Episode 5: A Traitor in the Midst

Episode 5: A Traitor In The Midst
Days 8-10

"I can't really believe I'm still here," says Yoshi, to the camera. "Yesterday's toss-up was between myself and Wrinkly....and somewhere along the lines, the votes landed in a tie. Then, when the revote came, someone switched sides....and I'm the one left today... Lucky me."

Yoshi steps from the room, and runs right into Birdo, who falls backwards.

"Oops! I'm terribly sorry!" blurts Yoshi, quickly bending down to help her back up. "Oh......Birdo.........um.......thanks for yesterday."

Birdo is dazed by Yoshi's charming smile of thankfulness, and hardly hears his words.

"I'm glad that you're still here," blushes Birdo, looking away shyly. "I hope we'll both be here....together.....for a long time...."

"I'm going to do my best to make sure you stick around with me," grins Yoshi, resting a reassuring hand on Birdo's shoulder as they walk towards the Billiard Room for a game of darts.

**********

"I can't believe it!" growls Fox, to a stunned Captain Falcon. "We were so close to gaining control of this game, and then SOMEBODY switched sides on us! Actually, TWO people!"

Both he and Falcon are in the safety of their bedroom, alone away from the other residents.

"I know one of them," sighs Captain Falcon, looking off in the distance. "That Birdo chick probably turned..."

Fox looks up.

"Birdo?"

"Yeah, you know, that pink one? With the bow? She likes-"

"YES, I know who Birdo is!" growls Fox, rolling this over in his head. "I thought I had her convinced...."

"I dunno," utters Falcon, dumbly. "She sure hangs around with Yoshi a lot. She must not hate him as much as you do...."

"Or," stops Fox, glaring, "maybe she's in love with him..... She turned over because she let her affections get the better of her!"

"Yeah.....whatever that means," adds Captain Falcon.

"Let's pretend like we've never had this conversation," growls Fox, annoyed. "I wanna get these facts straight from Birdo. If she admits and swears her loyalty, I'll consider keeping her around, but if she lies again.....she's toast."

**********

After lunch, Link assembles his alliance again, now including Birdo.

"We don't have much time before the challenge, so I wanna get our information out on the table quickly," he says. "Birdo, welcome to the side of good."

"Thank you," she buzzes.

"Where's Fox?" asks Yoshi, a bit puzzled.

"He was cleaning up a little in the kitchen," answers Link. "He told me we could chat with him after the challenge."

Birdo looks as if she's considering saying something, but then stops.

"I have something interesting to share," says Zelda. "I talked to Samus again, and she's clean as a whistle. I don't know what Fox was talking about when he accused her of voting against us, she's completely on the up-and-up, as far as I can tell."

"Yeah, I think Fox made a bad call on that one," muses Link. "But I'm not sure who was the one who helped vote out Mario, then, if it wasn't her...."

Birdo hesitates, then finally stands up.

"Fox is lying," she announces, causing Link to squint in surprise. "He's been playing with a different alliance this whole time, and slowly been working his rivals out of the game on both sides."

"What?" gapes Link. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," answers Birdo. "He confronted me yesterday, just before voting, and tried to pursuade me to vote out Yoshi. He's been holding secret meetings in the night and trying to build up support for getting rid of the rest of you. No doubt, he's off at another meeting right now and that's why he can't attend THIS meeting...."

"My gosh, he's played us like a fiddle!" steams Zelda, angrily slapping the table. "And all this time, I thought he was loyal to us!"

"Gotta hand it to him, that's some real playing there," growls Link. "However, his game ends as soon as it can. He doesn't go on from here."

"He already said he wanted to talk to me today, so I'm probably his target for switching sides," sighs Birdo, beginning to feel overwhelmed. "So......if I go tonight...."

"Relax, we'll keep you in this game," says Yoshi, gentley.

"I can guarentee one thing right now," growls Link. "Fox isn't winning this challenge. He's had his last chance at being Head of the House Hold."

**********

The final twelve residents meet in the parlor shortly after noon, and Toad arrives for the latest challenge.

"Welcome, everyone, and I have the key to your new room," says Toad, handing DK a golden key. "That unlocks the Dining Hall, which I'm sure you'll all enjoy very much from now until the end of the game."

There's a chorus of excitement, and everyone is thankful for a place to finally settle down and eat besides inside the kitchen.

"But there's more important matters to discuss right now," continues Toad. "Namely, today's challenge. In today's game, each of you will receive a hallway within this mansion all your own--for this challenge alone, then they will remain locked again. You will start with a single key, which you will use to open one of the six rooms--which room it belongs to, you won't know until you try. Once you find the correct room, you'll have to find the key someplace in the room, then use the new key to open another room in the hall, and so on. Once you have all six rooms open and have collected the final key, you must race back to the door where you started from and unlock it again. The first player to unlock all doors, including the final door, and step through, wins. Understand?"

The players nod, and after a short time, they have all been assigned halls, given a single key, then locked in. Toad speaks through a speaker system in each hall as the players prepare to start.

"Remember, you must unlock all six doors, then the final door and step through! On your mark.......get set......GO!"

Immediately, everyone takes off, trying the closest door. Krystal jams a key into the lock and turns, but the door does not open. Zelda tries her door, but it, too, remains shut. Bowser and Ganondorf both jam keys into the locks and turn, but only Ganondorf's opens. Captain Falcon tries his lock, but, of course, it does not open for him. Yoshi, rather than trying the first door, runs all the way down the hall and tries the farthest door--it opens for him, and he enters the first room. Link tries his first door, but it does not open; Fox quickly tries his first door, and it flings open for him. Peach puts the wrong end of the key into the door, and begins to angrily shriek when it refuses to open.

"OPEN, DOOR, OPEN!" she screams, slamming into it. "OWWW!"

"......wrong side of the key, Peach," grumbles Toad.

Birdo tries her key, but it does not open the door. Samus inserts her key, and the door clicks open with a bit of shoving. Donkey Kong walks into the middle of the hallway, half way down, then closes his eyes and spins around. He comes to a stop, dizzily, and staggers towards a door. Upon attempting to stick the key in the keyhole, however, he misses over and over again until he drops the key on the ground and is too dizzy to find it.

"Ganondorf, Yoshi, Fox, and Samus have their first door opened!" says Toad, as Fox throws the rug aside in his room and uncovers his next key. "Fox has his second key!"

Link frowns, quickly sprinting to the next door, and tries the key. It clicks, but the door does not open, nor does the handle turn. He grits his teeth and slams the door with his knee, but it does not open. He angrily turns and heads for the next door.

"Zelda has opened her first room!" shouts Toad, as Zelda finds the correct door and enters. "Ganondorf has his second key!"

Ganondorf throws a handful of books aside, grabbing the key underneath, and rushes out the door quickly.

"Gah......where is this stupid key?" wonders Yoshi, slamming shut a drawer and looking around in bewilderment at the trashed room he has searched through. Above him, the chandelier sways back and forth--the key rests on top of it.

"Bowser and Krystal have their first doors open!" says Toad, as Link shoves the key in the hole and kicks at the door, causing it to fly open. "Link is on his first room!"

"Finally," growls Link, striding inside quickly and spying the key hidden under a box in the corner. He grabs it and runs out of the room.

"Link has his second key! Fox has opened his second room!"

Fox bursts into the room and searches for his key. Meanwhile, Zelda finds the correct lock and obtains access to her first room.

"WHY WON'T THIS WORK?!" screams Peach, beginning to cry as she throws the key in frustration.

"Zelda in her first room, Fox and Ganondorf are in their second rooms, searching for the key," says Toad. "Yoshi's having trouble finding his second key."

Donkey Kong, finally stable enough to correctly pick up the key, scampers up to a door and tries the key--it does not open the door.

"Link has opened his second room!" shouts Toad, as Fox spies his key and snatches it up. "Fox has his third key!"

Then, seconds later, Ganondorf throws an old wardrobe aside to find his next key beneath it.

"Ganondorf has his third key! Link has found his third key!"

Link, wheezing hard, tears the key from its hiding place among a bowl of plastic fruit and sprints for another door.

"Zelda, Samus, and Krystal in their second rooms!" shouts Toad, as doors fling open and objects are thrown everywhere. "Fox has his fourth key!"

Link is frustrated at this news, but presses himself harder still to try and keep up. He jams the key into the door and it unlocks.

"Link is looking for his fourth key, and Ganondorf is looking for his fourth room!" announces Toad.

"Finally," blurts Captain Falcon, as he finally gets his first door unlocked. "Uh.......now what?"

"Falcon has his first door open, but it might not be worth it," says Toad, as Fox opens his fifth room. "Fox is in search of his fifth key!"

Link is exhausted as he tears the room to pieces, finally discovering the key he needs under a flower pot. He grabs it and runs across the hall to the door and tries it....but it is the wrong door.

"Gah! Wrong door...." blurts Link, fumbling with the key as he jerks it back out and runs for the other door.

"Fox has found his fifth key, and has opened the fifth room! One more to go!"

Link finds the correct door and gets into his fifth room, close behind Fox, who is frantically searching for the key. Meanwhile, others are entering and exiting rooms crazily.

"Zelda is in her third room, and Krystal is dangerously close to catching up!" shouts Toad, as Krystal bursts into her fifth room. "Link, Ganondorf, Krystal, and Fox are all in their fifth rooms, searching for the key to the last room!"

Fox is the first to spy his key, and snatches it quickly. He bursts out of the room and rushes across the hall to the sixth and final room, battering it open with his shoulder as he jams the key inside.

"Fox is inside the final room!" shouts Toad.

"Shoot!" snarles Link, as he throws a flower pot aside and grabs the key.

As he runs for the door, he drops the key accidentally, and it bounces and disappears somewhere near his feet.

"CRAP!" he blurts, dropping to the ground and searching frantically. "STUPID KEY!"

"Ganondorf has passed Link and is entering his last room!" shouts Toad, as Ganondorf bursts through his door to search for the key. "FOX JUST FOUND THE FINAL KEY!"

Fox, with his hand jammed inside a small vase, smashes it to pieces on the table, freeing his hand, which is now clutching a golden key. He's all smiles as he rushes out the door with the key in hand.

"Fox is going for the last door to win!" cries Toad, as Link furiously jumps to his feet in rage, having lost the key, and simply kicks the last door open, right off its hinges into the room behind it.

Fox inserts the key and turns the handle, opening the final door and stepping through into the hallway where Toad awaits.

"We have a winner!" cries Toad. "Fox has completed the challenge and is the Head of the Household!"

Link drops to his knees inside the final room, letting his head slump down against the surface of a table, closing his eyes in frustration. Zelda and Yoshi each know what this means as well.

**********

"I'm a bit bummed out right now," growls Ganondorf, to the camera. "I thought I had that challenge in the bag! Stupid Fox won again, though, just a TEENSY bit ahead of me! I'm starting to think it might be worth pitching a vote or two his way sometime soon, to keep him out of my hair once we start narrowing down towards a winner..."

Meanwhile, Birdo quietly enters the Music Room, which seems a bit dark and is completely empty and silent, other than a light melody, a minor tune of sorrow, being played on the piano. She closes the door softly, and the music stops. Fox looks around his music at her, then waves her forwards and slides himself around to face her.

"So," he says, rather casually, as she takes a seat, "how are you this fine day?"

"What do you want to see me about?" Birdo asks, a bit suspicious.

"Oh, nothing, really," replies Fox, turning quickly and playing a few notes. "Nothing that is to my concern, anyways."

Birdo waits, listening to his playing for a few bars, then interupts.

"Yoshi didn't deserve to go. I would much rather side with him and his allies than with a snob like you!"

Fox is visibly shocked at Birdo's nerve, and hits several wrong notes all at once, creating a droning, eerie chord that squeaks out like a muffled scream. He regains his composure just as quickly, as he turns slowly.

"So, you openly acknowledge your treason," states Fox, an icy edge in his voice. "I wasn't good enough for you, so you turned to your sweetheart for help getting me out?"

"You don't scare me!" spits back Birdo, but she clearly backs away slightly.

"The fact is, I run this show, Toots," growls Fox, sounding increasingly menacing. "I've run the game up to this point, and I'm still running it. Tomorrow, you're history. Nobody gets away with turning on me and making it to the next round."

**********

Noon approaches the next day, and Yoshi is in the camera room, getting a quick say before voting begins.

"Fox has been a traitor to us this entire time," he says. "And he just won the challenge yesterday--no doubt, he'll be putting one of us on the grind in the vote at noon. He'll go right down the line and pick us all off...unless we find a way to stop him from winning any more challenges..."

Yoshi exits the room....and Birdo is waiting for him.

"Fox already told me he's getting rid of me tonight," she says to Yoshi, but without any hint of concern of fear in her voice. "So you all have another two days to stir something up and get him out of here."

"Nothing's set in stone just yet," says Yoshi, trying to be reassuring.

Birdo clutches his hand, obviously in no need of reassuring.

"Thank you for turning me around," she says softly. "I don't care if I leave or not--I've already won this game, in getting to know you."

**********

The voting time comes, and Link, Zelda, Yoshi, and Birdo all have a sense of despair--they know how the voting will go. Despite being well-aware that his ex-teammates are clued into his turning, Fox acts as if nothing new is under the sun...or roof.

"Well, I guess it's time for that unpleasant task we all avoid getting around to," he says, sounding sincere as several others nod. "We've got to nominate two people, and evict one. Being Head of the House Hold--again--means that I'm the one who has to do the nasty deed, so don't shoot the messenger."

The players nod, and even the foursome in trouble agree glumly.

"My first nominee," begins Fox, turning delibrately towards Birdo, "is Birdo. Because I find her untrustworthy and unable to rely on in times of need, I think she's a good person to get out of our house immediately. We can't afford to have people who go against the flow in this game at this point."

Birdo is unphased by Fox's rather harsh words, and stares back at him with little expression on her face, if any.

"So what are you doing here?" growls Link, too quiet to be heard.

"My second nominee," continues Fox, breaking a grim smile, "is Yoshi."

Yoshi closes his eyes and bites his tongue.

"Don't say anything," he tells himself. "You can't afford to make enemies, even out of the people here who have been mislead by Fox..."

"What's wrong with Yoshi?" says Link, rather heatedly. "You realize you can't nominate someone unless you have good reason."

"Oh, I have reasons," answers back Fox, breaking a wider grin. "You see, I find Yoshi to be constantly going into the camera room to share his thoughts--thoughts that he *obviously* can't share with the rest of us! I don't know what he's constantly plotting, but I don't like to think that ANYONE here is secretly putting numbers over our own heads! Is it so much to ask that everyone in this game be given a fair chance? Honestly? Anyone in here who's simply out to win for himself should be eliminated post-haste!"

Several people murmur agreement, and Yoshi grits his teeth to avoid saying anything back. Link, however, doesn't bother to hesitate.

"Oh, like you aren't constantly scheming yourself, Fox?" he growls, a menacing edge in his voice. "You're the traitor of the group! You acted like you were a friend--someone to be trusted--but we've found out just how you're playing this game alright! You're not out to help anyone else here! You're out to TAKE DOWN EVERYONE WHO STANDS A CHANCE AGAINST YOU!"

"Enough!" interupts Krystal, her eyes fiery with anger. "Arguing won't solve anything! The nominations are already set, Link, and if you want to make a public spectacle, be sure to try again when YOU'RE being nominated!"

"Sharp-tongued wretch," spits Link, sitting back down and trying to control his temper. "I'll remember that for when I'm choosing nominees at the next vote...."

"If we're ready, let's get to voting," sighs Fox, in mock humbleness. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Link. Tsk, tsk...."

"Wait!" demands Birdo, arrising. "I have something to say!"

Fox swallows any words he considered saying, and waves her onwards with a slight roll of his eyes.

"I just want everyone to know that I changed which side I was allying with because I found out what a sneak Fox was being--he had turned on his own teammates, and was trying to get me to do the same. He only wanted to win, and he wanted to use me to help him. I knew that I couldn't continue helping him after that, and joined up with Yoshi, because he was honest to me and was clearly playing the game for the team, not for himself. I'd like to extend to him the same grace that he extended me: if you want to help me, vote me out today so that Yoshi can stay in the game--he's deserving of a better game than this, and I believe he can bring about change in this house! Me.....well, I have no reason to stay if Yoshi isn't here because....well.......this game's not worth playing without someone like him to trust in."

She sits back down, leaving a heavy, dramatic feeling on the group. Fox, boredly, looks around.

"Any further speeches? Perhaps an acceptance speech for the Grammy?" he quips, dryly. "Alright, then. Let's get this voting out of the way."

Fox stands and enters the Camera Room. He grabs the pen and quickly scrawls the name "Yoshi" on the paper, then shows it to the camera.

"You sure are a menace to this game," growls Fox, "and your little girlfriend isn't making this any easier for me to pull off. But with any luck, it's game over for you, and I'll be one spot further ahead in the game within the hour. Toodles."

Link enters next, pushing Fox with his shoulder as he walks to the camera room. He writes "Birdo" on his paper.

"This is an awful vote," he growls to the camera. "Birdo, I'm sorry I didn't trust in you before--perhaps we could've all gotten further and eliminated a certain back-stabber long before now. But I promise you this: we're taking down Fox next, and I hope you kick his tail the next time you see him walking down the street outside this house. We'll do our best from inside."

Link leaves, and Zelda enters after several more votes are cast.

"Birdo, I wish we had picked you up earlier," she says, showing her vote. "Best of luck in life, and we'll meet again on the other side. Until then, wish us luck in taking that traitor, Fox, out of this game."

She exits the camera room and Krystal enters last, writing "Yoshi" on her vote.

"As much as Birdo is starting to annoy me with her desperate pleas and love stories," growls Krystal, "my vote's going to Yoshi, because he's opposing a powerful force in Fox, and I don't want any more uprisings costing Fox his reputation...or this game. Bon voyage, dinosaur, and I hope your friends learn a lesson here."

She exits, and the room is completely silent as everyone awaits Toad. At last, he comes out of the Camera Room holding the box of votes.

"Here it goes," he says, sensing the fear and anticipation in the room. "One more person is about to leave. The first vote is: Birdo."

Birdo smiles at Yoshi behind her, and they hold hands.

"Second vote: Yoshi. Third vote: Birdo. Fouth vote: Yoshi."

Birdo squeezes Yoshi's hand tightly.

"Tied so far at 2-2. Next vote: Yoshi."

There seems to be no emotion in the room--perhaps because everyone is afraid that showing any sign of fear or joy might jynx the luck going their way.

"Sixth vote: Yoshi. Seventh vote: Birdo. Eight vote: Birdo Nineth vote: Yoshi. Tenth vote: Birdo. Tied again with five votes apiece, and only three votes left."

The tension is thick enough to be cut with a knife. Toad slowly reveals the eleventh vote: Birdo.

"Two votes remain," he says, "and the next reads Yoshi."

He flips it to confirm this, and Yoshi and Birdo's hands squeeze tighter. Toad draws the final vote out, reads it himself, then slowly--taking seemingly forever--turns it to face the group.

"I'm sorry--you've been evicted. It's Game Over for you."

Birdo opens the door, wearing a smile of pure pride, then turns back, planting a big kiss on Yoshi's cheeck before turning with her luggage and leaving the house.

On the next episode of Nintendo Big Brother...
Birdo has made her sacrifice to keep the playing field's odds even, but will falling on her sword to any good for the slowly-collapsing Yoshi-led alliance? Meanwhile, Fox is out to find out where his support has begun to leak out, and his single-minded vengence will stop at nothing to right the wrongs against himself. A heated fight will explode when tempers flair out of control, and possibly the most important challenge of the game will leave the entire house scrambling for a chance as Head of the House Hold! Who has turned against Fox now? Will Birdo's words make the players see the light? Will power shift back out of Fox's grasp? All will be revealed in the next episode!