The Spirit of De Soth, Part 4


    Anna and Lara Night had a rather complicated puzzle in front of them, and it all made sense once they solved it.

    They were in a hotel room, though they were supposed to have gone to the Infirmary.  Originally they thought the Infirmary at the Lair Mansion had to have been replaced.  But then they noticed a large window in the room...and discovered they were in Las Vegas.

    The error, it turned out, was that Lara homed in on a person rather than a place.  She teleported directly to Vinnie’s location, and it just so happened he wasn’t in the Mansion anymore.  And neither was Kerry.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“This is bad.”  Anna commented, ignoring the continuing strangling noises Vinnie was making.  They weren’t real strangling, they were more a commentary on his situation.  Anna continued, “I think Marv arranged this to get us out of the mansion.  He has a very good plan...shut down Hallie, and get rid of anyone who can stop him.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“So he can confront Hatman and Yuki.”  Lara guessed.

    Vinnie made some more choking noises.  Surprisingly, all the noise hadn’t woken Kerry, and he was thankful for that.  That’s why he was making choking noises instead of screaming.

    Though Lara and Anna were still ignoring him, Vinnie was having a crisis that he thought was more important than what the two were discussing.  He was wearing a small silver ring on one of his fingers, and Kerry had a matching one.

    Finally, Lara gave him some attention.  “You know, if she’s still asleep that means a Marv dream is wearing off.  The ring might be to prompt nothing more than a fake memory.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Then why are we in Vegas?”  Vinnie asked.

    Lara shrugged.  She didn’t have an answer for that.

    Anna shrugged too.  But then she added, “Let’s stay focused for now, Vinnie.  Your problem can be fixed later, right now we need to stop people from possibly dying.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“How did Vinnie and Kerry get here?”  Lara asked.  “Do you think Marv learned how to teleport people after he died?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Or use Void, like Liu Xi.”  Anna replied.  “Scary as it sounds, that would be better.  It took Liu Xi a long time to learn to use it properly without becoming exhausted.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“And Vinnie.”  Lara waved at him to focus his attention.  “I’m pretty sure Marv tricking you into a quickie wedding legally qualifies to dissolve it.  I think this is just his idea of a practical joke...he thinks it’s funny.”

    That didn’t make Vinnie feel much better, but at least he stopped making strained noises.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I should go back to the mansion.”  Lara told them, “before Hatman and Yuki get hurt.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Be careful.”  Anna said, but Lara vanished before she finished the phrase.


---


    Hatman, Liu Xi Xian, and Yuki Shiro arrived at the Lair Mansion only to find darkness and silence.  No Hallie, no guests, and they couldn’t even find Flapjack.  

    Liu Xi was with them because she managed to catch the two just before they left the Psychic Samurai’s apartment.  Chiaki wasn’t with them.  But she did leave Liu Xi with a special present.

    The Chinese girl, however, arrived in time to help the two Legionnaires.  They just happened to be figuring out a way to force Marv out of Flapjack’s body using more mundane means, when Liu Xi arrived.  She had access to magic, which gave them an edge - at the very least to protect them from Marv’s attacks.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“How will we free Flapjack from him?”  Yuki finally brought up.  “I mean, he annoys us all, but...I don’t want to hurt the little guy.”  Her voice was filled with concern.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“He likes to be hurt.”  Liu Xi pointed out.  “Maybe Marv doesn’t though, and will be forced out.”

    Hatman checked his watch.  “We don’t have much time.  We have to regain control and get Hallie running again fast.”  He looked at Liu Xi.  “What did Chiaki give you before we left?”

    Liu Xi dug into the backpack she carried with her and pulled out an item wrapped in fabric.  It was a baseball cap with a single Japanese character on the front.  “What is that?”  she asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I know what that symbol is.”  Hatman smiled as a warm memory came to him.  “Chiaki taught it to me.  It’s the symbol for dream.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What are you going to do with it?”  Liu Xi asked.

    Chiaki Bushido stepped between the Chinese girl and Hatman.  She looked determined, but serene as usual.  “I see.  You can’t take his body...so you’re going to take his mind, through his dreams.  The three of us will guard your body in case of surprises.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“And me!”  CrazySugarFreakBoy! announced loudly.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“How did you know to come here?”  Hatman asked.  “I thought comms were down.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I felt a disturbance in the force.”  CSFB! explained.  But he didn’t go further into detail.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Lara can restore power to Hallie.”  Chiaki added.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“But she’s not here--”  Hatman started to say.  But Lara had appeared while Chiaki was talking.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I’m on it.”  the blonde said.

    Hatman nodded, and then looked at Chiaki warily.  While he was a little afraid to be going after Marv’s mind in a dream, he trusted her.  He knew she was capable of things that no one else knew she was capable of.  She would know if he got himself into trouble.

    Without further delay, he put the cap on.  The first mistake he made was that he was standing up at the time...and CSFB! had to catch him from falling as he immediately fell asleep.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“This is like Dreamscape, isn’t it?”  CSFB! asked.  “Is he going to fight a snake guy in there?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Perhaps.”  Chiaki joked.  “Don’t worry, Dream, I’ll be watching him.”

    Dream craned his neck and made a clicking sound as Chiaki walked past.  “And I’ll be watching you!”


---


    Hatman thought he was still in the darkened Lair Mansion, yet things were just a bit too surreal for him to be awake.  He was surprised that unlike the sleeping cap, the dream cap allowed him to still be self-aware.  It made sense, since the symbol, as Chiaki explained it, not only meant dream...it was a wish for good dreams.

    He tracked Marv by trying to think like him.  Power-hungry, always wanting to be in a place of control.  Not actual control, but apparent control.  He had to be in Hatman’s office.

    And there he was.  Not the Marv that Hatman remembered recently, but the Marvellous Marv from television, wearing a bright blue sport jacket covered in sparkles.  The wannabe that everyone, including his own producers, walked all over.  Marv was always on a quest for power because he still believed himself to be powerless and taken advantage of.

    Marv turned around in the desk chair, looking around, frightened, like he heard something awfully disturbing.  Then directly at Hatman.  His eyes widened, and he asked, “What are you doing here?”

    Hatman prepared himself for a fight, but there was none.  He felt his confidence rise when he realized he wasn’t just in Marv’s mind, he was in the subconscious somehow.  In Marv’s own dreams.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You have to stop this.”  Hatman warned him, as he stood over him, fists clenched.  

    He then remembered that the last time Marv was on the loose, he worried so much about Lara Night disrupting his plans.  He wondered if that threat worked this time too.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Lara is right behind me.”  Hatman added, just to see Marv’s expression.

    He didn’t expect the look on Marv’s face.  Not fear, but worry...like he wasn’t prepared.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I remember you now.”  Marv finally said.  “I...put you in that dream with Lara Night.  You were the first ones I put in a dream.  I wanted you to hurt her.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Why?”  Hatman asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“So she would think the Lair Legion was evil and selfish.  So she might sympathize with me, and help me.  When it failed, I had to seek power on my own.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“And you’ve been fighting the Lair Legion ever since.  And Lara too.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I didn’t mean to fight Lara.”  Marv protested.  “I still wish she would join me.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“So in your warped, homicidal stalker way...you’re in love with her?”

    Marv gave Hatman a sad, lost look, but he didn’t reply right away.  “She’s perfect.”  he said.

    That last part gave Hatman chills.  He moved closer, squeezing his hands into tighter fists.  

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I get it now,”  the Capped Crusader said.  “You think Lara blew you off, so now you think she deserves to be punished.  Her and her Lair Legion friends.  You know what?  That kind of rationale for hurting people...it makes me sick.”

    He reached down and grabbed Marv’s collar, and drew back his fist, ignoring the cringing of the imaginary man.  He thought that he might hit Marv so hard that he would finally be forced to leave Flapjack’s body and disappear from his life forever.

    But then he thought about something even better.  He thought about what his friend Lara might say to Marv.

    He let go of Marv’s collar and said, “I forgive you.  It’s time to let go, Marv.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No.  No, you’re lying.”  Marv protested.  “You’re just saying that so I won’t harm you.”

    Hatman ignored his protests and added, “And Lara forgives you too.  She just wants to see your soul find peace.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“She does?”  Marv asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“She’s right here next to me, looking after me.”  Hatman said.  It wasn’t a lie...for some reason, he knew she actually was there.  “She wasn’t able to come in here, so she wanted me to deliver her message.”

    He somehow knew what to do next, thought he didn’t know how it was even possible.  He held up his right hand, and electricity arced across his fingers.  It almost made him jump out of surprise, though it didn’t hurt him.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“It’s true!”  Marv said.  “It is her!”

    Hatman felt the electricity from his fingers suddenly jolt him powerfully enough that the vision he was in turned into a flash of light...and then darkness.

    ...and then Hatman sat up and gasped.  His heart was racing.

    Flapjack was on the floor next to him, alive, but twitching.  Lara stood over them both.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Did you...?”  Hatman asked as he removed the dream cap.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No...he just kind of...walked in here and convulsed, and then collapsed.”  Lara said.  “I’m not sure how.  What happened with Marv?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I...”  Hatman sat up and looked at his hands.  “I think...I...sent him on.”  He sounded stunned as he said that.  He couldn’t put into words the simultaneous sadness and relief he felt.

    Everyone looked at the door when Vinnie came into the room.  He was awake, and playing with a ring in his palm.  “Marv is gone, all right.”  he said.  “You managed to quench the anger that kept him around.  He’ll probably be back though.  This is Paradopolis, after all.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Don’t be so pessimistic.”  Liu Xi scolded him.  She gently took one of Hatman’s hands and squeezed it.  “I’m happy for you for ending this without anyone else getting hurt.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Thanks, Liu Xi.”  Hatman quietly thanked her, squeezing her hand in return before letting go.

    Sensing that Hatman had something on his mind, to say to one person in particular, she said, “I suppose we’d better check on the rest of the mansion and make sure everything is okay.”

    There was a murmur of agreement, and then everyone started to file out of Hatman’s office - except for one.  Chiaki grabbed Lara’s arm to stop her, and looked right into her eyes.  It was the simplest form of communication, to pass along the message to the blonde.  She was intended to stay behind with Hatman.

    After that, Chiaki left too.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“It was about me, wasn’t it?”  Lara guessed.  “Marv kept going on about how dangerous I was.”

    Hatman didn’t respond.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I feel terrible.”  Lara whispered sadly.  “The Lair Legion hurt because of me.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No.”  Hatman looked at Lara.  “No...don’t ever blame yourself for this.  Each of us would have gladly put our lives on the line to protect you from him.  It’s what we do.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No doubt!”  CrazySugarFreakBoy! echoed that sentiment loudly.  Apparently he had been spying on the conversation, in spite of the Psychic Samurai’s request.  “And you might not be official, but you’re one of us.  Y’know, like a hero.”

    Lara smiled and looked a little embarrassed.  “I...guess I’ll just say...you two are too good to me.  And I’ll offer a hug.”

    She reached out with both arms, and Dream took the hug immediately.  Hatman tried to avoid it until Dream dragged him in, too, by one of his arms.

    Somewhere below the Lair Mansion was an old drainage tunnel with a slight current of water that led directly to the bay outside Lair Island.

    Vinnie De Soth was there, still rolling a ring across his palm.  He looked at it once, held it up to the faint glow of his flashlight, and said, “Sorry I had to bind you like this, Marv.  It’s for the best.”

    He sighed and tossed the ring into the current, watching it wash downstream.


TO BE CONCLUDED IN A FEW WEEKS


-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2009 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
--    reprinted without permission.  
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
--  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
--  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin