I don't own Kingdom Hearts and/or Disney

Mortem belongs to YamiChaos27. Special thanks for looking over parts of the chapter

Braxton, Eini, Johri, and Gracie belong to Flautist4ever

Chapter 13: Eye for trouble

MORTEM'S POV

Devil's Bayou…

"Just stop showing up!" I snarled as I spun through another wave of the various multi-colored flying Heartless from Wonderland. Red, Blue, Purple, all colors ended up being destroyed by me as I kept my word to keep the dragonfly and his leaf safe from them. Still felt humiliating to cover mice and a bug from the Heartless, but my pride could wait. Those oversized handbags had that girl and the rodents were trying to help her, so I will work with them for the time.

Oh, great. Just what we need now, a thick fog. A big blanket of white surrounded us and impeded our sight. That gave the Heartless cover to strike at me from all sides. After the fourth Air Soldier managed to get the drop on me, I snarled at the fog and began firing randomly into the white. "I'll get you, you stupid-"

"Behind you!" Leroy warned me. Spinning my glider around, I managed to destroy the Air Soldier that tried to get the drop on me. "New plan. I spy them, you hit them."

"Can you see in the dark?" I asked the red koala monster.

"Duh. Two coming in at four-thirty!"

Turning around to that direction, I fired into the mist and felt satisfaction at seeing the glowing crystal hearts fly up into the air. Using Leroy's ability to my advantage, I managed to clear out the Heartless that were hiding in the fog. That's when I realized I could no longer hear Evinrude's wings that served as his motor. "Bernard? Bianca? You okay?"

"We're fine." I heard Bianca call up. "But we've lost them."

"No, we passed them!" Leroy said as out of the fog like a pair of tsunamis the alligators began passing us. With a snarl I flew at the one that held the girl, blasting it with my glider's cannon in an attempt to free her. I heard the boat start up again, but I was more interested in trying to get that girl free of the predators.

I felt my frustration mount as it felt like the attacks I was launching were not doing anything against the creature. Just how thick were these scales? With a roar, I changed my glider into Vengeful Chaos's scythe form and leapt onto the back of my target, slashing away at an attempt to try and get it to take notice of me. Oh, I'll free that girl if it's the last thing I do. Why do I care so much about this?

Raising my weapon up, I forced the blade down between the scales of the beast and fired a blast of dark energy into the opening I made. With a roar of pain and indignation the alligator released the girl, who thankfully had the sense to try and get away. Now to make this thing suffer for all the effort it put me through. Pulling back on the handle, I made a sweeping arc across the creature's back, leaving an injury that I hoped would get infected.

"Watch out!" Leroy called out as something struck us off the back of the alligator. With a growl, I managed to bury my weapon into the side of the monster, earning another cry of pain from it. Looking down, I saw the red koala monster holding on to the side as well, but his grip looked like it was slipping. "Help me!"

"Just swim for it!" I growled

"I can't swim!"

"Why not?"

"My molecules are too dense!" He said as a wave of water pulled him off. I had half a mind to let him figure his way out, but the way he spoke made me reconsider. The water did terrify him, and I just knew in my heart he was telling the truth. With a frown I kicked off of the alligator and dove into the water.

Using my powers it didn't take long for me to locate Leroy, and when I found him my suspicions were confirmed. The little monster couldn't swim, as he was sinking like a rock. Using the momentum of my dive and some dark energy, I got to Leroy as fast as I could and got hold of him. As we neared the surface, I felt his movements growing less and less frantic. Oh, don't you dare die on me. I still need you alive.

Pushing Leroy up, I made sure he got air first before I took a breath of smelly air that reminded me why I now hated swamps. While we both coughed and gasped for air, I willed my Keyblade to turn into something that we could use to float on the surface of the water. It ended up taking the shape of my glider, except with a wider base to allow it to float. As we sat on it and Leroy coughed the last of the water out of his system, I laid eyes on where the alligators were heading.

Ahead was a small island where a riverboat appeared to have crashed into it some time ago.

"Put me down!" I heard Penny protest. Turning, I saw her slung over the shoulder of someone in a black cloak that was marching towards the riverboat. Clenching my fists, I prepared to move forward when the figure turned and looked my way. Before I could react waves of water rose up around me, creating a box that froze into ice and imprisoned the two of us. Once she was satisfied, I was able to see the figure resume moving towards the wreck.

Gritting my teeth, I focused dark energy into the cannon of my glider only for Leroy to point at a corner. "Shoot there. That's the weak spot." He told me. "Quickly before the ice melts." Shaking my head, I blasted the area he indicated, only to find his calculations were correct. The box shattered and water came pouring in which freaked out the little monster. Stepping on the gas I raced out of the prison, turning to the riverboat.

CLAIR'S POV

"What happened to you?" I nearly jumped out of my skin when I turned to Kairi after we passed through the door. "You've been turned into a mouse!"

As she looked at herself, the redhead didn't seem bothered by it at all. "So it is true. Sora told me how he, Donald, and Goofy changed into merpeople and animals in some worlds. You make a cute mouse yourself."

Huh? Raising my hand up, I froze when I saw it had become a paw. When I felt my face there was fur and a small snout. Was… was I a mouse as well? Kairi said I was, and I had no reason to disbelieve her. Still, it was freaky to think I wasn't human at the moment. "Why did we change into mice here?"

"I don't know, but the tower brought us here for a reason. We need to find out what."

Before I could say anything we both heard and felt footsteps. Looking at the opening from where we were, which was underneath some piece of furniture with a wooden bottom, we saw a pair of black shoes march past us. As I crept to the part where the light was shining, I saw a short fat man with a yellow suit head out the door. "Hey, who are you and why do you have the kid?"

"Well, she was trying to run away in a swamp. There was a strong chance she could've had a fatal accident out there." Someone said as they entered carrying a little girl over their shoulder. I couldn't understand why they were wearing a black coat. The air here was so muggy and hot. "You should be thanking me for bringing her back."

That voice… there was something familiar about it. Before I could dwell on it, the figure stepped aside for a pair of large reptilian monsters to come in. Why was one of them holding a teddy bear in its mouth?
"Put me down, you old witch." The girl challenged the figure who held her.

Without a word the cloaked figure just dropped her like a rock. "You should be more careful who you insult. Next time I'll let the alligators eat you."

"They won't do that. That'll make Medusa angry, and they won't disobey her."

Looking at Kairi, I asked, "Medusa?" All I got was a shrug before we focused our attention back at the people, who were giants to us now.

"Give me my teddy bear back now, Nero." The girl ordered the alligator thing, which to my surprise dropped it without a fight. I had to admit, she was a brave little girl standing up to something like that beast.

The man in the yellow suit then turned to them. "All you two bring back is a teddy bear? Man, you leatherheads are slipping." When they started growling at him, the man began backing up from them. "Now, now, easy. Down, down boys. Heel, heel." He ended up climbing up a couch to put some distance between him and the predators.

"It wasn't entirely their fault. They were attacked by a pest in the swamps. You can see the damage on one of their backs." The figure said. "Which brings me to my reason for coming here."

"Because of a pest?" The man asked from his position

Waving a finger, the figure said, "Uh-uh. I don't discuss business except with the head, and you're not even the butt." That statement earned a giggle from the girl.

Frowning at her, the man said, "Now, Penny. Next time you misbehave I'll let Brutus and Nero have your old teddy bear."

"You will not. Besides I'm not scared of them like you are, Mr. Snoops."

That's four out of five names I knew now, and I found myself admiring this kid for her bravery. Frowning, the man called Snoops told her, "Now don't you sass me. Boys, take this naughty little girl to her room."
"I can go by myself thank you." With that final word Penny headed up some stairs.

Shaking his head and muttering something about kids, Snoops turned the stranger. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable while I let Medusa know the girl's been brought back?" With that he left the room to head to somewhere else.

Looking at Kairi, I noticed she was looking at the cloaked figure with disdain on her face. "What is it?"

"That cloak. It's just like the ones Organization XIII wore." She said.

"Organization XIII? What's that?"

"They were a group of people who made so much trouble for Sora and the rest of us. At first we thought they were made up of Nobodies, but it turned out that wasn't the case."
Blinking, I asked, "Nobodies? That's a strange thing to call troublemakers."

"Not that kind of nobody." My words made Kairi smile a little. "Nobodies are what we call people who don't have hearts. They're individuals who had their hearts stolen by the Heartless. Sometimes when a Heartless is created from a strong heart the body that's left behind begins to act on its own, but because a Nobody doesn't have a heart they eventually fade back into darkness. The only way to undo it is to destroy both the Heartless and the Nobody."

Her words made me shudder, but I couldn't dwell on it because we had to duck back under the furniture. Brutus and Nero were headed our way, and I was afraid they might've spotted us. I was so relieved when they continued to patrol the room without spotting us.

That's when I felt a vibration in my pocket. Raising an eyebrow, I pulled out my holoscreen to find I was getting a call. A call? But… that means… pushing the answer button, I couldn't help but feel tears swell up as I saw several familiar faces on my screen. However they all jumped when they saw me. "Gri's beak! What did you do with Clair?"

"I am Clair." Okay, that lack of recognition took away some of the joy I just felt.

Looking at me from where she was, Eini asked, "Why aren't you human?"

"Well, apparently Kairi and I can't be seen as humans here." I answered before I gasped. Why did I tell them about Kairi? It's not like I didn't trust them, but what if the person in the cloak heard? If they were one of the Organization then hearing Kairi's name might not be good."

"Who's Kairi?" Grace asked from where she was.

"She's a friend, but now's not a good time." Looking behind me to make sure the alligators weren't coming back, I explained, "There are these large reptiles in this room, and I don't want them to hear where we are."
"What kind of reptiles?" Braxton asked.

"They're called alligators. Think an enlarged mutreag lizard with an armored back and that's an alligator."

"How big?"

"I don't know. Maybe fifteen feet. Point is, at this size they could eat us with no resistance, and being digested is not an end I would like to have."

Johri then spoke up. "Well, don't worry. Now that we have a means of communicating, we can relay information to get you and Jason back to Harthyn."

"That might not be the best idea." I warned her while turning to see Snoops enter the room. "There's this person in a black cloak here, and they sound familiar. I… I think it might be someone from the space station."

That got Braxton's attention. "Someone from the station? Who? How?"

"I don't know. If you want to know, check to see if there's anyone missing from there right now. I'll see if I can get a look at their face."

Nodding, Braxton said, "Understood. We'll let you know what we find out." With that, the call was ended and I looked at Kairi with concern. I didn't want to believe my words, but that's how the voice was familiar. It was someone who was selected for Yeller's space program, and if I was right that would mean there was a traitor in space.

Unfortunately I couldn't dwell on it for long because from outside came the sounds of something crashing against the wood, followed by some bangs that caused a cloud of black smoke to rise through the cracks in the door. They were soon forced open by an ugly woman in a black raincoat and hat, with what looked like a red dress on underneath. "Where is she? Where is she?" She asked, acting like she didn't notice the cloaked figure at all.

Stuttering, Snoops answered with an attempt at confidence, "I sent her up to her room."

"Why did you let her escape? What is your alibi this time, nitwit?" She asked while throwing her coat to the side and sitting herself down the couch. I couldn't believe at how oblivious she was at the fact that she wasn't alone.

As he began to pull of her boots, Snoops began to give his excuse. "Gosh, don't blame me Medusa. Those leather-headed lizards of yours are supposed to be patrolling the island. They let her get away."

"And I had to bring her back after they lost her when they were attacked in the bayou." The cloaked figure finally told Medusa that she and Snoops were not alone on the boat. I swear she nearly jumped out of her skin upon realizing that.

"Who are you? How did you get here? Why didn't tell me we had an intruder, Snoops?" Medusa asked as she swung a cane she carried at the man's head. Ducking from the swing, the man began stuttering out a series of reasons before Medusa growled, "Oh, shut up." Turning to the cloaked figure, she asked, "What do you mean, attacked?"
"Someone has arrived in Devil's Bayou who will pose a threat to your plans." The figure said while giving us the name of this place at the same time. "Judging from the wounds on Brutus, I'd say he'd be the size of a mouse or a rat. Do not treat that lightly. Mortem is more dangerous than you can realize."
Kairi and I looked at each other upon hearing that name. Mortem was here? And he was small? Why? What purpose did he have for coming here? This didn't seem like the place to find one of the Seven Hearts of Light, unless he knew Kairi and I were coming here. That thought chilled me to my bones.

Looking at the wounds on Brutus, Medusa cuddled him. "My precious pets. Don't you worry. Madame Medusa will make sure that nasty pest won't hurt you again." Turning to the figure, she growled, "I warn you. If you have come for the Devil's Eye, then you'll be making sure Brutus and Nero get their dinner tonight." I shuddered when I saw the alligators lick their chops at that.

Shaking their head, the figure said, "Relax. I have no interest in your oversized rock. What I want is something else. Tell me, in the records that led you to learn about the Devil's Eye did any of them mention a mysterious black box?"

"Black box? No, not that I can-." Snoops began to answer before getting whacked on the head by Medusa.

"That is none of your business." The woman told her. Getting to her feet, she added, "I appreciate your bringing back the girl, but the Devil's Eye will be mine. Eh, ours. No one, and I mean no one, will take it away from us."

With a shrug, the figure got up. "No matter. I got the answer I was looking for." As they spoke, a corridor of darkness appeared behind them. They moved to step inside, but paused to look back at Medusa, "Just so you know, I did leave behind presents to keep Mortem or anyone else from interfering with your treasure hunt. They won't harm you unless you let your greed for the Devil's Eye get the better of you. As long as you keep your desires in check you'll find the Heartless to be loyal servants."
That comment made me gasp as the figure vanished into the oval of black mists. Heartless? Here? That wasn't good. Looking at Kairi, I was about to speak when I heard the man voice his thoughts. "Those monsters are called Heartless? Now, they're the things I've been trying to tell you about. They keep swarming around the Black Hole and the kid won't go with them near-."

"Snoops. I don't care about excuses. What I want are results, and the result I want most is that girl to find me my big diamond." I blinked at that. The Devil's Eye was a diamond? They have diamonds in this world too?

"But if that person knows about these monsters, maybe we should call this whole thing off. The kid brought up plenty of beauties that'll sell for a lot of cold cash."

"I want that diamond. I've got to have the Devil's Eye. You haven't left her down in the cave long enough, Snoops. That's why she hasn't found it. You are too soft, scared by a bunch of stupid pests."

"She won't take orders. The water was rising and the tide was coming in and all she did was complain about her teddy bear getting wet."
"You don't have a way with children. You must gain their confidence. Make them like you."
"Yeah? How do you do that?"

"You force them to like you, idiot! At the next low tide, I'm going to put her down there myself, and keep her there until she finds it, and it is as simple as that!"

"Oh, as simple as that? Well, you're the boss, boss."

"Yes. Now, come along and we'll get that cut looked at." She told her pets as she left the room with them.

Looking at Kairi, I said, "I don't know about you, but I say we need to get the others and make sure we get that girl out of here tonight."

"I agree. I don't want her to spend another second with that abusive witch. We'll have to use our Keyblades to get out of here though."

"You aren't going anywhere, Keyblade Princess."

BRAXTON'S POV

As the call ended I ended up looking at everyone upon hearing her suspicions. A traitor? Here? Could one of the Downtrod have infiltrated Yeller Sciences Space Station? No, something about that didn't seem right, and yet what else could it be?

"What's on your mind?" Johri asked.

"What Clair said." Looking at Gracie, I asked, "Is there any record of who sent Jason and Clair out of the station when that quake hit?"

The girl, who had been nodding off for some reason, jolted awake when I spoke to her. "Shake sit? I never sat on a shake before."

"No. The day of that tremor in space almost six months ago. Can you pull up the records of who sent those two out there on that day?"

"Uh… maybe? But the computers change the stored data about as much as Eini has outfits."

"Just do what you can."

"Where exactly are you going with this?" Eini asked me.

Looking at her, I said, "Clair suspects there is a tyrrluk in the station, and we're going to find out who. If we know who was where on the day they went poof, and who was doing what, we can start ruling some names out."

"What do we do if we find them?" Eini asked.

I paused at that because I hadn't thought that far ahead. "We figure out a plan to apprehend them and turn them over to the authorities."

I know this chapter was shorter, but I didn't want to bother Flautist4ever as she has a lot on her plate right now. Pretty sure I'm going to come back later and edit this chapter some more. Yami, Flautist, if there's anything that needs correcting regarding your characters, please let me know and I'll fix it ASAP