Beyond Grim And Evil Installment 1: So It Begins
(A/N: Second up today. The one I refer to as Informant is not an OC, but the juror member you always see with Fred Fredburger whenever the court scenes happen? Again, just putting a name, or if you'd rather see it as a codename then that works too, to the face.)
Intrigue And Invasion (Morning)
Fred Fredburger stretched and yawned as he woke up in the mines. He scratched his back as he smacked his lips. He yawned again as he went to a little fridge in the cave. He opened it and looked at the contents. He had bought some ice-cream last night after Mandy had saved him, he remembered. He took it out and quickly ate. "Mm, ice cream. Fred Fredburger!" He looked around then frowned. He was all alone. He missed his mama. "I'm bored. I wonder what I'll do today," Fred said aloud, trying to break the silence. Fred thought a long moment, trying to figure something out. All at once he remembered Mandy's suggestion from last night. Why not go to Billy's? Yeah! He could see Billy! Billy was fun. So was Irwin, but Billy's was closer. Fred instantly headed out of the mines, singing and spelling his name.
"Eris, come on! How long does it take ya ta prepare for causing Chaos in de stadium?" Grim called annoyed, as he and Nergal waited impatiently outside the ladies' washroom. Nergal was leaning against the wall tapping his foot. Grim stood with his arms crossed in front of the door, alternating between banging and yelling.
"Oh give a girl a break! Beauty doesn't come easily, you know," she replied.
"For you it always has," Nergal called back.
"Even on her worst day. Remember dat time in high school, mon? She wore a paper bag around saying she looked hideous until Boogey snatched it," Grim remarked to Nergal.
Nergal smirked, adding, "And how. It turns out she wore no makeup that day. She never even had time to do her hair. No one even noticed. They thought it was just a new look. The guys went back to ogling her and the girl's back to envying her."
"Are you insane! That day was a nightmare!" Eris called back. "I could hardly focus!"
"Same old Eris," Grim and Nergal said together. They chuckled.
Eris poked her head out the door, though, stating, "I'll have you both know I've changed a lot since high school!" They burst into laughter. "I have!" she insisted. "I never bothered with makeup or hair today and you don't hear me complaining about it! I'm simply preparing my game plan," she stated. They gasped in shock, just noticing that she wasn't, in fact, wearing makeup, and her hair did look dishevelled.
"Whoa, you-you never complained," Nergal finally managed to say.
"I never t'ought I'd see de day," Grim added in awe.
"Exactly! Now leave me alone. We girls have our own routines for the bathroom," Eris stated vaguely, re-entering.
"I swear women have some secret bathroom society," Grim complained, folding his arms again, annoyed.
"Oh good; I'm not the only one who thinks it's a conspiracy," Nergal said, wryly smiling. The two chuckled.
"I guess I might as well do me business too while we wait," Grim remarked, heading towards the men's room.
"I'll keep watch," Nergal said, shrugging. Soon enough he was left alone.
Nergal checked his nails, humming, then looked at the giant clock in the area. He frowned. Eris had been in there a good fifteen minutes. What was she doing? Sharing gossip, he supposed. He yawned, bored. All at once, however, an explosion suddenly rang out. He cried out in alarm, covering his eyes and face instinctively. As soon as it died down he stood up straight, scowling and prepared for a fight, tentacles at the ready. "Who's there!" he demanded furiously. He gasped on making out the form, though, mouth agape. "Informant!" he exclaimed in shock. "Who do you think you are appearing uninvited upon the surface world! I warned you that only in emergencies were you allowed!"
Sure enough, there in front of him stood the fanged juror member who so often was stuck next to Fred Fredburger, Informant. Informant looked Nergal quickly over, then answered, "Your duty calls to you, oh wondrous immortal. There has been an escape from your Underworld Irkalla. Someone whose intent is malicious towards this world, helped by another with an equal hatred. They cannot be allowed to fulfil their goals. They must be found."
"What!" Nergal demanded, eyes narrowing like daggers as Informant placed a package in his hands, bowing. The very package Nergal had been going to get before the incident with Boogey, Creeper, and Billy. Informant then rose up once more.
"An escape! Who! No one escapes de Underworld!" a voice suddenly shouted. Nergal and Informant gasped. Quickly Nergal whirled around only to see the Grim Reaper and Eris! "Well!" Grim pressed, looking furious.
Informant looked at Nergal in confusion as Eris and Grim came next to the immortal in order to look at the wrapped package. Catching the look that questioned him for direction, Nergal nodded, hardly noticeable. Eris and Grim certainly didn't see it. Informant nodded back, then continued, "Open it."
Eris snatched it as Nergal drew in a sharp hiss of air, resisting the urge to snatch it back. Eris tore open the wrapping. Nergal cringed. Reading the paper on the top she stated, "Oh, well this is interesting. Either of you boys heard of Jack 'O' Lantern?"
"What!" Grim and Nergal screamed furiously. Grim snatched the paper from the top and looked over it quickly.
"It can't be!" Grim exclaimed.
"Give me that!" Nergal shot, grabbing the paper and package back.
Informant went on, summing up the letter which Grim and Eris had already read, "This Jack 'O' Lantern has found a secret passage to this world. We assume it was an accomplice, since Jack couldn't have found a secret knot on his own. Judging from the last place he was seen, it is a safe bet to say only a more privileged immortal could have helped him, for only higher class privileged ones knew of that passage. As for his accomplice, we have no ideas, but it must have been someone whose rank is just below the minor deities. One of the Evil's, for they are the closest things to gods, of the privileged immortals."
"Impossible! The Evils!" Nergal exclaimed.
"Who do you suspect is the accomplice?" Eris asked, cutting Nergal off. Nergal blinked, just remembering his friends, then fell silent.
"The Evils are all inanimate figures. All except for a handful who did indeed materialize after being released from Pandora's box. The nearest ones to that path would be Pain and Fear," Informant stated.
"It can't be pain, though. Lord Pain is with Skarr," Grim mused. All at once, however, he stood up straight, figuring it out. "De Boogeyman!" Grim exclaimed. Instantly he began to twitch out.
Eris burst into laughter, saying, "The boogeyman! He's never going to be the same again Grimmy! Everyone's heard what happened. He might as well be dead!"
"N-no, Eris, ya don't understand. Somehow Boogey recovered from his panphobia! No one knows how, though. That was one obstacle Boogey could never have overcome on his own! But with help… Oh sweet granny Grim! Jack!" Grim exclaimed in horror, hands to his face. "Jack helped Boogey! De two must be workin' together! Wow dat's some bad mojo. If dey've teamed up, dere's no tellin' what they're capable of mon."
"Much like Lord Pain and General Skarr?" Eris questioned, remembering Grim's stories.
"Wait, why is dis guy even here?" Grim asked, suddenly realizing he had no clue why this monster had shown up out of the blue and handed Nergal a classified looking package.
Nergal gasped, paling. Grim and Eris blinked blankly at Informant. After a moment, Eris grinned innocently, saying to the monster, "Hold on a moment my little friend." Looking to Grim and Nergal, she added, "Let's talk boys." She dragged Grim over to Nergal.
"Dis is obviously some sort of mix up," Grim stated, now a little more calm than he had been, still digesting it all. "Dis guy wants de secret service. Dis type of job is theirs."
Nergal broke into a sweat, then stammered, "Yes, um, mix up, of course. Why would he come to us? We're not the secret service. Let's send him on his way shall we? In fact, let me!" He caught Grim and Eris' strange looks, then grinned innocently.
"Now don't be rash darling. This sounds exciting. Let's play it for all it's worth," Eris said.
"Besides, it ain't like dey can do anyt'ing to us," Grim added. "Besides, it's me job to be sure none of these things escapes in de first place. And with Jack and Boogey, dis is my duty especially. It's me who has de personal gripes wit' dem. Dey're probably after de kids and me for revenge. De secret service don't need to be brought in when we can handle it."
"Well I…" Nergal began.
"All right, we're on it," Eris declared, turning to the monster.
"Excellent. No other agent is capable of it," Informant declared, looking at Nergal more so than the others, not that Grim and Eris noticed, appearing confused; but he didn't question it.
"Of course not…" Nergal numbly moaned. Things were not going his way.
Informant faded away, and Eris said, "Well then, to the stadium! We can deal with this problem later. We have as long as we need, considering they don't find out about the mistake and deceit." Grim grinned, Nergal forced a weak smile that grew more confident soon enough, and the three ran for the stadium's main field.
Meanwhile, Fred Fredburger knocked on Billy's door. "Hello?" Gladys said, opening it with a big smile. She frowned and looked around curiously.
"Yes!" Fred said. Gladys froze, then glanced blankly down.
She twitched, then tightly called, "Oh Billy, a friend of yours is here!"
"A friend?" Billy asked, coming beside his mother. On spotting Fred, though, he grinned, saying, "Fred Fredburger!" He grabbed the monster in a crushing hug, making Fred's eyes bulge. Billy put him down.
"Yes!" Fred exclaimed.
"Hey, I gots an idea! Let's go visit my cousin Junior, Aunt Sis, and Uncle Nergal in the center of the Earth! Do you know the way?" Billy asked.
"Yes!" Fred said.
"Great, let's go!" Billy exclaimed, grabbing Fred's arm and running off.
"You crazy kids… wait, things? Oh forget it. Have fun!" Gladys called, waving cheerily. A guitar chord shredded through the house, and her eyes twitched again. Her expression turned to a scowl, and icily she walked in, slamming the door.
"Hi Gladys!" Harold said. "Wait, what are you doing honey? What's wrong? Gladys, no!"
Junior came glumly down from his room, after calming down from the whole ordeal with Nergal. He was greeted with the sight of his mother sitting in the kitchen, hands balled in front of her mouth, a cup of hot chocolate steaming in front of her. Junior swallowed. She looked like she'd been crying. "M-mom?" he questioned.
She looked up, startled, then smiled softly. She knew what was bugging him. She sensed it. Gently she assured, "It's all right Junior. I'm all right. Just a few bruises. Do you want some hot chocolate love?"
Junior nodded and went to the table, head hung miserably. Sis rose and made it silently. After a moment she came back, setting the cup in front of him. She stroked his hair then went to sit down. Junior laid his head on the table and absently stirred the beverage, thinking of everything that had happened. Without knowing he was even crying, he sniffed, tears in his eyes. Then he noticed and cursed himself for it. He hated feeling so weak. His mother sat across from him, face buried in her hands. "Mom, he won't come back this time, will he?" Junior finally dared to ask.
"He always comes back Junior. Always…" Sis replied, trying to sound certain. As if.
Junior looked up with wide eyes, saying, "I'm afraid, and I don't know why."
"Believe me when I tell you that you don't want to know. In time you'll learn… In time you'll learn what's happening, what he is," Sis assured, stroking the boy's head lovingly. Junior looked sadly down. He knew there were secrets he didn't know about. He wanted so desperately to pry now, to get some sense of why his father had acted like that. Some sense of why he felt he should be afraid if Nergal wasn't there to protect him and his mother. Something was wrong, and very deep, and he didn't know what. He didn't ask, though. He knew there would be no answer. Patience was a virtue, his mother always said, so he'd be patient. But oh how it killed him to be flooded with so many secrets, so much mystery. He hardly knew who or what he was himself.
Sis smiled sadly at her son, sensing his distress, then said as she patted his head, "I know it's hard, son. For all of us. But there are some things in this world that aren't ready to be revealed to you yet. In time, Junior, in time."
"Who am I mom?" he suddenly asked.
She felt her heart break at the words. After a moment she rose and went beside him, hugging him tightly. He held her back. She kissed his head then replied, "You are the son of Nergal. The only child to an immortal father and a mortal mother. You're trapped between two worlds, unsure of which you belong to, but you'll adapt. Someday you'll adapt, and everything will fall into place. You'll adapt far better than I ever will. Children have a tendency to do that, and you have the immortal half of your father. I have nothing but my mortal blood. I will never figure out my situation. I don't even know who I am anymore, Junior, at all. You have yet to find out; your whole life in fact, just like your friends have yet to find out. Do you think Irwin knows what he is, what his true power holds? Do you think Mandy or Billy understand completely what their roles in life will be? What about Pandora and Mindy? We'll never completely understand who we are, son. No one's perfect. Your father doesn't even know what he is." Junior gazed up at his mother attentively, taking in every word. He smiled, feeling a little better. She chuckled then kissed his cheek, adding, "Mommy has some shopping to do honey. How about you stay here and protect our home while I look for your father up there? Dad will be so proud when you tell him you kept intruders away."
"What if none come?" Junior asked.
"He'll be proud you tried," Sis assured.
Junior hesitantly thought, then looked back at his mother, saying, "Okay mom."
"Listen, if by some chance things get… out of hand… call on your daddy," Sis stated.
"Call on him? He can't hear me," Junior said, confused.
"Just do it son," Sis firmly declared as she stood. Junior didn't question his mother, just looked confusedly after her as she left in the vehicle, which Nergal had so kindly sent back.
"There it is Fred!" Billy exclaimed pointing through the Underfist mobile's window at the house.
"Yes! House in lava!" Fred exclaimed. He deliberately broke through the dome.
"All right!" Billy cheered as the vehicle pushed steadily through, lava trying desperately to go passed it and into this hidden domain in which it now found its presence was not filling. All at once, though, the vehicle stopped moving, stuck. Billy and Fred blinked, looking curiously around. "Now what?" Billy asked.
"Fred Fredburger!" Fred exclaimed. He pressed a button and shot out with Billy.
Billy blinked, then exclaimed, "Cool, ejection seats!" Parachutes opened on the seats, and lightly the two drifted down towards the house.