Chapter 2
The world famous Great Dane sleuth Scooby Doo and his friends Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma were spending a beautiful spring day on a boat belonging to the wealthy red haired young woman's parents.
The day had been fairly relaxing so far, with the five investigators having lunch and spending time inside the boat, while later in the day Scooby Doo decided to do some fishing for a few hours, but wasn't successful.
As they embarked on their trip to the lake, the gang was hoping that they wouldn't have to encounter any ghosts, monsters, or anything close to supernatural or a mystery on their day of relaxing.
Unfortunately, for the Great Dane and his companions whenever they tried to spend days relaxing, or visiting relatives, or whenever they tried to avoid excitement, mystery and danger, the gang usually ended up getting into another mystery anyway.
And as luck would have it, today would of course be one of those times. Except that they didn't quite know what they were getting themselves into, or at least not yet.
While the Great Dane and his mystery solving cohorts were anchored in the middle of the lake, they all noticed that while they were on Daphne's parents' boat, the sky was beginning to get very dark, and the skies becoming very gray and threatening. If the appearance of the sky and clouds were any indication, it looked as if thunder, lightning, heavy rain, wind and possibly hail were all about to make an appearance.
Luck, fate and just plain destiny were things that Mystery Inc. knew a lot about, considering those things played their hands a great deal in their lives. Today, those things were about to result in the gang getting caught in the strongest storm in the history of their fair state; one which would and could also result in Scooby Doo and the gang getting deposited in no man's land, or worse when it was over.
"Jinkies, take a look at that" Velma said, as a bit of a gasp escaped her lips, while noticing that the pristine blue late afternoon sky was beginning to grow numerous shades darker, fading into shades of black and navy blue
"Yeah, like I see it too, and I don't like it" Shaggy added.
"Ruh roh" Scooby remarked.
"I couldn't agree more Scooby, and judging by the way those clouds are looking I think you better reel in your line so we can get out of here before it's too late" Velma replied.
"Right Relma" Scooby agreed.
On the bespectacled woman's urging, the cowardly Great Dane quickly pulled in his fishing lure, rod and reel and joined his friends in the main portion of the expensive boat.
With Velma, Shaggy and Scooby Doo sitting behind Fred and Daphne, it seemed like everything would turn out all right, considering they were all together and they were all healthy. However, that wasn't quite what Mother Nature had in mind for the chicken hearted Great Dane and his pals, at least not today.
"Jinkies, it looks like one whale of a storm is blowing up, I hope we can get into the cabin before it tosses us around like rag dolls" Velma commented.
"Yeah, like I wouldn't want to end up like a tossed salad." Shaggy quipped.
"Well don't worry gang, this boat has every piece of creature comfort possible, so we should have no problems riding out the storm" Daphne remarked.
"Right, now come on, let's get inside the cabin and wait for things to blow over" Fred commented.
"Like Fred, are you sure there's going to be enough room in there for all five of us?" Shaggy asked.
"Sure there will be Shaggy, we might just have to squeeze in though just in case" Fred replied.
"Oh great, like it'll be just like our own personal sardine tin" Shaggy remarked as he folded his arms, looking quite annoyed at the possibility of not being able to move much or breathe inside the cabin of the boat.
"Shaggy, judging by the color, texture and depth of those clouds, I don't think you have much of a choice" Velma replied.
"Like okay, if I have to I have to, but it will be crowded with old Scoob in there" Shaggy remarked.
So with those words, and not wanting to end up at the bottom of the lake, Fred, Daphne and Velma headed inside the cabin of the medium sized boat with Shaggy and Scooby Doo following close behind them. Once the five adolescents were sitting inside the cabin, they began to look through the glass windows outside, at the sky and clouds, which were beginning to look like the clouds and sky during a hurricane no less.
Finally after ten minutes of nervous waiting and watching, the gang noticed the very heavens opening up and heavy rain beginning to pound down around the lake and on the outside of the boat. As if the rain wasn't bad enough, a few moments later large hailstones began dropping into the waters of the lake, which caused the water to form into large waves. However for now, the water stayed outside in the lake and didn't get into the boat, which greatly relieved the young adults.
Soon the heavy rain and hail were joined by strong gale force winds, which tossed the ship in the waters of the lake like a child's toy tug boat. After the rain, wind and hail, the gang could see thunder and lightning crackle through the skies numerous times, with each bold of lightning and thunderclap narrowly missing the group's boat.
Now with rain, hail, wind, thunder and lightning all together combined into one strong storm, the likes of which Scooby and friends hadn't seen or experienced probably in quite some time. As the team of sleuths sat inside the small cabin of the boat, it was clear that for once the cowardly Great Dane of the group wasn't the only chicken of the team. This time, in point of fact Fred and Daphne were hanging onto each other for dear life hoping that they would get through the boat's traversing of the lake smoothly, despite the incredibly rough seas.
Oddly enough the other usually cowardly member of the team, one Shaggy Rogers was hanging onto Velma for dear life as the two of them were also looking for something, anything inside the cabin that they would be able to use to brace themselves. In addition, they also hoped to be in one piece when they arrived back on dry land once again, whenever that may have been.
For the next ten minutes or so, which seemed like hours or possibly decades, Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma spent a very uneasy time trying to survive the suddenly rough waters of the lake. As he hung onto a small table inside the cabin, the gang could tell that Shaggy was looking very green around the gills, not to mention he felt like sea sickness like you wouldn't believe, although as you might expect Shaggy wasn't the only one who was feeling sea sick at the moment.
A few moments later Velma found herself feeling quite unwell as she hung onto Shaggy like a dog hanging onto a bone. At first she simply had her arm locked around the cowardly teen's arm, but soon she realized that maybe wouldn't work as well, so she threw her arms around Shaggy's waist for support. At first the sandy haired young man was a little confused as to why Velma was hanging onto him so closely, although when he looked out the window he came to the realization as to why she was hanging onto him, and wisely decided to simply enjoy her company and not say anything.
The team of sleuths known as Mystery Inc. continued to sit inside the boat and ride out the storm, while they experienced one of the wildest rides of their respective lives, as huge waves battered the small craft and tossed it about in the waters of the lake. Just when the gang thought that the worst of the storm was behind them, it proceeded to get even more dramatic as the waters now turned black and large waves were slowly approaching the vessel.
The large waves then cascaded up and down several times which caused the boat to once again be tossed about, all the while the members of Mystery Inc. attempted to figure out someway to survive their incredible aquatic ordeal. The sheer magnitude and strength of the storm would cause any teenager or dog for that matter to be scared completely out of their wits and mentally prepare their will, which is exactly what Scooby Doo and his companions were doing at the moment.
Now it seemed as if the waters of the lake were joining with the heavy rain and wind into what looked to be a giant funnel cloud no less. Of course, living in the state of Ohio and in the Midwestern portion of the United States, the cowardly Great Dane and his friends could tell that the funnel cloud, hail, heavy rain and wind were combining into something that Mystery Inc. had seen and encountered many, many times before: a tornado, which is something that no one inside the boat wanted to see.
Fred then decided to get up and walk over to the windows of the boat to observe what was going on outside the boat, and to make sure that nothing else could go wrong with the gang's expedition to the lake, although as he would soon learn, that probably wasn't the best idea in the world.
"Yikes! Look!" Fred shouted.
"Zoinks!" Shaggy declared with a terrified look on his face.
"Jeepers, it's an aquatic tornado!" Daphne shrieked, with an equally horrified look on her face.
"Jinkies, it looks like it's going to tear this boat apart!" Velma added in a panicked tone of voice.
"Oh no, it's not; everybody hang onto something and hope that this boat can withstand a large tornado." Fred explained.
With those words each member of Mystery Inc. spread throughout the small cabin of the sea going vessel while each of the five sleuths took hold of tables, chairs, other furniture and whatever they could get their hands on to brace for the impact that the storm and tornado was for certain going to level on the craft.
As the gang continued to hold on for dear life to whatever items throughout the cabin that they could grasp, their boat was tossed and turned in the waves, while they held on inside the cabin the gang felt like what their clothes went through whenever they were in a dryer, being tossed about like clothes in a dryer as the seas became increasingly choppier.
A very anxious and very nerve-wracking half hour passed inside the cabin, although to Mystery Inc. it seemed more like several hours as the storm continued to batter the small boat. Unbeknownst to Scooby Doo and friends at the time, the storm was beginning to take its toll on the electronic equipment, GPS and Radar systems on the craft, which meant that the Great Dane and his friends would be in serious trouble very soon.
With no GPS, Radar or electronic equipment of any kind, the gang's boat began to hopelessly drift across the lake surface. Because the nearest piece of land or shore several miles away, it seemed as if Scooby Doo and his mystery solving cohorts were going to be spending a lot of time on the lake, a fact that was confirmed when Fred looked outside the windows of the boat and saw that the water craft was not moving a single inch across the lake.
Being stranded in the middle of a lake meant that Scooby Doo and his friends had to pass the time somehow, and without any electronic equipment Mystery Inc. had to figure out non-electronic ways to keep themselves occupied, which wasn't easy.
However, on board the craft there were all manner of board games, magazines, books and playing cards which all five members of Mystery Inc. all took turns using during the time that they were adrift.
Several hours later and after several miles of drifting, from inside the cabin the gang heard and felt the distinctive thump sound that came when a water craft reached land, however Scooby and company looked confused as they stood up from their seats inside the cabin.
They all assumed that the nearest land was miles and miles way, but as they peered out the windows of the boat, they could see a group of pine, fir and other trees, as well as what looked like a beach, in short Mystery Inc. had indeed reached land.
"Jeepers, everybody okay?" Daphne asked.
"Yeah, I think so" Fred replied, holding his head.
"Like it looks like I'm still in one piece" Shaggy remarked.
"Yeah, me too" Velma replied.
"Re roo" Scooby added.
"Like thank goodness we're all OK." Shaggy replied.
"Yeah, you and me both Shaggy." Velma stated.
"Although, like there's still one thing that's bothering me about this whole thing." Shaggy replied.
"What's that Shaggy?" Velma asked.
"Like how on Earth did we get caught in that storm, and where did it come from? And above all of that, what happened to all of us, and where are we?" Shaggy wondered aloud.
"I wish I knew Shaggy, although I wouldn't mind finding the answers to those questions myself." Velma noted.
"I agree with you Velma, how come we were able to find this piece of land when on all of our maps, the nearest land is supposed to be miles and miles away from here" Daphne replied.
"And how did we find this place when all our radar and navigational systems went kaput after the storm started?" Shaggy asked.
"All excellent questions gang, I just wish I had the answers" Fred remarked.
"Well, there's only one thing left to do to find out the answers right Freddie?" Daphne replied.
"Right Daphne, and that's to get off this boat and do some exploring around this place." Fred remarked.
"L-like do we have to? Can't we just send a letter and if no one answers back, then we know this place is okay to explore?" Shaggy replied.
"No Shaggy, we have to physically get off the boat and explore wherever it is that we've landed, now come on." Fred remarked.
At first Shaggy Rogers was a bit reluctant to join Fred and the rest of the gang, but once he realized that Velma might need protecting, he decided to put his fears aside and participate. Of course Shaggy's fears were definitely understandable, for as the gang prepared to depart Daphne's parents' boat, there was a certain air of uncertainty; uncertainty of what the land mass the gang had landed on held, and what kind of creatures could possibly inhibit the group in their survey of it.
With that Fred helped Daphne up from her seat in the cabin, while at the same time Shaggy helped Velma up from her seat inside the cabin. After the four teenagers were standing up, albeit still woozily after their boat crashing into land, Shaggy helped Scooby Doo up and the five young sleuths made sure they weren't missing any body parts or anything similar before they began walking towards the exit of the small craft.
Once Scooby and company had exited the small water craft, the gang got a good chance to survey the landscape of where they had landed. Of course Shaggy took this opportunity to kiss the ground, which probably wasn't the best idea in the world, even though he was glad he and the rest of the gang were on dry land again.
"Like man am I glad we're on good old terra firma" Shaggy said, kissing the grass as he spoke.
"Knock it off Shaggy, you're being silly" Velma replied.
"Sorry Velma; now, like does anybody have any idea where we are?" Shaggy inquired, looking towards the rest of his friends.
"Hmm… judging by our surroundings, it looks like we're on an island of some kind" Fred remarked.
"It certainly looks like that to me." Daphne added.
"It looks that way to me as well. Although to be honest, in all the time I've lived in Ohio, and during all the times I've gone boating with my parents, I never knew this island was here at all." Velma replied.
"Like ditto for me Velma, ditto for me. Like I guess even though we've all lived in Coolsville for all our lives, there are still probably places in town and in the surrounding area that we've probably never even considered visiting or exploring." Shaggy responded.
"That's an interesting thing to say Shaggy. Although I wouldn't agree with you at first because we live in a small town, and usually in small towns everything is pretty well known to every resident of Coolsville." Velma replied.
"Very true Velma, very true." Daphne responded.
"However, considering our little town has a penchant for ghosts and monsters popping up every so often, I'm really not sure if the statement I just shared is truly accurate. Who knows if a ghost or supernatural monster is lurking in some unknown part of the town, waiting to come out of the woodwork at any time." Velma replied, in somewhat of a spooky sounding voice.
"L-like Velma, I really like hanging around you and all, but you have the creepiest ideas." Shaggy remarked, his teeth chattering a bit as he spoke.
"Thank you Shaggy, although I didn't mean to scare you at all. I was just pointing out a simple fact." Velma replied, moving closer to Shaggy so that she could comfort him a little bit.
"Like I know you were Velma. Maybe we should forget about that whole thing for now and concentrate on seeing what's on this island. Which I hope is nothing." The sandy haired teenager remarked.
"I'm a bit conflicted on that one Shaggy. On the one hand, I would love to find a real ghost or monster. I guess it's because I'm so interested in the supernatural and such; although there is a down side to that. If the ghost or supernatural monster or creature is generally frightening or wants to cause us harm, I wouldn't want to find one." The bespectacled brunette replied.
"Too true Velma, too true. Although if we do find one, I'll protect you, no questions asked. And no Scooby Snacks required either." Shaggy explained.
"Wow Shaggy, that's very brave of you. And awfully gallant as well." Velma replied, as she began stroking the chicken hearted teen's cheek.
"Aw, like thanks Velma. And it's always my pleasure; after all, you're my girlfriend, I have to protect you. It's my duty to watch over you, and to make sure nothing will ever happen to you, or that no one ever hurts you." Shaggy responded, while leaning into kiss the blushing Velma on the cheek.
"Thank you again Shaggy, and I know you'll always protect me." Velma replied, smiling as she spoke.
"Well, now that the pleasantries are over with, I guess we better start exploring the island." Shaggy stated.
"Yeah, I guess we better." Fred replied.
"You know, we may have only been on the island for a few minutes. And while I guess we're in uncharted territory so to speak, something about this place feels a little, well, off." Daphne responded.
"How so Daphne?" Fred asked.
"To be totally honest Fred, being on this island makes me feel like one of the castaways from Gilligan's Island." Daphne replied.
"Come on Daph, this is totally different from Gilligan's Island. Although, I wonder if the millionaire from Gilligan's Island felt like this when the castaways on that show landed on their island" Daphne stated.
"Good question Daphne. And come to think of it, Shaggy's questions reminded me of some questions I have…" Fred replied.
"Like what Fred?" Daphne inquired, with a look of uncertainty on her face.
"First, Shaggy did have a point that storm… I mean, how did we get caught in it? And unless I miss my guess, it seemed to come out of nowhere. And now, after surviving that gigantic storm, we end up on a small island that's for all intensive purposes empty… I mean it really doesn't seem to add up doesn't it?" Fred remarked, stroking his chin in a manner that befitted his position of unofficial leader of Mystery Incorporated.
"When you put it that way Freddie, it doesn't." Daphne replied, as she stood still as a statue next to her boyfriend.
By the look on the red head's face, she seemed to have a few thoughts of her own, which Fred definitely noticed, and was curious to hear.
"Daphne, you've got that look on your face haven't you?" the blond asked.
"What look Freddie?" Daphne replied, smiling sweetly at him, as if she had no clue what he was talking about.
"You know what look I'm talking about. I've seen it on your face plenty of times during a mystery… it's a look that says you've got something on your mind huh?" he responded, before the red head smiled back at him and began to share what she was thinking about.
"You know me all too well Freddie, and there is something fishy about this whole situation come to think of it. It's a few things actually; well, mostly things that you mentioned that I find very suspicious. I guess it's just my women's intuition acting up again above anything else." Daphne replied.
"In some cases that's proven to be a dangerous thing, but this time it could help us, go right ahead Daph." Fred responded.
"I'll ignore that first remark. Anyway, what you said Freddie and what Shaggy and Velma were talking about have made me feel like all this was somehow planned. The storm, finding this island, everything." Daphne replied.
"Planned? Daphne, unless someone has some way of artificially creating large storms out of nowhere, and creating islands out of nowhere, I don't see how anyone planned all of this." Velma responded.
"Say what you want about what's happened Velma, but I really think this was preordained somehow. Not only that, but I also have a feeling we're walking straight into someone's trap." Daphne replied, somewhat confidently.
"Trap?" Shaggy asked, with a nervous and frightened look on his face.
"Roh no!" Scooby added, looking as equally nervous and frightened as his master was.
"Relax you two, we're not heading into a trap." Velma replied, in a soothing voice, trying to calm the two of them down.
"Opinions are one thing, girls but actually investigating something to see if it's true is another thing entirely." Fred noted.
"He's right. The only way we're going to find out if someone planned this whole thing, and if there's any life on this island is to explore it." Velma replied.
"Exactly. Come on gang, let's just see for ourselves what we're up against, if anything that is." The blond responded, leading the way as he, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby began walking away from their crashed vessel.
However, as the young sleuths trudged through the sandy beach surface that ringed what looked to be the island's coastline, if it could be called that, they were unaware that a sinister presence was hiding amongst the trees, several hundred feet away.
In truth, the presence was actually flesh and blood, and if the gang were walking close to the trees, which they weren't, they would have heard a distinct sound, similar to a grunt, or growl from what lurked behind the trees.
The presence, or creature as it were, watched the gang with vested interest. His eyes examined the group carefully, scanning every inch of their bodies to see if one, or more then one of them could be used in his master's experiments.
After a few minutes of study, it was clear that his master could definitely use one or more of them, specifically the blond one and the red haired one. It was at that time that the creature decided to move back further from the trees, in order to head back to his home, and inside that home, his master, who Mystery Incorporated was going to meet before the day was over.
Author's Notes: I am truly sorry about the long gap between posting chapters of this story and all my other stories. I'm a bit lazy to tell the truth, and I haven't worked on writing in a while; but I promise this: I will finish this story eventually, and I will finish all my stories eventually.
Thank you to everyone for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoy this chapter and this story.
Also, I hope I wrote that cliff hanger okay; I wanted to introduce the main villain's assistant in this story, but I wasn't sure if I was going to do it sooner rather then later; however, I decided to introduce him now.
In addition to that, there will be more about him in later chapters, as well as the villain of this piece, who has some interesting plans for our favorite teen sleuths and their Great Dane.