't like Michelle waffling... she didn't like Michelle pressuring her... and she just absolutely -hated- the fact that Isabella's persistence had actually paid off. Somehow Isabella had managed to get Michelle back on board. She didn't know how... but somehow it seemed to have actually paid off.

And after a full day of guilt trips, pleading, threatening, begging... and whatever else Kamiya could throw at her, Joni was more or less just beaten down. She had been getting hit from all sides all day and she was just tired. She hadn't had more than five minutes' peace all day.

So with a big huge sigh, Joni Newman uttered the one sentence she knew she was always going to regret.

"Fine, I'll vote for Hogan."

Michelle smiled, happily.

"But I -hate- this," Joni glared. "I'm never going to be able to live with myself in the game after this." She closed her eyes, shaking her head angrily. "I don't want to do this, Mich."

"You're doing the right thing."

"I -really- don't want to do this..."



^^



Once Joni's vote had changed, the mood of the island started to change as well. First off came the reaction from her Kamiya teammates. Once it was confirmed that she would be voting for Hogan, the Kamiyas came to Joni to all thank her... first came Mike, who gave her a big grateful hug. Then came Isabella, whom Joni could barely stand to look at by this point. But she plastered on a big fake smile as Isabella gushed her thanks for the last minute change of plans.

"I really appreciate this," Isabella smiled, "And I want to thank you personally. I just really appreciate you going along with the rest of us." Joni nodded, so Isabella continued, "And I just want you to know that we have Amy on board anyway... so it's totally your choice. You're free to do whatever you want." She smiled. "But just know that I -really- appreciate all the open and truthful discussion we've been able to share over this issue. Thank you a whole bunch."

The two women exchanged a hug... though Joni was about halfway to punching Isabella in the face. She wasn't entirely sure it wouldn't happen by the end of the day, either.

"The Angels can still win this now," Isabella whispered happily.

Joni wanted to gag.

Michelle came by with her thanks too, of course. She pulled Joni aside as the day was growing dark-- just to offer one quick note of gratitude.

"You know I wouldn't have asked you," she explained, "If this wasn't the best thing for all of us. And you just have to trust me on this..."

Joni nodded. She did. She hated it, but she did.

"You aren't going to regret this," Michelle added. "In the long run, this is the move that will win this game for you." She smiled. "Just remember that... when you cast this vote tonight. This is the move that is gonna win you this game."


^^


And as the day wound down, Joni's last minute change of heart very easily could have passed by unnoticed. The Kamiyas did their best to keep her away from the rest of the tribe-- trying to keep all this on the down low. Mike actually took Joni out on a last minute fishing run, in an attempt to keep the news from leaking out. After all-- if the enemy didn't know what was coming-- it would have no way to prepare a defense.

But despite all the Kamiyan attempts-- despite all their secrecy-- the vote wasn't going to go as smoothly as they all had hoped. They weren't going to pull this off without a hitch.

Because a certain young mom from Wisconsin was about to form a counter-attack of her own.

"The Sato plan," Amy explained in a confessional just after dusk, "Was always to vote for Michelle tonight. That was Lance's plan-- to force a tie between Michelle and Mike. And to tell you the truth, I've been kind of waffling about it all day." She shrugged guiltily. "Sure, I've told Lance I would go along. But deep down I've always weighed my options. If the deal was better at Kamiya, I would go with Kamiya." She smiled. "But the great thing about it all is that Lance -knows- I'm waffling. He knows, and he's given me his blessing. He said he'll understand if I flip-- and if it wins me the game, he said he'll be the first to shake my hand. And that's why I love the guy so much. Lance is a class act and it shows. He knows that if I vote against Hogan tonight, it won't be personal..."

Then Amy paused. She grinned at the camera, mirthfully.

"But do you know what? -Screw- voting with Kamiya. I know I've tried to keep my options open but I just don't want to do it. I don't want to play along with Michelle. I don't want to play along with Emma. I just want them all to go home."

She shook her head slightly.

"If you asked me tonight, I would say that Hogan is going home. And I know Joni's said otherwise-- but I don't believe her. I think she's a little shark and I also know that -saying- something and -doing- something are often completely different things. Oh sure, she could -think- she's going to vote for Mike tonight... but I won't believe it until I see it, honestly."

She shrugged.

"And since I think Hogan is going anyway, it seems like I should play along, right? I mean, that would be the safe move-- to just go with the herd."

She shook her head now, looking determined.

"Well screw safe. I'm not here to play safe anymore. I'm going to vote with Lance and I'm going to vote with Hogan. The three of us are voting Michelle and I'm going to do whatever I can to get us a fourth vote. I'll do whatever it takes to get this thing moving tonight. Like Lance said, I'm tired of Kamiya. I just want to start stirring things up."

She stopped, shrugging.

"And if it works, it'll work brilliantly. If this works, it will be the move of the game."

She paused... then smirked.

"But if it fails... well..."

She grimaced.

"Then I'll join Lance and Hogan in the jury box really soon. But at least I'll know I tried." She nodded. "At least I'll know that I tried..."


^^


Like Isabella earlier, Amy was about to form a counterattack of persistence that had seldom been seen in the annals of Survivor. She was about to give this thing her full and complete attention...

... And it all started with a talk with Hogan.

"I just wanted to warn you," she explained to the young man, "That Michelle and Emma have told me that you're going home tonight. They've been very persistent about it... and they seem to think that they have the votes."

"No," Hogan said confidently, "Joni wouldn't do it. I trust her."

"I know," Amy said, "But just be aware that they -are- trying. Emma in particular hasn't shut up about this all day. And she always points out that you never talk to her. She says you don't talk to -anybody-. She seems worried that your bond with Joni is so close..."

"That bitch," said an uncharacteristically angry Hogan.

"But I told her," Amy laughed, "That you and Emma just don't have much in common. I told her she was being paranoid."

"Yeah," Hogan noted, "We don't have much in common. Because she's a bitch and I'm not."

"Anyway..." Amy smiled, "I told them I would vote for you but that's a lie. We've come too far together... so I'm going to take a risk. And I hope to God that it works out..."

"Thanks Amy," Hogan smiled.

"We need to confirm with Joni," Amy explained. "Just get an all out confirmation from her that she isn't voting for you. And I don't care what you have to do. Beg her. Plead with her. Guilt trip her to death..."

"No problem," said an already nodding Hogan. He already know what had to be done.

"Just tell her you'll be voting for Michelle," Amy added. "Don't say that I am too... don't let her think we're together on this. Just tell her what -you're- doing and let her do the rest."

Hogan nodded.

"And I know she would have voted for Mike," Amy finished, "But what about Michelle? Between you and Michelle, do you think she'll have a problem?" She looked concerned.

"No," Hogan shook his head, "Because Joni owes me. She'll do what's right."

"Good."

Once her mission with Hogan was complete, Amy went down to the shore to go talk with Mike and Joni. And luckily, this island was so small that it had been -impossible- for the two of them to slip away completely unnoticed. So Amy just stood by the beach... waiting for them to come back in their boat.

But after a few minutes of waiting, she decided she wasn't that patient.

"Screw it," she muttered-- as she launched one of the boats of her own. She wasn't about to sit here and wait. She would go talk to them if it killed her. And she paddled slowly out to sea, enjoying the look of shock on Mike's face as she neared his boat. This wasn't something he had expected. What the heck was Amy doing out here?

"Joni," smiled Amy, once she had neared, "Can we switch boats for a minute? There's something I need to talk to Mike about." She shrugged. "It'll only take a second..."

"Uh..." Joni looked unsure. She glanced at Mike, who just shrugged. "I guess. Okay."

Joni stepped into Amy's boat and Amy swapped places to sit with Mike. Now Amy was alone with the big man. And she watched as Joni paddled back towards shore. Then when she was confident they were out of earshot, Amy began her speech. And like Isabella, she wasn't leaving here until she got the answer she wanted.

"This morning," she explained, "Emma and Michelle approached me and tried to get me to vote you off."

Mike just stared at her.

"I know you didn't know that," she added, "But it's the truth. And I didn't come to them, Mike, they came to -me-. It was their idea. They've all got it in for you."

Mike just continued to stare.

"So all I'm asking," Amy continued, "Is to take a leap of faith tonight. You know I've never lied to you and I know you've never lied to me. And this is the God's honest truth, I'll swear on a Bible if I have to." She stared right into his eyes. "I'm going to vote for Michelle tonight and I know I'm not the only one. Because there is a power core in this game of Emma, Joni and Michelle." She nodded. "You probably aren't even aware of it... but those three are going to the end, Mike, and they don't have any need for you. I've heard it myself... many times."

Mike continued to stare.

"But the votes for Michelle are there," Amy finished, "And it's your choice if you want to take it."

She shrugged.

"And I know I'm taking a risk in telling you this. Just like you would take a risk in voting for us. But don't think I'm here without something to offer in return..."

She smiled.

And Mike smiled too.

Because in that moment, Amy offered him a final two pact. A -real- one. And one she fully intended to honor, even if it had to be over Lance. This one was for all the marbles.

"So tonight's the night, Mike," she finished. "You know where I stand... and tonight's the night we can take out the biggest threat in this game. Tonight's the night you can take out a leader as well as your biggest enemy. And you know as well as I do that that leader aint me."

She nodded.

"Because if you don't-- those ladies are going to walk all over you. And you know it's the truth."



^^



Her business being done, Amy now needed to talk to Joni. And as she paddled back to shore-- she saw that Hogan and Joni were already talking alone on the beach.

-Good.-

Hogan wasn't having a huge amount of success yet-- simply because Joni was stonewalling him. She didn't want to have this discussion and she avoided nearly every question he asked. And eventually Hogan had just gone for the guilt. As he usually did-- he wasn't above throwing her a guilt trip when he really needed to.

"But I'm only on page 1009 in War and Peace!" he pleaded. "I have to stay here until I finish. You know that's part of the deal!" He tried to smile. "I still have 400 more pages to go!"

But Joni didn't want to talk. She did her best to sputter reassurances, but it wasn't coming out very well. She just wasn't a very good liar-- at least not when her heart wasn't into it. Because in voting for Hogan tonight, she knew she would be doing the wrong thing. And it was eating her up inside.

But now Amy and Mike were back to shore. And Amy wasted no time in coming over to offer Joni a last minute plea. Even in front of Mike and Hogan-- she was ready to spill it all. There was no more time for subtlety.

"Joni," she said, "Just be aware that Emma and Michelle have been pushing me hard to vote for Hogan tonight. And I know you know that-- but they've been trying to work around you. They've been trying all day to -take me in to replace you-!"

Joni tried to turn away. She was tired of all the pressure today. No more. Please.

"Emma kept telling me that you wouldn't mind if Hogan left," Amy added. "But they don't care what you think. Can't you see that?" She grabbed Joni by the shoulder. "They don't give a crap about you, Joni. They don't care what you want. They only think about themselves! They're not your friends!"

Joni didn't respond. If she could just cover her ears and run away, she would have. But now she was forced to stand here and listen.

"We're voting for Michelle tonight," Amy now said, flatly. She didn't like to link herself in with Hogan, but it was too late for things like that. It was too close to the vote. "And I know you have loyalty to her... but I don't like the way Michelle treats people... and I don't like all the alliances she makes. With everybody. And you know I -would- vote for Emma tonight if I could, but unfortunately she's immune..."

And now Amy did her own version of going for the throat.

"Please save Hogan tonight and vote for Michelle. Please save your friend. You don't want to do this, Joni... you don't want to play this type of game."

She looked directly into the young girl's eyes.

"You don't want to be linked with somebody like Michelle. She isn't your friend, Joni."

She nodded, sternly.

"Because Michelle is -never- going to let you win this game..."



^^



As the day passed into night, it was time for the tribe to leave for Tribal Council. And after a long weary day of negotiations and guilt trips-- the tribe was more than happy to go cast a vote. For most of them, day 30 had been tiresome and exhausting. This was one day most of them would be happy to forget.

Joni Newman was the first one to head off. She jumped in her boat as soon as she could, wanting to get -away- from this crazy place. Frankly she didn't think she could take any more pressure. She was tired of it. A nice quiet boat ride was -just- what she needed.

"Just take me back to the monks..." she moaned, eyes closed for the long boat ride.

But the rest of the tribe boarded their boats as usual-- with Amy and Isabella exchanging a quick moment of eye contact upon sitting down. They both knew that this vote had now turned into a strategic showdown. Manipulator against manipulator. Negotiator against negotiator. Player against player.

But which one was going to win?

Which one had pleaded their case the best?

The only exchange for the night came from Hogan, who happened to be next to Isabella as their boats set off for the mainland. And at this point, Hogan couldn't really hold back anymore. Out of all the players in the game-- Isabella was the one he just couldn't stand. He didn't like her sneaky nature, he didn't like her smug little grin...

... and he hated the fact that she had been the one behind the whole "Vote Hogan out" movement. Especially after all he had done for Kamiya.

"Hey Emma," he called over, breaking the tranquil silence of the evening.

"Yes?" she looked over her shoulder.

"So you guys are gonna vote for me tonight?"

"Well Hogan," she looked sad, "I might..."

"Well I have to say that's just shitty." Hogan lapsed out of Eagle Scout-speak for just a moment, finally letting his anger bubble to the surface. "I saved you guys last vote and now you all vote for me. I'm sorry, but that's just shit."

Isabella just smiled at him, trying her best to look empathetic.

"You're so full of crap," he said, "Do you even realize that? Do you understand how ridiculous you are?" He looked like he was ready to slug her. "Do you repay -all- your friends like this? And do you have any idea that nobody here can -stand- you?"

"Hogan..." she started, "You're a great player and I wish you all the best tonight and in life..."

"Oh screw you."

"... But we shouldn't really talk about this now," she finished. Then she shrugged, slightly. "I'm sorry, but I'd kind of like to just sit here in peace. I'm sorry."

She turned away, that little smug grin on her face.

And that was when Hogan lost it.

He wanted to think of something to zing her.

He tried to think of just the right thing to say.

Hogan struggled with the decision for a moment, his face screwing up in anger. His face reddened. And then finally... the ever-succinct teenager and debate champion finally came to the phrase he had been searching for. Hogan finally came to the sentence that summed up all his thoughts in the game right about now.

"Emma..." he shouted, "F.U."



^^



The players floated in silence towards their destiny, watching as the looming figure of Tribal Council approached on the horizon. And as usual, some of them gave confessionals. Although for the first time all game-- it was less than half of the tribe. Most of the players were too exhausted to say anything right about now.

"Tribal Council tonight," Lance grinned, "Is going to be a wild one. It's going to be Hogan... or it's going to be Michelle. And there aren't any other options."

He paused.

"I'm still expecting a tie, but the key to the vote is Joni's promise to Hogan. Does she stay true to her buddy? Or does she turn her back and ride a fake Michelle alliance into third or fourth place? Which path is she going to take?"

Now he shrugged.

"I wish I knew... but I'll be finding out at the same time as the people watching this. The only difference is that I get a front row seat for all the action."

He laughed.

"So if you're watching at home... grab a bag of popcorn and some ranch-flavored Corn Nuts. Because this Tribal Council is going to be -very- entertaining..."

As Lance looked forward to the evening's fireworks, Hogan Mueller was ready to give a speech of his own. And... as expected... honor and friendship were the topic of conversation tonight. Hogan was placing a lot of faith in the honor of a certain 16-year old dancer, and that was pretty much all he had to go on right about now.

"Emma has earned the title of 'Ho' now," Hogan joked-- his anger hidden below his ever-present smile. "Well all of them have, really, but she's the one who stirred up the pot and changed everything around. So she gets the blame."

He scowled.

"But it will all really come down to Joni. And I hope she realizes how many times I saved her butt in this game. All she has to do is repay me -one- time and I'll be happy. Because I -do- enjoy this game. And the thought of being taken out by someone like Emma is sickening. I mean, I -saved- them. I put my life on the line for Kamiya... and now she wants me out."

He shook his head, disgustedly.

"I guess some people just have no sense of appreciation. Some people just like to take things for granted..."

He frowned.

"And I do have to say..." he added, "That if Joni goes back on her word and votes for me, I'm going to be terribly disappointed. I mean... I trust her and I believe her, but Amy doesn't seem quite as sure, and it's more than a little troubling." He shrugged, slightly. "I just hope Joni knows how genuine I've been with her. I just hope she knows that it's all been real. And if she decides to value the game over our friendship... well that's just going to hurt."

He shook his head, casting a glance towards Joni's boat way out in front.

"All I can say is that I just hope she's above that. I just hope that she really -is- as religious as she claims. And I hope she knows about the "Love your neighbor... and don't screw over the friend who has saved you two times and turned down offers to vote you out many many times" policy. I just hope she knows about that one..."

He sighed, sadly.

"Because frankly, I just hope she's better than that."

And the final member of the Miyagis to speak was Amy. The young woman sat alone in her boat now, far off to the left of the rest of the pack. And as she looked around... she appeared to be hopeful. She hoped that Michelle would be the one to go home tonight. She hoped that, even if Joni didn't do the right thing, Mike would play this thing intelligently and take out Michelle. So Amy hoped her risky plan was going to work tonight. She really hoped it was going to work.

Because she cringed to think what Michelle might do if it didn't...

"Look," she said, smiling as she quoted Eminem, "If you had one shot-- one opportunity-- to seize everything you ever wanted... One moment..."

She paused, grinning.

"Would you capture it or just let it slip?"

She laughed.

"This is the most conflicted I've ever felt before a vote," she now admitted, "On a -lot- of different levels." She shook her head, in astonishment. "I mean, tonight I'll be breaking my word, going with someone I don't trust, playing for myself, playing for someone else, and going for it all... just by scribbling down one name on that card."

She paused.

"And that name is Michelle."

She laughed, somewhat nervously. Because Amy was well aware of what was at stake tonight. She was well aware that you didn't mess with Michelle, and not expect some sort of consequence. Tonight's move had to work... or Amy was toast. There were no ifs, ands and buts about it. This was make or break time.

"Right now," she continued, "I'm surrounded with people I can't trust. And I'm not talking about Lance-- Lance will always be solid." She nodded. "But Hogan has hurt me worse than -anyone- else left in the game. So do I trust him? Not for a second!" She shook her head. "But right now, his back's against the wall and he has to vote in a block or he's toast. So right now, he's controllable. He'll vote for Michelle."

She shrugged.

"So this is it. This is the plan. And if Joni doesn't save Hogan and Mike doesn't flip to give himself more power... I get that my days are numbered. That's not a surprise." She shrugged again. "But it's not like they weren't numbered already."

She grinned.

"Besides, if I'm living on borrowed time anyway... at least I'm going to make it worth it. I want to take Michelle down and I want to see it happen. I just want to see it all fall down around me."

She laughed.

Then her face darkened.

"Because if I ever made it to the finals with Michelle, I'd be -ashamed- of who I'd have to screw over to get there."

She shrugged.

"So maybe my Sato honor will be the death of me in this game. Maybe my sense of fair play and what's right will be the thing that eventually gets me voted out..."

She paused again, then let loose a sly, hopeful grin.

"... Or maybe that's -exactly- what I need to win this whole darn freakin' thing."



^^



The castaways sat down at Tribal Council... and Joni didn't wait more than a second before telling him. She just couldn't keep the news from him any longer. She respected Hogan too much to blindside him like this.

"I'm voting for you tonight," she whispered to the young Eagle Scout sitting next to her. "I'm sorry but I have to."

"No you're not," said Hogan.

"I have to," she repeated, "They're making me."

"No," Hogan shook his head. "You're going to walk up there and you're going to do the right thing. You know you are."

"I can't!" she whispered.

But there wasn't much else she could say. Jeff had already started his questions-- immediately commenting on the tired and haggard appearance of most of the Miyagis. The sharp-eyed host had already noticed that people were looking miserable tonight. And he was curious as to why.

"We're tired because there's only seven of us," Lance admitted. "We have less people to do work... do tasks... plus the environment is just beating up on us. We're living in the middle of the ocean, Jeff!"

"It's everything," added a weary-looking Michelle, "The stress... the hunger... the energy levels... we're just tired, Jeff. It's been a long week."

"Well then that's the big question," said Jeff, "Is it physical fatigue that you guys are feeling? Or is it mental? Is there a difference?"

"Oh yeah," nodded Mike, "It's a -huge- difference. At the start of the game we were all mentally fresh. Everything was new!"

Next to him, Amy nodded.

"We had all these bright ideas about strategy," Mike added, "And we were all excited." He shrugged. "But now... everything is little more than drudgery. Your body and mind are shot. You almost want to run and hide until the vote is over, and then you get to do it all over again three days later."

"So is everybody here worn down?" asked an amused Jeff.

He was greeted with seven nodding heads.

"Is there anything new around camp?" Jeff grinned. "Ever? Does anything new ever happen?"

Seven heads shook from side to side.

"Well then let's try something a little different tonight," he smiled, "Emma, what is one thing about you that would surprise everybody else." He fixed her with a steady gaze. "Tell us something new about yourself."

Isabella shot Jeff a quick glare, knowing exactly what he was up to.

But, as usual, she would play his game if he wanted.

"Well," she smiled, "I know this will surprise y'all, at least I think it will... but I suppose it would have to be that I once kissed a girl."

Michelle gasped next to her. "Emma!"

Isabella smiled, bashfully.

"Alright," nodded Jeff, "Now we're on a roll. Hogan, what about you. Anything embarrassing you'd like to confess?"

"Yeah," nodded the Eagle Scout, "I was once in a Huggies commercial."

Each player spoke, one at a time, each reliving some embarrassing personal detail about themselves for the group to hear. And by the last one-- the tension in the temple had been greatly relieved. Jeff had finally broken the ice. He actually saw a couple of smiles on their faces.

"Alright," nodded the host, "I suppose we could ask more questions but I sense that you guys just want to get this vote over with. None of you really appear to want to talk tonight."

Joni shook her head, vehemently, in the back row. She just wanted tonight to end.

"Joni, you have something to add?"

"No," she said, brusquely.

"Well okay," he sighed, "I know you guys have had a long day... and I know it's about to get even longer. But it is time to vote." He nodded. "Michelle, you're up first."

Michelle Kin-Fraley stood up and strode confidently to the podium. Her red buff around her wrist, she spelled out Hogan's name on the card-- not hesitating for even a second.

"I like you, Hogan," she said, holding up the ballot. "I really like you. You're a little goofy... but you're also a really nice person." She nodded. "But at the same time, you and Joni have a connection that needs to be torn apart. I can -not- have her trying to protect you. Joni needs to vote how I want her to vote... and that's why you need to go home."

Next up was Mike Ruff. And like Michelle, he also cast a vote for the young Eagle Scout from Kansas. Amy's pleas had evidently fallen on deaf ears after all. Mike hadn't been planning on turning on Kamiya for a minute.

"It sucks to repay you for your vote like this, Hogan," Mike said, "But unfortunately the Gnome has set aside some space in my new garden for you." He shrugged. "Hope you were prepared!"

Third up was Amy Twieg. And Amy, crossing her fingers that she'd have a little luck tonight, wrote down Michelle's name on her ballot. She really really hoped this was going to work.

"Michelle, I know you say you trust me," Amy held up the ballot, "But you lay it on so thick that I just can't trust you. I'm sorry that I have to break my word to you, but this vote is a division of loyalty to me."

She shook her head, sadly, then placed the ballot in the box.

"Because I was... am... and always -will- be a Sato. I'm sorry."

Next up was Hogan Mueller, who walked up to the podium slowly. There, he uncapped his pen... and cast a second vote for Michelle Kin-Fraley.

"You aren't my first choice for tonight," he said, holding it up, "I'd rather vote for Emma. And I hope you understand this isn't personal. This is just the way the rest of us are voting."

Hogan returned to his seat, and was followed by Isabella Smith. And true to her word, Isabella was very much looking forward to Hogan taking a hike tonight. As usual, she knew she was going to get her way. After all, she always did.

"Hogan," she started, holding up her vote to the camera, "I respect your hard work and the scout's honor you say you live by. But I -don't- respect the fact that you haven't gotten to know me at all-- nor have you ever -tried- in a game that is built on relationships." She shook her head, tsk-tsking sadly. "But whatever the reason, you failed to realize that I am where it all starts and where it all ends out here-- and I won't keep someone around who barely talks to me... has no loyalty to me... and who will believe whatever they hear about me."

She shrugged, helplessly, then she put her vote into the urn.

"It's nothing personal," she added, "But casualties must occur. Such is the case in wartime." She winked, and then smiled. "War and Peace is a good book. I hope you enjoy finishing it in the lodge. It's one of my favorites."

Lance McHale was the sixth player to vote. He strode up the podium as usual, a serious look on his face. And much as he had wanted to do for a few days now... he cast his vote for Michelle.

"A wise man never forgets a foolish encounter," he said, nodding. "Michelle, you defeated me in Kendo Wars on day nine. So I've been waiting for the opportunity to cast this vote for the last 21 days."

He grinned... then put his ballot in the box.

"Let's just hope it's been worth the wait."

And with six votes down, that meant there was just one more to go. And now... it was time for the moment of truth. It was time for Joni to go step up to the podium and vote.

"Don't do it, Joni." Hogan said, touching her lightly on the arm, "Just please think about it before you cast that vote."

Joni didn't respond. She didn't know what to say.

"Vote for Michelle," he whispered, "Just do the right thing. You know what you have to do!"

But now Joni was gone.

She walked up to the podium, looking completely worn down by the events of the day.

She uncapped her pen.

And standing there... the young girl paused.

Because she didn't know what to do.

The players watched her in anxious anticipation back from their seats. And as Joni stood silently for a second minute... and then a third... they all knew she was having doubts about this. Joni Newman was obviously a very conflicted girl at the moment.

"Let's go," Michelle whispered, under her breath, "Just write it down. Just write down Hogan..."

"Come on Joni," Amy said, closing her eyes and praying. "You know what you have to do..."

Isabella shook her head slowly in her seat. She said nothing. But she didn't like what she was seeing.

But then, finally, just before the five minute mark... Joni scribbled down a name. She wrote it down, held up the card, and said her piece.

Then she came back.

She spoke to nobody. She looked at nobody. But it was obvious to everybody that she had been crying. She was trying to hide her eyes... but Joni really looked like she could use a hug. The only problem was... nobody knew which side was going to be happy with her. Nobody knew which side would be giving her that hug. Yet.

"I'll go tally the votes."

The players looked on in horrible anticipation as Jeff went over to retrieve the ballots. From the jury box-- the two jurors turned to each other and exchanged a whisper. Ryan had been joined by Matt-- and Matt was wearing a large Mexican sombrero. It would be his trademark at every Council from here on out.

And as Jeff came back to read off the votes, Joni had no choice but to bury her head in her hands. What kind of position had her tribe managed to put her in? Hogan versus Michelle? They couldn't have made it any worse if they had tried. And as Jeff started pulling out votes... Joni hoped she had done the right thing. She hoped she hadn't screwed this thing up. But either way... somebody was going to hate her. Somebody was going to hate her guts after tonight.

And she didn't want to look.

Joni kept her face buried in her hands as Jeff read off the three Hogan votes.

Joni kept her face buried in her hands as Jeff read off the three Michelle votes.

And then it was a three-three tie. This surprised nobody. Everyone was expecting it to come down to one final vote. Everybody was expecting it to come down to Joni's vote. And now...

... It was just about time to reveal.

"Last vote," nodded Jeff.

The players looked on in silence as Jeff reached into the urn and pulled out the final piece of parchment. And to her left, Michelle tried to hold Joni's hand. Joni refused. To her right, Hogan tried the same thing. Again, Joni refused. She just wanted this thing to be over. Ugh, she just wanted tonight to end.

"And the tenth person voted out of the game..." said Jeff, "... And third member of our jury..."

He paused, then slowly revealed the name Joni had written down.


"-Hogan.-"


With that, Hogan Mueller had officially been voted out of the game. The young man from Kansas sighed, looking angry, and stood up. He wouldn't even look at Joni. But it didn't matter, because she still had her face buried in her hands, crying. She didn't want to see his reaction... especially after he had expected her to vote for an Angel tonight. And she was sorry, but that just wasn't going to happen. Mike, maybe... Michelle, no. She liked Hogan, but she was -not- going to turn on her Angels for him. They should have asked her to pick Mike instead.

But Hogan didn't know all this. Frankly, he didn't care. He just hugged Lance... then he hugged Amy... and then he muttered something just loud enough for the rest of the Miyagis to hear.

"I'm glad at least two of you had morals, ethics and a sense of appreciation."

Hogan then brought his torch up before Jeff-- where it was finally snuffed out for good.

"Hogan, the tribe has spoken."

And with that, Hogan had officially been eliminated. But the young Eagle Scout still had one more thing to say to the group-- and he turned now to face them.

"Hope y'all feel good," he grumbled, "About voting out somebody who helped you. I hope you all sleep good at night because of this."

And with that, he was done. He raised his hand and gave a terse little Eagle Scout salute... and then he was off. Hogan strolled out of the set, down the path, and into the darkness. And he was clearly more than a little pissed off.

And now... the game was down to six.

"Well," said Jeff, with a smug little grin on his face. Then he turned to look at Ryan and Matt in the jury. And it was no surprise to see Matt giving the Miyagis a thumbs up for their choice tonight. He had almost applauded when Hogan had gone storming off into the night. Matt had almost thrown his sombrero up into the air.

"Nine days left," Jeff continued, "And from the look on Hogan's face... what you guys appear to be doing is filling the jury with some -very- annoyed and upset players...."

Ryan simply placed his chin in his palm and grinned. Matt started to chuckle.

"...So it looks like we're gonna have an interesting finish to this game."

Then he clapped his hands together.

And smiled.

"Pack up, and I'll see you guys tomorrow. And rest up..."

He laughed.

"... Because you guys -really- look like you could use it."

Visit the Okinawa Official Homepage for Hogan's final words and all the cast bios. Also check out the Official Okinawa Message Board for behind-the-scenes info, trivia, cast interaction, and to submit questions for Hogan's Early Show interview. His post-game interview is already up on the board!.

Episode Eleven ("Four Suns") debuts around April 22nd.