Melanie arrived in Flug's plane hangar after a tense ride with her parents in their limo-plane.
"We're here, Senor and Senora de la Muerte," Mr. Ochocinco said just able to conceal the sadness in his voice.
He and Melanie exchanged sad smiles as Melanie's parents climbed out in front of her and immediately exchanged pleasantries with Doctor Flug. They could not say anything but their sad expressions said it all.
"To thine own self be true," Mr. Ochocinco whispered. "You're in my prayers."
"Merci," Melanie whispered back.
"Melanie," Faucheuse called out to her. "Come on out. Dr. Flug wants to see you."
Melanie grabbed her beige knapsack and reluctantly climbed out of the car to see the notorious doctor.
"Hello, Melanie," Flug said solemnly. "Welcome to Black Hat Island. You look…casual…"
Melanie looked away and didn't respond to his snide comment about her clothing.
Her parents were dressed formally while the young teen was wearing jean capris and a black tank top that was covered in a black-hooded jacket with 505 on the back. She wore the hood over her head covering her hair and barely concealing the gold earrings dangling from her ears.
"Alright then, if you will follow me, I'll show you to Black Hat's office," Flug said turning around and walking back to the manor. "May he have mercy on your souls."
Senor de la Muerte gently nudged his daughter's back as she walked just ahead of her parents behind Flug.
Melanie had barely made eye contact with her parents since last night. She gazed up at her father only to see that his fierce gaze remained steady as they made their way to Black Hat's office.
In no time at all, Melanie and her parents made it to Black Hat's office.
"Here, we are," Flug said. "Black Hat said you could just enter whenever you were ready."
"Melanie, be on your best behavior!" her mother hissed.
Melanie sighed. Her mother's tone hadn't changed since last night.
Melanie's father opened the door and they were greeted by the sight of Black Hat's office.
"There, you are!" a shrill feminine voice suddenly yelled from down the hall.
Melanie and her parents gasped as Dementia ran towards them only to be grabbed by a giant Black Hat Butler Bot and carried away amid her protests.
Flug walked in front of them blocking Dementia from making them look bad and laughed nervously.
"Uh, p-pardon her," he stuttered. "Sh-She always gets like that with visitors. Isn't that right, Jefecito?"
The three then turned to the person they were supposed to meet. He stood in the back of the office, behind his desk facing the window. His head turned to face them still holding his hands behind his back.
Melanie's father cleared his throat trying not to show his fear in front of his daughter.
"H-Hola, Señor Black Hat," Santa Muerte said.
"Sit down," Black Hat said. "Now."
Melanie flinched at the sudden presence of his voice, but they did as they were told. Conveniently, three office chairs had been set up in front of Black Hat's desk just for them.
Melanie sat down in a chair on the side furthest from the door, slipped her feet out of her black sandals, crunched up into a ball, folded her arms on top of her knees, laid her head on top of them, and stared blankly ahead with a defiant yet apathetic expression.
Black Hat turned around to look at Melanie and her family and instantly felt a migraine run through his head but managed to keep his composure.
The girl truly had a Divine connection. The situation was as bad as he suspected.
Melanie smiled aware of the pain he was going through. He deserved it and much more.
"Good morning, black demon," Melanie said breaking the silence. "How's it going?"
"Mélanie!" Faucheuse chided with a heavy French accent.
Melanie didn't even flinch. She merely rolled her eyes before looking away in response.
"I apologize," Faucheuse said. "She's been like this all morning."
Black Hat rolled his eyes and faced the parents in question as he sat in his chair.
"Tell me. How long have your families known my organization?" Black Hat asked.
"Generations, of course, sir," Faucheuse replied.
"Then, would your daughter care to explain why she decided to be a hero among generations of villains?" Black Hat asked turning to Melanie who was now playing on her phone.
Melanie looked up from her phone and responded, "I felt called to something much better, so after I was baptized, I decided to become a nun-ja."
"Well, tell us," Santa Muerte said to his daughter putting his hand over her phone. "Who are these 'nun-jas' exactly?"
"I can tell you that," Black Hat replied. "The nun-jas had their start in the 1500s when Catholic missionaries went to Japan. Despite the friendly intentions of the arrivals, the Japanese emperor didn't trust them and had many of them killed in sadistic ways along with their converts…"
Black Hat interrupted his explanation to chuckle to himself and said, "It was hilarious. Anyway, one day, a group of nuns was fleeing to the mountains to escape their persecutors when they found themselves cornered in the woods. They thought all hope was lost until a mysterious group of female ninjas sympathetic to the nuns' plight defeated their attackers in battle. These ninjas and nuns formed an alliance. With the nuns' faith and supernatural connections and the ninjas' skills, they formed the nun-jas. This organization of nuns has spread worldwide as an alternative for nuns who want to be active in the fight against evil. Their mission is to do good without the right hand knowing what the other is doing. They do good without drawing attention, so their organization is very silent about their activities. They operate underground, meet in secret, and have unprecedented levels of encryption to hide their tracks digitally. Girls start training in adolescence or in late childhood under the guidance of senseis, and as they grow in skill and in faith, they grow in ability. Nun-jas are known for their divinely enhanced strength and stamina and sometimes even for divine healing. Not much else is known about their activities or how they function. Trying to get answers out of one is a waste of time. Nun-jas are notoriously resistant to enhanced interrogation methods. They either survive until their interrogators give up or they die with their secrets. They never talk..."
Black Hat flashed a wicked smile at Melanie before he continued, "I can only imagine what a good find you were for them, child. You are the first nun-ja I've ever seen who's part Reaper."
Melanie only glared back in response.
"In other words, they're heroes," Santa Muerte said in despair.
"Exactly," Black Hat replied.
"Oh, where did we go wrong with you, ma fille?" Faucheuse muttered sadly with tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "How could we have let this happen?"
"This is unbelievable," Flug said shaking his head in contempt. "You raised her. You had to have noticed something was going wrong."
"Don't you mean that something was going right?" Melanie added while texting on her phone.
"Shut it," Flug said to her before turning back to her parents. "How could you two have been so negligent? You had to have noticed that she was starting to develop some heroic tendencies."
"She's never had many evil tendencies," Santa Muerte explained. "We thought she'd develop those as she got older, especially as she continued her education at the school where we sent her older sisters."
"And how about at home?" Flug asked.
"She mostly got into fights with her oldest and youngest sisters," Faucheuse answered. "They tend to pick on her behind our backs, but besides that, nothing particularly evil."
"Hmmm…" Flug said rolling down his sleeve and using a gadget on his wrist to pull up a holographic screen. "What can you tell me about this school?"
"Our Lady of Perpetual Gladness?" Faucheuse asked. "Well, we were hoping the harsh rules and administration would help embitter her into becoming a proper villain."
Flug pulled up some information about the school and said after searching for less than a minute, "Well, it appears this school has had a change of administration over the years."
"And what happened?" Santa Muerte asked.
Flug looked through his information and said, "More fair rules, better staff, and kinder teachers. In fact, it looks good enough to pass as a normal Catholic school."
Melanie scoffed and added sarcastically, "I know. I'm happy and I have friends. God forbid..."
"Melanie!" Faucheuse chided.
"Melanie, we want you to be happy, but this is unacceptable!" Santa Muerte added.
"Why?" Melanie asked finally turning around to face her parents. "I am not a member of this dumb organization!"
Black Hat's eyes twitched as he replied, "Dumb?!"
Flug laughed nervously.
Faucheuse yelled, "Melanie, how dare you?! This organization has helped our family time and time again!"
Melanie scoffed as she got to her feet and began her tirade, "Help us?! Like hell! Open up your eyes! They've enslaved you! This demon has enslaved our family for generations! That's what they do to everyone who gives in to their crappy propaganda! Sure, they offer favors and help and might get you something you want now and again. But it's just so they can deceive you into basically giving up your souls and any freedom you had before to make your own decisions! Then, if you ever step out of line or 'fail' them in any way, they have the right to destroy you like you're nothing! The Black Hat Organization hasn't improved our lives, Maman (mom). They've doomed me, my sisters, you, and papa into eternal servitude. Not to mention..."
Melanie now directed her rage towards Black Hat and Flug, "They use their resources to help the genuinely bad monsters who make this world such a cursed place, to begin with! And now, you think I'm just going to pledge my loyalty to you just because my parents have?! There's no way!"
Melanie's eyes began glowing white. Telepathic pulses began flowing out of her head causing all the electronics in the room to malfunction. The lights in the room blinked on and off. Her hood fell back. Her hair began flowing with a supernatural force.
Flug began to visibly panic, but Black Hat continued to sit in his chair with all his composure intact.
Melanie's voice distorted as she directed more of her fury towards Black Hat, "I HAVE HATED THIS GODDAMN ORGANIZATION FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE! I HATE HOW YOU HURT THE INNOCENT! I HATE HOW YOU RUIN THE WORLD! I HATE HOW YOU ENSLAVE PEOPLE LIKE MY PARENTS! I HATE HOW YOU HURT HEROES WHO ARE JUST TRYING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION, AS A FOLLOWER OF THE DIVINE, I HATE YOU AND EVERYTHING YOU STAND FOR! IF YOU THINK THERE'S ANY WAY I'M GOING TO JUST APOLOGIZE AND GET BACK IN LINE, YOU'RE AS DELUDED AS ONE OF YOUR BRAINWASHED EMPLOYEES! AND I DON'T CARE HOW THAT MAKES YOU FEEL! In fact…"
Melanie smirked as she transformed completely into her nun-ja garb, summoned her scythe, and said, "If you want to duke it out now, I'd be glad to. I'm part-reaper. I know how to send bad souls back home…"
"MELANIE!" Santa Muerte yelled. "Stop!"
Melanie calmed down, let her scythe disappear, turned to her parents, and said, "Come on, guys! Don't you see?! This could be our chance to win our family's freedom once and for all. In fact..."
Suddenly, the PA system started playing the opening to "the Gauntlet" by Dropkick Murphys.
"What the…?" Flug asked calling for Dementia with his wrist device.
Melanie jumped on Black Hat's desk and started dancing and singing, "I just got back from a break in the fight! I was weighin' in heavy but still feeling alright. All I hear in the distance, mines and shells! Here come the sirens wailing! Another attack to be repelled…"
Melanie unleashed her wings and started flying back and forth between both of her parents with each lyric, "Do you think we're gonna make it? I don't know unless we try. You could sit here scared to move, or we could take them by surprise. It's submission that they want. It's surrender that they need. When we're doing it their way their aims will be achieved…"
Melanie stopped flying and stood on the tops of their chairs to sing, "They're gonna come when you're not ready. When you're not too well-prepared. They're gonna prey upon your weakness, no man's soul is ever spared. You've got to stand up, yeah, and fight them. Show them what it's all about…"
Melanie gestured to her parents and said, "This man is not for sale. There will be no backing down! Stand up and fight! And I'll stand up with you! We will succeed! Stand up and fight! And I'll stand up with you!"
Dementia broke open the door, saw Melanie standing on the tops of the office chairs, and tried to grab her, but Melanie flew into the air dodging her with a mocking smile as her parents dashed to Black Hat's side to get out of the way.
Melanie continued singing while dodging Dementia's lunges, "They won't get me, they won't get me. Though they never cease to try. They won't get me; they won't get me! I would rather fight and die! They won't get me; they won't get me! Well my friend, will they get you? When they get you, when they get you, you tell me. What are you gonna do?"
Melanie placed her feet on the ceiling, held herself up by her wings to avoid Dementia, and sang, "Do you think we're gonna make it? I don't know unless we try. You could sit here scared to move, or we could take them by surprise. It's submission that they want. It's surrender that they need. When we're doing it their way, their aims will be achieved…"
Meanwhile, Flug pulled up the app to summon the Black Hat bots, but Black Hat whistled to Flug, looked him in the eye, and shook his head. Flug stood there bewildered while he and his boss kept watching.
Dementia crawled up on the wall and began chasing Melanie around the ceiling while she continued to sing, "They're gonna come when you're not ready. When you're not too well-prepared. They're gonna prey upon your weakness, no man's soul is ever spared. You've got to stand up, yeah, and fight them. Show them what it's all about. This girl is not for sale! There will be no backing down! Stand up and fight! And I'll stand up with you! We will succeed! Stand up and fight! And I'll stand up with you!"
During the guitar solo, Melanie swiped her scythe towards Dementia's feet making her jump, and of course, lose her grip on the ceiling causing her to fall on the floor behind the dumbfounded parents.
Melanie then dissolved her wings, flew around on her scythe for the duration of the guitar solo, and landed on Black Hat's desk singing the outro, "Stand up and fight! And I'll stand up with you! We will succeed! Stand up and fight! And I'll stand up with you!"
The music ended. Melanie posed and stood there waiting for her parents to say something.
Finally, Faucheuse spoke, "Melanie, did you forget to take your medicine today? There's something very wrong with you. Your ADHD is out of control."
Melanie's mouth fell open in shock as her outfit and scythe vanished.
Tears formed at the corner of her eyes as she quietly muttered, "What?"
Sante Muerte pulled his daughter off the desk while Black Hat glared angrily.
"Apologies, sir," Santa Muerte said pushing his devastated daughter back into her seat.
"Wait," Flug said. "Your daughter has ADHD?"
"Yes, ever since she was little," Faucheuse explained. "Sometimes, it's hard to keep her under control."
"What is that?" Dementia asked as she stood up and rubbed her head.
"Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder," Flug explained. "It's a mental disorder that causes a person to have little to no control over their focus, their emotions, the amount of energy they have, or their impulses. A person with this disorder is more likely to be reckless."
"But…" Melanie protested timidly.
"We thought we had her disorder under control with medication," Santa Muerte interrupted as he and his wife returned to their seat. "I guess we were wrong. I'm sorry. I suppose we really have been neglecting her."
Black Hat flashed a wicked smile to Flug that allowed him to immediately catch on to his wicked train of thought, "Dr. Flug, is there anything we can do to help this girl?"
"Hmmm…" Flug said scratching the top of his paper bag. "Okay, I'd like to recommend we try something, but we need your permission."
"What is it?" Faucheuse asked.
"I'd like to keep your daughter here for the day under observation," Flug said. "Don't worry. Your daughter will not be harmed at all."
Melanie suddenly snapped out of her stupor feeling the righteous indignation rise inside her and yelled, "No. No! NO! Are you crazy?!"
"The only one being crazy right now is you, Mija!" Santa Muerte retorted. "I think this is exactly what we need. What do you think, dear?"
Faucheuse looked sympathetically at Melanie before turning to Flug and saying, "Yes. Let's see how this goes."
"So, you're going to leave me alone with a crazy lizard lady, a mad scientist, and a demon?!" Melanie asked incredulously.
"Uh, I prefer the term 'evil genius,' Flug replied.
"See? He's not even trying to deny it!" Melanie protested.
"What do we do first, Dr. Flug?" Santa Muerte asked ignoring his daughter's protests.
"Well," Flug said. "If she's going to stay here, why don't you bring some of her belongings? A change of clothes? Maybe some snacks? And of course, her medication. You will be free to call me anytime while she's here."
"We already brought her supplies just in case," Faucheuse said turning to the door. "Monsieur Ochocinco?"
Ochocinco came in sadly carrying Melanie's duffel bag that she still had packed from last night. He gave Melanie an apologetic glance before lowering the duffel bag to the floor, bowing his head, and exiting the room.
"That should have everything she needs," Faucheuse said. "Now, where's that paperwork?"
Black Hat summoned some check-in paperwork onto his desk and said, "I just need both parents to sign off on this."
Flug glanced over the papers on the desk and said, "Yes, sign these papers authorizing us to have custody of your daughter until tomorrow morning. Then list all her current allergies and medication. And agree that we are authorized to care for her. AndthatsheisnowownedbodyandsoulbyBlackHat.
"Bull!" Melanie yelled. "I know how your stupid contracts work. I can only make that agreement for myself."
"You heard that?" Flug asked in surprise.
"Yes," Faucheuse explained while looking up from reading the paperwork. "Her disorder makes her more sensitive to sound and other stimuli."
"Maman, arrête (Mom, stop it)," Melanie protested in French. "Il va me blesser avec ton information (He is going to hurt me with your information)."
"Ça ira, Mélanie, » Faucheuse reassured. « Ça ira. Je te promets (It will be okay, Mélanie. It will be okay. I promise)."
« Tu sais que c'est un mensonge! (You know that's a lie!)" Melanie protested.
"Melanie, we're not giving you a choice!" Santa Muerte chimed in. "¡Esto es para tu propio bien! (This is for your own good!)"
"I seriously doubt that!" Melanie protested. "Why are you doing this?! Why can't you just accept me for who I am?! I'm not evil. So what?!"
"It's one thing to not be evil, but it's a whole other thing to be a hero!" Faucheuse argued. "We still accept that you're our daughter and we want to help you!"
"But I love being a hero!" Melanie cried. "I love serving the Lord. I love my nun-ja sisters! I love helping people! It's who I am! There's nothing wrong with me! I don't need help."
"I'd beg to differ," Black Hat chimed in.
Faucheuse began tearing up and said, "Oh, what did we do wrong? She really is completely a hero."
Santa Muerte held his wife and said, "Ya, mi Amor (Now, my love), don't cry. This is why we're here."
"Don't worry," Flug reassured. "Melanie will be in our capable hands."
"No…" Melanie said with the tears flowing steadily out of her eyes.
Faucheuse pulled her daughter into a hug and said, "Don't worry, sweetie. Once you're re-educated, you will be much happier."
"I seriously doubt that!" Melanie yelled pushing her mother off her.
"Oh, honey, maybe this is a bad idea," Faucheuse said to her husband giving her daughter another hug. "Look at how upset she's getting."
"If the school refused to be hard on her, we must be in their place," Santa Muerte said to his wife before looking at his daughter. "Lo Siento, (I'm sorry) Melanie."
"Emotional outbursts and tears are very common at this stage," Flug reassured. "Fixing her medication might help."
"Of course," Santa Muerte replied picking up the pen to sign the document. "We will do what we can."
Melanie broke out of her mother's arms, got into Flug's face, and yelled, "You're not going to treat me like a damn guinea pig!"
"That medicine helps you stay calm and focused, instead of jumping around the office like you just did," Santa Muerte argued as he signed the documents and handed the pen to his wife. "We are not treating you as a guinea pig."
"Of course, we're not! You shall be treated as our guest..." Black Hat said with a mischievous smile. "…who can't leave for the day."
Melanie glared at Black Hat and then looked back in horror as her mother also signed the documents.
"I'm glad we could come up with a solution for you," Black Hat said.
Flug pressed a button on his watch calling 505 and asked, "505, would you come to Black Hat's office to help us escort a new patient?"
505 answered with affirmative grunts as Flug ended the call.
Melanie's parents encircled her in a hug as tears filled up her eyes.
"Now, remember to keep your phone charged," Santa Muerte said before giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "We'll be calling you after every meal and before you go to bed. Te Quiero. (I love you.)"
"Be sure to listen to Dr. Flug and Mr. Black Hat, ma fille," Faucheuse said kissing her daughter on the other cheek. "Be a good girl and text us if you need to talk. Ca ira, Melanie. Je t'aime aussi. (It will be okay, Melanie. I love you, too.)"
"Traitors," Melanie managed to get out through her tears.
Black Hat rolled his eyes and whispered to Flug, "Why do these parents always have to make it so dramatic?"
"We'll come back in the morning, Melanie," Santa Muerte said.
"505 will escort you, your daughter, and luggage to…" Flug paused. "Hey, Jefe! Which room are we giving Melanie?"
"That newly refurbished one, you fool!" Black Hat replied. "You know the one that used to be for…"
"Ohhh..." Flug said understanding immediately. "That one. Okay."
Melanie scowled at Flug and said, "If you think I'm going to willingly stay here, you've got another thing com-…"
Melanie paused when 505 appeared in the doorway.
"There, you are, 505," Flug said happily. "I'd like you to take Melanie to her room. She's going to be..."
Flug was interrupted by Melanie squealing joyfully at the top of her lungs.
"OH, MY GOSH! OH, MY GOSH! OH, MY GOSH! IT'S 505!" Melanie squealed phasing through her parents' embrace with her Reaper powers, dashing past her chair to grab her shoes and purse, and running over to the confused blue bear. "You're my favorite gamer ever! I'm a huge fan! I'm Melanie de la Muerte! I watch all your streams! I've seen all your videos! You're so cool! I can't believe I get to meet you in person! This is simultaneously the worst and best day of my entire life! Can I take a selfie with you please?!"
505 smiled and nodded.
Melanie and 505 squished their faces together to take a series of selfie pictures on Melanie's phone.
"Thank you!" Melanie began chattering happily. "I'm totally being forced to stay here against my will. I got in trouble for being a hero, so now, I have to be 'observed,' but having you here makes it like a billion times better already…"
Without warning, Melanie wrapped her arms as wide as she could around 505's torso giving the bear a big hug.
"God bless you!" Melanie said warmly hugging the dumbfounded bear for a moment before she paused, let go, and anxiously made herself step away. "Oh, I'm sorry. I should have asked first. I can be a bit over-eager and I know not everyone likes hugs and my parents get onto me about being awkward like that so..."
505 smiled and held Melanie in a warm embrace interrupting her nervous ramble.
"Awww! You really are the sweetest bear ever!" Melanie said with relief in her voice before remembering something important and jumping out of 505's arms. "Hey! Your games are all here and you're streaming today, right?!"
505 responded with a nod.
Melanie gasped and said, "Can I join you?! Do you mind?!"
505 excitedly nodded enjoying the attention this girl was freely giving him. He got on all fours and signaled for her to ride on his back.
"Oh, my gosh! I can't believe this is happening!" Melanie yelled excitedly dropping her phone in her purse, putting her knapsack on her back, quickly hugging her parents, and climbing onto 505's back. "This is so cool!"
505 began frolicking down the hall as all the dumbfounded villains crowded around the doorway and watched bear ride away with Melanie.
"Bye, Mom and Dad!" Melanie yelled as she and 505 disappeared down the hall. "I'll see you tomorrow! This is going to be one of the greatest days of my life! I have to tell all my friends!"
Everyone continued to stand there until Melanie and 505 had vanished.