Chains
By: Aubrie1234
When Daphne woke up, at first she thought the attack had been a dream. Checking her wrist, however, proved otherwise. She winced at the bruise and noted to cover it up with makeup or a wristband or something, maybe just wear long sleeves in the 70-degree weather. Shaggy and Velma seemed to do it without problems. Or they could just be freakishly cold-natured. Getting up for the day, she thought about the discovery she had made, about why Fred was really in Coolsville. He may have said that she couldn't help him fight the real monsters but that didn't mean she would just stand aside. She couldn't fight the vampire last night but she wasn't about to go unprepared this time. She'd learn and start helping Fred with the monsters, whether he wanted her to or not. And once she was ready for the day, she went straight for the bus stop, only pausing to grab some toast from her father's plate and just giving a good-natured laugh when he called her name.
"Daphne!"
"Just fix some more toast Dad!" She munched on it as she ran to the bus stop. She was almost late, unusual for her, but she managed to get to the stop just as the bus was pulling up.
"Did you forget we have a test today?" Velma asked, walking into the bus with her boyfriend as Daphne caught up.
"A little." panted the redhead, "Running in heels in an underrated issue."
"Nice wristband." Shaggy commented. Like her purse and her scarf it was bright green but had three red letters stenciled into the fabric.
"Thanks. It's one of my workout bands."
"Customized?" asked Velma.
"Yep." Daphne nodded.
"Explains the M-C-R thing." Shaggy added.
"You don't even know what it means."
"Don't matter." Shaggy shrugged, "Didn't really wanna ask anyway." They took their seats, Daphne joining Fred as Shaggy and Velma took the seat in front of them. Before Daphne could try catching up with Fred, Shaggy turned around.
"You guys won't believe what Scoob and I found last night." Shaggy began.
"Don't tell me you're gonna tell this story to them too." Velma sighed. Shaggy shrugged again.
"They're gonna hear about it anyway, nothing stays a secret in this town for long." The tall man leaned against the back of the seat, one arm crooked over the side, "So, we'd just gone to the movies, saw Star: Dog Ranger of the North Woods twice because that's officially Scooby's favorite movie this year. On our way back we got pizzas and, since we'd gone out to Niño's to get them, we were walking back home."
"But isn't Niño's in the town over?" Daphne questioned.
"Yep, but they make the best pizza ever and we just had to get some. But anyway, we were walking along the highway and came across this abandoned pickup truck. Scoob and I checked it out, but there wasn't a driver. Instead, there was this kooky black suit of armor with a red plume on the top." Shaggy gestured at his head, as if trying to show them the plume, "I called the authorities and it's probably in the paper today. I don't know where the driver went, but this just stinks of a mystery, doesn't it?" The grin Shaggy made was a little unnerving but Daphne knew that he was right. Usually Shaggy and Scooby didn't want to get involved with mysteries and so Velma and Daphne had to trick or bribe them into coming along somehow. This was unusual, seeing Shaggy interested in the mystery, but it was a welcome sight. No need for bribes this time.
"It was certainly in the paper this morning." Velma rolled up the paper she'd been reading and passed it over her shoulder to Daphne and Fred, "Apparently no one's heard from the driver, Jameson Hyde White, who's also the Professor of Archaeology at the London Museum. He was supposed to deliver the armor to the County Museum but something happened to him, leading to Shaggy and Scooby finding the armor in the driver's seat." As she talked, Daphne looked over the newspaper. Everything Velma was saying was in the headlined article and Daphne knew that they couldn't back away from this one. They'd never backed away from a case before, even when the police were trying to solve it at the same time. Like right now.
"People say the thing's haunted, comes to life under the full moon." Shaggy added.
"That's just complete and utter superstition." Velma challenged. Shaggy shrugged for the third time. He was really in a shrugging mood today.
"How else do you explain Hyde White going missing and the armor turning up in the front seat?" Velma couldn't answer that.
"Why don't we head over to the museum after school and check things out for ourselves?" Daphne said, handing the newspaper back.
"Well, it's Friday, so I think we could spend some time doing that." said Velma, "Shaggy and I'll grab Scoob and we'll pick you up."
"Could I come too?" Fred asked. Velma gave him a skeptical look but Daphne understood. And since Shaggy seemed to know Fred's secret somehow, he wasn't making any effort to be surprised.
"Sure, I guess, but why?"
"You guys are my only friends in town." Fred shrugged, "Can't I just spend time with you?"
"Sure sure, I was just surprised." Velma nodded, "We'll pick you up too."
"Thanks." Fred nodded back. Daphne smiled. This would give her the chance to show Fred what she could do and that she could help him. He'd be so surprised.
"We never got to talk this morning. I could see it in your face."
"And what do you think I wanted to talk about?"
"Last night, what else?"
"I would've asked you this morning but we actually had work in Study Hall." Daphne said. Both of them were waiting on Shaggy to drive up with Scooby and Velma. The man had had his license since Sophomore Year but the only thing he could drive was his parents' old jalopy. It was a beat-up sedan that had clearly seen better days and was better off in any color than the disgusting mustard yellow that adorned it, but it was all they had.
"How's your wrist?" Fred's eyes strayed to the workout band. Daphne pulled it up her arm. The bruise was still there but it looked better. Gently, as if her wrist were glass, Fred took it into his hands, "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"You got hurt. I could've stopped it."
"No you couldn't." Daphne shook her head, pulling her wrist away. She put the band back in place, "It was only by chance it happened. Sure, you might've been out hunting for those vampires but there was no way you would've known I was being attacked. You got there just in the nick of time." Fred sighed.
"I still feel terrible about it."
"And Fred-"
"No, you're not helping me hunt."
"I know it's dangerous but it's better than hunting down fake monsters."
"Yeah right. I'd prefer shady businessmen to howling werewolves and shrieking banshees."
"I thought you only took down vampires?"
"I fight a lot of different monsters while I'm trying to track down the vampires." Fred searched through his satchel before pulling out an old leather-bound book, "This is my journal. It has everything I know about every monster I've encountered." Daphne took it. She looked through it and, besides all the handwriting, there were some drawings in the margins and little photos or post-its.
"Wow." She handed it back, "You look like you've led a very interesting life."
"I guess." Fred put the book away, "It all stems from those two vampires who murdered my father."
"I'm sorry."
"Stop saying that." Fred said, frowning, "I don't need sympathy for it. It's annoying. I mean, it's nice you care, but no thanks."
"Then you know how I feel when you're sorry about not being able to save me."
"I'm sor-" Fred cut himself off, "You're right. I need to stop saying that and feeling it. You got hurt but that's that. It's in the past and should stay that way."
"Exactly." They were interrupted by the loud backfiring of a car, "And there's our ride!"
"Why does it have to be so loud?" Fred complained, covering his ears.
"It's an old car, what do you think?"
"No need to be sarcastic!" The sedan finally pulled up.
"Get in already!" Velma yellowed over the backfiring, having rolled down the window. Daphne took the passenger side while Fred took the other, Scooby sandwiched between them as they sat in the back seat. Once the doors were closed and all windows were up, Fred uncovered his ears with a sigh of relief.
"Way too loud for me." he said.
"Well, I'm hoping to get a new car soon." said Shaggy, "Everyone okay back there?"
"Reah!" Scooby nodded. Daphne and Fred didn't mind the close quarters either.
"Then I guess it's off to the County Museum we go." said Daphne.
"On it." Shaggy shifted gears, everyone wincing at the resulting screech, and soon the sedan was lurching away. They really needed a new car and soon.
Much to their relief, the museum would be open for another hour. To make sure they got all the information on the case, Daphne asked if they could talk to the curator, Mr. Wickles. With a few directions to his office, they soon found themselves talking to him.
"Oh, hello again." Wickles greeted, "Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, I assume you're all interested in what happened with the Black Knight?"
"Yes sir." Velma nodded, "Could you tell us what happened?"
"Well, as I'm sure you've heard from the newspapers..." As Wickles rambled on, Fred leaned into Daphne.
"Daphne?" he whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Does everyone know who you guys are?"
"Kinda." Daphne shrugged, "Since we've done so much to stop the 'monsters' that plague the town, most everyone knows the three of us. We actually worked with Mr. Wickles before on something else, so he definitely knows us."
"He's still a suspect."
"Right." They separated as Wickles finished up with, "...and I wish you hadn't found it."
"How are you so sure that the Black Knight comes to life?" Velma asked.
"I'm not, but I don't want to take chances with it!" said Wickles, "It's being locked up tonight in the Medieval Room so hopefully it doesn't get into trouble. And I suggest you kids leave this whole thing alone, tangling with the Black Knight is not a good idea." He then asked them to leave his office. Scooby huffed.
"Rhat a rour russ."
"He's not that much of a sourpuss." Shaggy amended. Scooby stuck out his tongue.
"Hmm..." said Velma, "Am I the only one who thinks the dismissal was more than a little suspicious?"
"It's not just you." Daphne agreed.
"Maybe we should wait and come back tonight, see what else we can do." Fred said, "Wickles probably won't let us stay the night, so we'll have to find another way in."
"Alright." Shaggy and Daphne nodded.
"Shouldn't we think about this?" Velma asked.
"How else are we supposed to solve this mystery?" said Shaggy, "Just trust us, Velma."
"I just don't wanna get in trouble."
"If everything works out then we won't get in trouble." said Daphne. They headed back to the sedan, only to pause when they noticed Scooby was missing.
"Where is he?" asked Fred, "Didn't you attach the chain to your belt, Shaggy?"
"I like to let him loose sometimes, but he'll be back before you know it." assured the lanky man, "You guys get in the car, I'll wait for him."
"Alright..." Shaggy leaned against the trunk as everyone got in the car. It wasn't long until Scooby came running out of the museum, something held in his teeth.
"Whatcha got there?" Shaggy took the spectacles and examined them.
"Round 'em." said Scooby.
"Get in, then. We'll see if we can't look these up at the Library."
"Right." Once the door was open, Scooby climbed in. Shaggy could tell that this was only the start of their adventure and he smiled.
After discovering that the glasses were a special type of magnifying glass made in England for people like archaeologists, the group knew they definitely had to return to the museum that night. They had a few hours to kill before then and spent it gathering supplies they would need to get inside the museum. If no one found out, it technically wasn't breaking-and-entering, right? Especially if they were doing it for the greater good. And that was how they found themselves, pulled up behind the museum and grabbing a foldable ladder and a jack from the trunk. Velma had looked at the schematics of the museum while they were at the Library and found that, at the very top of the building, were some small glassless windows they could go through. And since Shaggy was the best gymnast in school (not to mention the skinniest in the gang), he was picked to get in through the window.
"There." Fred grunted, squeezing as much as he could out of the jack, "That's as high as it goes."
"Still too short for Shaggy to reach." Velma commented.
"Think you can swing inside?" Daphne called up. Shaggy was standing at the top of the ladder, the jack having given it extra height.
"Yep. Give me a minute or three." Moving his arms, Shaggy balanced himself before jumping and grabbing the edge of one of the windows. After pulling himself inside, Shaggy found a trapdoor that allowed him to drop into a storage room. Much to his relief the door was unlocked. It led to a balcony that wound around the main hall and, after taking the stairs, Shaggy came upon his first obstacle. A set of bars covered the entrance to the room he needed to go through and it seemed there was no way to open it. After a small examination, Shaggy moved and slipped through the bars. It was a tight squeeze but he got through. On the other side was a lever to open the barred doorway, likely if someone got locked in after closing time.
"There we go." Once the lever was pulled, the bars went up. He moved through the room and did the same to the other set of bars. On the other side was a small hallway leading to the backdoor. After unlocking it, he grinned and gave the gang a thumbs up.
"I think we've got the whole place to ourselves."
"No nightwatchman?" asked Daphne.
"Not that I've seen."
"Then let's see what we can find out about the mysterious Black Knight." said Fred. After Shaggy stepped aside he led the way in, "Gang, I know I'm not exactly the leader here, but I've got an idea of what to do. First we have to find that Black Knight."
"I think Wickles said that the Black Knight was in the Medieval Room." Velma said, "It's on the west side of the museum, but it's gonna be locked up along with everything else. How will we get to it?"
"Let's figure that out after we make sure the Black Knight isn't causing trouble." Daphne said.
"Ruh uh!" Scooby shook his head.
"Your cowardice is acting up now?" Daphne dug through her purse, "What do you say about a Scooby Snack?"
"Scooby Snack?" Fred was lost.
"They're dog treats." Shaggy said, "Taste really good too."
"I know that. And you eat dog treats?"
"They're good!"
"We use them to bribe these two sometimes." Velma explained. When Scooby shook his head again, Daphne offered two treats. This he accepted and then they were on their way towards the west side of the museum. Shaggy took the lead, going backwards from the way he'd come. They passed through the single exhibit room Shaggy had had to deal with.
"Looks like the Transportation Room." said Fred, "Planes on the ceiling, cars on the floor, and I think that's a replica of a yacht."
"Give or take about twenty feet." added Velma. After going through the next doorway they found themselves in the main area of the museum that allowed them to access all the rooms, with the exception of those on the second floor. Finding a directory, they found out that the Medieval Room was on the second floor and so Shaggy guided them.
"I bet this place would get a lot more visitors if they did night tours or something." Daphne commented, "There's never enough money in Coolsville anymore."
"No, but there sure are a lot of monsters." Shaggy said.
"Not very good ones and they're not even good at being monsters." added Velma.
"So it's like a cesspool for terrible B-Movie villains?" Fred asked.
"Yeah." chorused the three. They all shared a laugh at the sudden unison, as did Scooby. The laughter was cut off when they got a look at the entrance to the Medieval Room. Several bars had been pushed apart, making a large hole.
"Well," said Daphne, "This doesn't look good."
"Think that's large enough for a suit of armor?" Velma asked nervously.
"Ruh huh." Scooby moved behind Shaggy, tail swishing in a worried motion.
"Gang, it looks like we'll have to track down the Black Knight." Fred said, "I don't wanna split up but we might not have a choice. It could try to get out of the museum and hurt people."
"And how are we supposed to take it down?" asked Shaggy.
"We'll figure that out once we find it. I'll go with Daphne and check out downstairs. Shaggy, you, Scooby, and Velma look around here."
"Can't we just stick together and look for any more doors the Knight's bent?" Velma asked, "And did you say it could hurt people?" The last part was said so quietly no one acknowledged it.
"I think there's more than one of that." said Daphne, looking over the balcony. She pointed at at least three other exhibits downstairs and two on the second floor, all of which had damaged barred doors, "If we find the Black Knight, let's call each other and meet up here, in the main hall."
"I just don't wanna find myself alone with this crazy person. Especially if they can bend metal..."
"It'll be okay." Shaggy assured, putting an arm around Velma's shoulders, "You're gonna be with me and Scoob. That's the safest you'll ever be." She blushed slightly.
"Thanks, Shag."
I didn't mean to turn this into more than two parts but that's what's going on. I think there's only one more part to this introduction but I've got so many ideas for this. Also, even though I don't care for some series (Be Cool is the main objector), they did have some good monsters and so those will be used in here. And also, for things with special guests like the New Scooby Doo Movies, I've come up with something that should help that work out. And Scrappy will be included in this to some extent. Like like he was in the original series but Scrappy will have a small role. Not sure if it will include Scrappy-bashing or not because I actually liked Scrappy. I also liked Jar-Jar Binks but that's not the issue here.
Please read & review!