Last time found Riku's group traversing through the zombie-stricken streets of Moresby in search of needed medical supplies for the survivors, only to get into a firefight with a vicious gang of looters and rapists. Just when it seemed our heroes would either be murdered or violated then murdered, Nerissa showed up and eviscerated the gangsters. Naturally she was met with suspicion and untrusting hostility, despite her claims of being on the side of good, this time. 'Nuff said, on with the show!
Chapter 6: St. Anna of Arendelle
"Not that we don't appreciate the help," said Aiden to Nerissa, "but your reputation speaks for itself. You caused Elyon, Will and the others a lot of unnecessary suffering."
"From my point of view, it was necessary," said Nerissa, "but what's done is done. I came here hoping to put the past behind us and move towards a better future for all, but since you lot are still licking old wounds, I might as well be on my way and search out Anna of Arendelle on my own."
"You're looking for Anna and Kristoff!?" exclaimed Tess as she stood up and walked towards Nerissa, "who told you about them?!"
"A mutual friend," said Nerissa, "a certain semi-immortal time traveler whom has a bad habit for meddling."
"Alegra," laughed Tess, "I should have known."
"She made you one of her aces," said Riku.
"And you are the main hand," said Nerissa, "at least you're part of it," she looked around, "I haven't seen our favorite redhead anywhere. Just where is Will and that precious crystal of hers?"
"You stay far away from Will, you crazy woman!" shouted Taranee, "far away!"
"Or what, you'll beat me up?" Nerissa asked daringly, "come now, is that any way to talk to an ally?"
"You're no ally of mine!" snapped Caleb.
"Dude, she's your mom!" said Simon.
"I wish she wasn't," said Caleb, "not after what she did."
"What could she have possibly done to turn you against her?" Amanda asked, "what did she do that was so horrible?"
"It's a long story," said Caleb.
"Too long to explain here and now," said Nerissa, "so, are we going to search for Anna of Arendelle or not?"
"We're not doing anything with you!" said Cornelia.
"Especially not looking for Anna," said Taranee, "you'll probably use her in one of your disgusting schemes for universal domination!"
"I'm trying to reunite an innocent girl with her loving sister," said Nerissa irately, "I'll do it myself if I have to, but our mutual friend Alegra wishes for us to work together."
"Alegra, it's always Alegra," said Tess venomously, "I swear, I'm gonna cut her head off the next time I see her!"
"It'll just grow back," said Nerissa, "I've been trying to kill Alegra Wells longer than you've been alive. Trust me, she just doesn't stay dead."
"Well, what if we use a whole bunch of different things to kill her?" Tess asked, "like we shoot her, stab and poison her at the same time, and then we cut her head off."
"Still wouldn't work," said Nerissa, "the only way I can think of eliminating Alegra Wells is to destroy every single cell in her body in one shot, and even then it wouldn't work, she'd know it was coming."
"Right, time travel," said Tess.
"Well, it's been lovely catching up with you and all, Nerissa," said Cornelia sarcastically, "but we've got work to do," she then picked up the boxes of morphine and penicillin, "there's a lot of good people who need this stuff. You want to make things better, stay out of our way."
"We don't have time to settle old grudges," said Taranee, "not with a nuclear sub on its way."
"A nuclear submarine?" Nerissa asked.
"One armed with a tactical nuke," said Riku, "it'll be in firing range in less than two days. Oh, and there's a typhoon coming too."
"How can you be so sure of the incoming nuke?" Simon asked, "I thought it was just a rumor."
"Just where is your source of information?" Danni asked.
"It's a long story," said Aiden, "but we don't know if the sub has orders to fire its nuke yet."
"They will if the military thinks it'll get rid of the outbreak," said Amanda, "sacrifice Banoi to keep the plague from spreading to the rest of the world."
"How quickly does the virus turn the living?" Nerissa asked Amanda, Simon and Danni, "from first bite to reanimation?"
"A few hours," said Simon, "depending on where the bite is, and on how bad the wound is."
"We've seen people die almost instantly from fatal wounds and rise up less than a minute later," said Danni.
"But some last almost twelve hours before they die and come back," said Amanda.
"Then a nuclear attack won't solve the problem," said Nerissa, "if some people stay alive for half a day after being bitten, then some infected could have gotten off the island and made it to other countries. The outbreak could have reached epidemic or even pandemic levels by now."
"Sidney did say that she picked up rumors about the virus beyond the island," said Aiden.
"Alright, that does it!" snapped Simon, "just who the hell are you people?!"
"And who the hell is Sidney?" Danni asked.
"It's a long story," said Riku.
"Summarize it," said Amanda, "and be honest about having a working cell phone."
"It isn't what you think," said Tess as she pulled out her phone, "we can only call Sora and the others, and Sidney and Martin."
"Who are they?!" Danni asked irately, "just give us a freaking straight answer already!"
"We'll tell you everything on the way back to the church," said Riku, "at which point we'll call Sora, Will and the others back at the resort," he then looked at Nerissa, "you'd better be on the level about helping us."
"Straight as an arrow," said Nerissa proudly.
"An arrow pointed at us," said Caleb venomously.
"I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt," said Nigel, "she did save us."
"Only to use us later!" said Taranee, "you don't know her, Nigel!"
"That's right, I don't know her," said Nigel, "she's done nothing against me. I believe you when you said that she's done a lot of wicked things, but for now I believe she's sincere."
"So do I," said Tess.
"This can't be happening," said Cornelia, "Nerissa is our worst enemy and you guys are trusting her."
"Only so far as back to the church," said Riku, "and then we'll talk with Sora, Will and the others. Then we'll decide if we can trust Nerissa for the rest of the mission."
"And if she's not on the level," said Tess as she looked at Nerissa, "if she even thinks about betraying us, I'll feed her to the ghouls, both dead and living."
"Fair enough," said Nerissa, "now, are we going to go to church? Or are we going to sit around and talk while more ghouls and possibly more hoodlums come?"
"Sounds reasonable to me," said Aiden.
…Royal Palms Resort…Lifeguard Station…
"The way I see it," said Will as she, Irma, Hay Lin, Ellen and Kairi helped make Molotov Cocktails, "if we could lure a whole bunch of zombies into some shallow water, I can zap the water and short all those ghouls out."
"Yeah, but who's gonna be the bait?" Ellen asked. "Okay, that's the last of the bottles. I'd say we've got about two hundred Molotov's. What's next?"
"Let's see about these blueprints," said Hay Lin as she pulled out a sketch from the tool bench, "according to this, all we need to make a bomb is some duct tape and two deodorant cans."
"We need more than that," said Kairi.
"What do you think we're doing?" Bethany asked as she and Kate sat nearby, modifying knives. Already, Kate had a knife that could inflict a devastating amount of poison on impact and was working on a knife that could make a zombie's head explode.
"You're going to need a tone of knives like those to make a difference," said Irma.
"No, these are reusable," said Kate as she held up her modified knives, "I just need to clean them after each fight."
"And all they cost was a few diamonds and ten-thousand dollars each," said Bethany as she began work on a glove that fired an electrical charge.
"Just where did you get ten grand and a bunch of diamonds to throw away?" Kairi asked.
"Would you believe me if I said they were in a box of Crackerjacks?" Kate asked as she smiled innocently.
"No, I wouldn't," said Will.
"Well, I did," said Kate, "found them buried in the sand just before the zombies came."
"She did find them in a box of Crackerjacks," said Bethany, "I'll swear it on a stack of bibles."
"Who would just burry a box of Crackerjacks filled with cash and diamonds?" Irma asked.
"Someone who wants to keep them hidden, obviously," said Ellen.
Just then Sora, Malcolm, Roxas and Naminé walked in with Matt and Eric, "We just got a radio call from the church," said Sora, "Riku and the others are ok but they want to talk to us."
"Then let's go talk to them," said Kairi as she stood up, "last one up to the radio is a rotten egg!"
"No, they want to talk to us, now," said Sora as he held up his cell phone.
"Dude," said Kevin as he walked in, "you might as well throw that away. There's no reception on the island."
Just then Sora's cell phone rang.
"SORA!" exclaimed an outraged Kairi.
"YOU'VE GOT A WORKING PHONE!?" exclaimed an outraged and startled Ellen.
"We've been keeping a lot of secrets from you," said Sora sheepishly. He then answered the phone, "We're ready on this end, Sidney."
"Who's Sidney!?" Kevin asked irately, "and who the hell are you guys for that matter? Seriously, who the hell are you?"
"We'll explain everything later," said Sora, "right now Riku and the others have something serious they want to tell us." He then put his phone on speaker, "you there, Riku?"
"Loud and clear, Sora," said Riku, "I take it Ellen and the others aren't too happy that our phones work."
"Damn right we're not happy," said Ellen.
"If you've got a working phone," said Bethany, "then you can call for help!"
"Like we didn't ask that before," said Amanda on the other end.
"What the hell's going on, Amanda?" Kevin asked.
"We're still trying to get our heads around it here," said Danni, "but listen to Sora, Riku and the others."
"They've kept us in the dark about some things," said Simon, "but it makes sense when you listen."
"Oh, Will? You there?" Taranee asked, "you're not going to believe this, but Nerissa, she's here, with us, in Moresby."
At that Will blinked in surprised shock. She walked up to Sora and grabbed his phone, "say again, Taranee? I didn't hear you right that time."
"Your friend told the truth, Wilma Vandom," said Nerissa, "I'm here."
"No," said a shocked Hay Lin, while Irma shook her head in denial, "no, it can't be."
"It's her, alright," said an irate Caleb.
"Every inch of her evil self," said an irate Cornelia.
"I'm not evil, I'm here to help," said Nerissa.
At that Will's hair stood up a bit as her whole body crackled with static electricity, "you can help by staying right where you are. Don't move a muscle, I'll be right over to beat you to a pulp!"
"Will, she's on our side, this time," said Tess.
"How can you say that?!" exclaimed Irma, "I'll bet she told a manipulative lie about…I don't know…like she was recruited by Alegra or something."
"She kinda was recruited by Alegra," said Tess.
"We can argue and make threats until the whole world is overrun by the walking dead, Will," said Nerissa, "or we can set our differences aside for the time being and work together."
"Why should we?" Will asked, "why should I even think about thinking about trusting you?"
"Because without me," said Nerissa in a matter of fact tone, "your chances of ever finding Anna of Arendelle and bringing her home are dramatically reduced, and you know it."
"If Nerissa is as powerful as you told us," said Eric, "then she'd…"
"Don't even think about it!" said Hay Lin, "you don't remember, but this one time she kidnapped and held you hostage!"
"For which I apologize," said Nerissa, "I apologize for a lot of what I did."
"What you did can never be forgiven!" said Will, "you killed your best friend! You murdered Cassidy!"
"For which I will carry in my heart until the day I die!" said Nerissa.
"You don't have a heart!" snapped Will.
"Stop it, Will!" said Matt.
"Don't you start!" spat Will, "don't you defend her! Not after what she did to you!"
At that Kairi slapped Will across the face.
"Kairi!" exclaimed Sora.
"That's enough, Will!" said Kairi sternly, "at this rate, you're gonna tear your own heart out."
"Don't you talk to me about hearts!" snapped Will, "you weren't there when Nerissa made my life a living hell! You weren't there when she turned Matt into a monster that wanted to destroy me!"
"I nearly lost myself to the darkness because of my own fears and anger," said Kairi, "that plus a curse and a wasp sting."
"Must have been one seriously evil wasp," said Eric.
"You have no idea," said Kairi as she rubbed her arm where the Tracker Jacker stung her, "the point is that Will, at the rate you're going, your own anger and fears will do the job Nerissa started."
"I never wanted Will or any of the others killed," said Nerissa, "well, at first I did, not anymore."
"No, you just want to enslave us and use us as tools in you bid for universal domination," said Irma.
"Why should we trust you?" Hay Lin asked, "what makes you think we'll ever trust you?"
"For all we know, you're planning on using the zombies to take over the universe," said Irma, "or maybe you caused the outbreak in the first place."
"Alegra wouldn't have brought her here if she didn't trust her," said Tess.
"This coming from someone who hate's Alegra's guts?" Hay Lin asked.
"I never said I hated her guts," said Tess, "I don't particularly like Alegra, but I trust her to do the right thing. I'm prepared to give Nerissa the benefit of the doubt."
"So are the rest of us," said Riku.
"You can't see us," said Aiden, "but I'm nodding, Taranee's nodding, Nigel's nodding and Cornelia's nodding."
"Et tu, Corney?" a shocked Irma asked.
"I only trust her as far as I can throw her," said Cornelia, "but I believe she's here to help."
"And you, Caleb?" Hay Lin asked, "you trust her?"
"No," said Caleb, "but I'm willing to take a leap of faith, and a small one at that."
"I'd be happy with just a small step on my behalf," said Nerissa smugly.
"You're lucky to get an inch from me," said Caleb venomously.
"Give me one reason why I should trust you, Nerissa," said Will, "one sincere reason."
"And it'd better be a good one," said Irma.
"After all you did to us," said Taranee, "after all the pain and suffering, after all the lies and manipulation, why should we even think of working with you, let alone trust you?"
"Because someone reminded me of what I was," said Nerissa, "of who I still am deep down in this twisted heart of mine."
"And what's that?" Will asked.
"A good person who wants to do the right thing," said Nerissa.
"Good and evil is in the eye of the beholder," said Malcolm, "but there is a way to tell if Nerissa is indeed sincere." He then summoned a small vial of clear fluid.
"What is that?" Will asked.
"Veritaserum," said Malcolm, "the most powerful truth potion ever made. Three drops of this stuff and you'd be spilling your deepest, darkest secrets."
"Where'd you get that?" Aiden asked, "Hogwarts?"
"Professor Slugworth gave me an autographed copy of Advanced Potion Making," said Malcolm, "an updated edition that Harry Potter helped to make from the original notes of Severus Snape, The Half Blood Prince."
"And you want to use that on Nerissa?" Irma asked. She then smiled eagerly, "Cool! I'll hold her down, you shove it down her throat!"
"No, I'm gonna hold her down!" said Hay Lin.
"No, I'll hold her down!" said Caleb.
"We'll all hold her down!" said Cornelia.
"That's unnecessary," said an impatient Nerissa, "time is running out for Anna, for Banoi and all of us. I'll swallow the potion if it'll make you feel better."
"You'd do that?" Caleb asked.
"If it'll get the mission accomplished, yes," said Nerissa, "I'll drink your concoction."
"There's just one problem," said Matt, "we have to get to the city to give Nerissa the truth potion."
"Leave that to me," said Sidney, "it's about time I did more than listen to the radio."
"Just who are you?" Amanda asked.
"I'm a good friend of Sora and the others," said Sidney, "if you want the full details, I'm an advanced A.I. program that is the brains of their starship."
"You've got an A.I and a starship?" Kevin asked, "just who the hell are you people?"
"We might just be your last and best hope for staying alive," said Malcolm, "I'll be ready to go in a minute, Sidney."
"I'll be standing by," said Sidney.
"We're going with you," said Will, while Hay Lin and Irma nodded in agreement.
"Same with us," said Sora, while Kairi, Eric, Roxas, Naminé, Ellen and Kevin nodded in agreement.
"No, you guys need to stay at the resort," said Will, "Anna and Kristoff could still be here."
"A reasonable statement," said Nerissa.
"Don't try to patronize me, Nerissa," said Will coldly, "when we get there and if the truth spell reveals that you're lying, that you've got even the smallest of alterative motives, I will end you!"
"I assumed as much," said Nerissa, "so I'll keep my pallet ready for your truth potion."
"Big trouble, guys," said Danni in a slightly breathless tone, as if she had just been running, "we just lost contact with one of the survivor groups in the city."
"Zombies?" Riku asked.
"We don't know," said Danni, "one minute, Mother Helen was talking with them over the radio, the next all she got from them was static. Maybe they were attacked, maybe their radio's busted, we don't know."
"And she wants us to go find out," said Tess, "you hear that, Sora?"
"We hear you," said Sora on the other end.
"You guys go check out the survivor group and we'll meet you there," said Will.
"Just be careful," said Hay Lin.
"After all we've been through," said Taranee, "I think we learned that lesson."
"See you soon," said Riku, and with that the call ended.
"Wow, Nerissa's back," said Irma, "as if we didn't have enough as it is to deal with."
"Is she really as dangerous as you told us?" Naminé asked.
"Very," said Matt. "Will, I'm going with you to the city."
"No, you need to stay and look for Anna," said Will.
"I can't let you face Nerissa alone!" said Matt.
"She won't be alone," said Hay Lin, "she's got us." At that Irma nodded in confident agreement.
"And me," said Malcolm, "I think I can handle one sorceress suffering from delusional psychosis."
"She's more than crazy," said Will, "in her mind she's the good guy and we're all trying to stop her from saving the universe."
"Saving it from slavery, you mean," said Irma.
"Exactly," said Will.
"I can still handle her," said Malcolm as he gripped the vial of Veritaserum, "this is the best truth potion ever made, but even if she figures out how to overcome it, there are other ways of getting the truth out of someone."
"You hold her down and I'll get the bamboo," said Hay Lin.
"What do you need bamboo for?" Ellen asked.
"To shove pieces under her fingernails, of course," said Hay Lin.
"We could always stick her head into a vise and squash her head until her eyeballs pop out," said Kate eagerly.
"I knew I shouldn't have let you stay up and watch all those R rated movies," said Bethany.
"Oh, you've been doing that for years," said Kate.
"You really think Nerissa's on the level?" Eric asked.
"Of course not," said Will, "but all the same, if she is here to help, then I'll accept her help."
"And if she isn't?" Matt asked.
At that Will began typing into her phone, "if she isn't, I'll send a text for help."
"By the time we get there, it could be too late," said Sora, "you sure you don't want us to go with you?"
"It would help to have some backup, just in case," said Malcolm.
"Sidney could beam us just outside the safe house and we can burst in if there's trouble," said Kairi.
"That might just work out," said Will.
"Then let's plan how we'll do it," said Sora, "who stays where outside the safe house, and we'll need to set up a signal if there's trouble."
Just then Sora's phone rang, "it's from Riku," he said as he read the caller I.D. He then answered and put the call on speaker, "yeah, Riku."
"We've got good news, Sora," said Riku, "we're already at the safe house."
"Already?" Kairi asked.
"Yeah," said Aiden on the other end of the call, "Nerissa, she teleported us all to the safe house."
"She just asked us to point out on a map of the city where the safe house is," said Aiden, "and BAMM! We were there. For a psychotic sorceress, she's kinda cool."
"For a psychotic sorceress that is," said Tess, "and it turns out that the survivor group's radio had a frayed wire or something."
"But that's not the best part," said Riku, "Sora, we found Anna and Kristoff!"
…Safe House…Moresby…
The house was in fact a low-rent, two-storey apartment building, one of many ramshackle abodes in the city, all but indistinguishable from its neighbors save for the fact that the lower entrances had been boarded up and barricaded from the inside, while the fire escape, the only other way in or out of the building, had been fortified with razor wire and guarded by survivors with various weapons.
Inside the building, the apartments situated on the upper floor were filled with survivors doing that, surviving as best they could. One section of the upper floor was a common room where the survivors had set up their radio set. Off in one corner was Riku, Tess and Aiden, talking on the phone to Sora and the others back at the resort. Nerissa, Simon and Danni were keeping watch out the windows, while off in other corner was Caleb, Cornelia, Taranee, Nigel and Amanda, whom were speaking with Anna and Kristoff.
While Kristoff appeared to be taking the horrific crisis in stride, Anna wasn't in such good shape. She clearly hadn't been sleeping more than a few hours at a time, while her hands occasionally twitched. Her eyes nervously darted around, as if expecting zombies to come bursting through the door at any moment.
"It's okay, Anna," said Taranee, "we're here to help get you home."
"Did…did Elsa send you?" Anna asked as she looked down at her twitching hands. She then gripped a crowbar she had nearby, one that had been modified to deliver an intense electrical charge on impact. She also had a police baton wrapped in barbed wire.
"Not exactly," said Cornelia, "a friend told us that we had to find you and get you back to Arendelle."
"I'll bet Elsa did send someone to send you guys," said Kristoff as he finished fixing a pickaxe he modified to inflict a critical amount of damage. He also had two hatchets and a machete.
"Not exactly that either," said Nigel.
"Don't look at me," said Amanda as she cleaned a stray spot of zombie blood from her modified brass knuckles, "I'm only met these guys today."
"Well, I'm glad you're here," said Anna as she stood up, "but we can't go back to Arendelle, not yet anyway."
"Well of course we're not going back yet," said Caleb, "we've got to give Nerissa the truth potion."
"You really don't trust her?" Kristoff asked as he looked at Nerissa, whom was still looking out the window, "she doesn't look evil to me."
"Trust me, she is," said Caleb.
"I'll bet she's plotting on how to turn this whole situation to her favor," said Cornelia, "like, a spell or something so she can take control of the zombies."
"Wouldn't be that hard," said Kristoff, "they don't really have that much on their minds."
"We can't leave yet," said Anna as she began pacing back and forth, "we can't leave yet."
"We're not going yet," said Tess as she walked over, "not until we've gotten everyone together. Oh, Amanda, Sora says that as soon as we've got Anna and Kristoff beamed aboard our ship, we can transport you and the others anywhere on the world you want to go."
"We can't leave yet!" said Anna in a desperate and slightly unsteady tone, her hands tightly gripping her modified crowbar.
"What is your problem?" Cornelia asked as she, Amanda, Caleb, Taranee and Nigel stood up, "don't you want to get off this zombie-infested island?"
"We can't leave yet!" snapped Anna as she raised her crowbar menacingly at Cornelia.
"Okay, we won't go!" said Cornelia as she raised her hands in a placating manner, "good grief, what is your problem?"
"What happened to you two?" Nigel asked Kristoff.
At that Kristoff sighed, "everything was perfect. We arrived at the resort and were treated like gods, well, almost like gods. We had a penthouse suite at the hotel with this really great view of the island. Our vacation package had free room service, free surfing lessons, free boat rentals at the harbor, dining vouchers at the hotel restaurants, spa treatments, an obscene credit voucher for the city, whatever we wanted, all we had to do was ask and it was ours. The whole thing was perfect."
He sighed again, "a little too perfect. Our friend Olaf said that the whole thing was suspicious, but we didn't care at the time; Anna and I were so happy. But then it all came crashing down."
"Where were you when the outbreak overran the island?" Tess asked.
"Here in Moresby," said Kristoff, "we were trying to find a rare antiques shop when we heard an explosion a few blocks away. Some people said it was a gas main, others said a riot was happening, others said a terrorist attack, no one knew for sure. Whatever it was, Anna and I thought it was best that we catch the next shuttle bus back to the hotel.
"Then things really got out of hand when hundreds of people were running through the streets, trying to get away from something. Anna and I were nearly separated but we managed to get atop a car and tried to see what was going on. That's when we first saw the ghouls."
"They were eating people," said Anna in a slightly shaky tone, "they were attacking and eating people! They were eating children!"
"Anna saw a mother and father bitten by zombies," said Kristoff, "then they turned into zombies and attacked their little girl."
"She didn't run away," said Anna, "the little girl, she…she just stood there as her mom and dad lunged at her. Then she screamed," she then sat down and clapped her hands to her ears, her eyes closed with tears falling between her lids, "she screamed as they ate her alive!" At that Kristoff sat down and placed his arms around her in a comforting manner.
"It's official, she's lost it," said Danni as she and Simon walked over.
"No, she's not crazy," said Nerissa as she walked over, "she's driven."
"Driven mad, you mean," said Simon.
"She is not mad!" said an irate Nerissa, "Anna is driven by a purpose. She has a reason for staying on Banoi in the middle of the zombie holocaust."
"What could possibly make you want to stay in the middle of this living hell?" Aiden asked as he and Riku walked over.
At that Anna walked out of the common room towards one of the apartments. She knocked on the door and a survivor unlocked it from the inside. Riku, Cornelia and the others followed Anna in and saw that the apartment had been turned into a makeshift daycare center. Nearly fourty children, with ages ranging from infancy to twelve, were playing with scavenged toys, reading books and doing what they could to distract themselves from the horrors raging outside.
"Anna rescued them all," said Kristoff as Riku and the others watched Anna mingle among the children, briefly speaking with them all in turn, playing with a few and all in all being an inspiration of hope, "after we hooked up with some other survivors, Anna convinced them that no matter what, they had to save as many children as they could. We made this building our base and we've been combing the city for lost children."
"What about the adults?" Taranee asked, "haven't you been looking for adult survivors?"
"Who do you think's been helping us?" Kristoff asked, "every adult we take in has to swear that he or she will help save as many children as possible. We've got people looking for more lost kids, others are scavenging for food, weapons and supplies, thank heaven that the water's still running in this part of town."
"Any luck finding the parents?" Tess asked hopefully.
"Some," said Kristoff, "we've reunited a few kids with their moms and dads. They're in some of the apartments, but as you can see," he indicated the two score boys and girls playing with Anna, "there's still hope, but most likely their parents are dead or Walkers."
"And Anna's been taking care of them," said Nigel, "awesome."
"'Anna of Arendelle, patron saint of lost children,'" said Amanda, "it has a nice ring to it."
"She's more than a saint," said Nerissa, "Anna is a dormant Princess of Heart."
"Say what now?" Danni asked.
"Don't say that!" snapped Aiden, "we're not supposed to talk about that!"
"Talk about what?" Anna asked as she looked at Aiden. It was clear that spending time with the children had eased her troubled mind.
"You're more than a princess of Arendelle, young Anna," said Nerissa.
"Stop it now!" said Tess irately, "Alegra told us that Anna has to figure that out for herself!"
"And you're going to do what Alegra says without question?" Nerissa asked.
"No," said Tess, "but I happen to agree with her on that point."
"Figure what out for myself?" Anna asked, "just who are you people?"
"A friend of your sister and an old comrade of mine sent us to help you," said Nerissa as she walked over to Anna, "not just to reunite you with your sister, but to make sure you survive to fully realize your destiny. You, Anna, possess a pure heart filled with light that sets you apart from others. You have the potential to become one of seven special young women destined to save all of time and space from a crisis that makes this zombie apocalypse seem like an April Fools Day prank."
At that Anna stood up, looked Nerissa in the eye and laughed as if it were all a big joke.
"Did I say something wrong?" Nerissa asked as she frowned in confusion.
"I'm sorry," said Anna as she calmed down, "I'm really sorry," she then walked over to Nerissa, "it's just, it all seems to stupid. Here I am, an ordinary girl from Arendelle who just happens to be the kid sister of the queen. Here I am in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, trying to save as many children as possible, and then you come along and say that I'm some kind of super princess or something."
"A Princess of Heart, that's the proper title," said Nerissa.
"I'm sorry but you've got the wrong girl," said Anna.
"Oh, but I do have the right girl," said Nerissa as she gave Anna a confident smile.
"Well, you're wrong," said Anna, "I'm no super hero. I'm clumsy and awkward. I talk too much sometimes, and this one time I fell head over heals for the wrong man who turned out to be so wrong, you couldn't get any more wrong."
"Your faults pale in comparison with your strengths," said Nerissa, "anyone else would most likely have lost their head in this crisis. But you, you saw an abominable atrocity and vowed to do something about it. How many children have you reunited with their parents? And how many more are alive because of your actions? And let us not forget your act of true love that saved your sister's life."
"Hans would have killed Elsa if it weren't for you," said Kirstoff.
"An act that not only saved Arendelle's queen," said Nerissa, "but Arendelle itself, for if my understanding of your sister's powers are correct, had she been murdered, then the enchanted ice age she indivertibly created would have been permanent."
"So you are a super hero, Anna, sort of," said Taranee, at which Riku, Aiden, Tess, Cornelia, Nigel, Caleb, Amanda, Simon and Danni, all nodded in agreement.
"And if you need further confirmation," said Nerissa, "just look at all the children whom are alive and well because of you."
At that Anna looked at the children, whom smiled up at her like she was indeed their hero.
"If anyone deserves to be a Princess of Heart," said Tess, "it's you, Anna."
"I…I just wish I could believe that," said Anna as they all walked back to the common room. She looked at Nerissa, "you said my heart was pure, well, after all that's happen, I sure don't feel pure."
"You just need a long, hot shower," said Taranee.
"I know I need one," said Cornelia irately as she wrinkled her nose against the purveying stench.
"I can wait for a shower," said Anna, "whatever I am or whatever you people think I am, there's no way I'm leaving Banoi, not so long as there's more children out there to find and get to safety."
"And I won't leave without Anna," said Kristoff as he walked up to her and placed his arm around her shoulder, while she grasped his hand in hers, smiling up at him lovingly.
"Then let's do something about all these kids," said Amanda, "let's get them and as many survivors as we can the hell off of this god-forsaken island!"
"There's a whole fleet of warships blockading the island," said an irate Danni, "why doesn't someone try to radio them and get some helicopters to fly survivors out?!"
"They won't risk spreading the virus," said Riku, "one infected human can turn an entire warship into a ship of ghouls in a few hours."
Just then Will, Irma, Hay Lin and Malcolm teleported into the room.
"Sorry we're late, everyone," said Malcolm, "we had to convince Sora, Matt and the others to stay behind to keep things going at the resort."
"They wanted to come and see Anna," said Irma.
"I'm glad they stayed," said Will as she walked up to Anna, "no offense, but you look terrible."
"I feel like I've been pummeled by ice balls," said Anna, "you're Will, right?"
"In the flesh," said Will cheerfully. She then saw Nerissa and frowned, "hello," she said dryly.
"Is that all you've to say to me, Will?" Nerissa asked in a half insulting, half taunting manner, "just 'hello?' After all we've been through together, all you can say is 'hello?'"
"I acknowledged your presence and was polite about it," said an irate Will, "what more do you want form me?"
"How about a few words of appreciation," said an irritated Nerissa, "I could have told Alegra to piss off and left you lot here to be devoured by ghouls. I could have ignored Taranee, Cornelia and their group to be ravaged and murdered by those lawless animals! I could have let my own son be tortured and shot, or worse, be left helpless in the streets to be devoured by zombies."
"The wouldn't have done that," said a shocked Cornelia, "they…they wouldn't have fed us to the zombies, would they?"
"They were punks taking advantage of the ongoing chaos," said Tess, "I've seen worse people do worse things."
"Speaking of people and actions," said Malcolm as he pulled out the vial of Veritaserum.
"Ah, yes," said Nerissa as she picked up a glass and filled it with water from a nearby faucet, "the necessary truth potion." She then handed the glass to Malcolm, whom then opened the vial.
"Give her the whole thing," said Irma.
"Three drops is the required dosage," said Malcolm as he carefully poured three drops into the water.
"You sure about that?" Cornelia asked.
"Give her four to be safe," said Hay Lin.
"Sure, I can do that," said Malcolm sarcastically as he stirred the water until it was well mixed, "if you want to cause brain damage. No, three is enough." He then handed the glass to Nerissa.
"Bottoms up," said Nerissa as she lifted the glass up in a toast and downed the water.
"How long do we have to wait until she spills her guts?" Caleb asked.
"Not long," said Malcolm, "I remember hearing from Professor Slugworth that when Albus Dumbledore forced Barty Crouch Jr. to drink the potion, he was singing like a canary within seconds." He then looked at Nerissa, "what is your name, age and place of birth."
"Nerissa Imogene Delgato," said Nerissa, "sixty-nine, San Francisco, California, U.S.A."
"No way you're sixty-nine," said Danni.
"Magic has it's benefits," said Nerissa.
"What's my grandma's full maiden name?" Hay Lin asked.
"Chin Fon-Yan," said Nerissa.
"That's right," said Hay Lin.
"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" Irma asked.
"It's a rhetorical question," said Nerissa, "there is no answer."
"Works for me," said Irma as she smiled cheekily.
"Be serious, will you?" Will asked. She then looked at Nerissa, "why are you here?"
"Alegra asked me to come and help," said Nerissa, "she told me to help The Guardians and Keyblade Wielders in their quest to save Anna of Arendelle. She told me that Anna is a potential Princess of Heart and must survive at all costs. She also warned me of Columbina, that she suspects the whole scenario was set up as a trap for Sora and the Keyblade Wielders."
"She didn't tell us that," said Tess irately.
"Doesn't matter," said Riku. He then looked at Nerissa, "what are you getting out of this? What did Alegra offer you in return for your help?"
"The means to change the universe for the better," said Nerissa, "but I doubt she'll follow through on her promises."
"What did she promise you?" Will asked.
"Information on key individuals throughout the cosmos that can be blackmailed and influenced," said Nerissa, "people in power, movers and shakers, individuals I can use to end corruption, war, strife and suffering on countless worlds."
"So you are still out to conquer the universe," said Cornelia.
"Not conquer, not anymore," said Nerissa, "I now seek to rule from the shadows, to be the power behind the power. Let others take the credit for saving the universe, but I will know that I started the ball rolling in the right direction, that I kept it rolling that way until things are finally made right."
"You haven't changed at all," said Caleb, "you're still as selfish, cruel and overall heartless as ever."
"I was never heartless," said Nerisa, "I was cruel and selfish, but never heartless. I still love you, Caleb, you and your father, and I still hope that you'll accept me and that one day, we can be a family again."
"Never!" snapped Caleb, at which Will was surprised and shocked to see a tear running down Nerissa's face.
"She's telling the truth!" said Will.
"How can you be sure?" Irma asked.
"She is, trust me," said Malcolm, "there are other ways to know if someone is lying."
"Okay, we've established that Nerissa is sincere about helping us," said Aiden, "and we've established that Anna and Kristoff won't leave. What now?"
"We could give them each a little knock on the head and carry them back to Arendelle," Irma whispered to Cornelia.
"No way," said Cornelia.
"Well, we have to do something," said Will, "we can't just sit around and wait for the military to make the next move."
"I'll bet all those sailors on all those warships are just sitting around on their collective asses," said an irate Simon, "just waiting around while innocent people are dieing."
Just then Riku's phone rang, "it's Sidney," he said as he read the caller I.D. He then answered and put the call on speaker, "go ahead, Sidney."
"Riku!" said Sidney franticly, "I've got Sora on conference, are you reading me, Sora?"
"Loud and clear," said Sora, "what's wrong?"
"A lot is wrong," said Sidney gravely, "Martin and I just intercepted and decoded a military transmission of the highest security clearance."
"It really wasn't that hard to decode," said Martin, "which doesn't speak well for the security of this world's military."
"Never mind that," said Sidney, "Sora, everyone, remember that nuclear submarine that I told you about? The one that's supposed to be in firing range just before the typhoon hit's the day after tomorrow? Well, it's moving a lot faster than I thought. The sub received orders to make full speed for Banoi and launch its tactical warhead at Banoi once it reaches firing range. It'll be in position in less than twelve hours."
"What does that mean?" Kristoff asked.
"It means we won't have to worry about the oncoming typhoon anymore," said Nerissa as she looked at a nearby wall clock, noting the time as 1:26 P.M., "Banoi won't live to see another sunrise. By 1:30 A.M., everything on the island, alive and dead, will be utterly annihilated."
"Well, that sucks," said Kristoff.
The End of Chapter 6.
Next chapter finds our heroes and allies attempting to find a way off of Banoi, only to discover the dark origin of the outbreak. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!
