Disclaimer: I don't own The Phantom of the Opera in any of its mediums. Nor do I own X-Men: Evolution.
Thanks very much to Phantom, my good friend and compadre. You're right dude, I should have told you of this sooner…I guess I just misremembered to. But now you know of it, and I'm assured at least one review per chapter. W00t!
But to the rest of y'all, multiple reviews are still nice. Please give a response after reading. : )
Chapter Eight: In the Kitchen of the Boardinghouse
As the self-appointed Daroga marched out of the kitchen, the three unappointed (though apparently as clueless) Raouls De Chagny slowly climbed to their feet and followed Martha through the main hallway and into the living room.
"Now." Martha said, pointing at the ceiling. "You heard the Phantom's voice coming from directly above your heads? Around where the chandelier was?"
"Yeah, more or less." Lance said. "But it wasn't coming from behind the ceiling so much as it was coming from right above our heads. Like the speaker was invisible."
Martha chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Well, that still leaves the matter open." She said. "No doubt this faux Phantom is as much of a trap-door lover as the original, but--"
"Wait, whatsa trap-door lover?" Todd asked. "Is it like, a guy who makes out in trap doors?"
Freddy chuckled, only to be silenced by a furious glare from Martha. Even with the hat, she looked formidable.
"As I was saying." Martha said. "Though the Phantom in this house is most likely just as knowledgeable about the use and construction of trap-doors as the original Phantom, the voice that spoke to you from the ceiling doesn't imply that there is a passageway in this room. Most likely the voice was the result of ventriloquism, not the location of the speaker."
"So that means what?" Lance asked.
"It means we go back to the kitchen!"
The three boys found themselves making a u-turn as Martha walked past then and back into the kitchen. Once inside, she immediately began walking around the room, opening cabinets and knocking on the walls.
"Waitaminute!" Fred said indignantly. He didn't like having to move fast. "What exactly are we looking for?"
"We are looking for an entrance into the Phantom's lair." Martha responded matter-of-factly, not ceasing her inspection of the kitchen walls.
"But there's already an entrance!" Lance said. "Why can't we just go through the attic door?"
"Oh no man!" Todd said, shaking his head at Lance. "Ain't now way we goin' up there again! Leastways, I ain't."
"We're not going through the attic door." Martha replied calmly, closing the last cabinet and walking back over to the doorway where the Brotherhood was standing. "Because in addition to Todd's paranoia issues, the attic door is presumably the main entrance to the Phantom's lair. And, like the underground lake in the Opera House, it is most likely a dangerous route."
"But...wouldn't all routes to the Phantom's lair be dangerous?" Fred asked.
Martha beamed. "Excellent perception, Freddy! You're quite right, this hunt is going to be dangerous no matter what way we go at it. So I'm trying to deduce what would be the least dangerous entrance. And I think the one in this kitchen is probably the safest."
"Wha? There's one in the kitchen?" Todd looked around fearfully.
"Well, I don't know for sure." Martha replied hastily. "But how else do you think the Phantom left all those notes without having to creep down the stairs?"
"True." Lance said. "But where could he have possibly entered from?"
"Nowhere in plain sight, of course." Martha said, turning to face Lance. "But this is an old house, right? One that's been modernized and fitted with appliances long after its construction?"
"Um...yeah. I think so." Lance said, brow furrowing. "Why?"
"Because," Martha said, smiling slightly. "I think there might be a dunwaiter."
"A what-waiter?" Todd asked, looking horribly confused.
Still smirking, Martha looked around the room, eyes searching.
"Not behind any cabinets," She muttered, "And the refrigerator's too heavy to move without making noise. That only leaves…oh!"
"What?" Lance said, as Martha's eyes fixed on a point at the level of the kitchen counter.
"Freddy?" Martha said
"Yeah?"
"You see the microwave sitting on the counter?"
"Yeah. I make my popcorn in that."
"That would explain why it's one of those bigger models. At any rate, would you please move it for me, Fred?"
"Um, sure." Fred looked confused, but walked over to the large microwave. Grabbing it by the sides, he effortlessly picked it up, and set it to the side. The four adolescents gathered round, to see what was behind it.
Embedded in the wall was what looked like a cabinet door, painted white. It had two hinges on one side, and a rusty handle. Yet despite having been blocked by an appliance that had not been moved in months, the door was completely free of dust.
"Yes!!!!" Martha grinned triumphantly. "I'm a genius!" She raced across the kitchen to stand next to Freddy, Lance and Todd followed her.
Leaning over the counter, Martha lightly tugged on the handle. For a moment it looked like it was going to break off in her hand, but then the rusty hinges moved suddenly and soundlessly, as if they had been oiled. The dunwaiter door swung outward, opening to reveal a black and musty hole.
Holding her nose, Martha leaned farther over the counter and looked into the hole.
"It goes ub really far!" She said, voice slightly muffled. "Ad the lifd-thingy they used to carry the stuff ub is gone. Bud the ropes are still here! This indicates thad not only is our Phantub ad expert rope climber, e's also really thin. Like Erik was, I bed."
Stepping back again, Martha wormed her way out of the gap. Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out a red handkerchief.
"Here." She said, pressing it into Todd's hand. "You're going up, you might want to tie that 'round your face as protection against the dust. Not that I can see any, the chute looks surprisingly free of cobwebs. But you never know. You'd best take the handkerchief"
"WHAT?!" The Toad shrieked, leaping backwards. "Are you insane? You want me to go up there?"
"Well, someone's got to go investigate."
"But why me?"
"Because," Martha said, a tone of authority creeping into her voice. "You are the only one small and thin enough to shimmy up the dunwaiter. So you've got to go up there, see where it leads, then come back down and report what you saw. It's as simple as that."
"But...but..." Todd whimpered, picking nervously at the handkerchief in his hands.
"But nothing, Toad." Lance said. "We've got to get to the bottom of this, and we've got to do it now. You're going up."
tbc.