Chapter 7
"We should receive the signal any moment now, Count von Karstein," said one of the security technicians.
"Very well," said Heinrich as he glared at Dr. Orange, whom was sitting with a giddy look on her face, "soon we shall see if your failsafe is all it's cracked up to be."
Several minutes had passed since the display from the hologram projectors went out, horrifying Evie and her friends and delighting Dr. Orange to no end. The mad mecha maker all but danced on air at the supposed destruction of Steel Claw, conceitedly crowing that the machine's power core had exploded with the equivalent of a 10-kiloton warhead. Evie, Lonnie, Jane and Audrey were so distraught and outraged at Dr. Orange's statement, they attempted to rush and murder her.
Regrettably, Karl and Gustav had arrived in the security room in time to help restrain Evie and the others. The girls now sat with their unsolicited fiancé's holding them in place.
"You won't be disappointed, Count von Karstein!" giggled Dr. Orange, "there's no chance the intruders survived Steel Claw's self-destruct protocol."
"You're lying!" exclaimed Evie as she struggled against Gustav's unwanted grip, "There's no way Mal and the others would let themselves go out like that!"
"Keep saying that to yourself," said Karl, "maybe it'll come true, but I doubt it."
"Face it, your friends are toast," said Wilhelm, "hell, they're not even toast, they're not even ashes! I'll bet there's nothing left!"
"You'll let us go if they're alive?" asked Audrey hopefully.
At that the sons of Heinrich paused and looked at each other, unsure of how to respond. Finally, Gustav spoke, "why not? Yeah, if your friends are still alive, we'll let you go back to Auradon, and you'll never see us again."
"GUSTAV!" snapped Heinrich.
"It's okay, Father," said Gustav, "they're not going anywhere."
"They'd better not," said Heinrich. He then glared at Dr. Orange again, "because if I have to give up my future daughters-in-law because of your incompetence, I'll use the top half of your skull as a soup bowl and the bottom half as an ashtray!"
"But…you don't smoke, Count von Karstein," said a slightly nervous Dr. Orange.
"Madam, that is precisely beside the point," said Heinrich.
"Incoming transmission, Count von Karstein!" shouted one of the security technicians.
The hologram display projected a scene of utter devastation. An aerial view of the forest revealed acres upon acres of felled trees, blasted down by the explosion's shockwave. The camera flew past the fallen wood, encountering a large area full of smoldering trees all but incinerated and reduced to blackened stumps.
Even this hellish display paled in comparison to what lay in the center of the desolated area; a large crater around which lay nothing but ash.
"That crater is the final testament of the Mark 1 Steel Claw prototype!" said an overjoyed Dr. Orange, "Do you see, Count von Karstein!? Do you see?!"
"Yes, I see," said Heinrich, "but are there any life signs?"
"There's nothing on the motion sensors," said another security technician, "nothing at all. It's inconceivable that the intruders could have ran far enough to survived. They are dead, Count von Karstein, undeniably dead!"
"YES! YES!" shouted Gustav with vile glee, "I WIN! I WIN! I WIN!" at that he danced a jig of triumph and was soon joined by his brothers.
"You mean I won!" said Heinrich coldly, cowing his sons into submission.
"Oh, yes, of course, Father," said Gustav, "you won."
"Who cares who bloomin' won?!" exclaimed Harry, "Ben, Mal and everyone else with them have finally walked the plank!"
"And we didn't even have to kill them," said Gil, "ain't that right, Uma? Uma?"
"So, they're really gone," said Uma in a disappointed tone, "shame. I really wanted to be the one who finished them off."
"No, you're wrong," said a distraught Evie, "they're not dead!"
"It can't be true," said Lonnie as tears fell from her eyes, while Jane leaned against her shoulder, sobbing her heart out.
"Face it, bitches," said Wilhelm, "they're dead and you can't do anything about it!"
At that Audrey glared at Wilhelm with such unbridled hatred, he flinched and backed away apace.
"What?" Wilhelm asked as he regained his composure, "you got something to say?"
Audrey said nothing as he kept her eyes locked on Wilhelm, eyes that flared with blistering wrath.
"I think she's in shock from the loss of her friends," said Frederic, "a good slap to the face oughta cure her of that."
"No need," said Heinrich, "I'm in far too good a mood to delve out punishments. Far from it, I feel like celebrating. We do have a quadruple engagement to announce, so why not do so in style? PREPARE FOR AN ENGAGEMENT/VICTORY BALL!" With that he strutted out of the room.
"Oh no, Father's in one of his moods again," sighed Karl.
"Throwing a party to celebrate the murder of innocent people," said Lonnie, "yeah, that's a good mood for him."
"You'll soon learn to just go along with Father's whims," said Karl coldly, "or else," he looked at Jane, whom flinched, shielding her wounded hand behind her back, "or else what happened to you will seem like a mere feather tickle." He looked at a nearby servant, "take my future bride and in-laws back to their rooms to prepare for tonight's ball."
"I'd better get ready as well," said Dr. Orange, "which is what I would say if there wasn't so much more to do!"
"You killed my friends," said Lonnie as she, Jane, Audrey and Evie were escorted out, "you killed my mom, what more do you want?"
"To get started on the Mark 2 Steel Claw, of course!" said Dr. Orange, "and make ready for mass production, for if one Steel Claw could do all of that," she pointed at the hologram of the devastated forest, "imagine what an army of Steel Claws can do to the rest of the world!?" With that she left the room, cackling like the mad scientist she was.
"Well, that's just great," said Adriane as she, Uma, Harry and Gil left the room, "what a disappointment."
"I know," said Uma, "now I'll never get my revenge."
"Screw your revenge!" snapped Adriane, "what about me?! If Orange has her way, it'll be her project that supplies von Karstein's ambitions for world domination! I'll never get the chance to show him The Stone Mask!"
"What's so special about that mask anyway?" Harry asked, "why would von Karstein want a crummy old mask anyway?"
"You narrow-minded fool," said Adriane, "if you could only begin to grasp the power locked within The Stone Mask, the power it can endow a human. But I guess you'll never know, our partnership is ended."
"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Uma, "what are you talking about?"
"It's over," sighed Adriane, "Heinrich has the ultimate weapon he's been looking for, or he will soon enough. This is Shadowcast's goal in our partnership with Heinrich von Karstein; make him a weapon to take over the world. Once Heinrich tells the boss of Shadowcast he likes Dr. Orange's idea, the organization will throw its full weight behind her project and finish developing it for mass production. That's how Shadowcast works; focus on what the client wants, everything else is secondary, i.e. not important."
"Well, that's just stupid," said Gil.
"It's how we do things," said Adriane, "how we've always done it since the beginning, long, long ago."
"It's still stupid," said Gil, "you shouldn't give up because someone else is ahead of you in the game. It ain't over 'till it's over."
"That's the stupidest thing you've ever said," said Harry.
"No, it's not," said Uma, "it's not over until it's over. He's right, it's not over. Just because Ben and Mal are gone doesn't mean I can't finish my revenge. It wasn't Ben and Mal who put our parents on The Isle. It was Belle, Beast and the other adults! They're the ones who need to pay!"
"You're right," said Harry with vicious eagerness, "it's Peter Pan and the others who dumped our forbearers on that accursed island who need to walk the plank!"
"Yeah, make Ben's parents pay for what they did to my dad!" said Gil, "throw Beast down a cliff and then bring him back to life so he can rot on The Isle! Make them all rot on The Isle! And then they can plan to escape and get revenge on us, then we'll get revenge on them, then they'll get revenge on us, then we'll get revenge on them, then they'll…"
"I think you've been hitting the Mentats too much," said Adriane, "but you're right, it's not over, not by a long shot. I just need an opportunity, one chance to present The Stone Mask to Heinrich and I know he'll pick it as his master plan for world domination, I just know it." She sighed with frustration, "but what with his son's forthcoming nuptials, I doubt Heinrich will have time to speak with anyone."
Just then a servant walked up with an engraved invitation on a silver platter, "for you, Ms. Adriane," said the servant as he handed the invite over.
"Ah, I am cordially invited to Heinrich's victory/engagement ball tonight," said Adriane after reading the invitation.
"He's throwing the bash tonight?" asked Uma.
"When Heinrich von Karstein wants something done, it gets done," said Adriane. She then grinned with calculated delight, "well, fortune is smiling on me today, and look, I can bring a plus one," she looked at Uma, Harry and Gil, "but I think they'll bend the rules this one time."
"Wait, you want us to go to Heinrich's party?" asked Uma.
"Uh-uh, no way," said Harry, "I don't do parties."
"Me neither," said Uma.
"But you went to the cotillion, right?" Gil asked.
"As part of the plan to bust everyone off The Isle and make Ben mine," said Uma, "the cotillion left a sour taste in my mouth." She then paused to think, "then again, if we go, we'll get a chance to make fun of Evie and the others. Any chance to make our enemies more miserable than they already are is an opportunity too sweet to pass up."
"That's the spirit," said Adriane, "we'd best get ready, for this, my friends, shall be a night to remember."
…the forest…
"Are they gone?" Mal asked in a straining tone as she sat cross-legged, a bright purple aura of magic around her as she projected a spell, with Ben sitting behind her. Sweat dripped from her brow and down her closed eyes as she frowned in concentration, "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!"
"Yes, the surveillance craft are gone," said Saul.
Mal sighed with relief and fell back into Ben's arms, her aura flaring out as her spell, an illusion, broke apart like a cloud, revealing several square meters of upright trees in an ocean of desolation.
"Good job, Mal," said Ben, "Heinrich and the other baddies think we're dead."
"And pretty much everyone else things so," said Jill, "no doubt Heinrich will crow his 'victory' to the whole world, including Auradon."
"Oh wow, I didn't think of that," said Ben in a worried tone, "my parents, everyone back home, they…we gotta call home somehow! We need to…"
"We can't, not now," Andrew insisted, "I know how distraught your friends and family will be. I do know, I've faked my death more than once."
"It's true," said Jill, "and believe me, I gave him a good thrashing after learning he was alive. Your parents will forgive you, young King Benjamin, considering the seriousness of the mission."
"At least your parents will cry when they find you you're dead and cry again when they find out you're alive," said Jay, "my dad, he won't even blink either way."
"My mom will just be sorry she'll never get me back under her thumb," said Carlos.
"Well, I'm sure my parents will think me a hero," said Chad smugly, "as will everyone else in Auradon, considering how I saved everyone's lives just now."
"We know, Chad," said an annoyed Jay, "we know, you used a Stand."
"I did more than use a Stand," said Chad as he grinned with overwhelming arrogance, "my Stand completely shielded us from that bomb or whatever it was."
"It was the mecha's power core going critical," said Andrew, "no doubt a failsafe installed by the manufacturer."
"Whatever," said Chad, "the robot blew up and I blocked the blast."
"Technically you reflected the blast away from us," said Andrew, "your Stand manifested itself as a massive mirror, not a shield."
"Of course, it was a mirror," said Jay, "he turns out to be a natural Stand User and it's a mirror."
"Yes, and he's gonna lord it over us for the rest of our lives," said Doug.
"No, I won't," said Chad, "just now and then. Oh, and Carlos, I expect full use of your 3D printer whenever I wish once we're back home, you're welcome."
"Over my dead body!" snapped Carlos as his fists shook with fury, "I ought to…"
"No, leave him alone," said Mal as Ben helped her back up.
"At least you appreciate me, Mal," said Chad, "and if you ever get tired of hanging onto Ben's shoulder, mine's available, if Audrey's not using it."
"Excuse me?!" said an outraged Mal, "why I oughta…?"
"No, it's okay, Mal," said Ben as Chad tuned everyone out by gazing at his reflection in a hand mirror, "let him feel good about himself for once. For the first time in his life, he's a hero and earned it."
"I guess you're right," said Mal, "he deserves it." She then saw the looks of outrage on Jay, Carlos and Doug, "He does deserve it," she said to her friends.
"Darn right I do!" said Chad, "oh, I'm so gonna brag about it when we get home."
"Did you get hit on your head or something, Mal?" Carlos asked in a hushed tone.
'No, I'm fine," said Mal, "Chad does deserve it, for the next hour."
"And hour?" Doug asked.
"Yeah, let him brag and strut for an hour," said Mal, "then we make him stop, with extreme prejudice if necessary."
"I like extreme prejudice," said Jay eagerly as he cracked his knuckles.
"Save your strength," said Jill, "we've got a long way to go and not much time to get there."
"The enemy may think we've dead," said Andrew, "but that's no excuse to drag our feet, so let's shake some dust and get a move on!"
"Oh come on!" exclaimed Chad, "can't we catch our breath first?"
"No, we can't pass this opportunity up," said Phillip as he, Aurora, Mulan and the others readied to resume their trek, "if they're not looking for us, then there's nothing to slow us down."
"You can stay here if you want, Chad," said Mulan, "but I'm going to save my daughter."
"And mine," said Aurora, "unless you don't care about Audrey anymore."
"Are you kidding?!" exclaimed Chad as he grabbed his gear, then grabbed Aurora's, Phillip's and Mulan's, "I'M COMING, AUDREY!" with that he dashed ahead as if running in a track and field event.
"He's going the wrong way, isn't he?" sighed Mal, while Ben and the others facepalmed.
"Pretty much," said Jill, "he'll catch up soon enough."
…meanwhile…
"Are you sure your information is accurate, Mr. Owen?" Harriet asked as she, Sammy Smee and Owen stood on the bridge of The Gray Phantom. The submarine constructed from recycled parts lay at all stop a few meters above the ocean floor near the face of a seamount. Directly ahead was the mouth of a cavern that stretched beyond the range of the ship's lights.
"As accurate as the defunct servers I hacked could tell me," said Owen, "I wish there was a better, safer route we could take, Skipper, but this is the best I could find."
Harriet investigated the gloom of the cavern ahead, shuddering at the blackness, the sheer unknown that lay in her path.
"Are you alright, Captain?" Sammy Smee asked.
"Huh? Oh…yes, Mr. Smee," said Harriet in a slightly confused tone. She shook her head to clear it, "I'm fine. Assemble the crew; I've an announcement to make."
A few minutes later found Harriet and the other young pirates in the common area of the sub. "As you are all painfully aware, my brother, younger sister and their fellow partners in grime made fools out of us."
"That's putting it lightly," muttered Ginny Gothel. She then winced as she realized she had just earned Harriet's wrath.
"Who said that?" Harried asked, "because you're right. We were utterly and remorselessly humiliated, by my own flesh and blood no less, and that slimy sack of tie-died tentacles, Uma, and that ironic idiot, Gil."
"Zevon was there too, Skipper," said Anthony Tremaine. "We have him and C.J. in the brig."
"Thanks for reminding me," said Harriet in a slightly annoyed tone, "I can almost hear them shouting at each other through the bulkheads. Anyway, thanks to our dear friend, Mr. Owen, we know who Uma and her fiendish friends are working with."
"Shadowcast," said Owen, "a consortium of weapon forgers and death dealers. Not many people know this but Shadowcast has been working in, naturally, the shadows for generations, supplying war machines and technology of terror to would be world dominators. Currently they are under contract with one Count Heinrich von Karstein of Transdoria."
"It is my firm belief that that is where Uma and her gang of ne're-do-wells went with two sacksful of Raritanium fuel and a piece of my personal property," said Harriet, "Which brings us to the crux of the conversation, mates; Transdoria is a landlocked nation beyond the borders of Auradon."
"Oh great!" said an exasperated Claudine Frollo, "we'd have to go through one enemy territory to get to the other enemy territory. The second we set foot on Auradon soil, they'll ship us back to The Isle."
"And this time they'll keep us under such close watch, we'll never get out again," said Clay Clayton.
"Maybe so," said Harriet, "but there's another way, one our dear Mr. Owen so diligently researched."
"There's a secret way to Transdoria," said Owen as he activated a hologram projector, displaying Auradon, Transdoria and a network of underground rivers, "a path from the ocean right into the heart of von Karstein's little empire."
"Well then what are we waiting for?" asked Geoffrey Huntsman, "let's go get those thieves and give them a good thrashing!"
"Not so fast, CPO Huntsman," said Harriet, "it's not as easy as you might think."
"The charts of the underground rivers are decades old and weren't the most accurate maps to begin with," said Owen, "a passage may have changed course or have caved in long ago. We could get lost or stuck, and who knows what other dangers lurk in places that have never seen the light of day?"
"The point is, mates," said Harriet, "is that this mission, this vendetta, is voluntary. Unlike my father, brother and sister, I care for the wellbeing of my crew. I must go because I have a personal stake in it, but you all are free to choose your course of action. I am prepared to take The Gray Phantom's emergency submersible and go on alone, but I'd appreciate the company of anyone willing to brave the unknown."
At that the crew murmured amongst themselves for several seconds, before Sammy Smee spoke up, "Captain, I believe I speak for the whole crew, that we're with you, to whatever lays ahead."
"Yeah, Skipper," said Anthony, "this is more than an act of thievery, it's a matter of honor."
"The pride of The Gray Phantom and her crew were soiled, Skipper," said Ginny, "we must have satisfaction."
"Even if it means getting stuck or lost in an underground river," said Claudine.
"We're in to the end, Skipper," said Clay, while Geoffrey and the others nodded in agreement, though Fen nodded reluctantly, her eyes betraying her nervousness.
"The crew has spoken, Skipper," said Owen, "and awaits your orders."
"Then everyone to their stations!" said Harriet, "and may Uma and her trap of toads rue the day they came aboard The Gray Phantom!"
"Three Cheers for Captain Harriet Hook!" shouted Sammy Smee.
"HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH!" shouted the crew.
Fen ducked out of the room in the confusion of the others rushing to their stations. She hurried towards her bunk, passing the brig where she heard for a second Zevon and C.J. shouting at each other. Reaching her bunk, Fen locked the door, activated the anti-eavesdropping device and pulled out her HAM radio.
"Come on, please be listening," said Fen nervously as she put on her headphones and tuned to the desired frequency. She almost twisted the tune knob off when she felt and heard the engines powering up.
"DFX-824 to HZ-19!" said Fen into the microphone, "DFX-824 to HZ-19! Come in, over! Please come in, over!"
For a few heart pounding seconds all Fen heard was static over the frequency, until Adriane finally answered, "This'd better be good, Fen, I'm getting my hair done for tonight's victory/engagement ball."
"Oh, this is far from good, HZ-19," said Fen, "Harriet Hook, she knows about Shadowcast and our connection with Count von Karstein, over."
"And?" asked Adriane impatiently.
"And?!" exclaimed Fen, "she knows! She's on her way to you right now! Owen figured out a way underground into Transdoria! They're taking the boat through the passages as we speak, over!"
"So?" Adriane asked.
"SO?!" exclaimed Fen, "they're coming! Harriet wants The Stone Mask back and is willing to spill blood for it!"
"Good, maybe some of it will land on the mask," said Adriane.
"Why aren't you worried, Adriane!?" said Fen, "Harriet, she'll…"
"She'll do nothing, because you'll stop her," said Adriane, "won't you, DFX-824?"
"I…yes," said Fen as she calmed down, yet looked even more frightened than before, "I'll stop her, HZ-19."
"By whatever means necessary?" Adriane asked.
"By whatever means necessary," Fen replied mutely, "they'll never reach Transdoria. DFX-824, over and out." She deactivated the radio and collapsed onto her cot, panting with fear as she fought to get her racing heart under control. She knew what Adriane expected of her; sabotage The Gray Phantom and kill everyone aboard, including herself.
… The Falcon's Nest…several hours later…
"There is no way in this world or any other I'm going in there wearing this piece of fashion filth!" exclaimed Evie. She, Audrey, Lonnie and Jane stood outside a large set of doors through which they heard waltz music. All four girls wore conservative yet sensually designed ball gowns in various pastel colors; Evie's dress was Deep Pink and Plum, Audrey's was Light Coral and Dark Salmon, Lonnie's was Medium Sea Green and Chartreuse and Jane's was Firebrick and Saddle Brown. All four's dresses had long, ruffled skirts, very short sleeves and wore matching gloves, while their waists were almost painfully constricted by corsets.
"Your gown was designed by the most popular seamstresses in Transdoria," said Gustav, whom wore a black dress uniform with matching black gloves, "and you could at least show some appreciation on how quickly your ensemble was put together on such short notice."
"I feel like I'm going to be sick," said a very uncomfortable Audrey, "seriously, these colors make me sick!"
"I can barely breathe in this thing!" said Lonnie, "corsets should be banned!"
"They make you look lovelier than before, my dear," said Karl as he took Lonnie's gloved hand in his, while Gustav, Wilhelm and Frederic took the hands of Evie, Audrey and Jane, "now is not the time to be shy, for tonight we formerly announce our engagements to the world!"
"And celebrate the demise of several poor, pathetic invaders whom dared violate the sacred soil of Transdoria," said Wilhelm, "oh, I forgot, they were your friends and family. Too bad you weren't there to see them expire in person."
"I hate you so much right now," said Audrey as she glared wrathfully at Wilhelm.
"You'll come to appreciate me soon enough," said Wilhelm.
"You'll appreciate all of us soon enough," said Frederic, "especially after the wedding night." He leaned over to kiss Jane on the cheek. Wincing with utter disgust, Jane tried to pull away but his grip on her was too strong. He then grabbed her left hand and she cried out in pain.
"Now, now, dear," said Frederic as he gripped Jane's wounded hand tighter, "that's no way to treat your future husband.
"Stop it!" said Audrey, "you're hurting her!"
"I know," said Frederic, "And I'll hurt her even more until she learns to love me and…" he frowned in confusion, "hang on, I think I remembered something."
"What a shock," said Stefan sarcastically as he and Claudette walked over, gloved hand in gloved hand, with Claudette's gown colored Turquoise and Cornflower Blue.
"No, seriously," said Frederic as he let go of Jane, earning a gasp of relief from her, "there was something I was supposed to tell Father."
"We were supposed to tell Father something," said Wilhelm, "and I think I remember it too! Let's go find him!" with that the twins ran off.
"Those two," said a disapproving Claudette, "they don't know Father is in the ballroom."
"Should we go get them?" asked Karl.
"No, they'll come back soon enough," said Stefan, "the other guests are being announced, we're not due inside for a few minutes."
"Are you alright?" Audrey asked as she hurried over to Jane, whom was gripping her pained left hand in her right. Audrey placed a comforting arm around Jane's shoulder.
"I'll be fine once we're out of here," Jane whispered, "I think my magic's back."
"You've got your magic again!?" Audrey nearly shouted yet kept her volume in check, "why didn't you blast that creep when he hurt you?"
"Because I don't know how much of my magic is back," said Jane as she eyed Stefan and the other von Karsteins, "and in case you didn't notice," she eyed the half-dozen guards in the room with them.
"Oh," said Audrey mutely, "well, what now, then? If you can't use your magic…"
"I'm saving my magic up," said Jane, "for the plan, for when Elisabeth helps us escape, remember?"
"Oh, right, Elisabeth," said Audrey, "I…I still think we should take her with us."
"Think again," whispered Elisabeth from within the walls. Audrey and Jane nearly jumped when they heard Elisabeth, then looked and saw a spy port open with Elisabeth's mismatched eyes looking out at them.
"Elisabeth," whispered Audrey as she kept her back to the wall, "what if someone sees your eyes?"
"I've been spying on my family for over a decade," said Elisabeth, "they haven't caught me yet. Listen, I've got it all set up; Tonight after the ball, when my father and brothers have gone to bed, I'm getting you and your friends out of here."
"Really?" Jane nearly shouted yet kept her volume in check, "how?"
"It turns out the VTOL craft have the simplest of auto-navigation programs," said Elisabeth, "very similar to a navigation app on a Smartphone, and yes, I know what Smartphones are. Just tell the onboard computer of the VTOL where to go and it'll take you there. After everyone is too tired after the ball to chase after you girls, I'll take you through the walls to the VTOL pads and you'll be free."
"I…I don't know what to say, Elisabeth," said Audrey as her voice nearly choked up with emotion, "except come with us. You can't stay here, you can't live like this, shut away from the world. And don't remind me about your intolerance to sunlight. We can help you in Auradon; medicine or treatment, something. Anything's better than staying here surrounded by those who hate you."
At that Elisabeth was left speechless for a few seconds. She was about to respond after gathering herself together, when and Audrey heard approaching pounding footsteps, "the twins, they're coming back. We'll talk later, tonight. Just hold on a few more hours, Audrey, and you and your friends will be free."
Audrey risked glancing behind her, but the spy port had closed. She then saw Wilhelm and Frederic eagerly walk back into the room.
"We were looking for Father when we remembered he's already in the ballroom," said Wilhelm, "and then I completely forgot what we wanted to tell him again."
"You forgot," Fredric insisted, "I remember what we were supposed to tell him."
"Oh yeah?" Wilhelm asked daringly, "what was it, then?"
"Uh…I…I don't have to tell you anything!" snapped Fredric. Wilhelm gave a grow of fury and rushed at his twin and the two began a scuffle of fists and kicks.
"Knock it off, you two!" shouted Stefan as he and Gustav pulled the twins apart, "if you can't behave, you can stay in your rooms tonight."
"Oh, let them fight, please," said Audrey, "I do enjoy some light entertainment before a ball."
"Keep making fun of me and my brother," said Wilhelm irately as he walked over and grabbed Audrey's hand, while Frederic, Karl and Gustav took the hands of Jane, Lonnie and Evie respectively, "I'd have your tongue cut out if I weren't looking forward to mingling it with mine on our wedding night."
Audrey shuddered in disgust as the large doors opened. She had no choice but be led by Wilhelm into the ballroom, which was filled by dozens of dancing partners; the men wearing Transdorian uniforms and the women in a near blinding display of pastel colors.
"Oh, gag me with a spoon," muttered Evie as she and her friends endured the attention given to them as they were announced as the future fiancées of Heinrich's sons.
"Look at them, how miserable they are," said Uma as she, wearing a blue dress of her own choosing, while Harry wore a dress sea captain's uniform and Gil a tailor-fitted suit, giggled and pointed at Evie and her friends. They laughed even harder when the girls were escorted onto the dance floor and made to dance with their unwanted partners.
"They're not the only miserable ones," said Adriane, wearing a gown in shades of non-pastel red, "Heinrich is surrounded by his sycophants and toadies. I'll never get close to him at this rate." She tightly gripped the case with The Stone Mask in it. "But I can't give up, not after so many years of searching for this."
"You still haven't told us exactly what that mask does," said Uma.
"I'm keeping it a surprise," said Adriane, "I hate spoilers. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until I unveil it to Heinrich," she frowned as she saw Heinrich walking over to talk to more of his supporters, "if I can ever get a moment with him alone, that is."
"Just a few hours," said Evie to herself as she and Gustav danced, "just a few hours and it'll be over."
"We're just getting started, my dear," said Gustav, "you and I are destined to be one."
"You may as well throw me out the window," said Evie, "I'll never love you, ever."
"Are you saying you'd rather join your dead friends than marry me?" Gustav asked.
"You really are dumb as an ox," said Evie, "and my friends aren't dead. I don't care how big an explosion it was, Mal and the others are alive."
"How can you be so sure?" Gustav asked.
"I'd know in my heart if they were dead," said Evie, "and my heart tells me they're alive and coming."
"I'll have to do something to cure you of these nonsensical delusions," said Gustav.
"They're not delusions," said Evie, "it's reality. Mal and the others are coming, believe it."
…At the foot of The Falcon's Nest…
"I had to see it to believe it," said a tired Andrew as he and the others stood at the bottom of the escarpment, "how tall it is."
Mal, her friends and allies had reached the escarpment without encountering further resistance. Nor had they encountered anyone.
"Is it me or is Transdoria rather empty of people?" Mulan asked.
"From what we've gathered, most of the population was relocated north of von Karstein's castle," said Jill, "why, that we haven't figured out, though our best guess is von Karstein wants to turn the area leading up to the border into one massive network of defenses."
"The man's really preparing for war," said Phillip as he and the others gazed up at the escarpment, "and he's got the perfect defensive center."
"There's no way we're gonna climb up that thing," said Chad, "it's suicide."
"Oh, come on, Chad," said Jay, "don't give up now! We're so close to the end!"
"You wanna go first? Be my guest!" said Chad.
"Uh…" said Jay nervously as he looked up, "yeah, that's not happening."
"No, it's happening!" said Ben, "it has to happen. We've come this far, we can't give up now!" he then looked at Andrew, "you guys brought climbing equipment, so let's climb already!"
"We thought The Falcon's Nest was only a few hundred feet up," said Andrew, "our contact assured us the mountain wasn't impossible to climb."
"Well, either your contact made the mother of all miscalculations," said Ben, "or is a double agent working for Heinrich."
At that Andrew looked ready to punch Ben in the face, "our contact would never betray us to Heinrich. He's risked life, limb and soul getting this deep undercover. He must have made a mistake, I'll prove it!"
"How?" Mal asked, "how are you talking with your contact in the first place?"
"With this," said Andrew as he pulled out a satellite phone and began typing a message.
"We're just wasting time here," said Jay, "there has to be another way up."
"I'm open to suggestions," said Chad, "oh, wait! I just had a brilliant idea!"
"That's a first," said Carlos.
"For that you can go last, Carlos," said Chad smugly, "and I'll go first, on Mal that is. Mal can turn into a dragon and fly us up there."
"No, I won't," said Mal.
"Yes, you will," said Chad, "just make with the purple smoke and we'll all get on your back. Of course we'll have to take turns, Carlos can go last."
"No, that's not gonna happen, Chad," said Mal.
"Why not?" Chad asked.
"First of all, I can't just turn into a dragon at the drop of a hat," said Mal, "I have to get angry first, and you really don't want to make me angry, I'll probably bite your head off before I'm calm enough to do anything else. Second of all, I don't know if I can fly that high or carry more than one person on my back."
"You carried Ben on your back," said Chad, "and he's way heavier as a Beast than as a boy," he looked at Ben, "no offense."
"None taken," said Ben, "this time. Look, we'll try flying up as a last resort," he looked at Mal, "we can at least try."
"We may not have to," said Andrew as he read a message on his satellite phone, "our contact inside, he just sent a very apologetic text; he was blindfolded when he was first brought to The Falcon's Nest so he had no idea how high up it was. Apparently, Heinrich had every civilian within visible range of the escarpment relocated. The man clearly values his privacy."
"Well, that's one misunderstanding cleared up," said Ben, "but it doesn't get us up there."
"So it's either climb or fly," said Jay.
"No, there's another option," said Andrew, "our contact, he says there's an old freight elevator down here, from before the von Karsteins started using VTOL craft."
"A freight elevator?" asked Ben, "yeah, that'll work."
"If we can find it," said Mal, "and don't elevators make a lot of noise?"
"Oh, I didn't think about that," said Ben, "we go up in the elevator, we'll have every guard in the castle waiting for us at the top."
"Not necessarily," said Andrew, "according to our contact, the whole castle's preoccupied with preparations for an impromptu ball. They're celebrating our deaths."
"Oh wow," said Mulan, "it's not everyday you get to crash your own wake."
"They're not just celebrating our highly exaggerated demises," said Jill as she read the message, "Heinrich is officially announcing the engagements of his sons to your daughters. And if our contact's information is right, then a quadruple wedding is right around the corner."
"Over my still alive body!" exclaimed Mulan, "come on, everybody! Let's find that freight elevator!"
"Assuming it still works," said Chad.
"Seriously, dude, stop it with the wet blanket routine," said Carlos.
"Or what?" asked Chad.
"Or we'll leave you here to make your own way back to Auradon," said Doug irately.
"Wow, Doug," said an impressed and somewhat unnerved Mal, "when did you get so savage?"
"When I found out that Evie's being shotgun-married soon, that's when," said Doug, "now let's find that freight elevator!"
Doug then stumbled on a protruding stone and fell over. Chad started to laugh, but his guffaw changed to a gasp of surprise when a large hidden door swung open.
"Doug, you are the luckiest kid in all of Auradon!" said Ben as he and Mal helped Doug back up. Our heroes entered the hidden chamber and found the platform for the freight elevator covered in rust and dust.
"Of course, there's no power in here," said Andrew as he and the others examined the dark room with flashlights, "fortunately, these old elevators have their own backup generators." He swung the beam of his flashlight around and found said generator, "ah-ha! Perfect. Let's get this old boy up and running."
"How long do you think it'll take him to fix it?" Jay asked as Andrew pulled out a tool kit and began tinkering with the generator.
"I don't know but it'll go faster if he has help," said Doug.
"Much faster," said Carlos as he and Dough went over to help Andrew.
"Oh come on!" said Chad irately, "this whole plan is stupid! How we even know the generator can be fixed? Or even if it has fuel? Or even if the elevator still works at all!"
"Chad, if you try dragging us down one more time," said Doug as he brandished a wrench at Chad, "I'll shatter your cheekbones with this."
"Oh, so savage," said an impressed Jay, "we'll make a VK out of you yet, Doug."
"You'd be savage if your girl is forced into marrying an over muscled barbarian," said Dough, "oh wait, she is!"
"That's right! Lonnie!" exclaimed Jay, "give me some tools, I'll help!"
"That's alright," said Andrew offhandedly as he focused on the generator, "we're good here."
"No, I want to help," insisted Jay.
"We're fine, okay?" said Andrew.
"NO, not okay!" shouted Jay, "Lonnie and the others are in danger and I'm just standing here with nothing to do! Now let me help!"
At that Andrew looked up from his work, "you really want to help? Okay, you can help by finding me a dunsel cog."
"Dunsel cog, right!" said Jay. At that he began furiously searching the room.
"That'll keep him busy for a while," said Andrew as he went back to work on the generator.
"What's a dunsel cog?" asked Carlos.
"Nothing," said Andrew, "there's no such thing. I put your friend on a snipe hunt to keep him out of our way."
"Ah, clever," said Doug, "oh, wait…I think…yes, one frayed wire in need of replacement."
"Fortunately, I always travel with a spare spool of electrical wire," said Andrew as he pulled out said spool, "it can handle most voltage. We'll have this genny running again in a flash."
In actuality, it took another three more minutes but the generator, which still had fuel, was up and running, supplying power to the freight elevator.
"Everyone onto the elevator!" said Ben, "Jay, you can stop looking now."
"But I haven't found the dunsel cog yet!" said Jay.
"Forget about it, dude!" said Carlos, "we've got girls to rescue!"
"I hope your contact was right about the guards otherwise occupied upstairs," said Aurora as she and the others got onto the elevator, "this old machine, it'll make the devil's noise on the way up."
"I hope so too," said Jill, "he's gonna meet us at the top and bring us to your daughter and friends."
"We'll finally meet your mysterious spy in the enemy lair?" Mal asked, "I can hardly wait to see the guy."
The elevator went up with a cringeworthy cacophony that left our heroes tense with anticipation, fully expecting a small army of guards waiting for them when the elevator reached its destination ten-thousand feet up.
After several minutes of vertical movement, the elevator slowed to a stop in front of a pair of metal doors, which opened with a slow, rusted screech. Mal and the others braced for an immediate attack but were left dumbstruck when they saw not an army of guards, nor even a man.
"A maid?" asked Chad incredulously as he and the others saw Marie.
"Chamber maid, to be exact," said Marie. She then smiled brightly and let out a squee of joy as she rushed up to and hugged Jill, "oh, it's so good to see you again!"
"Good to see you too, Laura," said Jill as she hugged Marie back.
"Everyone from Auradon," said Saul, "this is Laura Hurst, resident Feline Tamer of Joy Division Circus and our fly on the wall in Heinrich's domain." He then grunted in surprise as Marie, Laura, hugged him tightly.
"She hugs," said Andrew as Laura hurried over and embraced him lovingly. "Laura, this is Ben, Mal, Jay and…well, you'll get to know them in time."
"I feel like I already know you," said Laura as she hugged Mal, then hugged Ben, "you're famous, I mean, really famous. The whole world knows about you two." She then proceeded to hug Jay, Carlos and the others, "and you guys too!"
"I'm glad you're alright, Laura," said Saul, "and glad you maintained your cover so well. But there's a time and a place for everything."
"No, let her be," said Chad as he enjoyed Laura's affectionate embrace, "I'm good."
"No, he's right," said Laura as she let go of Chad and adopted a more serious attitude, "there's bloody work ahead of us. The whole castle's in a tizzy over the ball, I barely managed to get away from the other staff to meet you all."
"Evie and the others," said Mal, "are they…"
"They're fine for the moment," said Laura, "but in…" she pulled out a pocket watch, revealing the time as 11:30 PM local time, "at midnight, Heinrich will announce the engagements and set the weddings for tomorrow at sunset."
"Then we'd better hurry," said Ben, "I don't want my friends in Heirnich's company any longer than necessary."
"And just how are we gonna get them away from Heinrich?" Chad asked, "didn't think of that, did you, Ben?"
"Uh…no," said Ben sheepishly, "but I'm working on it."
"I have a plan of sorts already, your grace," said Laura, "sorry, I mean, Ben, we're all friends, right? Anyway, my plan involves us breaking into one of the castle armories, stealing some gas masks and teargas grenades, throwing the grenades into the ballroom and stealing back your friends while Heinrich and his goons are too busy coughing and crying to stop us."
"That could work," said Ben, "let's go, then!"
"There's one more thing, though," said Laura. She looked at Jill, Andrew and Saul with even more serious eyes, "it's Elisabeth."
"Heinrich's daughter?" Andrew asked.
"Heinrich has a daughter?!" asked Aurora.
"He hid her away because she's such a disappointment to him," said Laura, "but that's not important right now." She looked at Andrew, "Elisabeth, she's made friends with Princess Audrey and the others, and I believe they've all but convinced her to try and escape with them."
"Well, here's an unexpected complication," said Andrew. He saw the confused looks on Ben, Mal and the others, "but it won't stop us from saving your friends, come on!"
"Just a little longer, Evie," said Mal as she and the others hurried through the castle corridors, "we're almost there. Just hold on a little longer."
…the ballroom…
"I don't know how much longer I can hold on!" complained a pained and exhausted Jane as she, Lonnie and Audrey managed to slip away from their unwanted partners between waltzes. The three of them took refuge by the refreshment table, while keeping an eye on Evie, whom was still in Gustav's grip on the other side of the ballroom.
"It'll be over soon enough," said Audrey, "it's almost midnight. It can't go on much longer."
"This isn't like what happened with Cinderella, Audrey," said Lonnie, "there's no magic to wear off when the clock strikes twelve. Besides," she glared across the ballroom at Heinrich, "it doesn't look like he's ready to go to bed."
"We just need to wait them out, that's all," said Audrey, "just grit our teeth, keep our 'beaus' busy until they're too tired to dance, that's all."
"I'm too tired to dance," said Jane, "these shoes are way too tight, I think I'm getting lower back pain and a headache. The only bright side is that I'm not focusing on my hand. But if Frederic keeps squeezing my hand so hard, I'll…I'll…I don't know what I'll do, but I'll do something."
Audrey was about to suggest something painful to do to Frederic, when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. A hidden door slid open and Elisabeth crept out and hid behind a decorative stature, one of several along the walls of the ballroom.
Elisabeth saw Audrey and put her fingers to her lips in a shushing gesture, then reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a pistol.
Audrey mouthed 'no!' to Elisabeth, whom mouthed 'yes,' then nodded at an enormous clock at one end of the ballroom.
'Midnight,' mouthed Elisabeth.
But then Audrey heard Evie shout in disgust. Looking away from Elisabeth, Audrey saw Evie struggling against Gustav as he held her close and tried to kiss her.
Audrey glanced back to Elisabeth but she was nowhere to be seen.
"Come on!" said Lonnie as she grabbed Audrey and Jane. They hurried over to Evie and Gustav as the former fought as hard as she could to get away from the later.
"Let go of me, you pig!" spat Evie.
"Come on, just a little kiss!" said Gustav, "just a taste of what's to come!" with that he forced his lips onto hers.
This was more than Audrey and Lonnie could endure. Audrey grabbed a Champagne bottle from a nearby servant and shattered it against one of the statues, while Lonnie broke two crystal glasses, turning the stems into makeshift knives.
But Jane got past them and stood in front of Gustav and Evie, "LET HER GO!"
Gustav broke the forced kissed and glared at Jane, "Do you mind? I'm trying to get to know my fiancée better!" He then bent down to kiss Evie again.
"I said let her go, you monster!" said Jane, her fists trembling with fury and sparking with magic.
Gustav, gripping Evie's hand tight, glared at Jane, "or what? You'll slap me? Fredric, get over here and do something with your fiancée before she makes a fool of herself!"
"She already has!" said Frederic. At that he, Wilhelm and most of the guests in earshot laughed at Jane.
Her whole body vibrating with outrage, Jane pointed her right index finger at Gustav and shouted the first spell that came to mind…
"Skidaddle Skidoodle! Your Dick Is Now A Noodle!"
A beam of magic shot from Jane's finger and hit Gustav in the crotch with an accompanying sports fanfare. Gustav let out a gasp of surprise and released Evie, whom ran over to Audrey and Lonnie.
"Are you alright?" Lonnie asked.
"I'll have use a small fortune of mouthwash and toothpaste to get rid of the taste of him," said a disgusted Evie, "but yeah, I'm alright. But…what did she do to him?"
"What did she do to you?" Karl asked as he, Frederic, Wilhelm and Heinrich rushed over.
With growing dread, Gustav undid the top button on his trousers and peeked in, then let lose a cry of unadulterated horror.
"What?!" shouted Stefan as he hurried over, just as the twins looked beneath Gustav's trousers, "what happened?"
Wilhelm and Frederic screamed in fear and disgust, followed by Karl. Stefan and Heinrich looked, and they too voiced their horror, all the while Gustav kept screaming louder than the others.
"Wait, was that the spell in the back of Mal's book?" Evie asked, "the one we all thought was a joke?"
"I guess it wasn't a joke spell," said Jane, "because it worked." She then began laughing like it was the funniest joke she'd heard in a long time, and was quickly joined by Evie, Audrey and Lonnie.
"I don't get it, what happened?" Harry asked as he, Uma and Gil strained to look over the growing crowd of guests clustering around the von Karsteins.
"I believe young Gustav has suffered an unfortunate manhood mutilation," said Adriane in an offhanded tone as she sampled from a plate of hors-d'oeuvre's.
"Really?" Uma asked, "now this I gotta see."
"Be my guest," said Adriane, "whatever makes you happy. Now I'll never get to talk to Heinrich."
"Oh don't give up," said Gil, "your chance will come."
Just then Heinrich let loose a bellow of unbridled rage.
"Uh…maybe not," said Gil.
Heinrich tossed aside several guests like ragdolls as he stomped up to the still laughing Jane, "YOU! YOU LITTLE WITCH!"
"Technically I'm a fairy godmother," guffawed Jane, "but…"
Heinrich grabbed Jane by the throat and lifted her up in the air.
"Change my son's manhood back!" barked Heinrich at the suffocating Jane, "change him back now!"
"She can't if you choke her!" said Evie.
"You're right!" said Heinrich. He dropped Jane like a stone, then grabbed Evie by the throat and lifted her up.
"Now, my little fairy princess," said Heinrich coldly to the coughing Jane, "you'll change my son's wedding tackle back," he tightened his grip on Evie's throat, "or I'll snap her pretty neck like a twig."
"I…I can't!" said Jane, "I don't have Mal's book. I don't even know if there's a counter spell."
"I don't believe you!" said Heinrich coldly.
"I'm telling the truth!" said Jane, "honestly, I only memorized the spell because I thought it was a joke Maleficent wrote down!"
"A JOKE!" bellowed Heinrich, "YOU TURNED MY SON'S PENIS INTO A PIECE OF PASTA! YOU CALL THAT A JOKE!?"
"It is kinda funny, Father," said Wilhelm, while Frederic and Karl comforted the distraught Gustav.
"Well, I'm not laughing!" snapped Heinrich, "no one's gonna laugh after I wring this little chicken bitch's neck!" at that he tightened his grip even more. Evie's life flashed before her eyes again as her brain cried out for oxygen.
But then came a massive report in the form of a gunshot that startled everyone in the ballroom.
"Let her go, Father!" shouted Elisabeth, the barrel of her pistol smoking as the spent cartridge clattered on the floor.
"E-Elisabeth?" asked a shocked Heinrich, "what…what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be out of your room!" He then flinched as another gunshot rang out, only this time the bullet came within half an inch of tearing his ear off.
"I said let her go, Father!" said Elisabeth as she adjusted her aim, lining the sights of her pistol at Heinrich's heart, "I won't miss again."
"Well, isn't this exciting," said Adriane as she, Uma, Harry and Gil ate some canapes.
…to be continued
