Chapter Six

Plan

Spook Museum, Crystal Cove

February 8, 2014, 11:30 pm

Hours after Marcie's dream in the sitting room...

"No, no, and no!" Winslow exclaimed towards Marcie. The elder was just informed about the plan that both Marcie and Alice had made with the Blake twins to get into the Destroido building. It was a good plan: just get in, get the stuff that Alice said they might need, and get out without any trouble. Simple enough.

Her father didn't think it was 'simple enough' in any way shape or form.

"I am not letting you go near that place, especially with what's been happening— I'm not going to let you get killed going there, not with this willingly murderer following you around!"

"Hey, I'm right here! And again, I was just following orders." Alice said, getting the attention of both Winslow and Marcie. "Maybe nobody got the memo but I think it's a pretty go-"

"Not helping." Both Winslow and Marcie scolded the blond.

"Right, sorry. I'll just stand right here and shut up." Alice sat down, looking at her hands nervously as she twiddled her thumbs.

Marcie started speaking, "Dad, I get that you're just protecting me, but I need to do this. You know what those creatures are doing, hell… one of them hurt you badly. I have to do this, I have to find Velma and the others. Only they can stop what's happening… That's why we're going to Destroido."

He shook his head at this. "I don't want to risk it. I don't want you getting hurt and I certainly don't want you close to HER."

"May I just sa–"

"No."

"Yes sir." Alice gulped, staying still.

Marcie pleaded again, "Please, I want to help. I want to find her, but I can't do it just sitting here and doing nothi–" She suddenly stopped as she felt pain on her bandaged arm.

"You need to rest, we'll talk about this in the morning."

"No I… Okay… Dad..." Marcie murmured defeatedly. She wanted to convince him that she would be fine, that she could pull it off. That she could find Velma and the others… but then again, Velma said they would come back…

Didn't she?

"Marcie, I just don't want you in trouble and I certainly don't want you hurt while you go out and look for your friends. This isn't like those games you played as a kid… Thi- This is real life, your mom and I tried to give you a normal life… Sure It wasn't the best… I am very cheap with what we have." Winslow gave a sigh. "But it was a better life than what your friends had, it seems…"

"Are you telling me that what's happening is because of them? Because they wanted to do what they loved the most?" Marcie questioned her father almost to the point of growling at the poor man.

"Darling, I'm saying that if you haven't been around them before this... You wouldn't be in this mess, I wouldn't have to be worried for you the whole entire time. My decision is final, you're not going." Her father said, before going to the back of the museum, leaving Marcie to her thoughts. Something that she has been doing more often than she should have.

"Geez, no more and you'd have to really convince him. Glad you didn't go through with it, you'll never find her. You know that better than anyone."

Marcie's bandaged arm turned into a fist, slamming into the table hard. She gave a small grunt of pain, not realizing that Alice was still there watching her.

For a minute, Alice could have sworn she saw something wrong with the way she was acting. 'Something is very wrong... I've never seen her this angry before…' Alice thought before she headed towards her former co-worker.

Marcie didn't notice the blonde's approach, she was staring at the cracks she had made on the table. Completely in trance, she thought of all the outcomes that the gang may have faced, one after another came and went through her mind—one worse than the other.

"Oh please, you know better than that. She isn't coming back and you know it. She hates this town more than you do… That's why she's gone. Just give up."

'No, she said she was coming back. She's probably captured, probably trapped somewhere…' Marcie thought, until Alice placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Don't mind him, we can go either way. We'll go with Plan B."

"Plan B?"

"We are still going, whether he lets you go or not. This is important for all of us. Whatever Mr. E wants us to find might help us with the end of the world." Alice said, a smile on her face. "I told you that when we were in jail remember? We were made for bigger things. This is one of those things…"

'Is that what it's all about? The end of the world as we know it? Are we really that close to it? Velma and the others were supposed to stop it…'

"I don't know A–"

"No, Marcie. We need to be prepared for anything. This is the best option we have right now." Alice pressured on.

Marcie sighed, and after a minute of thinking she slowly nodded her head. "We'd have to go after dark then, once everyone's asleep."

"Right, I'm glad you didn't back out." Alice said as she slowly went towards the room's exit. But before she could leave, she continued, "Don't… Worry about me betraying you, all that hatred against you is all in the past you know? This is our chance to prove each other that we have changed… Right?"

"...Right… I guess…" Marcie only said before she was left alone in the library. The thoughts were slowly coming back to her. She frowned as she remembered the conversation she had in the sitting room.

"Your true malice is showing, Marcie. Maybe you should lay off this stupid idea of saving Crystal Cove. Velma isn't gonna come back. What more does she have to lose now? The Entity has the upper hand, they could cut out Velma's life in a minute..."

"Unless you do want to lose her…"

"Really? I don't know what you're capable of? You surprised me, Marcie, really… You're almost the same as her… it's unbelievable."

She sighed; everything was coming down on her all at once. She needed to do something before she'd get overwhelmed enough to actually lose her mind. 'I don't want to think about it, but now it's getting harder and harder to not think that you may have released the thing Velma, I just hope I find you soon enough so that you can tell me yourself…'

"Oh, you know what they did. You know it deeply within you, they released him and you know it. It was only a matter of time that they would break into his will..."

Marcie frowned, her thoughts were getting the better of her and she didn't like where this was going...

"I see that you are in need of assistance?" the Cocker Spaniel asked, walking towards the brunette. The small dog gave a whine, "I understand that you are feeling overwhelmed."

"You do?"

"Yes. You have just found out that you were actually supposed to die. That you were a sacrifice for the Entity. That you and Velma were probably not destined to be together in this universe or perhaps in any other."

Marcie blushed at that. "Not what I was going for bu-"

"The dog hits it right on the nail. Of course you two aren't destined to be together. One of you will always die and leave the other alone." Marcie sighed, "I don't think Velma likes me that way. I don't think she would want to be with someone like me."

"Why not?"

"I mean, come on, I was a criminal for god's sake. I-I-I worked for the paranoid CEO of a company that polluted the entire area of Crystal Cove… She… She wouldn't want to be with me. I–I've made so many mistakes."

Nova jumped onto the table and stared at the brunette closely. "You are not evil, Marcie Fleach. You were under the effects of the Evil Entity. You are a good person. You helped Mystery Incorporated to retrieve pieces of the Planispheric Disk and even stole them from your employer for them… You are genuinely a good person."

Marcie looked away from the small dog, "What's up with the sitting room? Why were they there?"

"The sitting room is a safe haven for the best parts of all Crystal Covians that were affected by the Entity's malice. When the Entity got out of its sarcophagus, Mystery Incorporated's best parts fled into the realm as a defense mechanism."

"Do you think you have any 'best part' then? Honestly, the annunaki is just trying to throw you off completely. The real reason for the sitting room is t-"

"Do you know where they are now?"

"No, I do not. What I do know is that the Evil Entity has them captured, and hasn't let them go since."

"What do you think the Entity is doing to them?"

"I'm afraid I cannot answer that. Normally, the Entity is considered a glutton, eating everything in its path like it's nothing. I don't understand what made it change its plan to wait this long, but perhaps it may have something to do with you."

"With me?"

"You were the sacrifice, remember? You were destined to die at the hands of Professor Pericles, but he didn't end you. In fact, someone saved you from your inevitable doom… I wonder who would do such a thing… and why?"

"You didn't… Save me? If you didn't… Who did?"

"I'm not sure… But whoever did, must have had a really good teacher. Your wounds have healed tremendously."

"...So what happens now?"

The small dog frowned, "I don't know, and I'm afraid we'll have to find out soon enough."

"What if we die trying to do this? Will you try and bring us back? Can you actually bring dead people back to life?" Marcie asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot break the laws of nature in your world. Your bodies wouldn't handle my power anyway, I've only used a fraction of my abilities to lock the disease you have in place… but it'll only be a matter of time before the infection spreads again…" Nova admitted, scratching her ear with her paw.

"So, if I die this time… It's game over for the town and the whole universe?"

"Precisely."

The Crystal Cove Caverns,

Close to the door to the Air World…

"Angelo." Seraphim called out to the metal demon. Since Feralle's talk, she had been wanting to speak to Angelo about it. Now was the time to tell him… "I want to talk to you…"

"Yes, Seraphim. What is it?" Angelo asked.

"I think… And you may correct my if I may be wrong, but Feralle is planning to betray the Entity, I heard it from her." Seraphim quickly said, staring into Angelo's eyes.

"WHAT?! How could she?! After everything the master did for her, the plans that he approved for h–"

Seraphim shushed him, her finger disappearing into his hood as she stopped him from saying anything else. "Calm down! I don't know what's the reason for it. But I have a plan. A counter-attack plan if you will."

"A counter-attack plan? I like the sound of it..."

"I need your help with it. Can I trust you with this? Will you keep it a secret?" Seraphim asked, a smirk slowly creeping up on her face. This has happened before, they both know it from experience. "I know you like hurting anyone that gets in our way, this is one of those instances that we really should do something like that… Dear…"

Angelo smirked back to her from under his mask and quickly nodded to the question. "Your plan is safe with me, you know that. Though, I must ask… What are you going to do about it?"

Seraphim chuckled darkly, "Don't worry about it, Angelo. Once the time comes, you'll know what to do. Just like last time. The poor kids just didn't know what hit the-"

"What is it Angelo will know what to do?" Sovrano replied to them.

"Ah, Sovrano. Nothing for you to worry about, unless you have something to say about the master's way of handling the situation he is in right now." The metal demon teased, "You always have something to say about it…"

Sovrano didn't say anything back, instead he turned around and walked away. "Do not pull me into your traps, nor into your schemes. I am not interested in this and you know it. I just wish to know in case I have to crawl away from you all."

"And why would we pull you into our schemes? It's like you are begging for us to do it. You know we aren't like that." Angelo teased, laughing darkly at the water demon.

"What the hell is happening here? I thought you were looking for the teens!" Feralle demanded from them. "The Entity wanted them found yesterday! I can't believe you're slacking off again, Angelo!"

"We were just making teams, dear Feralle." Seraphim quickly replied, crossing her arms to her chest. "We thought that maybe we would find them faster if we split up."

"No."

"No?"

"Two of us have to stay here and prevent anyone from looking through the caverns, or prevent the new mystery solvers from finding Mystery Incorporated the Second. Meaning less of us to prevent any… trouble..."

"You are being paranoid, Feralle. I killed the twins, remember? There's no way a four-human group could resurface at this time." Seraphim said, smirking to herself as she remembered her handiwork on the Blake family. "Even if a new group were to resurface, they can't do anything about the end of the world. They are just going to make things worse for them."

Feralle stood still, staring at the fire demon as she thought of something to say. But she decided against it. If that was what Seraphim thought, so be it. She would die either way, sooner or later. "Of course, how silly of me. You handled them all by yourself, and all before the Entity even told you to do so."

"Exactly! So Angelo and I think it would be best if we split up and look for the real threats. You know, Mystery Incorporated the Second. They are the real menace." Seraphim persuaded, then continued. "You and Sovrano can stay for all we care, if you so desire. Just in case."

"If that's what you want, I will… Ugh… Allow it for now. But if something happen-"

"Great! Then it's settled! Let's get out of here, Seraphim." Angelo said quickly, grabbing Seraphim's hand and pulling her away from the two demons.

Both Sovrano and Feralle looked at each other, waiting for the other to say something.

"Feralle."

"Yes, Sovrano?"

"You lied to her face. You know what will happen if she finds out the twins are still alive and all, the chaos she will ensue upon the town will be-"

"Dear Sovrano... If I told her that the twins are alive and that she failed to kill them—what do you think she would do?"

"Try again until she gets what she wants… It's bad enough she has beef with Bartholomew Blake and Nancy Blake… But to destroy everything they have worked so hard to build… Their children…"

"Exactly. Let her think that the family is dead. I have better stuff to do than to babysit an arsonist and a psychopath." Feralle admitted, turning around and walking away from Sovrano.

"Feralle."

She didn't react for a second, forgetting that Feralle was her actual name now. Once she did, she looked from the corner of her eye at Sovrano. Sometimes, she'd forget that she wasn't human anymore. "Yes, Sovrano?"

"What are you planning?"

"...It's none of your concern, Sovrano."

"It is now, I need to know what you are planning…" The water demon asked, not willing to drop down the subject any longer. "You already have the kids running around freely in the caverns like you asked me to do… What are your intentions with them."

Feralle smiled darkly, finally looking straight at Sovrano in the eyes. "I will overthrow the entity from its hold on us. No longer will we live under his shadow."

"You know that won't happen… He will destroy you with a snap of his fingers."

Ferralle gave a slight growl at the reminder. "I know that… That's why I decided to release the teens. So that the Evil Entity's attention will mostly be on them and not on us while we formulate our plan."

"Our?"

"You hate the Entity as much as I do this is your chance, the dice are on the table Sovrano. Angelo and Seraphim have already thrown theirs, the teens are on the field. What will you choose?"

Sovrano turned away from her, his mind lost in thought. It took a while for an answer, but it sounded more like he wasn't sure about the idea. "I will do what I can."

The remains of Crystal Cove Hall, Crystal Cove

February 9, 2014, 9:30 am

"Alright, what's the plan?" Daisy asked, looking at the wreckage of the city hall. Both her and Delilah decided to search it for anything Mystery Incorporated may have left behind, but they were too late. "The city hall is no more."

"Obviously there's nothing in the mansion." Delilah muttered.

"Marcie already checked the Dinkley's."

"The Rogers are out of town, maybe we could check–"

"I doubt there's anything in there that can tell us where Daphne is." Daisy grumbled, "The only thing that might be there is tons of wasted food."

"Then let's go to Destroido." Alice said, walking to them. "We'll find something in there, I can feel it."

"That company that's out of town? What's that got to do with Daphne and her friends?" Delilah questioned, still having a grudge against the blonde. "This is probably a trap you're trying to get us in."

Alice sighed. "It's not a trap, my boss and Mystery Incorporated worked together for some time... " She sighed again as she continued, "Before I was ordered to attack them–"

"Aha! So you admit that you WERE trying to kill them!" Delilah accused proudly.

"No, I'm telling you that I was following orders–"

"That's still the same thing! You attacked them!"

"That's enough from both of you! You're acting like children trying to see who's really right in this situation!" Daisy snapped, noticing that Marcie was standing still, staring at them while they spoke.

"Hey." Marcie could only say to them, she kicked herself for being so awkward at the moment.

"Hey, are you alright with this? Do you really want to go to Destroido? Even with your arm like that?"

"...The city hall was the only place Mystery Incorporated and I ever really met up. Where your sister and her friends last hung out. If this place is destroyed already… We have no choice." Marcie uttered, looking back at the redhead.

"We have to go to Destroido, one way or another tonight."

…

Crystal Cove, City Hall

The day the Krampus case began...

"Are you sure about this? Do you really want to do this, Marcie?" Velma asked, concern written on her face. She watched Marcie fix the exoskeleton armour which Mr. E had provided them a few months back while both Marcie and Velma were working for him. "Aren't you worried what could happen if they captured you?"

"Don't worry V, I've got a backup plan." Marcie responded, motioning to Velma not to worry.

"You know I'm not really into the idea–"

"V, trust me. I'll be fine. If something happens that makes the plan fail I'll get out as quickly as possib–"

Velma shook her head at this. "No, you're not listening to me. I'm worried about you."

"And I'm telling you to trust me on this."

"Don't do this, we can find someone el–"

"Why are you so insistent on stopping me?" Marcie snapped, trying to understand Velma's reasoning. This was the moment Marcie needed to prove to them that she was useful to them, to make something of herself after all the mistakes she's made.

She wanted to show Velma she could do good…

"I-I-I just want you to be safe!"

"V, I–"

"Like, am I interrupting something?" Shaggy blurted, standing in front of the doorway. "Cuz, like, I can come back later, once you're ready."

"No, no. What's up?" Marcie quickly replied.

"Fred wants to know if you're ready."

Marcie looked back at Velma, "We'll talk about this later."

"If there IS a later."

"V–"

"Just go, Fleach."

…

Both Shaggy and Velma sat in the back Velma of the Mystery Machine as it drove down to the haunted toy factory. Velma held on to her laptop, looking into a video feed of Mr. E's hideout through a small camera she had installed on Marcie's exoskeleton suit.

Shaggy held onto a remote control which both him and Fred would use to control Krampus—who was actually Charlie The Robot—while the real purpose of the mystery was underway. "Like wow, I sure am glad that Jason Wyatt agreed to help us with this."

"Yeah, I sure am glad…" Velma sarcastically responded, her attention glued to Marcie's feed. She held the laptop tightly in her hands, something that she had noticed lately. It was unnatural for her, she was always so careful with her stuff…

But when Marcie's around…

'She's fine, Velma. You just gotta trust her.' Velma kept saying to herself, the words almost coming out of her mouth for everyone to hear.

She knew she had feelings for Marcie for quite some time now, but what was she going to do about them? She didn't know if Marcie had the same feelings for her—and she wasn't going to ask any time soon.

No, not when the fate of the town and possibly the world is in their hands now. Once it was all over, she would tell her everything.

That's what she was going to do; nothing more, nothing less. It was foolproof. It was better than risking it. She would just have to suppress them for a little longer.

Just a little more.

…

"See? I'm fine, no harm no foul right?" Marcie said, giving Velma the pieces Mystery Incorporated the First had. "I told you I was going to be fine. I made sure Destroido never saw me. You can stop worrying about me dying if that's what you were worried about."

Velma stared at the disk pieces for a bit, only humming at her. It was as if she didn't hear her the first time, something that made Marcie kind of worry.

"V?"

No response from Velma, it was as if she was in a trance while she stared at the pieces. Her eyes were completely glued to the disks, widened as if she saw something horrible in them and it obviously was worrying Marcie to the point that she wanted to snap her out of it.

"V!" Marcie exclaimed, shaking the shorter brunette.

Velma came out of her trance quickly, staring at Marcie widen-eyed. "Oh, sorry. What was that?"

"I was saying that I made sure I wasn't seen."

Velma smiled a bit at that, "Well, I'm surprised you would actually do that for me Fleach." She said, blushing a bit. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on you…"

"Nonsense V, I know how much you were worried for me. I just want you to be okay." Marcie said, hugging the short brunette quickly. "I don't want you worrying for me anymore, because no matter what happens- I'll be okay… I promise!"

"...You promise huh?"

"Yep, I do."