Peekaboo

Patrick Kane snuck along the castle’s interior, heading toward where Nemo was keeping Jonathan Toews. He wasn’t exactly sure where that was, but he was sure that it was close. He slipped behind a knight statue and hid out of sight as two Shark people walked by in front of him.

When they passed, he crept out and tiptoed through a corridor that was lined with windows. He looked out to see a massive platform that looked like a plane could land on it. It was flat and nothing surrounded it, not to mention it hovered some feet out over the lava that churned below in the moat.

Patrick gulped and shook his head and continued on through the corridor. He soon came to the end and stood at the entrance to a massive room. He noticed that the whole interior had a medieval look about it. The walls were stone with cracks and crevices in them. There was a large fireplace, where a fire blazed and in the center of the room was a huge pile of wood, almost like the beginnings of a bonfire. A long stick rose upward from the depths and it reminded him of how a witch would be burned at the stack. He hoped that this was not what Nemo had planned for Jonathan, who wasn’t a witch that was for sure.

In mid-air, just over the top of the stick, was a big ball of red matter. It looked like an ominous cloud of space stuff gathered into a single ball. It scared him a little bit. It raged with a crackling noise that sounded in unison with the flames in the furnace. Every so often, a flash of light would come off. It was like a condensed ball of a fierce July thunderstorm.

He noticed all of the candles and torches about the room and it added to eeriness. At the far end of the room was a massive staircase that ran up to a single long platform, which raced from one side to the other. Just past the platform and stairs, were four doors. One was open and a luminous light filtered in, casting the shadow of another staircase on the wall.

Patrick snuck in and looked around. He eyed the ball of energy with fear and amazement, as he rounded it, like Belle rounded the rose in the West Wing in Beauty and the Beast. He reached out to touch it…but before he could…

“STOP RIGHT THERE!”

Patrick froze in place instantly and whirled around. His blood ran cold. “Nemo!”

Antti Niemi stood in the entrance to the hallway that was next to the staircase. In his grasp was who Patrick was searching for: Jonathan. His friend was fidgeting around, trying to get out of the hard grip the Sharks' goalie had on the back of his shirt. The poor Blackhawk centerman had his wrists bound together behind his back.

"Tazer!" Patrick yelled.

"Peeks!" Jonathan shouted.

Patrick was about to run for him but Nemo stopped him by talking.

"Is this the reason why you're in my castle?" the villain shoved the brunette towards the hero a bit.

The blond man put on a serious face. "Nemo, let him go."

Nemo's face blanked for a moment, then his expression softened as he was looking up at the ceiling in deep thought.

Patrick was confused. Is he actually considering letting Tazer go? Is it actually gonna be that easy? All I had to do was to ask?

The Shark shrugged. "Fine, you can have him." He then threw Jonathan on the ground, in between him and Patrick.

No way...it is true! Patrick then smiled happily as he ran up to Jonathan. He fell onto his knees and extended his hand towards his friend's arm to help him up. But before he could lay a finger on him, Jonathan disappeared into a puff of dust. He gasped and leapt back on his feet, giving Nemo an appalling look.

Nemo whipped his head back and let out an evil crackle. He then straightened up, his cold eyes landing on the deprived person. "You thought it was gonna be that easy? That I would give your friend back to you? In your dreams, Kanerboo! You first have to go through me." He placed his hand on his own chest while narrowing his eyes.

"Where is he‽" Patrick yelled. "Where's Tazer?"

"Now that you have to find out yourself." He then pointed his staff out towards him and blasted teal energy straight at the Blackhawk.

Patrick flew into the air and crashed onto his back, farther into the room. He tried to get up, but stopped when he saw the villain looming over him with a villainous expression.

"Now we're gonna have some fun: Just you and I, no one else...and with me having the upper hand." He then struck more energy into Patrick, who wailed with agony.

****

Tyler Seguin felt bad about deserting the group and possibly causing a panic, but he had a mission in mind. He had to find the dust that was stolen from him. Only this time, he’d be ready for anything.

He found himself climbing stairs and sprinting across hallways, until he bumped into two Shark people. He gasped and froze at once. The two men spotted him and charged toward him.

“GET HIM!!” one of them shouted, pointing at him.

Tyler began to backtrack and he darted down the hall adjacent to where he’d been standing. He dove into a side room and slammed the door shut. The Shark people yelled and ran by, but they didn’t bother to push on the door and find him; it was like they hadn’t even known he had gone into the room.

Tyler slowly turned around and leaned against the door, breathing heavily. He looked around the room he was in, finding himself in some place that actually looked like a potion laboratory. He stepped forward, parting from the door and walking further into the room.

There was a large cabinet at the opposite end and it stuck out to the young thief. He reached out and opened up the cabinet.

And sure enough, inside he spotted a few familiar items. He snatched Jonathan’s shield, as well as the activation dust and his satchel. This was where the two villains would keep all the items they had, kind of like the cottage. But they have since moved everything here to the main lair, because of the finalizing of Lord Nemo’s plan.

He paused and looked at the cabinet, as though looking for something. When he was certain it wasn’t there and a little bewildered, he closed the doors and spun around.

Before he could look around the room for his item of interest...

“Looking for this, you thief?!” a female voice from the shadows of the room spat at him.

Tyler froze in his place. He dug into his satchel and whipped out a tiny dagger sword. “Who are you? Show yourself!”

Lauren laughed and stepped from the shadows. “Tyler Seguin, it’s been a while.”

“Not long enough,” Tyler replied, raising the tiny sword up.

“Really Tyler, must this end in violence?” Lauren scoffed, as she swung Showtime in her hand.

“That’s Patrick’s sword!”

“Yeah, and it’s actually Lord Nemo’s…which reminds me, what exactly are you doing out of the dungeon?”

Tyler slipped the activation dust bottle into his satchel, as he said, “Well, I escaped. What? You didn’t think I could escape?”

“My ex-friend Ariel, that honey badger and reindeer saved you right. Yeah, I saw them racing out of the castle with the Russian. Doesn’t matter, because Nemo and I have won anyway. Now, why don’t you hand over that satchel with the activation dust, so I can take everything to Nemo? It’s time to end this once and for all. Besides, you’re a silly little wanna-be!”

“No! You’ll have to kill me and take it back!”

“That can be arranged, dear thief.” Lauren swung the sword in her hand and held it up at her shoulder, pointing it at Tyler.

Tyler stood his ground. Then he darted forward and ducked Lauren’s swipe. He missed with his dagger swing as well, but scrambled to his feet, readying himself, as Lauren charged at him and attacked him again. Tyler was prepared though and he shot his arm out, grabbed Showtime’s handle, while twisting his body around and mustered all his strength, tearing it from Lauren’s hand.

He stumbled on his feet, but recovered and raised Showtime up, pointing it at Lauren now. She was shocked.

“Never underestimate the thief, woman!” Tyler snapped.

“You don’t even know how to use that!”

“No, but Patrick Kane does!”

“He can’t win!”

“You’re just embarrassing yourself now, Lauren. Come on, I may be a thief, but I’m a gentleman and an activist for all things good!”

“Tyler, don’t leave this room!”

“Why? I have Showtime and you won’t win!”

Lauren darted toward him. He ran for the door and swung it open, rapidly. He bolted from the room, back down the hall with the mad woman on his tail. He ran through the castle gripping tightly to the sword. He had to get out of the place and get to the others...or find Patrick!

“Give me back the stick-sword Tyler!” Lauren screamed, closing in on him.

This wasn’t the ice, so his running wasn’t nearly as fast as it would be if he were on the ice with skates. He rounded a corner, passing through a dimly lit tunnel, flanked by windows that looked out on the platform.

Outside, the clouds were darker and hung low around the castle. Stalock, the red and black dragon, was flying around, breathing fire into the air and acting like a mythical beast.

Inside, Tyler pressed on, bursting into the room where Nemo and Patrick were. He skidded to a halt.

“PATRICK!!” Tyler screamed.

Nemo and Patrick looked to him. Patrick didn’t look so good. He was deathly pale in the face and he was convulsing.

“Tyler, no, get out of here! Please, don’t--don’t come in here!” Patrick moaned.

Tyler stepped forward. He could hear Lauren skid into the entrance, blocking his exit. Nemo faced him and raised his hands and staff up and aimed them at Tyler.

“TYLER!!” Patrick yelled.

Tyler darted forward, toward Patrick, as Nemo shot at him. He raised Showtime up and deflected the shot. As he moved, he whipped out the dust and quickly uncapped it and dumped the bottle on the sword blade, while it was being zapped.

He suddenly tripped on his feet and fell to the ground, losing his hold on Showtime, which clattered to the ground a few feet from where Patrick lay propped up by his hands. “No!” But before he could make a move, Nemo fired at him and Tyler flew backward and slammed into the wall. He crashed to the ground and was immediately grabbed by three Shark people. His arms were wrenched behind him and he was held there.

Nemo turned back to Patrick, but the blond had grabbed his stick-sword, which was now glowing a brilliant blue color in his hands. He held it in front of him.

“Now, it’s my turn to have fun, Nemo!”

Notes

Awesome collab work on this chapter, A Shruinger!! We should totally co-write this for Disney and have them actually do it! :P
And by the way, if you don't have anything nice or constructive to say, please keep it to yourself, because, for lack of a better way to say this, fuck you. Thanks. (Also I apologize to people who don't like cursing, that's the only time I'll curse here. Sorry.)
Now, where were we...
Oh yes!
So, there's actually only 5-ish chapters left with this...sad right? But like all "good" stories, they must end at some point. :)
I watched Birdman today in my Art of Cinema class and it was gorgeous Cinematography and Camera movement, but I'm not sure I'd see it again. I liked Into the Woods better, but I can see how it deserved to win the Oscar! :) I am also interested in seeing Whiplash...that one looked good...
I also want to see the movie Inside Out that is coming out soon...that looks interesting and funny!! :)


Next up: The Actual Battle, Rescue and Defeat!!