This story is what happens when I watch 'Escape to Witch Mountain' and wonder what it would have been like if it were the Labyrinth instead. Fifteen different and extraordinary women all search for the place they belong. An evil man is out to harvest their talents and use them for his own personal gain. Will they escape and find their way home to the Labyrinth? Jareth awaits them, observing their obstacles along the way.
Disclaimer : This is actually a combination of Labyrinth with Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain. The women are all based on people I know, my friends. The various subjects of Jareth are actual people as well, those I know through a mailing list and thought they would fit into the mix rather well. Each of them belong to themselves and all things Labyrinth related belongs to Jim Henson Productions. Thanks to Disney for sparking this writing, and anything resembling 'Escape to Witch Mountain' belongs solely to them. I make no profit from this work as it is written for entertainment purposes only.
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Escape to the Labyrinth
"I don't care what it takes, Sands. I'm tired of hearing about the possibilities to come when the moon moves into my house, the vibrations being favorable. . ." Xavier Crane bellowed, tossing a file across his desk at his employee. "I want power. I want someone who can help me increase the millions I have now. These women all have extraordinary gifts that I wish to harness. They could walk across a stretch of land and be able to distinguish if oil lies beneath. The possibilities are endless."
Alexander Sands gingerly picked up the file, looking at his superior with caution. Flipping open the folder, he glanced down through a list of names, running a hand through his thinning brown hair. "I don't understand, sir."
"You will find them for me and bring them here," Crane ordered, folding his arms across his chest.
"All of them, sir?" Alex inquired, seeing a list of fifteen different names. "I don't know the first place to look."
"Yes, all of them. Do your job, Sands. . . locate them." Xavier Crane sat forward, opening the top left hand drawer of his desk. Taking out a photo, Crane slid it across the slick top of the desk and into Alex's hands. "If you know what's good for you, you won't disappoint me."
"Of course not, sir." Alex straightened in his chair, uneasy beneath the steely gaze of Xavier Crane, one of the most powerful men in the world. Glancing down at the picture in his hands, curiosity got the better of him. "What is this?"
"An image of the birthmark each of them possess," Crane mentioned. "You will know they belong here, if they possess that mark."
The phone ringing broke the tension of the moment, allowing Alex to slip out of the room without further instructions or intimidation. He knew that Crane could quite easily break him in a matter of minutes, and though the idea didn't thrill him, Alex knew there was no way out. Crane would never let him leave his service alive, just as Crane wouldn't allow the same of those he wanted found.
~~~~
Months later. . .
The sun sat high in the afternoon sky, shining down upon the waves. A pair of grey-green eyes watched the glittering waves crashing effortlessly upon the jagged rocks below. Wrapping her fingers around the steel bars, Lies sighed softly, turning to look at the others. If only they could see the danger behind the comfort that Xavier Crane had given them; see how devious Alexander Sands' employer was.
There in the spacious quarters stood a collection of young women, each harboring a secret gift that Mr. Sands' employer wished to control. As Lies' eyes glanced at each one, she knew that Mr. Crane didn't have them all. She had overheard Crane and Sands talking about the next acquisitions and how to acquire them. If only she could put the pieces together and figure out why someone like Xavier Crane would want a group of women when she knew he had all the power and money to make whatever he wished become a reality. That's how he had the pull to get them all there now.
Amy looked up from her book, catching the look on Lies' face. "What is it?" she asked quietly, not wanting to alarm any of the others.
"Nothing," Lies mentioned, turning her gaze back to the surf. There was no escape from this prison.
"Why do you think of escape?" Leelee asked, her heightened perceptions becoming even greater in the company of others like herself. Pulling her long light-brown hair back into a low ponytail, Leelee knew she shouldn't have been eavesdropping on other's thoughts. It wasn't the easiest thing for her to control.
Lies turned around to look at her.
"They're coming," Leelee stated, staring off into space.
"And they have others," Gemma added, the same far off look.
"How many?" Dawn asked, ignoring the brownie in the corner of the room.
"Three," Amy answered.
"I think it's a safe assumption that we come in three's," Lisa piped up, looking around. "Wouldn't you, Amy? Lies?" she asked of the two she came with.
"But what do they have to accomplish by any of this?" Leelee asked, trying to keep her thoughts from invading the situation and only making things worse.
"Maybe he wants a really big family?" Gemma muttered, shaking her head.
The lock turned, clanking with the turning key. As the door opened slowly, three new faces appeared in the doorway. In walked the women, Mr. Sands right behind them.
"Girls," Alexander started, clasping his hands in front of him. "Meet Jennifer, Brianna, and Tracey. They are now part of our family. Welcome them in and help them adjust?"
"Sure, Alex," Essy spoke up.
"Alex? May I go riding this afternoon?" Dawn asked. She'd lose herself in the stables if she could.
"Alright," he replied, then continued. "There is one condition. You can't go alone and must be on time for dinner in an hour and a half."
"Okay," Dawn conceded. Grabbing her things, she headed off toward the stables, Alex following not far behind. Once there, he passed her off to the stable master and returned to his duties.
"So," Essy started, but stopped short. What would she say? "Any idea why you are here?"
"No," Jen answered softly. "I'm Jen, and that's Spidey and Bri," she added, breaking the ice.
"Essy," Essy answered, pointing to herself. "That's Leelee, Dee, Lies, Amy, Lisa, and the little one is Gemma. You met Dawn on her way out."
"Hey now, don't make fun. Dawn's short too," she shot back, then smiled. "So's one of the new girls."
"Don't let Germ scare you," Essy mentioned.
"Bite me, Easy!" Gemma shot back, crossing her arms.
"Where ya want it, Germoline?" Essy replied, then continued. "DCME!"
"How did Mr. Crane find you three?" Dee asked, drumming her fingers on the desk, yet her eyes never left the magazine in front of her. "He is so HOT!" she exclaimed, a little louder than intended.
"Who?" Bri asked, raising a brow.
"Sting, who else?" Dee replied with wicked grin.
"Bond, Krycheck, Sean Bean, need I go on?" Leelee quipped with a slight chuckle.
"So?" Lisa asked.
"Oh," Spidey started, giving some thought to the question then continued. "I really have no clue. One minute we were minding our own business, the next we were instructed to go with Mr. Sands."
"Yeah, and they don't take kindly to anyone resisting, either," Jen mentioned, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Luckily, they don't care what you have at the time," Bri added, pulling a small kitten from inside her jacket. "I would have been lost without Buttons."
"Aww, she's a very happy kitty," Lisa mentioned, stroking the top of it's tiny head. "But, she doesn't like it here. The dogs outside scare her," she added softly.
"How did you know that?" Bri inquired, shooting a look toward Jen.
"It's a talent, I guess," she remarked, shrugging her shoulders.
"It's just. . ." Bri broke off, not sure what to say. With all eyes looking back at her, she had to finish her thought. "I've never met anyone else who could connect with animals on a mental level before."
Glancing at the others around them, Jen asked the only question that the others seemed to overlook. "What special talents do each of you have? They have to have brought us here for a reason, right?" she asked, then carefully added a single word to start a chain reaction. "Pyrokenisis."
"Telepathy," Gemma spoke up.
"Telepathy," Leelee added.
"Pyrokenisis," Essy stated with a grin, but that soon faded. "In case you haven't noticed, those of us with anything stronger than telepathy get shot up with inhibitors to keep us under control," she added, rolling back her sleeve to show the marks of injection.
"Ouch. . .Psychometry," Rita mentioned.
"Me too," Dee muttered, flipping through the pages left in the magazine.
"I would fall into that category as well," Lies added softly, turning her gaze back out across the water.
"Telepathy," Amy raised her hand slightly. "Who's left?"
"Psychometry," Spidey offered up, flipping her blonde hair across her shoulders.
"Dawn has that thing with animals, wouldn't you agree, Dee?" Leelee asked absentmindedly, her thoughts elsewhere.
"Yep! She's all the time talking to random animals. Like right now, she's out making friends with the horses in the stables," Dee added.
Leelee stood with her back to the door and her arms crossed, her senses picking up a conversation on the other side of the house. Snapping her fingers quickly, she caught the attention of the others who just turned to look at her. "They're talking again," she murmured softly, leaning her head back and relaxing.
Amy and Gemma walked nearer, they too picking up the conversation coming to them from afar. "Am I hearing this right?" Amy inquired, her mouth falling open slightly.
"Shhh. . . " Leelee uttered, waving her hand in emphasis.
~~~
"With these last three, I shall be invincible," Xavier Crane stated, sitting behind his large desk. The thought of more power just seemed to add to his pleasure by the second. "As soon as we have them, we'll need to move the group to a more secure location. Here, they can escape."
"Yes, sir," Alexander Sands replied. His first and foremost duty was to his employer. Sands wasn't about to let him down. One doesn't cross Xavier Crane and live to tell about it.
"The Chalet will be ideal. A frozen island in the middle of the sea, blinding snow for miles, they can't possibly escape from there." Smiling wickedly, Crane looked to his console, watching a few of the women he already possessed. "How soon before we have the last three?"
Sands froze, the question he'd dreaded finally coming from his superior. Cringing as he thought of the repercussions to follow once he told Crane the details, he figured it would be best just to get it out in the open and hope Crane wouldn't be too difficult. "Unfortunately, sir, they have managed to slip through our grasp. I assure you, though, we shall have them by morning."
Crane lost his smile, fixing his gaze on Sands. "I hope for your sake, Sands, that you are right about that."
Sands swallowed hard, feeling in every fiber of his being the true meaning behind the menacing words. "Don't worry, Mr. Crane. We'll have them," he said, giving a slight bow.
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"Holy crap! We're in a lot of trouble," Leelee stated.
"Who do you think they are? The last three, I mean?" Gemma asked, still shocked with what they had overheard. "Do you think there is a reason they left them until the last?"
"I don't know," Lies replied. "I've seen this place before."
"Where?" Essy inquired, intrigued with the new discussion.
"In my dreams," she answered softly. "There is also another place I can't quite put my finger on," Lies added.
"I've had the same dream," Rita uttered, a look of disbelief clouding her features. "This other place? Is it inhabited by faerie folk? In my dreams, I see a many faeries fluttering outside a large wall."
Lies nodded while the others gathered around. One by one they all admitted to having such a dream and that was one more connection between them. As the conversation went on, they discussed where it could be, how they could get there, and the possibility of escaping from their prison.
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"Do you think they saw us?" Kara asked, ducking behind the shelving full of books.
"Selah?" Jade inquired, looking to the third woman.
"They didn't," she replied, faintly. "They won't give up, though. They seem driven," she added.
"What do they want?" Kara questioned, leaning against the stacks. "We haven't done anything. . ." she began, squirming slightly then shrugged. "Lately," she finished.
"It's more than that," Jade offered, looking across the titles.
"Yes," Selah agreed. "They're regrouping. We have to get out of here."
Jade glanced around to see what they had to work with. Night was nearly upon them and instead of disappearing into the night, they were trapped in a bookstore. "There," she nodded, indicating the back door. "We can get out that way, and disappear. Kara, unlock it. Selah, how far away are they?"
"Far right corner," Selah answered softly. "Hurry, Kara. They've turned direction."
"Got it," Kara stated quickly.
"You two go on and get out of here," Jade instructed, watching for any hint of their stalkers.
"Not without you!" Kara objected heatedly. "We go together or not at all. Need I remind you that those were your very words?"
"Calm down, Kara. I'll be right behind you," Jade replied. "No worries."
Selah tugged on Kara's arm, pulling her toward the door. "Come on, let's go."
As they made a break for it, the men came into clear view. Before they had a chance to react, the bookcase toppled over on top of them, trapping them for the moment. The few to escape kept coming, drawing their guns from the holster at their side. With a simple thought, the guns were ripped from their hands and turned back to face them, hanging in midair.
"Jade, come on!" Kara shouted from the door, watching the events unfold. She knew far too well that the men didn't stand a chance against any of them. As the trio had come together over time, their strengths brought them closer, adding to the strange connection that surrounded them. She remembered the time they dared question what brought them together, and the fact that none of them cared after that.
Jade rushed toward the door, her concentration faltering slightly letting the guns fall to the floor. Hearing the heavy footsteps closing in on her, she reached the door, flinging it shut behind her. "Kara!"
Kara, facing the door, concentrated on the lock once again. This time, reversing the process and securing the lock easily. As they hit the locked door hard, Selah jumped back, startled, while Kara just stood there waiting to see if somehow they would break through. "They're not going to stop, are they?" she asked quietly, finally tearing her gaze from the door.
"No, but we can't linger here. We have just a few moments before they turn around and are on our trail again," Jade mentioned, glancing down the dark alleyway. "This way." Moving through the shadows, she led them carefully down the alley and out into the night, away from the entanglement of the men behind them.
Pausing slightly, Selah sat down on a bench and rested. "They're too close. We're not going to get away," she said, her voice laced with disappointment.
"Yes we will, don't say that," Kara retorted, looking over her shoulder.
"We're surrounded," Selah stated, getting to her feet just in time to see the first of the men to encircle them. "Do something! This isn't my expertise!"
Kara spun around, eyes locking with a dark haired man before he flew backwards, knocked out of the way by a low branch. Clearing an opening, she urged Selah to run. "Go!" she shouted.
Selah took off quickly, running with all her might through the hole in the enemy's defenses. Ducking low branches, she glanced over her shoulder to see her friends fighting what looked like a losing battle. Looking forward once again, she was blind-sided, a strong arm reaching out from a hiding place, knocking her to the ground. Selah puffed to regain her breath, after hitting what seemed to feel like a brick wall.
A shadow towered above her, dark eyes staring down. Raising his hand slowly, he pushed the button on his walkie talkie. "I've got her."
"Good, bring her to us," the voice on the other end replied.
"Come on. We have some friends of your's to meet," he told her, grasping her arm firmly and yanking her to her feet. Pulling her along, Selah fighting him every inch of the way, he brought her before Alexander Sands.
"If you wish her dead, by all means, continue," Sands called out.
Kara and Jade stopped instantly, their eyes trained back on Sands. "If you hurt her, you'll have to deal with us," they replied in unison.
"You fight, and you'll watch her die before you," Sands stated, smiling as his men closed the distance behind them. "You're cordially invited by my employer to be a guest in his home," Sands spoke, nodding as two of his men withdrew syringes. "Let's do this the easy way, shall we?"
Kara turned slightly, just in time to see a syringe bear down on her. Crying out as it was pushed deep into her neck, she soon faltered and fell to her knees. Her vision blurred, a numbness flowing through her limbs, Kara fell to the ground.
"You're going to pay for this," Jade uttered, just before suffering the same fate as her friend.
"Inform Mr. Crane we have them," Sands ordered, smiling at his victory. Though retrieving all the women was quite an adventure, he was glad that it was over. These last three caused more trouble than the pryokenitic ones they'd attained earlier. His men were still recovering from the burns they'd sustained.
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