Chapter 2

Tintin liked to consider himself an optimist, but Sora's enthusiasm was almost scary. That grin of his had not faded since they had all piled onto the wagon, despite his claims of coming to the lake to fight monsters – or Heartless as he had called them. He might have been even more cheerful than Goofy, who appeared to chuckle a good deal of the time. He was definitely more cheerful than Donald, who tended to scowl and mutter every time the wagon went over a pothole. "What's the big idea?" he would warble so that Tintin could hardly understand him.

"You said you're here to fight Heartless?" Tintin said. "Aren't you the least bit worried?"

"Not really," Sora answered. "It's our job. What about you? You seem worried about meeting this Professor."

"I'm not so worried about meeting him as I am finding out why he called us. He said that whatever the reason, it was a secret."

"So, you don't know why he called you?" Donald asked, trying to take his attention away from their bumpy journey.

"Not really. But, I guess I'm not completely worried either. Professor Calculus tends to be a bit mysterious at times as a scientist. You would think he would stray from theatrics, but he does quite the opposite. Still," Tintin wondered aloud, "I am curious as to whether or not the plane crash had something to do with Calculus's secret."

"Why would you think that?" asked Goofy.

"The plane was only equipped with one parachute," said Tintin thoughtfully, "despite the fact that it was built to accommodate multiple people. Rather than try to land the plane safely, the pilot abandoned ship. I almost want to think that this was not an accident."

"But then," Sora said, "that would mean the pilot purposefully crashed the plane, which would mean…" He did not finish, and Tintin received the impression that Sora did not like to see the worst in people.

"I could be wrong," Tintin said. But, I hardly ever am in these sorts of situations. In the course of his adventures, Tintin had almost died easily over one hundred times, and most of those misadventures had not occurred by mere coincidence. There was usually someone behind the so-called accidents, a perpetrator to blame for the attempts on his life. But, he said none of this to the boy his age, who just sat against the canvas of the wagon's roof, his hands behind his head. "Tell me more about these Heartless," Tintin said instead.

"Basically, they're monsters that go after the darkness in people's hearts." Sora said this as easily as he might in observing an untied shoelace. "When someone has darkness in their hearts, they appear in that particular world. Usually, they are easy to fight in this state. But, if someone loses their hearts to darkness, the number of Heartless increases, and the world is put in jeopardy."

"And you still aren't worried? Have you three met these Heartless before?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Donald before he was shot into the air by a large pothole. He landed on his face with a shaky quacking noise and sat up, muttering under his breath.

"We've been fighting them for a couple years now," Sora said. "We're kind of used to it."

"If what you say is true," Tintin said, "then why are the Heartless appearing at the lake? No one lives around it, not after the flood that took out an entire village."

"No one except the Professor," Donald said.

"Yes, but Calculus isn't evil. He's a bit… erm… goofy," he said, not trying to make a pun of Goofy's name, but succeeding all the same, "and a little eccentric, but he's not evil."

"If you say he's a good friend, then we believe you," Sora said. Tintin tried not to frown. Was this boy really as naïve as he appeared?

"We're here!" Niko exclaimed as the wagon came to a halt. All of the passengers scrambled out, Sora, Donald, and Goofy practically falling over each other out the back.

"Wow!" Sora exclaimed as he stared at the large house in which Professor Calculus was staying. It was an old and peeling Syldavian cottage with broken shutters and a creaky door. Tintin did not think it was much to look at. Sora on the other hand… "It looks like it came from the dark ages!"

What?

"Welcome, good friends!" Professor Calculus, a short and balding man, emerged from the doorway with a grin across his mustached face. "You don't know how glad I am to see you!"

"Hello, Professor," Captain Haddock greeted. "How have you been these past few weeks?"

"I beg your pardon," the Professor frowned, "but I do not reek."

"Huh?" Goofy asked.

"Professor Calculus is a little hard of hearing," Tintin explained.

"I SAID," Haddock shouted, as if to prove Tintin's point, "HOW HAVE YOU BEEN THESE PAST FEW WEEKS?"

"The roof was patched up just last week," Calculus said, "you won't have to worry about any leaking." Haddock's face was reddening with anger.

"Look here…"

"Professor," Tintin said, "we brought some friends. They have some questions for you."

"Hey there!" Sora greeted as he and his friends approached.

"Why do I need to stay here, young man?" All three faces went blank at this response as Professor Calculus turned to Tintin. "Now, Tintin, I thought I told you this matter was a secret."

"They're not here about that," Tintin said slowly, trying to carefully annunciate his words. "They just have some questions about the lake."

"I was quite clear in my directions," Calculus said. "I hardly left room for mistakes."

"Professor, do you know anything about the monsters?"

"Well, it is clear to me that you have misheard." Tintin took a deep breath, pulled a notepad and pen from his pocket, scribbled on the paper, and handed the message to Calculus. Upon examination of the note, Calculus's face lit up.

"You want to know about the creatures near the Lake of Sharks?" he asked. Tintin nodded. "Well, why didn't you say so? I've been studying them for weeks beside my actual work. Why don't you all come inside, and I'll explain everything?" And with that, he walked into the house, the party – minus Niko and Nouchka, who had promised to stop by later to take Tintin on a tour of the lake – entering behind him.

Meanwhile...

"Boss!" A heavyset man in a blue, cable-knit sweater and newsboy cap came running through the corridor of a large, underwater base. Out the window, the man could see fish swimming by in a large, silver school. If he were not in a hurry, the man would have stopped to watch such a beautiful sight.

But, as it was, he had a job to do. He removed his cap and dabbed at the sweat on his forehead. The boss was in a particularly bad mood after the failure of Operation Sardine Can. The man would be risking his own well-being by approaching him in this state. Still, he had been told to watch for their incoming guest, who had just arrived a few seconds ago out of a strange, shimmering door in the air.

He shoved the door open and stopped to catch his breath. But, he could not pause for long. His boss was as impatient as their visitor.

"Sir," he reported, "he's here. The man in the black coat." His boss sat quietly in his swivel chair, his back to the man as he stared at an array of monitor screens.

"Show our guest inside, Allen," he said as he very slowly turned his chair around.

NOTE: We all love Sora dearly as a character. But, you have to admit that his enthusiasm and carefree attitude can be a little bit disarming. Now, imagine his demeanor against that of a teenager who's had more near-death experiences than he can count.