Last time found our heroes and allies struggling with the fact that Solaris Pretorius betrayed them. But things turned out to be more than they seemed in more ways than one. Count Olaf revealed himself to be the mastermind behind the whole mess, while Solaris revealed to Frankie, Violet and Clair that she had been working to bring Olaf, The Trix and The Monster Haters down once and for all. But then Olaf played his most diabolical plot yet.

Back with the rescuers, Katina finally located Clair, Violet and Frankie in an underground chamber in Central Park, while also revealing that Klaus and Sunny were imposters. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

Chapter 9:The Temptation of Violet

"I'll give you once more chance, Violet," said Olaf, "surrender The Necronomicon and spare yourself a horrific shock that will make your last moments in life so much more painful."

"Go to hell!" snapped Violet.

"So be it!" said Olaf in a dramatic manner. He then walked to the box and grabbed one edge of the cloth, "let's see you be defiant after this!" he then whipped the cloth off of the box, revealing it to be a steel cage, and what was in the cage sent an emotional spike deep into Violet's heart.

Inside the cage, bound and gagged, were Klaus and Sunny.

"What the hell is this!?" exclaimed Clair.

"It can't be!" said Frankie, "I saw Klaus and Sunny with the others. They were safe," she glared at Olaf, "just what are you trying to prove here!?"

"That I know Violet's weakness," said Olaf, "I know the one thing that will make her give up The Necronomicon."

Both Clair and Frankie wanted to shout to Solaris, demanding if she knew anything about this, but they remembered that Solaris was still a villain in the eyes of Olaf, The Trix and the Monster Haters. Even so, one look in Solaris' eyes told them that she was just as shocked by this as they were.

"Classic villainy," said Darcy, "grab your enemy's loved ones and threaten to kill them."

"If this doesn't break the brat," said Stormy, "nothing will."

"Can I play with them?" Eliza asked as she walked up to the cage, where Klaus and Sunny watched with terrified eyes as Eliza pulled out a knife and banged it against the iron bars, "Lucas, darling? Can I have just a little bit of fun with these little ankle biters? Please? Pretty please with sugar lumps on top?"

"Oh, act your age already!" snapped Paulette.

"Leave them be for now, Eliza," said Lucas, "they're our keys to The Necronomicon."

"Assuming Violet is willing to cooperate," said Olaf, "otherwise, dear Eliza, they're all yours."

"Oh, now I'm all confused," said Eliza, "on one hand, I want The Necronomicon. But on the other hand, I want to play with my new friends. Decisions, decisions."

At that Klaus tried to say something urgent but the gag prevented him from being understood.

"Be at ease, Klaus," said Olaf, "your sister won't allow you and Sunny to come to harm," he looked up at Violet, "isn't that right?"

"How?" Violet finally asked, "how did you get them?"

"I'm wondering that myself," said Icy.

"It was quite simple actually," said Olaf, "my beloved fellow thespians," he indicated his acting troupe, "they had infiltrated the catering staff of the gala. Dear Violet, you and your freakish friends had no idea that my friends were right under your noses all along."

"Neither did we," said Darcy, while Stormy shook her head in agreement, "how'd they do that?"

"You have your secrets and so do I," said Olaf, "needless to say, while you were occupied putting those Bureau buffoons in their proper place, my fellow players had grabbed young Klaus and Sunny, whisking them away and replacing them with flawless replicas of them; biological robots exact in every detail."

Olaf looked at Frankie, "you and your fellow freaks and mutants had no idea that you had a pair of imposters among you."

"Enough of this foolish bantering!" said Lucas, "the night wears on and Yog-Sothoth awaits!"

"Last chance, Violet," said Icy as she walked up to the cage, "either you give us the damn book, or we turn Eliza lose on your brother and sister."

"Oh, please, let me play with them," said Eliza, "I've got a car battery, some clamps and sponges waiting in the other room."

"I can shock them without all that stuff," said Stormy.

"Yeah, but it's much more fun when you do it the old fashion way," said Eliza.

Klaus and Sunny looked up at Violet, begging them with their eyes not to give up The Necronomicon, that they weren't important.

But they were important to Violet. They were her brother and sister, her family. If anything would happen to them, it would break her heart beyond repair.

Violet quickly looked at Solaris, whom, while maintaining a neutral expression to the villains, looked up at Violet with eyes full of hopeless frustration, as if saying that there was nothing she could do.

'But you can do something.'

Violet could now clearly hear the voice in her mind. It sounded like it came from a woman, definitely not from The Necronomicon, yet it was clear as a bell within her head.

'You have the power to save your brother and sister,' said the voice, 'it's right in your hands. Just open the book and you can destroy Olaf once and for all! You can destroy all your enemies in one swift stroke! You can save your new friends and return home with your brother and sister! Just open and read the book!'

Violet looked down at The Necronomicon, at the ancient tome with its dark power locked within its pages.

'That's it,' said the voice, 'just use the book.'

For one moment, the gears in Violet's mind stopped and her heart was in control. For one moment, she was on the verge of giving into temptation. She placed her hand on the front cover of The Necronomicon and started to open it.

But then reason suddenly returned to her. Violet knew that The Necronomicon had the power to destroy her enemies, but at what cost? What price would she have to play to save the lives of her friends and siblings? Would she have to die as payment for the dark powers she was about to invoke? And was there any guarantee that Frankie, Clair, Klaus and Sunny would even survive whatever horror the book would unleash?

'What are you waiting for?' the voice asked urgently, 'your brother and sister are about to be tortured to death! Read the book if you want them to live!'

"I do want them to live," Violet said aloud.

"What's that you say?" Olaf demanded.

'Then why are you hesitating!?' the voice asked, 'read the book! Destroy Olaf and your brother and sister will live!'

"And I'll lose my soul," said Violet. With that, she threw the book to the floor. It landed on the stone floor with a loud clap that startled everyone.

"Are…are you mad?!" exclaimed Clair, her eyes blazing with betrayed fury, "you just gave them the means to destroy the world and kill us!"

"In reverse order, I hope," said Frankie.

"I…I couldn't do it," said Violet as she sank to her knees in her energy cage, "I couldn't use the book!"

"And it's a good thing you didn't," said Olaf as he picked the book up, cradling it in his hands like it was the most precious thing in existence. He then held it up, displaying it to all the villains in the room, "my friends, at long last, we have The Necronomicon!"

"About damn time," said Icy. "Now let me have it."

"I beg your pardon?" Olaf asked, "why should I give you the book?"

"Because my sisters and I did all the hard work!" said Icy.

"What are we, chopped liver?" Dalton asked.

"If it weren't for us, we wouldn't have acquired the second sacrifice," said Orlando.

"And prevented those mutants and freaks from slicing you witches into itty bitty pieces," said Eliza.

"If anyone should have the book," said Paulette, "it's Lucas."

"We got the damn thing!" snapped Icy, "I should hold it!"

"Who said you should hold it?" Stormy asked.

"Because I'm the eldest," said Icy smugly.

"By two freaking minutes!" snapped Darcy.

"Well if you were so eager to be number one," said Icy irately, "you should have come out first!"

"You kicked me before I could come out!" snapped Darcy, "you cracked one of my ribs!"

"You remember that?" a startled and slightly disgusted Stormy.

"No, but I looked at my medical records when I was nine," said Darcy.

"Well, boo hoo!" said Icy, "little Darcy is suffering from a childhood trauma. It's still not going to get you the book!"

"It won't help you either!" said Darcy.

"It won't help any of you witches!" said Orlando, "Lucas gets the book!"

As the villains began shouting among each other, Violet, Clair and Frankie looked down in amazed confusion. But then Frankie smiled.

"Oh, now I get it," she said. Frankie then looked at Clair, "I get it now," she then looked at Frankie, "you gave them the book so they would start fighting among each other."

"What? No," said Violet, "I gave it up so my brother and sister wouldn't be tortured to death. On the other hand," she looked down at the arguing villains, "I've never been one to turn down a lucky break."

"It'd be wonderful if they'd destroy each other," said Clair. "But I seriously doubt we'd be that lucky."

Sure enough, Olaf restored order among the Monster Haters and The Trix by pulling out an air horn and letting out a deafening blast from it, causing everyone arguing to stop.

"That's better," said Olaf as he tossed the air horn over his shoulder, then held The Necronomicon in both hands, "since none of you squabbling children can act civil among yourselves, I shall keep the book."

"Over my dead body," said Lucas as he cracked his knuckles.

"We did all the hard work," said Icy, "and now you're going to claim all the glory."

"Let's worry about who gets the book after we kill this pompous son of a bitch," said Dalton.

"I'm with you on that," said Darcy, while Stormy nodded in agreement.

"You could destroy me," said Olaf, "but then, all of your efforts would have been in vain."

"What are you talking about?" Orlando asked.

"He's the only one who can perform the ritual," said Solaris.

"Where have you been?" Stormy asked, "I thought you stepped out."

"I have a knack for making myself unnoticed," said Solaris, "anyway, before you go ahead and slaughter Olaf, and his followers, whom are so fanatically devote to him they'd throw themselves in front of him and let you kill them first. Before you do all that and we have a bloodbath, may I ask if any of you can read Sumerian Cuneiform?"

"What the hell is that?" Eliza asked, "some kind of techno band?"

"It's the language of ancient Summer," said Solaris, "and the language of The Necronomicon, get an education! And judging by Ms. Eliza's answer, I'm convinced that none of you," she looked at The Monster Haters and The Trix, "can read The Necronomicon."

"What? I…oh," said Darcy, "yeah, that would have been a problem."

"You mean we went through all this trouble for a book we couldn't read?" Dalton asked.

"But I can," said Olaf, "and I shall. Trust me, dear friends, we shall all soon receive what we want. Now, dear witches, be so kind as to uncage our 'honored guests.'"

"We'll do it," said Icy, "but we'll be watching you!"

"Damn right," said Stormy, while Darcy nodded in agreement. The three of them then canceled the spells powering the energy cages, dropping Violet, Clair and Frankie to the floor, spraining Clair's ankle, bruising Violet's ribs and popping the stitches on Frankie's left hand. The hand got up on its fingers and tried to scurry away.

"Not on my watch!" shouted Icy. She then trued to freeze the hand but it dodged the cold magic.

Darcy and Stormy also tried to blast it, but they too missed the hand. But then Paulette stomped on it with her booted heel and then stabbed it with a knife, causing Frankie to cry out in pain, "oh my ghoul! That hurts!" she shouted as the Monster Haters grabbed her, Violet and Clair, forcing them to stand up.

"That'll teach you to not misbehave," said Paulette as she held the twitching hand up, still impaled on her knife.

"You'd think you'd come up with a better way to hold yourself together," said Icy as she walked over and pulled the hand off of the knife, causing Frankie to cry out in pain again.

"I've got a better way," said Stormy as she took the hand from Icy and walked over to Frankie. Stormy then summoned a staple gun and used it to violently attach Frankie's hand back on, causing her to cry out in pain again and again.

"Wow, that was pretty smart and evil of you, little sis," said Icy.

"I keep telling you and Darcy, I'm no idiot," said Stormy smugly.

"Yes, we're all proud of your intelligence," said Lucas impatiently. He then looked at Olaf, "can we begin now?"

"Without delay," said Olaf. He then gestured to his theater troupe, "take the brats out and keep them locked up! I shall deal with them upon my ascension!"

"No, wait! You said you'd let them go!" shouted Violet as she struggled against the Monster Haters.

"I did no such thing," said Olaf as his minions pushed Klaus and Sunny out of the chamber, "I did say that they would live, and they will live, to see me ascend to godhood!"

Klaus and Sunny looked up at Violet with heartbroken eyes as they were taken out, with Violet looking back at them with equally despaired eyes.

"Thanks a lot, Violet!" exclaimed Clair irately, "you've damned us all!"

"I…I didn't mean to," said Violet in a subdued tone.

"It's not over yet!" said Frankie, "our friends will find us, I know they will!"

"You stupid little freak!" said Dalton, "your fellow freaks and those mutants, they don't know where we are."

"They'll never find us in time to rescue you," said Lucas. Just then one of his followers ran up to him and whispered something in his ear, "what! What do you mean they're outside Belvedere Castle!?"

"They found the entrance to the tunnels, Lucas!" said the hapless Black-Jacket, whom was sweating nervously and cowering in the face of Lucas' wrath.

"How could they have found us so quickly!?" exclaimed Icy, "who are these people!?"

"They're the last people you should have pissed off," said Clair.

"Silence!" shouted Lucas. He then backhanded Clair across the face, severely bruising her left cheek and cutting her lips.

"You bastard!" shouted Violet, "leave her alone!"

"I'll do whatever I want to her," said Lucas, "and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"You're going to kill us anyway," said Frankie, "so why hurt her even more?"

Clair spat out some blood and glared at Lucas, "because he's the kind of messed up psychopath who takes pleasure in the pain of others; it's the only way he can feel sexual gratification."

At that Lucas grabbed Clair by the throat, not hard enough to strangle her, but hard enough to get her attention, "if I weren't in a hurry, if Yog-Sothoth didn't need you pure in body, I'd show you what I need for sexual gratification, and believe me, you would not enjoy it."

"We've still got to deal with those loser heroes," said Stormy.

"They'll never locate this chamber in time," said Olaf, "the tunnels are a subterranean labyrinth. They will never solve the secret of it before the ritual is complete!"

"Well, we're going to prepare for them just in case," said Lucas. He then looked at Paulette, Dalton, Orlando and Eliza, "go into the maze and wait for the fools! Do whatever you have to do, but they are not to reach this chamber alive!"

"Same goes for you two!" said Icy to Stormy and Darcy.

"What are you going to do during all this?" Darcy asked.

"Watching the ritual, of course," said Icy.

"Typical," said Stormy, "we do all the real work and you take all the credit!"

"You should be fortunate to get the chance of wiping out the infidels!" said Paulette. She, Dalton and Orlando nodded in acknowledgement to Lucas, "we shall fight to the death! None shall pass into this chamber!" At that all the other Monster Haters nodded in agreement.

"Just so long as I finally get to play with someone," said Eliza.

"Alright, we'll do it," said Stormy. She then glared at Icy, "but you'd better make sure that Yog-Sothoth gives our gifts first!"

"Just so long as you put those loser heroes in their place," said Icy.

"You got it," said Darcy. With that she, Stormy, Paulette, Dalton, Eliza, Orlando and the other Monster Haters, minus three whom were holding Clair, Violet and Frankie, exited the chamber.

"Now we can begin," said Olaf. He then looked at Clair, Violet and Frankie, "I believe a small costume change is appropriate for this act."

The Two White-Faced Women came back in, followed by the Hook-Hand Man and The Pimpled Man, whom were carrying a small wooden trunk. They opened it, revealing three plain white dresses.

"It is fortunate," said Olaf as the Two White-Faced Women took the dresses out, "that you three lovely young ladies are roughly the same size."

"You sick son of a bitch!" snapped Clair as The Hook-Hand Man walked over and began ripping her clothes off, while the Pimpled Man did the same with Frankie.

"You'll never get away with this!" shouted Frankie, while Violet stood there with a defeated look on her face.

"I already have," said Olaf as he smiled wickedly, "I already have."


…Outside Belvedere Castle…Central Park…

"The entrance to the tunnels is here," said Katina as everyone stood to the side of the famous castle structure in the park.

"I don't see anything," said Heath.

"But there's something here," said Howleen, "I…I can feel it."

"I feel it too," said Clawdeen, while Clawd nodded in agreement.

"There's a definite disturbance in the natural balance," said Venus, "dark magic."

"Yeah, but where?" Sora asked.

"Here!" Shawn shouted as he pointed to a seemingly ordinary patch of grass, "the entrance is here!" he then sent a mild psychic pulse into the ground. The grass shimmered and vanished, revealing a set of stone stairs descending into the earth.

"How did you know to do that?" Abbey asked.

"I can sense Clair, Violet and Frankie," said Shawn, "now that we're close enough, I can navigate my way through all the interference mojo the enemy has been putting out."

"We're going to need your Tracking on this for sure," said Max, "if Katina's right, then there's a huge maze down there."

"One so big that we could search for hours and never find the girls or the book," said Katina.

"And it's probably loaded with more booby traps," said Felicia.

"No, no more traps," said Katina, "the enemy hasn't had time to prepare any," she closed her eyes in concentration, "but the majority of our enemies are in the maze, waiting for us."

"They're going to try and slow us down," said Malcolm.

"They'll do more than slow us down," said Lilith, "knowing Lucas, he's probably ordered Paulette, Dalton, Orlando, Eliza and the others to fight to the death. These guys are serious about stopping us, fighting with everything they have and more in hopes of taking at least one of us with them when they die."

"I doubt The Trix would be so eager to fight to the finish," said Riku, "they'll run away if thing start to go bad for them."

"Not this time," said Jill, "there'll be no escape for any of our enemies tonight. Either we catch them or kill them."

"Hopefully in that order," said Laura, "paperwork and ethical issues, you know."

"But the red tape goons wouldn't be upset if we cut off one of the witches' heads, right?" Tess asked.

"You really want to cut their heads off," said Riku.

"We couldn't destroy them last time," said Tess, "so we might as well do it this time."

"You're hell bent on beheading a witch," said Max, "well, just so you know, personally killing one of your enemies, just for spite, isn't something you want on your conscious."

"It'll haunt you day and night," said Jill, "righteous justifiable homicide is one thing, but revenge killing, spite killing, that'll rip your heart apart."

"This coming from someone who was so willing to slice The Trix up into little pieces?" Steven asked.

"I was pissed that Violet was taken," said Jill, "and I'm still pissed, even more now that we've been duped about Klaus and Sunny. But I'm in control now. I want The Trix dead, but only after they're convicted in a fair trial."

"But if we have to kill them in order to rescue the girls and recover The Necronomicon? What then?" Laura asked.

"I won't shed a tear for them," said Jill, "the same goes for Lucas and his ilk. And Olaf too."

"Alright," said Tess, "I'll play it that way," she then muttered, "for now."

"So," said Jackson as he looked down into the stairs leading to the underground maze, "who's going first?"

"Not you, that's for sure," said Patricia. She then looked at Chad, "and neither are you. You're both staying topside."

"What!?" exclaimed both Jackson and Chad.

"She's right," said Kairi, "I'm sorry, guys, but you can't come with us."

"But why?" Jackson asked, "Clair's down there!"

"So is Frankie!" said Chad.

"Which is why you two need to stay up here," said Max, "forgive me for being blunt, but you two would only get in the way."

"You're not Meta Humans, nor Monsters," said Riku, "and you certainly don't have Keyblades."

"Unless you two have been holding out on us," said Cleo in a suspicious tone.

"Uh, no, sorry," said Chad modestly, "no special powers or abilities here."

"I happen to be half Monster!" shouted Jackson.

"Yeah, your other half is a chaotic DJ with prankster complex," said Laura.

"I'm sorry, Jackson," said Lagoona, "but having Holt down there would only make things worse."

"Holt isn't that bad," said Jackson stubbornly, "and I can definitely help! Just give me a gun or something!"

"Do you even know how to handle a firearm?" Steven asked.

"I'm a fast learner," said Jackson as he straightened his glasses.

"How hard could it be?" Chad asked, "just point at the bad guy and pull the trigger."

"This isn't a video game, kido," said Felicia, "this is real life or death stuff we're messing with. Do you actually think you could kill someone? Even someone as wicked as those we've faced tonight?"

"Well?" Julia asked Jackson, "can you kill to save the one you love?"

"I…I don't know," said Jackson in an uncertain tone, "I…I just want to save Clair."

"I know you do," said Patricia, "which is why I'll be needing you and Chad up here to help coordinate things."

"You can assist me with the computer system," said Tyler, "my battle suit won't be much use underground."

"And I can use your help with communicating with the rescue team," said J.D. to Chad.

"I am good with computers," said Jackson in a more positive tone.

"Just teach me all that technical communication lingo," said Chad.

"We'll be talking straight and to the point for this," said J.D.

"Cool," said Chad, "but, I wish I could do more."

"The best thing you can do is to wish everyone luck," said Lagoona.

"And you won't be alone up here either," said Cleo, "Ghoulia will stay up to help," she then looked at the zombie genius, "right?"

At that Ghoulia gave the thumbs up and sat down to network her laptop with the Bureau computers.

"Then there's nothing else to say except for good luck," said Patricia, "and kick some evil ass!"

"Alright!" said Aiden as he pressed his wrists, "let's do this!"

At that Kairi blinked in confusion, "what…what did you just say? Alvin?"

"She's not supposed to remember us yet," Riku whispered to Aiden.

"I know that!" Aiden hissed. He then looked at Kairi, "uh…it's just my good luck saying."

"Oh, cool," said Kairi.

"That was tense," said Tess, "for a second I thought she was going to remember and go crazy again."

"We've got to be careful," said Riku.

"But for how long?" Sora asked, "how much longer do we have to be strangers to her?"

"Until we figure out exactly what Maleficent did to her," said Malcolm.

"And how long will that take?" Roxas asked.

"I don't know," said Malcolm, "but I'll get right to work as soon as we're done with this current crisis."

"Speaking of which," said Naminé, "shouldn't we be heading underground by now?"

"Nearly everyone else has," said Aiden.

Sure enough, most of The Bureau operatives and Monsters had descended the stairs, with Kairi, Clawdeen and Julia heading down.

"Oh, man!" said Sora, "wait up!" With that he, Riku, Tess, Malcolm, Aiden, Roxas and Naminé, hurried to the stairs.

It wasn't long before they were all underground and in a large square chamber lit by orange torches. Three tunnels branched off on the sides of the room.

"Which way, Shawn?" Max asked.

Shawn walked to each of the tunnels, pausing and sensing at each one. He then pointed at the one on the right, "this way," he said.

"Lead on," said Cleo, "and we shall follow!"

"But carefully," said Kairi, "those junkies and witches are waiting for us."

"That's why we'll go first," said Steven, while Mark, Julia and Felicia, nodded in agreement.

"Count me in too," said Clawd, while Deuce, Clawdeen, Heath and Abbey, nodded in agreement.

"We'll stomp those baddies into charcoal!" said Heath as his hair flared up.

"Easy with that fire, big boy!" said Hezekiah, "we don't know about the air down here."

"We've got plenty of air," said Jana, "just look at the torches," she then looked at Aiden, Roxas and Naminé, "he can be a bit dim sometimes."

"Not always!" said Hezekiah. "I just get a bit confused sometimes, that's all."

"Nobody's perfect," said Tara. She then held up her wand, "Lumos!" the tip of her wand lit up with a bright white light, "just in case there's anything hiding in the shadows." With that she, Shawn, Mark, Julia, Felicia, Deuce, Clawd, Clawdeen, Heath and Abbey went first into the tunnel, with everyone else following.


Hogwarts…

"Makes you wonder," said Ron as he, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Aaron, Ashley, Max, Leon, Andrew, Jill and Draco, watched the rescue team on the viewer, "why our Shawn is the way he is and that Shawn is different."

"You mean why that Shawn is a Tracker and ours is a Scanner?" Aaron asked, "who knows? Perhaps the other Shawn has a different ancestor in his family than ours. Maybe a random mutation in his DNA, or perhaps he's just different, plain and simple. I'd need more information before giving a reliable answer."

"Why did my other self die in the other world?" Andrew asked, "why are all the alternate universes we've encountered different from one another? Fate, chance, divine intervention, or maybe that's just how reality is made."

"That's what makes our work so dangerous and exciting," said Leon, "you never know what to expect."

"If it's so dangerous," said Draco, "then why do it at all?"

"Because if we don't do it, who will?" Jill asked. "You wizards? You've got your own problems to deal with. Mortals? I mean Muggles. All in all, they're stupid and completely unreliable until they're threatened with life or death."

"Muggles aren't all that bad," said Hermione.

"I know," said Jill, "but even after all the good we have done, all the problems we've solved, humans still foolishly destroy each other, while all we can do is our very best to keep civilization, humanity, the world itself, from falling apart."

"I'll drink to that," said Leon as he raised a glass of mead to his lips. He happily swallowed, "this is excellent! Where's it from?"

"The Three Broomsticks," said Ginny, "Hanna got the recipe from Madam Rosemerta.

"I'll have to remember to order a case or two for my birthday," said Leon as he happily drank more.

"You have a drinking problem, old friend," said Max, "and I thought you wrote that letter to your other self to help him be less of an alcoholic."

"First of all," said Leon, "I am not an alcoholic. I can stop any time I want." He then placed the glass on the table, "there, see? Second, I did give advice to my other self, but just to warn him to be careful on his birthdays. Besides, if I hadn't gotten drunk on my birthday, I wouldn't have met my girlfriend."

"You mean that gorgeous nurse at the emergency room?" Jill asked.

"The same," said Leon. "What'd you write to your other self? And you too, Max."

"Just advice to ease some loneliness," said Max, "it's not every day you can give yourself a second chance at love."

"Same with my other self," said Jill, "but not in the same way as the other Max."

Just then James, Albus, Scorpio, Izzy, Rose, Mathew, Alison, Kylie, Nathanial, Cass, Yasmine, Lancaster, Cordelia and Ryo, ran into the room, followed by Angelina, Cho and Neville, the last three looking rather cross with the young students.

"Is Tara alright?" Kylie asked, "did she and the others make it to the other world?"

"They're fine," said Harry, "they all made it and found Sora and the others."

"But what about Kairi?" Rose asked.

"She's…more or less alright," said Ron.

"Oh, be honest with your daughter, Weasley," said Draco, "I've never lied to my son."

"I'm not lying, Malfoy!" said Ron. He then looked at Rose, "Kairi is alright. She…just had to…forget Sora and the others for a little while, that's all."

"There are times," said Cho to Angelina in a hushed tone, "when I wonder how Harry survived it all with Ron for a friend."

"They had Hermione to balance it out," said Angelina, "but that's just my opinion." She then looked at the students, "there, you've been assured that everyone is alright. Now, would you all be so kind as to return to your classes?"

"You're all lucky that Professor McGonagall is in a Floo Powder conference with Minister Shacklebolt," said Neville, "if she saw your little walk-out stunt, she'd feed you all to a flock of Narggles."

"What are Nargles?" Ryo asked. "They're not in The Monster Book of Monsters."

"I'll have to ask Aunt Luna in my next letter," said Albus.

"I'm sorry, Professor Longbottom," said Cass, "Professor Connor, Professor Johnson-Weasley, but we can't go back to class, not now."

"Our friends are clearly heading towards a climatic battle," said Mathew as he pointed at the viewer, "we have to stay and watch, we just have to."

"You're supposed to be in my Transfirguration class!" said Angelina.

"And you're supposed to be in my History of Magic class," said Cho as she looked at Alison.

"Oh, let them skip a class," said Ashley, "it's the last period of the day, so what's the harm?"

"I hate to endorse any excuse to skive off of class," said Hermione, "but this is an unusual circumstance."

"Come on, Professors? Please? Just this once?" Izzy asked.

"We'll clear it with McGonagall if she asks," said Harry.

"Well, this is Sora and the others we're talking about," said Neville hesitantly.

"And it's a chance to see an alternate version of The Ramblers in action," said Cho, "and those fantastic Monsters."

"Just don't tell Hagrid," said Angelina, "he'd want to immigrate to this other world," she then looked at Kylie and the other students, "alright, you lot, you can stay and watch."

At that all the students cheered happily.

"But I want you all to complete all the work you missed as soon as the crisis has passed!" said Angelina, "and not one word of this to Professor McGonagall."

"Our lips our sealed!" said James eagerly. He then pulled out his wand and used it to seal up the mouths of Izzy, Rose, Cass, Kylie, Alison and Yasmine.

"JAMES!" exclaimed Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Angelina, Cho and Neville.

"What?" James asked innocently, "it's just a mild adhesive spell. It'll wear off with water, promise."

"You're lucky I'm not writing to your grandmother," said an irate Ginny as she, Hermione and Angelina used their wands to produce tiny jets of water that unsealed the mouths of the girls, "if she where here, she'd clean your clock!"

"And I'd have to fix it," said Aaron.

"I thought repairs were my specialty," said Andrew, "and before I forget, I'll send word to the kitchen to send dinner up to us," he then looked at the viewer, "if I'm right, things are about to get super serious."


Beneath Central Park…

"Are you sure you know where you're going, Shawn?" Julia asked as she screwed on a set of silencers to her pistols. Our heroes and allies had been following Shawn for several minutes, through twists and turns in the maze. They came to a part of the tunnel where it widened for them all to walk through comfortably and still had room to spare.

"Of course he knows where he's going," said Laura, "he's locked in on Violet, Clair and Frankie."

"He hasn't lead us to a dead end yet," said Sora, "so we've got to be going the right way."

"I'm not worried about getting lost," said Max, "I'm more concerned as to why we haven't run into any of the enemy yet."

"They're here alright," said Katina as she looked around warily, "they're just getting into position to attack us. Not to mention that the Soma-99 users are juicing up, getting an extra fix in before they try to murder us."

"Didn't Solaris' letter say that the more those maniacs use the drug, the more dependent it becomes?" Cleo asked.

"They soon become slow and weak," said Abbey, "like drinking too much fermented yak milk."

"But how soon till they become weak enough for us to beat them?" Draculaura asked.

Just then Jill tensed up, "look out!" she shouted as she pulled Cleo out of the way of an incoming knife. Paulette appeared from a hidden door, her hands grasping more knives.

"Infidels!" shouted Paulette, "you shall die for your blasphemy!"

"Blasphemy is so overrated," said Felicia as she pulled out her knives, "you want to play with sharp objects? Fine with me!" she then grinned eagerly, "let's dance!"

"Permit me to lead!" shouted Paulette as she threw a knife at Felicia, whom dodged it, countered with a throwing knife of her own and then rushed at Paulette. The two of them furiously tried to stab and cut each other, both of them blocking and avoiding the others deadly blades.

Just then Stormy, Darcy, Dalton, Orlando, the other Monster Haters, appeared, "kill them all!" shouted Dalton as he and the other maniacs rushed in, while the two witches provided spell support.

"Kill this!" shouted Deuce as he lowered his glasses, petrifying one of the Monster Haters, then dodged a punch aimed at his head. Clawd, Clawdeen and Howleen were each fighting one of the maniacs, as was Toralei, Lagoona, Gill, Heath, Abbey, Draculaura, Steven, Mark, Jill, Max, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm and Roxas. Naminé, Cleo, Venus, Operetta, Rochelle, Robecca and Julia were waiting for their chance to attack, while Aaron waited in the middle of the group, waiting for a patient to heal. All the while our heroes and allies were dodging malicious darkness and weather-based spells from Darcy and Stormy.

"I've got to admit!" said Gill as he dodged a punch aimed at him, then kicked his attacker, "this is kinda exciting!"

"More exciting then surfing a tsunami?" Lagoona asked as she jumped over her opponent and kicked him in the back.

"I'll just stick to SCREAM and other Monster sports, thanks," said Deuce as dodged a kick, then punched his opponent.

"You ought to try Struggle!" said Roxas as he bashed one Monster Hater in the head with his Keyblades, then another.

"Oh, I know Struggle!" said Kairi as she healed a cut on Steven's shoulder, then bashed a Monster Hater in the head, "have you been to Twilight Town?"

"Uh…from time to time," said Roxas hesitantly.

"Less jabbering!" shouted Abbey as she froze one Monster Hater, then dodged a bolt of dark lightning, "more kicking the baddies in the booties!"

Yet for all the efforts of our heroes and allies, all the damage they inflicted on the Monster Haters was negated each time one of them took another dose of Soma-99.

"We're gonna burn ourselves out at this rate!" said Heath as he set one of the Monster Haters on fire, then dodged a confusing spell.

"Topside!' shouted Max into his com link, "any suggestions!?"


…Outside Belvedere Castle…

"I've got plenty of suggestions, Max," said Patricia as she stood in front of the makeshift computer station that Ghoulia, Tyler and Jackson had set up. Patricia then angrily shouted into her com link, "get off your franking asses and kill those maniacs!"

"I thought you wanted them alive," said Jackson.

"Well, that was then," said Patricia, "now that I know for sure that these degenerates are on a suicide mission, I won't let them kill my friends. Max, you and the others have permission to go all out."

"All out?" Chad asked, "what does that mean?"

"It means," said Tyler as he smiled eagerly, "that The Ramblers are going to get serious."


Beneath Central Park…

"You heard the boss!" shouted Max, "Ramblers! Let's Get Rambling!"

"Yeah!" shouted the other Ramblers. With that they began fighting harder, inflicting more damage on the Monster Haters.

"Our Ramblers don't have such a cool battle cry," said Jana as she found herself fighting back to back with Tess, her long combat knife dripping with spilled enemy blood.

"I never put much thought into battle cries," said Tess as she bashed a Monster Hater in the head, then swung her Keyblade to break another's ribs, "but I'll keep it in mind from now on."

"Is it me," said Aiden as he found himself next to Sora as they fought the Monster Haters, "but are these creeps getting stronger?"

"They are getting harder to hurt!" said Sora.

"It's the drug!" shouted Laura as she, Katina and Shawn fired off psychic blast after psychic blast, "they're still high on it!"

"We've got to hold them till they adapt to it and start to fade!" said Steven as he found himself facing Dalton, whom was trying to catch him in a bear hug and shatter his bones.

"But how long will that take?" Mark asked as he dodged a fire blast from Orlando.


The Sacrificial Chamber…

"I hope you're satisfied, you perverts!" shouted Clair as she, Violet and Frankie, now wearing the simple white dresses, were chained to the altar in the middle of the chamber.

"Ripping off our clothes, seeing us naked," said a seriously embarrassed Frankie, "I'd rather be buried alive in slime!"

"You think you're suffering now?" Icy asked, "just wait till Yog-Sothoth gets here!"

"I know, he's gonna eat us," said Clair. "We know already."

"You simple girl," said Olaf, "you shall not simply be a meal for Yog-Sothoth. No, The Great Intelligence has a far more…interesting fate in store for you."

"Being an inter-dimensional god can be so lonely," said Lucas, "Yog-Sothoth has desires that he will want fulfilled. Upon your deaths, your souls and hearts shall be bound unto him as his concubines!"

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Frankie, "you can't do that! I don't want to be a sex slave to an Outer God!"

"Neither do I!" shouted Clair as she struggled against the chains holding her to the altar, "I've had enough of this lemonade stand! I want out!"

"Me too!" shouted Frankie as she also struggled against the chains, her neck bolts sparking furiously. Yet none of their efforts paid off as the chains held firm.

"Save your strength for when Yog-Sothoth gets here," said Icy, "I hear he likes his playthings feisty."

At that Clair spat at Icy, hitting her face with a big glob of salvia, "go screw him yourself!" she shouted.

Icy retaliated by hitting Clair across the face, then slapped her again, "spit on me again and I'll sew your lips shut!"

"Same goes for you, freak, if you try anything," said Lucas to Frankie. He then looked at Violet, "and you. Well? Have you nothing to say?"

All this time, Violet had remained silent and passive as her clothes were ripped off, as she was forced into the white dress and chained to the altar, a defeated look of hopeless despair on her face.

"Come now, Violet," said Olaf, "we've been through too much for the play to end with you being silent. Say something, the audience is waiting."

"There's no audience, you horrible, crazy man!" shouted Frankie.

"Hey, we're the audience," said Icy, while Lucas, his followers and Olaf's theater troupe nodded in agreement.

"Well, Violet?" Olaf asked, "what have you to say?"

At that Violet looked at Olaf, her eyes brimming with tears as she whimpered, "please, let Klaus and Sunny go."

"What's that?" Olaf asked, "I can't hear you. Say it again!"

"Let Klaus and Sunny go!" cried Violet, tears now falling freely from her eyes, "you've won! I admit it, you've won, so let Klaus and Sunny go, please!"

"Oh my ghoul," said Frankie in a subdued tone, "I…I think she's broken."

"You son of a bitch!" raged Clair, "how dare you break Violet!"

"I think it's rather satisfying," said Icy smugly, "seeing such a resistive heart succumb to her doom."

"That's right, insult me," said Violet, "beat me, torture me, rape me before you sacrifice me! I don't care!" she looked at Olaf, "I'll sign over my inheritance if that's what it takes! Just let Klaus and Sunny go! Please, show some mercy! Show that you have some humanity in you, please!"

"No," said Olaf plainly, "what need for I of humanity when I am on the verge of becoming a living god? I will not release your pathetic brother and sister. In fact," he smiled wickedly, "I think I'll let them watch," he then gestured to The Pimpled Man and The Hook-Hand Man, "go fetch the other orphans."

"Why?" Lucas asked as the two actors left the chamber, "what's the point of making them watch?"

"You've got a lot to learn about villainy, my dear boy," said Olaf.

"It's simple," said Icy as she smiled maliciously, "Olaf wants sweet little Violet to know that her brother and sister will watch her be consumed and violated by Yog-Sothoth."

"Little Klaus, always the scholar," said Olaf, "he will benefit from observing the ritual. And of course, the little monkey, her education in the carnal arts will have to start sometime."

At that something snapped inside Violet, something that lit the fires of hate and rage in her heart that burned away her hopelessness, "no," she said grimly, her eyes glaring hatefully at Olaf, "you won't do that to Klaus and Sunny. I'm going to find a way out of this, Olaf. I'm going to get out of these chains, and then, I'm going to kill you."

At that Olaf, Lucas and Icy laughed viciously for several seconds, while Solaris walked towards the altar.

Olaf finally calmed down to speak coherently, "you, kill me?" he asked while still chortling, "sweet, innocent, little Violet, murder me? This is bad comedy."

"Then why are you laughing?" Solaris asked as she reached the altar and stood in front of Violet, whom she then glared down at, "and you, sacrifice!" she then slapped Violet across the face, then brushed her hand across Violet's, "you shouldn't make idle threats if you don't have anything to back them up!"

Solaris backed away from Violet, then winked at her. Violet then realized that Solaris had passed something to her, something that turned out to be a small metal file. Violet gave Solaris the slightest of nods, signaling that she knew what to do.

"Well, this has been mildly entertaining," said Olaf as he walked over to stone pulpit that had been brought in for the ritual and placed The Necronomicon on it, "but the night wears on. The time of sacrifice is at hand!" He then opened the book.

A sinister gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew through the chamber, nearly extinguishing the torches and raising goose bumps on everyone in the room.

"That was ominous," said Icy as she rubbed her arms.

"I call it a sign of our assured success!" said Lucas, "Olaf! Begin the ritual at once!"

"With pleasure," said Olaf as he flipped through the pages of The Necronomicon, "I just need to find the spell," he flipped through more pages, and then still more, "hmmm, there seems to be a bit of a problem here."

"You mean you don't know where in the book the spell is?" Icy asked in an exasperated tone.

"Would I be thumbing through the book if I did!?" Olaf exclaimed, "if you want to find the spell, come up here and try!"

"I would if I could read Sumerian," said Lucas in an annoyed tone, "but you're the only one here who can, so get to it already!"

Solaris then walked over to the altar and whispered to Violet, Clair and Frankie, "we seem to have a little more time than I thought," she then passed metal files to Clair and Frankie without Olaf and the other baddies noticing, "I'll do whatever else I can to stall them. Work on those chains, but don't try to break out of them until I give the signal. We must give Patricia and the others time to get here."

"Just keep them from looking at us," said Violet as she began to carefully file through the chains securing her wrists.

At that Solaris gave Violet a reassuring smile, "glad to know that you weren't truly broken."

"I couldn't take it any more," said Violet, "I couldn't let that vile man hurt Klaus and Sunny." She then looked up at Solaris with renewed hope in her eyes, "try to get them out of here, no matter what happens. Please, keep my brother and sister safe."

"I'll do what I can," said Solaris, "I swear, no harm will befall Klaus and Sunny if I can help it."

"What about us?" Clair asked as she and Frankie filed through their chains.

"I'll help you too," said Solaris, "but again, we must give our rescuers time to get here." She then looked up at the pulpit, where Lucas and Icy were arguing with Olaf, "Remind me to thank those three in hell for giving our friends such a welcomed head start."


The Tunnels…

"Am I the only one who sensed that ominous wind just now?" Venus asked as she waited for a chance to throw some confusing pollen at the enemy. Our heroes and allies valiantly battled the Monster Haters and the two witches, but the enemy showed no sign of tiring, while Sora and the others were beginning to feel the strain of their prolonged fight.

"You mean that weird gust that felt like certain doom?" Operetta asked, "that sounded like a choir of sore-throated demons? Yeah, I felt it."

"They must have opened The Necronomicon!" shouted Katina, "they're beginning the ritual! We've got to get there!" she then sent a massive psychic blast at Orlando, slamming him against the rock wall, only for him to get back up. Operetta then sent another sonic pulse at the ceiling, causing a small avalanche that partly buried Orlando.

"That ought to slow down that ornery son of an ox!" said Operetta. She then laughed, "you see, it's funny because oxen can't have calves, right? Right?" she then looked at Venus and Robecca, whom weren't laughing at all.

"This is hardly the time for jocularity," said Robecca. She then saw an opening in the fray, "excuse me!" she then activated her steam jet boots and rushed in, delivering a massive punch that broke a Monster Hater's jaw.

"Sheesh," said Operetta as she stubbornly crossed her arms, "you try to diffuse the tension with a little joke and you get your head bitten off by an irate catfish."

"Must be a pretty big catfish to do that," said Venus.

"Ain't it just," said Operetta. She then looked at Draculaura, whom had been strangely quiet throughout the battle. "Are you alright, sugar?" Operetta asked Draculaura, who was looking increasingly uncomfortable as the battle went on.

"All this spilled blood," said Venus, "I know it's tainted blood, but how can you stand to smell it?"

"I'm breathing through my mouth," said Draculaura, "but I could care less about the drugged-up blood," she then looked at Clawd, whom had just thrown a Monster Hater against the wall with enough force to shatter bones, then broke both arms of another enemy.

"It's Clawd!" said a worried Draculaura, "I'm scared he'll get hurt!"

They all then winced as Clawd kicked a Monster Hater in the crotch, then broke the legs of another.

"I'm more worried about the enemy getting hurt," said Rochelle.

"Oui," said Rochelle, "one almost pities them."

Just then one of Darcy's spells nearly hit Rochelle. She dodged it, then glared at the dark witch, "oh, no, you didn't!" she shouted irately. She then few into the fray, shoving enemies and allies aside as she forced her way to Darcy.

"You, witch!" Rochelle shouted, "your wickedness ends here and now!"

"Oh?" Darcy asked daringly, "and you're going to stop me?" She then laughed viciously.

"I would shame myself if I didn't try to stop you," said Rochelle, "as a gargoyle, I am honored bound to stand firm against evil, to guard the innocent and protect the helpless. You, witch, are the embodiment of all that my kind abhors; chaos, selfishness, cruelty, and overall wickedness! You must be stopped!" With that she flew at Darcy, whom dodged her attack and took flight herself.

"You should stay on the ground like a good statue!" said Darcy as she blasted Rochelle, whom endured the attack and then rushed at Darcy. The witch dodged the attack, then cast a spell that multiplied herself, making six Darcy's where there was one.

"Try and stop us now!" shouted all six Darcy's.

"I don't have to," said Rochelle, "not alone that is!"

Operetta then let out a sonic pulse aimed at the ceiling that sent down enough rocks to not only harass the Monster Haters on the ground, but also to disorient all six copies of Darcy. One rock hit one in the head, the real Darcy, disrupting her concentration long enough for Rochelle to tackle her. The two of them grappled in midair.

"That's it, Rochelle!" shouted Venus, "rip her head off!"

"No, don't rip her head off!" said Cleo as she rummaged through her purse, "I have just the curse for that horrible witch! Now, where's that idol? Ah! Here it is!" she then pulled out a small statue of a frog made out of emeralds, sapphires and amber.

"Let's see that witch cast spells when she's a frog!" shouted Cleo as she pressed the amber eyes of the frog statue. The mouth of the frog statue opened up and shot a beam of green magic at Darcy, but at the last second, Darcy twisted out of the way.

The beam of magic barely missed Rochelle and ricochet off the tunnel wall, hitting Clawd and turning him into a three-eyed frog.

"OH MY GHOUL!" exclaimed a horrified Draculaura.

"CLEO!" exclaimed Rochelle, Venus and Robecca.

"Uh…sorry?" an highly embarrassed Cleo said.

Just then one of the Monster Haters grabbed frog-Clawd and began to squeeze the life out of him.

"NO! CLAWD!" shouted Draculaura. In a flash, she morphed into a black and purple bat, flew over to the Monster Hater that had frog-Clawd, morphed back to her humanoid form and grabbed the Monster Hater by the forearms with enough strength to shatter his bones. Screaming in pain, the maniac dropped frog-Clawd, whom hopped away, while Draculaura grabbed a rock and hit the Monster Hater in the head with enough force to knock him to the ground.

"Don't you hurt my Clawd, you horrible, horrible jerk!" shouted Draculaura as she continued to smash the rock into the Monster Hater's head, completely caving in his skull and reducing his brain into a bloody mush.

Lagoona broke away from her fight and grabbed Draculaura by the shoulder, restraining her, "Hey, it's alright!" said Lagoona, "you got him, he's dead!" She then scooped up frog-Clawd, "and Clawd's okay too, for a frog that is."

"Huh? I…oh," said Draculaura as she looked down at the dead maniac. She then dropped the rock and took frog-Clawd in her arms, tears falling from her eyes, "oh, Clawd! I…I…"

"Hey, I think they're starting to weaken!" shouted Steven as he broke the arms and legs of the Monster Hater he was fighting, then his opponent's legs. The maniac fell down and didn't get back up again.

"Now I know they're weakening!" shouted Felicia as she forced Paulette on the defensive, scoring several minor cuts on the female Monster Hater.

"You miserable freak!" shouted Paulette a she barely dodged a cut, then threw one of her knives at Felicia. She then administer another dose of Soma-99, but it barely healed her wounds, "no! I don't believe it!" she then administered another dose, but the effect was barely noticeable.

"The jig is up, bitch!" shouted Felicia. She then sidestepped to the right, faked back to the left and then stabbed Paulette in her right elbow, then cut off Paulette's left fingers. Screaming in pain, Paulette fell to the ground and didn't get back up.

"One chance!" said Felicia as she readied her knives for a final cut, "give up or die!"

"No! Don't kill me!" cried Felicia, her eyes betraying her fear, "Please! I quit! I surrender!"

Just then Dalton appeared and snapped Felicia's neck. She collapsed to the ground, stone dead.

"Those who surrender betray Lucas!" shouted Dalton as he threw a punch at Felicia, whom dodged it, "And those who betray Lucas shall die for their blasphemy!"

But then Mark stabbed Dalton in the back with his sword, "you really ought to get your spiritual priorities in order, pal," said Mark. He then pulled out his sword, only to dodge a kick from Dalton.

"They're not all weakening at once!" shouted Sora as he, Kairi, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm and Roxas still fought their opponents.

"Well of course not," said Aaron as he bandaged a cut on Jana's shoulder, while Hezekiah provided cover, "they've all got different metabolic rates. It'll be a while before they all fully adapt to the drug and it becomes worthless to them!"

"So, you losers are exploiting a weakness in our allies!" said Darcy as she dodged a punch from Rochelle, "I'm not surprised."

"Lucas is an idiot!" shouted Stormy as she sent out multiple bolts of lightning, "even we know that drugs are bad, too bad!" She then began forming a tornado that flashed with lightning and sent it at our heroes and allies, forcing them to dodge and allowing the weakening Monster Haters to regroup.

"Wish those two would weaken already!" shouted Aiden. He then transmuted the ground beneath a Monster Hater into spikes, impaling him, then transmuted more ground into a stone pillar, which another Monster Hater ran smack into.

"As if we'd weaken!" shouted Stormy, "my sisters and I are invincible!"

"The hell you are!" shouted Malcolm as he aimed his Keyblade at Stormy and shot a beam of his own dark magic at her. She countered with a beam of her own dark magic that crackled with lightning. The two beams met and tried to overpower each other, but Stormy's beam was slightly stronger, forcing Malcolm's beam back.

But then Tara jumped in and fired off a beam of red magic from her wand, adding her power to Malcolm and the two of them forced Stormy's beam back. The dark witch poured everything she had into her beam, her bow slick with sweat, while at the same time, her power-enhancing item on her arm began to crack as inch by inch, her beam was forced back to her hands.

But then Stormy's item exploded, severely burning her arm. At the same time her beam stopped and she was hit by both beams from Malcolm and Tara, sending her slamming against the wall and knocking her down.

"And that's how we do things at Hogwarts," said Tara as she twirled her wand between her fingers.

Stormy then struggled to her feet, clutching her burned arm and gasping for breath, "screw…this!" she panted, "I'm…outta here!" with that she teleported out.

"Stormy!" shouted an appalled Darcy as she saw her sister flee. She was then punched in the face by Rochelle and knocked to the ground.

Tess and Kairi threw their Keyblades at Darcy, hitting the dark witch, whom was then punched in the stomach by Robecca, then slashed across the face by both Clawdeen and Toralei and finally, petrified by Deuce.

"Two witches down," said Deuce as he replaced his glasses.

But then Darcy broke out of the petrifaction, looking incredibly irate as blood dripped from her scratches, "you filthy freaks!" she snapped, "you ruined my face!" she then shot a paralyzing spell at Deuce, knocking him to the ground unable to move.

Darcy then shot blinding and paralyzing spells across the room, leaving Rochelle, Kairi and Clawdeen unable to see, while disabling Robecca, Tess and Toralei.

Darcy then looked at her power-enhancing item and saw that it too was cracking. She then ripped it off her arm and threw it away. It hit the wall and exploded.

"I think Stormy had the right idea by running," said Darcy, "but not before I finish off a few of you losers!" She then prepared a sphere of dark magic, "I'm still strong enough to kill some of you!"

Just then there was a double earsplitting bang. Julia had fired off both barrels of her Nitro Express riffle and both bullets hit Darcy in the chest, blasting massive holes in her torso and dropping her to the ground, stone dead.

"Justice aside," said Julia as she loaded fresh cartridges into her riffle, "that was for John and Rebecca."


The Sacrificial Chamber…a few minutes ago…

"My sisters and I stole the book!" shouted Icy.

"But you didn't get it away from Violet!" Lucas shouted, "the only think you witches have done is lounge around while my people did all the real fighting!"

"You junkies couldn't fight your way out of a plastic bag!" snapped Icy.

"If they keep this up, they'll destroy each other," said Clair in a hushed tone as she, Violet and Frankie, worked the metal files against their chains, slowly but surely weakening the metal links.

"It'd be great if we could be that lucky," muttered Violet.

"I'll just be happy if they ignore us until we're ready to break free," said Frankie, "I just hope Cleo and the others get here soon."

"I just hope Solaris is genuine," said Clair, "'cause if she's just messing with us, if she really is working with Olaf, then I'm gonna rip her head off."

"Just so long as you save Olaf for me," said Violet, "I meant it when I said I'd kill him. He's been hurting my brother, sister and I for far too long. It ends tonight, one way or another."

"I'd help you," said Frankie, "really, I would help you kill him. I've never been so angry with anyone in my life. I never thought I'd hate anyone as much as I hate Olaf, but he is the most despicable, vile, disgusting, inhumane Normie in the world."

"If you hate him so much, why won't you help kill him?" Clair asked.

"Because I'm running out of electricity," said Frankie, "I charged up this afternoon, before Kairi and I went to the club opening," she paused in thought, "feels like it's been days instead of hours. Seriously, I feel like I've been awake for days. If I don't get some volts into me soon, I'll pass out and I'll just be dead weight."

"I don't suppose Solaris has a car battery up her sleeve," said Violet. She then looked around, "where is Solaris?"

The three captive girls then heard Olaf shouting above the arguing Icy and Lucas. "Enough of this pointless prater! I am the only one among us who can read The Necronomicon, therefore I shall be keeping it in my confidence!"

"You can't even find the right spell!" said Icy in an accusing tone, "you don't know anything about dark magic, do you!"

"As if your magic has been helpful at all this evening," said Lucas.

Just then Solaris, whom had been standing behind the three villains, spoke up, "if I may interject…"

Icy, Lucas and Olaf then all jumped and shouted with startled surprise when Solaris spoke. The three of them then glared irately at Solaris.

"Will you kindly not do that, woman!?" exclaimed Olaf.

"Didn't anyone tell you not to scare people like that?" Icy asked.

"As if my nerves needed to be more strained," said Lucas.

"Well, it's your fault for ignoring me," said Solaris in a disapproving tone, "just look at the three of you; bickering among yourselves like preteen girls over which member of the latest boy band is the most cute. You call yourselves villains? You shame me to even be in your company!"

"How dare you!" exclaimed Olaf, "I am the greatest criminal mastermind the world has ever seen!"

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Sweden," said Solaris.

"You're one to talk," said Icy, "all you did was bring in one freak for the sacrifice."

"I made those power-enhancing items for you and your sisters!" said Solaris, "your welcome, by the way. And you, Lucas Vega, I haven't heard any thanks for perfecting Soma-99 from either you or your followers."

"Revolutionaries have no need of saying thank you," said Lucas as he took more of the drug.

"Do you have to get your fix right now?" Icy asked, "you degenerate."

"And another thing!" said Lucas, "you're one to talk. You kept bragging online about all the atrocities you and your sisters did back in your home universe; all those fairies you tortured, mutilated and murdered. All the insistences of true love you've destroyed. And let's not forget all those puppies you drowned when you were seven. And you call me a degenerate!"

"I never drowned any puppies!" said Icy, "I happen to like dogs! You're just making this up! I ought to…!" but she faulted and gasped in pain, her hands clutching at her heart.

"What? What is it?!" Lucas asked.

"A heart attack perhaps?" Olaf asked. "A myocardial infarction?"

"No, she senses something," said Solaris, "something that has chilled her already frozen heart."

"Darcy, she…she's…!" exclaimed Icy in a horrified tone, "I have to go!" with that she teleported out.

"Hey! Get back here!" Lucas shouted.

"She's gone, you dithering dumbbell!" said Olaf, "our dear friend of a witch has abandoned us."

"I guess that means she's decided to forfeit her share of Yog-Sothoth's blessing," said Solaris.

"All the more for the rest of us," said Olaf. He then went back to the pulpit and resumed flipping through the pages of The Necronomicon, "now, where is that spell?"

"Would you mind skimming faster?" Lucas asked irately, "we're wasting nighttime."

"Don't push me, boy!" exclaimed Olaf, "the last thing any of us needs is for me to make a mistake."

"Wouldn't that be a shame," said Solaris in a sincere tone.

"She's right," said Violet to Clair and Frankie, "if Olaf reads the wrong spell, we'd be dead just the same as if he read the right one, or worse."

"Damned either way," said Clair.

"Cleo, Sora, everyone," said Frankie, "please, hurry."


The Tunnels…

The death of Darcy and Stormy's retreat caused the majority of the Monster Haters still standing to lose heart. Six had surrendered, while the rest still alive had run for it. Only Dalton and Orlando was still fighting, with Dalton having received the most wounds, but is still fighting the hardest.

"He's been stabbed twenty times and shot seven!" shouted Julia as she reloaded her pistols, "why won't he go down!" She then shot at Dalton again, hitting him in the shoulder, adding to the three bullet wounds in his upper torso, one in his left arm and two in his right leg, while sporadically spaced across his body were a score of stab wounds and countless minor cuts. Yet all his wounds were in various states of healing.

"His metabolism is still hyped up on the drug!" shouted Aaron as he treated Felicia for broken bones in her arm and legs, while a bandaged Deuce, Clawdeen and Heath sat nearby, "it's like PCP for him!"

"We've got to do something," said Sora as he, Riku, Steven, Howleen and Abbey fought Dalton, none of them wanting to get too close to the manic.

"You fools!" shouted Dalton as he dosed up again, "you cannot defeat me! I am invincible!"

"Keep shouting that, you bastard!" said Mark as he guarded the Monster Haters who gave up, the six prisoners sitting with their hands zip tied behind their backs.

"This guy must have a really rare metabolic rate to keep going this long on the drug," said Aaron as he finished setting Felicia's bones, then checked Deuce, "you won't be playing any extreme sports any time soon, my serpentine friend."

"Oh, dude," said a depressed Deuce, "that sucks," even his hair snakes looked down an out, hissing with sadness.

"Oh, my poor darling Deuce," said Cleo in a comforting tone as she sat nearby, while Draculaura also sat nearby with frog-Clawd in her arms, "if only I had remembered to pack a healing amulet."

"You still need to figure out how to fix Clawd!" said Draculaura, "I can't have a frog for a boyfriend!" at that frog-Clawd croaked in agreement.

"I'm trying," said Cleo as she looked at the frog amulet.

"Maybe you should have read the instructions on those things," said Laura.

"Don't you start with me, Laura Hurst!" snapped Cleo as she angrily gripped the frog amulet, "I've been through too much tonight to," she then pressed a hidden switch on the frog amulet and it shot a beam of blue magic at frog-Clawd. In a flash, he resumed his werewolf form, still in Draculaura's arms, causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground.

"Hey, I'm alright!" said Clawd, "and D, you turned into a bat!"

"I'm so happy, Clawd," said Draculaura, "but would you mind getting off of me!?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry," said Clawd. He then got up and then helped Draculaura stand up.

"I suppose I should read the instructions on these items," said Cleo, "but it will have to wait. Now," she then rummaged through her purse again, "where is it? Ah-ha!" she then pulled out a jade scorpion studded with rubies, diamonds and an onyx stinger. The scorpion was roughly the size of a walnut, able to fit inside Cleo's palm with plenty of room to spare.

"What is that supposed to do?" Deuce asked.

"You're about to find out," said Cleo. She then twisted the claws on the scorpion 90 degrees up. The jade scorpion then began moving, waving its tail back and forth and snapping its claws. It then walked around Cleo's palm before stopping in the middle, then with a shimmer of magic, merged into her hand, becoming a tattoo-like mark on her palm.

"There," said Cleo, "I now have one hour to touch that drug user and pass the curse onto him."

"Curse?!" Deuce asked franticly, "you put the curse on yourself!?"

"That's how the curse works," said Cleo, "I didn't make the rules of Ancient Egyptian magic. But I'll be fine, Deuce," she then gave her boyfriend a loving kiss, "when I touch Dalton, the scorpion will enter his body, crawl onto his heart and sting him. He'll be as dead as The Dead Sea within seconds."

Just then they all saw Dalton falter in his attack on Abbey, becoming ridged and collapsing to the floor, convulsing violently.

"Dr. Spartan!" shouted Lilith.

Aaron ran over just as Dalton stopped twitching. He checked for a pulse and found none, "he's dead," Aaron said as he sat back, "he had so much Soma-99 in his system, it drove his heart and blood pressure into overdrive. It's a wonder he didn't blow a blood vessel sooner."

"A blown blood vessel?" Heath asked, "you mean he really popped a gasket?"

"In the brain actually," said Aaron, "yes. I'll have to do an autopsy to be sure, but I believe he suffered from an aneurysm in one of his cranial arteries, probably an already weakened blood vessel. The increased blood pressure and pulse rate broke the vessel, leading to intracranial bleeding, leading to increased intracranial pressure that triggered a seizure and ultimately brain death. He most likely died without feeling a thing."

"He didn't deserve a painless death!" said Clawdeen irately, while Deuce and everyone else wounded by Dalton nodded in agreement.

"Just hold on," said Kairi as she walked over to Clawdeen, "I'll have everyone fixed up in a jiffy." She then began healing Clawdeen.

"Well, we didn't do too badly," said Jill as she wiped blood off of her saber and sheathed it.

"We didn't lose anyone down here," said Max, "we might just get out of this yet." He then activated his com link, "topside, this is rescue team. We have the situation under control and will soon be ready to proceed."


Outside Belvedere Castle…

"Good work, Max," said Patricia as she stood in front of the computer system. Additional Bureau personal had arrived in more tan vans and had taken over the computer system from Jackson and Tyler, whom were with Ghoulia, Chad and J.D. by the stairs, "casualty report?"

"At least a dozen confirmed dead enemies," said Max, "with six prisoners awaiting transport. One witch is down, while the second is missing but wounded. No sign of the third, nor of Lucas Vega or Olaf."

"Affirmative," said Patricia, "what of our casualties?"

"No fatalities," said Max, "just minor and moderate wounds that Aaron and Kairi are taking care off. We'll be fully ready to move on within five minutes."

Patricia then looked at Ghoulia, Chad, Jackson, Tyler and J.D. "Stay where you are, Max. I'm coming down there myself along with additional support to take care of the prisoners."

"Rodger, Patricia," said Max, "we'll be waiting for you."

"Over and out," said Patricia. She then walked over to Chad, Jackson, Tyler and J.D., "gentlemen, shall we?"

"After you, good lady," said Chad as he, Ghoulia, Jackson, Tyler and J.D. stood to the side of the stairs.

"Why, thank you," said Patricia as she smiled, "it's nice to see proper manners in today's youth." With that Patricia limped down the stairs, followed by the four boys.


The Tunnels…

"What's Patricia thinking!" exclaimed Laura, "coming down where while we're still on the job! She can't fight with her ankle still busted!"

"What happened to her ankle?" Kairi asked.

"Never mind her ankle!" exclaimed Cleo as she held up her hand, showing everyone the mark of the jade scorpion, "what am I to do about this! I have less than an hour to touch someone and pass the curse onto them, otherwise, the curse will kill me!"

"Then why did you use that item in the first place!?" exclaimed Malcolm, "my gods, woman! You're messing with mystic forces beyond your understanding! It's a miracle you haven't killed yourself before this! Or worse, killed your friends!"

"Hey, she's freaked out enough as it is!" said an irate Deuce, while his hair snakes hissed angrily at Malcolm.

"You'll have to excuse…Mitch," said Riku, eyeing Kairi, "he's got issues with people who abuse magic."

"Guess this means you won't be using any magic items any time soon, huh?" Toralei asked.

At that Cleo looked at Toralei, "hey, come here a second, will you?" she then held out the scorpion-marked hand.

At that Toralei backed away, "uh-uh! No thank you!" she said, "you're not putting the curse on me!"

"Well, I've got to put it on someone!" said Cleo.

Just then Icy teleported into the room and unleashed a dark spell that blasted everyone with strength-sapping snow, causing nearly everyone in the room to collapse to the ground.

"Hey, Cleo," said a woozy Heath as Icy rushed past him, "put the curse on her!"

"I would if I could move!" said Cleo.

Icy then stopped at Darcy's body, kneeling down to cradle her younger sister, tears falling from her eyes, "Darcy! No! No!" She then wailed with heartache.

"I don't believe it," said Malcolm as he managed to sit up, "a dark witch of your malicious malice, crying over a loved one."

"Looks like you've got a heart after all," said Tess.

At that Icy blasted everyone with more strength-sapping snow, knocking Malcolm and Tess back down.

Icy then stood up, her eyes burning with cold fury, "who did this? Which one of you pieces of filth killed my sister!? And where's Stormy?"

"Stormy?" Tara asked as she struggled to her feet, "that weather maniac with really bad hair? She took off like a bat out of hell after her item blew up."

"And I shot Darcy after her item blew up," said Julia as she stood up and struggled to aim her double barrel riffle at Icy.

"Thank you for telling me," said Icy in a neutral tone. She then formed a huge block of ice and hovered it above Julia, "now die!" she then dropped the ice block.

But then a beam of ice energy blasted the block away from Julia.

"Hey, frosty boobs!" said Abbey as she walked towards Icy, "you should not be hurting my friends!"

"Why are you still standing?" Icy asked.

"Abbey's from the Himalayas," said Lagoona, "she's used to the cold."

"We'll see about that," said Icy as she walked towards Abbey, "no one is colder than I am!"

"You want ice on ice battle?" Abbey asked, "you got it!"

"Fine by me," said Icy as the two of them stopped within arms reach of each other, "we'll see who shatters first!" the two of them grasped hands and unleashed their powers, creating an area of subzero temperature around them that froze the ground and ceiling. They then increased their energies, freezing more of the tunnel and plunging the temperature even further down.

"They'll turn Central Park into a glacier at this rate!" said Katina as everyone backed away from the frozen battle.

"All those trees and animals living in the park," said Venus, "we've got to stop them!"

"I don't think we can even if we tried," said Laura.

"But Abbey can!" said Heath, "my girl's gonna flash freeze that alien witch! You can do it! Abbey! I believe in you!"

"But is she winning?" Kairi asked.

"Depends," said Lilith in a thoughtful manner, "Both are masters of the cold. Abbey has superior physical strength and endurance from her rugged upbringing. But that necklace," she looked at Icy's power enhancing item around her neck, "who knows what limits that has?"

As if in answer, Icy's necklace flashed dark blue and her power output doubled, nearly overwhelming Abbey. She held firm and unleashed more of her power, but Icy kept pouring on more and more cold.

It soon proved too much for Abbey as she cried out in pain and fell to her knees.

"Pathetic!" said Icy as she released Abbey, then kicked her down. "It's clear that I am without equal, rather disappointing actually."

"HEY!" Patricia shouted as she, Ghoulia, Chad, Jackson, Tyler and J.D., stood at the entrance of the area. Patricia then inhaled deeply, her chest expanding far beyond any normal human should be able to do so.

"Cover your ears, everyone!" shouted Max. With that Sora, Cleo and everyone else put their hands on their ears.

Patricia then unleashed a massive, earsplitting scream that shook the whole tunnel system, almost like an earthquake, with the main force of the scream hitting Icy like a freight train and knocking her against the tunnel wall, cracking her necklace.

Patricia then stopped screaming, her lungs depleted of oxygen. She then inhaled with a gasp of relief, "wow!" she said in a slightly raspy tone after taking a few breaths, "I haven't let out one of those in years. I'm really out of shape."

"I told you that being parked in front of a desk would be your undoing," said Aaron, "you should have let me fix your ankle."

"Just let me get my second wind," said Kairi as she sat up, along with everyone else as the strength-sapping snow wore off, "I might be able to put your ankle to right, Patricia."

"Oh, that's not necessary," said Patricia modestly. She would have said more, but then Icy got back up, glaring hatefully at everyone. The frosty witch had several small cuts and bruises all over and had dislocated her left shoulder, but she still looked ready to keep fighting.

"That does it!" shouted Icy, "I've had enough of you all! I'm gonna freeze this whole damn planet solid, just like Domino!"

"You can't do that!" shouted Venus, "you'll kill all the plants!"

"And animals," said Howleen.

"And us Monsters, Meta Humans and Normies," said Jackson.

"You have to stop this, Icy," said Lilith, "you're crazy to use magic in your condition."

"Surrender while you can, Icy," said Max, "we'll see that you get a fair trial."

"Back in The Magical Dimension, I've got a death sentence on me!" Icy shouted, "I murdered Stella, Princess of Solaira. It brook Bloom's pour heart, Brandon's too. But it was worth it just to see that little light pixy die."

"No, I don't believe it," said Tess in a stunned tone, "you…"

"This isn't the same Winx that we know," said Riku, "but I agree," he looked at Icy, "you're pure evil."

"If anyone deserves to be called a monster negatively, it's you!" said Gill.

"Whatever!" said Icy as she raised her good arm and began channeling magic, while her necklace began to emit blue sparks, "I hope you all packed long underwear! It's about to get chilly!"

"Don't do it!" shouted Katina, "in the name of God, stop!"

"Screw you!" shouted Icy as she channeled more magic. But then her necklace exploded. The freezing spell faded out as Icy fell to the ground, her neck burst open and her head flopping awkwardly to the side due to a broken neck.

"If she's not dead," said Clawdeen as she and everyone else got back up, "I'll groom Toralei's fur for a month."

"I wouldn't let you groom my fur with a ten-foot brush," said Toralei, "but thanks for the offer."

"Abbey!" shouted Heath as he rushed over to the yeti beauty. "Abbey, say something!" he cried as he cradled her in his arms, "anything!"

"Heath," Abbey whispered, "you is sitting on my foot."

"Huh? Oh, sorry," said Heath as he repositioned himself.

"Everyone else okay?" Tyler asked as he walked up to his brother.

"Just a little tired," said Aaron, "a few minutes rest to replenish stamina would be prudent."

"We may not have a few minutes," said Jackson, "they could be performing the ritual right now!"

At that Ghoulia moaned something as she held up a scanning device she had linked to her laptop.

"Ghoulia says she's not detecting any disruptions in the fabric of reality," said Clawd, "I take it that's a good thing, right?"

"It means that Olaf hasn't started to summon Yog-Sothoth yet," said Patricia, "but I can't imagine why he's delaying. He's had plenty of time to do it and the night is only getting older."

"The Necronomicon is a big book," said Laura, "he may not know the exact spell unless he sees it."

"Then we may have time yet," said Aaron, "but I wish we had more time for everyone to rest up."

"It's times like this that I truly miss Andrew," said Jill, "him and his energy cookies. One bite and you'll be fully restored."

"Our Andrew makes energy muffins," said Jana, while Hezekiah nodded in agreement.

"Is the other Andrew happy with my other self?" Jill asked.

"Very happy," said Tess, "he likes his alone time, but when he's with his Jill, there are times when they can't keep their hands off of each other."

"Good," said Jill, "they both deserve as much happiness as they can get."


The Sacrificial Chamber…A Few Minutes ago…

"Patience may be a virtue, Count Olaf," said a thoroughly irritated Lucas, "but not with me! Find that damn spell already!"

"If I rush I might miss the spell and have to start reading the book all over!" said Olaf, "do you want to go to college and learn Sumerian? Well? Do you? We can always wait another Mayan Long Count to do this again!"

"I have no desire to wait another five thousand odd years," said Lucas, "proceed at your own pace," he then held up a fist, "but be warned. If we miss the deadline for the ritual, you shall be the first to taste my wrath."

"Lower your fist, dear Lucas," said Olaf, "I shall find the ritual, fear not." he then continued to flip through the pages of The Necronomicon.

"Just how big is that book, anyway?" Frankie asked.

"Over seven hundred pages," said Clair, "if we're lucky, the ritual Olaf's looking for is in the very back."

Just then Olaf shouted with triumph, "Ah ha! Found it!"

"About damn time!" shouted Lucas.

"Oh crap!" said Clair as she looked at the chains she had been filing through and saw that she still had more than half to go, while Frankie and Violet weren't that much further along. "Girls, I think we truly are in trouble!"

Just then The Pimpled Man and Hook-Handed Man wheeled in the cage containing Klaus and Sunny.

"It just got worse," said Frankie as she realized that Violet had frozen up at the sight of her captive brother and sister.

"Violet, you have to keep going!" said Clair in a hushed tone, "Klaus and Sunny are finished if you give up!"

At that Violet nodded and started filling again.

Just then Orlando limped into the chamber. He was bleeding from a dozen wounds and had a compound fracture of his left radius and his right eye had swollen shut. "Lucas!" he shouted as he limped over, "Lucas, we are defeated!"

"WHAT!?" Lucas roared as he ran over and grabbed Orlando, shaking him violently and aggravating his wounds, "what did you say!"

"We are defeated, Lucas," said Orlando, "Paulette and Dalton are dead! Most of the others have been slain, while the rest have either fled or surrendered. The Trix have also been vanquished, with Icy and Darcy dead and Stormy nowhere to be seen."

"So much for them," said Olaf nonchalantly.

Lucas then snapped Orlando's neck and glared at Olaf, "they were weak and had no place in the revolution!" he snapped, "all of those weak and tainted shall be swept aside in the new order!" he then looked at his three remaining followers, "you! Stay and observe the ritual! If Olaf even so much as thinks he can worm his way out of ensuring our end of the bargain, break him!"

"What are you going to do?" Solaris asked.

"I'm going to put an end to those blasphemers once and for all!" said Lucas as he administered another dose of Soma-99, "starting with that traitorous bitch, Lilith von Hellscream!" With that he ran out of the room.

"Hmmm," said Olaf. He then went back to the pulpit and began reading the spell, "yes, yes, this is a very complicated ritual indeed. I shall need to study it first before the actual performance. An actor needs to know the script if he is to impress the audience."

"Take your time," said Solaris, "we wouldn't want you summoning Yig instead of Yog-Sothtoh, now would we?"

"Yes, that would be a horrific mistake," said Olaf.

Solaris then walked over to the altar and make it look like she was checking the chains. "I'm doing all I can to delay him," she whispered to Violet, "but with those last three junkie goons and Olaf's minions, there's not much more I can do to get Klaus and Sunny to safety."

"Please, try," said Violet.

"I will," said Solaris. She then spoke loudly for the baddies to hear, "enjoy your last moments of sanity. Very few whom become the playthings of Yog-Sothoth emerge without madness, assuming they emerge alive."

She then whispered to Clair, "spit on me."

Clair nodded slightly, then spat on Solaris' face, "go to hell!"

"You'll be there sooner than I will," said Solaris. She then whispered, "perfect."


The Tunnels…

"Okay, we're as ready as we can be," said Max after everyone had a chance to catch their breath, "let's finish this."

"I've still got the trail of Frankie, Clair and Violet," said Shawn, "straight ahead."

But then Lucas ran into the area, "None shall pass!" he shouted.

"Oh dang it!" said Heath.

"I forgot about him," said Deuce.

"None will pass," Lucas said again, "all of you shall die here and now!" he then pointed a finger at Lilith, "you shall be the first to fall by my hand, traitor!"

"You want me, Lucas?" Lilith asked, "fine by me! You've got no one to help you cheat anymore. And I've got my new power to match your drugs. This fight will be decided on skill alone!"

"What new power is this?" Lucas asked, "not that it matters. You may have cheated death once tonight, but you won't be so lucky again!"

"I didn't exactly cheat death," said Lilith, "it just wasn't my time. As for my new power," she then smiled at Max and the other Ramblers, "let's just say I've got a lot more in common with them then I do with you. And I mean that as a compliment to my friends and an insult to you."

"She's a Meta Human, Lucas Vega," said Jill, "and a thumping good one after she's trained up a bit."

"And I'd look pretty hot in one of those tan jackets, don't you think?" Lilith asked.

"Tan's not really your color," said Cleo.

"I suppose you're right," said Lilith.

"Oh, I'd love to design new jackets for The Bureau!" said Clawdeen. "you'd all look freaky fabulous and fierce at the same time."

"I'll think about it," said Patricia.

All this time, Lucas looked like he was ready to explode with fury. "You…" he said in a trembling tone to Lilith, "you're a...a mutant!?"

"It seems that way," said Lilith smugly, "mutant, and proud of it."

"Have you no shame!?" Lucas shouted, "your uncle…!"

"My uncle can go to hell!" shouted Lilith, "and so can you!" She then assumed a fighting stance, "now put up or shut up!"

"So be it," said Lucas grimly as he assumed a fighting stance, "I am going to enjoy breaking you beyond repair." He and Lilith began circling, maintaining eye contact as they waited for an opening.

The moment came and the two of them rushed in and met with an explosive fury of punches and kicks so fast they could barely be followed by human eyes.

"What's happening!?" Jackson asked as he hastily cleaned his glasses, "I can't tell who's winning!"

"I hope it's Lilith," said Chad as he looked at the fight with worried eyes.

After a few seconds the two fighters broke apart. Both had suffered numerous cuts, bruises and cracked bones. But then Lucas's wounds healed, as did Lilith's. On the other hand, Lucas was sweating more and breathing harder than Lilith was.

"End this now, Lucas!" said Lilith, her body recovering faster than his was, "surrender and you'll get a fair trial."

"I spit on human justice!" snapped Lucas. He then took more of the drug, accelerating his healing.

"And you can get proper medical treatment!" said Lilith, "have you seen yourself lately? You're a mess! You're going to kill yourself if you keep taking the drug! Dalton already had a brain aneurysm, and a lot of the others not dead will be messed up for life. Stop this now before it's too late!"

"I don't take orders from traitors!" shouted Lucas as he took more of the drug and rushed at Lilith again. This time he was much faster and his strikes were delivering much more damage, inflicting more and more pain on Lilith that eventually knocked her down.

Lucas then knelt down and began strangling Lilith, "I'll make sure this time! I won't stop until you're truly dead! Die, Lilith von Hellscream! Die! Thus dies all traitors to the revolution!"

But then Max grabbed Lucas by his head and threw him across the room with enough force to send him crashing through the solid wall of the tunnel.

Max then helped Lilith get up, the bruises on her neck already fading, "one thing about Meta Humans," he said, "we always help each other out."

"Thanks," said Lilith, "does this mean I'm a Rambler yet?"

"You've still got to sign a tone of paper work," said Felicia.

"And then there's an oath and a small ceremony," said Julia.

"Not to mention the hazing," said an eagerly grinning Steven.

Just then Lucas got back up, his eyes wide and bloodshot with rage, "you mutant filth!" he shouted as he ripped off his shirt, "I'll send you all to hell!" he then injected his remaining five doses of Soma-99 into his body, then rushed at Lilith and Max, inflicting hundreds of punches and kicks within three seconds, knocking both Meta Humans to the ground.

"This is crazy!" shouted Clawd "I thought the drugs weren't supposed to work anymore!"

"I…I don't know why he's not adapting to it," said Aaron.

"Well, he's gonna tear us all apart at this rate," said Tess as she and everyone watched as Lucas beat Lilith and Max to a pulp. The two of them healed from their wounds, only to suffer more and more brutal injures from the out of control maniac.

"There's got to be some way to slow that psychopath down!" said Laura.

"Shooting and stabbing won't work," said Julia, while Felicia shook her head.

"And ice won't even make lunatic blink," said Abbey.

"I doubt he'd even notice if I burned him," said Heath.

"Maybe we could poison him," said Jackson.

"With what?" Clawdeen asked.

Just then Ghoulia moaned something in an excited manner. She then pointed at Cleo.

"What? Is there blood on my clothes?" Cleo asked as she franticly looked herself over.

"Your outfit's fine," said Clawdeen. "Not that it matters right now, but…."

Ghoulia then moaned again and pointed at Cleo's right hand, specifically the jade scorpion tattoo on her palm.

"Of course!" said Lagoona, "Ghoulia, you're a genius!"

Ghoulia then modestly moaned something, then looked at Jackson, as if saying it was all his idea.

"Would someone please explain it to me?" Cleo asked.

"The curse tattoo!" said Riku, "of course!"

"All you need to do to activate it is touch someone and the scorpion crawls onto them, right?" Aiden asked.

"Well, yes," said Cleo, "but how does…oh, I get it now! I can pass it to Lucas! It's perfect."

"No, it ain't!" said Deuce, "if Cleo tries to get close to that maniac, he'll rip her apart!"

"Oh, yeah, that would be a problem," said Sora.

"Then, we'll just have to take the bastard by surprise," said Mark. "Steven, time for a fastball special."

"I've got a better name for it," said an eagerly grinning Steven. Without warning, he grabbed Cleo and held her over his head.

"Hey! What the…!" exclaimed Deuce.

"Unhand me!" exclaimed an outraged Cleo, "put me down this instant!"

"Cleo Missile!" shouted Steven. He then threw Cleo like a javelin at Lucas. Startled at first, Cleo then screamed in fright, but then focused with grim determination as she neared her target. She held her right hand out and collided with Lucas, her right hand touching his lower right shoulder, startling him away from crushing Max's head. Max and Lilith gasped in relief as their pounding stopped.

"What the hell!" shouted Lucas as he looked at Cleo, "Monster scum! How dare you touch me!" He then reared back to deliver a killing punch.

"Before you strike an Egyptian Princess," said Cleo as she got up, holding out her now bare right palm, "I'd check your epidermis."

Blinking in confusion, Lucas's eyes then widened in horror as he reached behind him, "what? What is this thing on my back!? What's crawling on me!?"

"There's nothing there, you junkie!" shouted Max as he and Lilith got back up, their wounds now almost healed.

"Except for that moving tattoo," said Lilith.

The jade scorpion tattoo had come alive and was skittering across Lucas' back, making its way to his left shoulder.

"What is this thing?!" Lucas exclaimed as he saw the scorpion tattoo crawl across his shoulder onto his chest. It stopped over his heart, raised and then plunged its stinger, the poisoned barb penetrating the skin and injecting its venom.

Lucas roared in agony as the venom coursed into his heart and throughout his bloodstream. He thrashed about, wildly throwing punches, before collapsing to the ground, exhausted.

"Hey, he's not dead," said Mark as he sheathed his sword, "I thought that curse was going to kill him."

"It should have," said Cleo as she rubbed her empty hand.

"I think we have a one in a million medical oddity on our hands," said Aaron, "I'll have to do a tone of tests, but maybe, just maybe, the magical venom of that scorpion countered the Soma-99 in his system, purging it and leaving him powerless."

"What!?" exclaimed Lucas, "no, that cannot be!" he then felt his pockets for more Soma-99 and found he was out, "NO! Impossible!"

"No more fixes for you, Lucas," said Lilith as she walked towards her former friend, "give up now!"

"I'll never give up!" shouted Lucas, "the revolution will never surrender! I will never surrender! I am the chosen one! Do you hear me?!" he then rushed at Lilith with his fists raised, "I AM THE CHOSEN ONE!"

Lilith then delivered a right cross to Lucas's face, knocking him off his feet and leaving him on the ground unconscious.

"You chose poorly," said Lilith as she rubbed her hand.

At that moment, additional Bureau agents arrived to take care of the prisoners.

"Get this jackass out of here," said Patricia. The additional agents nodded and began collecting the prisoners.

"It's almost over," said Max, "let's get going."


…The Sacrificial Chamber…

"And now we begin!" said Olaf, "the stars are right for the arrival of Yog-Sothoth!"

"Olaf, you've got to stop this!" shouted Violet as she franticly filed at the chains, realizing that she was almost through, as was Clair and Frankie with their chains, "is your lust for power stronger than your self preservation?!"

"You summon that thing that should not be and we're all doomed!" shouted Clair.

"Don't do it!" Frankie shouted.

"Silence!" shouted Olaf, "none shall interrupt this ritual!"

Just then Sora, Max, Cleo and the others burst into the chamber. "Olaf!" shouted Patricia.

"You're too late!" Olaf shouted, "I've won!" he then held up The Necronomicon, "I have the power to sacrifice you all to Yog-Sothoth!"

"The hell you do!" shouted Tara. She then aimed her wand at the book, "Accio Necronomicon!" with that the book flew out of Olaf's hands and Tara caught it.

"Nice catch," said an impressed Sora.

"Thanks," said Tara, "almost makes me regret not trying out for Quidditch," she then handed The Necronomicon to Max, "I believe this belongs to you."

"I'll make sure it gets back to the museum," said Max as he took the book.

"NO!" shouted an outraged Olaf, "give me that!" He then gestured to the remaining Monster Haters, "kill them!"

"Don't bother," said Jill to the three Monster Haters, "there's no need to fight."

"Lucas has been defeated!" said Lilith, "your revolution is dead!"

"Surrender and you'll receive a fair trial," said Patricia, "you have my word. But if you keep fighting, well, I can't guarantee your survival."

"It's your choice," said Clawdeen as she and the other Monsters looked ready to keep going.

After two seconds, the last three Monster Haters slowly walked over with their hands raised. Mark, Felicia and Steven then restrained them with zip ties.

"I offer the same deal to you, Olaf," said Patricia, "give up now and you'll get your day in court."

"I spit on the law!" snapped Olaf. He then gestured to his theater troupe, "kill the orphans!"

"I think not," said Katina as she and Laura psy-blasted Olaf's followers, knocking them all out cold.

"You've lost, Olaf!" shouted Patricia as Jill rushed over to free Klaus and Sunny from the cage, then joined Shawn to help Violet, while Chad, Lilith and Jackson freed Clair, and Clawdeen, Lagoona and Cleo freed Frankie. At the same time, Julia, Felicia and Jana restrained Olaf with their blades and pistols.

"Who designed your dress, Frankie?" Cleo asked as Clawdeen broke the chains, then helped Frankie sit up, "it's hideous."

"I feel like last year's fashion," said Frankie, "tired and worn out."

"She needs a recharge fast!" said Clair as she was freed from her chains. She sat up, embraced and kissed Jackson, "I knew you'd come."

"I'd never abandon you," said Jackson. With that they kissed again.

"I kept my promise too," said Jill as she freed Violet from her chains, "I didn't get to kill The Trix, but they're finished regardless."

"I never doubted you'd come," said Violet. With that she and Jill hugged.

But then Violet saw Shawn. The two of them gazed at each other, lost in each others eyes.

"Is this what I think it is?" Lagoona asked.

"True love," said a smiling Kairi, "a very good friend of mine said that the sings of true love could be seen if you know what to look for."

"Uh…hi," said a nervous and slightly embarrassed Shawn, "I'm Shawn Ohmsford."

"Violet Baudelaire," said Violet hesitantly. She then stood up and faced Shawn, "call me crazy, but I feel like I know you, like I've always known you."

"I feel the same way," said Shawn. He then took out Violet's hair ribbon, "this lead me to you." He then handed the ribbon to Violet.

"What about Clair's bracelet!?" Jackson asked.

"And Frankie's phone," said Draculaura.

Shawn pulled out both items and threw them to their respective owners without breaking eye contact with Violet. Slowly but surely, Violet and Shawn moved closer, embraced and kissed.

"What'd I tell you?" a happily smiling Kairi, "true love."

"NO!" shouted Olaf, "NO! I WILL NOT BE DENIED!" with that he pushed his way free of Felicia, Julia and Jana, pulled out an obsidian dagger and ran at Violet, moving much faster than a normal human of his age and build should be able to run.

"DIE! VIOLET BAUDELAIRE!" Olaf shouted as he raised the knife.

But Shawn saw the attack coming and put himself between Violet and Olaf. The mad actor brought the knife down, plunging it into Shawn's heart.

It was a tense moment as everyone gazed in shock a the sight of the black dagger sticking out of Shawn. Even Olaf was startled by this sudden turn of events.

"You will never hurt Violet again!" Shawn shouted. He then raised his hands to psy-blast Olaf, but then collapsed to the floor and didn't move.

Violet looked down in numb disbelief, "Shawn? Shawn!?" she fell to her knees and began shaking him, "Shawn! Wake up!"

"Aaron!" Jill exclaimed. Aaron ran over and felt Shawn for a pulse, then checked his breathing.

He then looked up with grim finality, "he's dead."

"What? No," said Jill in an unbelieving tone, "no, he can't be dead."

"He is dead," said Aaron, "the dagger severed his aorta. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

"How sad," said Olaf, "little Violet, having survived so much misery, to finally emerge triumphant over her mortal enemy and finding true love, only to have that love taken away. Shakespeare couldn't have done better."

At those words, Violet heard the female voice whom had been tempting her, 'He's killed your one true love! He's killed your soul mate! He must pay! Kill him!'

Violet looked up, her eyes on fire with unadulterated hate and rage, "damn you, Olaf!" she exclaimed, "damn you to hell!" she then rushed over to Max and grabbed his revolver out of its holster, "Damn you to hell!"

"Time to go!" Olaf exclaimed. He then began running for the chamber entrance.

Violet then took aim and pulled the trigger, the recoil of the shot knocking her down. The bullet shot across the chamber and missed Olaf by millimeters, hitting the ground to the left of the fleeing villain, but the air displacement of the bullet was so powerful, it tore his left foot and ankle apart. Olaf fell down, shouting in agony and clutching at his mangled lower limb.

"Well, that was lucky," said Malcolm.

"I was aiming for his black heart," said Violet as she walked towards the crippled Olaf. "I won't miss again."

"So," said Olaf as he gritted his teeth against the pain, "you finally, truly have gotten the best of me, Violet."

"Shut up!" shouted Violet as she aimed the revolver at Olaf's heart, "you don't have any right to speak to me! I'm going to silence you once and for all!"

"That's not necessary!" said Patricia as she and the others rushed over, "he's not going anywhere."

"He'll be brought to trial and sentenced," said Jill, "it's over, Violet."

"You've done enough," said Max as he walked up to Violet, "now, give me back my gun."

But before he could touch her, Max was thrown back from Violet, an orange barrier flashing around her and Olaf.

"What the hell now!?" exclaimed Jill as she, Katina and Aaron helped Max get back up, "What was that?"

"A force field?" Patricia asked. She then limped up to the barrier and tapped it with her cane, the end of the stick catching on fire.

"We can't get to her," said Clawd.

"And we can't stop her from killing Olaf," said Kairi.

"We can try," said Frankie, "Violet, you've got to calm down!"

"Killing Olaf won't bring Shawn back," said Clair.

"It'll make me feel better," said Violet.

She then heard the voice again, 'Yes, it will make you feel better. It will take away the agony in your heart. He must pay for his crimes. Kill him.'

"He must pay for his crimes!" Violet shouted, "he must die!"

'Yes,' said the voice, 'he must die.'

Sora then saw something strange and disturbing. Right next to Violet was a small field of shimmering gray fog. Acting on instinct, Sora summoned his Keyblade, pointed at the shimmering field, "Deep Freeze!"

The Blizzaga spell hit the gray field and caused it to shatter, revealing a tall woman with long black hair styled into a bun, wearing a black and gray petticoat dress with a black and gray cloak, black and gray jewelry, black makeup and nail polish and wearing a black mask over her eyes.

"So, you found me out, Sora," said the woman, speaking in an Italian accent, her voice dripping with hate, "I had hoped that we would meet under more favorable conditions, but now is as good a time as any."

"Who are you?" Sora asked.

"And why have you been manipulating Violet?" Clair asked.

"She's the one who's been manipulating Violet?" Frankie asked.

"Violet's been manipulated?!" Jill exclaimed.

"We've all been manipulated!" Klaus shouted, "that horrible woman, she set this whole thing up!"

"Guilty as charged," said the woman as she gave a mock bow.

"You still haven't answered my question," said Sora, "who are you?"

"Oh, of course," said the woman, "allow me to introduce myself. I am Columbina, and I am going to destroy you, Sora, you and everyone you love."

The end of chapter 9.

Next chapter finds our heroes and allies doing everything they can from preventing Violet from making a terrible choice. And just who or what is Columbina? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!