Warning: This chapter contains talks of suicide.
Three days hadn't even passed, and things were already falling apart on the ship. Father Darkness and his team had the first piece. And to make things worse, Trixie had been possessed by Father Darkness, and Jorgen was in denial. Jimmy was looking into a possible way to stop the mind control from happening. AJ and I decided to scan Trixie's recent memories to see if there were any clues on when she was possessed. As we were searching, Trixie woke up.
She said "Why does my head hurt?"
"Tootie hit you in the head with a bat. She's sorry about that." I said.
"Why was I choking you earlier?" she said.
"You were possessed by Father Darkness." I said.
"That would explain the memory loss. I'm just not sure how he did it." she said.
"That's why AJ and I are looking through your memories. Maybe they'll give us a clue into how he does it." I said.
"Let's hope so." she said. AJ and I were able to figure out approximately when the possession took place. It seemed to take place right around the time Crocker and his crew entered the bridge. As we scanned Trixie's memory for clues, Jimmy ran over to me.
He said "Timmy, I just made a couple interesting discoveries."
"Tell me." I said.
"Father Darkness can possess multiple beings at once. Though there's a catch." he said.
"And that is?" I said.
"He needs a host to possess the other beings. He has the most control over the host. Every other possessed being is under the influence of the host superficially. Trouble is, we need to find the host." he said.
"How do we find out who it is? I highly doubt Father Darkness will out himself." I said.
"That's something we need to figure out, fast." he said.
"Why?" I said.
"Because the only way we're going to finish our mission is if Father Darkness looses his host. The host is his eyes and ears here. So, if anyone asks for specifics about the mission, say nothing. Even if I ask, tell me nothing. If you have to talk, make something up" he said.
"Alright, no mission talk unless nonsense is needed. Got it." I said.
"Good. Now, if I were you, I would start talking to the crew. Use the process of elimination, and we might find the host quickly." he said.
"Okay." I said. I left the sick bay, trying to find a crew member to talk to. That's when I bumped into Libby.
She said "Hey Timmy, what happened with Trixie?"
"She was possessed by Father Darkness." I said.
"That's horrible. I hope she's okay." she said. I could see by looking in her eyes that she wasn't possessed.
So I said to her "She seems okay. I'll see you later."
"Okay." she said. I continued walking around the ship, leading me to the kitchen. That's where I saw Sheen heating something in the microwave. Needing to start a chat, I said "Hey Sheen, what are you cooking?"
"Ultraman themed burrito." he said.
"What's so special about it?" I said.
"It's your run of the mill frozen bean burrito wrapped in a purple tortilla." he said.
"Sounds like typical frozen food." I said.
"Pretty much. But I was in a burrito mood, and I like the color. It doesn't change the flavor at all, but it looks nice." he said. Sheen was still acting like himself, so he clearly wasn't possessed.
"Well, I'm gonna go. Enjoy your lunch." I said. I went through multiple members on the ship. Each conversation revealed that they were not possessed. Carl told me about how he was attracted to Jimmy's mom. Cindy showed me a little more karate. Cosmo hid in fear at the mention of Super Toilet. Wanda comforted him as best she could. Poof told me about his school dance, something I forgot fairies had. Tootie showed me her Timmy doll, which looked like the ten-year-old me. She even got my teeth right. I did tell her about Trixie, so she went to the sick bay while I continued my search. While Goddard was a robot dog who couldn't be possessed, I still hung out with him because he was a cute robot dog.
There was only one crew member left to talk to, Jorgen von Strangle. The thing was, I really needed a break from my search. I decided that instead of cooking to unwind, I'd go to the gym for a light workout. Outside of cooking, exercise was also relaxing for me. I even changed my clothes, changing into a tank top and shorts. I entered the gym, only to see Jorgen lifting weights.
I walked over to the treadmill, and he said "Turner, what brings you here?"
"I felt like a workout, that's all." I said, as I got on the treadmill.
"Funny, I didn't know you did that." he said. I could see Jimmy or Libby not knowing I worked out, since they lived in a different dimension. What was Jorgen's excuse, especially because he had known me since I was ten.
But I decided not to question him, instead saying "Well, I do." I turned on the treadmill and started running.
As I ran, he said "So, we should talk about the next piece."
"We should, and I'll make sure we talk about it at the briefing tomorrow." I said, before stopping the treadmill. I then put my earbuds in and selected some music to run to. I turned the treadmill back on and started running not to Chip Skylark or Britney Britney, but "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath. I ran about three miles before I could faintly hear Jorgen say something. I took out one of my buds and said "I'm sorry, what?"
"I meant we should talk about it now." he said.
"Can't, I'm trying to concentrate on my running. I promise you we'll talk about it." I said. I put my ear bud back in and continued running. I ran around seven more miles before deciding to stop. With my light workout complete, I got off the treadmill and noticed that Jorgen wasn't in the room anymore. I also noticed that we had a locker room. When I entered the locker room, I saw that we had showers. So naturally, I took a shower.
As I was showering, I could hear quiet footsteps approaching from behind. I then heard the curtain open, so I quickly covered myself and turned to see Jorgen standing there. Now I was starting to get creeped out. Jorgen could be brash, rude, and cruel. But he would never willingly invade my privacy, especially if I was showering. "What the hell Jorgen, get out!"
"Only after we talk about the next piece." he said. Again with that piece, Jorgen was never this pushy. So I looked into his eyes, and they seemed normal. But when I looked closer, I could see a hint of red. While I wasn't a hundred percent sure he was the host, I wanted Jorgen out of there.
So, I said "Okay, I'll talk."
"Good, where is it?" he said. That's when it was confirmed for me that he was the host. I didn't know where the pieces were, but Jorgen did. Or, at least, he should have. So, Jorgen asking me for the location of the next piece was very suspicious. So, I decided to have a little fun.
I said "It turns out, the next piece is buried on the beaches of Unwish Island. Apparently, it was buried there because the Fairy Council figured no one would go there. That's all I know."
"Thank you Turner. We will set course tomorrow." he said, before leaving. I shut the curtain and took an extra-long shower so I would feel less unclean. After my shower, I threw on my gym clothes then ran right to the sick bay. I walked in to see AJ and Trixie chatting. They seemed to be having a nice chat.
Jimmy, who was also in the room, looked at me and said "Nice shorts."
"Thanks." I said.
"Did you figure out who the host is?" AJ said.
"I think it's Jorgen." I said.
"What makes you so sure?" he said.
"He asked me about where the next piece was. So, I told him it was on Unwish Island. If Jorgen was the one in control, he would know already." I said.
"Good findings. Now we just need to cure him." he said.
"How do we do that?" I said.
"That's what AJ and I are trying to figure out. We'll tell you if we found something." he said. I decided to go back to my room so I could finally relax. When I entered my room, I got a strange surprise. It was Cindy, and she was laying on my bed with a picnic basket next to her.
"Hey there, Captain." she said.
"Cindy, what's all this for?" I said.
"You looked hungry earlier. And besides, what better time to have a romantic dinner then after a nice workout?" she said.
There seemed to be something off about her, so I said "Cindy, I can't join you."
"Why not?" she said.
"I had a really big lunch earlier. I don't wanna get sick. Food always tastes worse coming out, you know?" I said.
"Come on, only a fool would skip his last meal." she said. That's when I noticed that Cindy's eyes were glowing red. It looked like a demonic creature had taken control of her. Another possession, courtesy of Father Darkness.
I tried to back out of the room, saying "I think I should get going. Lots of duties to attend to."
"Hold it." she said. Then out of nowhere, the lights went out, and I figured I was doomed. I could hear her move as she grabbed me by the throat and started dragging me forward. The bathroom light came on, before she shoved my head into the toilet. That's when I heard her say "Now to chop off your head." I quickly pulled my head out of the toilet and slammed the possessed Cindy into the wall. I ran out there as fast as I could, hoping to get some help. I decided to go to the sick bay. As I ran there, I saw that Trixie, AJ, and Jimmy were still there.
I then stopped right in front of them, and said "Guys, Cindy…" Before I could even finish, I heard footsteps entering the room. I turned around to see Cindy standing there with a butcher's knife in her hand.
Looking at me, she said "Oh Timmy, we're not done yet." Before she could move any closer, a metal tray struck Cindy in the head, causing her to fall to the floor. When I turned around to see who threw the tray, I saw that Trixie was sitting up.
"Trixie, you saved us." I said.
"What can I say, no one threatens my friends." she said.
"Thanks." I said.
"You're welcome, Timmy." she said.
Jimmy moved closer to me and asked "Stupid question, but what was Cindy trying to do to you?"
"She was trying to kill me." I said.
"Just like Chester and Trixie." he said.
"But it was different this time. She had a weapon. Chester and Trixie just used their hands." I said.
"We better find that cure quick, because the possessions are getting worse by the minute. Any one of us can be possessed, even you Timmy." AJ said.
"Then keep reading the book. It may be the only way we get answers." I said. I turned to see Cindy standing up and rubbing her head.
"Who threw that trey?" she said.
"Father…" is all I could say before she threw the knife at my head. I ducked down, so it landed in the wall behind me instead. I stood back up and saw her in a fighting stance. She then ran towards me, and I shuffled out of her path. "Father Dark…" I said as she swung at my face. I moved out of the sick bay, and she followed close behind. I quickly ran into the kitchen and stood by the fridge. She quickly entered and started coming towards me. But when she got close, I quickly opened the freezer door, slamming it in her face. "Father Darkness." I finally said. Cindy, who had fallen to her knees from the pain, looked at me. Her eyes were back to normal.
"What happened? Was I possessed?" she said.
"Yes, you were." I said.
"What did I do?" she said.
"You tried to chop my head off in a toilet with a butcher's knife." I said.
"Wow, that sounds insane." she said.
"Trust me, it was." I said. AJ and Jimmy then came in, with AJ carrying the book.
"Jimmy and I think we found a cure." AJ said.
"Okay, what is it?" I said."
"You need to bring the host's mind out with memories that are personal to both parties." Jimmy said.
"Like something involving both of you." AJ said.
"In that case, I should have dinner with him." I said.
"I like it. It's the perfect opportunity to swap stories." Jimmy said.
"Yeah, maybe even jog some memories." AJ said.
"In fact, I have the perfect machine for this." Jimmy said.
"What does it do?" I said.
"It's a machine that can connect people's minds. It's made up of two beds, where each person gets on a bed. The person in the second bed enters the mind of the person in the first bed." he said.
"Good, you two are joining. Set it up while I distract Jorgen." I said.
"Yes sir." Jimmy and AJ said. I went to the bridge to see that Jorgen was there.
I walked over to him and said "Hey Jorgen, are you busy later?"
"No Turner, why?" he said.
"I wanna go over plans about the next piece, and I was thinking we could do it over dinner. I invited Jimmy and AJ as well." I said.
"I would normally say no, but going over the plans are more important. So yes, I accept the offer. Call me when dinner is done." he said.
"No problem." I said. I went back to the kitchen, noticing that Cindy, AJ, and Jimmy were still there. So, I said "Okay, how does meatloaf sound?"
"Sounds hearty." Jimmy said.
"Cindy, any suggestions for sides?" I said.
"Oh, how about spinach and mashed potatoes?" she said.
"Perfect. Let's get cooking." I said. I gave everyone a job. AJ made the potatoes, Cindy made the spinach, Jimmy set the table and poured the drinks while I made the now two meatloafs. Our drinks that evening was iced peach tea. As the meatloafs were cooking, I decided to change into something nicer. So I threw on a pink button up and blue suit pants. Along with blue dress shoes to finish the look. I returned to the kitchen to see two perfectly cooked meatloafs. We carried the food into the dining room and set it up. I then called Jorgen on the intercom, and he came minutes later.
He sat down at the table and said "Dinner looks good."
"Thank you." I said. Cindy walked out of the room as I served everyone else. Once everyone was served, I sat down. The show was about to begin. I needed to keep Jorgen distracted while AJ and Jimmy set up the machine, so I made sure to sit down next to him.
He took a bite of meatloaf and said "So, what info have you learned about the next piece?" I just made stuff up to keep him busy.
I said "Based on the data I was able to gather, I've discovered the piece is buried on the south beach."
"How can you be so sure?" he said.
"Because that's where the adult me buried it when he first arrived on the island." I said.
"Why would the Fairy Council give it to him?" he said.
"You mean the same Fairy Council that believed Anti-Poof when he mentioned my 'secret' wish?" I said. That's a can of worms I'll talk about later.
"Good point." he said. The machine was fully set up. I just needed to get Jorgen into it.
So, I said "Enjoying the dinner?"
"Yes Turner." he said. The only thing I could think to do was push him in.
So, I said "Well, it's time for the show."
"The what?" he said. I then stood up and pushed him right into the machine. I helped AJ and Jimmy strap him in as he said "What's going on?"
"Jorgen, we're trying to help you." I said.
"I don't need help." he said as we finished strapping him in.
"Just trust me." I said. I then got into the other machine and said "Okay, put me in." Jimmy threw the switch, and I was inside of Jorgen's head. The only thing there was "Jorgen," me, and an empty white void.
"What are we doing here?" he said.
"We both know you're not Jorgen. You can drop the disguise Father Darkness." I said. To my surprise, he actually did it. His true form was revealed, and he looked just like I pictured him.
"You still haven't answered my question." he said.
"I'm trying to remove you." I said.
"How exactly are you going to do that?" he said.
"You'll see." I said. I tried thinking of a good memory to show Jorgen, so I went to the day he proposed to the Tooth Fairy. There we were, Jorgen giving her a special ring, and me without my front baby teeth. This is when I expected Jorgen to reappear, but he didn't.
"You're gonna have to try harder than that, twerp." he said. The next memory I chose was the end of the Fairy/Pixie war. There we were, Chloe and me, having just defeated the pixie army. In the memory, Jorgen officially gives Chloe her own fairies. But he still didn't appear as his present self.
"Such happy times, what makes you think Jorgen cares about joy. He's a military fairy, he's been trained not to feel joy." he said. He didn't know it, but Father Darkness gave me a hint. I now figured that the only way I could get Jorgen back was not through a positive memory, but a negative one. I figured the best choice was my "secret wish" trial. But before I could do that, Father Darkness took control. In a flash, I noticed that we were on the top of the Dimmsdale City bridge. "Does this look familiar?" Suddenly, he turned me to my right, where I could see my eleven-year-old self at the edge. I was back to one of the worst nights of my life, a night I wasn't able to forget about.
One day, I tried to do some nice things for others with no expectation of a reward. Instead, I got nothing but dismissal. Even Cosmo was mad at me because I "cleaned the fishbowl wrong." I decided to wish that I was never born. I had hoped that I would see that I was needed. But thanks to "Jorgen," I was shown that people were better off without me. The lesson I learned that day was to be everyone's punching bag. When I was brought back, I tried to stay positive.
But all that did was kill my spirit. Over the course of a year, I slowly distanced myself from everyone. To me, they were all selfish jerks who hated everything I did. Even with Chloe, I was never fully sure that she wanted to be my friend. I felt like a burden, like no one would miss me if I was gone. That's when I decided that I was going to kill myself. I left my house as soon as everyone was asleep and walked over to the bridge. I climbed all the way to the top, where I was going to jump. It was hard, looking at my past self.
"Why did you bring me here?" I said, trying not to cry.
"I wanted to show you the opportunity you missed." he said. I wanted to rip his head clean off his body, and I wasn't the only one.
A big loud booming voice shouted from above "What did you say!" Then bam, a big cloud of smoke exploded next to us. The smoke cleared to reveal an angry Jorgen.
"Jorgen von Strangle, what an unpleasant…" is all Father Darkness said before Jorgen grabbed him by his throat.
"Listen to me Darkness. After the World's Treasure is destroyed, I'm breaking every single bone in your body. Even the small ones." Jorgen said.
"Isn't that a bit extreme. All I did was possess…" Father Darkness said.
"You hurt Turner. My response is reasonable. Now get out of my head." Jorgen said. Jorgen then crushed his neck like papier-mâché, causing him to crumble. I looked back at the younger me to see Jorgen hugging me. It was one of the few moments where Jorgen was truly nice to me. That's when I learned that everything to do with that wish I made was a lie. Truth was, Cosmo and Wanda never granted the wish, an evil Jorgen clone did it.
When the real Jorgen took me to that alternate world, he showed me Chester again. That's when he reminded me that kids get fairies when they're miserable. That's when it hit me that I did make an impact in someone's life. Everything else was a ruse. AJ's baldness had nothing to do with me. Francis being a big grey bully was not because of me. Vicky not being a babysitter was not due to my lack of existence either. And since I didn't exist, my parents didn't have a child. Seeing Jorgen comfort my younger self brought me to tears. Seconds later, I was brought back to reality. I got out of the machine, needing to get away.
AJ said "Dude, where are you going?" I didn't answer him. I just kept walking, crying all the way to my room. When I got there, I saw that Tootie was there again. I closed my door and sat on my bed.
She looked at me sincerely and said "What's wrong?"
"I had to relive a terrible memory to save Jorgen. Good news, I did it." I said.
"That is good. But what was the memory?" she said.
"Tootie, I'm going to tell you something I haven't told anyone." I said.
"What is it?" she said.
"Three years ago, I tried to jump off the top of the Dimmsdale City bridge." I said. I could tell she was shocked, but also empathic. I went on to tell her everything as she let me rest my head on her shoulder.
When I got to the part right when Jorgen stopped me, she said "What made you change your mind?"
"Jorgen showed me that I mattered, and that I had a lot to live for. It took a little bit of time, but I was able to see that life was worth living. And I'm glad I'm alive." I said.
"I'm glad you are too." she said.
"I try not to think about that night, since it brings back so much pain. So, don't be surprised if I don't bring it up." I said.
"It's okay, you don't have to." she said. Just then, AJ and Jimmy came in. I guess I forgot to lock the door.
Jimmy spoke first, saying "I'm sorry you had to relive such a terrible memory."
"I just want you to know that I'm glad you're still here. You're one of my closest friends, and I can't imagine my life without you." AJ said.
"Thank you, both of you. How's Jorgen doing?" I said.
"That's the other reason we came here. He wants to see you." Jimmy said. So, Tootie and I followed Jimmy and AJ to the bridge, where I saw Jorgen.
He said "I need everyone else to leave. I need to talk to the captain alone." Everybody else left, leaving Jorgen and me. He walked over to me and said "Timmy, thank you for saving me."
"You're welcome Jorgen." I said. That's when it hit me that he called me Timmy, not Turner. So, I said "Did you just call me Timmy?"
"I did. Is that a problem?" he said.
"No, I just need to get used to it." I said.
"Me too." he said.
"I'm sure you know about the first piece." I said.
"Jimmy told me." he said.
"I'm sure you're disappointed." I said.
"Not with you, just our situation. But I have a feeling that things are going to look up for us." he said.
"I hope so. Do you know where the second piece is?" I said.
"Yes. It's in Pixie Inc. Head Pixie keeps it in his office. Don't worry, I'll get the maps ready for tomorrow's briefing. Get some rest, you deserve it." he said.
"Sounds good. But I need to know, can Father Darkness still possess anyone on the team?" I said.
"Not with the charm I've cast. It wasn't easy, but now our whole team is safe from possession. That doesn't mean anyone outside of the team can't be possessed though." he said.
"Good to know. Hey, at the museum yesterday, I saw a statue for an Axel von Strangle. Who is he?" I said.
"Axel was my brother." he said.
"I forgot you had a brother. Say, when this whole thing is done, you think we could meet him?" I said.
"No, he died years ago." he said. Nice job me, I just had to bring up his dead relative.
"I'm sorry Jorgen." I said.
"It's okay, it was a long time ago." He said. That's when I figured it was best to go.
Before I could leave though, Jimmy came in and said "Jorgen, after scanning your memories, I figured out how Father Darkness possessed you."
"How'd he do it?" Jorgen said.
"He called you during our first briefing." Jimmy said.
"I thought that voice had sounded familiar." Jorgen said. I hate to say this, but not only was Jorgen not shocked, I wasn't either. We've dealt with powerful enemies taking over the world with stupid methods, this wasn't new to us.
It was somehow new to Jimmy, who said "The leader of the fairy army was easily possessed over a phone call, and you guys aren't surprised?"
"Because for you Jimmy, this is a new experience. For Jorgen and me, it's just another Sunday. We're used to stupid methods of world domination. Now if you'll excuse me, I wanna go to bed." I then left the bridge and went back to my room. I went to sleep and got some well-deserved rest. The next day was going to be an important day, though not for the reasons I thought it would be.
