It was later that day. Mac had arrived back and used the yacht's secure communications relay to contact the authorities. An official raid on the factory would take place the next day. Other than Harry agreeing to lead the Aurors sent from Britain, Canada and the United States, it was decided not to use Superman, Wonder Woman and the rest unless necessary.
Meanwhile, the crew of the Nike were relaxing. Athena was just emerging from the pool, enjoying seeing Reuben eying her bikini-clad form. She dried herself with a towel, before covering herself with a T-shirt and shorts. Joe was gazing out over the deck in an AFC Bournemouth replica kit football shirt and shorts. Chloe was beside him, so Joe had sensibly removed his spectacles. Grace and Sappho had not finished their laps of the pool, regularly meeting up in the middle for kisses. Kara and Donna were topping up their tans on sunbeds, whilst Roy was checking his weapons. Clark and Diana were helping Lois with Lara. Harry, Ginny and the kids were feeding the owls and Millie's cats down in the galley, whilst Kreacher prepared the dinner. Millie and Pansy meanwhile were in a passionate embrace on a sun lounger, Millie in a green bikini (with an underwired top supporting her buxom figure) and Pansy in a blue one.
Joe suddenly started. "That's odd!"
"What is, Joe?" Reuben asked. Like Athena, he had dried himself and had put on T-shirt and sandals, his swim shorts being large enough to not require additional cover.
"That chap over there, he keeps refocusing his binoculars on the Nike. Whilst we have some pretty females on deck, I don't think he's supposed to be watching non-feathered birds!"
"Rule 5?" Athena asked.
"Rule 5!" Reuben agreed. "Look after the children, Joe!"
"We'll come with you," Millie announced, putting on shorts, T-shirt and sandals. Pansy was doing the same beside her. "What's rule 5?"
"Tracking strangers, amongst other things!"
The "bird-watcher" turned to another smuggler beside him. "Those two witches seem to be leaving the boat with a couple of the teenagers. Any plans?"
"Let's lead them to that warehouse near the wharf we have put a few of our wizards and a couple of those rune things in. Meanwhile, I'll signal to those two closer to the boat to try and board."
Millie and Pansy followed Athena and Reuben into the warehouse. They had seen the stranger and his companion disappear inside. "You know," Millie noted, "this warehouse seems to be owned by the same people as that factory. There's even a couple of those runes."
"Expelliarmus!" came two simultaneous shouts from behind them. Millie and Pansy, who had both drawn their wands, felt them fly out of their hands. They both turned, to hear two cries of "Stupefy!" and to see a jet of red light apiece hit them. That was the last they saw before blackness overcame them.
Athena and Reuben tried to charge them, but two more wizards Apparated behind them and stunned them also.
The leader of the smugglers smiled. "Take them to the boat and secure them!" he ordered. "Now," he said to other wizards, "do that teleport trick of yours…"
Joe saw his friends go into the warehouse. He picked up his glasses and briefcase. "I'll guard the boat, although I don't see the need…" He heard steps on the gangplank. "That's strange." He put on his spectacles and stared down. Two shotguns were pointed at him.
"Put that briefcase down and put your hands in the air!" barked one of the gunmen.
Joe moved as if he was going to comply, then opened the secret compartment on the case's exterior that contained his W.I.N. automatic and fired twice. Not only was he a crack shot in his own right, but he had the brain-patterns of the best marksman in MI6. A red dot precisely between the eyes of each gunman collapsing lifelessly bore eloquent testimony to that fact.
Having heard the shots (inevitably), Kara and Clark disappeared below decks and emerged as Supergirl and Superman. Diana and Donna also disappeared below and spun themselves into Wonder Woman and Troia. Harry and Ginny came up, wands drawn. Roy also disappeared below deck to put on his Arsenal costume and pick up his longbow, quiver of arrows and other weapons.
"What happened, Joe?" Wonder Woman asked.
"I spotted two people watching the Nike. Athena, Reuben, Millie and Pansy followed them into that warehouse." He pointed at it, before pointing at the gangplank. "Those two chaps tried to board us, but I've dealt with them."
"So I see!" Arsenal noted approvingly. "Excellent marksmanship, Joe!"
"Thanks. What do we do now, everyone?"
"We see if the others need assistance!" Harry said firmly.
"Rover!" Wonder Woman called. The robot arrived on deck. "Watch the gangway and contact us via my IADC secure cell phone immediately if anyone approaches."
The warehouse doors had been locked, but that was no problem for Supergirl, who just pulled one of the doors off its hinges.
"Millie?" Harry called. "Pansy? Athena? Reuben?" Reply came there none!
Superman used his X-Ray Vision. "I can't see anyone here, Harry."
"Those look like wands on the floor," Troia noted.
Ginny picked them up. "This is Pansy's," she noted sombrely, "and this one's Millie's".
Harry scanned the area with his wand. "There has been two disarming hexes, four stunners and a number of apparitions and disapparitions in this area over the last hour."
Ginny cast prior incantatem with first Millie's and then Pansy's wands. "Neither has cast a stunner or a disarming hex in some time."
"Well," Wonder Woman noted grimly, "it seems our friends have been abducted, but…"
"This warehouse is owned by the same company as the factory!" Joe added. "I think they recognised Millie yesterday and want to find out what we know."
Millie was awakened. She tried to move, but found her wrists had been zip tied separately to the arms of a heavy chair and her ankles likewise secured to the chair legs. An attempt at speech revealed there was something sticky covering her mouth. Looking around, she saw Pansy, Athena and Reuben also tied to chairs in the same manner and all gagged with duct tape. Presumably this was what covered her own mouth and restricted her to a few muffled grunts. From the sense of movement and a regular splashing sound, she correctly decided that they were on a boat of some kind.
Once all the prisoners were awake, the lead smuggler addressed them. "Once we are closer to our destination, you will tell us what will happen to our operations. For the moment, however, you will remain gagged. We are too close to the shipping lanes to risk a cry for help.
"Enjoy your ride with Captive Cruises! It should be an interesting experience!"
Once they were back on the Nike, Harry and Ginny went to notify the children. Given how close the Potter children were to Millie and Pansy, especially Lily, it was correctly felt some comforting may be required.
Joe and Wonder Woman, however, went to the controls and flicked the switch to reveal the hidden control panels. Wonder Woman pressed one with a picture of a Grecian temple on it. "Mother, this is Wonder Woman, repeat…"
"I hear you!" came Hippolyta's voice over the speakers. "What is the problem, Diana?"
"Athena, Reuben, Millie and Pansy have been kidnapped by the smugglers, mother."
"What!"
"I'm calling for assistance! Please use the portal. I'll call some others as well. We'll bring them back alive or else avenge their deaths!"
"I'll come, daughter. Those smugglers will feel my wrath! Over and out!"
Diana pressed buttons with pictures of a bat in flight, a trident, the SHIELD logo, a winged globe and a handful of others. Within seconds, Zatanna Zatara and Wednesday and Pugsley Addams were with her. It was not long before a bat-shaped plane, a SHIELD Quinjet and a convoy of Atlanteans were en route, what appeared to be a 1960s London police box was materialising in the cargo bay and Regina Mills and Emma Swan were leading a Storybrooke war party through the portal to Themyscira, where they joined Hippolyta and an Amazonian one in taking the portal to the Nike. Richard and Fenella Morton were informed of their son's disappearance.
The lead smuggler removed the tape from Athena's mouth. "What do you know?"
"You are not a good guy?" She received an open-handed slap to the cheek. "Ow! That just proves my point!" This time the slap was much harder.
"I'll try the, err, larger Mrs Potter!" Millie was ungagged. "Tell us or we hurt your wife!"
"What exactly?"
"Will you raid our factory?"
"What do you think? Yes!" said Athena sarcastically. "Tomorrow, I believe. Then you get your…"
"Athena!" Millie hissed.
"Thank you, you have been most helpful. Now, my men and I will have to discuss what to do with you all. Remove the others' gags. There's no-one to hear any screams!" He laughed as he led his men into another room once Pansy and Reuben were both ungagged.
Millie struggled against her bonds. I wish I was Wonder Witch right now. With my magic belt, I could hear their plans. Heck, I could break these bloody bonds easily. Well, I won't be able to spin up a vortex anytime soon!
The leader then re-entered, alongside two wizards with wands at the ready and two muggle gunmen, pistols in hand. One of the wizards looked like a younger version of the leader. "My chief wizard here said that with the runes carved into the boat, four killing curses would not be detected easily. I, however, thought an old muggle method might be a more amusing method of disposal. Amusing for us, anyway. I doubt any of you will be laughing!" He gave another peel of mocking laughter.
Wednesday scanned the warehouse. "Do you want us to bring the raid on the factory forward, mon vieux?" she asked Harry.
"No thanks, Wednesday," he replied. "I've called in more of the heavy mob and I want them here before we strike." It also increases the chances of someone wondering why Wonder Witch didn't show up until Millie either escaped or was freed, if everyone else has already been on the scene for some time!
"Good thinking, Harry!" agreed Pugsley.
Harry grinned. Under those ultra-Goth exteriors were two of the friendliest people he had ever met. Wednesday was one of Lily's two godmothers (Luna was the other) and both siblings were two of the most valued of the "honorary Potters" he and Ginny seemed to accumulate. The Addamses, Zee, the other Harry, Stephen, Wanda, John, Regina and Emma are an impressive group of sorcerers! Even Will Stanton uses magic of a sort, even if he only calls himself the Watchman or the last of the Old Ones. Add in the various mutants, metahumans, aliens and extraordinary muggles that are in my circle and I have quite the extended family. Well, by blood-rite and marriage, Millie and Pansy are my family and I will not let them down!
The Doctor, meanwhile, was using his sonic sunglasses to check for technology or radio signals. "No video cameras or listening equipment," he noted, his 'attack eyebrows' giving his stare a fierce look. "It looks as if whatever computer equipment was here has been removed.
"Are the Batplane and the Quinjet…?"
"On their way?" Harry interrupted. "Yes, they should be arriving here shortly, as should the Atlantean contingent."
"Good!"
The boat was docking somewhere. Smugglers and wizards entered, pointing guns and wands at the captives. A couple of smugglers untied them. "Move!" the leader ordered.
"Where are we going?" Millie asked, rubbing circulation back into her limbs.
"Where do you think?" the leader laughed again. "To your deaths, of course!"
"Charming destination!"
"Why?" Athena asked.
"They are disposing of the evidence, dear," Pansy told her. "Am I right?!"
"Of course!"
The four captives were taken onto the deck and down the gangplank. They had been on a luxury yacht now docked in a narrow inlet, a wooden jetty half-hidden by foliage. An old fishing trawler was also moored there. Two winding cables were at the back. By now, the evening was starting to get dark.
"We sometimes use this boat to drag fishing nets containing drugs in waterproof containers," said the leader. "It is perfect for what I have in mind. Tie them up!"
Millie and Pansy were grabbed by the arms and pushed together front-to-front. Their wrists were then tied together tightly with heavy ropes, with Millie's hands bound behind Pansy's back and Pansy's behind Millie's, the two effectively in a tight embrace. Athena and Reuben were tied together in the same way. More heavy rope was tied around each couple's torsos and upper arms, binding them very closely together.
Reuben looked on in horror and disgust as the end of the long heavy rope around the upper bodies of Athena and him was fastened to the left winch and that around Millie and Pansy to the right. "You monsters!"
"What?!" Athena asked.
"They are going to keelhaul us, love. It's an old naval execution, or pirate killing method, in which we will be dragged behind that boat through, over and under the water until we drown, get devoured by marine wildlife or whatever finally kills us."
"Fiends!" yelled Pansy.
"As I said," the leader continued, "far more amusing than bullet or killing curse."
"Your sense of humour is a trifle off!" Millie quipped darkly.
He grinned back at her, before smacking Athena's left upper thigh so sharply that she and Reuben span 360 degrees. "Leave their legs free to help attract predators!" At that, he and the chief wizards and smugglers boarded their yacht and left towards Castle Harbour. Others boarded the trawler and began to start the motors.
"This is it, my beautiful princess," Reuben told Athena.
"No, my handsome Romany, it is only the ending of this part of our story. If we die, we will be together forever in the Elysian Fields. Otherwise, we will be together in this life and beyond. Reuben Richard Morton, I love you. Will you marry me?"
"Of course, yes!" he shouted happily, kissing her deeply.
"Congratulations!" Millie called. She smiled down at Pansy, being somewhat taller. "I never knew it until recently, but ever since we first met, there was only ever one for me!"
"Henry Mills would be so proud of you!" her spouse retorted. "I love you too, Millie, sentimental fool that you are! Now, just kiss me!" Millie obliged at length.
Meanwhile, the trawler was casting off and moved out of the harbour. Once the ropes around the two helpless couples were at full stretch, they were lifted off the jetty and dragged through the air and into the water.