Chapter Six: A score to settle
"Well that's just great," Freddie snapped. "Not only has Velma gone missing, but now Shag and Scoob are nowhere to be seen!"
"Something must have happened to them," replied Daphne, "and I can't help thinking that whatever it is, we're next."
They stepped into the elevator without another word. Three other people were in there, a family comprised of two parents and a boy of around five years. They punched the top floor and waited, staring at the door.
However, Freddie had noticed something. When the doors opened, the family got out, but Freddie grabbed Daphne by the arm to stop her from leaving.
"Freddie, what's the matter?" she demanded. "We were going to get our bags -"
"Look," he interrupted, pointing to the elevator controls.
"Yeah, it's a control panel, so what?" Daphne asked, hands on her hips.
"It's a new control panel. See, the old one is still there, underneath." He was now pointing to an old fashioned lift control, operated by a switch that you would turn a quarter circle to the name of the floor you were heading to, only it was disabled now by glass casing.
"I still don't see -" began Daphne.
"There's one-too-many floors on the old one," Freddie explained.
"How come?" asked Daphne, puzzled. "It's not like they would knock down the top floor of the building?"
"Exactly," Freddie replied. "On the old control panel, it says basement, but there is no basement on the new one."
"Oh, so you mean there's a secret basement. Maybe it was just blocked off, there isn't necessarily anything suspicious about it."
"It's a clue though, isn't it? And there's no harm in finding out -" he then proceeded to rip off the glass casing, and turned the switch to the end of its turning circle, labelled basement. Daphne held onto the rails as it swept down through the floors.
When they reached the bottom and the doors opened, they were a little surprised. Far from being blocked off, they faced a vast underground corridor, its windows boarded up, and the walls and floor were rotting wood. Fred and Daphne just stood there gazing into the darkness for a while.
"Guess we should have brought a torch," said Daphne.
"Come on," Freddie sprang into action, taking her hand, "I bet this is where the rest of the gang got to. We're going to find them."
With that they went down the corridor at quite a fast pace, occasionally stopping to open doors to empty rooms.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Little did they know, Shaggy and Scooby were doing the same thing, only in a different part of the basement. They crept along, Shaggy in front, treading as silently as possible and keeping close to the walls. They turned a corner and were faced with two new directions.
"Like, use your nose, Scoob," whispered Shaggy, "which way did they go?"
Scooby lowered his head and stuck his nose to the ground, walking a few feet in each direction of the corridor they were faced with. Then he turned back around and sprang into pointer position, indicating the corridor to the right.
"Rey went rat-a-way!" he stated proudly.
"Like, thanks pal," replied Shaggy, and they continued to creep down the maze-like corridor.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Ow, hey!" Velma struggled as the rat person bound her wrists around the back of the chair. Her ankles had already been tied. Satisfied he had tied her up sufficiently, he scurried over to a cauldron in the centre of the room and began to stir the foul smelling potion inside.
"Why have you brought me here?" Velma demanded. "What do you want from me?"
He turned towards her, showing his sharp teeth with a wide grin. "Master needs you to read out a spell," he said in a weedy voice. "See, it's in Latin, and I can't read Latin - rats don't generally get a good education." He walked over to an old battered bookcase full of labelled jars and old books, and pulled out a scroll. He came over to Velma, unrolling the old paper, and showed it to her.
"Besides," he added, suddenly sounding a lot more threatening, "the Master has a score to settle with you."
"Well that's just great," Freddie snapped. "Not only has Velma gone missing, but now Shag and Scoob are nowhere to be seen!"
"Something must have happened to them," replied Daphne, "and I can't help thinking that whatever it is, we're next."
They stepped into the elevator without another word. Three other people were in there, a family comprised of two parents and a boy of around five years. They punched the top floor and waited, staring at the door.
However, Freddie had noticed something. When the doors opened, the family got out, but Freddie grabbed Daphne by the arm to stop her from leaving.
"Freddie, what's the matter?" she demanded. "We were going to get our bags -"
"Look," he interrupted, pointing to the elevator controls.
"Yeah, it's a control panel, so what?" Daphne asked, hands on her hips.
"It's a new control panel. See, the old one is still there, underneath." He was now pointing to an old fashioned lift control, operated by a switch that you would turn a quarter circle to the name of the floor you were heading to, only it was disabled now by glass casing.
"I still don't see -" began Daphne.
"There's one-too-many floors on the old one," Freddie explained.
"How come?" asked Daphne, puzzled. "It's not like they would knock down the top floor of the building?"
"Exactly," Freddie replied. "On the old control panel, it says basement, but there is no basement on the new one."
"Oh, so you mean there's a secret basement. Maybe it was just blocked off, there isn't necessarily anything suspicious about it."
"It's a clue though, isn't it? And there's no harm in finding out -" he then proceeded to rip off the glass casing, and turned the switch to the end of its turning circle, labelled basement. Daphne held onto the rails as it swept down through the floors.
When they reached the bottom and the doors opened, they were a little surprised. Far from being blocked off, they faced a vast underground corridor, its windows boarded up, and the walls and floor were rotting wood. Fred and Daphne just stood there gazing into the darkness for a while.
"Guess we should have brought a torch," said Daphne.
"Come on," Freddie sprang into action, taking her hand, "I bet this is where the rest of the gang got to. We're going to find them."
With that they went down the corridor at quite a fast pace, occasionally stopping to open doors to empty rooms.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Little did they know, Shaggy and Scooby were doing the same thing, only in a different part of the basement. They crept along, Shaggy in front, treading as silently as possible and keeping close to the walls. They turned a corner and were faced with two new directions.
"Like, use your nose, Scoob," whispered Shaggy, "which way did they go?"
Scooby lowered his head and stuck his nose to the ground, walking a few feet in each direction of the corridor they were faced with. Then he turned back around and sprang into pointer position, indicating the corridor to the right.
"Rey went rat-a-way!" he stated proudly.
"Like, thanks pal," replied Shaggy, and they continued to creep down the maze-like corridor.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Ow, hey!" Velma struggled as the rat person bound her wrists around the back of the chair. Her ankles had already been tied. Satisfied he had tied her up sufficiently, he scurried over to a cauldron in the centre of the room and began to stir the foul smelling potion inside.
"Why have you brought me here?" Velma demanded. "What do you want from me?"
He turned towards her, showing his sharp teeth with a wide grin. "Master needs you to read out a spell," he said in a weedy voice. "See, it's in Latin, and I can't read Latin - rats don't generally get a good education." He walked over to an old battered bookcase full of labelled jars and old books, and pulled out a scroll. He came over to Velma, unrolling the old paper, and showed it to her.
"Besides," he added, suddenly sounding a lot more threatening, "the Master has a score to settle with you."