Author´s note: A hard chapter ahead and a lot of things that are about to change. Ideas for my Season 2 are more than welcome. And don´t worry, we still have at least one or two more chapters ahead. Lyrics belong to Trading Yesterday. Oh, and thank you Izzy and thank you Luna!
Let´s go!
12. White Knight. Check Mate
1 Hour before
The cave is dark and he can hardly see but Scooby walks silently towards the only light he can see until a voice echoes through the walls.
"Pericles!" screeches the sound of the voice of the Freak.
"Vhat? You veen out dere for hours! I told you to vring de dog. Now vhere is he?" the parrot is surely pissed off.
"In the asylum. Piece missing"
"Dis cannot ve. Jones, you Arschloch! You haf lost our vay to de treasure!" Jones?! The Freak takes off his mask and the whole gang holds its breath. Mayor Jones is the Freak?!
"Is not my fault if Stone does not do his job properly"
"Course it is! You hired him!"
"Dad? But, but, you... you were..." Fred is in shock.
"Kidnapped? Yes. Pericles gave me quite a fright but after that we both left the house and pretended that I was missing" there´s a cruel smile in his face. "See, Fred? You´re not the only one who can put traps in this town"
"But, but..."
"Enouf. I vant dat silly dog and de disk piece. You are as useless as Ricky!" barks the parrot.
"Don´t you dare compare me with your old master. Those kids knew nothing of me back then and they are still clueless"
"You scared them out just for some treasure?" Velma frowns.
"I´ve been all my life after that fortune" Scooby is about to growl at the mayor but he concentrates and moves slowly towards his friends.
"You cannot do this! People will get hurt!" Daphne cries.
"De laws of celestial mechanics dictate dat vhen two objects collide, dere's always damage on a collateral nature" smiles Pericles. (Moriarty´s quote. Need to put that one) "Still, you kinder are still my vait. Scooby vill come. Of dat I´m sure"
"Oh, yeah? Like, how?" Shaggy does not notice that Scooby has just unleashed him while a hidden Ed Machine deals with the rest of the gang.
"You are familiar vith Schubert's vork? De Trout is one of my favorite pieces. A fisherman grows veary of trying to catch an elusive fish. So he muddies de water, confuses de fish. It does not realize until is too late that it has swum into a trap" this time Fred does not snap, he´s too shocked. (Again, Moriarty. XD)
"Ri ron´t rink so" Scooby stands before the parrot.
"Vell, vell. My dear colleague is here. Haf you vrought de piece?" Scooby gives him the leather bag. "Good. Now we shall finish this" Pericles grabs the vial while the gang looks defeated.
"Ri´ve got a ressage for you"
"For me? How gentle of you. From vho?"
"Ror cousin Pike"
"Langdale? Ve used to play chess togeder vut even if he´s playing in dis game, he´s surely losing. Vhat´s de message?"
"Rishop ro rishop eight...riscover check...rand rincidentally...rate"
"Check mate? He´s surely vluffing" Pericles chuckles and opens the bag, but inside there´s no piece, only a notebook. The confused bird flips the pages and a drawing comes to life. A little parrot fishing for a trout who turns to be a shark that eats the bird whole and says `Be careful what you fish for´. Pike has tricked him. "No, no, NEIN! Scheiße! You cannot fool me! You are just a common mutt vhose vrain cannot ve compared to mine" he angrily throws the vial, breaking it against the rocks and its content falls into the water.
(30 Minutes before)
"Well, man. Like you just got owned!" giggles Shaggy who stands up along with the rest of the gang.
"And like it or not, this is CHECK MATE"
"You haven´t win. Fred, listen to me..." intervenes Jones.
"Why should I? All these years, my life... LIES!"
"Maybe we can talk this out" whimpers the man.
"All this time, you weren´t just trying to keep us from tourism but you were also doing it so we didn´t interfere with your Freak plan" Velma walks towards him.
"Yeah!" Scooby walks with his friends.
"Listen, how about a trade, hu? We share the treasure and then..."
"Novody is sharing MY treasure!" they all glance at Pericles who´s ready to trigger the trap set on the pile of bones. "I varned you kids to forget avout dis mystery vut you didn´t listen. So I vill now do vhat I should haf done vith you earlier" the bird starts the trap and the water starts to come in.
(20 Minutes before)
"THIS WAY!" cries Ed Machine and they all follow him towards the exit but they never reach it. Where the vial felt, rises the large Nidhogg who roars, wails and hisses towards them. The CEO notices then that the eel has covered the exit with his body, they are trapped! "You kids go ahead, I´ll try to distract him!"
"But..."
"Just do it!" the man throws a stone at the large beast who goes after the man, Pericles and Jones who gets away by some hidden passage while the water keeps coming in. The gang looks around, trying to find an exit. The ceiling crumbles as they run towards what it seems like a way out but Nidhogg splashes and the water catches them up. They are about to be trapped into the walls.
(5 Minutes before)
"Like, man! This is the end!" Shaggy hugs his best friend.
"Rhaggy!"
"There must be something we can do!" Velma tries to stay in the surface.
"Freddy!"
"I´m here, Daph!" he hugs her. The water suddenly changes its direction and they are pulled into the mouth of the eel. Fred and Daphne grab to a rock but are quickly pulled and then pushed into the crystal walls where they become shadow like figures, smoke and light. Shaggy tries to save Velma.
(4 minutes before)
"Shaggy, don´t you dare let me go!"
"Like, I won´t" he pulls with all his might but the water makes her hands slippery and the girl is finally dragged into the crystal. The eel roars and a wave catches Shaggy. Scooby grabs him and tries to head for the exit but that only helps Nidhogg who is about to push them both into the walls. "Scoob! Like, you have to let go!"
(2 minutes before)
"RO!"
"Scoob, like if you don´t, we will both be trapped. U want to save the gang?"
"Reah!"
"Then do it, man"
"Raggy"
"Is OK, Scoob" he smiles. "Who's your best buddy?"
"Raggy"
"That's right. And who's my best buddy in the whole wide world?"
"Rooby Doo"
(60 seconds before)
"Right again, pal. Like, we´re to be together forever. OK, so this is a bit of Later but, like, I will always be your best friend and you, mine. That will never change"
"Raggy"
"Like, I know you will find me no matter what happens" the water pulls hard. Scooby whimpers and a new wave makes Shaggy´s hand let go. The dog cries and whimpers but the water covers him and washes him to the exit while Nidhogg swims back into the darkness.
02:00 A. M.
Scooby stands on the rocks before the entrance of the caves. He´s totally alone. A gentle rain keeps falling as the sounds over the cliff, near the Spanish Church take over. He can hear the sheriff´s police car, the shouts, the calls. The red siren lights hovering through the coming mist.
But Scooby doesn´t care. At least, not for now.
Before him, the great Jormungard shows its toothy smile. They both know what has happened and now the question is where will they go from here. The Dane then hears Casssidy´s voice, that might be his cue. The snake gently brushes its muzzle against the dog while he leans on the scaly face. They both know that somehow, they wanted to see each other but today is a sad day, for both.
Tears run down the Dane´s face mixed with the rain drops until the great asp takes him with the woman. There is nothing else they can do for now, but leave town. The dog sees the parrot´s flying figure in the distance and barks, shouts and cries but no use.
When the car´s engine starts and they drive away, Scooby has the feeling that the longest night of all started when Mayor Jones suddenly disappeared.
Somewhere in the night, a long howl is heard and Ricky has tears in his eyes as he softly wakes in the hospital.
"Blinding darkness surrounds me
and I am reaching for you only
this hopelessness that drowns
all that I believe
will be the one thing that I need
for you only.
there's a hunger it's slowly growing
chasing shadows but never knowing
if all that I have done
is keeping me from you
than can the arms of mercy bring the rescue
to return to you
but I'm so far
but I'm so far
But I'm so far
so far from home
so far from home
keep on running,
farther, faster
and keep on searching
for this haunting has an answer
and I know you will find me in orbit
for I am breathing only for this
for you only
for you only
for you
but I'm so far
But I'm so far
but I'm so far
so far from home
so far from home, yeah
I am so far, so far
so far from home.
so far from home"
OMG!
Poor Scooby! Poor Shaggy!
Was Pike right and we will see the gang again?
What will our friends do now?
Oh, and before you freak out. No, nobody has died.
Next Clue: Far From Home