Survivor: Okinawa
Episode #3a- Revenge of the Outcasts - Part 1
by Mario Lanza


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Sato Tribe (green): Matt Carter, Henry Jenkins, David McDaniel, Lance McHale, Hogan Mueller, Beth Sowles, Amy Twieg
Kamiya Tribe (yellow): Christopher Collins, Murtz Jaffer, Michelle Kin-Fraley, Joni Newman, Ryan Rebez, Mike Ruff, Isabella Smith




DAY 7


One of the greatest problems in a game like Survivor is the boredom.

Throughout the first six days in Okinawa, the players on both tribes had very much been tested-- both mentally and physically. Both tribes had already felt their fair share of stress, and nearly every player had been overwhelmed at some point by it all. And by now, the fourteen players left were learning that this was a -tough- game. It was -much- more difficult than they had imagined, in every way possible. And for that reason, many of the players left could be described as "struggling."

Some, like Murtz Jaffer on Kamiya, were feeling a false sense of security and confidence right now. They were in great danger, but didn't yet realize it. They were simply marching blindly off to their own doom.

Some, like Henry Jenkins on Sato, were having a rough time with the social aspects of the game. They were realizing that getting along and playing nice with others were greater tasks than they had expected. And they weren't quite sure how to solve this.

And some, like Lance McHale on Sato, were having issues with the ethical nature of the game... and the inherent nastiness it seemed to bring out in people. Lance was finding out that actually -playing- the game of Survivor could make perfectly nice people cross over to "the dark side," and he didn't like it one bit.

But despite the struggles... and successes... of the players thus far, one thing was true for all of them. One thing rang true for all fourteen players left in the game.

Living in Okinawa with strangers was boring.

On television, the episodes would later be blended into seamless entertainment-- breathtaking stuff that would enthrall a viewing audience. But in reality, Okinawan camplife seemed to consist of people just sitting around and talking. The players simply didn't -do- much most of the time. And even after six days, it was evident to each and every one of them-- the days passed verrrrrrrrrry slooooooooowly around here.

But despite it all, the players sometimes found ways to make their days exciting. Maybe it was a certain ritual, or a custom, or a new game to play. On Kamiya-- the tribe would often brainstorm new party ideas, or new themes to use as the evening's dress code. Sometimes they would plan "date nights."

But on Sato, the one who seemed to be the least affected by the boredom was Hogan Mueller. The 16-year old Eagle Scout never seemed to get bored, and -never- seemed to have bad days. The kid simply had not stopped smiling since he got here, and the other Satos were starting to wonder about him by now. Who -was- this guy? And why did that grin never leave his face? Because it was true that Hogan never seemed to strategize, he never seemed to worry, and he never seemed to really care. Hogan just hung out around camp all day, wandered the island when he could, maybe helped with the shelter from time to time, and got himself lost in the forest a lot. Oh, and he read a lot in his book-- that big fat copy of -War and Peace-, about which he would update people every day.

"I'm on page seventy-one," he would proudly announce to anyone who would listen. And whether they cared or not, he didn't seem to mind. He just kept on keeping on... seemingly oblivious to what went on around him. All day.

"But what's up with the way he talks?" Beth had asked Amy this morning. "I mean, he's supposedly some debate champion! And I -know- he's smart, so why does he talk like that? Why does he come off like such an idiot?"

The trait Beth was referring to was Hogan's unique style of conversation. You see, Hogan Mueller was a man of few words. -Very- few words. It was not unusual for him to speak in sentences of four words or less... and he particularly loved giving one word answers. If you asked him a question, the most likely response you would get would be "Yeah." And if he liked to mix it up, sometimes he would go with "nope," "yup," and... if he was feeling particularly verbose... "You bet."

But the funniest thing about the way Hogan spoke was the way he slammed people.

"Douche," was Hogan's favorite insult. If he didn't like someone, he would proclaim loudly to everyone around that said person was a "douche." It happened quite a bit... -particularly- when he spoke of Henry. Hogan just didn't care for Henry at all. But the absolute -funniest- thing about Hogan calling you a douche was that the guy didn't even know how to spell the word correctly.

One morning at Sato, Hogan had been sitting with Amy on the beach. The two of them had been discussing the state of the tribe, and had inevitably come to problem-child Henry. And at this topic, Hogan had grinned. He had simply reached down with his finger and written a word in the sand. He had managed to sum up his feelings on Henry in one simple word:

"Dooche."

Amy had seen this and laughed. She never explained -why- she had laughed, but from here on out it would be a running joke among the Satos. If Hogan called you a douche it was bad news. But if he called you a "dooche," you might as well just go home.

Hogan Mueller was officially a legend.

After "dooche," Hogan's second favorite insult was to call somebody a "ho." This seemed to be his backup insult... though it was also far more serious than a "dooche"-- because a ho was somebody he just flat out didn't like. And so far, the insult had only come up once-- when Hogan discussed Mike's hockey-masked gnome at the immunity challenge. Plain and simple, out it came, straight from Hogan's lips. Mike's gnome was stupid, and Mike was a ho.

Henry had once called Hogan the "pet dog" of Sato... and in many ways it was close to the truth. Hogan was more or less the lovable mascot of the tribe by now. No one seemed to take him seriously, people found him amusingly incompetent around camp, and he just never seemed to take any flak for -anything.- Hogan's strategy to be the "no drama man" around camp seemed to be paying off. He had never really been on the chopping block, no one ever brought up his name as a threat-- and all the guy -did- was get lost, take naps, and read his book. He just read that stupid book all day.

"You guys," Henry had warned the tribe early on, "We need to vote Hogan out of here, as soon as possible. Do you realize he's gonna coast by all the way to the end? He's gonna be a male Amber!"

No one had taken Henry seriously at the time... as was pretty much the case with everything he said. But Henry could see it happening. As sure as the day was long, he could see that people were beginning to write Hogan off as a flake. They were forgetting about him. And despite all of Henry's ranting and raving about offing the "pet dog," no one ever tried to do much about it. Hogan had been safe since day one... and was even more safe now. His power and influence were starting to grow.

And he knew it.

"I think," Hogan would admit while alone, "That I'm sitting pretty good right now. Actually, I -know- I am. And the key is that I simply have no enemies in Sato. Nobody is after me, and nobody ever -will- be either. And if nobody wants to vote me out, it just means I'll stick around longer." He smiled. "So if you asked me, I think my chances of making the merge are pretty good. I think I'll be around for a while."

So Hogan walked now, alone through the jungle, just killing time. And it may have looked like he was aimlessly wandering, but Hogan was actually on a mission at the moment. He had somewhere to go. Because despite -all- of Hogan's quirky mannerisms... despite the way he talked, and the way he frequently threw around misspelled epithets and insults... those weren't the reasons people found him so funny. Those weren't the only tenets behind his status as the 16-year old mascot of the tribe.

No, what had cemented his status as a flake was Hogan's daily morning ritual.

Every morning after waking up, Hogan did the exact same thing. To the minute, his morning was exactly the same... every single day. He would wake up, stretch and then yawn. He would down any breakfast (if available), and then he would go for his walk.

Book in hand, Hogan would trot through the jungle to the tribe's latrine. There, he would squat down... lower his pants... and do whatever needed to be done. Because this was his thing. Hogan's morning ritual was to take a dump. Oh and he would tell you about it, too! He loved to describe the whole process to the tribe, much to their amusement. Every morning's adventure would be carefully re-enacted for the others, in glorious detail. And Hogan would finish each defecation with a special flair. He would end his "movement" by standing up... ripping a page out of War and Peace... and using it to clean himself up. You see, the book had -two- reasons for being out here in the first place... which had been his plan all along.

It was good for escapism, and it was good for toilet paper. Kill two birds with one stone. The mark of a true resourceful Eagle Scout.

And with the first bowel movement of the day complete, Hogan was ready to move on to morning ritual number two: the bath. He would follow up with a quick bath in the ocean. Hogan would spend nearly an hour out in the foam, cleaning up... relaxing... and re-energizing. And like with the latrine, Hogan would describe the whole process to the tribe, every morning, whether they asked him to or not.

So life was good for Hogan Mueller. He was having a great time, he had no enemies, and he was easily drifting by from day to day. He didn't do much work around camp, he excelled in the challenges, and people found him hilarious when he spoke. But best of all, Hogan wasn't bored. He hadn't been bored for one moment since he got here and wasn't planning on it either. Life was too short to get mopey, so why complain?

No, he was just going to finish his bath and then go read his book on the sand. Because War and Peace was a good read, and he was just getting started.

After all, he was now on page 132.



^^



As Hogan worked on cleansing himself, David McDaniel was already frustrated with the day's events. It was only 9:00 AM, and he was already having a rough day.

David's main goal this morning had been to go to Henry... and make sure the guy was still okay with everything. Because David knew as well as anybody that Henry could get very very nervous if he ever sensed he was in danger. And since Henry was David's ticket to the final two right now... Henry still had to be protected. And coddled. Because David would be the first one to tell you that an angry and desperate Henry Jenkins would probably do his best to tear this tribe apart. Henry wouldn't even think twice about it, and everybody knew it. Henry had to be happy at all times, or everything would go downhill in a hurry.

"We can't trust him in a switch," Amy would whisper to David. "He talks too much and he's not careful. And you -know- he won't care about sabotaging us if he gets the chance. He has no loyalties to us, David. None!"

So David had gone to Henry this morning, to make sure he was feeling okay with the team. Henry wasn't, of course, he hated most all of his "boring" teammates. But it was David's job to make sure Henry felt important around camp. To make sure Henry felt powerful. To make sure that, above all else, Henry -never- felt like his back was to the wall.

But to keep Henry in line, sometimes you had to hit him with raw brutal honesty-- and that was something that made David wince. Because it was like playing Russian Roulette. You never knew what chamber you were going to get when you started to go down this road. Sometimes you could get yourself shot.

"I'm not mad at you or anything," he had said to Henry, "But the tribe is getting upset. Well they -were- upset before and now they're all starting to talk about you again. You're gonna have to be careful for a while."

David was referring to Henry's repeated attempts in the past day to pull the Satos together. Henry had taken it upon himself to act as the peacemaker in the Amy-Henry split. But despite all of Henry's efforts, and good intentions, it just wasn't working. He could talk all he wanted about putting their differences aside to work for the good of the team... but Amy-Beth-Matt were set on voting Henry out at the next Tribal Council. They just didn't want him around anymore, and anything he said or did was only going to make it worse.

"I know they're upset! It's not my fault!" Henry replied. He stared directly at David as he said this. "But -somebody- has to pull this tribe together. Right now I'm the only one who seems to want to do it. And I'm doing it at the cost of myself, if you haven't noticed."

"Henry," David said, sighing, "All you're doing right now is alienating yourself from the rest of us. And I don't mean to smack you down for it, but that's just a heads up. It's not working."

Henry stared down at the ground now. He had been re-sharpening his fishing spear before, but that was forgotten as he again thought about his Sato teammates that he just didn't understand. He had no clue what they were trying to do half the time, nor did he really like them that all that much. Sometimes it just seemed like he and Sato were not meant to get along.

"I know I'm screwing up," he said softly. "But they're the fucking losers here. All of them."

"Hey," smiled David, "I'm not arguing the point."

"I don't even like playing the game with such a lame group of lard asses." Henry was just glaring at the ground now. "And I didn't mean to screw up your plans. I just feel so alone here, you know? So much like Christy. And I don't know how to back out of it all. I'm kind of trapped and they won't let me change things."

"I know," said David. "I know how you're feeling. But just look at it this way... once we get rid of Amy, you can work on Beth and Matt. Don't alienate them -now- or you won't be able to make up with them later. Because it's only a matter of time. Amy's as good as gone."

This brightened Henry up a little. He looked up and smiled.

"Are Hogan and Lance on board yet?"

"No," said David, shaking his head. "I want to leave them out of the plan as long as possible. Because I think Hogan will squeal. He's not real good with secrets."

Henry nodded.

"And how's your relationship with Lance?" David asked.

"Great lately," shrugged Henry. "He's been very sympathetic lately, and he tells me so in private. All he cares about is a unified Sato. That's -all- he wants for us. He doesn't care which side he takes."

"Excellent," nodded David.

He then proceeded to tell Henry the details of the plan.

"Right now," he said, lowering his voice, "I've got Lance and Hogan primed to help us take out Amy. And they -are- aware that there's something up but I won't tell them any more. They know zero details right now."

Henry nodded.

"I told them this plan will put them back into the game. I told them to just hold tight, act normal, and when the time comes their asses will be saved. And I haven't mentioned names, blindsiding, or anything. That's all I've said."

Henry laughed.

"So just keep to yourself for a few days," David said, "And it will all be fine. You don't have to be a Christy anymore. Just keep your mouth shut... and you and I will -both- be making the merge."

"Well, Lance and I are supposed to talk today," said Henry. "I wanted to strengthen my bond with him a little and get on his good side permanently. So you're saying it would be inappropriate for me to mention anything about this?"

"Yes!" David said. "Don't say a word!"

"But if I said something to him," said Henry, "I could help ease his fears that he's alone. You know he's worried about that. He's scared. And I could easily just let him know that he has another ally right now in me. I think it could help."

David just stared at Henry in numb shock. He was speechless. Was the guy simply not listening?

"Lance trusts me," added Henry, "He -knows- I'm not going to sell him a false bill of goods, David, because I tell the truth. I tell it like it is and I think this would help. Because Lance is very sincere and I know he would appreciate a little information."

David laid a hand on Henry's shoulder now. He spoke very slowly. He wanted to make this as clear and concise as was humanly possible.

"Henry, what we have right now is like a terrorist cell. You get the info when you need it, so no matter what happens or who asks you, you can't give anything away. Lance and Hogan are on a need-to-know basis right now. Just leave it alone."

"I understand," said Henry, looking a bit annoyed. He was speaking slowly now too... to make sure David understood -his- side of the argument as well. "I -know- what you're saying and I'll do as you suggest. I just don't think my showing him support would be the worst thing. That's all."

"Good," nodded David. He smiled. "Then we're set."

And with that, the discussion was ended. Henry happily went back to his fishing spear and David started his trek back to camp. But inside, his mind was now in turmoil. Henry's last comments had troubled him deeply. Because Henry was going to tell Lance. You just -knew- he was going to run to Lance and repeat every bit of this conversation. David was under absolutely no misconception that Henry would do as he was told. He rarely did.

And suddenly, David was starting to doubt this plan was ever going to work.

Suddenly, he was losing faith in Henry Jenkins. All of it. Henry was unreliable, he was irrational and he was incapable of keeping a secret. And the worst part of it all was that Henry loved to feel important. If Henry had -any- inside knowledge, he would tell the world-- because that was what Henry did. Henry loved to be the one in the know, and David simply couldn't trust him to play along.

David walked far enough away from Henry and then sat down. He held his head in his hands as he thought this over. But it wasn't a hard decision. David knew instinctively what had to be done. Because above all else, David was a strategist. And he was here to win. With Henry or without, David was going to do what it took to get himself to the final two.

Through any means possible.

"I want to take Amy out while I still can," he sighed, "And I would -love- for Henry to be to me what Clay was to Brian. But the guy just makes it so difficult, he really does. He makes damage containment almost impossible."

David sighed again. He hated to say this, but here it came. His plan was officially done.

"Henry is too loose a cannon for me and that's it. Sorry Henry, but you blew this one."

And that was that. It was time to go back to plan A-- play nice with Amy and vote Henry out instead.



^^



Sato spent the rest of the morning doing their daily tasks, as usual. Lance and Henry went on a fishing expedition, where Henry was surprisingly candid and didn't say a word about alliances. Beth and Amy handled the cooking, with Beth putting together her famous "shikwasa tuna surprise." And Matt and David went out to try and trap a turtle. Matt insisted it could be done, so that was today's big activity-- turtle trapping. Matt already had a homemade snare set to go.

And Hogan, of course, spent most of the morning on the beach, reading his book. He was up to page 160 now, and the story was starting to get good. Hogan was really getting into it.

Most of the players went about their business as usual, not really worried about a possible twist or tribal switch. They thought about it, sure, but few people really expected it to happen today. After all, it was so early. It was only day seven, who would plan a twist for this early in the game?

But the Satos had no idea the twist would be here in less than an hour.



^^



At Kamiya, the topic of the morning was last night's Tribal Council. The vote to expel Danielle had been heated at times, it had been memorable, and it had definitely been a headache for all involved. "Danigate," as the tribe now called it, was something they -all- wanted to avoid a second time-- and the tribe's mission today was to focus on fixing the rift. They wanted the trust to be regained. And they wanted to just simply move forward and win this game.

Mike Ruff was out for a walk this morning, having taken a rare break from his daily chores. The big man seldom rested out here, he seemed to -always- be working on some new improvement for the campsite. That seemed to be Mike's job. He was Mister Fix-it around here.

Need a new fishing trap? Sure, I can make one.

Someone wants a hunting snare? Just give me some vines and I'll make one.

We need a firewood shelter? No problem!

But now he was taking a break. He had told Murtz he was heading down to the beach and now here he was. Mike walked slowly along the beach, watching a large colony of jellyfish just off the shore. They seemed to be plentiful around here, and Mike watched them as he reflected on the state of Kamiya. As usual, he had a lot to say about his tribe.

"I am -very- relieved," he admitted, "That we are one tribe again. And I think all the Dani turmoil was good for us in some way, because it taught us a -huge- lesson about trust and communication. And it -also- taught me that I have the skills to win this game." He smiled now, a small little sinister smile that few of his teammates would expect from him. "Have you noticed that they all listen to me and do everything I say? So far, I've always been right. I run the camp, I decide who sits out the challenges, I decide who does what tasks... and I'm always in control. And that's the key. -Always- be in control."

But being the go-to guy wasn't the only thing Mike was proud of right now. Because in the past forty-eight hours, he had undertaken another plan... and it was currently working -exactly- as he had expected.

"As of this morning, I have come out as gay to most of the tribe. And sure, I did it out of a sense of honesty... but in truth it was mainly strategic. I did it so they would trust me. I knew it would open me up with the women-- and it already has with Emma. She was really interested in my life after I told her, and we've been getting closer on a personal level. And most all of them know by now. And it's going to work, too. Because if you come out now... early... it shows trust."

He smiled.

"And what better way to show trust than to share your most intimate secret?"

Mike truly was ingratiating himself into the tribe by now. Whereas he was once seen as a tyrannical overlord, his image had started to soften in recent days. He had already started to move away from the regime of Murtz... because Murtz was turning out to be too much take. Murtz's alliance was based on nothing more than paranoia, cruelty and mercilessness. The treatment of Dani showed that clearly enough. And even though Mike was a fierce competitor and wanted to win, even -he- grew tired of Murtz's games after a while.

No, Mike was more drawn towards Ryan right now. Ryan, the cool, collected young man with a sharp wit and a mysterious nature. In Mike's mind, the future of Kamiya lay with Ryan Rebez, not Murtz Jaffer. And another player Mike drawn towards was Emma-- that sweet young blonde woman from Georgia. She was the only one who seemed to really truly sit down and listen to him when he talked. And the sensitive side of Mike appreciated it. He really did. He truly was developing a soft spot for Emma... Emma... what -was- her last name, anyway? Had she told anyone? Had she told Mike? He wasn't entirely sure.

But with Mike's newfound closeness to two people-- and the tribe's realization that he ran -all- their chores-- Mike was suddenly in a wonderful spot. They needed him. The tribe absolutely, positively needed him just to get through the day.

And far be it from Mike not to notice this.

"They say that Kamiya translates to 'Valley of the Gods.'" He smiled. "But they're only partly right. Because this is my game. And -my- valley. Kamiya sleeps happily at night in the valley of -this- god."



^^




Mike's world was about to come crashing apart... as was the world of the Sato alliance. Things were about to get bad for a -lot- of people. Because Michelle was reaching into the Kamiya treemail box and what she found caused chills to run down her spine.

"Midterm Report Card!" screamed the writing at the top of the parchment.

"Oh shit," muttered Christopher. He was here with Michelle, the two alliance partners going for a walk catch up on camp gossip. They were here to check treemail... bash Murtz... rave about Joni... bash Murtz... make fun of Dani... and maybe bash Murtz some more. You know, just a typical walk in the jungle. But like Michelle, Christopher knew instantly that something was up. He read the treemail and he could feel it. This one was going to be bad.

"It's a twist," he said, "Damnit!"

"Crap," said Michelle, as she read down the rest of the parchment. She saw several categories listed... "Best Looking," "Most Athletic," "Most Valuable." Okay, they would be rating their tribemates. That wasn't too bad. But then she saw the bad ones listed at the bottom... "Most Annoying," "Least Honorable," and "Least Valuable."

She winced, because she knew this one was going to hurt some feelings.

"We gotta get this back to camp," she said, "We're gonna be ranking each other, publicly. Dave Roth is gonna have an aneurysm."

Christopher laughed.

"All on one ballot?" he asked.

"No," she said. She looked in the treemail box. "There's seven ballots here. We're each filling out a ballot I think. There's seven pens in here too."

Christopher's heart sunk like a stone.

"This is a twist," he said. "I know it. I can feel it, Mich."

"I know," she said, looking sad. "I do too."

Neither of them said a word for a moment, because they could feel it in the air. The Angels weren't going to escape this twist in one piece. There was no way. Christopher's little family was in grave danger of being ripped apart at the seams. His girls were about to face the first test of the game... before they even had a chance to take out Murtz.

It was almost too cruel.

"Damnit," Christopher said, as he went over to give Michelle a hug. "This sucks. I -hate- it. Why now? We were just ready to take out those assholes."

Michelle was speechless. For the first time all game, she had nothing to say. She simply hugged Christopher back for a moment.

"Mitch," he whispered, "I just want you to know that, whatever happens, my loyalty is to you and the Angels. But you're my girl. My final two. I'll look out for you, and you look out for me.. okay?"

"Always," she said, still looking a bit depressed. "An Angel is gonna win this game, Chris. I promise. There's no other acceptable outcome. One of the Angels has to win Okinawa."

"That's my girl."

And with that, he took her hand, and the two friends walked back to camp. But of course, this was Christopher and Michelle we were talking about-- The Naughty Hotties. They weren't going to be -completely- sentimental about it all. That simply wasn't their style.

"I got a new plan," Chris confided, as they walked, "I'll take one of these pens, and we jam it up Dave Roth's ass instead. Think he'd like that?"



^^



Murtz, of course, recognized a twist when he saw one. And as predicted... he flipped out.

"This is big," he said, as he read off the twenty categories on the list. "This is big. This is big." He was muttering the same phrase over and over, not realizing he was even doing it. But Christopher had handed him the parchment and Murtz's mind was now reeling-- going over the potential possibilities over and over and over in his head.

"We have to fill our ballots out the same way," he said, without looking up. "We'll probably be guessing each other's answers. Or Sato will guess -our- answers. So I think we have to answer all the same."

Christopher nodded. He and Michelle had come to the same conclusion on their walk back to camp. Someone would be guessing how someone else answered. He was sure of it.

"We need to get everyone here," continued Murtz, "We need to decide how we're all gonna answer these."

"Are we allowed to share our answers?" asked Christopher, dubiously.

"It doesn't say we -can't-," said Murtz. He read over the parchments from front to back. "It just says to fill them out individually. It doesn't say anything about not sharing." He shrugged. "So go get the girls, I'll get Mike and Ryan. We need to go over our answers."

"What should I tell Emma and Joni? Should I tell them it's a twist?"

"Nah," said Murtz, waving his hand dismissively, "Just tell them to get over here and do what we say. Just like the Dani vote." He smiled. "That's right... good rats. Here's your cheese."

Christopher laughed.

"Oh you're -bad-," he said.

But as always, he was going to repeat this phrase word-for-word to the Angels. He knew that Joni, in particular, was not going to be pleased. Murtz comments never failed to inflame her.

And that's -exactly- what made Christopher's job so fun.



^^



As Kamiya started to work together, Sato was having the exact same idea. Henry Jenkins was sure that their answers were supposed to be all the same. He was 100% positive that was what they were supposed to do. But the problem was... his tribe wouldn't listen to him.

"If it's -anything- like the one in Amazon," he explained, "Which right off the bat it strongly resembles... we'll probably be looking for the consensus answers."

Henry had brought this up almost immediately. But as usual, no one listened. The Satos had stopped listening to Henry's long-winded theories and game rationale long ago... and few people even noticed when he spoke anymore.

"Sorry man," said David. "But I already filled out my ballot."

He held a ballot in his hands, with the answers clearly filled in. He then smiled as he folded it up, right in front of Henry. David's ballot was complete.

"Mine's done too," said Amy, as she snapped the cap on her pen. She looked up at Henry from her seat on a log. "Just fill it out, Henry. It only takes a few minutes."

But she knew this was going to be a battle. Like always.

"Look," sighed Henry, "What we need right now is unity, you guys. And I don't mean to keep harping on it, but I'm frustrated because I feel like I'm the -only- one who cares!"

This was a familiar argument with Henry, and usually people ignored him. But for whatever reason, it touched a nerve this morning. Beth-- mild-mannered, quiet Beth-- was the first one to pipe up. And it shocked everyone, because Beth -never- got into arguments.

"Henry," she exclaimed, "You are -NOT- the only one who cares about the tribe! Can you spare us from your self-righteous crap for a change?"

"We -all- care about Sato," agreed Matt. "Stop being so damn dramatic. Jesus."

"Fine," seethed Henry. He stared around at six players who clearly didn't want him here. "I know I'm not helping anything, so I'm just gonna sit back and let whatever happens happen. The last thing we need before a potential twist is a big fight. So I'll just sit here and shut up."

David rolled his eyes as he knew no such thing would happen. Henry couldn't keep quiet about anything. Especially when Matt started to goad him.

"Henry," asked the young redhead, "Should I go out with an ice pick and carve Sato across my chest? Would that prove that I love the tribe? Would that do it for you?"

"Don't be immature," said Henry. "I just want you to show me you care about the fate of our tribe."

"What do you want to see?" asked a frustrated Amy. "Just tell us!"

Henry stared at her with a look of patience. Like a parent about to explain something to a child, he was more than ready to tell Amy what they should be doing right now.

"What I want... is for us to prepare for a twist. What I want is for us to get our cover stories straight. For example, if I'm in a chat with Kamiya tomorrow, what do I say? What's our story? Who gets along? Who fights? Why was Lis voted off? This is the kind of stuff we should be working on. We -need- to have a similar story in case we get separated."

He looked up to the sky now, frustrated. But he wasn't done yet.

"If one of us tells them one thing and the other Sato tells them something different, it's gonna show that we're not unified. So we -need- to be ready as a tribe, as one huge Sato alliance!"

"Fine," sighed Beth, "You tell us, Henry. Right now, what do you want from us?"

"I want to know what secrets we should hide from Kamiya!!"

"Don't tell them that Hogan likes to take a good dump," joked Matt. "If they find that out, we're doomed."

A ripple of laughter went up from the circle as Hogan smiled, good-naturedly. But Henry was not amused.

"So what if," asked Henry, "Lance went to Mike and said 'Oh yeah... Sato has an alliance. It consists of A, B and C.' Would that be okay?"

"Henry," barked David, "We don't tell them -anything-!"

David had been watching with stark dread as Henry brought up this topic. Because as with before, David knew Henry was going to blow this. The guy was correct in that certain topics needed to be hidden... but there was no -way- Henry would be able to juggle multiple stories and lies in the face of pressure. Henry was going to crack if Kamiya ever had a shot at him. And what made Henry truly dangerous is that he believed he -would- be able to keep a secret. In Sato's mind, that was what made Henry so dangerous. He thought of himself as a master strategist above all else... and that was the hubris that tended to get him into trouble. Henry simply had no concept of his own strategic inadequacies.

"This is what we say," said David, firmly. "You say We're -fine-, we're great, we love each other very much. We have love-ins every night." Amy smiled at this, and David kept going. "You avoid giving -any- detail other than names. Never anything they can trust or verify. You act like you're at church and all your family members are perfect Christians."

Lance nodded, as did Beth. There was a reason David commanded a lot of respect around here, and he was showing it. People listened when he spoke.

"If they ask about Elisabeth," he continued, "You just show restraint and discretion. You say 'Someone had to be voted out, I guess it was Lis.' And that's -all- you say!"

The tribe was silent for a moment as David finished his speech. Even Henry was silent, as he just stared at the ground, looking pensive.

"Henry," asked Beth, "Just think of it like Tribal Council. You say as much as you have to without giving anything away. After all, -you- know Survivor, you know how the game is played."

"As well as anyone can," Henry agreed. "Which admittedly isn't all that much."

"Then just do it like that!" said Beth.

The group was silent for a moment, waiting to see how Henry would react. And he was quiet for a good two minutes before he even said another word. Finally, he spoke.

"I tried to inspire the group," he said, "But instead I just pissed everybody off. I don't know where we crossed signals."

"Have you ever noticed," asked Matt, unable to resist, "That this happens every time you open your mouth? Stop blaming everyone else and look in a mirror sometime. You know, -other- people have opinions too. Have you ever noticed that?"

There was shocked silence as Henry glared at Matt. And Matt returned the favor.

"Matt," said Henry, slowly, "I have a world of respect for everyone here. But I think we're all capable of getting discombobulated. We all think better when we're prepared and certain."

"Just shut up for once and take a chill pill," said Matt. "Stop making everything so hard for everyone."

"Well I'm sorry," said Henry, somewhat sarcastically, "I'm sorry I ever questioned you, Matt, or tried to say anything. I'm sorry that I care."

"Oh, -please-," said Amy, as she stood up to walk away. She was tired of the whole conversation.

"I didn't mean to piss anyone off," continued Henry. "I'm trying and it's just coming out wrong. I'm just ill-fated I guess. That seems to be my lot in Sato. I'm the Christy. You guys always misunderstand me."

"Well," said Matt, as he started to fill out his ballot, "Whatever label works for you, ya know?"



^^



Within two hours, both tribes had filled out their ballots.

At Kamiya, it was done as a group consensus. Well not -exactly- a group consensus, as this was pretty much a two-person show for now. The two biggest micro-managers in the game weren't -about- to let this decision pass without giving their input.

"Just wanted to give you guys a heads-up," said Murtz, as he sidled up to the other members of the tribe, "Michelle and I are working on the answers to all the questions. When we reach a consensus, I'll let everybody know."

Sure enough, Michelle and Murtz were in charge of giving answers that Sato would never guess. Mike and Christopher would make suggestions... and Joni kept insisting that the people listed as honorable would get something... but for the most part the final decision was made by Murtz and Michelle.

The only two not really a part of the process were Ryan and Isabella. The two of them had wandered off to give confessionals right now. They each wanted to comment on the way Kamiya handled group decisions-- as today's behavior was pretty much par for the course. This sort of stuff happened a lot around here.

And as Ryan and Isabella had played parallel games in many ways thus far, it would have surprised neither one of them to hear that they used almost the -exact- same words in their confessionals. During moments like this... it was true that Isabella and Ryan were alike in more ways than even -they- thought possible.

"Kamiya is becoming like communist China," smiled Isabella, as she practiced yoga by herself near a stream. "At Tribal Council we were all supposed to put our number on our votes, so that Dave would know who voted for who. And now today, everyone wants us all to vote the same way for the midterm report card." She rolled her eyes, disgusted. "They love to take all the fun out of everything and I'm sure when I get back, they'll just tell me who I have to vote for. Like usual."

She made a fake puking noise now, showing the level of respect she had for this team right now. Isabella just was not a fan of the Kamiya tribe, and she was getting more and more bold about saying so. She doubted she would be able to hold in her contempt for them much longer.

"It'd be funny," she continued, "If whatever they decide blows up in their faces. I would laugh so hard if that happened. But for now, I just do what they say. Yes Dave, I'll number my ballot if you tell me to. Yes Michelle, I'll fill out the name you tell me to write. Yes, Chris, I -really- love the Angels too. We'll stick together to the end, oh -thank you- for your wonderful alliance. Yes, masters."

She smiled now, the sweetest Southern smile she could give.

"Please just forget about me," she said, "I'll just be here sitting by myself, doing my yoga. Just let me know when y'all need me for something."

As Isabella spoke, Ryan was on the opposite end of the island. And he, too, was sickened by the communistic way Kamiya tended to handle things. He had first been upset at Tribal Council by the numbered ballots. That had been bad enough-- because he had wanted to throw a random vote at Murtz, just to see the sparks fly. But the way Murtz was handling the treemail ballot just made him sick. He hated it.

"Right now," he said, as he perched on a rock, "We have to -individually- fill out a report card, indicating which of our tribemates we feel would fall into certain categories." He made finger quotes as he spoke the word "individually," clearly showing his contempt for the tribe's decision. "And I knew this would be a fun way to slam some people. I was looking forward to it... although I had a slight degree of trepidation that our answers could be made public."

Frustrated, Ryan waved his right hand in the air.

"Well, that's all a moot point right now, isn't it? Because the rest of them have decided we're going to fill -all- the cards out with the same answers, putting in the opposite of what they think Sato would expect. And they bickered about it for an hour this morning, trying to find the best combination of bullshit answers."

Ryan laughed now-- a bitter, ironic laugh.

"And really what else can I do but nod my head, plaster a stupid smile on my face, and go along with the imprudent plans of these obtuse cretins?"

He grinned.

"But I can say one thing. I hope it bites them in the ass. I’d actually find that quite amusing."



^^



Jeff Probst was scheduled to arrive at noon to pick up the ballots... and the Satos were waiting for him.

The seven members of the tribe in green had filled out their answers separately. They had not consulted with one another nor had they tried to answer the same way. It was a group consensus that to work together would be cheating, and nobody wanted to be a part of such a thing. And while they answered on their own, they had definitely decided to share their answers afterwards, so that nobody would be blindsided by the results.

They were currently sitting in a circle, six of them anyway. Henry had long since gone off to sulk on his own, having taken enough of Matt's verbal abuse. But the six that remained sat in a circle, sharing their answers... and talk about Henry, now that he was gone.

"I put Matt for biggest flirt," said Beth, smiling.

"What?" asked Matt. "Why me?"

"Because you have a crush on Amy! You flirt with her all the time!"

Matt's red face reddened even further at this remark, as the tribe started to tease him.

"Oh Mrs. Robinson," said David, mimicking Matt's deep voice, "I'll fix that shelter for you. Please, can I carry those logs? I think they're too heavy for you."

"Oh you guys," said Amy, embarrassed, "Just stop."

"Mrs. R," teased Beth, "Did I show you my hockey mask? Meh, it's no big deal. But you can wear it if you want. I think you'd look good in it."

Matt couldn't help but smile as they continued. He could take it. He better hope so, anyway, because he could sure as heck dish it out. But it was mainly the foursome that laughed at the joke-- the Sato Four. David, Beth, Amy and Matt. They were the only four who really got the joke, because they were the four on the inside. These were the ones that called the shots, and they were the closest foursome in the game.

Lance smiled politely at the jokes, trying his best to ingratiate himself with the rest of Sato. He seemed to be about a half step behind on most of the inside jokes-- as usual-- but he was trying.

Hogan laughed from time to time, but only if someone other than Matt was talking. Hogan liked everyone here a lot... except for Matt. He had never liked Matt's smart-alecky attitude, particularly when Matt hadn't spoken much to him thus far in the game. But Hogan didn't mind that much. He wasn't here to make waves. That was Henry's job.

"So what's up with Henry?" Amy suddenly asked. "Is he just giving up on trying to fit in now?"

"Seems like it," shrugged David. He looked off in the distance, where Henry had retreated on his latest sulking jaunt. "He doesn't really care for anyone here. I think he's looking forward to a twist. He'd rather go with Kamiya than with us."

"What a douche," commented Hogan, which drew a few laughs.

"Henry isn't that bad, you guys," said Lance. "We shouldn't really trash him when he's not here. He's trying his best."

"Yeah, trying to get himself voted off," joked Matt. "He's really good at that. He's the Richard Hatch of social awkwardness."

"No kidding," agreed Beth.

Lance bit his tongue, trying hard not to take part in the Henry bashing. He didn't like when Sato started up. And he wasn't a Henry fan more than anyone here, but he definitely didn't like when the badmouthing started. That simply wasn't Lance's style.

"My favorite Henry-ism," said Matt, "Is when he tries to promote tribal unity by yelling at us and telling us why he's smarter than we are. It's like he doesn't realize we can survive without him."

Amy nodded.

"Sometimes I like to alternate," said Matt, "Between laughing at him and just wanting to throw him into the ocean without any skin."

Hogan cracked up at this one, as he sat against the wall of the shelter.

"Oh, Amy!" said Beth, suddenly remembering. "Sing your Britney song. The one about Henry!"

Amy grinned at the mention of this.

"Sweet!" said Matt. "Let's hear it, Mrs. R."

Amy paused modestly. It was just a little song she sang to Beth after each Henry screw-up. It was kind of an inside joke, but now Beth apparently wanted to make it a tribal joke. So she smiled.

"Okay, you guys. This is just something I made up on the spot. Like Tanya did in Greece."

She stood up, and tied her reddish-brown hair back with her green buff. The tribe waited patiently as she set herself in place. Then she started to sing.

"Oops, he did it again. He played with our tribe. He f'd up our game. Oh baby, baby. Oops, we think he's a punk. Don't care for his ju-uuu-uuu-unk, he's not that interesting."

The rest of the tribe erupted into applause as Amy curtsied politely and sat down.

"Amy," joked Matt, "You make me wish you were about a decade younger."

"Hey," she shot the 18-year old a look. "Watch it."

And that is when David suddenly realized they were not alone.

"Guys," he said, standing up, "We got company. Probst is in the house."

The six members of Sato stood up quickly, turning to watch the form of Jeff Probst striding through the trees. It was an expected visit, of course, but whenever Jeff came it was a big deal. Because it meant something was going to happen. Good or bad, something was about to happen.

"Hey guys," nodded the host.

"God is in the house!" announced Matt, loudly. "Do not look directly into the light!"

"Is everyone here?" asked Jeff, ignoring Matt as usual.

"Nah," said Matt, "Hogan is off doing his noontime bowel movement."

"Cute," said Jeff. And Matt knew it was time to shut up.

Jeff sent Lance out to find Henry, and the two Satos returned moments later to complete the tribe. Now all seven members were here... and Jeff was about to drop the bomb on them.

"We have a little activity today," he said, smiling, "Based on the answers in your report cards."

A few players exchanged looks at this. Amy and David made eye contact across the circle, and David shrugged. Beth then clutched Amy's hand. Suddenly, the Satos were very nervous about this whole thing. Nobody liked twists.

"Well," said Jeff, "I know you guys are -dying- to see the answers for every category... but there is only one we were really looking for. There is only -one- category we were really concerned about. And if you know your Okinawan history, you probably could have figured it out."

He smiled. Because he knew they had walked right into the sticky part of the twist. Sato had fallen for the trap.

"One of the most important aspects of Okinawan culture is that of honor. A man's reputation... his life... his entire -EXISTENCE- can depend on the level of honor that he holds among his peers. It is a revered aspect of one's life and something that is taken -VERY- seriously on the island. Because if you have insulted a man's honor, it can carry over into a feud that may last a lifetime. It is said that honor knows -NO- time limits." He paused, then smiled again. "So to take away a man's honor is the worst possible sin you can commit in Okinawa."
He pulled out a small piece of paper, and looked at one name on the list.

"Henry, can you step forward?"

Henry looked up sharply, surprised. He took one glance at his teammates, but nobody would return his stare. He was on his own with this... and he looked nervous.

"There has been a lot of nastiness around camp," continued Jeff. "And this seems to be a necessary step in helping to appease the Okinawan gods. Henry Jenkins, you have been voted by your peers as the -"Least Honorable"- member of the tribe. You have been deemed the cancer among them and, for this reason, you are thereby cast out of the Sato tribe. Come on, grab your pack, let's go."

Henry scowled slightly, then reached down to pick up his bag. And the look on his face was oh-so-incredibly wounded that you almost couldn't look at him. Amy had to turn away, she couldn't watch this. She looked at her arch-rival for a moment and then turned away... because Henry looked like he was going to cry. The guy they all thought was pompous and full of himself now looked like his world had just ended. Henry looked -devastated-.

But Henry picked up his bag and didn't say a word. Nobody said a word. The only show of emotion was Lance raising a small hand in goodbye. Other than that, no one moved a muscle.

Henry sighed sadly as he walked over to join Jeff.

"The spear too," added the host. "Don't forget your spear."

Lance was the closest player to Henry's homemade fishing spear, so he picked it up and handed it to Henry. And after tucking it under one arm, Henry was ready to go.

"Let's go," said Jeff, solemnly.

He turned and walked out of the campsite. And after a moment of deliberate hesitation, Henry followed him.

Within two minutes, both Henry and Jeff were gone.

And the Satos were down to six.




^^



Henry's removal from Sato was not a surprise to anybody. He had been voted least honorable for a reason, it was a unanimous selection, and few were really sad to see him go. But on Kamiya, it was a whole different story altogether.

"Mike," said Jeff, "Please step forward."

The big man from New York looked up sharply at the mention of his own name. Uh oh, what was going on?

Sure enough, Kamiya had unanimously decided to vote Mike as the "Least Honorable" member of their tribe. It had been Murtz and Michelle's decision, based on the fact that Mike was not only the leader, but was also the most honest and most valuable member they had. It was their backwards logic... the leader as outcast... and it was about to seriously backfire.

Just as Ryan and Isabella had predicted.

"You have been voted the least honorable member of Kamiya," explained Jeff. "Mike, please gather your things and come with me."

There was only one way to describe Mike's face at the moment... and that was crestfallen. Mike looked -heartbroken-. All of a sudden, all he had worked for was about to come crashing down to the ground. His camp... his shelter... his -gnome-! All of it... gone. The most sensitive man in the game was about to have his heart ripped from his chest. Right in front of everybody.

And in keeping with character, Jeff couldn't help but milk it a little.

"Mike, I'm sorry," he said, laying an arm around the man's shoulder. "But they don't want you here anymore. Pack up, you're coming with me."

The tribe stood in numb shock as Mike struggled with his emotions. Murtz and Ryan exchanged a quick look, with Ryan grimacing. He knew this was going to be tough to make up. But Mike picked up his things slowly, wordlessly. No one said a word.

And after a minute of strained silence, Isabella couldn't take it anymore. She liked Mike. She hated to see him tossed aside like this, with nobody even saying goodbye. It was just another thing to hate about Kamiya. So she picked up Mike's gnome and walked it over to him. She placed it on the ground at his feet and reached up to give him a big hug. And though she was small and he was large, she could feel him tremble like a child in her skinny little arms.

"We'll miss you," she whispered. "You take care."

Mike gave her a thankful grin and picked up his gnome. But he felt better. A -little- better, anyway. As good as you could feel when you are forced to leave your family. And now he was in front of Jeff... and it was time to get going.

The two men turned and walked out of camp together.

Kamiya was now without a leader.

And like Sato, they were also down to six.




^^



Jeff led the expedition as Mike and Henry trekked through the jungle behind him.

The two dishonorables walked wordlessly behind the host-- Henry, the 22-year old man with short spiky hair and blue eyes, and Mike, the 40-year old man with a mustache and the build of a tank. They still wore their green and yellow buffs, but neither one had a tribe at the moment.

From this moment on, they would be Outcasts. They would be players without a tribe. And they did not yet know what Jeff had in store for them.

After an hour's walk through the jungle, Jeff led them to a small grove in the middle of nowhere. But it was more than just a grove. Inside it sat a small temple... a traditional Okinawan shrine-- made from a wooden frame, paper walls, and lots and lots of lanterns. It was actually quite beautiful, if more than a little isolated. But Jeff smiled as he led them inside.

"Welcome, Henry and Mike" he said, "To the next stage in your journey. Welcome to your Kashima tea ceremony."

The two Outcasts looked around the temple as Jeff went on to explain.

"Both of you have been judged to be the least honorable members of your tribe. Henry and Mike, this is a label that is a -BIG- deal out here. Lack of honor is something that a true Okinawan would have no part of. They would rather -DIE- than be judged to have no honor." He smiled. "So that is why we are here. This is your chance to redeem yourself."

He grinned as a small Asian woman stepped out from behind a paper wall. She was extremely petite and clad in a kimono and sandals. She smiled at the two men, and then bowed.

"This is Takayo," said Jeff, "She'll be assisting you in your tea ceremony. Basically, this is how it will work-- You guys are here to cleanse yourselves of your shame. You are here to "restore" your lost honor, come to terms with yourself, and then return to battle. So basically, this is a chance to relax, and get your head back into the game."

He pointed to a second room in the temple, in which sat two small bathtubs.

"You guys have everything you need here. Baths, food, soft beds, a prayer temple, -everything-. You guys will spend the entire day here, just talking and relaxing. You'll get a full meal tonight, an authentic tea ceremony, baths, showers, and a good night's rest." He grinned. "And if you wish, Takayo will give you a massage as well, she is -very- skilled in the ways of the geisha. So you will return to the game tomorrow with -FULL- energy, full strength, plus you'll know a little bit about one another's tribe."

He smiled.

"So think of this as a reward, not a punishment. When you leave here tomorrow, you'll be as strong as you were on day one. So take this chance to get to know one another, and make a new friend. After all, you were just kicked out in shame, so what better reason to start over from scratch?"

And with that, Jeff bid the two men goodbye.

The tea ceremony was about to begin.


^^


Mike and Henry were still reeling from their dismissals as preparations were already underway back at their respective camps.

At Sato, the tribe was scared. Well, relieved that Henry was gone, of course-- but also a bit scared. Because Henry had just been publicly shamed by his own tribe, after repeated spats with Amy and Matt-- and the guy was likely now off on Kamiya or with some member of Kamiya. So who was to say he wasn't going to start spilling his guts? What would prevent Henry Jenkins from selling out the entire Sato alliance right now?

It was a question that suddenly made them reconsider their efforts to contain Henry before he had left. Suddenly, ostracizing the guy wasn't looking particularly wise in the long run.

Because if he wanted to, Henry could easily bring Sato to its knees.

"All I can say," said Matt, as he sat down for a confessional, "Is thank you God for getting Henry out of our hair for at least a short while. It is going to be the nicest day we've ever had out here. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart." He then dropped the wise guy act for just a second, to mull over the fact that something bad could come from this. Matt was a fun guy, but he was no fool. He was well aware of the power Henry could hold over Sato if he really wanted to screw them over.

"The problem right now is that we really have -no- clue what the hell Henry was picked to do. And in all honesty, until I find out what's going on, I'm gonna be scared. The four of us sent Henry into the unknown, and depending on how much offense he takes to what we did, this could be a time for celebration or a time for some rapid strategizing. Just gotta keep my eyes open, I guess."

As Matt started preparing for the worst, Amy and Beth were already resigned that this was going to be their last night together. The two were currently sitting by the beach, exchanging tearful remembrances of their time here. Because they knew something bad was about happen. They could just feel it, Beth in particular. She just -knew- that her Amy was about to be taken away from her, and she hated it.

She -hated- it.

"I’m afraid," she confessed to Amy. "I'm scared to death Henry is going to be terribly mad and angry if he comes back here. There's gonna be hell to pay."

Amy nodded. She could feel it too. Henry was coming back, and he was going to be pissed. What had they done?

"I like Henry a lot," Beth fessed up, "I do, just not in the game. I can't stand him as a tribemate."

"I hear you," said Amy. "Trust me, I hear you."

"I don't think it's fair if he can bring us all down," said Beth. "We're all supposed to be here until the end! I don't want him to be able to separate us somehow!"

"Me either," said Amy, sadly. "I'd miss all of you. David, Big Red, Beffy, Lance... even Hogan. you guys are my world."

"If I'm still here," said Beth, "You know I'd make sure you were safe, Amy. You know your Beffy would help protect you."

She leaned over to give Amy a hug, and the two friends exchanged one final moment together for the evening. They just hoped it wouldn't be their last.




^^



Kamiya was understandably devastated by the loss of their leader. They hadn't seen it coming, and few had been ready for it. The loss of Mike was already hitting them hard.

"The look in Mike's eyes," Michelle had commented in a confessional, "Was something I will never forget. He just looked so scared. We just lost our leader... our tribe organizer... and our gnome! We don't know where he is, what he's doing, or what's going on. And it's not a fun feeling at all."

And as the evening passed, Murtz had already started to step in as the new leader. He had more or less been the strategic leader for some time, so it wasn't much of a stretch for him to step into Mike's shoes for good now. And Murtz's -first- task was to start preparing Kamiya for a tribal split. Because he knew the teams were about to be reorganized, and he wanted to make sure that Kamiya were all on the same page for this one. As always, he was going to tell them what to do.

"If four of us end up on a team with three Satos," he instructed, "We need to throw the challenge. And just -keep- throwing the challenges as long as you can. Because we need to protect Kamiya, guys. That's all we can do here... just protect Kamiya."

The rest of the tribe had agreed to go along, with the pact being formed in a group hug. Then Murtz brought up the next part of his plan... part two, in promoting Kamiya unity all the way to the end.

"We should have a remembrance ceremony tonight," he suggested. "Just one last night together, in honor of Mike. And also in case of a twist, so we can remember the good times we had. Because I'm going to miss you guys if we get split up. I really am!"

And with that, plans for the officlal Kamiyan remembrance ceremony were underway. Murtz couldn't give two craps about the actual ceremony, of course. It was all for show. But Christopher and Michelle and Ryan all seemed gung ho about the idea, so he was happy.

The party went off without a hitch, although Isabella sat off to the side for most of it, viewing the proceedings with contempt. Like usual, she saw this as a tribe full of hypocrites... and she was -more- than willing to comment in a confessional.

"I think," she smiled, "That if someone's nail broke, this tribe would have a group ceremony for it. We'd all have a party just because King Dave or Queen Michelle said we should." She laughed. "It's hilarious to me that we're having a remembrance ceremony after having known each other for only seven days. Oh yes, I -fondly- remember being excluded by the guys on day one. I -fondly- remember finding out that the first five people to set up camp made an alliance before the rest of us had a chance. I fondly remember Ryan, Dave and Mike running to me to try and use me once they needed my vote, and I especially fondly remember Dave and Ryan going from talking to me every chance they could to forgetting I existed once Danielle was voted out." She rolled her eyes. "And now I can -fondly- remember how Kamiya acts overly mushy and emotional at the thought of being separated from people they were planning on voting out eventually anyway."

She laughed.

"Ah yes, so much to fondly remember. How could I ever forget?"




DAY 8




A beautiful sunrise greeted the players on the morning of day eight.

It was a day for new beginnings. Today was going to be a day that all things changed. Today was the day that things were going to get better. Because in Mike Ruff's mind, they couldn't -possibly- be much worse.

Mike had arisen early from his bed, the fluffy comfortable futon that had been set up for him in the temple. And it had been a great sleep last night. His back simply cried out with joy this morning after his first night of sleeping on a bed in a week. Just imagine... for one night, no sleeping on wooden planks! For a guy of Mike's size, it felt indescribable.

But other than his newfound energy and strength, Mike was still upset. He was still heartbroken that he had been removed from his beloved Kamiya tribe. And sure, Henry was nice enough company. Sure, the bath was wonderful, the food was plentiful and the solitude was refreshing. And while he would have preferred a -male- geisha, Mike thought that Takayo was a wonderful hostess, even if she couldn't speak a word of English.

But all things considered, Mike was still sad. And truth be told, he was also a bit angry.

He had risen this early to go for a walk. He wanted to be alone to think about things for awhile. Because while he and Henry had discussed all sorts of possible twists, switches and possible outcomes to this ceremony... neither of them really knew what was coming up. So Mike wanted to go for a walk and clear his head today-- just prepare himself for the battle he knew would be approaching later today.

"I'm screwed," he said as he walked. "Everything I worked for so far is down the toilet. It's all gone. My master plan... gone." He scowled now, still slightly bitter about how it had all gone down. "And I -knew- that voting together would come back to bite us... I mean me... in the ass. I could just feel it. And to think we had Joni listed as least honorable up until Jeff arrived! I volunteered to be listed instead and look what happened. This is what happens when you screw with fate."

He scowled further as he walked. He wasn't even looking where he was going right now. He was simply walking. This was his catharsis, this was something he simply had to do right now.

"Henry is an interesting fellow, and I can see why he's their outcast. He's very intense and comes off a little strong... and possibly a little too intellectual. He's also quite obsessed with being famous. It really doesn't bother me, because I've dealt with people his type before. In fact, I border on the personality myself. So in some ways, we're quite alike." He paused to re-tie his shoe. "But right now Henry and I are sitting here awaiting our fates, and it's torture. And I think we'll be split up. I think I'll probably end up on Sato." He grimaced, not even liking the sound of that word. "And hopefully my friends at Kamiya... and I -can- call them that... will go with the plan we discussed earlier, and throw the Immunity challenge to save me."

He kept on walking. Just walking.

"The bottom line right now is that I miss my Kamiya family, and I hope to see them again soon. But other than that..." He simply shrugged. "Other than that, I'm just a dead man walking."


^^


Henry arose from his bed at a more leisurely pace, about ninety minutes later. He groggily sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily, letting them slowly adjust to his new surrounding, And then he remembered. He was in a temple... in the middle of the jungle.

He had been banished by his tribe, right after they had insulted his honor.

Those assholes.

He had spent most of last night eating and sharing stories with Mike, the moody leader of the Kamiyas. And he -was- the leader, Henry had already figured that much out. Why Kamiya had banished their leader, he hadn't figured out, but Henry already knew that Mike was an important member of the opposing tribe... and the guy was also -not- happy to be stuck here with Henry.

Henry looked around, looking for Takayo. He liked her, he liked her a lot. After all, who wouldn't love a geisha? But she appeared to have vanished. -Pity-, he thought, because he was hoping maybe she would share a bath with him today. So far she had pretty much stuck to business, but Henry was an optimistic thinking fellow. It was too bad she was gone. The two of them could have had a lot of fun.

Henry stood up now and looked around. Mike was gone, that much was obvious. The big man had either been whisked off to a new team... or he was taking a walk. But in either case, it meant that Henry was alone... and alone was good. Because being alone meant it was time to vent.

It was time for Henry to start railing at those who had wanted to embarrass him. It was time to start plotting his revenge against the Satos.

"I think it's funny that Sato picked me as the Outcast. I just sit here and laugh about it all." He smiled now-- a tight, little bitter grin that said more than any words could express. "I've been -by far- the most honest and forthcoming of all the Satos, and they know it. Everyone else lies their ass off to get one step ahead... and -I'M- the dishonorable one! And you just know the only reason I'm here... my only real crime... is that I'm honest and Amy is afraid I'll undercut all her lies. That's the -only- reason."

Henry walked over to a nearby shelf and picked up his jacket. It was a bit chilly here in a robe and slippers, and he wanted to go for a walk. Like Mike, he had a lot to get off his chest today.

"But look at what's happened to me now. Through some sort of divine intervention... I've been removed from the situation, concievably even removed from danger entirely, and they're still left there to face the vote. Without me. Come on, admit it, that's pretty funny."

He grinned.

"They told me the vote was unanimous, but do you realize what that means? It means I voted for -myself- as least honorable too! And I told Lance to vote for me as well! I -knew- that one of the questions was going to be the vehicle for a twist and I knew it was probably Least Honorable. I -wanted- to be at the center of whatever was going to happen! And I just played it off like I was really hurt. I told Amy the other day... I said..." He went into a sickly sounding version of his own New England accent, "'Please Amy... if I ever leave, take over fishing for me. Make sure they have enough to eat.'" He laughed. "Sniff. Sniff. Whatever. Amy's gonna go out there fishing one day and she's gonna come up with two fish and she's gonna say 'Awww shit! Maybe I shouldn't have sent him away.' And all I can say is, you get what you deserve."

Henry continued to walk, a strange mixture of bitterness, giddiness and anger wallowing up inside him. Because while he talked big, he still held a great deal of resentment towards his ex-tribemates. Well, all of them except Lance and David, anyway. Those two had been civil to him all along. But as for the rest of them...

"I haven't told Mike much about Sato yet. And I know you won't believe that, but I haven't. We've remained pretty much at arm's distance all along. But Mike's an okay guy. He's a TV news photographer, which I think is pretty cool. He's also a writer and he roots for the Cubs. You can't ask for much more than that."

He shrugged.

"When I first met Mike he was very reserved-- very hesitant-- but I did my best to open him up and get him to talk. And truthfully, I don't think he really liked me that much. Heck, I don't think very many people in this game like me a whole lot. But-- I dunno. I'm just a difficult guy to like is all. Anchovies are difficult things to like too, but somebody out there must love 'em or all the pizza places wouldn't keep 'em in stock."

He laughed.

"So I like Mike. He's a good guy, and I've kind of made up my mind that we should share some info today. I've decided I'd rather throw my hat in with him than with the assholes back at Sato." He grimaced. "And I know it's sabotage, but I don't care. -Screw- them. The Satos have made it perfectly clear that I'm not one of them. I'm not, and I haven't been for a long time. So why should I turn around and feed the mouth that bites me?"

Henry was growing angry now, his usual dead-eyed expression giving way to eyes that were still very much hurt and angry at his ex-tribe. Because Matt and Amy's fears were about to come true. Henry was ready to sell them out to Kamiya. And he was going to do it with glee.

"If Sato is gonna assume the worst about me anyway then they're just disloyal. They don't care about our alliance. So -why- should I keep doing their bidding? What's the point? I'm -not- here in Okinawa to help Amy win. I'm here so -I- can win. And I know I gave them my word I would stick with the alliance... but there's such a thing as breach of contract and Matt and Amy triggered it the second they said 'Let's kick Henry out.'" Henry's jaw clenched as he spoke, as he grew angrier and angrier.

"-They- are the ones who cut the ties and let the balloon float away. They're the ones who are about to reap what they sow, and -they're- the ones who will be floating away, not me. And if the Sato alliance ends up going home it serves them right for trying to cannibalize their alliance on the fourth day of the game. So don't blame me, blame them. After all, I'm just the dishonorable one. I guess they should have expected this from me."



^^



Mike and Henry reconvened about twenty minutes later, and Henry went right into his deal.

"Let's talk," he said.

And from this moment on, Mike and Henry -finally- discussed game. Whereas they had danced around the issue before, now they went right into it. They started from day one... and all the Elisabeth drama. And while Mike tried to hold back a lot of the Kamiya details, with Henry that was not the case at all. Mike watched, amazed, as Henry told him -everything-. The guy simply wanted to screw his team, that much as obvious.

And Mike was more than willing to take notes.

"This is funny," laughed Henry, "We actually held a meeting about this at Sato. We agreed that if we ever talked to Kamiya we were going to be as wishy-washy as possible and reveal nothing."

"So you don't want to talk?"

"I didn't say that," smiled Henry. "What do you want to know?"

"Hmmm," thought Mike, "What about... is your group tight? Kamiya's fairly tight, once we got rid of Danielle. She was trouble. But we've been fine since then."

"We had problems right off the bat," said Henry, "Especially with Elisabeth. She was the Rob Cesternino of our tribe."

Mike laughed.

"No way!" he exclaimed. "The little girl with the teddy bear?"

"Oh yeah," nodded Henry. "She started out playing it very well. She made friends with everybody because she was the youngest. And then she had that teddy bear. And she'd look at you with that little smile and say "Please protect me. I'm so scared." And everybody said "I'll defend you with my life!"

Mike nodded, as Henry kept on talking.

"We pretty much all had that protective impulse around her, you know? And she came across as the sweetheart. Like Elisabeth Filarski. I thought she was easily going to make the merge, plus she was good in the challenges."

Mike nodded again. Kamiya had been stunned that Elisabeth had been voted out after her dominance in that first challenge. They had thought she would have been safe for sure.

"But she was the first one," continued Henry, "To start trying to tear people apart. She made up accusations about people. She made about six or eight conflicting alliances-- and her whole strategy was based on the misnomer that nobody was going to talk." He shrugged. "And as people started to compare notes, she started running around like a chicken with its head cut off. She absolutely freaked out. She dug her claws in and scratched out some eyes. Like Rob Cesternino on speed."

Mike laughed again. He doubted this much was true, but he wasn't going to start questioning things. So long as Henry was talking he wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize the situation.

"Danielle started out different," said Mike. "She wasn't around much and when she -was- around, people thought she was a wack job. So right away she was targeted. And I never saw it firsthand, but people said she was scared of my gnome. They said she talked about it all the time."

Henry nodded, taking notes himself.

"Dani was full of herself," finished Mike, "But then on day four she started rumors about our tribe. -Very- convincing rumors. She started making up stories about a sub alliance and... well... she basically split us into three camps. One little girl almost tore everyone apart with her lies."

"Kind of like Elisabeth," said Henry.

"It was terrible," said Mike. "And Dani was good too. Maybe the best one here. She had it set up so that no matter which way the vote went, a strong player would leave. But we were fortunate that we sifted through her B.S. We all united before the vote and we had the most vicious, fun tribal council ever! We really put her in her place."

"Awesome," smiled Henry.

"But it almost worked," nodded Mike. "She was brilliant."

Neither Mike nor Henry said a word after this, so Mike pushed forward. Enough about Elisabeth... he wanted to know about the Satos still left in the game. And he knew Henry was dying to talk about them.

"So what's the deal with that kid, Matt?" He looked at Henry, lowering his voice for no apparent reason. "Is he really psycho or is it all an act?"

And with that, Henry started in on the Sato alliance. He didn't do it right away, he tried his best to be coy about it. But inevitably Mike started asking the key questions, the ones that Henry couldn't resist.

"Anybody you hate back at Sato? Need a favor?

"Yeah," smiled Henry. "But let's not go there yet."

"Oh come on," nudged Mike. "Look, you and I can work together on this. Just give me some info on your general tribal layout and I'll do the same. Both of us are screwed in a twist either way, so might as well know what we're up against if we switch teams, right?"

"I was having the same thought myself," nodded Henry.

"So what's the deal?" asked Mike, trying to look as innocent and eager as possible. "Why were you voted as least honorable?"

"Well, okay," said Henry, clearly not shedding any tears over this conversation. "What happened is that I have a basic conflict with some of the members of Sato. We've always wanted to play the game two different ways. And the concept of individual interests versus alliance interests always seems to make things difficult."

He paused, and then continued.

"I came here," he explained, "Trying to be Big Tom or Rupert. Because I speak the truth. I do it for my own self-interest, of course, but I've never denied that. That's just part of telling the truth."

"I can relate," said Mike. "I've always been the Rupert of my tribe. I do -everything- for those guys."

"My goal," continued Henry, "Is to try and be friends with everybody. I try to let -everyone- know where they stand. I tell people when I can or can't help them but I always wish them well. And I do it to their face. I want everyone to know what their position in the tribe is."

Mike nodded, although he could see where Henry would get into trouble with this. On Kamiya, the guy would have been beaten to death by now. Full disclosure wasn't always a popular strategy.

And here Henry paused, as he geared up to talk about Amy. Because Amy had always been the focal point of his anger in Okinawa. It had always been Amy, would always be Amy, and he was going to make sure Mike knew about it.

"Some people on Sato," he started, "Came here to be the Tina. They won't answer questions directly. If cornered they lie. They always claim there's nothing going on but there always is. They do it to be scandal-repellent. To smile and be really friendly and normal and say 'Oh, everything's wonderful. Whatever you heard is wrong.' And they'll do it in that sweet little voice so that no one will ever be certain enough to go after them. You have to watch out for people like that. They're -very- good at being wishy washy."

Mike raised his eyebrow at this last description. A Tina on Sato? Who could he be talking about? Mike made a mental note to keep an eye on Beth and Amy, whichever one of the two it must be.

"Gotcha," was all he said.

"Consequently," said Henry, "The people who I was aligned with got really pissed off when I went around behind them saying 'Yes, there is an alliance. Yes, it consists of these people. No, you're not in it right now. I'm sorry. I can't help you.'"

Mike just stared at Henry. -Of course they hated you for that! What were you thinking?-

"Um, no offense," he muttered, "But that doesn't sound real smart, Henry."

"It is and it isn't," Henry sighed, "But at least it was honorable. Anyway, my plan was to have a relationship built on trust with -every- member of the tribe. That way no matter what twists or turns came up, no matter where the power lay at any given time, people would respect me enough to let me hang around for a while longer."

"Sounds good," said Mike. "I do the same thing myself."

"It's a great plan," said Henry, "But I'm not sure I got it exactly right on my first try."

And this is where Mike moved in for the kill. Because it was clear Henry had burned all his bridges on Sato. He simply wasn't going to go running back to them. He probably had nowhere to run at all. So it was time to start offering him a little security and friendship. He knew a guy like Henry would eat it up.

"You would have fit in better on Kamiya," sighed Mike. "It's too bad we never had you, you would fit in so much better with our tribe. It sounds like we're older and a lot more mature. Because I know it sounds like crap but, other than Danielle, Kamiya is pretty much all saints."

"I'm not sure how much I believe that," smiled Henry.

"We have one guy who's paranoid," said Mike, referring to Murtz. "But other than that, most are very smart and have good moral character."

"Oh," bemoaned Henry, "Paranoia is a -huge- factor on Sato. Several of them have paranoid impulses. One is borderline psychologically unstable."

Mike guessed that would be Matt, but Henry was actually badmouthing Amy again.

"They've all got ants in their pants," complained Henry. "They can't sit still. They have to have maximum drama at all times seemingly in order to breathe."

There was silence between the two as the unspoken question hung in the air. Was Henry going to start naming names? Mike knew that he would. It was just a matter of time.

"Look," said Mike, "I know it sucks what Sato did to you. And I appreciate you telling me all this. And I can promise that if both of us make it to a merge, I'll do my best to get Kamiya to take you in. I'll stick my neck out for you myself if I have to, because you've been honest with me. I can see you're telling the truth." He paused. "Because remember this Henry... Kamiya will stick together. After Hurricane Danielle, they're not going to crack. So if you want to have -any- chance in this game, that's the team you need to be in with. It sounds like Sato is about to fall apart."

Henry nodded.

"Are all the Satos this bad?" asked Mike.

"Oh no," said Henry. "There's a few who have been kind and honorable all along. And I'd love to make sure they got further in this game."

"Well look at it this way," said Mike. "My guess is that I'm going to Sato today and you're going to Kamiya. So I'd love a heads-up on who was honorable over there. Just so I at least had a chance. You know?"

"Well," said Henry, "What you'd need to do is bring together all the outsiders against the power. You'd need to pull those guys in."

Mike nodded.

"My only advice if you go to Kamiya," said Mike, "Is to win a lot of challenges. There are no outsiders there. They'd vote you out first chance they get and that is no lie."

Henry remained silent for a moment, silently thinking this over. Then he came up with a new topic to discuss-- the one that he thought was the most likely to hapeen today.

"Now what if we're picking teams?" asked Henry. "What if you and I are supposed to do that today? How should we handle it?"

"What I think," said Mike, "Is that we should agree not to pick one ally of each other's. Make one person off limits, so you can keep one person close and so can I."

And now they were on to something. Henry jumped all over this idea without a moment's hesitation.

"I would also like to keep the person I trust least," said Henry. "You know, keep one friend and one enemy nearby. So I know what I'm dealing with."

"Henry," said Mike. "If you really want to do this, I will name names for you. If you -really- trust me and I can trust you, we can name names at this point. I think we're onto something."

And Henry finally nodded.

"As long," he said, "As you tell me who calls the shots in Kamiya, I'll do it. Because I've already told you too much about Sato."

"Okay," said Mike, smiling.

And then Henry named the first name.

"I want to keep Lance."

Lance McHale had always been the ally that Henry was looking for in this game. Straightforward, to-the-point and direct, Lance was nearly incapable of telling a lie. He was a -perfect- ally, and Henry knew it. If you had Lance by your side, he would be there for life.

"I'd like to keep Ryan," said Mike.

The trio of Mike-Murtz-Ryan had started the game as the power core of Kamiya, but Murtz's general jumpiness, paranoia and outright meanness had started to rub Mike the wrong way long ago. He had been gravitating towards Ryan Rebez for some time, and now he said it straight out. Ryan was his best ally in the game.

The two outcasts agreed that Lance and Ryan would not be picked in the event of team selection, and then Mike moved on to the second part of the question.

"Which enemy do you want to keep?"

Henry didn't have to think for long. He knew exactly the woman that he wanted to keep around. Because he had -special- plans for Amy Twieg,

"There's one person," he explained, "Who has campaigned heavily behind my back. She tells me to my face that we're best friends. She's the leader of Sato... and she doesn't look like a leader. She's also the most paranoid person I've ever met in my life, almost bordering on an anxiety disorder."

"Interesting," nodded Mike.

"She's a mom," added Henry, "And she uses that. A lot."

"Is she your Tina?"

"Yeah," said Henry, "It's Amy. And she's the Antichrist."

Mike laughed out loud, but he could quickly see that Henry wasn't kidding. Henry was dead serious about this.

"And you want to -keep- her?" asked Mike.

"Well, yes and no. I just want to make sure she's taken care of. I don't want her to make the merge... plus it would be more satisfying to take care of her myself. Unless you want to take someone off my hands guilt-free. Then you're free to have her."

"Not after that glowing endorsement," joked Mike.

"Fear Amy," said Henry. "Do not underestimate Amy."

Henry was quiet for a moment, then suddenly realized that Mike hadn't named -his- enemy yet.

"So which enemy do you want to keep?" he asked.

"Well," said Mike, scrunching up his face, "It's trickier with me. Cause we don't really -have- enemies on Kamiya. Everyone gets along."

"Well then give me an ally. Give me one of your allies I -can- take. It's only fair."

Mike appeared to think about it for a while, although he knew exactly who he would name. There was one tribesmate on Kamiya who he had not the slightest use for. There was one teenage girl on the tribe that he hadn't even spoken to yet. He could easily dump her on Henry without so much as a goodbye.

"Joni," he sighed. "You can take Joni. She's a good kid... you'll like her."

"Which one is she?"

"The young one. She's a dancer, I think. And she writes. I -know- you'd like another writer on your tribe."

"What's wrong with her?" asked Henry. "Why would you give her up?"

"Oh there's nothing wrong with her. She's very popular and she's one of my favorites. She just doesn't fit in with the plans right now. And I'd feel bad if she got voted out, you know? I don't want that on my conscience. Maybe she'd have a better shot on your tribe."

And with that, the conversation was settled. In the event of tribal selection, Mike would get Ryan, Henry would get Lance and Amy, and Mike would "give up" Joni as well. Both men were ecstatic with the way the conversation had turned out. They both got exactly what they wanted.

"I hope we both make the merge," said Mike, as he shook Henry's hand. "Because you'll have a friend there in me. You're a good guy, Henry."



^^



Jeff came for the two outcasts just around lunchtime.

"Hey guys," he smiled, "What's up? You guys all set to get back to the game?"

Once Mike and Henry were all packed up and ready to go, Jeff offered no instructions. He gave them no advice, and he gave them no direction. All he did was hand Mike a small rolled up piece of parchment. Mike placed it in his pocket, and then Jeff said seven words to him.

"Mike, good luck. You're going to Sato."

Mike had already had an up-and-down twenty-four hours, and this was the straw that finally broke the camel's back. Suddenly Mike realized he wouldn't be going back to his Kamiya family at all. He would be heading into the enemy camp, and he would be going alone.

"Read that paper out loud when you get there," Jeff said. "But only when you arrive at Sato."

Jeff pointed out the general direction of the Sato camp and sent Mike on his way. And just like that, he was gone. Mike disappeared into the thick jungle foliage, a reluctant traveller in every sense of the word.

"Henry," smiled Jeff, "You're going to Kamiya."

He handed Henry a similar piece of rolled-up parchment, to be read when he reached Kamiya. And then with a pat on the back, he sent Henry on his way. And much like Mike, Henry was -not- happy about this. Jeff could hear him cursing as he walked through the jungle.



^^



Both Mike and Henry walked for over an hour... a long, solitary trek for both of them. And either one would tell you that this was indeed the hardest part of the game thus far. It was the waiting, the uncertainty, and the loneliness. All three factors combined into one long miserable walk... for both of them.

Neither one knew what would be awaiting them when they arrived.

Neither one knew what the instructions were going to be. Would they be permanent residents of a new tribe? Would they be picking teams? Would they be spies? Would they be immune?

And neither one knew how this would be affecting the game. Because something was going to happen. Something -big-. That much was certain.

Henry tried to keep his mind clear as he walked, trying to keep from being overwhelmed by the twist he was certain was about to happen. And he thought about how much he hated Sato. So much that he was -almost- glad to be going to Kamiya. -Almost.-

Mike reminisced about his old team back at Kamiya. And while he wanted to stay with Ryan and the alliance if he could... at the moment he was missing Emma the most. And it surprised him, to have such realistic feelings for a girl he barely knew. But her hug had touched him. It truly had... and right now it was the only thing on his mind. He hoped he would stay on Emma's team, through whatever was going to happen.


^^



"Hey guys," said Joni. "We've got a visitor!"

Joni Newman was on cooking duty at Kamiya, as usual. The skinny teenager stood over a boiling pot of water, hair tied back with her yellow buff, as she saw Henry Jenkins walking towards their camp.

"Are you Joni?" he called over.

"Sure am! Who are you?"

"I'm Henry. And I'll be joining your tribe I think."

"No way!" Joni greeted this news with shock. "What happened to Mike?"

"Sent to Sato."

But the Kamiyans quickly gathered around to meet their new guest. One by one they filtered in from their chores. Murtz came over, carrying some palm fronds. Christopher arrived with his fishing pole. Isabella and Ryan emerged from the forest with a small basket full of pineapple. And Michelle arrived last, from wherever it was she had been searching. One by one they all greeted Henry, and shook hands with the nomadic young man from Cambridge.

"I think I'm joining you guys," said Henry, looking nervous. Then he remembered. "Oh yeah, Jeff gave me some instructions to read. Hang on."

He rummaged through his pack and pulled out the small rolled up piece of paper.

He unrolled it.

And read it out loud.

"Dear Kamiya," it said, "Welcome to the next phase of the game. And we're sorry to inform you of this, but your teams thus far have been a fraud. They have been insignificant. The game starts -now-, with new teams, which will be your permanent ones from now on."

Henry's spirits soared as he read this last part. Suddenly he realized what was going on. He was going to be picking teams! Just like he and Mike had discussed!

"Henry," he continued to read, "Your job right now is to select three Kamiyans. You will be taking these three back with you, just as Mike is doing right now at Sato. You are to ask no questions, you are to be given no clues, you are to base your decision solely on what they look like, what you know of them, and what Mike has told you about them."

Suddenly the Kamiyans exchanged looks of panic. They realized they were trapped. Their fate was about to be decided by a guy none of them even knew! None of them were allowed to say a word, nobody could offer any suggestions. Ryan and Murtz exchanged a worried glance. Michelle clutched Christopher's hand. Because right now, the whole tribe was terrified.

"You have one minute to choose," finished the letter. "So choose now, Henry. Choose your three new allies to take back to the tribe that cast you out in shame."

Henry paused... before he read the final two words out loud.

"Choose now."

Henry looked at the tribe scattered before him, as he was suddenly put on the spot. He hadn't really been planning for this. Not on such short notice. He had just expected to come here and read the note. And now, he would be forced to make a hasty decision.

"Sorry guys," he shrugged, "But I've only got a minute."

He glanced over the six Kamiyans who stood before him. And then his conversation with Mike flashed through his head.

-Don't take Ryan!-, Mike had said. -Please leave him for me.-

And Henry decided to be a man of his word. Ryan Rebez was out. Instead Henry took a glance at the teenage girl who was cooking up some fish. She was the one Mike said to take. And Henry was going to take him up on the offer right now. Besides, he liked dancers. And he liked writers. And Joni appeared to be a little bit of both. She would fit into his plans nicely.

"Joni," he said, as he pointed at her.

Joni shot a glance at Christopher as she was singled out. She was going to be stolen out of the Angels! Christopher looked worried for her... but he didn't need to. Because he was about to join her. His name was next on the list.

"Chris."

Christopher put on a big smile but underneath it all, he was pure anger. How dare Henry steal him! Who the hell did this guy think he was?

"I took Christopher," Henry would later admit, "Because I had to take somebody to vote out. Not everyone can make the merge, and I picked him specifically to take that next walk of shame. Besides, Mike implied that Chris wasn't playing very hard and he was non-threatening. And those are the type we need to get rid of first."

Joni and Christopher were now standing behind Henry, as they shared a small sad smile. They both looked at Michelle, who shot them a glance of pure concern. She didn't like this. She didn't like this -at all-. Henry was killing the Angels!!!

And now Henry was down to his third name. He scanned the final four people-- Michelle, Emma, Ryan and Dave Roth. Ryan was out, he knew that much. And Emma's name hadn't come up once during the conversation... which was odd. So it was down to Michelle or Dave... and he didn't have much information to go by.

And since he was in a pinch, Henry went with the simplest logic possible. Mike had said that Dave Roth was a baseball fan, so that was the reason he was selected.

In the darkest moment of Murtz Jaffer's life, he was selected to leave Kamiya and go with Henry.

"Dave."

If Murtz had been carrying a weapon of some sort, it would have been embedded in Henry's skull right about now. Because he was furious. Murtz was absolutely incensed. Henry was going to waltz in here and steal him away from the tribe he was in complete control of? Would the Survivor gods really allow this to happen?

"Sweet," said Murtz, trying to appear as chipper and happy as possible. But he went over to join Joni and Christopher as the newest members of Sato. He dragged his feet all the way, but here he came.

"Can we say goodbye?" asked Christopher, to which Henry shrugged. And so Christopher went over to Michelle and gave her a big hug. The two best friends for life were about to be separated. And it was going to hurt. He doubted he would ever see her again. And although Michelle was not a very emotional person, he could see that she had tears in her eyes. Big bad Michelle was going to cry. Who would have thought it?

"Chris," she whispered into his ear, "Stay strong and do what you have to to survive. Take care of Joni and watch out for her. I love you."

And as Michelle hugged Joni, she had a second message to impart as well.

"Don't be scared," she told the young girl. "Make yourself invaluable, because you truly are. Keep close to Chris, because he'll watch your back. Stay strong! We'll see each other again!"

The Angels said their tearful goodbyes, with Isabella trying to fake sadness as much as she could. But the most emotional one of the group appeared to be Murtz. He was practically clinging to Ryan at the moment, trying to impart some last minute advice. Because this would be Ryan's tribe now, and Murtz knew it. It would be up to Ryan to take this thing to the end.

"Stick to the plan," Murtz was saying under his breath. "And save us... cause we're in trouble. Make sure you guys throw the challenge. Throw -all- the challenges. Make sure everyone knows that!"

"Oh, you'll see throwing," Ryan whispered back. "I'll be the best pitcher you've ever seen."

"Please don't forget!" Murtz implored. "I'm in your hands now. Save me!"

And after a minute or two of quick goodbyes, it was time to go. Henry apologized for being forced to pick, but deep down he couldn't have been happier. He was going back to Sato with some allies. And he was suddenly in the most powerful position in the game.

So Henry left. He was followed by Joni, Christopher... and a very dejected looking Murtz.

They were going back to Sato. And things were going to change a -lot- once they arrived. Because Henry was coming back. He was coming back to his tribe.

And he would be back for good.



^^



As Henry selected his three champions, Amy watched in horror was Mike systematically ripped her alliance to shreds. One after the other, Mike seemed to know -exactly- who he wanted to select. He hadn't come here unprepared at all. Amy knew immediately that Henry had coached him.

"Matt," had been the first name Mike chose.

Amy and Beth both raised a hand to their mouth as their redheaded little sidekick was suddenly no longer a part of their team. But Matt didn't seem to react at all. He simply said "Meh," picked up his hockey mask, and walked over to join Mike.

Henry had said nothing about Matt during the tea ceremony, and this selection had mainly been a lucky guess. Mike got lucky and happened to take Sato's only builder and their best food searcher all at once. But deep down, Mike would be the first to admit the reason why Matt was chosen.

And it wasn't strategic at all.

"I took Matt," Mike would later say, "Because he's been annoying our team. Kamiya always hated the guy and we just wanted to get him over and mess with him before we voted him out. Nothing personal Matt, but when you taunt my gnome at the challenges, you will end up paying for it."

But after Matt, the news continued to get worse and worse. The rest of Amy's alliance followed in quick succession.

"David," said Mike, pointing to the cool, calm strategist of the tribe.

David McDaniel sighed and gave Amy a quick pat on the arm. But he knew it was over now. Mike was selecting him to be a sacrifice, that was perfectly obvious. And Mike would quickly admit this was indeed true. Like Matt... David had been selected for execution early on, due to his luxury item-- the flag.

"David seemed mature," Mike would admit, "But really Kamiya just wanted to vote him out. He and Matt were on our hitlist since day one. We hated him."

And then in the final indignation to Amy's plans... Mike selected her closest and most trusted ally in the game. The one Amy could have counted on all the way to the end. Mike stole her trump card.

"Beth."

That one word caused Beth to go into a near panic attack. She nearly burst into tears on the spot. Meanwhile, Amy worriedly scanned the rest of the Sato tribe... to see the allies that Mike was leaving her.

She saw Hogan. And she saw Lance.

Hogan and Lance?? That was it??!

But Beth and Amy exchanged a long hug, with Beth clearly not wanting to go anywhere. She had promised to stay here and protect Amy-- and now she would have to be leaving.

"We're going to be okay," said Amy, trying to reassure the frightened older woman. "Don't worry about me and keep your chin up. I'll miss you, you're still a Sato to me!"

Beth smiled up gratefully, but that was going to be it. She hiked up her backpack on her shoulder and went over to join Matt and David. The three of them would be leaving Sato... and likely leaving it forever. And she couldn't even look at Amy right now. It was too sad.

But like that, it was time to go. Mike apologized, of course, but deep down he was thrilled. He knew that Sato was about to be decimated. He knew he had taken most of... if not all... their alliance. Henry's recon information had worked like a charm.

Lance was still there, and he seemed harmless.

Hogan was someone Henry didn't seem to have much respect for.

And Amy was Henry's mortal enemy.

Those were the three that Henry would find when he returned. And it made Mike laugh. Because he knew the game was all but over now. Sato was about to be ripped to pieces. And they would have the deadly duo of Mike Ruff and Henry Jenkins to thank for it.

And oh yeah... Mike was thrilled to be going back home. Time to get back to the family and get back to business. The business of winning this game!



New Sato Tribe (green): Christopher Collins, Murtz Jaffer, Henry Jenkins, Lance McHale, Hogan Mueller, Joni Newman, Amy Twieg
New Kamiya Tribe (yellow): Matt Carter, Michelle Kin-Fraley, David McDaniel, Ryan Rebez, Mike Ruff, Isabella Smith, Beth Sowles



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To be continued...


Note: Episode 3 was too important to cram into one episode, so it was split into 3a and 3b. The conclusion-- Episode 3b - Revenge of the Outcasts - will be posted later this week.


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Visit the Official Okinawa Homepage for final words, behind-the-scenes notes and cast bios. Also check out the Okinawa Message Board to discuss the episodes and make predictions.