Chapter 5: Investigations and Revelations
The Mystery, Inc. gang's plane landed in New York City's biggest airport. As they walked through the airport, Freddy said, "It sure was nice of Daphne's father to arrange for the Mystery Machine's transportation."
"Yeah," said Shaggy. "There's no way we could store our stash in a taxi cab, right, Scoob?"
"Reah," said Scooby as he and Shaggy started laughing.
"This is no time to think about food, you two," said Velma as they got in. "We have to find Daphne as soon as possible." She handed Fred a piece of paper as he started up the Mystery Machine. "Take us to this address, Freddy. I . . . have a friend there who may be able to help us."
"Who?" asked Freddy as they started leaving the airport.
"His name's Hank McCoy," answered Velma. "He's . . . an old friend of my Uncle Ted's. He's also an expert on mutants."
Fred could tell that Velma wasn't telling him everything. But he decided to keep it to himself for now.
Their destination was a small one-story house on the outskirts of the city. They knocked and heard a voice say, "Come in."
Velma walked in, followed by Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby. Velma called, "Mr. McCoy?"
"I'm in the back," called the same voice.
The four friends walked toward the source of the voice. They came into a room with beakers and chemicals all around. In the back of the room, a body was present. "Mr. McCoy?" Velma asked.
The being turned and revealed himself to be a blue-furred creature. It asked in surprise, "Velma?"
Upon seeing him, Scooby yelled, "Ripes!" He jumped into Shaggy's arms and the two cowards shook with fear. Fred stood stock-still, too scared to move.
Velma, however, said, "Mr. McCoy! It's been a long time." Her friends stared in awe as she . . . hugged him?
Hank said, "It certainly has." He looked her up and down and said, "My, you've really grown up!" Velma blushed.
Finally getting the courage to speak, Freddy said, "You . . . you're a mutant?"
"Yes," said Hank. His smile disappeared as he said, "I take it you're not exactly comfortable."
Fred asked, "Why didn't you tell us he was a mutant, Velma?"
"I was afraid of how you'd react," answered Velma. "You seemed to not take talking to a mutant very well. Besides, he didn't always look like this."
"That's right," said Hank. "When I first discovered my powers, I still looked like an ordinary human. I've been on many adventures over the years and it was during one of those adventures that some enemies experimented on me. That's why I look like this now."
Velma then said, "But that's not why we're hear, Mr. McCoy. Our friend Daphne was kidnapped and we think that mutants may be involved. She was planning on seeing Professor Xavier today because of some . . . problems she'd been having."
"Yes, I was there when he talked to her on the phone yesterday," said Hank. "Oh, and by the way, just call me Beast. Everybody knows who I am anyway."
Velma smiled and said, "Alright, Beast." She then handed him a computer disk and said, "I have some pictures on this disk of a downed tree. I was hoping maybe you could tell me who may have done it. It's the only clue we've got of Daphne's disappearance."
Taking the disk from her, Beast said, "Let's take a look, shall we?"
Beast popped the disk into his computer and downloaded the pictures. He asked, "Are you sure this tree was cut?"
"Positive," said Velma. "Lightening didn't strike it. An ax can't cut down a tree that smoothly and it felt too smooth to have been cut with a chainsaw."
Beast considered Velma's words before taking the disk out. He grabbed his car keys and said, "Come with me."
As they walked out of the house, Freddy asked, "Do you know who took Daphne?"
"Not exactly," said Beast. "But I think I have a good idea why. I'll explain later." He got in his car, Velma joining him. The others got into the Mystery Machine and they drove off.
Back at the Institute, Scott was surprised with what his wife had told him. "Are you sure?" Jean nodded. "She's your niece and you haven't even told the professor?"
Jean shook her head. She continued on, completely unaware of the bird watching and listening. "Daphne's mom Cindy is my older sister. When I first discovered my powers, she was angry. Shortly after I came here to the Institute, she moved out. She hasn't contacted me or my parents since. When Sara, my other sister, died, she didn't even come to the funeral. I read about her marriage to John Blake in the newspaper as well as the birth of her daughter. Cindy resented me so much that I'm afraid of how she'll react to her own daughter being a mutant despite the fact that she didn't have the mutant gene as I did. I just don't know what to do."
Before Scott could say anything, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," said Jean.
Kitty phased halfway through the door and said, "Scott, Jean, the professor just wanted me to let you know that he's called Daphne's parents to let them know that she was safe. He wanted me to let her know, too, but I don't know where her room is."
Jean hesitated before saying, "She's two hallways down, three doors down on the right."
"Thanks," said Kitty before phasing back out. She approached Daphne's room and knocked on the door, saying, "Daphne, are you there? The professor just spoke with your parents. Daphne?" When she got no response, Kitty phased halfway into the room.
She wasn't there. And the window was open.
Kitty phased the rest of the way through and ran to the window. She saw some sheets tied together. She quickly sent out her thoughts, [Professor!]
Xavier was sitting at his desk doing some paper work when he picked up Kitty's frantic message. He responded aloud, "What is it, Kitty?"
Kitty answered telepathically. [Daphne's gone. She climbed right out the window.]
[Stay where you are,] ordered the professor telepathically. He then sent out, [Logan, go into Daphne's room. Kitty says she left.]
Picking it up, Logan said, "Gotcha, Chuck." When he got there, he sniffed around. He said, "She left recently. REAL recently."
Daphne was walking away from the mansion. She had to get home. She felt out of place here. She just wanted to go home, get back to her parents and friends, and forget all of this had ever happened. She knew she wasn't that good at solving mysteries, but that was the life she knew. As far as she was concerned, she had a disease that was incurable. All she wanted was her old life back.
Little did she realize, she was being followed.
To Be Continued
The Mystery, Inc. gang's plane landed in New York City's biggest airport. As they walked through the airport, Freddy said, "It sure was nice of Daphne's father to arrange for the Mystery Machine's transportation."
"Yeah," said Shaggy. "There's no way we could store our stash in a taxi cab, right, Scoob?"
"Reah," said Scooby as he and Shaggy started laughing.
"This is no time to think about food, you two," said Velma as they got in. "We have to find Daphne as soon as possible." She handed Fred a piece of paper as he started up the Mystery Machine. "Take us to this address, Freddy. I . . . have a friend there who may be able to help us."
"Who?" asked Freddy as they started leaving the airport.
"His name's Hank McCoy," answered Velma. "He's . . . an old friend of my Uncle Ted's. He's also an expert on mutants."
Fred could tell that Velma wasn't telling him everything. But he decided to keep it to himself for now.
Their destination was a small one-story house on the outskirts of the city. They knocked and heard a voice say, "Come in."
Velma walked in, followed by Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby. Velma called, "Mr. McCoy?"
"I'm in the back," called the same voice.
The four friends walked toward the source of the voice. They came into a room with beakers and chemicals all around. In the back of the room, a body was present. "Mr. McCoy?" Velma asked.
The being turned and revealed himself to be a blue-furred creature. It asked in surprise, "Velma?"
Upon seeing him, Scooby yelled, "Ripes!" He jumped into Shaggy's arms and the two cowards shook with fear. Fred stood stock-still, too scared to move.
Velma, however, said, "Mr. McCoy! It's been a long time." Her friends stared in awe as she . . . hugged him?
Hank said, "It certainly has." He looked her up and down and said, "My, you've really grown up!" Velma blushed.
Finally getting the courage to speak, Freddy said, "You . . . you're a mutant?"
"Yes," said Hank. His smile disappeared as he said, "I take it you're not exactly comfortable."
Fred asked, "Why didn't you tell us he was a mutant, Velma?"
"I was afraid of how you'd react," answered Velma. "You seemed to not take talking to a mutant very well. Besides, he didn't always look like this."
"That's right," said Hank. "When I first discovered my powers, I still looked like an ordinary human. I've been on many adventures over the years and it was during one of those adventures that some enemies experimented on me. That's why I look like this now."
Velma then said, "But that's not why we're hear, Mr. McCoy. Our friend Daphne was kidnapped and we think that mutants may be involved. She was planning on seeing Professor Xavier today because of some . . . problems she'd been having."
"Yes, I was there when he talked to her on the phone yesterday," said Hank. "Oh, and by the way, just call me Beast. Everybody knows who I am anyway."
Velma smiled and said, "Alright, Beast." She then handed him a computer disk and said, "I have some pictures on this disk of a downed tree. I was hoping maybe you could tell me who may have done it. It's the only clue we've got of Daphne's disappearance."
Taking the disk from her, Beast said, "Let's take a look, shall we?"
Beast popped the disk into his computer and downloaded the pictures. He asked, "Are you sure this tree was cut?"
"Positive," said Velma. "Lightening didn't strike it. An ax can't cut down a tree that smoothly and it felt too smooth to have been cut with a chainsaw."
Beast considered Velma's words before taking the disk out. He grabbed his car keys and said, "Come with me."
As they walked out of the house, Freddy asked, "Do you know who took Daphne?"
"Not exactly," said Beast. "But I think I have a good idea why. I'll explain later." He got in his car, Velma joining him. The others got into the Mystery Machine and they drove off.
Back at the Institute, Scott was surprised with what his wife had told him. "Are you sure?" Jean nodded. "She's your niece and you haven't even told the professor?"
Jean shook her head. She continued on, completely unaware of the bird watching and listening. "Daphne's mom Cindy is my older sister. When I first discovered my powers, she was angry. Shortly after I came here to the Institute, she moved out. She hasn't contacted me or my parents since. When Sara, my other sister, died, she didn't even come to the funeral. I read about her marriage to John Blake in the newspaper as well as the birth of her daughter. Cindy resented me so much that I'm afraid of how she'll react to her own daughter being a mutant despite the fact that she didn't have the mutant gene as I did. I just don't know what to do."
Before Scott could say anything, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," said Jean.
Kitty phased halfway through the door and said, "Scott, Jean, the professor just wanted me to let you know that he's called Daphne's parents to let them know that she was safe. He wanted me to let her know, too, but I don't know where her room is."
Jean hesitated before saying, "She's two hallways down, three doors down on the right."
"Thanks," said Kitty before phasing back out. She approached Daphne's room and knocked on the door, saying, "Daphne, are you there? The professor just spoke with your parents. Daphne?" When she got no response, Kitty phased halfway into the room.
She wasn't there. And the window was open.
Kitty phased the rest of the way through and ran to the window. She saw some sheets tied together. She quickly sent out her thoughts, [Professor!]
Xavier was sitting at his desk doing some paper work when he picked up Kitty's frantic message. He responded aloud, "What is it, Kitty?"
Kitty answered telepathically. [Daphne's gone. She climbed right out the window.]
[Stay where you are,] ordered the professor telepathically. He then sent out, [Logan, go into Daphne's room. Kitty says she left.]
Picking it up, Logan said, "Gotcha, Chuck." When he got there, he sniffed around. He said, "She left recently. REAL recently."
Daphne was walking away from the mansion. She had to get home. She felt out of place here. She just wanted to go home, get back to her parents and friends, and forget all of this had ever happened. She knew she wasn't that good at solving mysteries, but that was the life she knew. As far as she was concerned, she had a disease that was incurable. All she wanted was her old life back.
Little did she realize, she was being followed.
To Be Continued