Survivor: Okinawa
Episode 8- Good Day, Sunshine
by Mario Lanza




Sato Tribe (green): Lance McHale, Hogan Mueller, Joni Newman, Amy Twieg
Kamiya Tribe (yellow): Matt Carter, Michelle Kin-Fraley, Ryan Rebez, Mike Ruff, Isabella Smith




Day 22




After last night's vote for Beth... Matt Carter was ready to hack somebody up.

And as the rest of his Kamiya teammates gathered around for breakfast, Matt sat alone on the ground, just watching them. And as his hated teammates started in on Isabella's latest find of the day, Matt just glared at them-- a silent stare of death.

You see, Matt was wearing his hockey mask again, and Matt was also holding a machete. And Matt also hadn't said a word all morning. All he'd done so far was just sharpen his blade... and stare. And with each quick "shhhhhip" of stone against metal, Matt turned his head to look at each of the villainous Kamiyas in turn. And maybe... consider which one of them to carve up first, perhaps?

-Shhhhhip.-

Michelle.

-Shhhhhip.-

Isabella.

-Shhhhhip.-

Mike.

-Shhhhhip.-

Ryan.

Matt didn't make a sound as he did this. He just continued to run a sharpening stone along his blade as loudly as he could, while he turned his gaze from one Kamiyan to the next. Over and over and over again.

"Matt," asked Michelle finally, "Could you please stop? It's not scary. You're just being annoying."

But Matt didn't stop. He just fixed Michelle with an extra long gaze... and now ran the stone twice across his blade.

-Shhhhhip. Shhhhhip.-

"Well if you want to eat," said Michelle, turning away, "Just come over and get some. We're not feeding your hobo ass if you're just gonna sit there."

But none of the other Kamiyans said as word as Matt continued this-- for the next half hour. They all ate in silence, some of them annoyed, some of them amused, and some of them a bit unnerved. Because all Matt did was sharpen that blade, and stare. That's all he was doing.

"Look," said Michelle, finally unable to take it, "You're annoying us, Matt. And I -know- you're pissed that we voted off Beth, but just grow up a little, will you? Just take it like a grown-up."

She exchanged a glance with Mike, who simply shrugged. But really Michelle couldn't deal with this anymore, she didn't have the patience of her tribesmates. So she stood up, fixed Matt with an annoyed glare, and started to walk away. She looked to see if anybody would follow, but they didn't. The rest of them continued to sit there, eating their pineapple, as Matt continued to work on his blade off in the background. And as Michelle disappeared off into the woods, Isabella smiled happily.

Because that was one Kamiyan gone. One gone, and two remained. Now, she just had to hope the other two would be leaving as well.

"Mike," she asked, hopefully, "Have you checked the fish traps yet? Did we catch anything?"

"I'll check them after breakfast."

"Ah, okay." Isabella frowned slightly, wishing Mike would leave. Because she had a mission this morning-- a mission that had more or less been determined by the events of last night's Tribal Council. She had to talk to Matt. And she had to talk to him -alone-, because it was just about time for her plan to kick into gear.

She glanced over her shoulder at the large teenager in the hockey mask. He continued to sharpen his blade, not appearing to give a crap about anything. He just glared at the Kamiyans. And Isabella couldn't just pull the kid off into the woods for a little chat. No, that would be too suspicious. She would have to wait for the Kamiyans to leave her and Matt alone.

And hopefully it would happen soon.

"Well..." sighed Ryan, standing up. "If nobody minds, I think I'll go check treemail. Might as well see what the Probster has in store for us today." And Isabella smiled happily as Ryan yawned, stretched, and then walked away.

That was two down. Now just Mike remained.

And Isabella sat back and waited, patiently, as Mike finished his morning pineapple. The two of them engaged in small talk, just general campfire banter, as she did her best to "Jedi mind trick" the big man to just go away for awhile. But it didn't seem to be working. Mike continued to eat slowly, stopping now and then to poke at the fire, and he appeared to be deep in thought as well. Something was clearly bothering him, and finally Isabella just came right out and asked.

"Is something on your mind, Mike?"

"Well, kind of..." he said, looking forlorn. But he wouldn't elaborate. He didn't want to get into it right now, he just wasn't in the mood. Because the truth was that Mike was feeling guilty over what they had done to Beth and Matt last night. He was feeling guilty about the sheer cruelty of all that had gone down. And Mike was particularly bothered by the admonishment Jeff had given the four of them at Tribal Council-- the one about playing with honor... and how a victory without honor was not a victory at all.

These thoughts had been troubling Mike all morning, as he sat here eating his breakfast. Because Mike was a very sensitive man, and he didn't like the message that Jeff seemed to be giving him. He didn't like the warnings Jeff seemed to give Kamiya over and over, and he -especially- didn't like the fact that Kamiya had some "mystery" punishment coming to them for throwing the last challenge.

And as of this morning, Mike had vowed to change. Jeff's message really had gotten to him, and Mike had vowed to turn over a new leaf starting today. Today was where it would all begin, today was the day Mike would be regaining his honor.

"I just don't want to talk about it right now," he said, not looking up. "Sorry Emma, we can discuss it later. I'm just not feeling very chatty today."

"Well okay," she smiled, knowing full well that Mike wouldn't talk unless he was in the mood. "But we can talk anytime you want Mike, just let me know, okay?"

And though she meant it, she was also frustrated to know that Mike wouldn't be leaving this spot for a while. When he was sulking, he tended to just sit in one place and never move. So that meant she and Matt wouldn't get a chance to be alone. She wouldn't get a chance to share her plan to take down Kamiya. She wouldn't be able to give Matt a chance to get back into this game.

-Well,- she shrugged, -Not yet, anyway.-

Yet she still smiled.

Because there would be plenty of time to do that later today.



^^



Michelle Kin-Fraley did not yet know that there was a traitor in her ranks. She had no idea that Isabella Smith's sole mission today was to take down the Kamiya alliance, and do it with style. Well, okay that's not entirely true. Because Michelle -did- know that there was a traitor in Kamiya.

She just happened to think it was the wrong person.

"What a night last night!" she exclaimed, as she took a walk through the forest. Michelle was going for her usual early morning walk-- partly to get away from Matt, but partly to comment on last night's mystery tie vote. Because she was still stunned about the way it had gone down. And how she had only escaped a second tie, in her mind, by the skin of her teeth.

"I knew there was a possibility," she admitted, "That we could have had a tie last night. Because I knew all along that Ryan was promising Matt a tie, just so he could earn favor down the road when Matt was in the jury. Ryan's expecting that to pay off when he ends up in the final two." Now she laughed. "Yeah like -that's- ever gonna happen."

Michelle smiled-- somewhat happily, somewhat scornfully. It was the smile of a mother who had caught her son with his hand in the cookie jar. And in a way, that's -exactly- the way she was feeling right now.

"Ryan tried to pass it off like Emma forced the tie," she grinned, "But we all knew it was him. Emma's far too passive to try something like that. We all knew what Ryan was up to and we all knew why he did it." She paused. "The only part that was a surprise to me was that I was the one the Satos targeted. And I didn't realize Ryan would go playing around when -my- head was the one in the noose."

And now she laughed again.

"So yes, Ryan switched his vote back. And yes, Mike and Emma stood by my side through both votes. I'll always appreciate them for that, because they've earned my trust. But Ryan..." She darkened. "Well Ryan will be taken out when the time comes. He's a traitor as far as I'm concerned and I don't deal with traitors well. Anyone who double-crosses me will get it back paid tenfold."

So Michelle continued her walk, eventually shifting her comments from Ryan onto the recently-departed Beth. For even with Beth gone, Michelle was still not ready to let this subject drop-- especially after Beth's choice of gift on the way out.

"When I first met Beth," she said, "I thought she was nice. But what a fucking sore loser, what a crybaby." Michelle scowled as she said this, still upset about it all. "Beth planned on destroying all our personal items on the way out, Matt told us this morning. He said Beth wanted to throw all our items into the fire. Well all I can say to that is thank -God- we hid our stuff before the challenge, so she couldn't get her grubby little hands on them."

Michelle glowered as she spoke.

"I don't like Matt, but at least he has some class. Beth is just a loser. I have -no- respect for her and if she were truly a nice person... she wouldn't have acted like that on the way out. She would have gone out with dignity instead of giving us those wooden penises."

Michelle laughed again, condescendingly.

"What I should have done is handed it back to her and said "Honey, I'm a happily married woman. I don't need this because I can get it. Maybe you might want to practice with it and figure out how it works."

Michelle was laughing, but deep down she was still nonplussed by it all. She and Beth would probably never be friends-- not after this. No way, bridges had been burned that would likely never be repaired.

"What we did to her was -not- personal. It was strategic! But after seeing the way she went out, I'm glad her childish ass is back in Loser's Lodge where it belongs." Michelle shrugged. "And all I can say to that is-- two Satos down and four more to go. Good bye and good riddance to all of them. They won't be missed!"



^^



It was just after breakfast when Ryan returned with the treemail. And sure enough-- it brought forth big news. Ryan rushed back to camp and read it aloud to his alliance.

"Meet down at the beach in twenty minutes. Bring all your belongings. You will not be coming back."

"Sweet," smiled Michelle, "We're merging!"

She and Isabella exchanged a hug as Ryan continued to read off the instructions. And once he finished, Michelle had something she wanted to impart. With the merge just an hour or so away, she was ready to start stepping up as the vocal leader of the Kamiyas. She had been doing it more and more lately--- growing more bold in her role--- and it was time for her to finally step up to the plate.

First, she peered around to make sure that Matt wasn't listening. Sure enough, he was gone. Matt had more or less disappeared this morning, machete and hockey mask and all. Isabella -still- hadn't had a chance to talk to him, a fact which was beginning to frustrate her to no end. But for now, Matt was gone, so Michelle lowered her voice for her post-merge plotting.

"Look guys," she said, "I know we had a rough night last night, with the tie and all..."

She shot Ryan a glance, but Ryan opened his eyes wide in innocence. He had still not admitted to anything this morning-- he was still trying to push the blame onto Isabella. And for now, Michelle decided to let it drop.

"We all know," she continued, "That Matt is gonna go to the Satos, Amy especially, and he'll tell them what we did to Beth. And he'll say how-- in his view-- the four of us are divided... we're backstabbers... we're liars... and we're just plain old evil people."

"No shit," agreed Ryan.

Mike continued to stare at the ground through all this. His honor pangs were still hitting him full force this morning. And he didn't like remembering all that had happened to Beth and Matt over the past week. It was really starting to gnaw at him.

"If I were Sato," Michelle said, "This is what I'd do. I go to each of us and say "Well, so and so is after you." Or "This person said this about you."" She nodded. "I'd try everything I could to rip the dominant alliance apart, simply by making up stories."

Isabella nodded. So did Ryan. Mike remained silent, staring at the ground.

"But realize this," Michelle said, putting her hand on Mike's shoulder, "It -isn't- going to work. They can say whatever they want but as long as we stick with Joni... and stand together... they can't touch us."

"Amen," muttered Ryan.

"And there's no reason for any of us to turn," Michelle said, again glancing at Ryan, "Because we've already burned all our bridges with Sato. There's no way -any- of us would turn. So if you hear things, remember that they simply aren't true. -None- of us is voting against a Kamiya until we all reach the final five."

"Sounds good," smiled Isabella.

"And no matter how much they hate us," Michelle grinned, "All the Satos will end up on the jury anyway, so who cares? They'll all have to vote for a Kamiya to win, whether they want to or not."

Ryan laughed.

"So I say we just tell them," Michelle shrugged. "Just tell them that the five of us are sticking together and they can't possibly break us apart. I figured we at least owe them that much. Might as well save them the stress of thinking they can do something about it." She paused, smiling. "So are you guys with me?"

And there wasn't even a moment's silence before Ryan Rebez spoke up. Because Ryan was -more- than happy to play along. After all, he was such a good little boy!

"I agree one hundred percent," he said. "Just go in there and tell them what we represent. At least then they can go down with honor." He put his hands into his pockets. "Might as well give them some dignity on the way out."

"Good," nodded Michelle, watching him carefully. But Ryan appeared to be legit. He didn't appear to be messing with them... for a change.

"I think it's a good idea," said Isabella. "It's only strategic, after all. I think they'd want to know."

And finally, after about thirty seconds of silence, Mike spoke up. Mike finally weighed in with his thoughts on the plan.

"I'd rather not back them into a corner," he said, still not looking up. "I mean it's less stress and all-- but you know they're not going to sit there and say "Okay, Pagong me."" He looked up now. "I don't want to keep up the charade anymore, but I don't really want to force them to act against us either. You know?"

"Well what do you prefer?" Michelle asked, "Stress or deception? You pick, Mike, we really can't have it both ways."

"I'll do whatever you guys want," he shrugged. And he meant it too. Mike had his doubts, but he still wasn't planning to go against the will of his alliance. Not yet, anyway. Not without good reason. If they wanted to tell, he would tell. After all, if he was trying to be honorable now-- this would be a good place to start. And for now... he was just planning to keep his mouth shut and let Michelle take the reins for a while. If nothing else, that certainly couldn't be a bad thing. Take the heat off him and onto her for a change. Lord knows she seemed to want to lead badly enough.

"Well then it's settled," Michelle smiled. "Sato knows we're together and there's not much they'll be able to do about it. Let them know early and then we'll be sitting pretty all the way to the final four."

And she turned to look behind her.

"So say goodbye to Kamiya, guys, this place has been good to us. Mike, your shelter kicked ass. Good job, big guy, you kept us dry." She grinned. "Let's see if you can make an even better one... wherever we go."

And with a quick hug and claps on the back... the alliance dispersed.

The Kamiyans were ready to merge.



^^



The Satos were just as excited to merge-- especially when Hogan and Joni brought back the treemail. The two teens came running out of the forest excitedly-- with Joni waving the first tangible evidence of a merge in her hands. Finally it was here. Finally, they had all reached the next stage in the game. And as Amy and Lance gathered around to read, the tribe erupted into a spontaneous cheer of joy.

They had done it.

"It says we have twenty minutes," Amy said. She looked back at the campsite now, panicky. "We gotta pack up, guys. we're not coming back here. Be sure to take all our stuff."

"Don't forget the latrine," Hogan joked, "I need that."

"Yes," deadpanned Amy, "Someone make sure Hogan gets his potty. I don't know -what- we'd do if we left that behind."

So the Satos started packing in earnest, with Amy taking special care to help Joni out if she could. Because, you know, maybe Joni wasn't planning to go running right back to Kamiya in the next hour. Maybe she had been sickened by the display Kamiya had put on at the last immunity challenge and wanted no part of them instead. Amy didn't think it was likely, but a girl could hope, couldn't she?

And as Sato packed, Lance McHale ducked off into the woods to give a quick confessional. And as per his mood of the past twenty-four hours... Lance was still upset about the fact that he would be sharing a beach with the people from Kamiya. He hadn't been looking forward to this moment at all and... now that it was here... he was less enthused about meeting them than ever, if that was even possible. And while Lance knew it wasn't the most strategic thing in the world... he just didn't think he would be able to keep his mouth shut today. He didn't think he would be able to go without commenting on their reprehensible behavior from the past few days.

Because in Lance's mind, ignoring it would be the same as condoning it. And that wasn't the way that Lance played.

"I know I should be excited," he confessed, "But I just don't want to let this thing go. Because right now, we're walking into a merge where we'll be sitting ducks. There's very little we can do to save ourselves, nor do I think we should-- not if it involves dropping to their level."

He shook his head, angrily.

"Amy seems to think that Joni might stick around, but Joni's already -committed- herself to Kamiya. She committed herself when she threw that challenge with Chris. The writing's been on the wall all along." He sighed, loudly. "But that's the problem with a nine person merge. You can't do anything to save yourself! You walk in and hope you can save yourself, but otherwise you're at the mercy of the dominant alliance."

He clenched his right fist as he spoke now, still clearly upset by the way he felt the game had been cheapened by Kamiya.

"No one," he stated, "Deserves to walk into a Pagonging like this... -especially- not when the tribe in charge got into that position through the biggest mockery of a challenge ever! Because Kamiya may have achieved the majority at the merge, but they didn't earn it. One of them is going to win-- and they'll do it minus the strength and courage it should take to be the Ultimate Survivor."

And now Lance scowled.

"So what difference does a merge make to me? What can we possibly look forward to? Why should I even try to know Mike, Ryan, Emma and Michelle... when I know I'm just a number to them? Why should I allow them a glimpse into my own life?"

And now Lance looked up to the sky. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he hoped it was up there. Or maybe he was just hoping for a miracle.

"All I want right now," he said, "Is for something to happen that won't allow those five to cakewalk to the finals. I just want something to happen-- something big--- or else Jeff might as well bring four torch snuffers to the next vote. I suppose if you're gonna crush us, might as well do it all at once."

And now Lance took one last glance down at his beloved green buff. The torn and tattered piece of green cloth remained in his hand-- the symbol of all things Sato.

"I'm sorry," he said, "But Jeff isn't taking this buff from me until I'm voted out of the game. He can give me a new buff, he can give me a new color, but I will always be a Sato. I refuse to merge with those people, I refuse to get to know them, and I refuse to be happy when one of them wins this game."

He frowned.

"Because none of them deserve it."

And at that, Lance was done. He stashed his buff in his pocket, picked up his football, and tucked it under his arm. Then he went back to camp. And to a merge that led nowhere but doom.



^^



The two tribes were ready to merge... but Isabella had still not had a chance to speak with Matt. She had been trying all morning, trying to plot something for post-merge, but Matt had almost seemed to be avoiding her. And in a way, perhaps he was. Matt had retreated down to the beach after breakfast, talking to nobody, interacting with nobody, and just waiting for the boat to arrive.

Because he knew today would be the merge. Even without waiting for treemail, Matt knew that today would be the morning of the merge. It had to be. So Matt just walked down to the sand, sat down, and waited. And, hockey mask still covering his youthful face, Matt stared out at sea... just waiting. And he would have -kicked- himself had he known what Isabella was looking to offer, but for now Matt simply didn't care. He had no idea that his solitude was causing him to miss his great chance at revenge. No, Matt wasn't thinking of that at all. Right now, he was too depressed.

"The only thing that excites me," he confessed, as he sat alone, "Is that the Kamiya Pagonging might not be as easy as they had hoped. The only thing that's sort of intriguing about the whole thing is that Ryan turned on them at the last vote-- either to get more screen time or else to make him feel better about himself. But Ryan behaved like an ass and I never bought -any- of his explanations."

Matt stared out at sea, finally seeing the boat approach from a distance. There it was, the merge ship. That was their boat to destiny, and it was rapidly approaching shore.

"All I can hope for," Matt finished, "Is that Kamiya will see through Ryan's bullshit and will want to get rid of him." He paused. "They aren't stupid though. I'm sure they'll take down a couple of Satos before making any moves like that. So I suppose my only goal is to make sure I'm not one of those who go first."

He continued to watch the ship approach as his mind raced for answers. How could he possibly buy himself more time? Was there any way to get in good with the Kamiya alliance-- for when the inevitable split began to happen?

"The only solace I can take," he explained, "Is that I know Mike wants to take out the strangers first-- the people he has never met. So I suppose if I continue to bond with him, he might keep me around for a bit. Maybe at least I can be the last Sato standing."

He shrugged, a lot less animated today than usual.

"I -can- promise, however," he said, "That no matter what, I'm not going out without a fight. And I'm not going down without at least taking Ryan down with me. I mean, I want all the Kamiyas to get what's coming to them, but that fucker... I just want him to get what's coming to him. And when he carries his torch up to finally get snuffed... well I hope he gets a sliver and then gets gangrene from the wound. Because voting him out is too nice a thing-- Ryan Rebez deserves much worse."

And now Matt stood up. The boat was almost here.

"So right now the game's about to begin. We lost our beloved Beffy last night, who is one of the best people I know, and she's partly gone because I egged her on when I knew it would get her into hot water. I pushed her into the spotlight... just so it wouldn't fall on me instead."

He shrugged.

"And I'd do it again too. After all, I wanted to stay-- and I did what I could to ensure three more days in this game." He smiled, apologetically. "So Beth, you know I love you, but you're gone and I'm not. You didn't make the merge and I did."

He grinned. And he actually looked a bit pleased with himself.

"And now it's time to see how I can get even further. Three more days. That's all you have to keep doing in this game to win it all. Just three more days..."



^^



Kamiya was all loaded up and ready to go. Well, four of them anyway. Mike, Michelle, Ryan and Matt all boarded the cruiser just after 10:00 AM, stashing their gear below deck for the long ride out to sea. And Michelle was the first to notice that somebody was missing.

"Hey," she asked, surprised, "Where's Emma?" She looked around. "Anyone see her?"

There were shaken heads all around. Nobody had seen Isabella since the latest Kamiya strategy meeting.

"Damnit," said Michelle, "She's awful with time. Why is she always late?" She looked up at the boat captain, who simply shrugged.

"Let's go, Emma," Mike called, cupping his hands around his mouth, "We have to go! Merge time!"

"Meet us at the boat!" Michelle hollered.

But what they didn't realize was that Isabella was doing this on purpose. This was something she always did. This was something she had been doing since day one. Isabella loved to make her team wait. They could wait and wait for all she cared, until she was darn well ready to go. That was just her style.

Currently, the young psychology student was sitting out by the old stone tomb. Shaped like a sun, this was the tomb she had discovered while looking for fruit back on day eight. And this was the place she often came to reflect upon the game. This was her thinking place, deep in the woods.

"Emma!" called a male voice, likely Mike's. She listened to him call her and she smiled, mirthfully. She loved when they started calling for her. She could hear it all the way in here. Mike and Michelle's voices tended to carry -that- far.

But as Isabella sat by herself, she had something she wanted to say. It was something she had wanted to say to Matt in person, of course, but clearly that hadn't happened yet. She hadn't had her chance alone with Matt, but maybe that would come later. Maybe. But for now she simply sat on a stone slab at the tomb, her knees drawn up and her arms around them. A small ray of sunshine sliced down through the trees and surrounded her as she spoke.

"This is probably," she confessed, "The last time I'll ever see this tomb and I'm really going to miss it. You always miss places like this in life-- the places where you can reflect in solitude and think about what needs to be done."

She paused for a long moment, thinking over this next part in her head. Because like always, she wanted to get her wording exactly right. Isabella was usually a stickler for details.

"I know you won't be surprised to hear this," she admitted, "But I think Kamiya crossed the line with Beth and I don't like the way she was treated." She paused. "I wasn't always a Beth fan... but I definitely had empathy for her. Because in her last days she was like a fragile puppy gone wild. She just took abuse after abuse but kept trying to stay optimistic-- just staring at me with those big, sad, helpless puppy dog eyes."

Isabella was silent for a long moment after she said this, as the Kamiyas continued to call out her name from the shore.

"I wanted to help her," Isabella finally continued, "I wanted to save her-- I just couldn't help myself for it. But what happened is that Beth did what -many- puppies do after taking too much abuse - she snapped. This emotional and hurt soul suddenly turned into a growling, biting, rabid dog-- attacking anything in sight." She shrugged. "And after that, I had to put her to sleep for my own safety. I didn't have much of a choice, this puppy had to be taken out and euthanized."

Isabella was silent again for a long moment.

"And I know I say this all the time, but I don't think very highly of the way my teammates treat people, or the way they behave." She smiled as she talked, rocking slightly back and forth with her arms around her knees. "Because no matter how Michelle spins it now, I -do- believe that Beth was one of the most honest and trusting people in this game... and the excessiveness and downright meanness of Kamiya probably hurt her emotionally." She sighed. "And all I can hope is that Beth somehow finds happiness out of this game... because she definitely didn't get much while she was here."

Isabella shook her head sadly, still blocking out the shouts from her teammates as to where she was.

"And you know..." she admitted, "I -am- a firm believe in lying, back-stabbing and deceit in this game. All of that is simply part of the fun for me. But what I -don't- like is when someone gets hurt, simply for Kamiya's own hypocritical and unnecessary reasons. Because I -don't- respect them, I -don't- respect who they are, and I -don't- respect how they try to deny that they are all nasty, spiteful, unlikeable little people."

She glared off towards the boat now-- just for a moment-- but enough to give away a hint of her true feelings towards her teammates.

"What they don't seem to realize is that the game Survivor is like an extra-strength juice squeezer. When you squeeze or pressure the players a little bit-- inevitably their true natures start to come out, just like orange juice. Because no matter what type of external shield you've built up, inevitably the way you behave in this game is the way you are in life. It's not just a temporary state caused by the pressure-- what comes out is just who you are."

She shrugged.

"Some people pour out negativity-- like paranoia, anger, hypocrisy and cruelty. And then other people pour out positivity-- like calmness, hope, and faith against all odds. I can respect -anyone- who does that... but what I can't respect are the sour oranges we've got on Kamiya."

She paused.

"Of course," she smiled, "I'm not the type of person to feel guilty about what I've done or to play this game with emotion. After all, both here and in Tonga, I've done many bad things that I'm perfectly happy about. And I'm glad that Beth is gone, from a strategic sense. I didn't like the way it happened, but I was happy with the results. After all, that was what needed to be done."

Now she smiled. And now-- for the first time-- she was -finally- ready to detail her master plan. For the first time all game, Isabella was ready to give away the plan she had had in mind for some time.

It was going to be her march to victory. And... as a special bonus... it would also include the downfall of all the Kamiyas. Who could ask for more?

"I knew almost right when I met him," she admitted, "That I wanted to go far in this game with Matt. From the first day I met him, I was both charmed by him, as well as impressed by the way he took all the abuse from the Kamiyas. He was one of the good oranges-- the ones who never exude negativity or fear. He's always been a shining light of optimism, despite the grim reality of his situation. And I've -always- wanted to go far with him... so long as his allies could first be taken out of the equation." She smiled. "That's why David had to go, that's why Beth had to go..." She paused. "And that's why Amy has to go."

She smiled, happily, still ignoring the anguished calls from her tribesmates. Screw them, they could wait. Maybe it would be good for them.

"I've been considering this for awhile," she explained, "And now it's time. It's time for me to take Matt aside and help him get his revenge on the Kamiyas. And hell, I've been trying all day... but he's been a bit hard to pin down." She laughed. "And I guess you can say this is reckless, you can probably say I'm playing emotional, but I don't really care. I've never done anything before that wasn't strategic... but I guess there's a first time for everything!"

She chuckled softly to herself.

"These are dark, dark times we've been living in at Camp Kamiya. The sun may be shining, but there's always been a dark cloud planted firmly above our heads. But one thing you should always remember is that no matter -how- dark it gets... the sun is always there on the other side... and I just know it will be shining down on me again soon."

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail now, tying it with her yellow buff as she spoke.

"Saving Matt and taking down Kamiya is just something I've always needed to do. I've needed to right all the wrongs that Kamiya has committed. I've needed to get this game back to the way it -should- be played. And besides..."

And there was that cocky little grin again.

"Sometimes this game can be a bit boring and predictable. And what fun is a straight old Pagonging, really? Sometimes it's more fun to give yourself a challenge. And what -better- challenge than getting myself to the final two... and winning against a Sato."

She stood up now, happily wiping the dust off her shorts. Because it was time to go. She'd made them wait long enough, it was time to get ready to merge.

"Since day one," she spoke as she walked, "I have watched the Kamiyas play too hard. But strategy is a weapon... and if you use it carelessly, only meanness can result." She shrugged. "And sure I've played along. I've used their over-zealousness to my advantage. But now it's time for retribution. Both my retribution, as well as -Matt's- retribution."

She was silent for a moment as she neared the shore. She waved happily to her teammates on the boat.

"And sure," she finished, "Matt may help with the plan. He'll most certainly benefit from it, in any case. But as much as he'd like to do so, -he- isn't the one who will be taking down Kamiya."

She paused. Then smiled.

"-I- am."



^^



The two tribes were shuttled out, via speedboat, to a sandy strip of land a few miles off the coast. This would be their new home. And from the looks of things-- it was going to be a very sparse existence indeed. All the island had was sand, a few palm trees, and some scrap wood for making a shelter.

That was it.

"Come on in, guys," said Jeff from the beach, as he waved the two boats to shore. The Satos docked first, and then were soon followed by the Kamiyas. And soon all nine players were on the beach-- waiting on this barren patch of sand in the middle of the ocean-- standing in front of Jeff.

Jeff paused for a moment, smiling at them all. Before him stood the final nine players in Survivor: Okinawa, all carrying their personal items in their hands or on their backs:

Isabella Smith stood on the far left-- the young woman from New York peering out from under a tan hat. Her yellow buff was tying back a ponytail and she carried her Play-Doh containers in both hands.

Mike Ruff stood next to her-- the stocky man from New York carrying his now-famous garden gnome in both arms. Mike's yellow buff was tied around his forehead as he squinted against the bright sunlight.

Michelle Kin-Fraley stood next to him-- the woman from Tennessee wearing a big blue backpack and a white baseball cap. Her yellow buff was tied around her wrist, the same way she always wore it.

Ryan Rebez was next-- the young man from Canada wearing his yellow buff over his hair, like a pirate. Ryan also carried an inflatable Barney Rubble punching bag-- his luxury item-- though Barney appeared to have seen better days.

Matt Carter stood fifth, the tall young redhead from California. His face was covered by his ubiquitous hockey mask, as usual, and he wore his yellow buff around his neck.

Amy Twieg was next, and the young mother from Wisconsin carried her backpack in both hands. Her reddish-brown hair was tied back with her green buff into a ponytail.

Lance McHale stood next to her-- the pre-school teacher from San Diego staring out from under a navy blue Red Sox cap. He had a football in his hands, though his green buff was nowhere to be seen. Lance had it safely stashed in his right pocket.

Joni Newman was next, and the young dancer from Utah smiled out from under her thick head of wavy brown hair. She wore her green buff around her neck.

And finally, Hogan Mueller stood on the far right-- the last man standing. The young Eagle Scout from Kansas held his thick copy of War and Peace in his hands ("page 815, you guys!") and he wore his green buff around his forehead.

And Jeff nodded to them, hands clasped behind his back.

"I'd just like to welcome you," he said, finally, "To the next stage of the game. And as I'm sure you are all well aware, you guys are the final nine... and so -yes-, your suspicions are correct. Seven of you will be in our jury, and two of you will make up our final two." He smiled. "But all nine of you will be here for the remainder of the game, so get used to seeing one another. You'll all be here for a while."

Jeff saw smiles on the players' faces, but none of them had erupted into celebration yet. And Jeff knew why. He knew -exactly- the phrase that they were waiting for.

"You have now officially merged. Congratulations, this is your final tribe."

Cheers and shrieks of joy now erupted from the players in the line. Michelle held her fist in the air, cheering, while Mike applauded happily next to her. On the other end, Hogan pumped his fist, celebrating, while Joni just stood and beamed, happily. But all of the players celebrated in their own way, because they had just reached a major milestone in the game.

"This is your new home," said Jeff, as he spread his arms towards the sand spit they were all standing on. "This is Yamako island, which in Okinawan means... essentially... 'bad weather.'"

A few players groaned.

"There is -no- windbreak or cover here," explained Jeff, "The island is wide open to the elements, so the weather can hit this place with a fury. Therefore it is -essential- that you get a shelter up and get it up soon. Also..."

Jeff pointed to the shore, where three fishing boats sat tethered to the coastline.

"Those boats will be the lifeline to your success on Yamako. Because there is -no- food to be found out here. No fruit... no animals... -nothing-. You will either have to learn to fish, or you will have to return to the mainland to gather your daily supplies."

He pointed far behind the players, where the Okinawan mainland sat... with all its lush, green trees, pineapple plants and plentiful mangroves.

"It's about an hour's paddle back to the mainland, across the sea. So if you need to gather food, you'll be paddling over there and paddling back. Your water supply is also over there in a small well near the beach. So I'm just warning you ahead of time..." He nodded, solemnly. "The conditions out here will be -harsh-. You've all had it pretty easy up until now, but things will be different on Yamako. You're gonna have to -work- at surviving out here."

A few players, Joni in particular, looked nervous at this. So Jeff smiled, trying to disarm them.

"But this is a happy occasion... and we're here to celebrate."

He reached into a box and pulled out a handful of red items. There were nine of them, and they looked very familiar.

"These are your new buffs. Toss me your old ones and I'll give you a new red buff. Because you are now one, this is now one tribe."

One by one the players exchanged their sweaty, smelly old buffs for a brand new red one. The only one who -didn't- want to give up his old buff was Lance. He simply shook his head and smiled. Lance accepted his red one, sure, but Jeff wasn't about to take away his green. No way, that one was staying right in his front pocket. So Jeff shrugged and moved on. And soon, the nine players were all wearing matching red buffs. Now they looked like a tribe.

"So that's it," smiled Jeff. "And if you walk behind me, you'll see a few things. You'll see your campsite... with associated building materials and supplies for your shelter. You'll see a new camp flag." He turned to look at them. "And while you have a flag, it is -your- job to come up with a new tribe name and design your new flag..."

He now paused, then smiled.

"And you'll also see lunch. We've provided food for everybody and there is -more- than enough to go around. After all, we want you guys to be strong and rested up for the coming days ahead."

And now the players were cheering and starting to chatter... so Jeff realized it was time for him to leave. It was time for him to say his goodbyes.

"So introduce yourselves and make friends. Congratulations guys, this is your final tribe of the game."



^^



The picnic was a hit. The nine members of the merged tribe hit it off almost immediately-- particularly with the availability of food and wine. The players sat around in a circle and chatted, very amicably at first, all excited to be here and all jazzed to be around for the rest of the game.

And though Isabella still hadn't had a chance to talk to Matt-- she was pleased that he at least seemed to have perked up a bit. Matt appeared to be back to his usual wisecracking happy-go-lucky self. Maybe it was the sight of Amy again, maybe it was just escaping from Kamiya, but Matt seemed to be the center of the conversation once again.

And sure enough, Matt Carter was the one who came up with the name for the new merged tribe.

"You know guys," he started, once a break in the conversation had finally opened up, "I know our new camp aint exactly what I'd call homey-- but it's still part of Okinawa. So why not name the tribe after one of the finest Okinawans of them all?"

He smiled.

"Mister Miyagi from the Karate Kid." A few people laughed, and Matt continued. "Come on, Pat Morita! Who better? It's a classic name!"

"I vote for Miyagi," laughed Ryan, holding a bottle of wine in the air.

"It just seems fitting," Matt said, "That in the land of karate... we should name the tribe after one of the great karate masters. And Chuck Norris doesn't really seem to fit."

Most of the tribe seemed to be okay with his suggestion, so Matt shrugged.

"And if you don't like the idea, you're more than happy to start throwing things at me. I don't mind."

And in a quick vote, the name of the tribe was decided. Per Matt's suggestion, these nine would forever be known as the Miyagi tribe.

"To Miyagi," said Mike, raising a glass of wine.

"To us," smiled Amy.

But of course, this sense of unity wasn't going to last for very long. In fact, Michelle shattered it in less than a minute.

"Hey Joni," she smiled, slyly, "Want to come fishing with me?"

"Sure," chirped Joni, as she more or less leapt to her feet. That was the invitation she had been waiting for. That was a invitation to discuss strategy if there ever was one, and it made Joni happy. Michelle wanted to talk about the Angels. She wanted to get the three of them back together.

"You guys," Michelle said, as she grabbed a small ball of fishing line, "Jones and I are going off to catch dinner. Anyone need anything?"

"Bring us back some caviar," Matt said.

"Alaskan king crab," suggested Hogan.

"Yeah, we'll do what we can," laughed Michelle.

"Just catch what you can," said Mike, smiling at what he knew was about to follow. Because Kamiya was about to win this game. Once Michelle got Joni back on board, there would be nothing stopping them. "We'll get the shelter built, you girls bring back the fish. That should keep us busy for most of the night."

"Alright," said Michelle, happily.

And as Amy and Lance looked on, concerned, Michelle placed an arm around her young friend's shoulder. Joni looked up at her, happily, and then the two women walked off towards the shore, eagerly chatting away. They weren't even fifty feet away... and already Joni and Michelle appeared to be best friends. Joni wasn't even trying to hide it. She looked like she had been waiting for this moment.

"Awww crap," Amy whispered to Lance. "We're screwed. Joni's ditching us."

And Lance nodded, silently. As he walked Sato's last chance at this game share one more excited hug with Michelle, he felt the exact same way.

Sato was toast.



^^


The reunion on the fishing boat went pretty much exactly as Michelle expected it would. Because Joni was happy to finally be back with her original alliance. No, not happy--- it was more like -exhilarated.- This was one of the happiest moments of Joni Newman's young life.

"I can't thank you guys enough," Joni beamed, "For saving me at the last challenge. You guys saved my neck, 'cause I was -this- close to being kicked out. Amy and Lance wanted me gone."

"You don't have to thank us," Michelle said, "We would have done -anything- to get you back." She smiled. "And me especially, I just wanted you back here where you belong."

Joni grinned from ear to ear.

"Matt and Beth wanted to win the challenge," Michelle continued, "Just so Sato would kick you out. But I was like, no -way- is that gonna happen. I wouldn't allow it, not after what they did to Chris." She laughed. "So if you hear Matt start to trash us, or tell you that we're divided, don't believe it. He just wants to get back at us because we played a rough game, but it isn't going to work. Kamiya is together and we're back, baby. Sato doesn't stand a chance."

"Well good," smiled Joni, "Cause I want everyone to know that I'm a hundred percent back with you guys. And I'm still holding to what I said at the beginning-- if it comes down me, you and Emma in the finals, I'll take you. I never planned on anything else. You saved me when it counted and I'll be there for you. You can trust me."

"I know," Michelle nodded. "And I'll look out for you too." She grinned. "I mean, I like Emma and all, but what really has she ever done? She does nothing, she doesn't deserve to be in the final two."

"I agree."

"And the guys don't know about the Angels," Michelle laughed, "They still don't know how close the three of us are. And they -can't- know or else they'll try to break us up, especially Ryan." She paused. "Ryan's trouble, you should see what he tried to do at the last vote. He forced a tie, just to mess with us!"

"What??"

"Yeah," nodded Michelle, "So watch what you tell the guys-- Ryan especially. He's with us for now but we've always worried he would turn on us in a pinch. So if anyone says anything strategic to you, make sure you pass it along to Emma or me before you tell the guys. We might need to keep some details from them."

"That's fine," said Joni. Then she smiled, getting giddy again. "But I'm just -sooo- excited to be back with the Angels. You don't know how hard it was dealing with Sato."

"Oh I understand. Remember we had to deal with Crazy Hockey Mask and Immature Beth for two weeks."

Joni giggled.

"But just remember..." Michelle added, "You're going to be bombarded in the next two days by just about everyone. Everyone will want to know how you're voting."

"Should I tell them?"

"That's up to you," shrugged Michelle. "But just know that -all- of us are voting for Amy first. Unless she wins immunity, then we go for Lance instead."

"Can we save Hogan for last?" Joni asked. "He's helped me out a few times." She looked bashful. "And I kind of promised him Kamiya would take him in."

"Well..." Michelle paused, "I know Mike wants to save Matt for last, 'cause Matt's the only one we know. But it doesn't matter to me." She shrugged. "They'll all end up in the same place anyway, so who cares, right?"

"Yeah."

"It's just great to have you back," smiled Michelle, almost maternally. "No matter what happens, it's just great to see my little sister again." She leaned across the boat and the two women shared a hug. "So welcome back to the Angels. Welcome back to the people who love you."

"Yeah," said Joni, almost fighting back tears as she hugged her friend, "And I don't care -what- we call this tribe now. This is Kamiya to me and always will be." She laughed. "And whatever happened on Sato..."

She waved her hand, dismissively.

"Psh. Because it's -our- time now."




DAY 23




The day was already well underway when Isabella Smith set off for the mainland.

Pushing herself off with an oar, she cast her small red fishing boat out towards the open sea-- out towards the huge green mainland that lay about an hour to the west. This was going to be her first trip back to civilization, back to where the food was. Because, as always, Isabella was the tribe food gatherer-- just like she had been on the Ana, Tumutumu, Pulotu and Kamiya tribes before her.

Some things never seemed to change.

And as she slowly rowed herself across the sea, she glanced back once at their sparse new home-- that small blotch of sandy nothing that jutted out from the middle of the ocean.

"Yamako Island is definitely interesting," she commented as she rowed herself along, "It's kind of beautiful... in a minimalist sort of way. But it takes a while to get used to, because there's really not much there." She laughed to herself. "You know when you imagine an itty-bitty island that's just a small mound with a palm tree on top? Well that's our new home. We're basically living in the sea, with a little bit of sand thrown in for kicks."

She continued to row slowly, as she watched the rest of her tribemates working on the small strip of sand. Sure enough there was Lance, Mike and Hogan, all together, as the three largest men of the tribe worked on putting together the shelter. Mike and Matt had erected a temporary A-frame to use last night, but today the real work was being done. Today the -real- shelter was going up.

"Our shelter should be pretty nice," Isabella continued, "And hopefully safe and snug. But really I won't mind if it isn't. This island is so sunny and warm, so open and airy, that I'm sure I'll like it no matter what."

She paused.

"Even though I don't expect things to be sunny -all- the time. I'm sure things won't be like this for long. But so long as the sun continues to shine on -me-, that's really all that's important. Just so long as it remains Isabella's Sunshine Paradise, well that's just fine by me."

And as Isabella rowed, she happily sang to herself, enjoying the solitude. Because despite the frustration that she -still- hadn't had a chance to speak with Matt, she was definitely enjoying herself. The individual portion of the game was always much more interesting to her, anyway. After all, the first half of the game was just alliance-riding. What fun was that?

No, the real fun started after the merge-- when it became every girl for herself.

"I still plan on talking to Matt," she admitted, "Because I'm more or less offering him a free ticket to the final four. And if he knew that, he'd come talk to me in a second. But I suspect he's avoiding me." She shrugged. "Oh well, if I don't see him today, I'll see him tomorrow." She laughed. "Although luckily for me, in his place I get to talk to Lance-- who seems to be nice enough, but he's as quiet as quiet gets. He appears to be taking a vow of silence or something-- maybe he's supposed to be a monk." She laughed again. "And Hogan enjoys going to the bathroom, and that's about all he does. But at least he makes me laugh. He's sort of like a truck driver-- he's big and crude and he couldn't find his way out of a broom closet, but at least his bluntness can make me smile."

Isabella smiled.

"And then of course it's great to see Joni again. For while she might be big competition, she's always had a freshness and positivity to her that I like. Maybe that's why she didn't fit in with Kamiya all that well. It's almost as if she started the game on the wrong tribe!"

But then Isabella spied a lone female sitting by the shore. Amy Twieg was sitting on a rock, a fishing pole cast out to sea. She appeared to be fishing alone.

"And there we have Amy," her smiled started to falter somewhat, as she watched the player she considered to be her biggest rival in the game, "I do have to say it was nice to see her again-- for the first time since the barbecue-- and to see she's still her same old conniving self."

Isabella stared at Amy for a moment-- stared hard-- with Amy unaware she was being watched. Amy just blissfully looked out at the ocean, unaware Isabella was following her every move.

"Anyway," Isabella finished, "I don't want Amy here. She's trouble in disguise, she's too good of a player and I don't want her around. Having her in the tribe is like the TV being on when you're trying to talk to someone. She's just going to get in my way and I don't trust her at all..."

She smiled, deviously.

"And the minute Amy's TV is unplugged, Matt will suddenly become more beholden to me. So clearly she has to go. Soon."

And as Isabella continued to row, she now scowled as she saw a familiar form come walking across the sand towards Amy. There was Matt, the same Matt she needed to talk to, and he was coming down to talk to Amy. As with just about every minute since the tribes merged yesterday-- Matt was coming to hang out with his Mrs. Robinson. They two Sato friends had almost been inseparable.

"Oh Matt," Isabella sighed, dramatically, "Why can't you see that Amy's a dead end? Why must you continue to think she's your meal ticket out of all this? Don't you realize you're talking to the wrong girl?"

But unflustered, Isabella just turned around and continued to row to the mainland. She'd get to Matt eventually. She'd get a chance to talk to him later. And so long as it happened before the next vote, she really didn't care -when- it happened.

So long as it actually happened.



^^



Sure enough, Matt and Amy were talking strategy on the beach. Once their joyous (and emotional) reunion had taken place yesterday, things had jumped pretty much right back to normal. The two best players on Sato were already all the way back into game mode.

"As near as I can figure," Matt admitted, "The odds right now are on us being extremely screwed."

"That bad, huh?"

"Meh," shrugged Matt, "Could be worse. But I just wanted to get that out of the way now, before I got your hopes up."

"Well thanks," she grinned.

"No problem."

Amy continued to fish quietly, as Matt sat beside her, staring out at the ocean. It was about two minutes before either of them said another word.

"Joni's a dead end," Amy sighed, "But I'm sure you knew that. She's probably already got my name written down on a card. Or maybe Michelle filled it out for her herself."

"Yeah, I figured," Matt said. "And I knew you were counting on Joni's vote... but I don't think she's the best option we have."

"Really?"

"Yeah," nodded Matt. Then he lowered his voice. "Did you hear about our last Tribal Council? The one where they voted off Beth?"

"Yeah," nodded Amy, "Michelle said Beth was very immature about it."

"Well Michelle can blow me," said Matt. "Though she's more likely to make me shrivel."

Amy chuckled. Yes, it was good to have Matt back.

"What happened," Matt continued, "Was that Ryan forced a tie. We actually had -two- separate votes, because Ryan pissed his alliance off and toyed with them for the first vote."

"He -what??-"

"So all the Kamiyas are pissed at him," Matt confirmed. "And I don't -think- it will be as simple a Pagonging as you expect. They all think he's a jackass."

"Just because of that?"

"No." Matt grinned. "Because he -is- a jackass. That just confirmed it."

"Jeez. Are -any- of them good people?" asked Amy, concerned.

"I'd say Mike is the closest," Matt shrugged. "Odd as that may be to say, he's the most stable one of them all. And they'll -all- dupe you, but at least he has no pretenses about it. He'll just say it to your face."

"That's funny," laughed Amy. "I thought you two would have been enemies by now. I couldn't believe that gnome showed up to the merge in one piece. I figured you would have smashed it into little shards."

"The gnome and I have a truce," Matt said, grimly. "So long as Mike behaves, the gnome lives. That's our deal."

Amy laughed again. She could never tell if Matt was joking or not. On this issue... she guessed that he wasn't.

"Well then which one of the Kamiyas is the worst?" she asked, quickly taking mental notes. "Ryan?"

But Matt's answer surprised her. Because he didn't say Michelle. Nor did he say Ryan. Heck, he didn't even say Mike.

"Emma."

"What?" asked a surprised Amy. "Little Emma?"

"Yeah," nodded Matt. "Just watch out for her. She'll stab you in the back-- she hit Beth so hard that I don't think Beth will -ever- recover. She'll get you and you'll never see it coming."

"But Emma seems so sweet," Amy said. "I met her at the barbecue and we talked Harry Potter. She seemed like a nice girl."

"Well..." said Matt, "She's good at searching-- probably the best food-finder we've got. But something tells me it's not a good idea to get in her crosshairs." He looked at Amy. "Trust me on this. Something's not right with her."

"When I met her at the barbecue," Amy confided, "She seemed nice but she would -never- talk game. I knew I'd never be close to her, but I didn't expect her to be a schemer."

"Just stay away," Matt said. "I'm not planning to speak to her again until the game ends. That's how strongly I feel about her."

"Oh," shuddered Amy. "Well thanks for the warning. I no likey Emma."

Amy paused, then suddenly thought of the perfect analogy.

"So she talks Harry Potter... but she's got Slytherin robes on underneath. Correct?"

"Bingo," Matt nodded, not smiling.

Amy sighed, deflated. Well just add -that- to another thing working against the Satos. Now she finds out that Emma is the devil in disguise. Great.

"I suppose it doesn't make things any better," she added, "To know that Hogan could easily flip to the Kamiyas. Have you heard about that?"

"No."

"Yeah," nodded Amy. "Well apparently our favorite Eagle Scout has a certain crush on our friend Joni. And he asked her to stick by us, but you know she won't. So the odds are fairly good he could stick by -her- instead, just to stay on her good side."

"Oh, how romantic," said Matt, rolling his eyes.

"I think," said Amy, "That he'll go whichever way the wind blows. I think that's always been his strategy. Especially if Joni's the one controlling the weather."

"So Joni won't vote against Kamiya?" Matt asked. "Ever?"

"The only way she would," Amy shrugged, "Is to get back at Mike and Ryan. Because they were awful to her at the start. They wouldn't even talk to her cause she was young and female. So if she wanted to show the world she could play... she -might- vote for them. But I don't think she will."

"Ahhh..." said Matt, "Typical Kamiya bonding. If you don't have a penis, we don't like you." He paused, then deadpanned, "No wonder Michelle fits in so well."

Amy started to giggle. And she didn't want to, but she couldn't help it. She held her hands up to her face and started to laugh. Finally when she stopped, she could see Matt was smiling at her. Matt always enjoyed when he had a receptive audience.

"So what's your plan?" he asked. "Any bright ideas?"

"Well my plan right now," she shrugged, "Is to lay back and hope they find someone more annoying than me to vote off first."

"Good plan."

"Although I wish they'd just come right out and tell us who the target was," she sighed. "They're all trying to be sweet and nice-- especially Michelle. Like you said, the only one who seems to admit it's a Pagonging is Mike. He'll just flat out tell you if you ask."

"That's why I respect him," nodded Matt.

"And if I had to vote for -any- of them to win," she scowled, "I suppose it would have to be Mike. He's the only honest one here."

"But the others are just trying to be -nice.-" Matt taunted, sarcastically. "They just want us all to be -friends!- We're all a big -love- tribe!"

"Well that's all nice and sweet," Amy smirked, turning back to her fishing. "But frankly I could do without this kind of prison love."

And finally... for the first time since the start of this game... she actually got Matt Carter to laugh out loud.



^^



The day stretched on and on, with very little excitement to happen on Yamako Island. This was more or less a work day-- as the tribe did their best to set up their new home.

Mike, Lance and Hogan got the shelter up good and sturdy, with Mike's design expertise coming in handy for the second time in the game. He set it up in the middle of the island-- as far away from the beach as possible-- and then plopped his gnome down right in front. As with before, Mario the gnome would be guarding the entrance to camp.

"Nice job," said Lance, as he shook the big man's hand. And though Lance wasn't a fan of living with any of the Kamiyas, he had to admit that he liked Mike's quiet, strong work ethic. If you put Mike Ruff on a task he would just spend all day doing it to perfection-- without a word of protest. Mike seemed to be more or less a manual labor machine. Not to mention that he and Lance had already agreed upon a "gentleman's agreement" of sorts. If Lance was the one who would be on the chopping block, Mike had promised to at least warn him first. It was the type of offer Lance McHale could respect.

"Hey thanks," said Mike, as he looked at the large wooden edifice before him. And even if he said so himself, he thought this one looked -better- than the one he had made back at Kamiya. This thing was a work of art.

"And it better be," he had joked in a confessional this morning, "We have to sleep nine people now! This thing will have to be a fortress!"

After construction of the shelter, Hogan went inside to take a nap. He had been working on the shelter all day, and he was exhausted. Lance set off to go catch some fish, wanting to go on his first fishing expedition in one of the new boats.

And Mike, of course, went to go build some deer snares. Because you see, his work was never done. There were -always- more things to build. There were always more innovations to design.

Especially when you were living on Mike Ruff's desert island resort.



^^



As the day wound down, Michelle sat down to give her thoughts on the status of the game. By now it was dinnertime-- which was supplied, as usual, by Isabella's fruit-picking expedition to the mainland. Only today Isabella had hit the jackpot-- today she had found a sweet potato patch. The tribe members had all received three sweet potatoes as their dinner, so spirits were high. Between Mike's shelter and Isabella's sweet potatoes, morale was huge right now. Things were looking good.

"Things are pretty good right now," Michelle confessed, as she leaned up against one of the few trees on Yamako Island. She was far enough away from camp to speak privately, though this island -was- a little small for her comfort. She didn't like everybody being so close to one another. It made her nervous.

"Our brand new tribe was born yesterday," she smiled, "Though I can tell you there have been a lot of labor pains involved with this birth." She took a quick glance back at camp. "And this is a pretty brutal place to try and survive, but it should be easier once we get rid of all the Satos. But hey, at least we have people to do the physical labor for us now. Down the road, when there's just five of us, it should be a lot easier to just get by."

She grinned.

"So far," she continued, "I'm not that impressed by my new tribe. There really isn't anyone here that I like all that much, and some of them are just downright worthless." She peered around her now, making sure that nobody was listening. "Lance hasn’t said much and when Hogan talks, all you hear is "blah, blah, blah." I mean, the kid's a teenager and he certainly acts like one." She shook her head. "Not like Joni, who's also a teen but is a -lot- more mature. Maybe Hogan should take some lessons."

Then Michelle wrinkled up her nose.

"Ugh, and then we come to Amy-- the self-proclaimed leader of the Satos." Michelle stuck out her tongue now, almost in a gagging motion, "You know Amy just wants to be the top female out here, but that isn't going to happen. Because she and Beth ran that tribe... and now Beth is gone."

Michelle grinned.

"And that means Amy goes bye-bye next. So sorry to see you go. Say hi to Beth for me."

Michelle took a glance towards the campfire, where Joni and Isabella sat. There they were-- Michelle's two allies-- her two tickets to the final three. Because sure enough, if everything went right, an Angel was -still- going to win this game... despite what the Satos had tried to do them.

"And I know I told Joni I wanted to take her to the final two, but she isn't my best bet of winning right now. I hate to lie to the girl, but Joni is friends with all the Satos. I might not be able to win against her in a jury vote."

Michelle shrugged.

"Emma is the one I want to take to the end. I know it sounds weird... but it’s true. Because what has Emma done? Nothing!" She frowned. "Emma does nothing except let everyone else do the work and she gets a free ride tagging along. And I know I'm friends with her, but I've put -so- much effort and energy into our plans, and she just says, "Whatever you think is best," or "That sounds good.""

Michelle sighed.

"Emma is sweet but she can be -very- frustrating sometimes. And if I get to the finals, I hope the jury can see that I've worked hard to get there, where Emma hasn't done jack. All she's done since day one is follow my lead. She can't possibly win a jury vote, no way."

Now Michelle paused, realizing how this was coming off.

"Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on backstabbing Joni. She's an Angel and always will be... but at the final three you have to make a choice..." She shrugged. "I don't want Joni in a final two, but the Angels will all be in the final three. That much has to happen, or else the game won't be the same for me."

She started to wrap it up now, as she detailed her plans for the next few days in the game.

"Ryan probably -should- go first, simply because of what he did to me at the last vote. He forced that tie and it -pissed- me off. But as much as I want him gone... and I don't buy it for a second when he says "Let the Pagonging begin!"... it just isn't the smart move. I wouldn't give up a numbers advantage and neither would he. Neither of us is that stupid."

Michelle focused her glare back at camp again... and this time back on Amy. That was her target and everybody knew it. Michelle's personal vendetta against Amy was one of the worst kept secrets in the game.

"Amy is going home tomorrow, simply because I don't like her." Michelle continued to glare, hatefully. "I don't know her, I don't -wanna- know her, and I don't like her. Since she voted out Chris, I've always said she has to go... and this is the time. It's payback time."

Michelle chuckled now, as she saw Ryan and Mike emerge from the campsite. They were walking out to talk strategy with her. Sure enough, Isabella trailed behind them... and then came Joni... as casually and inconspicuously as possible. It looked like a final strategy talk was just about to take place. All five Kamiyas were coming down to shore... and the meeting of the minds was just about to begin.

"All I can say about Amy," Michelle finished, "Is that I can't stand her, I can't stand being -near- her, and I can't stand anything -about- her. And they say that revenge is a bitch..."

She chuckled.

"Well -you- voted Chris out, Amy, so -this- bitch is taking her revenge. And thanks again for playing, be sure to vote for me in the final two."



^^



The nighttime strategy talk went well, as the five Kamiyas hammered out the details for tomorrow's vote. Not that there was much to discuss, of course. The target was going to be Amy and there were no two ways about it. Amy Twieg was the leader and the most powerful member of the Satos. She simply had to go.

"Amy needs to be the first boot," Michelle explained, "She's dangerous and she's going to be gunning for us. After what we did to Beth, she's not going to have much of a choice."

Of course, since Ryan was here, Michelle couldn't -really- say what was on her mind. Because the second reason behind Amy's targeting was that the Kamiyas didn't want Ryan to have anyone on Sato to hook up with. Just in case Ryan flipped... they didn't want him to have any weapons he could use against them.

"So unless anyone has any objections," Michelle said, her voice lowered, "I'd like to nominate Amy. I don't trust her and I think she'll cause problems down the road."

"I agree," nodded Mike, "And I think she knows she's going too."

"She does," confirmed Joni.

"Good," smiled Michelle. "And just like Ryan said... cut off the head and the limbs are useless. If they lose Amy, the rest of them will be scampering.

"Amy's the only one who can rally them," said Joni, revealing her inside information, "The rest of them aren't that close. Hogan and Matt don't even like each other."

"What is Hogan like, anyway?" asked Mike, curious. "Is he really as dense as he seems?"

"Nah..." grinned Joni. "Hogan's a good guy. You just have to get used to him."

"I'll tell you my only conversation with him so far," Michelle smiled, "He started giving me this goodbye talk... like 'Well it was nice meeting you, it's been fun.'" She laughed. "So I asked him, dude what's with the goodbye talk?" Michelle paused. "And he said "Oh, I'm sorry. Remember I've only had two years of high school English." That was the end of the conversation!"

Joni was giggling. So were Isabella and Ryan.

"Hogan's funny," Joni said, "We should keep him around for a while. He's harmless."

"I'd also nominate to keep Matt around..." Mike said. "I think he'd be good to work with. He can help me with the fish and lobster traps."

Michelle nodded.

"Plus I'd kind of like to repay him for what we did," Mike continued. "He handled the Beth situation a lot better than she did-- it's weird that an eighteen year old handled himself better than a forty-three year old."

"I agree," nodded Isabella, quite truthfully.

"So I'd like to reward him if we could," Mike shrugged.

"I have no problem with keeping Matt or Hogan around for a while," Michelle said, looking around. "Does anyone?"

Nobody did.

"Okay good," said Michelle, "And though the vote should be pretty simple, here's what I think we ought to do."

And then in the irony of ironies, Michelle made a suggestion that caught everybody off guard. Even Isabella was flabbergasted by the words that came out of Michelle's mouth next.

"I think we should mark our ballots," Michelle whispered, "So that we all know who voted for who."

Isabella all but busted out laughing at this point. Did she just hear Michelle correctly? Mark their ballots? The exact same thing they all hated Murtz for suggesting back on day six? Was Michelle being serious?

"I say we go back to our old numbers," Michelle said, "The ones we used with Dani. That way if anybody changes their vote..." She glanced at Ryan. "This time we'll know about it. And it will keep -everybody- in check until our new "friends" are all on the jury."

And to Isabella's delight, she saw the rest of the alliance nodding their heads, agreeing. -Ha ha-, she laughed to herself, -You hypocrites! So now you like the idea after all?-

"And I'm sorry to be blunt," Michelle continued, "But the last tie really hurt me and I want to make sure it doesn't happen again to me... or to anyone else."

"No," said Joni, "It's a good idea. And we don't even have to use numbers. We could each write a symbol of some kind, like a sun or a tree..."

And now Isabella couldn't take it. Now -Joni- was suggesting this? Murtz-hating Joni??

"I have a question though..." said Ryan. "What if there's a twist? What if we can't vote for Amy?"

"If we can't vote for Amy," Michelle said, "We go for Lance."

"What if Lance is unavailable?"

"Well if all hell breaks loose," Michelle shrugged, "And neither one is available, we should have some sort of a signal. Like somebody can signal the name in their answers to Jeff."

"I'll do it," said Ryan, raising his hand. "Just give me the code and I'll say the name."

Michelle eyed him suspiciously. So did Mike.

"Come on," said Ryan, smiling, "You can trust me. Just think up the code and I'll signal everyone."

"Fine," sighed Michelle. "You'll be our signaler."

Then she looked back at camp. The Satos appeared to be all sitting around the campfire, having a late night chat of their own.

"So this should go pretty smoothly tomorrow," she said. "Anyone have any last minute comments?"

"Yeah," said Ryan, "We need to make sure we're shoulder to shoulder at all times. Let it be known that -nothing- can break us apart. Let them know they don't have a chance."

"And don't let -any- of them near the food," Michelle added. "I don't trust those assholes around our food, so don't let them taint it or cook or anything. If Amy tries to cook, just tell her to get the hell away."

She smiled.

And with a final group hug, Kamiya then sealed the deal. Between the five of them-- Michelle, Isabella, Ryan, Mike and Joni-- they were now ready to take their first step into destiny.



^^



And as the evening wore down, most of the Miyagis slowly trickled off to bed.

Hogan drifted off first, as he was -always- the first one to head off to sleep. He was soon followed by Amy, and then by Lance. The three Satos headed off to bed, somewhat demoralized by their fruitless strategy talks, and they left only Matt to sit out alone, tending the fire.

And Matt sat alone through much of Kamiya's meeting. He sat alone, absently poking at the fire with a long stick, watching every so often as the five conspirators silently plotted the death of Matt and his allies.

And as he sat he was deep in thought, of course. Because while the Satos (Amy especially) assumed Matt was on their side... that wasn't entirely the plan that Matt had decided on at the moment. Truth be told, he wasn't really sure -what- side he was on for the time being.

"You'd think," he confessed, as he sat alone, "That a merge would be a time to be celebrating-- for me to be dancing on the walls of things past and to be thrilled in general." He shrugged. "But I'm not. Because it's being assumed that I will be re-joining the Satos."

He peered back at the shelter, to make sure none of them were listening. Luckily, they all appeared to be asleep.

"And even though they assume that, it doesn't mean that's what I really want to do. I mean... I know we're screwed here as well as anyone. So what's the point of false loyalty when you know it's pointless?"

He shook his head, sadly.

"Sure, I adore Amy, but she's seemed distant the last two days. She knows she's in trouble. Then there's Lance and Hogan-- conversationalists that they are-- and do I really want to make it to the end with them? What would really be the point?"

He paused for a moment, watching as the Kamiyas shared in a group hug across the sand.

"To be completely honest," Matt said, his voice quite low, "There's not a single person here who I'd like to make it to the end with. Sure, I like Amy... but I liked Beth too. And I had no problem with pushing Beth in front of the train when it was time, simply to buy myself a few more days. So what's to say I couldn't do the same to Amy, if it came down to her or me?"

He shook his head again, deep in thought.

"Because the smart move for me," he thought out loud, "May be to try to hook up with Mike instead. Though the big guy can be a dick a lot of the time, he's actually mellowed out a lot in the past few days. That, and his complete and utter honesty-- in the face of it being obnoxious-- has actually helped me gain a lot of respect for the guy. Despite the fact that he's insane."

Matt shrugged.

"So I don't know what to do," he sighed. "This is the part of the game that can get really tricky. But you know, as I always say: When life gives you lemons..."

He paused, then smiled.

"... Just chuck them at someone until they give you their money, then run off real fast. That always works for me."

Matt laughed to himself as he stared at the fire, deep in thought. And he was still deep in thought when the Kamiyas returned from their little tete-a-tete strategy session on the beach. One by one they passed him, some muttering a simple good night, some saying nothing at all. Mike patted him on the shoulder as he headed off to bed. Soon all the Kamiyas had entered the shelter, ready to turn in for the night.

And then Matt was alone.

He sat on a log on this desolate little sandy island, staring at a campfire that was neither warm nor illuminating. He just stared directly at it, watching the shadows created by the gentle wind blowing across the flames. And Matt's mind was blank. He thought of absolutely nothing as he stared.

And then, suddenly, he heard a voice.

"Matt?"

He looked up, slowly, and saw the one person he hadn't expected to still be up. Because Isabella generally went to bed pretty early-- one of her trademarks, as she was very strict about a set bedtime, even in Okinawa. But suddenly here she was. Isabella Smith-- the devil in disguise, headmistress of the house of Slytherin-- was standing before him.

And she was here to make a deal.

"Matt, I've been wanting to talk with you for a few days now-- do you have a moment?"

She smiled at him, warmly.

Sincerely.

"Cause I -really- think you'll be interested in hearing this."




DAY 24




Dawn broke early over Camp Miyagi-- as the morning brought with it an ugly smattering of rain clouds. Coming in over the horizon were the telltale bluish-purple clouds of a storm-- and they were approaching fast. It was evident that the sunny days of Yamako Island were rapidly coming to an end.

But as the early morning light started to cross over the island, two castaways were already up, sitting around the campfire. Matt Carter and Isabella Smith were sitting on a log, their voices low, still talking. You see-- the two of them had never gone to sleep last night. Matt had foregone sleep just to sit up and listen to this whopper of a tale. He hadn't even realized he had done it either-- because Isabella's story had just been -that- captivating. He had simply lost track of time.

"And that's why I want to go with you," Isabella finished up, as she caught the sun coming up over the horizon. "I want to go with you and take out the Kamiyas." She paused. "And I know it's probably not the most strategic thing to do... but I think it's something that has to be done. I just think this whole charade has gone on far enough. They don't deserve to win."

And as she finally finished her speech, Isabella sat back, relieved. Because she had done it. She had -finally- managed to get Matt alone-- and she had told him everything. Everything from day one to day twenty-three. She had told him the truth about Danigate... and how Danielle was never more than an innocent pawn. She had told him the truth about the Outcast Twist... and how Mike's choice was never more than a random selection. He had never been an outcast at all. And she had told him of the "great Kamiya charade," and how her teammates had lied and deceived both Matt and Beth... simply out of hatred and spite.

"In short," Isabella would later admit, "I told him -everything.- I didn't leave out a single detail of what went on behind his back." And then she'd smile. "Well except for my true identity... but he could find that out later."

But for now Matt just sat, dumbfounded, as Isabella finished up her tale. He was still taking it all in. He was still processing just how much Kamiya had pulled the wool over all of their eyes. And the enormity of it all was simply staggering.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking concerned. "Because my heart is like racing right now. I'm scared that I told you too much."

"No, no," said Matt, shaking his head. "I'm okay... I'm just thinking."

"Well please," she said, looking forlorn, "If nothing else, -please- don't tell another soul this information. I don't want to get either of us in trouble. I just... I just thought you needed to know. I never liked what they tried to do to you."

"I won't tell anyone," Matt said, looking down. "No way. Why would I?"

"Its just that I'm putting this in the palm of your hand... and you could do lots of things with it." Then she shrugged. "But I'm taking a risk for what I believe... even if you probably don't have any reason to believe me... or to like me."

"The only way I'd repeat this," said Matt, "Is if I found out that you're trying to screw me over. But until I see some proof that might be true..." He shrugged. "It won't leave my lips."

"Okay," sighed Isabella, relieved, "Just please don't use this against me."

"Hey," smiled Matt, finally looking up, "It's like you're giving a gun to a kid, and telling him not to shoot anyone." He laughed at his own joke, but he could see that Isabella was very serious about this. "It's okay," he added, "I kid, I kid. I promise to keep it quiet."

"Well that's it then," said Isabella, "All I wanted to do was to clear my conscience about this... and I wanted you to know that you deserved better. I never took part in -any- of this and I always hated it. But I was just too scared to warn you. I didn't know what they would do to me."

And Matt was about to reply... when he heard a noise. Suddenly he saw Michelle step out of the shelter... squinting in the early morning sun. Michelle had just woken up.

"We'll finish this later," Matt whispered, to which Isabella nodded. They could hash out the details of the new plan later... once they had another chance to be alone.

And suddenly Matt's day was looking a -whole- lot more interesting.




^^



It was only about an hour before Matt finally let someone in on the good news. And of course he had promised he would keep this hush-hush... but Matt was adamant that Amy Twieg had to know. Amy -had- to know that suddenly Sato had a chance to get back into this game.

"Emma wants to take down Kamiya!" he whispered excitedly, as he dragged Amy by the arm down to the beach. "Emma's ready to turn!"

"What??"

"It's true! She talked to me all through the night. We had a -huge- chat... and she told me everything. She told me everything that's happened on Kamiya since day one, and they've -always- been a team. She confirmed it!"

"Wait," said Amy, "I thought you said she was Slytherin. Do you believe her?"

"I shouldn't," he said, "But I do. There's no way she could have been making up some of the stuff she told me. It all fit too perfectly. She just made too much sense."

"Really..." said Amy, smiling broadly. "So you think she's legit?"

"I do. We just haven't hashed out all the details yet. We're supposed to do that later."

Amy and Matt exchanged a hug on the beach now-- one spontaneous moment of shared joy and excitement. Because Matt was right-- suddenly this vote was going to be wide open again. If Isabella truly -was- serious about backstabbing her team, Amy was going to be the happiest girl in Okinawa.

"Well..." Amy warned, "I know Emma has her hands further in this than she'd like to admit..."

"I agree."

"But heck." Amy grinned, "I'd take her in a heartbeat. If it means we can get rid of Ryan... I'm in. Just sign me up."

"And you know I was suspicious of everything she said," Matt confirmed, "But she had -no reason- to say it all otherwise... so for some ungodly reason, I believe her."

"Wow..." Amy said, nearly speechless. "This is just... this is just so unexpected."

"I know. I said the same thing."

But Matt and Amy shared another hug, and then they were off. Amy made it her mission to inform Hogan and Lance about the new plan... to make sure neither of them did anything stupid. Hogan, in particular, she was wary of-- as Amy was -very- concerned Hogan would go bolting with Joni the minute he thought Sato was a dead end. She didn't trust Hogan much to stay true at -all-.

"And Lance is..." Amy said, as she walked, "Well I'm sure Lance will be quite skeptical about believing -anything- a Kamiya says. So I'll have to work extra hard on him."

And as Amy walked... Matt headed in the other direction. His goal now was to track down Isabella... and hammer the details of this new alliance home. It was time for them to finalize their plans. And as he walked across the beach, hands in pockets to protect against the chilly morning air, Matt spoke about the sudden shift in power on Yamako Island.

"I've not been on this planet very long," he said as he walked, "But I can say that I've seen some weird shit in this world already. I've had some -weird- experiences over time, and I've really stopped trying to figure out why things happen the way they do." He paused. "And as it is, this has already been the most surreal day I can recall in my life."

He smirked slightly as he walked, shaking his head in amazement.

"Seven hours ago," he explained, "I was sitting by a log-- poking a stick into our fire and trying to decide if I should push Amy in front of the train or if she would push me first." He laughed. "And now... suddenly Emma came up to me and buttered me up pretty good. She buttered me up -so- good, in fact, that I believe her. I believe every last word that came out of her mouth... much as I hate to admit it."

He stared ahead as he walked, watching as Isabella waved to him happily from next to one of the fishing boats. It looked like the two of them would be going for a boat ride. Good idea.

"Basically," Matt added, "Emma denied her part in all of the insidious Kamiya behaviors... but she told me that the rest of them had been working as a team since day one. And you gotta believe it was eye opening. All of a sudden this whole game has a new meaning for me."

Matt lifted a hand and waved to Isabella. He exchanged a greeting from afar with his new bestest friend in the game.

"In the meantime," he finished, "Things are gonna have to happen quick. Emma and I have to wrap things up and Amy has to make sure Lance and Hogan are on board. Especially because she's scared to death Hogan is either gonna guilt trip Joni too much and piss her off... or else Hogan will just bolt to Joni altogether, and we need him."

Matt shrugged now, helplessly... but cautiously optimistic as well, truth be told. Because Matt was suddenly starting to see some hope in all of this. He really was, much as his well-developed sense of cynicism was screaming otherwise.

"If Emma's planning to turn on Kamiya..." he said, "Then there's a chance. That's the chance we need. But until I know for sure... well, I guess it's time the two of us finished our little discussion..."



^^



Amy got the news to Lance and Hogan relatively quickly... as the two Sato men walked along the beach, combing the area for shellfish.

"...And I can't tell you all the details," Amy confided, "Because Matt wasn't supposed to talk. But just suffice it to say that one of the Kamiyas wants to vote with us tonight. We more or less have a guarantee."

"No kidding?" asked Hogan, as he stood with hands on hips, staring at her.

"I'm being totally serious," Amy said, trying hard not to start laughing. Because this was just too much fun. "Kamiya is going down tonight, guys."

"Well who's the target then?" asked a suspicious Lance.

"The indications are that it's Ryan," whispered Amy. "And if Ryan wins immunity... then Mike."

Hogan processed this information thoughtfully-- rapidly narrowing down the candidates for "Kamiya traitor" in his head. It obviously wasn't Ryan or Mike. And he knew from his discussions with Joni that it wasn't her-- she said otherwise but he knew she happened to be a terrible liar. Everybody knew Joni was back with Kamiya.

That mean the traitor was Michelle or Emma. And that, decided Hogan, he could live with. All of a sudden-- any of his plans to bolt with Joni were gone. True, he didn't like Matt... he would -never- like Matt... but for now Hogan decided to stick with his team. He would be loyal to his Satos... so long as it looked like they had a chance.

"Well just remember," he pointed out, "That no matter what, there's -still- more Kamiyans than Satos. Don't let them set us up."

"Hogan," said Amy, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Can you promise you can pull apart from Joni? Can you vote for a Kamiya... even if you know she'll be voting for one of us?"

"Yeah," nodded Hogan, "I can do it if I have to. But I'll probably warn her first who the target is." He shrugged. "I should at least give her a heads up. She's been too nice to me, I don't want to be mean and just blindside her."

"Good," smiled Amy. "Because this vote is gonna be huge. This one could make or break the game."

"You really think this will work?" asked Lance, still dubious.

"It -has- to," nodded Amy. "This is the only chance we're likely to get."

"Well..." sighed Lance, and Amy and Hogan held their breath. Because it was well known that Lance was no fan of the Kamiyas-- he would freely admit it, he would denounce them in public, and he had already vowed to -never- align with one of them if he could avoid it. He just wasn't a fan of them at -all-.

"This is all we've got, Lance," implored Amy.

And then-- perhaps a bit underhanded-- she hit him where she knew it would hurt.

"If we don't do this, Lance, one of the Kamiyas will walk away with this game. This is the only gamble we've got."

And as Lance McHale stood on the shore, hands on his hips, staring out at sea-- he finally realized this was something that had to be done. There was no choice, really. He didn't like Kamiya, he didn't like -any- of them, but this decision wasn't for Kamiya. This choice was for Sato.

This was for the good guys.

"Sounds good," he nodded, to which Amy and Hogan exchanged an exuberant high-five.

And then... for the first time since the merge... Lance actually put on his red Miyagi buff. He had refused to wear it thus far, preferring to keep it in his pocket. But now he pulled it out, looped it into a criss-cross "X" pattern, and fastened it around his right elbow-- Rob Mariano style.

He was officially a Miyagi now.

And the fireworks were just about ready to begin.

^^


As the Satos already planned their victory celebration, Matt and Isabella had shoved off from shore-- in one of the three Miyagi fishing boats. Because of the small proximity of the island itself, this was really the only way one could have a completely private chat with somebody. You just hopped in a boat, shoved out to sea, and said what needed to be said.

"I was so nervous when we were talking last night," Isabella smiled, "You should have felt my heart beating in my chest. You would've laughed, it was beating so hard."

Matt grinned.

"Well I wasn't exactly calm myself," he admitted. "Besides, usually I would have been the nervous one. Talking to girls alone isn't exactly my forte."

Comments like that were the ones that had caused Isabella to have such a soft spot for Matt's plight. Because even though he talked tough and wore that mask like a hatchet killer, the kid was -still- only eighteen years old. And he was so childlike sometimes that Isabella-- even ice-queen Isabella-- had more or less fallen under his spell.

"I'm not nervous cause of you, silly," she giggled, "It was because of what I was saying. And the risk I was taking."

"Well," shrugged Matt, "I'll give you that. You're taking one -hell- of a risk, but who am I to question it?"

"I'm being completely honest though," Isabella said, as she paddled slowly. "I have no ulterior motives, I have no side intentions. I just wanted you to know and I wanted people to stop lying to you. I never liked seeing it happen."

And Matt believed her. He had no choice but to believe her. He knew she was telling the truth.

"Well then let's be productive about it..." he said. "If we're so sure we want to do this, let's finish what we started. Let's get this plan off the ground."

And before Isabella could get another word out-- Matt hit her with his idea of how he wanted this to go down. As he pushed the boat across the open sea, he said the one phrase that she definitely -didn't- want to come out of his mouth.

"I want you, me and Amy to be the final three."

Isabella almost blinked in disbelief as he said this. Wait a minute, now he wanted Amy to get involved? Uh oh, that couldn't be good.

"Well..." she pretended to think it over, "Are you sure taking Amy into this is the best idea? I was kind of thinking just you and me for now. Just you and me keep this a secret. The less people that know we're working together, the better."

"I know," nodded Matt, "And I agree. It's just that Amy would be a helluva person to have on board. She'd be a good ally."

Isabella sat on this info for a moment. Or at least appeared to be sitting on it. Truth be told there was no -way- she would be taking this deal. She didn't want any part of Amy being around. She wanted Matt as an ally to herself. Having Amy on board would just make things... complicated.

"If Amy knew this..." she started, "She could easily run to tell Ryan or Joni what I've said. And then you and I would -both- be in trouble."

"Amy wouldn't do that," said Matt. "She's got more class than that." He grinned. "Plus she likes Ryan about as much as I do."

And Isabella sighed, inwardly. Right here, right now, she knew this wasn't going to work. Her plan to eliminate Ryan, eliminate Amy, and work with Matt as a covert double-team was going to be harder to achieve than she had planned.

"Well can I be blunt with you?" she finally asked.

"Why?"

"I just think we need to have some tough, serious talk right now. Just me and you." And for the first time in the game, Isabella's strategic side was starting to come out in public. Matt could tell that what she said was going to be important.

"Hit me," he said, hesitantly.

"Well like I said," Isabella explained, "I feel it's important to be very honest with you. And that -no matter what-, I want you to go far... and I'd like to work with you to vote out the other Kamiyas..."

"I hear a 'but' coming along," joked Matt.

"It's not really a 'but'," she shrugged, "It's just that I know you like and trust Amy... but at the final five she could -easily- vote me and you out, simply because she knows we'd be more of a threat. She could very well take someone like Lance or Hogan to the final two, just because they're an easier win." She shrugged. "We both know Amy is a good player... and I don't know if I'd trust her to do what was best for the two of us, once we got down to it."

Matt was silent as he listened to this. Then he turned to look back at the island. Sure enough, there was his friend Amy-- and she was going for a swim. She dove happily in the water, not a care in the world. And right there and then, Matt knew he didn't want to sell her out. He wouldn't do that. To Beth, maybe-- but certainly not to Amy. Matt simply didn't have it in him.

"How about this?" he suggested. "We vote out Ryan first... and then we take out Hogan. Everyone's scared Hogan will jump sides anyway..."

"Hmm..." Isabella sighed again. This was getting to be hopeless. Matt simply wasn't going to budge. "Well, you know Matt that I said I'd always be honest with you."

"Yeah."

"And so right now I'm just gonna say it. I just don't think I can take this offer right now." She shrugged, sadly. "Do with that what you may."

"I understand," said Matt, staring at the sea.

"If I make a deal with you," she finished, "I want you to know it's the truth. So I'll flat out tell you, I don't like this deal if Amy is involved."

Matt was silent. He simply stared at the water, though he was starting to look angry.

"But whatever I decide to do tonight," Isabella explained, "Please know that everything I've said to you is true. I want to take the Kamiyas down, and I won't be voting you out. I will never lie to you and I've always hated how my team treated you."

"But you're still voting for Amy..." Matt said, softly.

"I didn't say that," she explained. "I'm just saying... whatever I decide to do..."

Matt glared at the sea angrily now. Suddenly he started to feel like he had been had. Suddenly she was talking like all this strategy talk had been for nothing.

"Look," Isabella said, not wanting him to leave this discussion on the wrong foot, "I know I'm not as good a talker as some of the people in this game, but I want you to believe I'm not leading you on. It's hard to get my thoughts out sometimes... but maybe I can show you."

"How?"

"Do you still have those shark-tooth necklaces? The ones you were carving?"

Matt nodded and reached into his pocket. Out came a handful of shark teeth, several of which he had been carving into necklaces for his tribemates.

"Well how about this?" Isabella said. She plucked one of the large white teeth out of his hand. She then smiled and reached into her own pocket-- where she had stashed a needle. This was one of the items Danielle had found back on day two at Kamiya, part of an old medical supply kit long abandoned in the jungle.

And as Matt looked on, Isabella carved a simple word into the shark tooth. She carved four little letter-- E-M-M-A.

"There," she smiled. "If I -ever- deceive you, all you have to do is show that tooth to someone, and I can easily be voted off. You have more than enough info on me to get it done, if you wanted to. Because my idea is that you and I should trade necklaces... like a pact. Just a symbol of proof that we can trust one another."

"Fine," said Matt, shrugging. And then he did the same thing, he carved his name into a shark tooth. The two of them exchanged their necklaces, each slipping them into a pocket.

"So this is a pact that we'll be friends," she smiled. "And we'll always tell the truth to one another." And then, after a long pause, she said the words he knew were coming next. It wasn't like she hadn't been hinting at it.

"But as it stands now, this deal isn't going to happen. I can't commit to any deal with Amy in it, and I'm being completely on the level with you. I'm just telling you the truth."

"Fine then."

"And I just want you to know now," she finished, "That I'll be helping Kamiya to vote out Amy tonight. I'm sorry but that's just something I have to do."

Isabella wanted to talk about this some more, but she knew that any further discussion was going to be pointless. Matt didn't trust Isabella enough to go and vote for Amy, nor was Matt willing to put his best friend's neck in the noose so soon before the end of the game. And it disappointed her greatly, but that was just the way it was going to be. The two of them would just have to be on separate sides on this issue.

For now.

"I think it's best," she shrugged, "If we just go back to shore. I don't think we'll get much else discussed out here."

"I agree."

And just like that, the Sato plans to get back in this game had once again been decimated.



^^



Back at the beach, Matt and Isabella parted and agreed to go their separate ways. And Isabella could tell by his body language that Matt Carter was furious. He wouldn't look at her, he didn't offer a handshake, nothing. He just stalked off across the sand, hands in his pockets, head down in anger. He looked much like a young man whose girlfriend had just dumped him-- which, in a way, she had. And Isabella had to remind herself that Matt was still only 18 years old. He was barely out of high school. And much as she hadn't intended to hurt his feelings... he was probably going to take this personally.

"I feel bad for him," she confessed, as he walked away across the sand, "But there's only three things I want in this game right now- and that's to help Matt... and to get Ryan and Amy out of here as soon as possible." She shrugged, helplessly, but she wasn't about to budge on these issues.

"Besides," she continued, "If he wanted to make this a secret final three deal, he shouldn't be choosing Amy! We all -know- those two are close, so why on earth would I want her involved in this? He might as well have picked Ryan!"

She sighed.

"You know," she said, walking slowly along the shore, "I like Matt a lot. He's a good player and probably likes to think he doesn't play emotionally-- but he does. He's under Amy's spell and I don't think there's a heck of a lot I can do to break him out from underneath it."

She laughed, ironically.

"And it's funny that he thinks he's trying to save her, when all he's -really- doing is making me want her gone even more. He's basically accelerating her dismissal by trying to protect her."

But she still smiled, merrily, as if she didn't have a care in the world. Because she still knew it could work. Hopefully, after Amy went tonight, she could -still- pull Matt into some kind of deal. Assuming he didn't hold a grudge, anyway. She hoped he would be more mature than that.

"I said I'd never lie to him anymore," she explained, "And I won't. That's why I told him my plans to vote out Amy so bluntly." She stared off absently at the sea as she spoke. "Sometimes the best way to break terrible news is to do it fast and honestly. That way even if someone doesn't -like- what you're saying, at least maybe they'll understand why you're doing it."

She sighed. Then she started to walk again.

"But lesson learned. Everyone makes mistakes in this game, and I guess I do too. I just figured out the hard way that just because I want to help someone..."

She shook her head, sadly.

"... Doesn't mean they want to help -me- too."



^^



And though Isabella expected Matt to be disappointed, what she -didn't- expect was that he would immediately go and tell everybody. All of a sudden Matt was forced to tell the Satos that the deal was off. Emma wasn't flipping. Nobody would be saved.

"Emma lied to me," he explained to Lance and Amy. "She set us all up. She now says she's going to vote for Amy tonight."

"Dangit!" said Amy, as she put her hands on her hips and looked up at the sky.

"I'm sorry," said Matt, "But she just wasn't interested anymore."

"That's disappointing," said Lance, as he stared down at the sand.

"Well all I can ask," said Amy, "Is -please- don't tell Hogan about this yet. Let me tell him. If he knows we're in trouble he'll go running to Joni and start pressuring her. I want to make sure he doesn't do more damage and scare her off forever."

"I'm sorry," shrugged Matt, guiltily, "But I saw him on the way over here. I told him already. He knows."

"Crap."

"Sorry," said Matt, softly.

And as the three Satos stood in a small circle, knowing this was likely the last time they would be doing so, a strange feeling of calmness overtook them. All of a sudden... all the stress, all the uncertainty, and all the negativity of Okinawa washed away. In one fell swoop, the three of them were suddenly overcome by the beauty of this beach-- the majesty of the place they were stranded, on this little small island in the sea.

And despite the fact that rain clouds were gathering ominously overhead... it was almost a feeling of joy. A feeling like... well at least things can't get any worse anymore... we might as well just enjoy it.

"I just want to say," said Lance, as he reached to shake Amy's hand, "That it has been an honor to play with you, Amy. I want to thank you for always being a friend."

"Oh Lance," she smiled, "Don't. You're going to make me cry."

"Just take heart," he shrugged, "That these people are going to be -hated-. At least when we go out, we'll do it with class. We'll do it with our dignity intact."

"Well thanks," she smiled, as she leaned over to embrace Lance in a hug, "I adore you too, Lance."

She paused, and then added:

"But at least you'll be here for three more days. Make sure you use them." She poked him in the chest, playfully. "Use them well."

"I will."

Matt looked on sadly as Amy and Lance said their goodbyes.

"I can promise you," Lance added, "That if I'm here for three more days, -anything- goes. If I have nothing to lose-- then I'll do anything to keep Kamiya from winning." He nodded, grimly. "Picture Boston Rob at Rotu. I'll do -anything- to keep my butt safe. I'll expose -everybody- if I have to."

Amy laughed out loud, clapping her hands together.

"I would -love- to see you turn Boston Rob, Lance. You should do it!"

"But this isn't right," Lance said, shaking his head. "The powers above wouldn't allow these five to cake-walk to the finals. It won't happen."

Amy shrugged. There was very little she could do about it right now, other than win the first individual immunity. And frankly, she doubted very much she had it in her. Not against the big boys of Miyagi.

"Well all I can say is thank you for being around, Lance," Amy hugged him again. "Thank you for keeping me sane."

Then she turned to Matt. She had no idea how noble he had been in sparing her... and now it hadn't even made a difference. Amy was going to be voted out anyway.

"Hey Big Red," she smiled, embracing the young man in a hug. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

"All I can say..." Matt said, "Is that when my number's up, I aint goin' down with a whimper. I'll have a chainsaw and shotgun firmly in hand." He grinned, sadly.

Amy hugged him, quietly, as Matt fought back his first tears of the game.

"Peace out, Mrs. R," he whispered.

Amy pulled back, and it was clear that she was about to cry too. First the first time in the game, the emotion of the moment was about to overcome her.

"We're all voting for Ryan tonight," she asked, wiping absently at one of her eyes. "Right? Is the plan still Ryan?"

"I'd vote for Emma," Matt shrugged, "But since you're the target, it's really your call."

"I want to vote for Ryan," she nodded. "If that's okay with you guys. I think he's the only one the Kamiyas don't like. And if we have -any- chance of a stray vote against someone... it's gotta be him."

And so it was decided. Sato would be standing strong... and Sato would be voting together. No matter what happened, they would all be voting as a bloc. Probably for the last time in the game.

"And I'll do my best to keep Hogan with us," Amy said, still brushing away a few stray tears. "I'd like to at least say we all went down as a team. I don't want Kamiya to know they broke us."

"Never," whispered Lance.

And with one last group hug, the Satos-- minus Hogan-- now said their final goodbyes.



^^



Hogan and Joni picked up the treemail just after dinner. It was just about time for the first individual immunity and, at the moment, Hogan was clinging to Joni like a second shirt. As Amy had feared, Hogan had been trying to guilt trip his Kamiyan counterpart for nearly the past two hours.

"All I'm saying is this," he said, placing his walking stick firmly in the ground. "I know -you- tell me that you're with Sato, but I've heard from just about everyone else that you're with the enemy. And I know I sound desperate but it's a bit disturbing that I've been hearing it all day."

"Hogan," sighed Joni, as she plucked the treemail out of the container, "Look, I don't know how I can be any more clear with you. I've told you that I'm voting with you, and I've told them that I'm voting with them. So who -cares- what they tell you?"

"Well I'm just asking you as a friend," he implored, "We all know Kamiya's voting for Amy. And you and I both know the Satos are voting for Ryan. So please... -please- as a friend and ally, vote with us tonight. Vote against Ryan."

"I already told you I would."

"Will you take the Scout Oath on it? Will you promise?"

And really, by now Joni had just about had enough. Of -course- she was going to vote for Amy tonight, that had never been an issue! But for whatever reason, she didn't feel like dealing with Hogan if he knew that. It just wasn't worth the trouble, because the guy was as persistent as all get out. He just didn't let things go.

"Look," she said, "I'll swear. Just calm down, I'll swear on it."

She held up her right hand, knowing fully well this wouldn't do anything to help. In five minutes he would be asking her again, just as before. Oh that she wished she were back at camp. She wished he hadn't followed her out here. And mainly she just wished they got tonight's vote out of the way... and fast.

Because no matter -what- happened, things were going to be ugly.



^^



The treemail for today said that the challenge would happen right at Tribal Council-- a fact that threw up danger signals to all the Kamiyans. Because these were hardcore players-- they knew when something was up. When you had a challenge right before Tribal Council, that meant just one thing:

You would vote without having a chance to discuss.

"And that's why we need to do the signals tonight," Michelle explained. "So just in case something gets sprung on us... we'll all be on the same page. We're not going to let a twist beat us."

The five Kamiyans were huddled in a group near the shelter, going over their last minute plans for the vote. And though the skies had darkened above-- rain tonight was more or less inevitable-- right now it was still clear out. The skies right now were as clear as the voting plans.

"Okay," Michelle went on, "The plan is still Amy. But..." she paused, "If something weird happens, it's going to be Ryan's call. He'll be picking the bootee in his answers to Jeff."

She turned to Ryan.

"What did you come up with?"

"This is good," Ryan chuckled. He rubbed his hands together, gleefully. "At some point Jeff will ask if everyone is doing their fair share around camp. And the number I give will be the person who gets the axe." He grinned. "I'll say something like, 'Well Jeff, two people aren't doing their fair share.' And that number is the one that goes."

The players around him nodded. Not bad. Not a bad idea at all.

"Number one is Amy," Ryan explained, "Two is Lance. Three is Hogan. And four is Matt. It's just right down the pecking order. Should be simple."

"I like it," smiled Mike, as he clapped Ryan on the shoulder. "Good job."

"So everyone listen to Ryan's answers," Michelle intoned, over-explaining things as usual, "Listen to what he says and we should all be safe."

"And we're still marking our ballots," Mike asked, "Correct?"

"Yes," said Michelle, "I hate to do that but after the last vote, it would just make me feel better." She looked around. "Everybody know what their symbol is?"

"I'm writing "GP"," Mike said, "Gnome Power."

"I'm putting an asterisk," said Joni.

"I'm putting a 'K'," said Isabella.

"And I'm putting an X," Michelle nodded. "Ryan, what were you writing again?"

"I'm gonna write 'ah ah ah.'" He smiled, mischievously.

"What does that mean?"

"I have no idea," Ryan shrugged. "It's just funny."

And with that, the five Kamiyas put their hands into the middle.

"This is where we make or break the game, guys," explained Michelle, "I trust everyone to do the smart thing... and kick those Satos out of the game. Let's Pagong their asses."

"Does Amy know she's going for sure?" Joni asked, suddenly. "Did anyone warn her?"

"Ryan, Mike and I told her," Michelle said, "About twenty minutes ago. We told her it was because she was an open, honest caring person that people are drawn to. We said she was too much of a leader."

"I said she was a Gretchen," Ryan added. "She seemed to like that."

"Okay," sighed a relieved Joni. Well at least that calmed her guilt somewhat. At least it wouldn't be a blindsiding.

"So let's start this thing off with a bang," grinned Michelle, "Tonight should be a lot of fun. No matter what Jeff throws at us, we'll be ready. We outsmarted the last twist and we'll outsmart any others ones too!"



^^



The Tribal Council situation at this stage of the game was a bit different-- as the players would need to be ferried over to the mainland. They would be heading to the same Shinto Temple as before... but this time they would need to be ferried.

And in an odd change to the usual ferry protocol-- this time the players would be going alone.

For the rest of the game, the Miyagi tribe would be ferried -individually- to the Tribal Council set over on the mainland. And now, as they made their first voyage, each player sat by his or herself in a boat, accompanied by a cameraman and an oarsman, as they sat alone with their thoughts... watching the approaching coastline slowly draw near.

And best of all, with solitude came a last opportunity for a confessional, just before the big night began. One by one, the players gave their thoughts... as they were slowly shuttled across the ever-darkening Okinawan waters.

"I think I've played the most strategic game thus far out of everyone," Michelle said, as she held her baseball cap with one hand to protect it against the wind. "Mike and Ryan don't know all the strings I've pulled behind their backs. Emma is really the only one who knows, and I like her, but this game isn't about like anymore. Chris was the -only- person I could trust... and since he left, I've only been playing for myself." She grinned, proudly. "And at the moment, I've think I've put myself in the best position to win out of anybody." She laughed. "But tonight at the immunity challenge... well that's where the -real- game begins!"

Meanwhile in the boat behind her, Mike was giving a confessional of his own. Squeezed into the narrow confines of the three-man boat, Mike looked clearly uncomfortable with the tight quarters... but his words gave away none of his discomfort. For Mike had been more or less a changed man lately. His mind was finally at peace with this game... and it had been a long time coming.

"My fear tonight," Mike explained, "Is that Ryan will finally make his move. He's been hinting at it for days, and tonight is the -one- time he could actually screw us over. And that's why it is -essential- for me to win immunity tonight. I know most of the Kamiyas don't care if they win the challenge, but I don't want to be caught in the open if Ryan decides to backstab us. So I'll be putting everything into this one, simply out of fear of betrayal."

Mike then laughed.

"I don't think people have noticed that I've been laying low lately. No one seems to notice Mike's new "laid-back" strategy. But hey, that's great for me. I'll just let Michelle and Ryan lead the way... while I just stay back at camp and do all the work." He nodded. "That's why you'll be seeing a much -different- Mike for the rest of the game. I plan on be honest and nice, trying to get people to respect me." He shrugged. "It'll be tough, but it could pay off if I ever get to the end." He paused. "I think it's starting to work already, especially with Lance. I promised to warn him if he's ever in danger, and he'll do the same for me. Plus I've got a good relationship with Matt, and Amy seemed to appreciate that I came to warn her she was going. So I think things are going well right now."

He stared off into the darkness, at the approaching sight of the Tribal Council stage. And he just hoped that-- no matter what-- Ryan Rebez would remain true tonight. Just one vote, that's all it would take-- and then Kamiya would have this thing in the bag. Then they could ditch Ryan on their own.

A third confessional on the trip was given by Lance McHale, who stared up at the darkening sky as he crossed the sea. Because in Lance's mind, that sky was clearly symbolic of what was about to happen. They were all being given a message.

"The gods don't like this," he half-smiled, looking up. "They're showing their displeasure with the direction of this game." Then he looked back down, staring at the form of Amy Twieg, who sat in the boat just before him. He stared at her back, as she sat peacefully in her very own boat.

"I'm looking at my best friend right now," he said, somberly, "And I look at her knowing that she could go home tonight. I look at her knowing that nothing -any- of us do can save her tonight... unless she manages to pull off a miracle."

Lance sighed.

"And if she gets spared then I go instead. There's just not a worse feeling in the world. Her or me, and what can you do about it? If I root for my friend, then I go home instead." He shook his head, sadly. "I wouldn't wish that feeling onto anybody else in the world, not even the Kamiyas."

And the final confessional for the evening was given by Joni Newman, who sat in the very last boat. The young dancer from Utah was the first to feel the telltale drops of rain on her head, and she knew this storm was going to be a doozy. She covered her head with both hands, staring out across the sea as her boat was paddled.

"Throughout Survivor history," she explained, "There's always been a swing vote. There's always been that one person in the middle-- the one -everybody- tries to sway just before the vote. And then on TV you see them writing down their ballot, but you never see the name." She laughed, bitterly. "Yeah, that's me. I'll be the vote nobody will be seeing tonight, because I'm the important one. I'm the one that will make it five to four."

She shook her head, amused by the irony of it all.

"Normally I'd love to say I was important, but tonight being important stinks. Because no matter which way I go, I'll make people mad. Tomorrow I'll have people mad at me, no matter what I do."

She scowled slightly, as more raindrops started to hit her head and shoulders.

"But I'm not really trying to keep you in suspense. I mean, my loyalty was -always- to Michelle and Emma, and it was never a question of who I would vote for at the merge." She shrugged. "I'm going with Kamiya tonight and I'm voting out Amy, much as it plagues me to do. And sure... I don't like Mike and Ryan any more than I usually do... but I figure we can hide behind Mike's strength for a while afterwards. We'll have to be patient, but we can take him out later."

And though Joni was confident this was the smart choice... she, like Mike, was already having some ominous feelings about tonight's challenge and vote. She was trying her best to brush them aside, but something about all of this was starting to spook her.

Maybe it was the weather.

Maybe it was the individual boat trips.

Maybe it was the ease with which it was all supposed to go down.

But something was gnawing at her right now. There was something not quite "right" about all of this, and despite all her confidence right now, Joni would be the first to admit that something didn't feel good in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong.

"And I don't know what it is..." she added, looking around at the eerie picture of nine boats slowly being ferried across the blackened sea, "I hope it's just the rain."

She shuddered.

"But I just get the sense that something -bad- is bound to come out of this... no matter what happens."



^^



The players entered the temple one by one-- all nine of them walking through the now familiar archway as a group. And Jeff was silent as he stood before them. His hands clasped behind his back, he directed them to put their packs down and stand in a single file line.

Once this was completed, he nodded. And as the storm passed by overhead, the only sound inside was the beating of raindrops against the roof. That, and the light crackling of the fire. It was an eerie combination, but it was also very fitting.

Because it was finally time for the immunity challenge to begin.

"Welcome guys," said Jeff, as he stood before them somberly. And while the temple was familiar to them all, it somehow seemed a little different tonight. It was a little darker... a little more sinister... the shadows were somehow longer and the air was definitely thicker. And it took only a few moments for most of them to figure out why: For the first time ever, the fire in the center of the room was nearly out. Instead of the usual roaring blaze in the center of the temple, the players were looking only at burning embers and a tiny flickering of flame. And to make things even more surreal... the shadows from the firepit bounced off the walls of the wooden temple at crazy angles... as well as off the stony face of Jeff Probst in front of them.

"Welcome to your first individual immunity challenge," he said slowly. "Immunity, once again back up for grabs. But first... I need to take back the idol."

He motioned to Hogan Mueller, and the young Eagle Scout handed over the much beloved immunity idol. Its time in the game would be no more. Jeff placed it down on the ground, where it remained.

"New game," he said, "New goal. For as you are well aware, this is now an -individual- game. So you will no longer be playing for an idol. You are now playing for this..."

He brought out a small burlap sack, as something metallic inside it clinked. Jeff reached in and pulled out a large golden object. It appeared to be a sun... a large golden sun. And the sun was attached to a green and yellow ribbon, which Jeff promptly held up-- for all to see.

"This is what you are playing for now-- The immunity amulet," he explained. "And as the sun is the symbol of life in Okinawa, so too it is now the symbol of -your- life in this game. This sum amulet is what you want to be wearing around your neck. This is the only way you'll be safe from the vote."

Jeff turned around, where a wooden object like a coat rack stood. There were several pegs jutting out from it-- four in all-- and Jeff hung the amulet up from the top peg.

"So the sun amulet is officially now up for grabs. But first..."

He smiled.

"First we have a little business to take care of." He paused, and then turned his head towards the Kamiya side. "Throughout the game we have had certain penalties... or certain incentives... if a team did not play by the rules. And while Kamiya was once -warned- about refusing to participate in the challenges, in the Basket Case challenge they chose to defy this rule. So for this breach of the rules, Kamiya has been penalized. Just after the challenge, each member of Sato was asked to vote for -one- of the Kamiyas to sit out of the first individual immunity..."

Jeff then turned to Ryan.

"...and Ryan, you were chosen by the Satos to sit out. Please take a seat, you will not be participating and you -cannot- win immunity tonight."

Ryan shrugged slightly and sat down. He wasn't particularly surprised, especially because Hogan had already leaked this bit of news to him earlier today. Hogan wasn't always good about keeping secrets.

"So here's the deal," said Jeff. "Your challenge tonight will be based on one thing." He smiled. "-Willpower-. It will basically be a contest of -who- wants to win this the most and -who- has the strength to do so. Because you'll be holding up one of these for as long as you can."

Jeff reached under his podium and produced a small bronze statue. It was shaped like a man with a fishing pole... and it looked rather heavy.

"You'll each be holding up one of these in the palm of your hand. You'll each get a statue, and you'll each have to hold it up... for as long as you physically can. You'll stand in a circle around the firepit and will square off."

Jeff held the statue up on one of his palms. He placed it up at eye level and stared directly at it.

"The statue must remain above your armpit level at all times. If your hand drops below your armpit... you are out. If the statue falls off your hand... you are out. If you use your other hand to balance it at all... you are out." He nodded. "Any questions?"

Michelle raised her hand, but Jeff answered before she even had a chance to ask.

"No, they aren't solid bronze. The statues are mostly filled with sand, but they still weigh about five pounds... so it will take some concentration just to keep your hand steady and the statue up in the air. And unless anyone else has a question... we'll be ready to begin."

^^


The eight players-- all of them but Ryan-- took their places in in a circle around the firepit. Jeff handed them each a statue and watched as each player balanced the small bronze object in their palm. Off to the side, Ryan sat on a bench, watching half-heartedly.

"This is for immunity," Jeff said. "Your first individual immunity and a chance to wear the sun amulet." He paused. "Survivors ready... GO!"

There was nothing but silence as eight palms were raised into the air... and eight statues were suddenly held aloft. And Jeff said nothing. He just watched... waiting to see who would drop out first. And he wasn't surprised when Matt Carter decided this would be the perfect time for some chitchat.

"He, do you guys mind if I sing?" asked Matt.

A few players groaned, particularly Mike next to him. Mike appeared to be trying very hard to concentrate.

"It's karaoke night!" said Matt, gleefully. "Anyone have any suggestions? I'm taking suggestions here, anyone got a favorite?"

"How about the 'Let's be quiet' song," joked Amy. "We teach the kids that in Primary. Can we do that one?"

"I second that," said an annoyed looking Michelle.

"Meh," said Matt, shrugging ever so slightly. And then his smile turned from gleeful to something a little more sinister. He flashed a quick glance at Isabella... who was standing two spots over to his left. And she was surprised to see that he looked angry with her. Matt appeared to be -very- angry with her.

"I got a good idea," he said, bitingly, "How about I sing 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia'?" He stared at Isabella now, and she stared right back. "I think I heard somebody suggest that."

There was silence for a moment at this choice-- but few people really got the meaning. They didn't realize he was trying to make a statement here-- one directed right at Isabella, who everybody still believed was from Georgia.

"Alright..." Matt said. And now he began to sing... as a few of the players groaned in protest. "The devil went down to Georgia, he was lookin' for a soul to steal. He was in a bind, he was way behind... and he was lookin' to make a deal..."

Matt glared at Isabella as he sang these words, drawing them out ever so slowly... just so she would catch his meaning. But she returned his gaze with a fixed one of her own... and she also had a message. It said, simply: -Don't do this. This isn't a fight you want to pick right now.-

And as the song ended, Matt now moved onto his second selection. Now he started singing "The Bitch is Back." And to Isabella, the meaning could not be more clear. Matt was now drawing the battle lines. Sighing, she lowered her hand to her side. She wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway-- she just didn't have the upper body strength required for this challenge.

"Emma," said Jeff, "Becomes the game's first victim. Please take a seat next to Ryan."

And the challenge was now down to seven.

"Can I tempt any of you guys to give up?" asked Jeff, merrily. But he didn't even have time to hear a response, as two arms suddenly dropped at the exact same moment. Both Michelle and Matt's strength seemed to have given out, and both of them were immediately eliminated from the challenge.

"You didn't even hear what I was offering!" said Jeff.

"Do we get it anyway?" asked a hopeful Michelle.

"Sorry," smiled Jeff, not sorry in the slightest, "You were about fifteen seconds too early..."

"Well," she asked, "Does Matt at least have to stop singing?"

"Yes," nodded Jeff, to which there was murmured assent from around the room. Ryan actually started to applaud from his bench on the side. But Matt and Michelle took their seats on the bench... though Matt sat as far away from Isabella as possible. He just wasn't going to be subtle about it, now was he?

The minutes passed as five players now remained in the game. And in particular... most of the attention was focused on the two females standing side-by-side. Both Amy and Joni appeared to be putting forth a valiant effort... as they tried their best to compete with the much larger males. Joni especially seemed to be out of place, especially when compared to Hogan and Mike across from her. Why, she was barely half their size!

Next to Joni, Amy had her eyes closed... concentrating as hard as she could on keeping her statue aloft. Because she needed immunity. She needed it -bad-, and she wasn't about to give up. Not even when there wasn't a chance in heck she would be winning-- she was still determined to hang in this thing as long as she could.

And though Amy's arm shook from the pain this position was causing... it was the statue to the left of her that first fell to the ground.

-CLANK!-

Joni's statue toppled off her palm and down to the ground with a thud. And while she had done well for herself, eventually Joni's arm had just given out. She muttered something to herself as Jeff asked her to take a seat. But Isabella gave Joni a congratulatory pat on the back... and the game was down to four.

The contest had passed the fifteen minute mark by now, and Jeff announced this fact to everybody.

"Fifteen minutes have passed... four players remaining." He smiled. "Which one feels like they need it the most?"

Amy stood on one side of the fire all by herself. Her eyes still closed, she was focusing all her energy on the task at hand. It was clear to all that she was struggling... but the three men across from her were not exactly having a cakewalk either. Mike's eyes were closed and so were Lance's. Hogan was the only one with eyes still open... as his arm hadn't even begun to waver yet.

"Obviously these four feel like they need immunity tonight," said Jeff, drawing out the words slowly. And he watched... and waited... as the contest soon passed twenty minutes.

"Twenty minutes down," he said. "Any of you want to step down right now? Anyone willing to give up?"

At this, he produced a small silver platter. And on the platter rested a large meaty hamburger... along with a side of french fries.

"First one to step down gets this burger." He grinned. "Do I have any takers?"

No one said a word. Amy appeared oblivious to anything going on around her, she hadn't even realized Jeff was speaking. Across from her, Lance now stared at the fire, trying his best to stay focused. Mike was focusing on the statue in his palm. And Hogan had now finally closed his eyes.

Jeff shrugged and handed the hamburger to the players out of the game. The five of them devoured it, hungrily, as Mike looked on in sad protest.

And the contest passed twenty-five minutes.

"An impressive showing," said Jeff, as he watched the four willful gladiators hold their palms in the air. "I didn't think we'd last this long. But four players are now obviously tiring... you can just see it."

He watched now, slowly narrating as he waited for something to happen.

"So who wants it the most? Which one of you can block out the pain?"

And that was the moment that Amy's statue finally slipped off of her palm. She had been battling it for what seemed like ages... and now it was over. Amy's arm shook -just- hard enough to knock the statue to the floor and, with a very un-Mormonlike curse, she was eliminated.

"Down to three..." said Jeff.

Amy took a seat on the bench and was greeted by congratulations and pats on the back. Michelle in particular looked happy to see her eliminated. But Amy was forced to watch now as the final three men all battled it out for immunity. All three men-- Mike, Lance and Hogan-- had their eyes tightly shut, all three obviously in a lot of pain. Jeff watched them silently, making no attempt to get anybody to step down and quit. It was clear to him that -nobody- would be giving up voluntarily at this point. All three of them simply wanted it too badly.

Thirty minutes passed.

There was nothing but silence in the room now as the players watched in awe. No one expected this kind of durability. This was almost inhuman! But finally... at thirty-two minutes... one of the three gladiators finally fell. Finally the contest was down to two.

Hogan Mueller had not been concentrating... and the statue in his hand now dropped slightly below his armpit. It was only for a split second, but that was all it took.

"Hogan," said Jeff, "Your arm dropped too low. You have been eliminated."

Hogan opened his eyes in surprise. He'd had no idea his arm had been dipping. And the spectators on the bench reacted with surprise as well-- for it looked like Hogan had been handling the pain the best of them all. To most observers, he was looking like the favorite to win this. But now he was eliminated, as the young Eagle Scout took his place on the bench.

And it was now down to the final two-- Lance McHale against Mike Ruff.

Sato versus Kamiya.

Lance stood to the left... his eyes closed tightly shut. He appeared to be talking to himself, saying something under his breath to keep himself going. And while he clearly wasn't as strong as the big man to his right, Lance was more or less just refusing to give up. He wasn't about to lose this, not to Mike, not to anybody. Lance was matching the big man right down to the wire.

Mike stood to the right... the burly cameraman clearly used to holding up heavy objects for long periods of time. Like Hogan before him, he didn't appear to be in too much pain... yet... but Mike's arm had been wavering up and down at dangerous levels every so often. But like Lance, he too refused to lose this one. Mike wanted immunity and Mike wanted it badly. He wasn't about to give in.

Jeff now watched, intently, as the contest slowly started to draw to a close.

Thirty-three minutes passed...

Lance remained focused... his eyes still tightly shut.

Mike also had his eyes closed... and was now starting to show visible signs of fatigue. A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead, followed by several more.

And though both contestants put forth superhuman efforts... alas, one of them eventually had to fall. And just after thirty-four minutes... the contest -finally- came to an end.

Despite all his concentration... all his effort... and all his determination... Lance just didn't have the upper body strength to match his bigger opponent. His arm dropped now as Lance gasped in pain, fire racing from his right shoulder all the way down to his wrist. And though he had given it his best, Lance McHale had just been eliminated.

The contest was over.

"Mike!" announced Jeff, "Wins immunity! At thirty-four minutes and twenty seconds."

Mike smiled broadly as Lance was the first one to congratulate him. Mike and Lance exchanged a handshake as the rest of the players started to applaud. Then Jeff walked over to place the sun amulet around Mike's neck-- which caused the big man to grin from ear to ear. Mike would now be safe for the vote... and he was -ecstatic-.

No matter what Ryan might decide to do tonight, Mike would be safe.

"And if you'll take your places," smiled Jeff, "I think we're just about ready to begin Tribal Council. Please take your seats."


^^



Most of the early questions were based on the dynamics of the new camp: Sato living with Kamiya-- who got along, who called the shots. And most of the answers were fairly unenlightening. It turned out this group was turning into a -wonderful- batch of bullshit artists. Nobody seemed to want to fess up to anything. Everybody claimed to get along great.

So then Jeff moved on to the... stickier... issues.

"Michelle," he smiled, "What was your reaction when you first saw that Sato had voted out Christopher? Did it make a difference to you guys what Sato did over at their camp?"

And Michelle smiled at Jeff, sweetly. -Nice try-, she thought.

"This is a game, Jeff," she lied, "And someone has to go at every Tribal Council. Chris was just another player in this game, no more, no less."

"Well then let's move on to something else," Jeff stated, "The next challenge-- Basket Case. 'Cause it looked-- to me-- like Kamiya didn't even want to compete. Did that surprise you when you saw it? Joni?"

"I won't lie to you, Jeff," said Joni, "Cause I was excited. That was my team saving me, and I've never been more grateful." She paused. "If they hadn't done that, I would be gone today."

"So you weren't shocked at all?"

"They did what they had to," Joni said, flatly. "And I appreciated it."

"So does that mean," Jeff smiled, "That you're voting down old Tribal Lines tonight? Does that mean you vote for a Sato?"

"Oh no," Joni said, "It doesn't mean anything. Because no matter what, my vote tonight is hard for me personally. It's selfish, it's simply for my own reasons, and it sucks." She paused. "I'm voting for someone tonight who I once said I'd never vote for. And in doing so, it's making me into a liar."

"But would it be safe to assume," Jeff smiled, "That this vote is going for a Sato?"

"Yes," said Joni, after a long pause. "It would be safe to say that."

Amy stared at the ground now, frustrated. Well if that wasn't a death knell, she didn't know -what- was. Gee, thanks Joni. Love you too.

"What about you, Lance," said Jeff, turning, "I know you've expressed anger at the way Kamiya handled themselves at the last challenge. I know you've stated before that what they did was shameless. Anything to add?"

"I'm not here," Lance said, shaking his head, "To point fingers or pass judgment on people, Jeff. Yes it's true that I didn't agree... but this isn't the place to bring up grudges. This is a place for reflection."

"But you didn't like it, correct?"

"No I didn't." Lance stared ahead at the fire. "-No one- deserves to be sent home in that manner, Jeff, no matter what the scenario. Beth had her life in this game taken out of her hands, and she didn't have a chance to defend herself." He shrugged. "But like I said, it was their decision, and it stands. I had no say in the matter so it really doesn't matter what I think."

"Well then," smiled Jeff, "I guess we'll just get right on down to business here." He smiled. "Who do you vote for tonight, and why? Amy?"

"I'm voting for Ryan," she said, looking defeated, "Simply because a lot of people want him to go. And that's the only chance I think I've got."

"So you think you're going tonight?"

"They've -told- me I'm going tonight," Amy half-laughed. "So yeah, I'd say it's a decent chance it could be me."

"So you'd like to have that sun amulet around your neck."

"Jeff, I would -love- to have that beautiful little sun around my neck." Amy smiled. "You might say it's my only real wish in the world."

"So what about you, Ryan," said Jeff, "Who do you vote for tonight?"

And finally... for the first time since questioning began... Ryan finally got to use his signal. Finally, the Kamiyan steamroller was ready to roll. And as expected, Ryan's signal came for good old number one-- Amy.

"There is -one- person here," said Ryan, "Who isn't contributing..."

But suddenly something happened that caught even Jeff off guard. Suddenly an outburst came from the left side of the bench. And for the first time all evening-- some actual venom came pouring out of one of the players' mouths.

"That's the signal," Matt said, bitterly. "Ryan just gave them all the signal of who to vote for."

"What?" asked Jeff.

"Ryan just gave the number of the player who's supposed to go home. And ten bucks says number one means Amy."

Isabella shot Matt a quick look of disgust. -Shut up,- it was meant to say. She had told him this information under the strictest of confidence this morning-- she had told him that Ryan would be the one doing the signaling. And in her mind, Matt had suddenly crossed the line into being an idiot. Either that or a vindictive asshole. Suddenly he apparently wanted to bring them -both- down.

"Sato is dead," Matt explained, "Much as I'd like to say otherwise. They're all going to vote together and Ryan just gave them the signal."

Michelle and Mike suddenly exchanged a quick glance. How did he know that?

"A Kamiya came to me today," explained Matt, "And spilled the beans on -everything-. They told me how much they wanted to be my -friend-, how much they didn't like the rest of Kamiya and then told me the most intimate details of every Kamiya action since the first days of the switch."

"Oh shit," whispered Michelle. And immediately she cast a glance at Ryan.

"And it pisses me off," Matt continued, "Because they gave me -hope-. They dangled this carrot in front of my face, like they gave a shit, and then they said 'Oh, I'm sorry, but I've decided I won't do anything to help you."

Isabella glowered in her seat. She couldn't do a thing about this right now... and she prayed that Matt had enough common sense to just shut up right now. What on earth was he trying to do?

"It's like teasing a dog," Matt finished, "This person held a toy above my head and then pulled it away. And it's insulting, Jeff. It's insulting that someone who says they're your friend would do that to you." He paused, then added. "And don't worry, this person's name will be revealed in due time. Because if they set me up tonight... their name will soon be known by -everybody-."

"You seem a little worked up over this..." Jeff started.

"You're God damn right I am!" Matt fairly shouted. "Kamiya is voting Amy off tonight and it pisses me off. It pisses me off that -every- friend I make gets yanked away from me. It pisses me off that Kamiya does it to me -every- time-- then they act all self-righteous and say there's always a chance I could be saved." He paused, then continued. "Well is it too much to get some -fucking honesty- around here? Is that too much to ask from you people?"

No one said a word. Amy simply stared at the ground. Lance had his eyes closed, preferring not to watch. Michelle and Mike were casting worried glances at Ryan, though Ryan was trying to look as innocent as possible. He didn't do it this time, he would swear to it!

"All I'm saying," Matt finished, "Is that when I go... I'd rather be told to my face. I don't want any of this BS about how I've got a chance... and how I shouldn't give up. Hell, I know I don't have a chance of winning anymore. I know I haven't had a chance since Kamiya lied about Mike being an outcast, and then pulled the wool over all of our eyes. I know I haven't had a chance since Mike and Ryan pretended to fight for all of our benefits."

Isabella winced. Damn him.

"But at least Mike will -tell- me when I'm in danger. At least he has the sense of honor to at least treat people like fucking human beings." Matt turned away, he was just fed up with it all. "So go cast your votes. Go vote for Amy, and go circle jerk each other off afterwards. Go talk about what brilliant actors you are... and maybe someday you might impress somebody other than yourselves."

The set was quiet as Matt wound down. Jeff didn't appear to have anything to say.

"And I threw your necklace out into the sea," Matt added, cryptically, "I hope you can swim, cause it didn't mean shit to me. Go carve your name in another one, you piece of shit."

Isabella sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. Well -that- perhaps could have gone better.

"Well..." said Jeff, smiling awkwardly. Because he still had something up his sleeve. The players didn't know this yet... and Matt was most certainly going to hate this... but tonight's vote wasn't going to be as simple as most of them had planned. The questions may have ended, but it was just about time for the biggest moment of the game to begin.

It was time for the second twist in Okinawa-- the big one. And it would be happening now... right before they had a chance to vote.



^^



"Well guys," smiled Jeff, "And with that... we've now reached a turning point in the game."

He reached beneath the podium and pulled out the same burlap sack he used before. It was the one that contained the sun amulet... and he placed it on the podium. And much to the players' surprise, something inside the bag continued to clink.

"As you well know," continued Jeff, "Sometimes Survivor is a game that can be predictable. And sometimes it is a game that -cannot- be predicted. And... as you're about to find out, sometimes this game can change when you least expect it."

A few players exchanged nervous glances. Amy closed her eyes, hoping upon hope. -Please, twist, oh please just save me. Whatever is in that bag, please just save my skin!-

Amy started to pray under her breath. She started to pray very fast.

"Mike," said Jeff, "Since you won immunity... come on up here."

The big man from New York gave Jeff a -very- suspicious glance and then stood up. He walked forward towards the host, the sun amulet still dangling from his neck.

"We're starting something new today," said Jeff. "Something we've never done before on Survivor. But something that, like everything else in the game, was planned well before you guys got here."

He smiled once more... and then delivered the immortal line he had been waiting to say.

"In Okinawa, we'll be doing multiple immunities."

A few players groaned out loud. Michelle exchanged a quick worried glance with Joni. Lance shot a hopeful one at Amy, but Amy was still deep in prayer. Her eyes had yet to open at all.

Jeff moved aside now. He walked to the large coatrack-looking thing behind him and loosened a covering from the top. The covering fell aside... and the players were greeted by a large circular object. It was a large multi-colored wheel, shaped like a sun, and divided into three sections.

The green section had a large number 2 on it.

The yellow section had a large number 3 on it.

And the red section had a large number 4 on it.

"This is the Sundial," says Jeff. "And it is more or less a 'wheel of fortune.'" He smiled. "We'll be using the Sundial for -every- challenge down to the final five. And basically, what it tells us is how many players will be immune for this particular vote."

Michelle closed her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. Hogan perked up happily in his seat. Lance was suddenly smiling from ear to ear.

"So Mike," said Jeff, "Step on up and give the wheel a spin. Let's see how many of these necklaces I'll be handing out. It will be anywhere from two to four... so let's find out who all will be immune tonight."

Jeff reached into his bag and pulled out three more necklaces. Three more golden sun amulets-- which he proceeded to place on his podium.

Mike didn't like this-- he didn't like it at -all-. But he walked over to the Sundial and clutched it with one hand. With a sigh, he then spun it with all his might.

The wheel rotated around and around and around in a tight spin... the numbers and colors blurring by into one big blob of color. And after about fifteen seconds... the wheel slowed.

It slowed.

It slowed.

And stopped.

And sure enough, it stopped on the red section.

"Well look at that," said Jeff, happily. "We'll be giving out -four- immunities tonight." He smiled. "And in this challenge, as with every challenge, we'll be going down from first place in order of finish. So Lance... you finished in second place. Here's your necklace."

He tossed a necklace to Lance, who caught it with one hand, excitedly.

"Hogan, you were third. You're immune too."

Hogan happily accepted his necklace, placing it around his neck in one quick motion.

"And lucky number four..." smiled Jeff.

He didn't even have to look at Amy to know she was beaming with joy right now. Amy's face was positively glowing as she smiled from ear to ear. She couldn't believe it. Her prayers had actually been answered!

"Amy," said Jeff, "I -know- you'll be loving this."

Amy proudly placed her very own sun amulet around her neck. And she clutched it as it hung there, not believing this had actually come true. "Thank you," she whispered up to the skies above. Sometimes prayers apparently -did- come true.

And as Lance, Hogan and Amy all clutched their hard-won sun amulets, one member of Sato was sudenly feeling very vulnerable right about now. There was one Sato who remained without a necklace-- and he happened to be the one Sato who just trashed Isabella in open forum, right before she would cast a very pivotal vote.

His name was Matt Carter... and he really felt like kicking himself right about now.

"So that's that," nodded Jeff. "We have -four- people immune tonight... and will be having up to four immunities all the way down to the final five." He paused. "And again, I'm sorry to spring this on you right before the vote but... hey, it's a game of adaptation. You've already adapted to -one- twist, now you get to adapt to another."

He grinned.

"And it is -now- time to vote. Mike, you're up first."



^^



Mike Ruff walked up to the podium, still reeling from this piece of last minute news. What were the odds? What were the odds that three of the Satos would end up immune tonight? And what were the odds that the only Sato they could vote for-- Matt-- was the one they hadn't expected to lose tonight?

But-- oh well-- at least it wouldn't be that hard of a decision. It wasn't like there were any other choices.

"Matt," sighed Mike, holding up the parchment. Next to the name he had written a small "GP", per the Kamiyan ballot-marking plan. Mike was marking his ballot.

"I didn't want you to go this early," Mike explained, "But you're the only Sato I could vote for." He shrugged. "The Gnome sends his love."

Mike was followed to the podium by Joni Newman, who looked absolutely furious. Joni didn't appear to be excited at all about this new twist, and she didn't try to hide it either. She held up her ballot for Matt now-- marked with a small black asterisk, of course.

"Hopefully I can save CBS some money by voting you out," Joni seethed. "Because if this doesn't work, I'll give that guy who bleeps the swear words some overtime." She placed the ballot in the box, deliberately. "And I'm sorry I never got to know you, but this vote is pretty much by default. Good luck to you."

The third one to the podium was Matt Carter, who wore a sheepish grin as he approached. Matt was well aware he probably should have kept his mouth shut a few minutes ago. Because he was now officially the target... and he had probably shot himself in the foot with Emma for good. He may have just crossed a line he probably shouldn't have crossed.

Oops.

And like the karaoke during the challenge, Matt decided to break into song once again. With his vote for Ryan, he decided to sing AC/DC's "Highway to Hell."

"No stop signs, speed limit," he sang, "Nobody's gonna slow me down. Like a wheel, gonna spin it-- nobody's gonna mess me 'round..."

Matt finished the song and then, with a shrug, added a small little coda of his own.

"It's you or me tonight, Ryan. I'm hoping it's you, betting on me. But I'd definitely rather be sending -you- on that highway tonight... as it's been a long time coming."

Fourth to the podium was Lance McHale, who held on to his new amulet as he walked. And Lance appeared to be very much in disbelief, shaking his head in amazement as he wrote.

"You have -got- to be kidding me," he chuckled softly. "Well, this game just got interesting."

He held up a second ballot for Ryan.

"You're receiving my vote tonight," Lance explained, "Because I don't like the game you've played and I think you should be going home." He paused. "I will give you props, though, for at least being -outwardly- strategic instead of hiding behind others." Lance shrugged. "And I still think all the Kamiyas will band together and vote out Matt but... hey... you might be the one taking the walk of shame tonight instead. I can only hope."

Fifth up to the podium was an ebullient-looking Amy Twieg. The young mom from Wisconsin was visibly shaking from excitement as she reached down to uncap her pen. She then looked up and mouthed "Three more days!" excitedly at the camera.

And in a moment, once the pen was capped, she held up a third vote for Ryan Rebez.

"Ryan," she said, 'This vote comes out of respect for your position of security in the game-- hopefully I will help to topple you." She placed the ballot in the box, still in complete disbelief at this latest stroke of luck. "And I'd wish you luck, Ryan... but I'm hoping that luck belongs to Matt tonight instead."

Sixth to the podium was Michelle Kin-Fraley. And surprisingly, she didn't look too upset. Truth be told, she had though the twist was hilarious. It was wonderful, it was spectacular, and it was going to be a lot of fun. But it still didn't change the plan. A Sato was going to go tonight, no matter what happened. So who cared if it happened to be Matt?

"Matt," she said, holding up a ballot marked with an "x". "This vote wasn't supposed to be for you, but in this game we just got the unexpected thrown at us. You're the only Sato who isn't immune and, because of that, I have to vote for you. Hopefully my tribemates will figure it out and vote for you as well." She shrugged. "If not, then see you back at camp."

With three votes for Ryan and three votes for Matt, now Ryan Rebez stepped to the podium. And as with Lance, he was shaking his head in disbelief. Multiple immunities, indeed.

"Matt," he said, holding up an unmarked ballot, "It wasn't your turn, and it still might not be. But if you survive this vote and I don’t... you'd damn well better make it to the final two so I can give you a million dollars.”

The eighth player to cast a vote was Hogan Mueller, who came bounding up to the podium with the energy that only the young possess. And as with the rest of the Satos, he cast a vote for Ryan. Hogan had remained true to his team after all.

"Ryan," he said, holding up the ballot, "You think you control this game, but I am here to say that you don't. Hopefully this twist has thoroughly confused your alliance... and you will be gone." He stuffed the ballot in the box. "You're too cocky and you were fixin' to get my vote from day one. Well guess what? Now you have it!" Hogan grinned. "So get outta here."

And with the votes tied four to four, the very pivotal ninth vote was about to be cast. And sure enough, it was to be cast by the thoroughly stunned Isabella Smith. And this was a big deal, because Isabella didn't -get- stunned very often. To be quite honest, the Sundial had thrown her game off almost completely.

"Oh how the winds can change..." she started, as she wrote down four letters.

She looked up now.

"This vote should have been so easy," she shook her head, wistfully. "Amy would have been a slam dunk, and you would have been safe, Matt. But now the wheel has put me in a bind." She shrugged, still not revealing her vote. "I don't know why you said all those things about me, but you really earned a vote from me tonight. Most -any other- player in the world would vote for you, simply out of spite, or revenge." She paused. "It would have been -so- easy to write down the name Matt..."

She sighed.

"But unlike you, I don't play impulsively. I think things through."

She smiled happily and held up her ballot. And on it was the name "Ryan"-- as in Ryan Rebez. As in... the player she had wanted to get out since day one. Ryan had always been the most dangerous one-- the one that she'd always known was the meanest and most unpredictable player in this game. She hadn't planned on voting for him tonight, but the Sato answers had tipped her off that he was going to be the target. So Isabella had voted for him, mainly just because she couldn't resist.

And now she was finally going to win the war.

And she didn't care if Matt liked her or not, the Sundial had now forced her to make a choice. And she'd decided she would take down Kamiya with or -without- Matt's help. Besides, he could always thank her later-- especially when she ended up getting him to the final two.

"Ryan," she said, displaying her vote proudly for the camera, "You are a vile, clever and dangerous creature, and I am disposing of you before you have the chance to sink your sharp, weasely fangs into me."

She grinned, shaking her head.

"And you thought you would get me first, didn't you?"

She paused for a moment, then came to the movie analogy she had eagerly been waiting to use.

"My time with you in Okinawa reminds me of a movie I once saw about an alien." She paused, still holding up the unmarked ballot. "In it, a lone woman was the -only- one who knew something was wrong from the beginning. And then once the alien reared its ugly head, she tried to kill it-- but was warned by others that "You still don't know what you're dealing with, do you? Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility. Instead just admire its purity, its sense of survival-- unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality."'

Isabella paused, smiling.

"But in the end," she shrugged, "The woman just want on to kill the alien anyway, despite the warnings she received. And I actually prefer -her- take on it better..."

She leaned in close to the camera, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"I got you, you son of a bitch."

Folding her vote carefully, Isabella proceeded to place the parchment in the urn. Then turning around, she started to whistle a happy little tune under her breath. She walked back to her seat, whistling happily, though the rest of the tribe was unable to pick out the tune she was singing so softly.

And regardless, even if they -had-, they wouldn't have known what "Pop Goes the Weasel" was supposed to mean.



^^



Jeff's reading of the ballots went pretty much as expected... for the first eight ballots anyway. Because nobody had any idea that things had gone seriously awry. Nobody was aware that Isabella had just single-handedly changed the course of this game. Nobody realized that she had just started the process of single-handedly taking down the Kamiyas. But Isabella sat now, patiently waiting. She sat with a smile on her face, knowing exactly what was about to happen. She was the -only- one who knew.

There was the first Matt ballot-- marked with an "x". That was Michelle's vote, and it made the Kamiyas happy. One down, four to go.

There was the second Matt ballot-- marked with an asterisk. That was Joni's vote, and it also made the Kamiyas happy. Two down, three to go.

There was the third Matt ballot-- it was unmarked, but that was okay. Maybe somebody had forgotten to mark their ballot. Michelle could talk to them about it later. And that was three down, two to go.

And there was the fourth Matt ballot-- marked with a "GP." That was Mike's ballot, and the Kamiyans were overjoyed. All it would take was one more.

And as Jeff pulled out the ninth ballot, the nine members of the Miyagi tribe waited in breathless anticipation. True, everybody knew it would be for Matt-- or most everybody, anyway. But the party couldn't begin until that last vote was revealed. All it would take was one last slam dunk of a vote.

"The eighth person voted out of the game..." Jeff said after a long pause, a small smirk on his face, "And first member of our jury..."

He turned it around.


-"Ryan."-


To say there were gasps in the temple would be an understatement. All at once there seemed to be a great inrush of air, as eight players all gasped or drew in their breath at once. The air was sucked out of the room for just a moment... as Ryan stared at his name in disbelief. He couldn't believe it. A Kamiyan had turned on him?? But... how?

"Ryan," said Jeff, "Please bring me your torch."

Isabella just stared straight ahead. She wanted to bust out laughing but tried to remain stoic instead. She knew they would figure it out in time. She knew the Kamiyas were going to be mad. But for now the players were just in stunned disbelief, several of them exchanging confused glances. What had just happened? Amy reached over and squeezed Matt's hand, both excitedly and gratefully. Joni just buried her head in her hands, glaring at nobody in particular. Mike looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head in disbelief.

And Michelle? Well Michelle was just pissed.

Ryan robotically brought his torch up to the front of the temple-- his Barney Rubble doll nestled snugly under his arm. But Ryan Rebez's time in the game was done. He had somehow been outwitted-- by forces and persons he did not even yet comprehend. And he watched in dull shock as Jeff slowly snuffed his torch.

"Ryan, the tribe has spoken."

With that, Ryan's game was over. He said nothing-- he didn't appear angry, he didn't appear surprised, he didn't even appear sad. He just turned to face the tribe. He turned to deliver one last goodbye message.

And he first glanced directly at Mike. He looked right at the big man, expecting to see some sign of guilt. Ryan pointed a finger, intending to deliver some sort of blistering diatribe-- or perhaps something in Latin. But then... just before he spoke... Ryan was suddenly hit by a realization. His eyes flashed with a sudden understanding... and he turned slightly to his left.

And looked directly at Isabella.

A slow look of bemusement slowly crept across Ryan's face. And as he and Isabella locked eyes, he started to chuckle. Suddenly he found this very funny. For several seconds he just looked directly into her eyes... as he now started to laugh out loud. And really, Isabella couldn't help it. She knew she shouldn't do it, but this was too good of a moment to pass up.

So she just winked at him and blew him a small kiss, very discretely. -Gotcha!-

And now he knew. Now he knew he had been beaten by a pro. And with that knowledge in mind, Ryan said a quick goodbye and exited the game. He walked down the dirt path... all alone... and was soon gone from the game for good. All that remained was the sound of the rain hitting against the roof.

And the game was now down to eight.

"Well," said Jeff, clearly bemused by this latest twist in the voting, "Interesting night. I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow." And he held his hands behind his back as he said his goodbyes. "Have a safe trip back."

One by one, the eight members of Miyagi filed out of the temple, intent on taking a boat back to camp. Some were happy, some were mad, though -all- were surprised. No one had expected this result-- no one had expected it to turn out the way it had, and some definite questions would have to be answered tomorrow.

And as the players all boarded their boats back to camp, one pair of eyes slitted down to a look of pure hatred.

One pair of eyes shot nothing but daggers.

And as Isabella Smith looked over to her right, she saw those eyes, looking directly at her. The eyes belonged to Michelle Kin-Fraley... who had already figured out what had happened. Michelle had identified the Kamiyan traitor. Michelle was already plotting her revenge.

And though she couldn't hear it, nor could she see it particularly well, Isabella thought she saw Michelle mouth two words to her. She couldn't be sure through the rainy nighttime sky, but Isabella thought she read Michelle's message perfectly clear:

"You're dead."








Visit the Okinawa Official Homepage for Ryan's final words and all the cast bios. Also check out the official Survivor: Okinawa Message Board for behind-the-scenes trivia, fan postings, complete Tribal Council transcripts, cast interaction... and a place to submit questions for Ryan's Early Show appearance. His post-game interview is already posted on the board!


Episode nine, "The Fallen Angel", is coming in about 10 days.