Highlander Earth N1 Book Two: Rising Destinies Chapter 1: Prologue, a Highlander + Defenders of the Earth Crossover fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Tori Gordon and Jack Banks! Highlander belongs to Davis/Panzer as well as Rysher Entertainment. Defenders of the Earth belongs to Marvel, King Features Entertainment and Hearst Entertainment.

"Immortals have enemies everywhere they go. Light immortals typically fight against Dark immortals, and there are even Hunters, who are set in killing all immortals, but even during the beginning of times, there are mysteries that have yet to be discovered, not even the Defenders of the Earth are aware of these strange beings, until now."

(Cue "Princes of the Universe")

Starring

Ellie Cornell

Stan Kirsch

Jack Turpin

Kehli O' Byrne

Ryan Gosling

Patricia Arquette

Christina Ricci

Terrence Howard

with

Sam J. Jones

Michael Keaton

Carl Weathers

and

Billy Zane as The Phantom

("Princes of the Universe" ends)

Prologue

Guest Starring

JoBeth Williams

Craig T. Nelson

Seth Green

Shannen Doherty

Tom Skerrit

Lara Flynn Boyle

David Tennant

Nancy Allen

Michelle Thomas

Richie and Tori were looking around their surroundings as they were with the Defenders of the Earth. Duncan allowed them to accompany the Defenders on this trip to help them keep their minds off the events with the Hunters, as well as Owen heading off to hunt them.

The hotel was made of purple and light blue crystallize like stones and the windows that were there were fifteen feet thick.

"This is not your usual type of hotel resort!" April exclaimed.

"You said it," replied Rick. "It's like something out of a fantasy."

"That is an understatement," LJ interjected.

"This hotel is quite beautiful!" Jedda stated in awe.

"Indeed, but mysterious at the same time," observed Tori. "There is something about this place that just does not seem right."

"I just hope this hotel with beauty is not what it seems to be," Jedda chided.

"What makes you girls say that?" the Phantom asked.

"There's just something about this place that doesn't feel right."

"Just hope that you are wrong with your intuition," replied Richie.

"Fifteen minutes until we are all aboard the Midnight Express!" a voice on the intercom announced.

"The Midnight Express?" quipped LJ. "What's that?"

"Only one way to find out," Flash replied.

The group walked over to a nearby panel where April pressed a button, "What's the Midnight Express? Where does it take you?"

"The Midnight Express is a shuttle train," the voice on the computer explained, "For your destination, it will take you to a sapphire waterfall."

"A waterfall made out of sapphires," Rick stated in awe.

"An enormous jewel the size of a glacier," the voice on the computer continued to explain. "Reaches the cliffs of and then shatters into the sapphires at the edge, then fall a hundred thousand feet into a crystal ravine."

"That sounds interesting," Richie noted.

"Breathtaking!" exclaimed April.

"The trip will take four hours," the voice on the computer concluded, "And it WILL be worth your time."

"It sounds like a school trip," Tori first scoffed before stating, "But if it says it will be worth your time to watch this waterfall, then I guess I am up for it."

"I'm up for it too," added Richie.

"That makes three of us," Rick said.

"Correction: Four of us," Jedda chimed in.

"Five of us," corrected LJ.

"What about you, April?" Rick asked.

"Sure," answered April. "Why not? I could be up for an exciting trip here upon the Midnight Express. First, we will have to get signed up before we can go aboard this shuttle."

"Us adults are going to be exploring this station," Flash spoke up, "In case the Phantom's instincts turn out to be correct."

"After this," added Mandrake, "We'll meet up with each other for dinner."

"I heard the restaurant we're going to eat at has vibes like a rainforest," Lothar chimed in.

"That's why it is called the Rainforest Cafe," added Flash.

"Ten minutes until we are all aboard the Midnight Express!" the intercom voice announced.

"You kids better hurry." Flash suggested.

The group arrived at the entrance way of the shuttle to the Midnight Express and they saw the basic rules, which included no animals, no outside food and drink, and no drugs or alcohol.

"That's a no brainer," Richie scoffed.

"I agree," Tori nodded in agreement. "One would have to not have common sense to break those basic rules."

"Marvin agreed to watch Zuffy, Kisa and Kshin while we're out here," Mandrake stated, "You have to be 13 years or older to be a part of this fun trip."

"We're all set," announced April.

"Okay then," Flash replied as Tori written the things needed, "Be careful, will you?"

"That we will," replied LJ.

"Five minutes until we are all aboard the Midnight Express!" the intercom announced.

"We are registered to be on board the shuttle," announced April.

"Not a moment too soon," Tori replied.

"And we will be back for dinner," Rick told his father, "We can try that one place that is a jungle themed restaurant."

"The rainforest cafe," Flash corrected his son, "It's more rainforest than a jungle."

"Sounds like a plan," replied Richie. "Besides, we are heading on a shuttle for an interesting trip visiting a diamond like waterfalls. What could possibly go wrong?"

Bad choice of words.

Once arriving at the shuttle, Jedda was seating next to Rick, who chose to sit next to the window while on the opposite side where they were sitting LJ and April as the latter was sitting next to the window, were seated together. Behind Rick and Jedda was Richie and Tori as the former was sitting at the end while the latter sat at the window.

"This is quite amazing!" April exclaimed.

"I would say so myself, but the trip has not even started yet," Richie replied.

"I can't wait to see what a sapphire waterfall looks like," LJ stated.

"It should be interesting," Rick nodded.

The Hostess, a beautiful African American woman of 5'0 with shoulder length black hair walked over to Rick and Jedda and handed them each complimentary stuff, "That is the headphones for channels one to thirty-six, mobile link for videos and games, complimentary earplugs, complimentary slippers, complimentary juice pack and complimentary peanuts. I must warn you that some products may contain nuts."

"Ah, that's fine," replied Rick, "It is a good thing that none of us are allergic to peanuts. Right, guys?"

"That's right," Richie confirmed.

"Anyways," the Hostess handed Tori and Richie each the same stuff she gave Rick and Jedda, "That is the headphones for channels one to thirty-six, mobile link for videos and games, complimentary earplugs, complimentary slippers, complimentary juice pack and complimentary peanuts. I must warn you that some products may contain nuts."

"That would be the peanuts," Tori stated.

The Hostess smiled, "Enjoy your trip."

"And that we shall, amiga. We cannot wait," replied Richie.

"Indeed," the Hostess replied before proceeding to the rest of the guests starting with the next two behind LJ and April, after they were attended to, which were a middle-aged man, wearing a suit as if he was a professor at a college and a young woman with her hair held back in a bun wearing glasses, a beige sweater, blue jeans and sneakers and a young man with brown hair and brown eyes, "Headphones for channels one to thirty six..."

"No thank you," the middle-aged man told the Hostess, "Not for us."

"Earplugs please." the woman told the Hostess, "Thank you."

"Can I have peanuts?" the young man asked.

The Hostess handed the woman earplugs and the young man peanuts before moving on with everyone else on board.

"Sorry, sir," the young man stated, "I love peanuts."

"Anyway, they call it the sapphire waterfall," the middle-aged man told the woman as they were unaware that LJ and April were listening, "But it is no such thing. Sapphire is an aluminum oxide, but the glacier is just a compound silicon with iron pigmentation."

"Is that right?" asked LJ, "My name is LJ Kewabe."

"My name is April Gordon," April introduced herself.

Rick, Jedda, Tori and Richie joined them moments later, also introducing themselves.

"Rick Gordon's the name, Flash Gordon's son, is who I am," greeted Rick.

"That's nice," the woman replied.

"My name's Jedda Walker," Jedda introduced herself.

"My name is Tori Gordon, niece of the legendary Flash Gordon," Tori introduced herself.

"And I'm Rich…Richard Ryan," Richie introduced himself, "But my friends call me Richie."

"That is fascinating stuff!" Tori exclaimed, "I actually knew it was not actually sapphire."

"You knew?" the woman asked.

"She has a hunch," answered Richie, "I guess her hunch was right after all."

"So I see," the middle-aged man replied before introducing himself, "Brooks. I am Professor Edward Brooks at Eastern State University, and these are my assistants Deann Watson and Calvin Thomas."

"Nice to meet you guys," Richie replied.

"Pleasure," Calvin replied, shaking Richie's hand.

"This is my fifteenth time here," Brooks told the group as they were shaking hands with one another.

"Oh. This is our first," LJ replied, "All *six* of us."

"Wow," the woman replied, "Hope you enjoy your trip."

"Do not bother them!" Brooks chastised Deann.

They were unaware of a woman with dirty blonde hair wearing a red blouse, white pants and brown shoes with two-inch heels reading a book.

Richie and Tori eyed the Hostess handing juice packs to a couple who were also on board. A middle-aged man with dark brown hair, wearing a red shirt, beige pants and white shoes and a middle-aged woman with wavy brown hair, green eyes, wearing a red blouse, red skirt and red heels. They looked like a middle class couple.

"Juice packs?" the Hostess offered the couple.

"Oh thank you." the woman replied as the couple got their juice packs.

"Elliot, come on son, take a seat here with us," the man shouted at an red haired boy that was assumed to be their son as he was sitting on the opposite side of the seat his parents were sitting at before he glanced over at a young brunette woman sitting behind Elliot, "Come on, Virginia, you too."

"No," Elliot shook his head.

"Not a chance," Virginia shook her head, "I'm not sitting with my brother."

"Don't be silly," the woman kindly told her kids, "Come and sit with us. Look, we get slippers."

"Elliot, Virginia, listen to your mother," the man urged his two kids.

"I am sitting here," Elliot told his parents.

"And I'm sitting here too," Virginia crossed her arms.

"Oh, they're ashamed of us," the man scoffed in annoyance, "But they don't mind us paying, yeah?"

"Don't you three start," the woman replied, "Should I save the juice pack or have it now? Look, it is peach and clementine."

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Hostess told everyone on board, "Welcome on board the Midnight Express. If you would fasten your seat belts, we will be leaving at any moment. Doors."

The doors of the shuttle closed which caused the system to beep.

"Shields down."

More noise ensued as the blinds of the windows closed.

"I am afraid the view is shielded until we reach the Waterfall Palace." the Hostess announced, "Also a reminder: Midnight has no air, so please do not touch the exterior door seals. Fire exit at the rear and should we need to use it, you first. Now, I shall hand you over to Driver Bill."

"Driver Bill to wheel." a man's voice spoke through the intercom, "There has been a diamond fall at the Winter Witch canyon, so we will be taking a slight detour as you will see on the map. The journey will last four hours to the multifaceted coast and will get us to our destination on time. Thank you for traveling with us and as they used to say in the olden days, Wagons Roll."

With that out of the way, the shuttle took off.

"For your entertainment," the Hostess announced, "The music channel will be playing music from the 1980s, mainly rock music and some current music as well. For the movies we have the 1989 Batman movie, the sequel Batman Returns, The Karate Kid, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, and the classic Beetlejuice."

"Those are pretty good choices there," Virginia quipped.

"Not too bad," Richie grinned and nodded.

"And for the youngsters," the Hostess continued, "Some Popeye cartoons, as well as Woody Woodpecker, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the obscure The Fox and the Crow."

"How old are these cartoons again?" April asked.

"They were out before we were born," answered Tori.

All the stuff was blaring in full blast all at once which caused everyone to get their earplugs as they were not happy about this. Suddenly, all the entertainment stopped playing. This caused pretty much everyone on board to give out a sigh of relief, but the stewardess was surprised by this.

That is a mercy," Brooks stated.

"I do apologize ladies and gentlemen." the Hostess informed everyone on board, "We seem to have a failure of the entertainment system."

"So what will we do?" the mother asked.

"Four hours of this?" the father chided, "Four hours of just sitting there?"

"Wait!" Richie exclaimed, "I got an idea! Why don't we just talk to each other."

"He's right," Rick added, "It does not have to be a complete snooze fest for four hours as you guys might think. We can still make this trip fun."

"You got my vote," April replied.

"Same with me," LJ chimed in.

"Definitely," nodded Tori.

"It's unanimous," declared Jedda.

The young Defenders were talking to the other passengers on the shuttle, and with the exception of the brunette woman, who continued to read her book quietly, they all seemed to be enjoying their company.

"And that is how we formed the Defenders of the Earth." Rick finished the story.

"Wow," the father quipped, "You guys have a lot of stories from the Defenders of the Earth, haven't you?"

"So far we have," replied LJ.

"You kids are quite impressive, wouldn't you say, Roger?" the mother asked her husband who was Seth's father.

"Of course Siobhan," answered Roger, "Quite impressive indeed."

"So is Elliot over there your son?" Tori asked as she pointed at Seth.

"And is that lovely lady, Virginia your daughter?" added Richie.

"Yeah," Roger answered, "But at the moment, they are acting like they're not."

"Well at least he has both of his parents." Richie scoffed, "And he should be grateful for that."

"He's right you know," added Tori, "My father died when I was a baby because my mother pulled a stunt, and then I went to live with Flash and Dale until a couple of years ago when my mom got out of jail."

"I've been in foster care most of my life until my current foster parents took me in as I never knew who my parents are," Richie sighed sadly, "Which is why I can't stand their attitude towards you guys. You seem nice."

"Thank you." Siobhan replied, "and we are very sorry for the loss."

"Thank you." Richie and Tori replied in unison.

"What about you two?" Roger asked LJ, April, Rick and Jedda, "What happened to your parents?"

"My mother was in jail for treason when I was a baby," Jedda answered, "My father had been raising me ever since."

"She's related to the legendary Phantom," Richie spoke up.

"Did you really have to tell them that?" muttered Jedda.

"My parents divorced when I was a child," LJ answered in turn, "My father went to move in with his best friend and the guy he's bodyguard to, Mandrake the Magician ever since then."

"Interesting," Siobhan stated, "I remember hearing about Mandrake the Magician. Does he really do real magic? How does he do it?"

"No offense, but a magician never reveals his secret," LJ replied.

Siobhan chuckled, "None taken."

A half an hour later, Brooks proceeded with a lecture about Midnight, its many mysteries and the sapphire waterfalls, with aide from Deann and Calvin as Elliot, Virginia, Siobhan, Roger, Rick, April, Jedda and LJ listened intently. Richie and Tori on the other hand decided to talk to the mysterious blonde woman, who had been quiet the whole time.

"My uncle is the famous Flash Gordon," Tori told the woman, "My aunt is also the late Dale Arden–Gordon, and they're the parents to Rick and April."

"That's nice," the woman replied.

"Are you with someone?" asked Richie.

"No," the woman answered shyly, "It's just me."

"Oh, sorry to hear that."

"I am still getting used to it. I found myself single, but not by choice you know."

"A break up?"

"My husband needed his own space. My ex-husband that is. In fact, he took off to another country. He was that desperate to be away from me."

"He is missing out. You seem like a nice woman."

"No. Not really."

"The history is fascinating because there is no history," Brooks revealed to the group which caught both Richie and Tori by surprise, "There is no life in the entire location of the dimension called Midnight."

"So it is another dimension?" asked April.

"Precisely, young lady," Brooks answered.

"How do you know?" asked Elliot, "I mean, if no one can go outside..."

"Oh the boy's imagination," Siobhan scoffed, "Here we go."

"He has a point there," replied Rick.

"Exactly!" Brooks exclaimed, "The hotel has created a portal somehow and that is how we can enter into the Midnight Dimension. A dimension of nothingness."

"That is all too weird," Jedda could not help but to blurt out.

"It's like we're in a void dimension of some sort," said Richie.

"Something like that," LJ replied, "Kshin's surely missing out."

Suddenly, the shuttle started to rattle and banging noises were also heard.

"What was that?" asked Rick.

"We stopped," Siobhan quipped, "Have we stopped?"

"Are we there?" asked Roger.

"It can't be that quick," April stated.

"She's right," Deann stated, "It's too soon."

"They don't stop," Brooks stated, "Multi-Dimensional Vehicles never stop. Something's not right."

Everyone was now weary at what was going on.

"If you could just return to your seats," the Hostess told the group before calling for the driver and mechanic, "It's just a small delay."

"Maybe just a pit stop," suggested Roger.

"There's no pit stop in this trip," Brooks informed him, "I have been on this trip fourteen times. They never stop."

"Well that is unusual," replied Tori.

"Well evidently we have stopped," the blonde snapped at Brooks, "So there is no point in denying it!"

"Whoa! Calm down there!" replied Richie.

"We've broken down," Elliot chuckled.

"Seriously?!" Virginia exclaimed, annoyed, "You always make things difficult!"

"Thanks for the smart alack remark, Elliot!" Siobhan exclaimed, "And Virginia, calm down!"

"In the middle of nowhere," Rick stated in worry.

"Okay, everyone calm down," Richie told the group, "This is getting us nowhere."

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Hostess announced as she approached the group, "We're just experiencing a short delay. The driver needs to stabilize the engine feeds. It's perfectly routine so if you could just stay in your seats, this won't take long."

"Definitely quite unusual," stated Richie, "Especially for a trip."

"I agree with you there," Tori replied.

"The air is on a circular filter," Deann told everyone on board, "So in this strange dimension we could remain breathing for a maximum of ten years."

"That's quite impossible," Rick looked on in amazement.

"It could be much worse," LJ replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

As if on cue, the group heard knocking coming from outside the shuttle.

"What the hell was that?" asked April.

"You had to jinx us, didn't you?" Jedda asked LJ.

"Must be the metal," Calvin answered, "We are cooling down. Settling."

"Precisely, precisely," Brooks nodded in agreement.

"Rocks. It might just be rocks falling," suggested Deann.

"What I want to know is how long do we have to sit here!" Roger exclaimed.

The pounding outside happened again, alarming everyone.

"What is that?" the blonde asked in worry.

"There's someone out there," Siobhan theorized.

"Could it be?" asked Tori.

"Don't be ridiculous," Brooks replied as he was skeptical, but anxious all the same.

"Like Deann said it could be rocks," suggested Calvin.

"We're out in the open," the Hostess told the group, "Nothing could fall against the sides."

The pounding happened yet again.

"Knock, knock," Richie quipped.

"Who's there?" Elliot replied.

Virginia gave her brother a disapproving look.

Everyone on board looked around in worry and slight fear.

"Is there something out there?" the blonde asked, "Well, anyone?"

The pounding occurred again.

"You don't think that this is Ming doing this, do you?" Richie asked his friends.

"Heaven forbid," answered Jedda, "Ming likes to cause trouble, but he's too smart to try to enter a void dimension, even to get to us."

Richie looked up and stated, "Might be something else."

"Just what is making that noise?" the blonde asked as she was starting to panic.

"I apologize," Brooks stated, "But the light out there is extonic. That means it would destroy any living thing in a split second. It is impossible for someone to be outside in this void dimension."

Then the pounding happened again. Two loud knocks, just like before.

"Well just what is that then?" the blonde demanded.

"You should really get back to your seats!" the Hostess insisted to the group.

The pounding happened yet again.

"It just won't stop, will it?" April asked.

"I honestly have no clue," answered Richie, "But it seems quite intriguing."

"Is that so?" Jedda scoffed.

The pounding happened seconds later.

"It's moving," Richie announced.

The group heard rattling at the door.

"It's trying for the door!" Siobhan exclaimed.

"There is no it!" insisted Brooks. "There is nothing out there. It cannot be!"

The group then heard a clanging. Curious, Richie started advancing closer to where the noise could possibly be coming from. This time, the banging came from the ceiling. Then it followed by another pounding at the walls.

"That thing is really persistent," he noted.

"That's the entrance," Siobhan gasped, "Can it get in?"

"No it's impossible for it to do so," answered Deann.

"Stop it," Brooks chastised his student, "Do not encourage them."

"Well," Calvin asked, "What do you think it is?"

Roger tried walking towards the door.

"Roger, don't!" Siobhan pleaded.

"That's not a good idea," LJ added.

Jedda gasped upon hearing an evil cackling voice, "What was that?"

"What was what?" Tori asked.

"There's a being here," Jedda answered.

"The door is like iron," Roger noted as he touched the door.

He knocked on the door three times. Then the entity pounded three times.

"Three times!" Siobhan exclaimed, "Did you hear that? Three times! It did the pounding three times!"

"Calm down you guys!" exclaimed Richie.

"Yeah," the blonde replied, "But it answered three times. Don't tell me that thing is not alive. It answered him!"

The banging happened three times for a second time. Everyone was starting to panic. Richie, Tori and the young Defenders looked at each other wondering what to do.

"I really must insist you get back to your seats!" the Hostess exclaimed.

"No, do not just stand there telling us the rules!" the blonde yelled in fear and anger, "You are the hostess! You are supposed to do something!"

In curiosity, Richie pounded on the wall of the shuttle four times. At first nothing happened, but after ten seconds the pounding happened once again and this time it was four times.

"Just what is making that noise?" the blonde asked as the other passengers looked at her, "Melody said she would get me. Stop it. Make it stop! Do not just stand there looking at me. It is not my fault. The boy started it with..."

"Calm down!" shouted Deann.

Everyone started shouting at once except for Richie, Tori and the young Defenders.

"What will we do?" April asked.

"I'm not sure," answered Richie, "If I knew we were in a situation like this, I would have asked Mac to come with us, maybe it's an Immortal."

"In the void dimension?!" Tori exclaimed before she scoffed and retorted, "So much for a vacation."

"It's coming here," Jedda muttered, "It's coming here."

"It's coming for me!" the blonde backed away from the others as the pounding was advancing, "Oh God, it's coming for me! It is coming for me! It's coming for me. It's coming for me!"

"Look out!" Richie shouted.

"Heads up!" shouted Rick.

She screamed in fear and terror as the entity proceeded with its attack as everyone on board the shuttle was bombarded by the attack.

Flash, the Phantom, Mandrake and Lothar were walking around the palace.

"I wonder how the kids are enjoying themselves," Lothar inquired.

"Hopefully, they're having a fun and educational time," answered Mandrake.

The Defenders turned around and saw the announcement about the shuttle being delayed due to an unusual incident occurring and a rescue crew on their way to rescue the passengers currently on board.

"I wonder what could have happened there," Flash stated.

"Maybe it's something serious," suggested Lothar.

"It sounds like it from what the announcement was sounding here," Mandrake stated.

"Ming?" asked Flash.

"No, Ming's too smart to try to enter a void dimension like where the kids are at."

"What could it be then?"

"Something sinister. Nothing good. That's what is happening now."

"I hope the kids are all right."

"They will be. Tori is Immortal and they all got good heads on their shoulders."

"All we can do now is wait," Lothar told the group.

Back at the shuttle, the people on board the inter dimensional shuttle started to recover from that attack sent by the entity.

Richie found himself back on his feet as he was helping up Tori along with Rick, who was helping up Jedda.

"Are you okay?" Rick asked.

"I think so." answered Richie.

"I'm okay," Tori nodded.

"So am I," added Jedda.

Then LJ stood up, recovered, followed by April.

"Are you guys okay?" Rick asked.

"I think so," LJ answered.

"Me too," April added, "That was a hell of a thing."

Richie looked up before calling for the others, "Is everyone else okay?"

"Earthquake," Brooks stated, "It must be."

"But that's impossible," Deann replied.

"She's right," Calvin added, "The ground's fixed. It's solid."

"Flashlights!" the Hostess told the group, "Everyone take a flashlight! They're in the back of the seats."

Everyone, including Tori, Richie and the young Defenders, grabbed a flashlight. LJ followed Virginia to a direction as they were startled by something.

"Uh, LJ?" Rick called for his friend.

"Oh, Virginia," Siobhan came for her daughter in concern, "Sweetheart, come here."

"Never mind me," replied Virginia, "What about her?"

Everyone looked to see that the blonde woman was crouched down with her head covered by her hands.

"What happened to the seats?" Richie asked.

"Who did that?" added April.

"The being," Jedda answered, "It caused all of this."

"They've been ripped up!" exclaimed Siobhan.

Richie walked over to the blonde woman, "It's all right. It is over. You are safe, okay?"

"Richie!" Tori exclaimed, "Be careful!"

Richie nodded before going back over to the frightened woman, "We're still alive. See? The wall's still intact."

"Driver Bill?" the Hostess called for her crew via her phone, "Edward? Driver Bill, Edward, can you hear me?!"

She hung up the phone before telling the others, "I am not getting a response. The intercom must be down."

The Hostess tried opening the door that the two men were in only to find a bright white light waiting for them. It was so bright that everyone had to cover their eyes. Seconds later, the door closed again.

"What happened?" asked Siobhan, "What was that?"

"Have we lost the driver?" Roger added.

"The cabin is gone," the Hostess answered.

"Don't be ridiculous," Brooks replied, "It can't be gone. How can that be?"

"You saw it," Deann told the professor.

"We ALL did!" exclaimed Calvin.

"There was nothing there," Jedda stated.

"Like it was ripped away!" exclaimed Rick.

"The entity did this," Jedda declared.

"There is no entity!" insisted Brooks.

"Like you know," Jedda muttered.

"What are you doing? The cabin is gone, you better leave that alone, kid!" Roger asked Richie as he managed to get one of the panels on the side of the shuttle open.

What the former street punk found alarmed him.

"It cannot be gone!" Brooks exclaimed.

"It's safe," Richie told the group as he was about to reveal his discovery that the wires have been cut in half for some strange reason, "Or not. Something must have sliced it off! The cabin is gone!"

"But if it gets separated..." the Hostess stated, "It loses integrity."

"They've been reduced to dust!" April exclaimed from all she had observed.

"They sent a distress signal," the Hostess informed the passengers, "I saw a red dot, informing me that before the shuttle got attacked. So, help is on its way. We're going to get out of here."

"That woman!" Elliot exclaimed.

The group looked to see that the blonde woman had not moved from the spot that she was crouched in.

"Why won't she turn around?" Elliot asked.

"What's her name?" Brooks asked.

"Burkle." the Hostess answered, "Mrs. Sabrina Burkle."

"Sabrina?" Richie called for the frightened blonde woman, "Can you hear me?"

Richie walked over to her, "You're all right."

"Richie, don't!" exclaimed Tori.

Richie ignored her as he was calling for Sabrina, "Can you move, Sabrina? Can you look at me?"

"The noise from outside stopped," LJ announced.

"What if it's not outside anymore?" asked April, "What if it's inside?"

"Inside, where?" Rick asked.

"It was heading for her." answered Virginia, implying Sabrina.

"Sabrina?" Richie called for her again, "Yoo hoo, are you alright? Can you at least face me?"

"Richard Ryan, get back here!" Tori exclaimed.

Rick, April and LJ glanced at her.

"What?" Tori shrugged her shoulders.

"She's right!" Jedda exclaimed, "Richie, get back from her!"

Slowly, Sabrina first removed her hands from her head, and then she slowly turned around to reveal her hazel eyes were purely white, lacking any pupil or iris. Sabrina was possessed by the being that was on board as she looked at the other passengers before looking at Richie. The young pre-Immortal moved his head a bit and Sabrina was copying his moves.

"Sabrina?" called Richie.

"Sabrina?" the brunette woman echoed.

"Are you all right?"

"Are you injured?"

"Listen. You do not have to talk."

"I am trying to help here."

"My name is Richie Ryan."

"Okay, can you stop now?"

"Please stop copying my friend!" exclaimed Tori.

"Please stop copying my friend!"

"Why is she doing that?" Rick asked.

"Why is she doing that?"

"She's gone mad!" exclaimed Roger.

"She's gone mad!"

"Stop it," Siobhan tried getting her/the entity to stop.

"Stop it."

"I said stop it."

"I don't think she can," LJ told the others.

"I don't think she can."

"Now, stop it. This is not funny." Brooks told Sabrina/the entity.

"Now, stop it. This is not funny."

"Guys quiet!" exclaimed Rick.

"Guys quiet!"

"My name is Elliot," Elliot spoke up.

"My name is Elliot."

"Shut up, Elliot! Leave it alone!" exclaimed Jedda.

"Shut up, Elliot! Leave it alone!"

"Why are you repeating us?" Richie asked.

"Why are you repeating us?"

"So are you learning from us?" Richie went to interrogate the thing that was possessing Sabrina.

"So are you learning from us?"

"Copying?"

"Richie, stop it! You're freaking Jedda out!" exclaimed Rick.

"Richie, stop it! You're freaking Jedda out!"

"It is impossible to copy like that!" Brooks exclaimed.

"It is impossible to copy like that!"

"Tell her to stop!" exclaimed Siobhan.

"Tell her to stop!"

"She is driving me insane!"

"Just make her stop!"

"Stop staring at me."

"That is just too weird," LJ stated.

"That is just too weird."

"I am telling you whoever you are, shut it up!" Roger exclaimed.

"I am telling you whoever you are, shut it up!"

"Can she even help it?" asked April.

"Can she even help it?"

"This is just insane!" Calvin exclaimed.

"This is just insane!"

"What's wrong with her eyes?" asked Deann.

"What's wrong with her eyes?"

"I have no clue," Brooks answered.

"I have no clue."

"She can copy anything," stated Virginia.

"She can copy anything."

"Mrs. Burkle!" the Hostess called for "Sabrina".

"Mrs. Burkle!"

"Aces are high, deuces are low!" Elliot exclaimed.

"Aces are high, deuces are low!"

As everyone was yelling at once again, Richie, Tori, Rick, Jedda, April and LJ all looked amongst themselves.

"This's not gonna end well," Jedda whimpered.

"It'll be okay," Rick tried his best to comfort his friend, "It's gonna be okay."

"I hope so."

The lights inside the shuttle turned back on, bringing everyone by surprise.

"That is the backup system?" the Hostess asked.

"Well, that is a bit better," replied Roger.

"What about the rescue? How long is it gonna take?" Siobhan asked.

"About sixty minutes," the Hostess answered, "That is all."

"Then I suggest we all calm down." Brooks told the group as Richie, Tori and the young Defenders all realized that Sabrina was talking at the same time they were, "The panic is not helping. This poor woman is apparently in a state of self-induced hysteria. I suggest that we should leave her alone."

"You guys," Richie told his friends.

"I know," Rick replied.

"You lot should leave her...alone," Brooks told the former rangers before realizing what Sabrina/the entity was doing now, "What is she doing?"

"How can she do that?" LJ asked, "She is talking with you, and me!"

Sabrina/the entity was now talking at the same time the other passengers were speaking.

"What is she doing?" Siobhan asked in fear.

"She is repeating." Elliot answered, "At the exact same time."

"That's impossible," replied Deann.

"Not even a delay," Brooks added.

"That is just too weird," Richie stated, "but still, I think we should be very quiet."

"He's right you know," nodded Tori.

"How is she doing it?" Siobhan asked.

"Please, be quiet." insisted Richie.

"How can she do that?! She has my voice! She has my words!"

"Darling, be quiet," Roger told his wife, "Hush now love. Hush."

Roger looked surprised, "My God, she is doing it to me."

"Just stop it!" Rick exclaimed, "Jedda's freaking out over this enough as it is!"

"Yeah! Stop it please!" added April, "We're making things worse!"

Richie walked over to "Sabrina" as he was curious at what this entity wants.

"Now there, Sabrina, are you in there Sabrina?" Richie asked as the woman was speaking the same time he was, saying the exact same words.

"Not again." groaned Rick.

"Is Sabrina still in there? Hello?" Richie continued to speak as the entity was speaking the same time he was, "Wow, you know exactly what I am going to say before I even say it. How are you doing that? Luke Skywalker. Captain Kirk. Star Trek and Star Wars. Bang! Red, blue, pink, green, yellow, purple! You are looking at an Immortal and many people wanting to help. In the end, there can be only one."

"My Richard Ryan you are so handsome." Richie stated as the entity was speaking his words at the same time, "Oh thank you very much. I know. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O."

Tori scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Seriously?"

Richie then stood up and said, "Well, first she repeats then it seems to be that she catches up. So, what is the next phase?"

"Who knows?" replied LJ.

"Next stage of what?" Calvin asked.

"That is not her, is it?" stated Elliot, "That is not the Burkle lady anymore."

"I do not think so. No," Richie answered.

Siobhan sobbed as her husband comforted her.

"I think, from what we are seeing," stated Tori, "The more we talk, the more she learns, but I think that we should move back. Shall we?"

"Let's get back as far as we can. Come on!" Rick exclaimed.

The passengers followed Tori, Richie and the young Defenders to the far back of the shuttle, away from Sabrina/the entity.

"Someone, make her stop!" whimpered Siobhan.

"Come on, let's all remain calm people." Richie insisted, "To the back! Stop looking at her!"

"He's right." added LJ, "Let's move!"

"It's getting worse," Jedda muttered, "It's getting much worse."

"Hang in there, Jedda," Rick comforted her.

Soon, everyone was at the back of the shuttle, away from the entity that was possessing Sabrina.

"Okay, fifty minutes. That is all we need," Richie told the group, "It has been ten minutes already from the sixty minutes we have to wait for the rescue to arrive."

"She is not exactly strong," April stated.

"You're right," nodded LJ. "So, we shouldn't look at her."

"Yeah. All she got is our voices," Richie added.

"I can't look at her," replied Siobhan, "It's her eyes. They're white."

"We must not look at Goblin men," stated Deann.

"What the hell does that supposed to mean?" Roger asked.

"It is a poem," answered Richie, "I think I have read it before in class."

"That is correct." nodded Calvin, "Christina Rossetti."

Deann and Calvin both then proceeded to recite the poem that both that had mentioned.

"I don't think that is helping," stated Richie.

"Nothing we say will help," Rick added while comforting Jedda.

"She's not a goblin or a monster," Brooks told the others, "She is just a very sick woman."

"Maybe that is why it went for her," theorized Elliot.

"There is no it!" Brooks insisted.

"Think about it though," LJ stated, "The knocking went all the way around the bus until it found her, and she was the most scared out of all of us."

"Maybe that is what it needed and that is how it got in here," nodded Virginia.

"For the last time," Brooks urged everyone, "Nothing can live on the surface of this Midnight Dimension!"

"I'm glad you have a definition of life in the many different universes and all," Richie replied, "Perhaps the universe, this one in particular, has ideas of its own. There might be some consciousness inside Sabrina still."

"There must consciousness inside Sabrina!" Jedda exclaimed, "I can hear her! The thing, whatever it is, is possessing her!"

"And you know that how?" scoffed Siobhan.

"Never mind that!" Rick exclaimed, "If...since Sabrina is still in there, we have to help her!"

"You can." Roger replied, "But I am not going back there."

"No. We gotta stay back!" insisted April.

"Maybe April's right," Tori nodded, "Because if she's copying us, then I believe the final stage is becoming us."

"Oh jeez," Richie nodded, "I don't want it becoming me or things might get much worse."

"Oh like you're so special," Siobhan scoffed.

"We should wait then," suggested LJ, "That way when the rescue ship comes, we can bring her to the hospital. I am sure the hotel has a hospital."

"I think that we should throw her out," the Hostess suggested.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Brooks.

"Can we do that?" Siobhan added.

"I would not do that if I was you," exclaimed Richie, "VERY bad idea."

"That thing, whatever it is, killed the driver and the mechanic!" the Hostess told the group, "And I don't think that she is finished yet."

"Really?" April quizzed before telling the others, "She cannot even move! How could she do all this?"

"Look at her," the Hostess replied, "Look at her eyes!"

"She's still doing it!" Roger exclaimed before approaching Sabrina, "Stop it! Stop talking! Just stop it!"

"Roger, don't sweetheart!" pleaded Siobhan.

"But she won't stop!" Roger told his wife before returning to the others, "We cannot throw her out though. We cannot even open the doors."

"No one is getting thrown out!" exclaimed Richie, "That is just inhumane!"

"Yes we can," Deann replied.

Calvin then added, "That's because there is an air pressure seal. Like when you opened the cabin door, you were not pulled out, you had a couple of seconds because it takes the pressure wall six seconds to collapse. Six seconds exactly. I believe that is enough time to throw someone out."

"Would it kill her outside?" Siobhan asked.

"I have no clue." Deann answered, "But the thing has a body now. It'd certainly kill the physical..."

"No one is killing anyone," Rick exclaimed calmly.

"I would not risk the cabin door twice," the Hostess stated, "But we have got that one. All we need to do is grab her and throw her out."

"That is not a good idea!" exclaimed Jedda.

"For all we know this could be a brand-new life form that nobody has ever discovered before," Richie stated, "Which is pretty odd if you ask me."

"Are you people gonna really resort to murder?" Rick asked.

"Could any of you actually murder her? An innocent human being possessed by an evil entity?" April asked.

"Or are you better than that?" Tori chimed in.

There was a pause.

"I would do it." the Hostess answered.

"So would I," added Roger.

"And me," Siobhan nodded.

"I think we should," nodded Deann.

"Good idea," Calvin nodded.

"What?" scoffed April.

"I want her out," stated Deann.

"You can't say that!" Rick exclaimed in annoyance.

"I am sorry, but you four said it yourselves," Deann replied, "She is growing in strength!"

"Whoa, we never said that!" Richie replied.

"I just want to go home." Deann whimpered in fear, "I am sorry. I just want to be safe."

"We'll be safe," stated Rick, "We know it! The rescue truck is on its way."

"And what happens then?" the Hostess asked, "If it takes that thing back to the hotel, if that thing reaches civilization, what if it spreads?"

"I'm sure when we get back to the hotel, they will do their best to contain it." Tori answered.

"You kids are not any use to us!" Siobhan replied to her, Rick, Jedda, LJ, April and Richie.

"What does that supposed to mean?" asked April.

"She is dangerous," the Hostess insisted, "It is my job to see that this vessel is safe. We should get rid of her."

"Now hang on there," said Brooks, "I think perhaps we're going a little too far here."

"Thank you, sir!" Richie exclaimed.

"Two people are dead!" the Hostess stressed.

"Do not make it a third person!" replied Rick. "We can't do that!"

"What about you, Elliot? Virginia?" Richie asked the emo teen, "What do you say?"

"Oh no, I am not killing anyone," Elliot answered.

"Neither am I," Virginia shook her head, "No way."

"Thank you."

"They're just kids!" Siobhan exclaimed.

"So, we don't get a vote?" replied Elliot.

"There is no vote!" Richie exclaimed, "It is not happening! EVER! You'll have to get past me first."

"And me," Rick walked over next to her friend.

"Me too," April walked next to his two friends.

"And me." Jedda nodded.

"You guys, this is..." LJ hesitated before finally working up some courage to walk next to his friends, "Okay. Killing someone is wrong."

Another pause of silence filled the room.

"Okay, I shall do so." the Hostess spoke up.

"Fine by me. I will not let any of you stop me!" exclaimed Roger.

"Now you're being ridiculous!" Richie exclaimed.

"Think about it!" Tori added, "Could you really grab a hold of someone and throw them out of this shuttle?!"

"Calling me a coward?" asked Roger.

"No." Tori shook his head, "I never said that. NONE of us did."

"Who put you children in charge anyway?" Siobhan added, "Because you are related to some superheroes..."

"Don't even go there!" exclaimed Richie.

"That has nothing to do with it," April added.

"Oh whatever!" Siobhan exclaimed, "Just because you are related to superheroes does not make you special and the ginger boy acted like you wanted this to happen!"

"I beg your pardon!" Richie exclaimed, "I'm not ginger! And I was just curious about this thing that is all!"

"You're just curious!" April told his friend, "The rest of us are trying to keep things from getting worse as it is!"

"Well," Siobhan asked, "What were you talking about?"

"We were just talking," answered Richie.

"Saying what?!" Roger asked with anger in his tone.

"It seems they volunteered and brought this thing in!" Siobhan accused the young heroes.

"Do we throw them out too?" Roger asked.

"If we have to," the Hostess answered.

"You six act like you are in charge when the contrary is true!" Siobhan exclaimed, "Besides if anyone should be in charge, it should be the Professor! He is the expert!"

"Rick…" Jedda whimpered.

"What's wrong?" asked Rick.

"Sabrina's gone," Jedda cried, "It's like her soul vanished, or something."

"What do you mean?" asked April, confused.

Suddenly, Elliot finally got their attention, at least his mother, "Mom. Look!"

"You keep out of this, Elliot!" Siobhan exclaimed.

"No, he's right! Look at her!" yelled Virginia, pointing at "Sabrina".

Everyone was surprised at what had happened. She was no longer copying Virginia.

"She stopped," Siobhan noted.

"When did she..." Richie stated as the being possessing Sabrina spoke the same time and same words he did, "No. She is still doing it."

"She looks the same to me," Deann replied.

"Same with me as well." Calvin added.

Siobhan stated as the being has now released her, "She has stopped. Look, I'm talking and she's not!"

"She stopped copying me too," Elliot added.

"What about me? Is she..." Roger asked before realizing he was free too, "No. Not me either. Me, my wife and kids are now free. She let us go!"

"Mrs. Burkle?" the Hostess called before noting she had been released as well, "Nor me. Nothing."

"Let me see something here." April spoke up before sighing with relief that he was free too, "Well, that's a relief. I'm free too."

"Well, what about..." LJ started to say before realizing he was free as well, "Well then. Good thing I'm free as well."

"Jedda, what did you mean Sabrina's gone?" Rick asked.

He noticed that "Sabrina" was not copying him either.

"It's like that being consumed her soul and is going after the next target." Jedda answered. To Rick's relief, the entity wasn't copying her either.

"We will need to figure out how to help her and stop this final phase," Tori started to ask and she realized that she was also free from the being, at least for now, "Okay. I'm free too."

"Oh good," Richie stated as Sabrina/the entity was speaking his words with him still, "If Tori is free, then who is..."

"Richie, be careful!" Tori exclaimed.

"She's still copying him!" April added in shock.

"Hey!" Richie exclaimed at Sabrina/the entity, "What do you think you are doing?!"

"She's still doing him!" exclaimed Deann.

"She's only copying you!" Brooks told Richie.

"Like I don't already know that!" Richie replied before facing the entity, "Why me? Just what do you want from me?"

"She will not leave him alone," Siobhan stated, "Don't you see? She is with him!"

"Shut up, Siobhan!" LJ snapped as she was starting to lose his patience.

Tori felt numb, Rick was comforting a panicking Jedda and April was starting to panic.

"Sabrina, stop it!" Richie exclaimed at the being as it was repeating the same time he was speaking, "Stop it! Stop it, please!"

"This is pretty bad." April stated nervously.

Richie knelt down next to the woman and was face to face with her.

"Richie, stop!" Tori exclaimed.

"Don't!" Jedda shouted.

"Mrs. Burkle, I don't understand," both Richie and the entity spoke at the same time, "You have my speech. Why is that? What do you need? Tell me. Why? Because I am curious about a being like you? Come on, that can't be the only reason why. Listen to me, whatever you want, if it's life or form or consciousness or voice, you do not have to steal it! We can help you without hurting anyone. I don't know how, but we'll do what we can. So? What do you think?"

"Do we have a deal?" Sabrina/the entity asked first.

"Do we have a deal?" Richie echoed.

His blue eyes became just like Sabrina's, pure plain white without any pupil or iris. Richie also froze in place as he was catatonic just like "Sabrina" was.

Tori gasped in shock, "Oh no!"

"No," Jedda cried.

"My God," Rick stated in awe.

This change also startled the rest of the passengers on board that Richie was now doing the repeating.

"Hold on. Did she..." Deann started.

"She spoke first," stated LJ.

"She cannot have," Siobhan replied.

"She did," chimed April.

"She spoke first," stated Brooks.

"Impossible," Calvin stated in shock.

"Oh, look at that," Sabrina/the entity spoke, "I am ahead of you."

"Oh, look at that. I am ahead of you," echoed Richie.

"Did you see?" Brooks asked, "She spoke before he did definitely."

"He's copying her now," stated Elliot.

"Richie, what are you doing, man?" LJ asked.

"Richie, what is happening?" asked Tori.

"I think it has moved," Sabrina/the entity answered.

"I think it has moved," echoed Richie.

"I think it is letting me go."

Even though he was catatonic, Richie shown fear in his eyes.

"It's got him," Jedda cried out, "It's got Richie."

"Hang in there, Jedda," Rick tried comforting Jedda.

"What is it letting you go from?" asked Deann.

"The boy's repeating now. He's the one doing it," Roger answered, "It's him!"

"They're separating," Elliot chimed in.

"Mrs. Burkle, is that you?" Brooks asked as he was dense of the current situation.

"Yes. Yes. It is me."

"I'm coming back. Listen it is me!"

"I'm coming back! Listen it is me!"

"It's like it has passed into him," Virginia observed, "It has transferred. Whatever it is, it's gone inside him."

"No," replied Jedda, "That is not what happened!"

"But look at her!" Siobhan exclaimed.

"Look at me. I can move. I can move again. I am coming back to life, and look at him, he cannot move."

The entity was getting stronger as it was starting to drain Richie.

"Help me," 'Sabrina' looked over to Brooks in a pleading manner.

"Help me," echoed Richie.

"Professor."

"Get me away from him."

"Please."

Brooks hesitated as he was still scared of "Sabrina", but slowly but surely he went over to the possessed woman and helped her up.

"Oh, thank you." 'Sabrina' told the Professor.

"Oh, thank you." echoed Richie.

"They have completely separated," Elliot announced.

The other passengers do not see the fear and panic in Richie's face as he was knelt down and his back was against them.

"It's in him!" Roger exclaimed, "Do you see? I said it was him all the time!"

"She's free!" Siobhan exclaimed, "She's been saved!"

"Oh, it was so cold!" the entity pretended to be Sabrina as it was in her body.

"Oh, it was so cold!" echoed Richie.

"I could not breathe."

"I am sorry."

"I must have scared you so much."

Siobhan went to hug 'Sabrina' to comfort her, "No, it is alright. I have got you. Oh, there you are. It is gone. Everything is all right."

"I wouldn't touch her!" exclaimed April.

"But she's clean, it has passed on to him!" Roger exclaimed.

"That is not what happened!" exclaimed Jedda.

"Thank you for your opinion, Missy," Brooks told the daughter of the Phantom, "But clearly Mrs. Burkle has been released."

Deann and Calvin both nodded in agreement.

"No!" Jedda exclaimed with insistence, "You don't understand!"

"Just leave her alone," Siobhan stated, "She is safe, isn't she? Virginia, Elliot, it has let her go, hasn't it?"

"That's what I saw," nodded Virginia.

"Think so, yeah." Elliot replied, "It looks like it. Professor?"

"I would say from observation," noted Brooks, "Richie cannot move, and when Mrs. Burkle was possessed, she could not move."

"Well, there we are then," Roger replied, "Now the only problem we have is this ginger boy."

"For your information, he's not ginger!" snapped Tori, "He just has red hair."

"It's inside his head," 'Sabrina' spoke with an evil smirk on her face.

"It's inside his head." Richie echoed.

"It killed the driver."

"And the mechanic."

"And now it wants us."

"I said so," Siobhan chimed in.

"He has waited so long." said 'Sabrina'.

"He has waited so long," Richie echoed.

"In the dark..."

"And the cold..."

"And the diamonds..."

"And the diamonds…"

"Until you came."

"Bodies so hot..."

"With blood..."

"And pain."

"For heaven's sake, make him stop! Someone make him stop!" Siobhan shouted.

"It can't be Richie!" exclaimed Jedda, "It just can't be!"

"Richie," Tori walked over to her friend, "If you can hear me, you have to snap out of it!"

Jedda replied, "She is the one saying all this!"

"You can just shut up, girl!" Siobhan snapped at Jedda and then Tori, "And you, get back from him!"

"It is not him!" Jedda exclaimed, "It is her! He is only repeating!"

"But that what the thing does," replied Roger, "It repeats."

"Let her talk," the Hostess told the group.

"What do you know?" Roger snapped at her, "Fat load of good you have been!"

"Just let them explain," the Hostess stressed.

"From what we have seen," Jedda explained, "It repeats, then synchronizes, then after it consumes the soul of its first victim, it goes on to the next stage."

"What else could be happening?" Elliot asked.

"The voice is the thing?" added Virginia.

"Yes." Jedda answered, "And she is the voice! She stole it! Look at her! It is doing more than possessing Richie, it's draining his life force!"

"It is possessing him!" Rick exclaimed.

"And draining his spirit too?" Tori added, trying to wave her hands and shake Richie to try to break him free from the possession.

"She's got his voice," the Hostess gasped.

"That's not true," Siobhan was obviously in denial like the rest of the passengers, "Cause it cannot be. I saw it pass into him. I saw it with my own eyes."

"So did I," Roger chimed in.

"You did not!" April exclaimed.

"The thing went from her to him!" Siobhan insisted before looking at her children, "You saw it, didn't you?"

"Um, I don't know," replied Elliot.

"Neither do I." Virginia shook her head.

"Oh, don't be stupid, kids!" Siobhan exclaimed, "Of course you did!"

"He was next to her." said Elliot.

"Everyone saw it!" Roger stated, "Everyone!"

"I know what is going on here!" Jedda exclaimed, "It possessed Sabrina, swallowed her soul and now it has taken Richie's voice."

"She is as bad as him," stated Siobhan, "Someone shut her up!"

"I think you should be quiet, Miss Walker," Brooks told Jedda.

"But you do not understand..." Jedda started.

"And that is an order!" Brooks exclaimed, "You might be the Phantom's daughter or whatever, but you are clearly not an expert in mechanics and hydraulics. You are nothing more than average at best. Now shut up!"

"That is how he does it," 'Sabrina' spoke up.

"That is how he does it." added Richie.

"He makes you fight."

"Creeps into your head..."

"And whispers."

"Listen."

"Just listen."

"That is him."

"Inside."

"Throw him out." growled Roger.

"Get him out of our heads!" Siobhan shouted.

"Yeah. We should throw him out."

"No!" April exclaimed.

"Do not just talk about it!" Siobhan yelled at her husband, "Roger, you are useless! Do something!"

"I will!" Roger exclaimed, "You watch me. I am going to throw him out."

"Yes!" 'Sabrina' exclaimed.

"Yes!" echoed Richie.

"Throw him out!"

"Get rid of him!"

"Now!"

Instantly, Roger grabbed Richie and planned to throw him out of the shuttle.

"No!" Jedda exclaimed.

"It'll be you next!" Siobhan threatened the Phantom's daughter.

"I don't think we should do this!" the Hostess advised.

"It was your idea," Roger replied as Richie was struggling, "Professor, help me!"

"I cannot..." Brooks whimpered in fear, "I am not..."

"What sort of a man are you? Come on!"

"Throw him out!" shouted Siobhan.

"Come on!" Roger added.

"Just do it!" Siobhan urged on, "Throw him out!"

LJ and Rick looked at each other as they knew time was running out as Brooks was helping Roger dragging Richie out of the shuttle.

"They are really going to do it, aren't they?!" exclaimed Rick.

"We have to help them!" LJ told the others.

Tori hurried and tried getting Richie out of the men's clutches before she looked at the other young Defenders, "Help me!"

LJ immediately hurried to help Tori try to save Richie.

"Look after Jedda," Rick told April as Jedda was whimpering in a total panic. April nodded and went to comfort Jedda while she was freaking out herself before Rick went to help LJ and Tori try to save Richie.

"Mac will have my head if anything happens to Richie," Tori stated, "OWEN might have my head if something happens to Richie."

"Cast him out," 'Sabrina' told the men.

"Cast him out," echoed Richie.

"Into the sun."

"I want him out!" shouted Siobhan.

"And the night."

Elliot was whimpering in fear, holding his head with his hands. Virginia started crying as she was rocking back and forth to try and calm down. Everyone on board was shouting at once.

"Do it!" 'Sabrina' exclaimed.

"Do it!" echoed Richie.

"Do it now."

"Richie is trying to fight this thing from within!" April exclaimed.

"I knew he could hang in there." Tori stated, struggling against Roger.

"Richie! Hold on, man!" LJ exclaimed.

"Faster," 'Sabrina' continued her antics.

"Faster," echoed Richie.

"That is the way."

Now, Elliot and Calvin were helping Brooks and Roger throw Richie out of the shuttle and the men were in an apparent tug of war with Tori, Rick and LJ, who were trying to keep their friend from being thrown off the shuttle.

"Help Richie!" Tori yelled.

"You can do it." "Sabrina" continued.

"You can do it." Richie echoed.

"And that we shall!"

The Hostess realized that something was off, and she glared at the entity that was possessing Sabrina's body and realized that 'Sabrina' was not there anymore and she was causing all this as Deann was cowering in fear.

"That is his voice!" the Hostess exclaimed.

"The starlight waits!" 'Sabrina' declared.

"The starlight waits!" echoed Richie.

"It's taken his voice!" the Hostess exclaimed in realization.

"The emptiness."

"The Midnight dimension!"

The Hostess faced "Sabrina" as to tell her the jig was up, "It's her."

The Hostess grabbed the entity that possessed Sabrina's body as she shouted, "She's taken his voice!"

She broke the emergency glass next to the door which opened and was face to face with "Sabrina", or the being that was possessing her body as well as Richie's. Everyone in the room screamed as they were startled by the bright white light that came from outside.

"Noooo!"

"One, two, three, four, five, six!" the Hostess counted before the weight collapsed the entity along with the stewardess were out of the shuttle and the door closed. The passengers all backed away as Richie dropped to the floor, finally freed from the possession.

"It's gone. It's gone," Richie spoke as he knelt face down on the floor, "It's gone. It's gone. It's gone."

He laid on his back, still paralyzed as if he was waking up from a terrible nightmare.

"It's gone. It's gone," Richie continued his mantra, "It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. It's gone."

Brooks whimpered with his hand in his hands. Siobhan looked around in sadness and worry. Elliot held his head in his hands. Virginia took some deep breaths to try to calm down. Deann looked down in sadness and fear. Roger sat down at the other door.

"Richie, baby, are you alright?" Tori called to her friend as she and LJ helped him up to the nearest seat.

Rick returned to comfort Jedda, who was whimpering from the ordeal. Slowly, Richie nodded as movement was returning to his body. April walked over to where LJ, Tori and Richie were.

"I said it was her," said Siobhan.

"Yeah right." April retorted with venom in her voice.

Richie, Tori and LJ all just glared at her.

"You're lucky his brother's not here," said Tori.

Tori was comforting Richie as April and LJ were sitting next to them on the floor. Rick was standing next to Jedda, comforting her as they were standing across from the others while the other remaining passengers were seated in different parts of the shuttle as it had been twenty minutes since the ordeal had ended.

"The Hostess," Richie spoke up.

Everyone looked at him.

"What was her name?" he asked.

"I don't know," Roger shook his head.

This was a regret that everyone had as they were grateful, she had saved their lives.

Within the next several minutes, Richie, Tori, April, LJ, Rick, and Jedda all returned to the hotel along with the rest of the passengers that survived that ordeal and met with the adult Defenders.

"Are you guys all right?" asked Flash.

"We will be," Tori answered, "Some of us more than others."

"It seems that something actually happened on that shuttle," Mandrake stated before asking, "What was it?"

"Well," answered Jedda, "But it was something really awful that came from that Midnight Dimension. It attacked me as it must have known I was a telepath and it possessed a poor soul, consumed her soul and…"

"I noticed Richie is more quiet than usual," noted Lothar.

Richie looked away as he didn't really want to talk about what happened.

"What happened?" the Phantom asked.

"We will inform the IUA for records of this ordeal," Janet announced as she arrived at the room with other agents.

"Sis, what are you doing here?" Flash asked.

"Tori sent us a distress call," Janet explained, "Probably while trapped in that shuttle. This Midnight Entity was part of our cases."

"I think we should discuss this over dinner," suggested Tori.

"That sounds like a good idea," Flash replied.

"I agree," nodded Janet.

The group went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Jedda proceeded to explain about the Midnight Entity that attacked the Midnight Express, and how it possessed Sabrina and what the entity did to Richie, almost having the other passengers to kill him and throw them out of the shuttle. Tori, Rick and LJ helped with the talking too. Richie however feared of talking for so long without wondering if anything bad was about to happen.

"That was terrible!" exclaimed Janet.

"Yeah," Flash added, "I agree. I wish we had been here with you kids. Heck, I wish MacLeod had been there with us too. Then again, he'd probably wouldn't have wanted to risk Tessa getting harmed by that thing. Owen on the other hand, it would've been a mess."

"I would rather be fighting an Immortal, or one of those Hunters than ever having to deal with that thing ever again," Richie finally spoke up, "It drained me. Almost killed me. Almost..."

Richie stopped himself and did not speak for another five minutes. The ordeal left a mark on his psyche, and the pre-Immortal hoped that it would go away sooner or later. Jedda was also drained from the ordeal, but not as much.

"Almost what?" the Phantom asked in concern.

"It was like this thing took everything I had," stated Richie, "My voice, my essence. There was no telling what it would have done with me."

"Maybe this Midnight Entity might be what happens to souls that are dragged down into their portals in the Dead Zone," Mandrake theorized.

"But we were not in the Dead Zone," quipped Tori.

"Yeah, the Midnight Dimension is something like a void dimension," April backed up her theory.

The group continued to eat their dinner in silence as Janet made her report regarding this ordeal.

"What did you think it actually was?" Lynn asked as she was on the screen of a tablet while Richie and Tori were talking to her, and they explained to her about the ordeal at the Midnight Express.

"From another dimension most likely," answered Tori, "It was an evil force that wipes out all souls of bodies it possesses."

"I just hope that you guys never have to run into that thing." Lynn stated, "Whatever it was. Is it possible that Richie might still have the entity in him?"

"I hope not," Richie answered. "I don't want to go through that ordeal anymore."

"I can't imagine Richie without a voice, or a soul," admitted Lynn.

"I agree," Tori chuckled.

"Exactumundo," stated Richie.

"Exactumundo," Lynn chimed in.

"No. Don't do that, Lynn," Richie stopped her, "Do not do that. Don't. Don't. Don't."

Brooks got out his laptop and made a video call, "Dawson?"

Joe Dawson appeared on the laptop screen, "Brooks? Did you get any Immortal activity?"

"Unusual one at that," Brooks answered before he went to explain the incident at the Midnight Express.

"That is quite an interesting event, Brooks," Joe admitted after Brooks finished telling the story.

"At least the Immortal didn't know I was a Watcher," stated Brooks, "Do you think I should tell my assistants about my job?"

"If you think they'd be up for the task of being a Watcher," Joe answered, "Good luck."

"Thank you, Dawson."

Back in Seacouver, a woman with black hair was running frantically, with some cuts across her entire body.

Owen was stalking the woman as he saw the Watcher's tattoo on her arm clear as day. He managed to get a hold of her ID during the first scuffle, which was in her wallet.

He dragged his blade on the ground like Jason Voorhees dragged his machete, "It seems you're not as smart as you think you are, Megan Cornett."

Cornett continued to run until a tall figure appeared and grabbed her. The figure turned her around and she found herself face to face with Owen, who was slowly stalking toward her.

"Why are you doing this?!" Cornett asked, "What's wrong with you?!"

"It's because you're a Hunter, just like Horton," answered Owen.

Cornett scoffed before stating, "What's the big deal? Horton was doing his job, just as I'm doing MY job!"

"By killing Immortals?" Owen retorted, "Watchers don't do that. As you can see, some of them aren't pleased by your actions. And like Horton, you're an abomination. No one has the power to enforce God's own will, except God himself."

He lifted his sword and pointed it at his latest victim.

"For Denton. For Marie. For Thackery. For Leo. For Batroc. FOR DARIUS!"

Owen decapitated the arm that had her tattoo, causing Cornett to scream in agony and then Owen thrusted his sword forward and into Cornett's heart, slicing away at her life.

Cornett struggled to live as much as she could until she lost her strength, and her head dropped. Owen then pulled his sword free.

"One less of you Hunters to worry about," Owen stated before he looked over and told his companion, "Get rid of the body and let's get moving."

How did Owen end up on this hunt? That is a story for another day.

(Cue "Princes of the Universe")

Co–Starring

Jim Byrnes as Joe Dawson

Wendy Kaplan as Megan Cornett

("Princes of the Universe" ends)

Author's Note: The story is based on the Doctor Who episode "Midnight", so credit goes to the writers of that episode and the BBC for the concept.

This was also based on an old fanfiction I wrote a long time ago, and I did what I could to erase the traces of the old fanfiction, therefore it's a take on "Midnight" with the nice Highlander touch.

I believe this has been one of the longest chapters I have ever written. Heck, this IS indeed the longest chapter I have written for the start of any of my stories with 45 pages. A new record for me!

This chapter is one of two adventures that is set between "The Hunters" and "Studies in Light" to fill in some of the events between June and October of 1993. There will be one more adventure that will show you what was going on which I will post after "The Watchers", then "Studies in Light". That'll be something to look forward to.

It was tasking to find great fan casting for these passengers. I used the Poltergeist trilogy to find fan casting for some of the passengers. JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson were parents in the first two Poltergeist movies, while Tom Skerrit and Lara Flynn Boyle starred in the Poltergeist 3. That's a fun fact for you there.

I was hoping to include David Tennant in this and it turned out that he first was in the biz since 1987, and so has John Barrowman (fan casted as Jack Banks in the fanfiction series) and they would star together in the reboot of Doctor Who in 2007 and 2008. Fifteen years later, David Tennant would play the Doctor and tackle on the aforementioned episode I mentioned earlier.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to two actresses who are no longer with us.

First, in memory of Michelle Thomas, who is fan casted as the Hostess of this adventure. This young lady was best known for her roles as Justine Phillips on The Cosby Show, Myra Monkhouse, Steve's love interest on Family Matters and the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, which the last two she was involved in before her untimely death of cancer in 1998.

In August 1997, Thomas was diagnosed with a rare cancer and she fought it for over a year when she passed away in December of 1998. She was just 30 years old. RIP Michelle Thomas. You will be missed.

This is also in memory of Shannen Doherty, who is fan casted as the daughter, Virginia White in this chapter. She was best known for her roles in Little House on the Prarire, as well as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills 90210 and Prue Halliwell on Charmed. To say she was screwed over by producers of that last show, doesn't do it justice. For the longest time, it was believed that she was the problem when recently it was revealed that Charmed co – star Alyssa Milano was the problem, even Rose McGowan stated that she didn't like her. It pissed me off when she was voted off first in the reality show Dancing with the Stars.

Shannen was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, where she put up a great fight to where her cancer went into remission in 2017 and she fought the cancer when it became stage IV returned in 2019 – 2020 and I was lucky to have met her last year at my local comic con before she passed away from cancer in 13 July 2024 at the age of 53.

RIP Shannen Doherty. You will be missed.

Speaking of Charmed actors, both Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan will be having roles in the future, but I'm not going to say what roles they are casted as, but the latter will appear later on in Book Two while the former is fan casted for later on. Stay tuned for all that.

Stay tuned because "The Watchers" is next! Till then, catch you on the flip side!