HA-HA! TAKE THAT, ALGEBRA 2 TRIG!
...well, for two hours, anyway.
Last time on Care Bears Z, Tiara got through the first day of her first case! She is on the right track to getting Andrea Siontz proven innocent, but until Mr. Atkin's wallet is found and the final witness testifies, no conclusion can be drawn! To top the pressure off, Tiara receives an urgent phone call from Niall, who has news of something bad going down in the city! Just what is happening, and could it have something to do with No Heart's previous behavior? Find out here in Care Bears Z Episode 14: Games Villains Play!
~Z~
"Are you absolutely certain you know what you're talking about?" Mr. Jossburg squinted at No Heart. The wizard absently waved a hand in his direction.
"I have thought this out quite thoroughly, I assure you. As long as you play your part correctly, there will be no mishaps."
"I still don't see how this," the human man held up a small, carved wooden tool that looked a bit like a musical instrument. "Is going to change anything about those people…"
"I told you," No Heart said patiently. "The objective in this mission is to open their eyes, so to speak. When you play this flute at the exact time I told you, you will see what I mean." No Heart peered into his simmering cauldron, paying no mind to the man shooting him a puzzled look.
"Well, I'll be going then," Jossburg said slowly. "If this will truly reveal Hart for who he really is…" he trailed off as he left the room to get ready for work. As he rounded the corner, Shrieky entered the room, hand on her hip.
"I'm due in court, No Heart," she said. "Tomorrow, just like we planned."
"Yes…" the evil wizard's voice seemed distant, as if he wasn't really listening to what she had to say. "Everything is going according to plan."
"...It's almost surprising that they haven't figured it out yet," Shrieky remarked, glancing over her shoulder at the door. "You'd think they would realize it."
"It's still early," No Heart said distractedly. "Perhaps this part of the truth has not become clear to them yet. It will in time, surely...and when it does…" he trailed off, and Shrieky cast an inquiring glance at him.
"...I'm going out," she said, though she had no real reason to. No Heart didn't bother looking up at her. She opened the front door of the Jossburg house and stepped into the early morning.
When she got outside, she pulled her magic mirror from a fold in her dress. Looking into it, she saw not her own face, but a vision of the castle above Lake Erie. She sighed.
"Mirror, mirror, magic mirror...transport."
Without a sound, and with only the tiniest of light flashes, she was gone. She appeared again on the other side of the state, just in front of the castle doors. She pushed it open and scowled at a few shadows looming above the entrance. They scattered, and she continued into the old building. Her footsteps echoed through the stone corridors. Finally, Shrieky came to the repaired cellar stairs. She descended them with only a moment's hesitation. When she entered the room she immediately crossed to the far wall and tapped a single stone. It seemed to ripple, and within seconds the surrounding bricks moved aside and revealed a room with only the tiniest bit of candlelight inside. Even with the dim lighting, Shrieky could make out a hulking figure in the furthest corner of the room.
"You're in here sulking again," the words were not a question; more like an uninterested statement. "Don't forget we have work to do tomorrow."
"..." the figure shifted, but didn't say a word. Shrieky stared at the corner for a few moments before turning her head with a scoff.
"Make sure you're on time…" she said as she turned back to the enchanted wall leading into the room. She tapped the same brick and the arch opened, and she cast only one glance over her shoulder before leaving. Inside the room, Beastly turned his eyes to the wall. The yellow orbs glistened slightly in the flickering candlelight before they closed tightly.
~Z~
"One more hour," Niall sighed. He looked back at the clock; it would be his lunch break pretty soon. He wondered how Tiara was doing with the case...she had been a near complete ball of nervous energy that morning, both excited and anxious for the trial to come. A small smile tugged on his lips. Of course she was doing great.
A motion just outside the door of his cubicle caught his eye. It had been fast; too fast to simply be a speedwalking office assistant. Not only that, the silhouette had seemed remotely familiar...with a raised eyebrow, Niall leaned over to look out at the hall. There was no-one out, not even at the water cooler at the other end of the hallway.
Curiosity began to get the better of him. Niall got out of his chair and looked out at the opposite end of the hall, where he'd seen the figure run to. There was nothing at first...then he saw it. It was the faintest shadow, appearing just around the corner, indicating that its owner was standing around the bend, in the dead-end hall where the copier was. Niall frowned; despite the normalcy of someone at the copier, he couldn't shake the feeling of suspicion. Looking left and right down the hall, he stepped out of his cube and started down the hallway. He had just rounded the corner when he stopped short.
"Figures," a nasally voice scoffed. "You're always poking your nose into things where it doesn't belong."
"Mr...Jossburg?" Niall blinked in surprise. Said man was standing in front of the copier, his back to Niall. "What are you doing?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jossburg's voice was dripping with disdain. "You don't need to meddle in my business, Hart. Though I suppose once this is over, it'll be your business too."
"I...what are you talking about?" Niall frowned as a thought struck his mind. "I've been meaning to ask you something, you know. What was that all about the other night? Do you have any idea what No Heart is like? What are you doing with him?"
"You might say we're working on something very special," Jossburg sniffed. "Not that information about that will benefit you." Niall's frown threatened to darken into a scowl at the other man's uppity tone.
"No Heart is bad news, Arnold," he said. Jossburg blinked, caught off guard by the use of his first name. "He's evil, and he's just using you!"
"He said you might tell me that," Arnold sneered. "And you know what, Hart? I've had enough of you and your lies."
"Lies? Do you even know what you're saying?" Niall shook his head in puzzlement. "What has No Heart been-
"I'd love to continue this conversation," Jossburg interjected sharply. "but I have business to attend to. I suggest you step aside, Hart."
Before Niall could utter another word, Arnold raised a small wooden instrument to his lips. He blew into it, and from the little flute came a shrill tone, almost too strange to be put into words. It was like a bell in some ways, like a chime in others, and yet there was an underlying sound that seemed to be a sort of screech. Niall wanted to cover his ears, but he was frozen in shock.
Darkness had rolled over the windows of the office. It was nearly pitch black, and he could hear confused voices coming from the main halls of the building. What had happened? A storm? An eclipse? Niall was about to voice his opinion when he saw them...glaring red pinpricks dotting the dark mass outside the windows.
"Shadows…" he breathed. He looked to Jossburg, but the other man did nothing. He seemed frozen; not out of fear, but completely inanimate. He stood stock still, the wooden whistle still touched to his lips. Niall blinked slowly, feeling something warm on his leg. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Care pen, as he had come to call it. It was pulsing brightly with an eerie purple glow. He heard a squeak and looked up to see Heart Buddy flying toward him. It was also then that he realized that the building had gone silent. He couldn't hear a single voice, despite the cacophony of sounds that had been present not two seconds ago.
"What in the world is going on?" he whispered to himself before clicking his pen. In a flash of light he had changed into his Noble Heart form. Gripping the pen and casting a glance at Heart Buddy, he started back the down the hall to the nearest elevator. Upon reaching it, however, He was met with an extremely disheartening sight. There was a scene that anywhere else would have looked like a movie still. People were on the elevator, getting off and on, with some even stopped midway through the doors. None of them moved an inch, not even when Niall tried to get their attention. Heart Buddy floated up to their faces, zipping around, and even tugging at their clothes and hair.
"Whatever that whistle was must've caused this," Niall stepped back again. "It called the shadows and somehow froze time...what the heck is No Heart trying to do?" he looked back out the window at the shadows. They didn't move, but for some reason he knew they were still in play, though what they were waiting for he couldn't determine. It could only be trouble, of course.
"Maybe…" the blue-haired main glanced down at his pen. "Maybe a stare will cause something?" He looked at Heart Buddy, who bobbed up and down as if to shrug. Niall set his jaw, then raised his pen to the air. He concentrated on his good feelings - the friendly affection for his coworkers and the determination to rescue them from whatever No Heart had done - and channeled it through his being. Bright light filled the room, making Heart Buddy close its eyes. The shadows outside didn't waver.
When the light finally diminished, Niall got the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. A sharp, windy sound rushed by his ears, and he saw three things at once. The dimness caused by the cloud of shadows reverted to its bright midday state. Several black shapes flew past him toward the people around him. Finally, everyone present began to move once more.
Their movements, however, were a very, very bad sign for Niall. They all turned to him, with unsettling glares that seemed to color their eyes strikingly red. Only then did the guardian of caring realize what had just occurred, and as a result set into the most defensive stance he could take. Heart Buddy circled his head before coming to a hover right beside his shoulder. He could see the little creature shivering out the corner of his eye. He narrowed his eyes.
"It is him!"
The familiar voice made Niall turn back toward the dead-end hallway. Jossburg was stalking toward him, his eyes the same eerie red as the other people around him.
"...I don't think we're very welcome here, Heart Buddy," he gasped, backing away slightly as the angry-looking crowd approached him. "Let's get a move on!"
Niall backpedaled, not trusting the crowd enough to turn his back on them. He fumbled for the door to the stairwell with his free hand, and with the one wielding his pen he shot another beam of light at the mob. The ones at the front seemed to stall, blinking in irritation before advancing again. It was then that everything clicked in his head.
"The shadows! So they've been...possessed?" He thought aloud breathlessly as he raced down the stairs, Heart Buddy flying right next to him and the shadow-controlled people not far behind. "But there were easily way more shadows outside than people on this floor...where did the others go?"
He paused for only a second.
"Oh...no."
With more speed than ever, Niall rushed out of the stairwell and to the most secluded corner he could find and frantically searched his pockets. He cursed mildly under his breath when he didn't find his phone. He heard several shouts not too far away from him.
"Find him!"
"For Master No Heart!"
"Focus!" He heard Jossburg's voice ring louder above the others. "Use the human bodies to your advantage! He may have gone out, into the light!"
Niall edged closer and closer to the main lobby. He was close to the door; so close he could see the glare of the sunlight as it passed through the glass. All he had to do was get out before they saw him...as he looked over at the mob of workers, he tried to calculate just how fast and how silently he could run out before one of them had the chance of seeing him from their angle, which blocked their view of him but exposed two people to the one door he would have to run by. Niall gritted his teeth, then heard the softest of squeaks near his ear. He turned to see Heart Buddy gesturing around, first bobbing up, then moving toward the crowd.
"You'll...distract them?" Niall gazed at the little creature, who bobbed up and down eagerly. It smiled in determination, and Niall couldn't help but smile back at the little heart's resolve.
"Thank you," he whispered. "Be careful, okay?"
The Heart Buddy nodded. It flew a wide, silent circle around the wall they had just come around, floating toward the two people in his way, a man and a woman. In an almost humorously casual manner, smacked the back of the man's head.
"What?" he whipped around. "Ah! It is a Sprite!"
"It's HIS Sprite!" a woman called. Get it; make it lead us to him!" she turned to the man. Niall seized the opportunity, and sprinted for the lobby.
"How do you want me to do that?!"
"Figure it out yourself!"
"STOP!" Jossburg growled. "Grab that little...what?" he turned around, the shadow's increased vision catching the fluctuation of the sunlight coming through the door. He whipped around just in time to see a flash of purple go down the street. "You've been tricked! There he goes After him!"
~Z~
"Phone, phone, phone…" Niall muttered as he scoured the streets. He was painfully aware of how he must look; running through Philadelphia donned in such a seemingly insane outfit. Thankfully, while street performers of the acting variety weren't very common until the summer or winter, they could be seen at times, and he cast off the thoughts with the reasoning that any onlooker would think he was some actor. After a few breathless moments, he managed to find a payphone. He didn't need to turn his head to see if he had any pursuers; he could hear the shouts and screams. Hastily he dug back into his pockets; there was just barely enough change for a call. He pushed them into the coin slot and punched in his wife's cell number.
~Z~
"HOW many shadows?" Tiara asked, already heading for her car. She opened the driver's door and tossed her purse into the passenger seat. Star Buddy, who had been napping away in the backseat, got up groggily.
"A lot, but they were all clustered together," Niall's voice came over the line. "About half of them came into the building and got to the workers there; possessed them or something. I-argh!" Tiara heard a solid thump on the other end. She buckled her seatbelt.
"I'll be there as soon as I can," she said.
"No, wait!" Niall shouted, the tiniest bit of static crackling into the conversation. "I don't know where the rest of the shadows went, but I have a guess, and if I'm right then things are NOT going to be good!"
"What do you…" Tiara started. Then she dropped the phone. Her mouth in a grim line, she gripped the steering wheel and backed out of the parking lot, leaving the courthouse grounds and going as fast as she could toward Carenburg High School. She didn't think of hanging up the phone, though it didn't matter, as Niall had dropped the speaker to fend off the shadow-possessed workers surrounding the booth.
~Z~
"It's a shame they don't let everyone get out early," Lisa sighed, gazing at the clock on the wall of the English class. "I wanted to watch the practice one more time. Maybe I should've taken cheerleading instead of dance…"
"I think dance suits you better," Terrence said honestly; he had sat right next to her today, much to Preston's amusement (Benjamin, a part of the team, had left along with Chris, Charity, and a few others). Then he looked up in concern. "N-not that you wouldn't be good at cheerleading, but…"
"Hehe, it's alright," Lisa smiled. "I guess I've always been more into pirouettes than pyramids." Terrence smiled at her joke; it lasted on his face for longer than it should have, and he cleared his throat.
"...You know, I'm glad I came here," Lisa said. "For a while my parents wanted to send me to Albert Lexie."
"The private school?" Terrence asked. He immediately wanted to facepalm; there was only one place around with the title Albert Lexie, and it was the private school on the other side of town. Lisa was unfazed by his apparent blunder.
"Yeah, that's the one," she said, looking down at the ground. "At first I kind of liked the idea, being like, elite of the elite, doing all that cool prep stuff, y'know? But I guess I just wanted to be closer to my friends, and see them more than just on weekends and stuff," she looked back at Terrence with laughter in her eyes. "Besides, even if the uniforms aren't all bad, they're just not me."
"Uhh, do you guys get the last two?" Preston took the pause between them to ask, pointing his pencil at the last two questions on the worksheet they had been given.
"Ooh, can you help me out with that last one, too?" a girl with short, blonde hair cut into a bob and adorned with a blue headband chimed in. She was a little chubby, but charmingly so; her round face and warm brown eyes were inviting. "Is it supposed to be an intensive or reflexive pronoun?"
"That's a...reflexive," Terrence confirmed, looking over the sentence. "Because it's saying that she made it herself. Intensive would be; the author herself made the cover art."
"Oh, okay, thanks."
"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere, Trisha?" Preston asked, looking at the blond girl. She tilted her head, making her hair brush against her puff-sleeved shirt. She frowned, blinked, and finally gasped in realization.
"Darn it! I was supposed to set up the food!" She got up from the table. "I gotta go. I hope Liam hasn't done everything himself already…" with that, she left to go get a pass.
"Even concession stand runners get out before us," Lisa complained. "Why can't this period be over already?"
"I guess we'll just have to wait for…" Terrence trailed off, gazing at the window. Lisa blinked before following his gaze. She held back a gasp of shock.
Star Buddy was hovering at the window, zipping around frantically.
Not far behind it was a mass of glaring shadows.