There were no words to describe what I felt at that moment.
The moment that I had failed.
Everyone in this world was depending on me to solve this. To find the kids. To find the rest of the town. And to protect them from the evils which shouldn't have even been there.
And yet it happened..I couldn't protect them.
Bud was proof of that.
In his last moments, he was wanting me to save him and I couldn't get to him on time.
Naturally, this caused me to become quite disillusioned.
I sat in Bud's seat, behind the front desk of the lobby, and held my head as I arched my back in a rather defeated position. No one in the room dared talk to me for the 20 minutes I sat in that chair.
Beside me in a tiny frame was a picture of Bud and his late wife. Both smiling while he held her lovingly in his arms. The guilt from seeing such an image only gnawed at me even more.
The only ones to return were Mulder, Scully, Fred, Daphne, Dipper, Mabel and Eleven.
The boys lingered back at the school, while Jim was still MIA and Gavin was presumably with Velma, Shaggy and Scooby. The loss of Bud was just a tip of the iceberg, though.
None of us saw this coming.
What once was an easy peasy plan to find the kids and save the day turned out to be a complete disaster. Now not one member of our adventuring or sleuthing team knew how to reach the kids.
Why, you ask?
Ah yes..kinda skipped that part, didn't I?
They had been taken to a part of time and at a location we could not follow.
Basically..the villains had used some means of power to lock us out.
Anddddddd guess what?
They did it specifically with the T.A.R.D.I.S. in mind.
They had tapped into the very mechanics of the ship and restricted it from following after them.
We were stuck here. Unable to stop what they were planning.
And Master, with all his knowledge, woefully and tragically revealed he had no idea how to reverse it. Or even to get past their time lock. They were doing whatever they wanted with the children and all those missing people. And there was absolutely nothing we could do to stop them.
As it turned out, the villains were indeed several steps ahead of us the whole time.
Now I wondered if Moriarty, too, was taken the same way as the rest.
Whoever was involved in this mystery..whoever the big bad was..they knew their way around time and space. And that made me question of just who this could be, in the long gallery of characters in the wide array of fandoms out there. The fandoms of course being limitless at this point.
There were no preferences. No discrimination. No pattern.
They could be at any world, at any time and recruit anyone.
I was in a slump.
As I sat there feeling sorry for myself, a vibration caught my attention from my hip.
I ignored it, however, shaking my head.
But the others did not ignore it. Their's, too, vibrated and beeped loudly.
"Demens."
It was the Master.
I wasn't in the mood.
Mulder held his walkie and stared over at me, everyone in the room awaiting for my response.
"DeMENS."
He was getting impatient.
But I cared not.
After another beep, as to be expected..he had it.
"CAN SOMEONE BLOODY GET ME DEMENS?!"
Mulder sighed and brought it up to his mouth, "Yeah, we hear you..Demens is..not doing so good."
"Well she needs to stop feeling sorry for herself and get over here."
I, too, lost patience. I frustratedly snatched my walkie and angrily rose it up.
"WHAT?"
"Don't get snippy with me, you fleshy little juvenile! Get your *beep* back here! There's something I need to show you!" "I'm not in the mood, Saxon!" "Stop sulking! This concerns all your missing little friends! I know where they are!" "Yeah, no DIP, YOU MONKEY."
"Listen to me for once! GOD, you're so bloody stubborn!"
"Master, you specifically told me there's no way to get them back!! No way to get to where they are! We are STUCK here!" "That was until your little boy toy showed up."
My back perked. I blinked. "Gavin?"
Master groaned on the other end. "Yes...and he gave me some interesting news about that house."
There was a brief pause.
"I know how to get there now."
My eyes gravitated to the rest of the team. "..I'm on my way."
I sprung up and raced to everyone in the room, my blood pumping once more.
"I'm going back to the school.." I glanced around at each of them, taking deep controlled breaths to contain my anxiety. "...I'm sorry, but there's really nothing more you can do here. For the sake of your own protection..please stay inside the T.A.R.D.I.S. You'll be safe. Safe from the time change, the world quakes, everything. They won't be able to get you in there."
Scully tried to protest, "We can help."
"Please, guys. For me. I can't lose anyone else."
Fred and Daphne sighed, standing close together and trying to keep their chins up,
"We'll call Velma, Shaggy and Scoob back. You be safe out there, Sarah."
I nodded at Fred, where Daphne rubbed her arm. "..We're sorry we really can't do more. Feel kind of useless right now." "Oh heck, Daph..you guys are by far not useless. You guys are the best and most famous team of teenage sleuths around. You've already been a heckin lotta help."
She smiled, albeit sadly. My reassurance wasn't all that much what with what was going on.
But at least it made her feel a wee bit better about herself.
I turned to the three kids huddled in a group and I got close to them.
I bent down to be at their level, sighing heavily. "I know y'all have an itching need for trouble and adventure..but this time is serious. I seriously need you to behave on this one and not break from the group. The guys they got after us, the kids, the whole town..they're bad news. Really bad news. And they won't stop until they have everything they want."
Mabel squinted her eyes, "Money...power?"
"More like murder and bloodshed."
They gulped. I shrugged. "Sorry..I don't sugarcoat."
My eyes rolled to the ceiling. "Also one of them is literally a youth-devouring spider clown, so..yeah. You're kinda the main course."
"Yeah, we're staying nice and snug in the ship, thanks." Dipper shuddered.
I smirked. "Thank you for your cooperation."
"Careful." Eleven suddenly uttered. I looked over at her. I didn't know that much about her at all yet..but she was pretty stellar so far. What with the whole performance she put on the night before and all. And the fact this girl had a power that the rest of us didn't was truly something to keep in mind for the future. She could prove useful in the end.
"I will, Eleven. As best as I'm capable of."
"They're watching you."
I jerked my head back. "..Huh?"
Her eyes initially fell to the floor before she lifted them back up, an ounce of guilt sprinkled on her face. "..The bad men..they're watching you. Waiting."
Dipper looked at her, "Waiting for what, El?"
Her eyes darkly moved from me to him, then back to me.
"..For you to see."
My mind was reeling. I stared at her with a furrowed brow and slitted eyes and tried to calculate the meaning of her words until..it came to me.
The kids. Pennywise. This whole charade.
They wanted me to watch whatever they had planned for the kids.
Only..it still didn't make sense why they restricted us from going there to begin with.
These were things I needed to go over with Master...
"Be safe, guys."
I handed Mulder the key to the ship. "Keep the walkies handy. I'll contact you with anything I find out."
The two agents nodded. I took a deep breath and turned around.
Back to the school I went..
~
🤡 😈 👑 👽 💀
Getting to the school was significantly faster when there were no distractions.
When I actually got to the school grounds, the skies were getting eerily darker and much more sinister. Life seemed to feel just a tad bit dimmer with it, causing me to drag myself a little bit more.
Really..the point of even trying was weighing heavy on my already screwed up mind.
What if we fought this hard and the townsfolk were already long gone?
My eyes fell to the ground and didn't leave the concrete below me as my pace slowed down gradually and my head began to ache from the thoughts of it all..
What if we failed..
What if I made things worse..and I caused them to win just by being me?
Naturally..I was interrupted.
Interrupted when the earth below me suddenly shook.
Shook violently. Violently enough to throw me off balance and come tumbling right on my backside.
Which followed with me hitting my head against the concrete and the nerves in my body felt instant, throbbing pain. I clenched my teeth and gripped onto the surface below me as it quaked a terribly long duration. Thankfully I have a skull as stubborn as my attitude and it did not cause me to go into a coma, but the pain I now felt made my mood even worse.
I decided trying to get back up was meaningless while Coolsville went all to hell in the quaking, so I just chilled and rode out the last of the violent shakes.
This was longer and much more powerful than the ones in the Hobbit world.
And there was really no surprise why.
Cataclysm had changed events so drastically, that the world was truly on the brink of ending.
I shook my head as I sat up. The quaking stopped. Very suddenly, very suspiciously.
I held the back of my skull, wincing.
My sore, tired eyes scanned the world around me as I clenched my fists and grit my teeth.
"You know.." I growled. Just as I started to rise.
"I'm getting REAL tired.." I dusted myself off, sucking in a big breath and finally lifting my chin up just to begin screaming at the very top of my hoarse little lungs.
"---of y'all COMING down here, and sCREWING UP EVERYTHING!!!"
At that, I kicked a rock in front of me so far, it wound up traveling and skipping across the lot and bouncing out of sight. "GO and BURN straight into the freaking fires of HELL, you absolute freaking-"
"Miss Demens!"
I froze. My eyes slowly glared at the one standing at the entrance to my left.
It was Bane. Clearly, given the proper addressing.
I swallowed. "Heyyyyy, buddy..."
"Did you see something?"
I was too sheepish to reveal to Bane that I indeed did not. I was just yelling at tumbleweeds.
"No, I was just...yeah. Let's go inside."
I turned, feeling a false sense of security with Bane here.
False in the sense that it was freaking Bane, a psycho murderer just like the rest.
And false as in feeling like he could improve my situation anymore than being alone.
"Monster like us"
Ahhh, told ya..
"YOU KEEP IN MIND--!" I swung around so quick and pointed so accusingly, I almost fell down all over again. I was currently pointing at the air, but Pennywise's sick and twisted voice told me right off he was very near. And he was trying to get inside my head all over.
"--I know how you die."
This felt risky to say, but as soon as I said it, I already felt like I just made a power move.
Cuz I felt just a little bit better. And so I turned, finally feeling satisfied and proceeded onward into the humble abode of the abandoned school itself.
~
I followed Bane through the disturbingly silent and lifeless halls of the school.
Something deathly hung in the air..and the sounds of my own voice crying out to Bud seemed to echo through them, piercing my mind like a sharp blade.
My heart sunk with failure and despair.
There also lingered a presence of anguish and fear..something that served as a strong residue to whatever had went on there. I felt it more and more clearly the further I got towards the gym.
As me and my brawny companion stepped through the doors, Master and Joker stood scattered in the enormous room, the clown watching the Timelord as he scanned around the area.
J was the first to take notice of our presence, his hands on his hips, looking flamboyantly sassy.
I nudged my head at him in silent greeting, before my eyes turned to Master.
When he still didn't take notice of me, I loudly cleared my throat.
His head swiveled. "There you bloody are!"
"Shut up. The quaking delayed me."
"I'm sure it did." He rushed towards me, holding his laser screwdriver in hand, to which I rose a brow and threw my hands in the air. "What chya got, boy, tell me!"
"I'm getting to it, be quiet!"
I narrowed my eyes.
"You said you know how to get there now."
He nodded impatiently. "That I do. All thanks to your lover boy."
As surprised as I was that Master just sorta complimented him, I was too distracted with the mention of Gavin and turned my head to locate him. "Where IS Gavin??"
"Right here."
All eyes immediately snapped to Ninja Boy, who walked through a door to the left wall of us.
He slowly approached us, his face stern, but rather positive.
"Gavin!" I breathed. "..Where's Jim? Is he alright?"
"It's alright, I found him. He's still in the house."
This briefly confused me, but he shook his head. "But he's not in danger. He never really was."
I was a tad bit confused, but more so intrigued. "..I thought the house was haunted?"
"It is. By someone who can help us."
The others looked at me, no doubt rehearing what he just revealed, and waited for my reaction.
I perked. "Seriously? How?" "His house..I don't know exactly how yet..but it's connected to another point in time. Jim was being held there because the ghost thought he was one of the villains responsible for all this. But upon hearing that we were actually here on the world's behalf, he set Jim free, but from that point in time. No doubt to explain things to him about who he is. It's connected to a mirror..a mirror which I truly believe he'll allow us to pass through to get to the kids. And stop the villains before they finish their plan."
This was the most superb news my ears could hear..and the exact answer to our current problem.
"Gavin, you absolute gem! That's it!!"
Master clapped his hands in victory, "Exactly! We can travel around whatever power they're using to block us through that house. My guess is, a crack in time the spirit of that bloke unlocked in his vengeance..and then we can walk right into the town and stop those bloody buggers before they destroy this planet and make zombie children."
I grinned from ear to ear. "What are we waiting for, then?"
"Hold up, hold up." J spoke loudly, waving his arms frantically. "Let's keep in mind those morons are probably listening right now and are no doubt rushing to nuke that house or close the portal or whatever *beep* they wanna do to screw up our plans.. maybe we should try to find a different plan."
"There IS no other plan, clown. And if we hurry, we'll make it before they get the chance."
I turned my head, "Besides, something tells me that spirit is relatively untouchable or else he would have been blocked by their power, too. I think we'll be safe in this plan. With no more dilly-dallying, that is." J shook his head. "You just think you can run around and do whatever the *beep* you want, with no consequences, don't ya?"
I slightly smirked. "I'm the Queen; I roam around worlds that shouldn't exist like they're my playground, alter set historic events, turn villains into heroes and make people who should be dead alive again. I think it's established by now I do whatever the heckin heck I want."
- - -
A curious thing occurred, as it did in Middle Earth.
The day still had a good chunk of life left in it, but as we all exited from the school, night time was now front and center and we were shaken with yet another quake. This one stronger and much more sporadic. We looked to one another, in complete acknowledgement of what was happening.
They were doing it again. Changing the world. Tearing it apart.
"Meet me at the house. I'm getting the others. I can't leave them here."
I started to advance ahead, but Master yanked me back by the arm.
"Are you mad? You're not going out there in the dark on your own."
My brows raised in surprise.
He rolled his eyes, "Don't be daft, I don't care what happens to your annoying little life."
"Sureee." "We just need you for this idiotic plan, is all."
I chuckled under my breath, shaking my head. "Then I'll need a chaperone."
Just as Gavin started to go forward, the other three abruptly drew out their hands, the most comedic thing I had seen the trio do, and initiated a game of rock-paper-scissors.
Joker won by my standards. Lost by his. He groaned. "Crud."
Turning about, he started to rush me ahead, grumbling like an underpaid babysitter.
"Get going, ya little termite."
I looked back at the others, smirking at the outcome. "I'll be back in a jiffy, meh guys. Don't worry."
Master and Bane wasted no time and started rolling out, but Gavin took a minute to watch after me, waving goodbye in a sorrowful and hesitant manner. It was getting a bit harder for us to part ways..making me wonder just where things were going to take off in the end..whether he would stay with us or not.
He did eventually head off after the others.
Though it left me with a sadness I couldn't shake. A foreboding feeling that perhaps..we were still too late. And that was something my heart wouldn't be able to handle.
-
Things felt like a fever dream here. With people vanishing and monsters showing up here and there, it was a lot to handle. And the clock as well as my heart was racing.
Racing towards something I still wasn't entirely sure was going down.
We ran down the streets as quickly as our legs could take us, the hotel feeling as if it was in another country. The night time made things a bit more menacing and urgent, as we knew what would start to emerge within the dark. What could easily swarm us and we wouldn't react in time.
That's when something caught my eye and I froze to a stop. Joker staggered at the last second as he noticed this and he looked back at me in confusion.
But my eyes zoomed in on the thing behind us, that made my blood coil.
Sure enough..it was after us...the Vashta Nerada.
It loomed from the distance, collecting into a great wave in the ground.
Joker saw what I was staring at and his eyes widened. What he uttered I dare not repeat, even in beep form. He just started running. Running like he was a pro athlete.
I followed suit.
The darkness of the living shadow was closing in faster than you can say Abe Lincoln, but I wasn't about to go out ungracefully into a pile of bones. I had things to do and people to see and by God, I was determined to visit Gotham while I had the bloody means to do so.
No ground shadow was gonna take that chance away from me!
Even if I had to sell my very soul, I was g o i n g t o g e t t o G o t h a m.
The pressure was on and I felt my lungs already dying as we sped through the remaining streets, the hotel growing in size as we drew near. I could hear swift whispers in the air and my eyes darted at the reflections in the passing windows. There were blurred images of people appearing in such reflections, that watched me as I whizzed by. It wasn't long before I could decipher what the voices were whispering in my head.. Monster like us..
The moment that I had failed.
Everyone in this world was depending on me to solve this. To find the kids. To find the rest of the town. And to protect them from the evils which shouldn't have even been there.
And yet it happened..I couldn't protect them.
Bud was proof of that.
In his last moments, he was wanting me to save him and I couldn't get to him on time.
Naturally, this caused me to become quite disillusioned.
I sat in Bud's seat, behind the front desk of the lobby, and held my head as I arched my back in a rather defeated position. No one in the room dared talk to me for the 20 minutes I sat in that chair.
Beside me in a tiny frame was a picture of Bud and his late wife. Both smiling while he held her lovingly in his arms. The guilt from seeing such an image only gnawed at me even more.
The only ones to return were Mulder, Scully, Fred, Daphne, Dipper, Mabel and Eleven.
The boys lingered back at the school, while Jim was still MIA and Gavin was presumably with Velma, Shaggy and Scooby. The loss of Bud was just a tip of the iceberg, though.
None of us saw this coming.
What once was an easy peasy plan to find the kids and save the day turned out to be a complete disaster. Now not one member of our adventuring or sleuthing team knew how to reach the kids.
Why, you ask?
Ah yes..kinda skipped that part, didn't I?
They had been taken to a part of time and at a location we could not follow.
Basically..the villains had used some means of power to lock us out.
Anddddddd guess what?
They did it specifically with the T.A.R.D.I.S. in mind.
They had tapped into the very mechanics of the ship and restricted it from following after them.
We were stuck here. Unable to stop what they were planning.
And Master, with all his knowledge, woefully and tragically revealed he had no idea how to reverse it. Or even to get past their time lock. They were doing whatever they wanted with the children and all those missing people. And there was absolutely nothing we could do to stop them.
As it turned out, the villains were indeed several steps ahead of us the whole time.
Now I wondered if Moriarty, too, was taken the same way as the rest.
Whoever was involved in this mystery..whoever the big bad was..they knew their way around time and space. And that made me question of just who this could be, in the long gallery of characters in the wide array of fandoms out there. The fandoms of course being limitless at this point.
There were no preferences. No discrimination. No pattern.
They could be at any world, at any time and recruit anyone.
I was in a slump.
As I sat there feeling sorry for myself, a vibration caught my attention from my hip.
I ignored it, however, shaking my head.
But the others did not ignore it. Their's, too, vibrated and beeped loudly.
"Demens."
It was the Master.
I wasn't in the mood.
Mulder held his walkie and stared over at me, everyone in the room awaiting for my response.
"DeMENS."
He was getting impatient.
But I cared not.
After another beep, as to be expected..he had it.
"CAN SOMEONE BLOODY GET ME DEMENS?!"
Mulder sighed and brought it up to his mouth, "Yeah, we hear you..Demens is..not doing so good."
"Well she needs to stop feeling sorry for herself and get over here."
I, too, lost patience. I frustratedly snatched my walkie and angrily rose it up.
"WHAT?"
"Don't get snippy with me, you fleshy little juvenile! Get your *beep* back here! There's something I need to show you!" "I'm not in the mood, Saxon!" "Stop sulking! This concerns all your missing little friends! I know where they are!" "Yeah, no DIP, YOU MONKEY."
"Listen to me for once! GOD, you're so bloody stubborn!"
"Master, you specifically told me there's no way to get them back!! No way to get to where they are! We are STUCK here!" "That was until your little boy toy showed up."
My back perked. I blinked. "Gavin?"
Master groaned on the other end. "Yes...and he gave me some interesting news about that house."
There was a brief pause.
"I know how to get there now."
My eyes gravitated to the rest of the team. "..I'm on my way."
I sprung up and raced to everyone in the room, my blood pumping once more.
"I'm going back to the school.." I glanced around at each of them, taking deep controlled breaths to contain my anxiety. "...I'm sorry, but there's really nothing more you can do here. For the sake of your own protection..please stay inside the T.A.R.D.I.S. You'll be safe. Safe from the time change, the world quakes, everything. They won't be able to get you in there."
Scully tried to protest, "We can help."
"Please, guys. For me. I can't lose anyone else."
Fred and Daphne sighed, standing close together and trying to keep their chins up,
"We'll call Velma, Shaggy and Scoob back. You be safe out there, Sarah."
I nodded at Fred, where Daphne rubbed her arm. "..We're sorry we really can't do more. Feel kind of useless right now." "Oh heck, Daph..you guys are by far not useless. You guys are the best and most famous team of teenage sleuths around. You've already been a heckin lotta help."
She smiled, albeit sadly. My reassurance wasn't all that much what with what was going on.
But at least it made her feel a wee bit better about herself.
I turned to the three kids huddled in a group and I got close to them.
I bent down to be at their level, sighing heavily. "I know y'all have an itching need for trouble and adventure..but this time is serious. I seriously need you to behave on this one and not break from the group. The guys they got after us, the kids, the whole town..they're bad news. Really bad news. And they won't stop until they have everything they want."
Mabel squinted her eyes, "Money...power?"
"More like murder and bloodshed."
They gulped. I shrugged. "Sorry..I don't sugarcoat."
My eyes rolled to the ceiling. "Also one of them is literally a youth-devouring spider clown, so..yeah. You're kinda the main course."
"Yeah, we're staying nice and snug in the ship, thanks." Dipper shuddered.
I smirked. "Thank you for your cooperation."
"Careful." Eleven suddenly uttered. I looked over at her. I didn't know that much about her at all yet..but she was pretty stellar so far. What with the whole performance she put on the night before and all. And the fact this girl had a power that the rest of us didn't was truly something to keep in mind for the future. She could prove useful in the end.
"I will, Eleven. As best as I'm capable of."
"They're watching you."
I jerked my head back. "..Huh?"
Her eyes initially fell to the floor before she lifted them back up, an ounce of guilt sprinkled on her face. "..The bad men..they're watching you. Waiting."
Dipper looked at her, "Waiting for what, El?"
Her eyes darkly moved from me to him, then back to me.
"..For you to see."
My mind was reeling. I stared at her with a furrowed brow and slitted eyes and tried to calculate the meaning of her words until..it came to me.
The kids. Pennywise. This whole charade.
They wanted me to watch whatever they had planned for the kids.
Only..it still didn't make sense why they restricted us from going there to begin with.
These were things I needed to go over with Master...
"Be safe, guys."
I handed Mulder the key to the ship. "Keep the walkies handy. I'll contact you with anything I find out."
The two agents nodded. I took a deep breath and turned around.
Back to the school I went..
~
🤡 😈 👑 👽 💀
Getting to the school was significantly faster when there were no distractions.
When I actually got to the school grounds, the skies were getting eerily darker and much more sinister. Life seemed to feel just a tad bit dimmer with it, causing me to drag myself a little bit more.
Really..the point of even trying was weighing heavy on my already screwed up mind.
What if we fought this hard and the townsfolk were already long gone?
My eyes fell to the ground and didn't leave the concrete below me as my pace slowed down gradually and my head began to ache from the thoughts of it all..
What if we failed..
What if I made things worse..and I caused them to win just by being me?
Naturally..I was interrupted.
Interrupted when the earth below me suddenly shook.
Shook violently. Violently enough to throw me off balance and come tumbling right on my backside.
Which followed with me hitting my head against the concrete and the nerves in my body felt instant, throbbing pain. I clenched my teeth and gripped onto the surface below me as it quaked a terribly long duration. Thankfully I have a skull as stubborn as my attitude and it did not cause me to go into a coma, but the pain I now felt made my mood even worse.
I decided trying to get back up was meaningless while Coolsville went all to hell in the quaking, so I just chilled and rode out the last of the violent shakes.
This was longer and much more powerful than the ones in the Hobbit world.
And there was really no surprise why.
Cataclysm had changed events so drastically, that the world was truly on the brink of ending.
I shook my head as I sat up. The quaking stopped. Very suddenly, very suspiciously.
I held the back of my skull, wincing.
My sore, tired eyes scanned the world around me as I clenched my fists and grit my teeth.
"You know.." I growled. Just as I started to rise.
"I'm getting REAL tired.." I dusted myself off, sucking in a big breath and finally lifting my chin up just to begin screaming at the very top of my hoarse little lungs.
"---of y'all COMING down here, and sCREWING UP EVERYTHING!!!"
At that, I kicked a rock in front of me so far, it wound up traveling and skipping across the lot and bouncing out of sight. "GO and BURN straight into the freaking fires of HELL, you absolute freaking-"
"Miss Demens!"
I froze. My eyes slowly glared at the one standing at the entrance to my left.
It was Bane. Clearly, given the proper addressing.
I swallowed. "Heyyyyy, buddy..."
"Did you see something?"
I was too sheepish to reveal to Bane that I indeed did not. I was just yelling at tumbleweeds.
"No, I was just...yeah. Let's go inside."
I turned, feeling a false sense of security with Bane here.
False in the sense that it was freaking Bane, a psycho murderer just like the rest.
And false as in feeling like he could improve my situation anymore than being alone.
"Monster like us"
Ahhh, told ya..
"YOU KEEP IN MIND--!" I swung around so quick and pointed so accusingly, I almost fell down all over again. I was currently pointing at the air, but Pennywise's sick and twisted voice told me right off he was very near. And he was trying to get inside my head all over.
"--I know how you die."
This felt risky to say, but as soon as I said it, I already felt like I just made a power move.
Cuz I felt just a little bit better. And so I turned, finally feeling satisfied and proceeded onward into the humble abode of the abandoned school itself.
~
I followed Bane through the disturbingly silent and lifeless halls of the school.
Something deathly hung in the air..and the sounds of my own voice crying out to Bud seemed to echo through them, piercing my mind like a sharp blade.
My heart sunk with failure and despair.
There also lingered a presence of anguish and fear..something that served as a strong residue to whatever had went on there. I felt it more and more clearly the further I got towards the gym.
As me and my brawny companion stepped through the doors, Master and Joker stood scattered in the enormous room, the clown watching the Timelord as he scanned around the area.
J was the first to take notice of our presence, his hands on his hips, looking flamboyantly sassy.
I nudged my head at him in silent greeting, before my eyes turned to Master.
When he still didn't take notice of me, I loudly cleared my throat.
His head swiveled. "There you bloody are!"
"Shut up. The quaking delayed me."
"I'm sure it did." He rushed towards me, holding his laser screwdriver in hand, to which I rose a brow and threw my hands in the air. "What chya got, boy, tell me!"
"I'm getting to it, be quiet!"
I narrowed my eyes.
"You said you know how to get there now."
He nodded impatiently. "That I do. All thanks to your lover boy."
As surprised as I was that Master just sorta complimented him, I was too distracted with the mention of Gavin and turned my head to locate him. "Where IS Gavin??"
"Right here."
All eyes immediately snapped to Ninja Boy, who walked through a door to the left wall of us.
He slowly approached us, his face stern, but rather positive.
"Gavin!" I breathed. "..Where's Jim? Is he alright?"
"It's alright, I found him. He's still in the house."
This briefly confused me, but he shook his head. "But he's not in danger. He never really was."
I was a tad bit confused, but more so intrigued. "..I thought the house was haunted?"
"It is. By someone who can help us."
The others looked at me, no doubt rehearing what he just revealed, and waited for my reaction.
I perked. "Seriously? How?" "His house..I don't know exactly how yet..but it's connected to another point in time. Jim was being held there because the ghost thought he was one of the villains responsible for all this. But upon hearing that we were actually here on the world's behalf, he set Jim free, but from that point in time. No doubt to explain things to him about who he is. It's connected to a mirror..a mirror which I truly believe he'll allow us to pass through to get to the kids. And stop the villains before they finish their plan."
This was the most superb news my ears could hear..and the exact answer to our current problem.
"Gavin, you absolute gem! That's it!!"
Master clapped his hands in victory, "Exactly! We can travel around whatever power they're using to block us through that house. My guess is, a crack in time the spirit of that bloke unlocked in his vengeance..and then we can walk right into the town and stop those bloody buggers before they destroy this planet and make zombie children."
I grinned from ear to ear. "What are we waiting for, then?"
"Hold up, hold up." J spoke loudly, waving his arms frantically. "Let's keep in mind those morons are probably listening right now and are no doubt rushing to nuke that house or close the portal or whatever *beep* they wanna do to screw up our plans.. maybe we should try to find a different plan."
"There IS no other plan, clown. And if we hurry, we'll make it before they get the chance."
I turned my head, "Besides, something tells me that spirit is relatively untouchable or else he would have been blocked by their power, too. I think we'll be safe in this plan. With no more dilly-dallying, that is." J shook his head. "You just think you can run around and do whatever the *beep* you want, with no consequences, don't ya?"
I slightly smirked. "I'm the Queen; I roam around worlds that shouldn't exist like they're my playground, alter set historic events, turn villains into heroes and make people who should be dead alive again. I think it's established by now I do whatever the heckin heck I want."
- - -
A curious thing occurred, as it did in Middle Earth.
The day still had a good chunk of life left in it, but as we all exited from the school, night time was now front and center and we were shaken with yet another quake. This one stronger and much more sporadic. We looked to one another, in complete acknowledgement of what was happening.
They were doing it again. Changing the world. Tearing it apart.
"Meet me at the house. I'm getting the others. I can't leave them here."
I started to advance ahead, but Master yanked me back by the arm.
"Are you mad? You're not going out there in the dark on your own."
My brows raised in surprise.
He rolled his eyes, "Don't be daft, I don't care what happens to your annoying little life."
"Sureee." "We just need you for this idiotic plan, is all."
I chuckled under my breath, shaking my head. "Then I'll need a chaperone."
Just as Gavin started to go forward, the other three abruptly drew out their hands, the most comedic thing I had seen the trio do, and initiated a game of rock-paper-scissors.
Joker won by my standards. Lost by his. He groaned. "Crud."
Turning about, he started to rush me ahead, grumbling like an underpaid babysitter.
"Get going, ya little termite."
I looked back at the others, smirking at the outcome. "I'll be back in a jiffy, meh guys. Don't worry."
Master and Bane wasted no time and started rolling out, but Gavin took a minute to watch after me, waving goodbye in a sorrowful and hesitant manner. It was getting a bit harder for us to part ways..making me wonder just where things were going to take off in the end..whether he would stay with us or not.
He did eventually head off after the others.
Though it left me with a sadness I couldn't shake. A foreboding feeling that perhaps..we were still too late. And that was something my heart wouldn't be able to handle.
-
Things felt like a fever dream here. With people vanishing and monsters showing up here and there, it was a lot to handle. And the clock as well as my heart was racing.
Racing towards something I still wasn't entirely sure was going down.
We ran down the streets as quickly as our legs could take us, the hotel feeling as if it was in another country. The night time made things a bit more menacing and urgent, as we knew what would start to emerge within the dark. What could easily swarm us and we wouldn't react in time.
That's when something caught my eye and I froze to a stop. Joker staggered at the last second as he noticed this and he looked back at me in confusion.
But my eyes zoomed in on the thing behind us, that made my blood coil.
Sure enough..it was after us...the Vashta Nerada.
It loomed from the distance, collecting into a great wave in the ground.
Joker saw what I was staring at and his eyes widened. What he uttered I dare not repeat, even in beep form. He just started running. Running like he was a pro athlete.
I followed suit.
The darkness of the living shadow was closing in faster than you can say Abe Lincoln, but I wasn't about to go out ungracefully into a pile of bones. I had things to do and people to see and by God, I was determined to visit Gotham while I had the bloody means to do so.
No ground shadow was gonna take that chance away from me!
Even if I had to sell my very soul, I was g o i n g t o g e t t o G o t h a m.
The pressure was on and I felt my lungs already dying as we sped through the remaining streets, the hotel growing in size as we drew near. I could hear swift whispers in the air and my eyes darted at the reflections in the passing windows. There were blurred images of people appearing in such reflections, that watched me as I whizzed by. It wasn't long before I could decipher what the voices were whispering in my head.. Monster like us..
My
legs found new purpose. I was soon running ahead of Joker. I knew what
they were trying to stop us from doing. They were trying to stop us from
saving the others.
I was soon to have no choice..
Relief came to my senses as I saw the door to the hotel.
As we closed in, however, another problem showed itself.
A villain I had never seen before. A villain with the most disturbing grin one could have.
With
an enormous head and a dapper suit, it stared at me and Joker with the
utmost chilling focus and I almost fell down as it appeared. "WHAT THE *BEEP* IS THAT?!" J yelped.
It then abruptly jerked its body forward and started to run at a demon like speed towards us, its face changing from a subtle creepiness to full dead psycho-murderer-from-beyond creepiness.
It then abruptly jerked its body forward and started to run at a demon like speed towards us, its face changing from a subtle creepiness to full dead psycho-murderer-from-beyond creepiness.
I pivoted quickly as we made for the door. "I'M NOT STOPPING TO FIND OUT!"
 |
| Slappy Wannabe |
I
kicked in the glass door and hurriedly slid over to the force field
generator. Quickly, I pressed the button to activate it. It shot out the
field in an instant and for a half second I felt we were a little
home-free. Until the unthinkable happen.
Something broke it.
I
gasped as I continued running, thankful I didn't stop. For the instant
the field was broken, I heard the glass wall behind us shatter into a
million pieces as something charged through in pursuit of us.
"GO GO GO!!!" Joker exclaimed, the both of us running like nobody's business to the ship.
We
heard snarling and ear-numbing cackling from behind us as now multiple
assailants were on our tail, no doubt all of the villains who once
attacked.
I quickly snapped out the walkie, "GUYS, OPEN THE DOOR, QUICK!!"
In that split second, someone from inside the ship opened it and me and Joker, as if it were even possible, ran even faster. I felt like my lungs were going to explode, my heart burst from my chest, my body collapse, as everything in me was going too fast to even think clearly anymore.
In that split second, someone from inside the ship opened it and me and Joker, as if it were even possible, ran even faster. I felt like my lungs were going to explode, my heart burst from my chest, my body collapse, as everything in me was going too fast to even think clearly anymore.
The
rest of the way there seemed like a nightmare I could not wake from as
any second felt like my last, like something behind us was about to
pounce or grab me and drag me back to kill me on the spot and I couldn't
believe it as me and Joker jumped through the open door way and the
door was slammed shut behind us. Whoever it was that did so instantly
locked it, screaming.
By the pitch of the scream, I realized it was Mabel.
By the pitch of the scream, I realized it was Mabel.
The
two of us landed hard on the floor, almost face-first. I felt my brain
rushing to catch up with what just happened. Clear as day we heard the
monsters on the other side shouting and pounding against the door, as
none of them could get in. Not even the Vashta Nerada.
I rolled my body around and closed my eyes, about to have a legitimate heart attack.
"Ho-ly CRAP."
My head shook. "Call 911, I'm dyin'!"
My sides hurt, my chest hurt, my innards hurt, my feelings hurt, my soul hurt, my everything hurt.
My head rested against the floor as I winced and wheezed at the pain I was experiencing everywhere.
Daphne and Scully ran to our aid. J was recovering faster than I as I was just trying to find the strength to be alive again. Pretty sure I literally died and came back just then, for but a split second.
I struggled up as J was already standing himself, albeit still huffing and puffing.
And I looked all around with a wild gaze.
"I'm done..I'm done, that's it, I quit, I'm done."
My hands waved about as I pushed past the others, trying to get to a stool.
"I'm going to bed now, I'm done, k, thanks, bye."
I poured myself a glass of water and quickly gulped it down.
I held it next to my face for a moment, squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to think again.
"I'm getting real tired of y'all trying to kill me for no reason."
Mulder rushed over to me, holding my shoulder in concern. "Are you guys okay?"
"Ok?" Joker said from afar, turning his body around. His hand gestured to the noise makers outside.
"Do we seem okay, with those freaks after us?!"
Hmm, a bit hypocritical, J....
I pointed at the door, staggering back to my feet. "We need to get out of here. We don't have time to diddle daddle."
I hurried to the controls, while watching the monsters outside from the camera.
"Those things broke through the defenses of the force field. They're not gonna stop until they get us. We're going to the haunted house to meet the others, as quickly as freaking possible."
Dipper held his head in his hands, "Oh geez, I hope they're okay! I'd hate for something to have happened, because of those things!"
"Oh Dipper, don't say that!" Daphne lamented. "I was already worried, but now--"
That's when I froze and I turned my head to look at the others. I realized at that moment that the rest of the Scooby gang had not arrived. My eyes enlarged. "Guys..where's Shag, Scoob and Velma?!"
Fred pulled out his walkie. "We couldn't get in contact with them; we were hoping they were with you!"
I held my head. "Oh god...this is bad, this is bad, this is bad.."
Everyone in the room glared at each other, the atmosphere growing even more tense than it was before, and we had monsters banging against the door to get in.
I rolled my body around and closed my eyes, about to have a legitimate heart attack.
"Ho-ly CRAP."
My head shook. "Call 911, I'm dyin'!"
My sides hurt, my chest hurt, my innards hurt, my feelings hurt, my soul hurt, my everything hurt.
My head rested against the floor as I winced and wheezed at the pain I was experiencing everywhere.
Daphne and Scully ran to our aid. J was recovering faster than I as I was just trying to find the strength to be alive again. Pretty sure I literally died and came back just then, for but a split second.
I struggled up as J was already standing himself, albeit still huffing and puffing.
And I looked all around with a wild gaze.
"I'm done..I'm done, that's it, I quit, I'm done."
My hands waved about as I pushed past the others, trying to get to a stool.
"I'm going to bed now, I'm done, k, thanks, bye."
I poured myself a glass of water and quickly gulped it down.
I held it next to my face for a moment, squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to think again.
"I'm getting real tired of y'all trying to kill me for no reason."
Mulder rushed over to me, holding my shoulder in concern. "Are you guys okay?"
"Ok?" Joker said from afar, turning his body around. His hand gestured to the noise makers outside.
"Do we seem okay, with those freaks after us?!"
Hmm, a bit hypocritical, J....
I pointed at the door, staggering back to my feet. "We need to get out of here. We don't have time to diddle daddle."
I hurried to the controls, while watching the monsters outside from the camera.
"Those things broke through the defenses of the force field. They're not gonna stop until they get us. We're going to the haunted house to meet the others, as quickly as freaking possible."
Dipper held his head in his hands, "Oh geez, I hope they're okay! I'd hate for something to have happened, because of those things!"
"Oh Dipper, don't say that!" Daphne lamented. "I was already worried, but now--"
That's when I froze and I turned my head to look at the others. I realized at that moment that the rest of the Scooby gang had not arrived. My eyes enlarged. "Guys..where's Shag, Scoob and Velma?!"
Fred pulled out his walkie. "We couldn't get in contact with them; we were hoping they were with you!"
I held my head. "Oh god...this is bad, this is bad, this is bad.."
Everyone in the room glared at each other, the atmosphere growing even more tense than it was before, and we had monsters banging against the door to get in.
I quickly snatched my walkie from my hip and brought it up as I set the T.A.R.D.I.S. to new coordinates. "Master, please tell me you have Velma, Scoob and Shaggy there."
..there was no response. Only static.
..there was no response. Only static.
I tried again, "Master!"
My eyes lifted to the others, trying not to lose my cool.
"Ok..ok...maybe they just..can't hear us..let's not freak out...."
That's when Mulder and Scully went around me and checked on the camera.
But soon the two agents leaned in with sudden shock and it drew my attention to what they were staring at. "Oh my god..Mulder..it's...!"
"It can't be, Scully.."
"I assure you it most definitely could be with our luck, but what, what can't it be?"
I came in and stood next to them. They shook their heads in disbelief.
"Mr. Chuckle Teeth..he's here!"
Both stood back up straight, suddenly holding their heads.
My brows were flexing in so much confusion, like two wiggling caterpillars.
"Ok..ok...maybe they just..can't hear us..let's not freak out...."
That's when Mulder and Scully went around me and checked on the camera.
But soon the two agents leaned in with sudden shock and it drew my attention to what they were staring at. "Oh my god..Mulder..it's...!"
"It can't be, Scully.."
"I assure you it most definitely could be with our luck, but what, what can't it be?"
I came in and stood next to them. They shook their heads in disbelief.
"Mr. Chuckle Teeth..he's here!"
Both stood back up straight, suddenly holding their heads.
My brows were flexing in so much confusion, like two wiggling caterpillars.
"Who in the actual marshmallow is Mr. Chuckle Teeth?"
"Wait...Mulder..we..we don't know a Mr. Chuckle Teeth!"
"R..right..we haven't faced anything..like that before."
Their faces were pained with mental struggle. Like something was coming back to them that didn't belong. Having enough, I bent down and searched the name in the database.
The results were clear. He hailed from X-Files, but in the 2016 revival. Which made my heart happy cuz it got revived, but it was years after the original run of the show.
It hit me in that moment. "It must be the T.A.R.D.I.S...you're getting memories from the future here! He's someone, or something, you face years from now."
However true my theory was, it didn't ease the circumstance my favorite FBI peeps were facing.
"Wait...Mulder..we..we don't know a Mr. Chuckle Teeth!"
"R..right..we haven't faced anything..like that before."
Their faces were pained with mental struggle. Like something was coming back to them that didn't belong. Having enough, I bent down and searched the name in the database.
The results were clear. He hailed from X-Files, but in the 2016 revival. Which made my heart happy cuz it got revived, but it was years after the original run of the show.
It hit me in that moment. "It must be the T.A.R.D.I.S...you're getting memories from the future here! He's someone, or something, you face years from now."
However true my theory was, it didn't ease the circumstance my favorite FBI peeps were facing.
Mulder pointed, straightening himself up. "No..that's not the only reason..he showed up. He showed up back home and.." Scully nodded in remembrance as her eyes lifted to her partner.
"That's right..he showed up and we followed him..and then we.."
Mulder remembered now. "And then we were here."
Things started to make sense now, as to why the mystery-solving gang was brought into this world.
"..He lured you here...that's why they tried to stop J and me, they didn't wanna to kill us, they were trying to prevent us from saving you. This whole thing has been a big old trap!"
My finger shot at the Pine twins, jumping from the platform. "Dipper! Mabel! You guys were led here by a monster. Eleven, you were led here by a monster, too, weren't you?! That's it..these things were drawing you guys in and were after you all along!"
"Well what does Coolsville have to do with all this?" Questioned Daphne. But I shook her shoulders.
"Don't you see? You guys are the og monster mystery gang! So many strange investigative fandoms have stemmed from Scooby Doo..you were an inspiration to so many..you helped fuel the monster mania and lovers of strange, creepy things. You're an American icon. You're a fandom icon. You gave birth to greatness. Of COURSE you were the central target to make all this happen...and you know why they brought you all here?"
"To put a stop to us.." Fred realized. "We were all a threat!"
"Precisely why we need to get back to the house asap.." I fiddled with the controls and prepared the ship for departure. "The fact that no one is answering their walkies means one of two things.."
The gang all looked to one another. Mulder nodded, "They're messing with our communications.."
"..Or they got our friends." Mabel gasped.
"And if the latter is true.." I pressed the button and the ship jerked upwards.
"-They better hope and pray their souls are straight with God..cuz I'm about to send them back to hell."
"That's right..he showed up and we followed him..and then we.."
Mulder remembered now. "And then we were here."
Things started to make sense now, as to why the mystery-solving gang was brought into this world.
"..He lured you here...that's why they tried to stop J and me, they didn't wanna to kill us, they were trying to prevent us from saving you. This whole thing has been a big old trap!"
My finger shot at the Pine twins, jumping from the platform. "Dipper! Mabel! You guys were led here by a monster. Eleven, you were led here by a monster, too, weren't you?! That's it..these things were drawing you guys in and were after you all along!"
"Well what does Coolsville have to do with all this?" Questioned Daphne. But I shook her shoulders.
"Don't you see? You guys are the og monster mystery gang! So many strange investigative fandoms have stemmed from Scooby Doo..you were an inspiration to so many..you helped fuel the monster mania and lovers of strange, creepy things. You're an American icon. You're a fandom icon. You gave birth to greatness. Of COURSE you were the central target to make all this happen...and you know why they brought you all here?"
"To put a stop to us.." Fred realized. "We were all a threat!"
"Precisely why we need to get back to the house asap.." I fiddled with the controls and prepared the ship for departure. "The fact that no one is answering their walkies means one of two things.."
The gang all looked to one another. Mulder nodded, "They're messing with our communications.."
"..Or they got our friends." Mabel gasped.
"And if the latter is true.." I pressed the button and the ship jerked upwards.
"-They better hope and pray their souls are straight with God..cuz I'm about to send them back to hell."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please only use respectful language and no crude references, please!