Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H. This is a work of fan fiction.
Season Three Episode Nine: "Xanatos" Chapter Three
At lunchtime, everyone gathered together outside. Irma plopped down on the ground next to Martin, opened a soda, and said "Okay, we've waited long enough. What's this big realization you've had about Neera's plans?"
Everyone looked at Martin. Not used to being on the spot, he swallowed hard and began. "It's called a Xanatos Gambit. It's kind of hard to explain with just a definition, so I'll give an example if that's okay."
"Example's fine Martin." Will said. "Go ahead."
"Okay… Imagine you're a villain. You have some big, overarching plan of action that you want to achieve for your goals. But you can't do it yourself, because there's one part of the plan, one needed ingredient, that you simply cannot supply on your own. Your opponents do have the ability to do the thing you need, but they'll never knowingly do it for you. So, you create an elaborate series of secondary plans which look like real plots. Your opponents, the heroes in this story, then move in to stop your fake plot, and in the process of stopping it, unwittingly do the very thing you really need them to do."
Taranee said, "You're saying Neera's only after our friends and family as a side plot to help some other real goal?"
"Assuming I'm right, yes. A properly executed Xanatos Gambit has two layers to it. The first is the part about tricking your opposite number into helping you. But the second part is, the little side plots are set up in such a way, that if the good guys don't succeed in stopping it, your big plan is helped a lot, but even if they do stop that one plot, the big main plan is still somehow helped out at least a little."
"You keep referring to this as something only a villain can pull off…" Matt started to say.
Martin interrupted, "Not at all. Technically the good guys can pull one off too. It's just that, well, to really make this concept work you need to be ruthless. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes, without moral boundaries. So it's harder for someone on the side of good to make it work."
Caleb said, "We're assuming here. Martin might be wrong."
Cornelia agreed with her boyfriend, but Will said "No. He's right. Somehow this feels right." Elyon and Hay Lin agreed with Will.
"Okay," Irma said to Martin, "If you're right about this, how do we counter it? What can we do to break Neera's plans and put a stop to her?"
Martin sighed deeply. "I'm not sure you can. At least not during this phase. The only way to break a Xanatos Gambit is to figure out exactly what the gambit planner wants you to do, and exactly why they want you to do it, and then do the precise opposite instead."
"But the precise opposite would probably include not protecting our families!"
"Yeah. That's another reason this type of thing doesn't work as well for the good guys. The bad guys aren't likely to have moral qualms about ignoring threats to their families, for example"
Varthan. Neera, Aljax, and Garix watched the Guardians' meeting. "This Martin Tubbs is too smart by half." Aljax said. "It's really too bad we weren't able to eliminate him."
"Indeed." Neera agreed. "But it's really no matter."
"No matter? Mother, they are uncovering our strategy!" Garix shouted.
"Irrelevant. Calm yourself my son. They've found only the basics. The details elude them, and will until it is too late."
Back at Sheffield, Taranee said "Even if we can't change our behavior enough to stop Neera's plans, we should still try to figure out exactly what she wants from us. It can only help."
"Good plan." Miranda agreed. "I think what you need to do is ask yourselves, 'what has every single one of Neera's attacks had in common? What is always the same about how you react to those plans?"
"What's always the same?" Hay Lin mused. "We always have to use our powers!"
Martin said, "Good start, but not enough. If that's all she wants, there are much easier ways to get it. Safer ways too. From what Irma tells me of how the rules they follow work, they took a risk coming after me the way they did."
Caleb snapped his fingers. "Emotions!" he exclaimed. Everyone looked at him waiting for an explanation…
Judas fumed as he finally left the principal's office. Four weeks detention. Oh well, he'd had worse. As he walked towards the cafeteria, hoping there was something left to eat, he saw Uriah down a cross hallway. Moving quietly, he crept up behind him and struck the boy hard across the back of the head. Uriah went down hard, but didn't pass out. "What was that for?" he demanded.
"For screwing up with the locker you dip! The lock didn't work, Tubbs got free on his own."
"What? How? I tell you man, I checked that lock over, it was fine!"
"Whatever man. Let's go meet the girls for what's left of lunch."
"Sounds good. So what's the deal with you and Sandra? You don't seem like the type to fall in love with anyone."
"I'm not. I don't love her, she's just cute to keep around. Truth is, I don't feel anything towards anyone. Except maybe hate. Yeah, I hate her, I hate you, I even hate myself. It's the only real feeling in this world man." At a loss of what to say, Uriah remained quiet for once.
"Emotion…" Cornelia prompted Caleb to continue.
"I was just thinking. There's a lot of magic that uses the energy from different types of emotions, both positive and negative. Maybe Neera needs you to feel something while using your powers, and then she collects it for some use."
Miranda said, "That's plausible. Phobos used to do that kind of thing a lot."
Matt looked at Will. "What do you think? How's the Heart reacting to this type of talk?"
"Oddly. I get the feeling that Caleb is technically wrong about Neera wanting emotions for casting magic, but on the right track about emotions being what she wants. Especially negative emotions. When she had mom, I felt anger, sadness, fear, even a little rage and hate. I think she wants something with that. But what?"