CHAPTER 1 : ENTERS THE MASTERMIND
Some weeks had passed since the return of the Care Bears, and the family, still coping with the event, had more-or-less managed to get back into routine.
"Hi, Grumpy! Hi, Cheer! How did the caring mission go?"
"It was a success!" Cheer replied in her usual good mood. "We convinced those kids that if they just kept trying to get even instead of forgiving each other, they'd only hurt each other more and more. Now they're friends again!"
"It was so-so." Grumpy replied in his usual bad mood. "The situation on Earth has gone from bad to worse, and after all those years, most children haven't even heard about us! It's become much harder to convince them!"
"That's to be expected" replied Tender Heart. "But if we keep trying, I'm sure we can make the world better. After all, when we started those caring missions, people knew even less about us – at least now, the adults know who we are."
Just as he finished, an unusual noise was heard. It was approaching quickly, and sounded like it was coming from below. Several Care Bears approached – and then saw, to their immense surprise, a big black helicopter emerge from the clouds! It was obviously from Earth, and, after some uneasy manoeuvring, finally landed on Care-A-Lot.
A man came out of the helicopter. He looked like he was in his early thirties. Slightly tall and skinny, dressed for the office, black hair, glasses, and an expression that meant business. He turned to the Care Bears, and spoke up:
"I assume this is Care-A-Lot, correct?"
"Um, yeah" replied Tender Heart. "Welcome to the Kingdom of Caring, whoever you are."
"I am called Checkmate Warren. Here's my card." He handed Tender Heart a fancy plastic card. The bear looked at it, and read the large print out loud: "Checkmate Warren, Evil Mastermind." He then looked at the newcomer, and asked: "Evil mastermind?"
"That's correct. I assume that, due to your long absence, you haven't heard of me. To put you up to date…I pride myself on immense skills both in the technological and strategic domains. Mad scientist or cunning plotter, when there's need for an evil genius, I am the best possible choice!
Anyway, I'm sorry to have burst in on your home, but I wanted to make sure before I went any further: Is No Heart's castle in this direction?"
"Uh, that's right" replied Tender Heart, not sure what to do. "But why do you ask?"
"Simply because I'm answering a call he made. He's trying to hire help in order to defeat the Care Bear Family once and for all, and I intend to get this job."
For a while, the Care Bears just stared at him, confused. Finally, Grumpy asked: "If you want to fight us, why are you telling us all this?"
"Two reasons: One, I appreciate challenges, and it would be hardly sporting if I had the advantage of surprise in addition to all my other advantages. Two, it will ensure that No Heart cannot hire anyone other than me for this job – without the advantage of surprise, all the other villains are doomed to fail. I'm not.
Anyway, I've abused enough of your time. Thank you for the directions. See you soon." With that, he got back into his helicopter, and flew away.
"That was odd. We'd better warn everyone!"
"No Heart, I presume? You've built quite a reputation in the black magic department."
"I suppose you answered my call concerning the Care Bear Family."
"That's correct. For the right price, I'll capture all the fuzzy denizens of the Kingdom of Caring."
" 'The right price'? I'm not even sure I'll hire you yet. I'm expecting other people to answer this call."
"Don't hold your breath. Think about it: How would any of your plans have fared if the Care Bear Family had known in advance you were planning something? Their odds of success would have been much smaller."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, what's true for you will also be true for any other villain who might ask for this job – and, you see, I've already warned the Care Bears."
"What!"
"Competition for a job becomes not of me. Unlike any of the fools you might have otherwise hired, I am used to out-witting enemies who are expecting me. I've done it many times in the past.
Besides, there's another thing: I've spent most of this week making sure your message didn't reach anyone other than me."
No Heart, thrown out of balance, looked at Checkmate Warren for a moment. Then he replied: "I see you truly are evil, cunning and devious. Perhaps you are the man for the job. Depending on your price…"
"Oh, I don't work that way. First I'll capture the Care Bears, then we'll talk price. I have my ways."
"As you wish. But how do you intend to capture them?"
"Simple: Here's one of my cards."
" 'Checkmate Warren, Evil Mastermind'. So?"
"Well, if you examined the card with a microscope, you'd notice it's filled with an array of sensors – I'm pretty proud of it, by the way. It wasn't easy to make sensors small enough to fit into a plastic card. But I doubt you're interested in the science of it. Anyway, these sensors can perceive everybody around them – and, guess what? When I warned the Care Bears, I gave them my card! It is now possible for me to observe them, without them even knowing it! This will allow me to strike at the right place, at the right time! However…My plan is somewhat complex, and will require for some heavy machinery to be installed in your castle. It's all in the helicopter's cargo bay, and I've brought the plans explaining the required positioning. Can you and your assistants take care of it while I take care of the do-gooders?"
In Grams' house, the two cubs were a bit worried.
"Grams, why is everybody busy at the Headquarters?"
"It's because of the man who came with the helicopter earlier, dear. He said he'd come back to fight us, so they're planning a defence. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll figure out a way to protect the family."
Just as Grams said that, a smoking object flew through the house's window. Grams, Hugs and Tugs barely had the time to be surprised before the gases coming from it made them fall asleep. In a minute, the gases cleared, and Checkmate Warren stepped inside. He picked up Hugs and Tugs, and went inside the Hall of Hearts, where he activated the Rainbow Rescue Beam.
"I have to act fast. I know exactly how long the gas will keep Grams asleep, and as soon as she wakes up, she'll warn the others. With the Rainbow Rescue Beam, it'll take me little to no time to drop these cubs in that house in the desert – which will leave me with barely enough time to do all the rest of the work…"
A few hours later, in the HQ, True Heart was again trying to assess the situation:
"So, we know he's been keeping a low profile for a long time, and we're not sure what he really wants – but we know he's extremely clever."
"Positive", said Bright Heart. "He hasn't left much clues from his earlier works, but he's clearly a brilliant inventor and a genius strategist. He's masterminded a few truly impressive crimes, getting more and more active in recent years…He seems very ambitious; it doesn't look like he's just in it for money or something like that. This is a man who thinks big…And he never fails."
"So at no point must anyone be alone. If he attacks one of us, everyone else must know quickly…"
The founder was cut off when Grams rushed inside, with more concern in her eyes than anyone had ever seen before.
"Grams? Are you okay?"
"No! Hugs and Tugs have been kidnapped!"
Grams quickly explained what she remembered to the rest of the family.
"He's already attacking us!" exclaimed Noble Heart. "He's more dangerous than we thought! We must not lose time – let's find them!"
"If he works for No Heart, then maybe that's where they are" commented Tender Heart. "That's where we should go."
"You're right. To the cloud cars!"
In record time, all the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins were in their cloud cars. But just as they prepared to go, cuffs suddenly sprung from the cars and locked them to their seats.
"Hey!" yelled Swift Heart. "That's not supposed to happen!"
"Yes it is!" exclaimed Checkmate Warren, as he came out of hiding. "I had to work quickly to booby-trap all the cars, but when I build something, it always does what it's supposed to do!"
"You!" yelled Brave Heart. "You may have tricked us, but we'll free ourselves, and we will fight you if we have to!"
"I seriously doubt it. Even if you could free yourselves – and I'm by no means certain of that – you'd still have a minuscule problem. You see, I have trapped the cubs in a house I own – nobody ever goes there. It's locked, so they can't get out. And there's no food. So unless I decide to free them, they'll eventually starve. In other words, you have no choice but to cooperate. Can you say 'checkmate'?"
The bears and cousins looked at each other uneasily – he was right, they realized. They were truly helpless this time. And as Warren proceeded with his plan, they also had to endure his singing on the tune of "Another One Bites the Dust":
"All my life's aimed to succeed, at whatever the cost
My best weapons are my sharp wits, strategy ready to go
Are you ready, hey, are you ready for this, are you hanging on the edge of your seat
Outta my brain ideas ripple, to the sound of the beat
Ta-da-da, da, da, another bear bites the dust.
Ta-da-da, da, da, another bear bites the dust.
And another bear down, and another bear down
Another bear bites the dust
Hey, gonna get you too, another bear bites the dust!"
"Amazing!" conceded No Heart. "In just a few hours, you've successfully trapped the entire family! You truly were the man for the job!"
With the exception of the cubs, every member of the Care Bears family was tied to a wall in No Heart's castle. Metallic cuffs attached their limbs to the wall, while metallic plates covered their tummy symbols, preventing them from using their Stare. Some had taken the time to notice all the machinery that had been installed in the castle – definitely not No Heart's usual style.
Standing next to her uncle, Shrieky looked like a cat who had just succeeded at catching the canary, and was going to eat it. "Finally! This time, you fuzzy-wuzzies are going to pay, and there's nothing you can do!" Beastly looked pretty much the same, but was more discreet.
"The cubs. They're not here" noted No Heart.
"I've trapped them somewhere else, and the bears and cousins don't know where. That's one more reason they're not trying to get free."
"Perfect! Then I shall now eliminate those wretched do-gooders once and for all!"
"Not so fast, wizard. Aren't you forgetting something?"
"What do you mean?"
"My price. I captured the family, and intend to get paid."
"You never said what you wanted. What kind of payment are you interested in?"
"Simple. Everything."
"Everything?"
"Yes. Everything you have. The equipment, the library, and, most important, the flying castle."
"You're out of your mind!"
"Far from it. I just plan many steps in advance, that's all." With that, he turned toward the Care Bear Family: "Okay, listen up: If you use your Stare to knock him and his niece out of here, I'll free you."
"What!" yelled No Heart and Shrieky. But before they could fully assess the situation, Checkmate Warren had pulled a lever, which caused the metallic plates to come off from the tummy symbols.
"Well, don't just wait there!" urged Warren. "3-2-1, Stare!"
"Um…Stare!" agreed Noble Heart and True Heart.
Before No Heart or Shrieky could do anything, the Stares of the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins hit them, pushing them out of the castle.
"Boss!" yelled Beastly, looking down into the void.
"I'm your new boss, kid. Get used to it" replied Warren. "Considering the power of No Heart's amulet, I'll bet they survive…But I now have this castle!"
"He's coming back already!" protested Beastly. And indeed, No Heart, having taken the shape of a giant bird, had caught Shrieky and was flying back upward.
"Too bad for him. I've taken some measures," Warren grinned, as he activated some of his machines. No Heart got yet another bad surprise when they turned out to be a defence systems, which began firing at him. Weakened as he was by the Stare, he realized he was not in shape for a fight, and retreated.
"So simple to drive away that sorcerer," scoffed Warren. "He'll be back…And he'll be driven off again. So understand, Beastly…From now on, I rule this castle."
"What about us? You promised to free us!" pleaded Proud Heart.
"A deal's a deal" replied Warren, pulling another lever, freeing the family from their cuffs. "However, this still leaves the matter of the cubs…"
"Tell us where they are!" demanded Noble Heart. "They're just that – cubs!"
"Oh, I will free them…But for a price."
"A price? How can you demand a price for something like this!" exclaimed True Heart.
"I always get what I want. Now, my price is simple: Sometime in the future, I'll launch a very specific plan. I want your word that, when I ask you not to interfere, you won't try to stop me. If you accept, I'll tell you where the cubs are. I'll even give you the keys."
Noble Heart and True Heart only hesitated for a short moment, exchanged nervous gazes with the rest of the family, then turned to Warren.
"We promise."
"I'd like to hear all of you promise it."
Soon enough, all the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins had made the promise – he was anal-retentive enough to have them promise not to let Hugs and Tugs interfere either. After that, he gave them the coordinates of the house, as well as the keys. They quickly left with their cloud cars to pick up the cubs.
"Why did you let them go, boss?" asked Beastly.
"They're not my enemies. As long as they don't stop my plans, I have no reason to hurt them – as a matter of fact, I believe they'll be quite useful."
"But – what are your plans?"
"Oh, nothing big. Just world domination! Muahahahahaha!"
Beastly felt shivers up his spine. No Heart had always been scary, but this laughter…Somehow, it terrified him even more.
"B-boss, c-c-could you n-not laugh like t-this again? I almost died of fright!"
"Heh. I've been practicing the sinister laughter for a while now – you need the right intonation, the right timing…It's too bad I can't put it in the e-mails I send. It doesn't come out very well in writing…"
Beastly thought for a moment, then asked: "Were you planning to betray No Heart from the beginning?"
"Of course. As a matter of fact, I've been intending to make this castle my new base of operations for months. I had listening devices hidden around here to warn me if someone else did. Imagine my surprise when, out of the blue, No Heart came back, just like his foes. I thought at first that this would be an obstacle, but this plan that I've come up with has paid off in many ways: I have obtained No Heart's castle, insured the non-interference of the Care Bear Family in my master plan's most critical phase, planted a spy device in Care-A-Lot, obtained a few…other things…And of course, thoroughly enjoyed myself."
Soon enough, the cubs were rescued. Grams told them the entire story on the way back to the Kingdom of Caring. When the cloud cars finally reached it, Wish stated what everybody was thinking:
"I'm confused. Did we win, or did we lose? Is Checkmate Warren a friend, or an enemy?"
"I really don't know, Wish" replied Tender Heart. "Obviously No Heart lost and Checkmate Warren won, but I don't know about us."
"He defeated us with frightening ease, then used us to defeat No Heart" said Bright Heart. "If he decided to eliminate us, I don't think there's much we could do. Luckily, he doesn't seem interested in that."
"Yeah, but he mad us promise not to do anything about his plan!" interrupted Loyal Heart. "He's an evil mastermind, remember? I think we will regret not being able to interfere soon enough!"
"Loyal Heart is right" added Grumpy. "If he wanted to make sure we wouldn't do anything about it, that means we would have wanted to do something about it otherwise! He could be doing all the nasty things No Heart or Cold Heart have been doing – or worse – and we've promised not to stop him!"
"That's true", said Tender Heart. "But we didn't have any choice."
"Maybe things won't turn out too bad", said Cheer. "Maybe he isn't as evil as them…I mean, if he was, he wouldn't have let us go."
"You all have good points", concluded True Heart. "We'll have to watch him closely."
Meanwhile, in what had used to be No Heart's castle…
"Gee, boss! I'm not used to all those machines!"
"No Heart's tool of choice was magic. I'm more of a technology expert. With a flying fortress as a base of operation, I'll now be able to implement my master plan!"
"What is your master plan, boss?"
"You'll see in due time. For now, we'll have to obtain a few objects…And I'll have to analyse this." he held a lock of hair – quite obviously taken from some of the Care Bears.
"But, since my plan is finally progressing…Perhaps we ought to let the world know." He pressed a button. "There. The countdown to checkmate is now initiated!"
"I'm telling you, this is the way to go," explained Bright Heart to the bears and cousins around him – Brave Heart, Tender Heart, Champ, Cheer, Grumpy, and Treat Heart. "Computers have advanced so much while we were frozen, I can hardly believe it. Now, they're all interconnected through this Internet! I can even use them to talk to people…Hey, what do you know, we have a communication coming!"
A new window popped up on the screen. It was Paul.
"Paul! Thanks for helping me install those new computers! Uh…Are you okay? You look worried…"
"I kinda am. Don't you know what's going on down here on Earth?"
"There's a problem?" Bright Heart was now worried too. "I'll get the…"
"Not yet" interrupted Paul. "But…Have you heard about Checkmate Warren?"
"You might say that."
"Oh? I'd have thought…Well, something just happened, and the FBI said on the news it must be him."
"What happened?"
In reply, Paul held up a small piece of paper. The bears and cousins looked at the screen. "It's a bank receipt."
"Yes. I got it earlier today at the ATM. But look at what's written at the bottom."
Again, they looked. "'MATE IN FOUR'."
"Yes. It says that on all the receipts every ATM gives. At any bank. Worldwide. Something like that takes a lot of skill to pull off, believe me – and he's doing it just to pass a message!"
"What message?" asked Brave Heart.
"Isn't it obvious?" said Bright Heart. "His plan's progressing. He's telling the whole world that he only has four more steps to complete."
"And then what?"
"Checkmate."
Several gulped.
"Nice 'Independence Day' quote," said Paul.
"What?"
"Oh, right. I forgot you missed the 90s…"
Author's Note: The character of Checkmate Warren was inspired by that of Warren Wright, the ill-tempered but quite clever system administrator from the webcomic "Absurd Notions", by Kevin Pease. However, I've modified he character a lot, to the point were resemblances are mostly superficial (I would like to say, however, that I recommend the comic. Google for it!).
Warren's little song is his little adaptation of "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen.
