Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dot was struggling with the ties around her wrists, but she already managed to loosen them a little. She had to admit that freeing from ropes without any sharp objects in her surroundings was far harder than she initially expected, but oh well… it wasn’t her first time either. And she was gradually getting better…

The door was opened and two familiar faces showed up. Tick and Arthur’s eyes almost widened at the sight of Dot being tied up to the chair. Dot sighed with annoyance. Great. Just the guys she wanted to see at this very moment. And she was so close…

“What the hell, Overkill?!” Arthur screamed at the direction of the man, who sat few inches away, holding a stopwatch in his hand.

“Yes, this is not how you treat friends.” Tick pointed out.

They both quickly rushed to her side, but Dot stopped them:

“Don’t you dare help me.”

“And don’t distract her.” Overkill added, not even looking at them. “She’s close to beat her record.”

“Actually, I think some distraction would be good.” Dangerboat said and moved his eye towards their guests. “You know, for additional realism. It’s a bit harder to free oneself when there’s chaos around you. There is a sense of urgency to help your friends.”

“We will get to the possible mission scenarios later. First we are covering the basics.” Overkill retorted, still focused on the stopwatch.

Dot managed to loosed up the ropes by rotating the wrist back and forth. The fact that her hands were tied behind her back made escaping harder, since she couldn’t use her teeth, but she was slowly getting closer to her goal.

Finally! Her wrists wriggled out of the ropes. Dot smiled to herself and proceeded with untying her ankles and stood up.

“Ha, success!” She called and looked at Overkill who just stopped the stopwatch.

“And only half the time than the last attempt.” The vigilante said and showed Dot the time on the stopwatch. “You’re getting better.”

“Thanks.” She replied, still smiling.

“But why are you doing this, anyway?” Arthur asked and gave Overkill stern look.

“Hey, It was all your sister’s idea. I’m only doing what she told me to do.” Overkill pointed out.

“I’m preparing for the inevitable.” Dot replied, massaging her left wrist. “Giving that I’m a sister of a superhero and hang out with former AEGIS agent, it’s only a matter of time until some psycho gets to use me as a bait or something. I much rather prefer to escape and kick their ass than be a damsel in distress. So I’ve asked Overkill to give me some lessons on self-defense and escape techniques.”

“Neat idea!” Tick said with his usual enthusiasm and looked at Arthur. “Maybe you should try it too, eh, old chum?”

“What? No!” His sidekick turned to Dot. “Look, this is all good and dandy, but don’t you think people in med school or ambulance will get suspicious of your wrists suddenly having rope marks? At best they will think you’re into so kinky stuff, at worst – that you have an abusive boyfriend.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve told them in advance that I’ve got interested in magic tricks. Besides, mom and Walter know what’s going on.”

“And they let you spend time with him?” Arthur said, pointing finger at Overkill.

The vigilante was taken aback by this remark but his only reply was:

“Yes, because they would like their daughter to be safe. After all, one guy’s girlfriend was stuffed into the fridge once.”

“Oh, yeah,” Arthur agreed, all of a sudden remembering the incident. “there was something like that. Wait wasn’t she pushed off the bridge and the guy almost caught  her but as a result he broke her spine in the process?”

“No, you’re thinking about the arachnid one. The fridge guy was doing some shit in space.” Overkill corrected him.

“Wow, this is so wild…” Tick said.

“Bottom line,” Dot cut in sharply to get the attention of all three men. “I don’t want to be fridged so I’m coming here for lessons. End of a story.”

“This is a very neat idea, Dot.” Tick repeated his previous statement. “We will help you either way, but still,” He gave her a thumbs up. “pretty neat.”

“Look, Dot, I get this.” Arthur turned to his sister. “And really, who am I to question your badassery, but… I don’t know…” He moved his eyes away from her.

For a moment he wasn’t saying anything, probably trying to gather his thoughts. And everybody were looking at him, waiting for his next words. Finally Arthur gave a soft sigh and spoke:

“I guess, I don’t like the thought of you being tied up here very much. Or you being kidnapped in general.”

“Well, I don’t like the idea that you might get hurt.” Dot retorted. “But I trust that Tick can keep you safe. And that you know what you’re doing. Try to do the same for me.”

Arthur gave another sigh.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“Why are you even here?” Overkill asked with his usual annoyance.

“Look, we’ve come because we need to check something.” Arthur replied. “Some guy in the suburb said he saw men dressed as pirates from Disney’s Peter Pan and doing some suspicious work in the warehouse area. Since you and Dangerboat are always in the docks, have you seen something unusual?”

Overkill didn’t reply right away. He only stood up and came to his partner’s computer.

“Dangerboat, are there any suspicious people in the docks, dressed like Hook’s pirates?”

“Wait, I’m scanning.” The AI said and for about half a minute there was only sound of his operating system working. Finally he said: “No, there’s no pirates in the docks. Or even a pirate ship for that matter. It seems that there are only the usual sailors and smugglers.”

“So your pirates are probably somewhere in The City’s suburbs. They probably some cosplayers.”

“Well, they really got into their roles.” Tick said. “They were singing Pirate’s Life during bank robbery.”

“Pirate’s Life?” Overkill asked.

“You know, this song Captain Hook’s men sing when they keep Lost Boys hostage.” Arthur explained.

“Oh…” Overkill seemed to think about what he just heard, before he went back to being his professional self and added: “Inform me if anything like that happens. Cosplayers committing crimes, while singing Let it Go… Something like that. I will keep an eye on odd things too.”

“Wait, you know something.” Arthur said. “What is it?”

“I will tell you if I will get more intel.” The vigilante replied quickly, but it was clear he said only to stop any more questions.

Arthur gave him a weird look, but his only response was:

“Okay, we will leave you alone. I have things to do anyway. But you keep us informed too.” He added gazing at the vigilante meaningfully.

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” Overkill waved his hand.

And both superheroes left the boat. Now there was only Dangerboat, Overkill and Dot. For a moment the paramedic and the antihero were observing each other in awkward silence. Dot got the impression that Overkill was slightly more awkward than she. Granted, it wasn’t the first time, but it was still unnerving. It was like he wanted to say something but he couldn’t quite get it out of his system.

Dot just smiled to Overkill and said:

“Guess, I will go too. My exams start next week, and I thought I might go out with the girls.”

“I see.” Overkill replied. “Have fun.”

He didn’t smile or anything but Dot new he sincerely wished her a good time.

“You should also go out more.”

“I’m good. I will just watch something on Netflix.”

Netflix… knowing Overkill there will be no chill. But alas, she was looking forward for girls’ night out for a very long time.

“If you say so…” The paramedic said finally. “See you later, Overkill.”

“Yeah.” Was his only reply.

Once Dot was gone, Dangerboat looked at Overkill and started to sing:

Sha la la la la la, my oh my

Look like the boy’s too shy

Ain't gonna kiss the girl

Sha la la la la la, ain't that sad

Ain't it a shame, too bad

He gonna miss the girl…

“Shut up.” Overkill glared at him. “You’re not funny.”

“I’m just saying… I can see how you look at her. And oddly enough, she seems to like spending time with you.”

“We’re just working together. Besides, I don’t like her that way. And even if I did,” He gave the AI another hard look. “I wouldn’t want to make everything awkward. Like certain boat, who was a little flirty around the Everest kid.”

“Low blow, man.” Dangerboat replied. However, he didn’t stay mad. “Anyway, you can say whatever you want. Remember that I’m monitoring your vital signs. Your erratic heartbeat whenever you come closer to Dot too.”

Overkill looked down. Guess, he forgot about that feature. Damn it, nothing can’t be hidden from that idiot.

“Why are we even having this conversation?” He said, not even turning to Dangerboat’s eye. He came to the computer and started to search the data base with certain keywords. “There’s a lot of other more important things to talk about.”

“Ah, yes. Like that fact that you didn’t tell Tick and Arthur about certain supervillainess from your past. It’s not wise to hide information from your allies.”

Some part of the vigilante agreed. He actually felt uneasiness about the possibility that she might be back. As silly as she was, she was also a formidable opponent. If she was going to be back, he needed a plan… and backup.

“First of all,” Overkill began. “I do need more intel. Last time when I’ve seen her, she was in AEGIS prison. And you know how much they care about security.”

“Like that time when you went rogue and take me along?” Dangerboat prompted.

“Secondly,” Overkill continued. “even if it is she, we need to find out what she wants. Bank robberies aren’t her style. So first we confirm it is her, then we tell Tick, Arthur and Dot.”

“If you say so…” The AI wasn’t going to argue.

Dot definitely needed this girls’ night out. As much as she liked Tick, Arthur, Overkill and Dangerboat, she wanted some normality in her life. And she really wanted to just go out with her friends, have few drinks and talk about things that weren’t related to superheroes and supervillains. Frankly, that was what she got. She and her friends were talking about exams, TV shows they’ve seen, movies they wanted to see, the roller-skating championships in July and how they were going to smash the other teams. It was a blast.

Before Dot knew it, the time was first in the morning and to be fair, Dot felt a little tired. So she called the taxi. The voice in the cellphone told her the driver will be in ten minutes, in front of the restaurant. When ten minutes passed, Dot said goodbye to her friends and went out. The taxi was already waiting. Dot felt that something wasn’t right, but when she looked around, there seemed to be no creeps. Just in case, she reached into her purse to feel if everything was in place. Pepper spray? Check. Keys? Check. Cellphone? Check. The trucking device? Check.

She carefully entered the taxi. That feeling was still there, so she decided she wanted to be as far away from the restaurant as possible.

“Where to, princess?” The driver asked, not turning to his client.

Dot already didn’t like him.

“First off, I’m not your princess.”

“Of course, miss.” He said. “I apologize. So where would you like to go?”

Dot told him her address and the taxi began its course. For a moment it was quiet and this made the atmosphere a bit eerie. She reached to her purse again. Everything was still on its place. But why was she so nervous? It was just a taxi.

Nevertheless, she activated the tracking device.

“I will turn on the radio.“ The driver said suddenly. “I don’t like silence.”

“Yes, of course.” She replied, quite relieved he offered it.

But he didn’t turn on any station. He simply went for a CD player and soon the voice of Elton John was heard from the speakers on the back of the taxi:

There's a calm surrender

To the rush of day

When the heat of a rolling world

Can be turned away…

“Beautiful song, don’t you think?” The driver asked, all of a sudden.

“It’s fine I guess…” Dot shrugged.

“And Lion King… truly a cinematic masterpiece.” The driver went on and even glanced at his client from the corner of his right eye.

And can you feel the love tonight?

It is where we are

It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer

That we got this far…

“Maybe for majority of people.” Dot replied. “My brother always hated the Hakuna Maatata part.”

“Why?”

It's enough to make kings and vagabonds

Believe the very best…

“Well, he thinks it’s stupid that Simba just sings a happy song about the end of all worries right after he saw his father dying.” Dot explained.

“Then your brother missed the point of this song, princess.”

There's a rhyme and reason

To the wild outdoors

When the heart of this star-crossed voyager

Beats in time with yours…

“You see, what’s beautiful about Disney songs is that they can basically convey everything. And some of them should be read in the context.”

“So what’s the real meaning of Hakuna Matata?” Dot decided to let the ‘princess’ slide for now.

“Why, escapism of course! Simba just left his home in shame and guilt. He found two odd fellows who decided to take care of him and showed him a way of life that seems to be idyllic. We see that he grows up with Timon and Pumba, away from responsibilities and worries about his kingdom.”

And can you feel the love tonight,

How it's laid to rest…

“It’s only when Nala comes to his paradise that Simba is reminded he has duties. He doesn’t want to go at first, because he doesn’t want to leave the good life he has with Timon and Pumba; and because the thought of home reminds him of his shame. Do you understand it now, princess?”

The song ended and Dot said:

“I get it. But I’m not your princess.”

“Mine not, but for sure there is some Prince Charming in your life, right? Some Philip, Eric, Eugene or Kristoff?”

“Excuse me, but that’s none of your business, sir.” Dot felt the rising sense of dread, but tried to stay calm.

“Oh, on the contrary, princess.” The driver replied and clicked some button on the dashboard.

The front seat and the back seat had been separated by a glass and Dot immediately knew what was going to happen. She tried to open the door but, of course, they were blocked. Meanwhile she heard the hissing sound… The gas was already released.

“Don’t worry, princess. Your prince will surely come to your rescue.”

Dot settled for the next best thing – she took the can of paper stray and attempted to break the window. But the glass seemed to be too hard to break (damn it, they thought of everything…). And even though, Dot covered her nose and mouth with a scarf, she felt more and more sleepy with every second. And the sleepier she got, the weaker her tries with window were.

Defeated by a glass… What a lame way to lose…

But she knew they wanted her alive. She was going to be a bait. For who? It didn’t matter. The important thing was that she wasn’t going to get herself fridged.

The last thing she heard was another song on ominous driver’s CD:

I know you ,

I walked with you once upon a dream…

I know you

The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam…

She always hated Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.

Chapter Text

Dot woke up in a bed. However, she quickly realized it wasn’t her bed, since not only her surroundings didn’t resemble her flat, but also the place she was lying on didn’t feel the least familiar. The first thing Dot noticed was the large green baldachin above her head. Next she realized that she was in a room made from a yellow stone, but with a window. On her left she could see a wardrobe and a dressing cabinet.

She stood up and walked around the room in search for some means of escape. First she examined the big, wooden door. Once she touched it, she felt the cold surface of metal and little circles formed around the tips of her fingers. The same thing happened, when she touched the wall on her right.

The chamber-like interior was a hologram.

She tried to find the lock with her fingers, but she didn’t feel anything even resembling a keyhole. Just in case, Dot went to the window. She could already see that the view outside was flat like a landscape painting.

Next, Dot went to the wardrobe and opened its large doors. What she found there was like a little girl’s dream – a wardrobe full of dresses, but not just any dresses. The more Dot was observing them, the more she was able to recognize them: yellow, almost golden dress of Belle, light blue ball dress of Cinderella, both pink and blue dresses of Aurora, Mulan’s matchmaker gown, Megara’s violet chiton…

Someone here was really into Disney.

And under every possible Disney princess dress there were matching shoes, but when Dot put up the glass slippers, she was disappointed to see them being made of plastic. There were also no tiaras. Her captors put into consideration that she might want to use glass shoes or pointy ends of the royal headwear as a dagger.

Dot sighed. So far it looked like she could merely throw all those nice shoes at her captors, but she knew it won’t be effective in the long run.

Dot closed the wardrobe. She came to the dressing cabinet and looked through all the drawers. She found hairbrushes, plastic combs, bows and make-up accessories. Nothing for the nails, so she couldn’t count on some nail polish remover to blind the captors; or pincers to use them as a knife. In the end Dot settled for two hairpieces and powder case, and put them inside of her back pocket.

There wasn’t much she could do at the moment. She needed to gather more information – how many guards are there, what was their weaponry, where’s the exit… She couldn’t do it now, she couldn’t even try to open the door with hairpieces, because there was no lock. So she decided to sit down for now and think about her situation.

She was a prisoner now. Someone kidnapped her to use her as a bait. Dot wondered for whom. She knew she hasn’t been chosen as a random bystander. The taxi driver kept calling her a princess and said something about her prince coming to her rescue. So he must have suspected she was in relationship with some guy and her kidnapped were aiming to catch that guy.

Who’s mortal enemies decided to abduct her? It was possible that people have seen her around Tick and Arthur, because even though Arthur was very careful to not show in public that he and Tick knew her, Tick walked everywhere in his costume (or was it a part of his body?), including Arthur’s block of flats and Everest family dinners he was invited to. So spotting big, blue guy around Dot wasn’t hard.

Harder was seeing him and her interacting with each other and finding some kind of romantic relationship there. Tick was always friendly toward her, but only someone with obsession with romance would see something more there. And even then that someone would have to look really, really hard.

No, it wasn’t about Tick.

It wasn’t about Arthur either. Because even if someone found out his secret identity, they would also find out that Dot was his sister. And the taxi driver was pretty clear he meant a romantic partner, not a relative (there was, of course, a possibility that he was some kind of sick psycho who shipped siblings, but Dot doubted that… Also: eww…).

So who else was left?

Well, come to think of it, Dot and Overkill did a lot of missions together. Lint thought they were dating… or at least she was joking like that. So maybe few supervillains got the dumb idea that there was something between her and him. And the fact that she was hanging out with him a lot lately, probably only make this idea seem more plausible.

Dot gave a soft sigh. Great, she was here, because Overkill – fucking Overkill, of all people – had a Disney-obsessed villain. She was pretty sure that he would find the mere idea of such nemesis ridiculous.

Overkill squatted and started to look through the content of Dot’s purse. It took him a moment but he finally found it – Dot’s tracking device.

It was her idea to have it as an additional security measure. She said there was a lot of psychos on the streets and she wanted to make sure that – if she won’t be able to defend herself – Overkill will be able to find her and help her. He thought it was kind of touching that she trusted him so much.

But last night the signal from tracking device was dampened, so even though it has been activated at one in the morning, Overkill and Dangerboat discovered it only few minutes past seven. And so the vigilante was here – on the warehouse roof, with Dot’s purse, but without Dot herself.

Someone came to the docks, someone chose the warehouse near Dangerboat, someone climbed on the roof and left the purse there for him, Overkill, to find it in the morning. None of those facts filled him with optimism and, frankly, it was more than likely that wherever Dot was now, she will have to use her new skills in practice.

The vigilante stood up and connected with his partner:

“Dangerboat, check the security footage of my current location.”

“On it.” The AI was silent for a couple of seconds and then: “Oh, would you look at that: Flora, Fauna and Merriweather went on a walk down the docks.”

“All three, eh?” Overkill said.

“Well, actually they were just three overgrown men in dresses and with fake wings, but the message is clear, don’t you think?”

“Crystal clear.” Overkill clenched his fist. “She is here after all. And she’s not very subtle, either.”

“So what now?” Dangerboat asked, his voice suddenly going serious.

Overkill didn’t respond right away. His gaze landed on the purse that was now without its owner and he felt the sense of dread rising inside him.

He knew this day might come. Hell, Dot knew this day might come. That is why they were working on escape techniques and self-defense lately. And Dot… well… ever since he met her he couldn’t deny this: she was driven, tough and strong. She even saved him from Lint, so really, who was he to question her badassery?

Nevertheless, no matter how he admired Dot and no matter how they were preparing for the future, there was always some part of him that was scared. Scared that one day the person he started to legitimately like might be abducted. Scared that some villain might get her and hurt her in any way. Scared that he might lose her just like he lost Flag Five.

And right now – as much as he tried to remain calm and remember that Dot was more than meets the eye – Overkill couldn’t help this feeling of fear. Especially because there was a voice in the back of his head telling him that this was all his fault…

“First, we are contacting Arthur and Tick.” He finally said, trying to distract himself from his gloomy thoughts. “Then we start the proper investigation.”

“Good plan.” Dangerboat replied. “However, Arthur won’t be happy.”

“Oh, yes. He won’t.”

Overkill disconnected with Dangerboat and immediately called Arthur. The man was supposed to be at work now, so vigilante expected him to be a little irritated. The accountant wasn’t picking up for the first twenty seconds and Overkill suspected it was because he looked for a good place to talk. Finally, when Arthur did pick up, there was the sound of wind, indicating he was on the roof or something.

“What do you want, Overkill?” Arthur said, his voice seething with irritation.

“Dot didn’t pick you up to work, did she?” The vigilante asked.

“What? No, but I didn’t ask her to do that. She had this night out yesterday, so I didn’t want to…”

“Listen up, Arthur,” Overkill cut in. “Dot was kidnapped.”

“What?!” Arthur exclaimed, but quickly went back to his normal volume. “What do you mean “kidnapped’?”

“Look, I will explain everything but you and Tick have to come to me.”

For a moment there was only the sound of wind. Arthur probably was thinking through what Overkill said. Finally he replied:

“Fine, I will take the day off and go for Tick, but you better have some plan how to save my sister. Roger that?”

Overkill perfectly understood Arthur was just worried about Dot. Nevertheless, he told the accountant:

“Already on it. We have a lot to talk over, so move your ass, kid.”

Arthur told his boss he didn’t feel right, and he even pulled a convincing act of having cold. Then he called to Tick and told him to bring the moth suit and soon Arthur changed into his superhero persona in the alley. Dangerboat was nice enough to cover the expanses of their Uber.

Throughout the whole trip to the docks, Arthur couldn’t stop thinking about Dot being in danger. It struck him as ironic that he learned about it a day after he saw her preparing for such an eventuality. Sometimes the worst things happen right after people were done talking about them and this was one of those times. Arthur only hoped that for now Dot was alright and the kidnappers didn’t do anything to her.

Ever since this whole story with a suit began, Arthur was afraid that Dot will be targeted by the bad guys. Granted, in turn, she was worried about the same happening to her little brother, but Arthur was a superhero. And superhero’s closed ones tended to be fridged, if one wasn’t careful enough.

Arthur still remembered how scared he was when Terror got him. He didn’t know if he was going to survive or if Terror was going to inflict some tortures on him. Arthur didn’t even know if there was any chance of rescue. And as much as he was aware that Dot probably tried to stay collected and find means of escape, she was still in danger. And Arthur knew that time was a key here, so he was determined to find his sister and save her.

When the superheroes finally got to Dangerboat and met with Overkill, the vigilante didn’t waste any time: he showed them the AEGIS profile of some woman, around her thirties. She had violet skin and red, messy hair, but most importantly her wide smile was baring pointy teeth.

“Meet Mildred Hackebee.” Overkill started to explain. “A whiz kid who got into possession of a magic staff that gives her power to create small spells and spy on people. She’s also a Disney fan. That is why she calls herself Meleficent.”

“Let me guess: the Peter Pan pirates were her goons?” Arthur asked.

Overkill nodded and went on:

“She always has about three to five goons who cosplay as Disney characters and do her dirty work.” He started to walk around the room. “About sixteen years ago Meleficent got her hands on the staff and decided to use it to get her the love of her life – a young Disney pop star, Eric Vohns.”

“Wait, I’ve heard about him.” Arthur said suddenly. “Wasn’t he this guy who got kidnapped and Flag Five saved him?”

“Yes, it was him.” Overkill nodded again. “And the person who kidnapped him was his psycho fan who believed he and she are meant for each other. Like a prince and a princess from a Disney movie. The Flag Five managed to defeat her and rescue Vohns but after this experience he quitted music career and now lives in the woods. I don’t know what Mildred did to him, but he seems to be rather shaky.”

The longer Arthur was listening, the more he was remembering about this story. Little bits and pieces about mysterious villainess who showed herself briefly in long history of Flag Five’s activity. She was defeated in one day but managed to curse Sedona and scar Shooting Star.

The more Arthur was thinking about it, the more scared he was.

“So… so you think Dot might be held captive by this Meleficent?”

“I’m more than certain.” Overkill replied.

“We’ve got this footage from yesterday.” Dangerboat’s eye came closer to Arthur and Tick.

The screen showed a short video of three overgrown men dressed as three fairies from Sleeping Beauty, putting carefully something on the ground. When they moved away, Dangerboat stopped the video and zoomed closer so Tick and Arthur could see it was a woman’s purse. Arthur soon noticed Dot’s keychain sticking out of it and suddenly found himself falling on the nearest chair.

“Dot…” He whispered absent-mindly.

And then he felt big hand on his shoulder. It was Tick, who was unusually quiet this whole time but now smiled to his friend.

“Wherever she is, she probably works on getting herself out.”

“Yeah,” Overkill agreed, but there was some uncertainty in his voice. “and I don’t suppose they’re going to harm her anytime soon.”

Arthur found this statement suspicious. He turned to Overkill and asked:

“How… how do you know?”

Overkill didn’t respond right away. Arthur once again had a feeling the vigilante knew something, but was hiding it from them.

“Let’s just say that I have this gut feeling.” He finally replied.

“Ah, if it’s a gut feeling, there’s no reason to doubt it!” Tick exclaimed. “One should always trust their gut.”

Arthur ignored what his friend just said. Instead he neared his face to vigilante and gave him a stern look.

“Overkill,” He started, still staring at him intensively. “why would Meleficent want to kidnap Dot?”

Overkill, on the other hand, moved himself away from the sidekick and went to Dangerboat’s computer.

“That’s what we need to find out.” He said, not looking at the accountant. “I’m sure she will send us a message soon. For starters, we should see her blog.”

“She has a blog?” Arthur felt dizzy. “Supervillainess has a blog?”

“Of course.” Dangerboat replied in ‘as-a-matter-of-fact’ manner. “Where else would she be posting her rants on Coco?”

Overkill started to type something on a keyboard while Tick and Arthur came closer to the monitor. The site they were on at the moment, had “Welcome to the Supervillain Dark Web” title in red letters on the black background but more importantly – there was a search bar. Overkill wrote there: “magical kingdom of maleficent” and soon couple of results showed up underneath. Most of them were something along the line: “Where is Meleficent? I liked her”, but right up front there was, word for word, what Overkill was looking for. He clicked on the link and got directed to the Magical Kingdom of Meleficent.

It looked like a normal blog, if only a bit dark. The curvy font of the headline was light green. Behind it there was a castle from Disney logo, while posts were on black background. The text was mostly in white but here and there Overkill, Tick and Arthur could see a fragment in light violet, probably some external links.

The most recent post was titled: Massage to an Old Friend and contained a video with the same headline. Overkill clicked on it.

The first couple of seconds were blank but then the view cleared out and on the large ominous-looking throne was sitting violet-skinned woman dressed in long black robe. The headwear with horns was almost like taken from Angelina Jolie movie and the staff the woman was holding resembled the one Meleficent had. However, the glow it was emanating was purple, not green.

She smiled widely, baring her sharp teeth. The look on her face was menacing. Nothing she had to say was going to be nice.

“The years roll by…” She began, her voice calm, quiet… yet it sent shivers down Arthur’s spine. “but a hundred years, to a steadfast heart, are but a day. And now, the gates of the dungeon part, and our prince is free to go his way. And off he rides, on his noble steed, a valiant figure straight and tall! To wake his love, with love's first kiss, and prove that true love conquers all.”

She started to laugh, but it wasn’t a heartly evil laugh, no. First it was quiet chuckle, under breath and then it gradually became lauder and lauder… yet never turned into full blown evil cackle.

And then she suddenly stopped, her face became serious and with one swift move she rose up from her seat.

“Before we get to the good part, I want you to know that she’s safe… for now. Maybe she even woke up already, I don’t know.” Meleficent smiled again. “I will check on her soon. Anyway,” She started to walk down the steps of throne’s elevation. “I’m not heartless. I will give you clues as to where your princess is. But remember, Fixer-Upper,” She stopped few inches from the camera. “You may promise yourself: ‘I won’t say I’m in love’, but the truth is love is an open door. So can you feel the love tonight? Do you think she dreamt of you once upon a dream? Or maybe she has already lost all hope that someday her prince will come. One of these things is not like the other.” Meleficent clenched her hands around her magic staff and said: “Find out which one and you will be a bit closer to your princess…” She gave one last menacing smile and added: “Straight Shooter.”

And that’s where the video ended.

Chapter Text

Dot was sitting on the bed, when the door opened and a woman in Meleficent costume entered. Dot abruptly stood up, which made the stranger smile. The woman tilted her head and looked at her prisoner  from the corners of her blue eyes.

It was very unnerving.

“Who are you?” Dot asked.

“Oh, no one in particular.” Meleficent said, still observing Dot. “Just good, old fashioned Disney villain, princess.”

“Call me ‘princess’ again and I will throw you off the roof.”

Meleficent gave a small chuckle and came closer. Then she put two fingers under Dot’s chin and lifted it gingerly.

“I must say, he found himself an interesting princess.”

Dot pushed Meleficent’s hand away and hissed:

“Get your hands off me.”

But her captor didn’t mind that. She only smiled even wider. Suddenly Dot found herself not able to move. It was like some kind of invisible claws tightened around her. She could barely breath. How was it possible?

“It’s kind of poetic, really.” The woman said. “My namesake from Sleeping Beauty was looking for Aurora sixteen years, and it took me sixteen years to plot my vengeance against Straight Shooter.”

Dot’s eyes widened. She didn’t expect to hear Overkill’s old nickname. She instantly wanted to know more. And Meleficent was more than happy to talk:

“Of course, you know him as Overkill, princess.” She stopped smiling and started to walk around the room. “But it was Straight Shooter who destroyed my chance of love. It was Straight Shooter who folded my plans. It was Straight Shooter who got me imprisoned in AEGIS.” She stopped and looked at Dot. “And so I promised myself, I will take away his love.”

“I’m not his love.” Dot said.

She deliberated earlier whenever she should deny any connection with Overkill, but came to the conclusion that they won’t kill her right away if they think she can be useful to them. She did, however, added:

“We are just friends.”

They liked each other, alright, and Dot had to admit that, objectively, Overkill was a pretty handsome man, however, their dynamic was based on the fact they had a common goal and were working with each other well. Besides, Overkill was always very professional – he treated Dot like partner and never made any moves on her.

Meleficent gave a small chuckle, once again came closer to Dot and replied:

“He may hide it well, but let’s look at that.” She neared her staff to Dot’s face.

The witch waved her hand over the violet gem and soon Dot could see an image of herself and Overkill doing another shooting practice. Suddenly he came closer to her and a pounding sound could be heard from the gem. It almost sounded like…

“Heartbeat.” Meleficent said, giving Dot another ominous smile. “His heartbeat betrays him.”

Dot wondered how Meleficent got this footage… did she break in to Dangerboat? The angle was different than any of Dangerboat’s cameras, so the woman had to install her own, but when? Overkill was almost never leaving his base and even when he was, Dangerboat had strict security perimeters (the only people he was letting in, beside Overkill, were Dot, Arthur and Tick).

Or maybe it was magic. After all, Dot was now in a tight grip of some invisible force…

Then Dot started to think about what Meleficent just said. She still thought this whole idea about Overkill being in love with her was ridiculous, but she did remember few things. Like the fact that there were times when he was acting awkward around her… However, Dot always blamed it on his trust issues and lack of social skills.

Meleficent moved away and continued:

“Have you ever seen Disney’s Hercules?”

“Only once.” Dot replied. “It was… weird.”

“And do you remember why Megara was working for Hades?”

“No, and I don’t care.”

But Meleficent wasn’t discouraged.

“She traded her soul for the life of a man she fell in love. However, he instead went after another woman, leaving poor Meg alone and miserable. That is why Megara works for Hades; and that is why she’s mean to Hercules at first. But then she slowly falls for him, because he proves to be different than she expected.”

“And why are you telling me this?” Dot asked.

“Because Overkill was like Megara once.” The villainess started to walk around the room again. “He fell in love with a woman that betrayed him. Not only that but this betrayal costed him everything he held dear. And so he guarded himself from any kind of connection. Especially with women. Because that one woman hurt him so much.” She stopped, but didn’t turn to Dot. She only stood there and continued her monologue: “So I waited for him to fall in love again. I was patient in that AEGIS cell. He guarded himself so much… but I knew he will find himself a new love.” Meleficent finally turned to Dot  and smirked. “And what a lovely princess he found himself.”

The villainess’ face became serious. Her gaze was cold as she said in a low, hissing voice:

“People do crazy things when they’re in love. For example, they willingly fall into an obvious trap to save their beloved.”

“You forgot something.” Dot decided she had enough. “Overkill isn’t stupid. And I’m not going to just sit here either.”

“We shall see.” Meleficent gave her a wide, toothy grin. “In the meantime, I will decide which Disney princess you resemble the most. See, I have about fifty schemes to kill your prince. I only have to find the one that suit both of you the best.”

Meleficent started to walk towards the door, but suddenly she stopped. She smiled at Dot and waved her hand above the gem again. Then she came closer to her captive and showed her what was inside the gem.

“Look,” Meleficent whispered. “it seems like your prince found himself sidekicks to help him with his quest. Like certain mild mannered accountant, for example.”

Dot observed Arthur who was sitting in his moth suit in what looked like Dangerboat’s inside. She tried to remember that Tick was probably with him at the moment, nevertheless, she was afraid. The woman in front of her knew about Overkill being Straight Shooter and about Arthur working as a accountant. And while Dot was staring into violet gem on the witch’s staff, she understood: Meleficent really was a witch. And she must have spied on Overkill and Arthur for quite some time. The fact was neither Overkill nor Arthur were safe; and they were going to fall into a trap soon if Dot won’t do something.

“See you soon, princess.” Was the last thing Meleficent said, before she exited Dot’s prison.

Only when she was left alone, Dot was released from the invisible clutches. She took couple of deep breathes and clenched her fists. She wasn’t going to let Meleficent win.

After listening to the video, for a moment neither Arthur, nor Overkill and Tick were saying anything. And then…

“Our first damsel in distress scenario overlaps with our first high culture villain scenario. And this villain also has personal vendetta against Mister McStabby here.” Tick summarized. “I must say this is all very worrying…”

“Enough talking. We need to get to work.” Overkill replied, not even looking at them and proceeded with watching the video again.

Arthur didn’t move yet. His mind was running through separate words Meleficent said during her short performance: prince… princess… fixer-upper… first’s love kiss… love… love… love…

Straight Shooter…

The sidekick gazed at the vigilante. Arthur slowly was wrapping his head around what was going on and soon an understanding came to him. And it made him angry.

“You knew that Meleficent came to get you, didn’t you?” He asked Overkill who gave him one quick glance before he went back to the video. Arthur continued: “When we came to you about the pirates, you knew it was her. And you didn’t tell us!” He added, exclaiming.

Overkill stopped the video and turned to him.

“I’ve suspected it but I needed to be certain. See, for the last sixteen years AEGIS was keeping her in their most secure facility. Dealing with those bureaucrats was tedious, but Uncle Samson made sure that she won’t escape. And during my time in AEGIS I was keeping an eye on her too. She was held on a secluded, uncharted island that could put Alcatraz to shame. It just seemed like there was no need to worry.” He looked at them sadly. “But I guess, I should have known those idiots will screw it up somehow.”

“And now my sister was taken by that psycho!” Arthur exclaimed and went towards Overkill. “If you had told us about it yesterday, maybe we could prevent it!”

“Hold on, chum.” Tick stopped Arthur with a gesture. “You have a right to be mad, but there’s more important task at hand.”

“I agree.” Dangerboat added. “We need to save Dot.”

Arthur immediately thought of his sister being in danger, probably scared and at Meleficent’s mercy. He took a deep breath. He was still angry at Overkill and he would gladly blast him, but Tick was right. They needed to focus on rescuing Dot.

Meanwhile Overkill sighed deeply and for a moment was averting his gaze from Tick’s sidekick. When he looked at him again, he seemed apologetic.

“Look, Arthur,” He began. “Tick and Dangerboat are right. We will come back to this topic, when all of this is over. Now, please, help me solve this puzzle.” He pointed at the video.

Arthur was silent for a moment. He neared to Overkill and hissed:

“Listen up: Dot got mixed into this, because she was spending time with you and Meleficent got a stupid idea that you two are dating. If something happens to Dot, it will be your fault.”

“Believe me, I’m aware of that.” Overkill replied and for a moment his mechanical eyes seemed to be remorseful. But then he immediately returned to be his gruff self: “Can we finally get to work?”

Without further ado, Arthur took a seat and turned to the computer’s monitor.

“But don’t you dare hide anything from us again.” He warned him.

They played the video from the part when Meleficent said she was going to give Straight Shooter clues of his princess’ whereabouts.

“I’m not heartless. I will give you clues as to where your princess is. But remember, Fixer-Upper, you may promise yourself: ‘I won’t say I’m in love’, but the truth is love is an open door. So can you feel the love tonight? Do you think she dreamt of you once upon a dream? Or maybe she has already lost all hope that someday her prince will come. One of these things is not like the other…”

Overkill stopped.

“I know that Can you feel the love tonight and Someday my prince will come are an actual Disney songs.”

“Aurora sings Once Upon a Dream in Sleeping Beauty, and I won’t say I’m in love is sung by Megara in Hercules.” Arthur went on.

“And Fixer-Upper and Love is an Open Door are both from Frozen.” Dangerboat concluded. “It seems that these are all songs with love as a main subject.”

“But one of them doesn’t fit to the theme.” Overkill said.

“I’m sorry, guys, I can’t give any input.” The Tick lamented. “My horizons aren’t that wide. I’ve never seen any Disney movie.”

“I would say that it’s either Once Upon a Dream or Someday my prince will come,” The vigilante proposed. “because they are more about the idea of love than real love.”

“And I think it’s Fixer-Upper.” Dangerboat replied. “Because others are about romantic love and this one is about love in general.”

Arthur was silent for a moment as his mind running through possible similarities and differences between all the songs.

“No,” He said finally, still a bit in his own thoughts. “you are all wrong. It’s Love is an Open Door.”

They all looked at him with surprise.

“How so?” Overkill asked.

Arthur turned to them and explained:

“Because it’s a villain song.”

“Villain song?” This time it was Tick who asked. “But the title is so lovely!”

“And song itself is very upbeat,” His sidekick went on. “but you see, Tick, you don’t know it’s a villain song until you’ve seen the whole movie. Prince Hans sings Love is an Open Door to swoon princess Anna and later take over the throne of Arendelle.”

“Oh, yes, it makes sense!” Dangerboat exclaimed. “I thought the key was romantic love, but Hans shows his true colors when he’s supposed to break the curse with true love’s kiss and says instead: ‘Oh, Anna… if only there was someone out there who loved you.’ And then he basically leaves her to die from cold.”

“What a horrible man!” Tick commented. “How can prince display such an unprincey behavior?!”

“Let’s say that’s our solution.” Overkill looked at Arthur. “What does it mean to us?”

“We should check every guy named Hans, who lives in the City!” Tick suggested.

“Wait a minute.” Arthur said and played the video almost from the beginning.

“The years roll by…” Meleficent on the recording recited. “but a hundred years, to a steadfast heart, are but a day. And now, the gates of the dungeon part, and our prince is free to go his way. And off he rides, on his noble steed, a valiant figure straight and tall! To wake his love, with love's first kiss…”

Arthur stopped and looked at Overkill and Tick.

“Maybe that’s also a clue. A clue that we should focus on the prince and what he did or did not do. Meleficent from the movie says all those things to prince Philip to mock him. Philip truly loves Aurora and wants to break the curse with true love’s kiss. Prince Hans only wants kingdom. He sees Anna as just means to achieve his goal.”

Overkill’s eyes widened with sudden realization. For a moment he wasn’t saying anything, he was just sitting in his chair, motionless. And then his eyes changed into more determined and he said to the AI:

“Dangerboat, where was Ms. Lint seen recently?”

Chapter Text

Secret AEGIS prison, five years ago…

Overkill stood in required five meters from the glass holding his old enemy in. The cell was Spartan – bare walls, a bed with white sheets, neon lights on the ceiling… and the overwhelming grayness of the room. There was, however, a small room that probably served as a bathroom; and an old TV set hanged highly on the wall.

And on the bed, staring at the TV was her – redheaded, purple-skinned menace in hospital gown. Her hair was messy like she wasn’t washing it for days. She seemed rather small, hugging her legs and leaning on the wall, while focused completely on Little Mermaid… But Overkill knew that if this woman got into possession of a laptop or her magic staff, she wouldn’t be so harmless anymore. He still wasn’t sure whenever giving her a TV and letting her watching Disney all day long was a good idea.

The inmate was in the middle of watching the scene of Ariel and Ursula’s first meeting, when she noticed her guest. She smiled and quickly stopped the movie.

“Hello, Mildred.” Overkill decided to speak first.

She turned to him and, still sporting a wicked smile, stood up.

“My, my, what a lovely surprise.” She said, taking few steps towards the glass. She stopped right in front of it and added: “A hero comes to my prison. Are you here to see if I’m still planning your demise?”

“It doesn’t matter if you are. You can’t leave this place.” Overkill replied, smirking, but then he became serious.

“But really, why are you here?” Meleficent asked. “You’re not the kind of a man who likes to gloat at his enemies’ misery. You’re not the kind of man to care about their comfort either, so you’re not here to check on me. Oh,” She raised her eyebrows in realization and then smiled at him even wider. “I see. You’re scared.”

“Scared of you?” He chuckled. “You’re just a poor, deluded woman. There’s nothing you can do to me.”

“And yet, you’ve come here.” She came even closer and, standing right in front of Overkill, put her hand on the glass surface. “Because you want to make sure that I will stay here. Because you know that when I will finally go out, I will hit you” She raised her chin and said slowly: “right. Where. It. Hurts.” She lifted her hand off the glass and took two steps back. “Especially since the man who put me here for your safety is long time dead.”

Overkill knew she wanted to get under his skin. Therefore he remained cool, even though he hated the fact that she was even talking about his father figure.

“By the way,” She suddenly looked at him. “how is Miss Lint?”

Overkill’s eyes widened with surprise but then he frowned.

“Oh, relax.” Meleficent said. “I’m not dumb enough to go after Terror’s right hand woman.”

 “That’s right. And I couldn’t care less if you kill her or not.” Overkill replied, trying to act nonchalant.

“That’s obviously a lie, but it doesn’t matter, my dear Megara. You will fall in love again.”

Overkill’s answer was short:

“I won’t.”

The agent decided he had enough talking with a psycho for a day. He felt a smug satisfaction, knowing that he will leave this place and she will stay there, alone with her Disney obsession. He will be free, and she will forever stay in this cell. There was no way, she will get her revenge.

“Goodbye, Mildred.” He said, turned his back on her. “Return to whatever you were watching. I don’t care.”

But she didn’t come back to Little Mermaid. Instead, she started to sing after Overkill, in a quiet, ominous voice:

Someday my prince will come

Someday I'll find my love

And how thrilling that moment will be

When the prince of my dreams comes to me…

He closed the door behind himself and walk away. But he still could hear her creepy singing in his head.

Obviously, after Terror was arrested, Ms. Lint decided to lay low for a first couple of weeks. However, Overkill and Dangerboat were keeping an eye on every information regarding a scarred, one-eyed woman with electrification superpowers. Overkill knew that, sooner or later, his ex-girlfriend will start to build her own gang. And soon his spy network informed him about Ms. Lint looking for henchmen. She was clever enough to change locations every now and then, and frankly, Overkill wasn’t very hasty about getting her in jail.

He kept making excuses: he preferred to caught her when there was a chance of some badass action; he wanted to see what she was planning; he liked the look on her face when he will foil her… But the truth was that he wasn’t ready to meet her so soon. Ever since she used him to get the codes, he always had mixed feelings about her: he knew he was supposed to hate her and some part of him really, really wished he had never met her… but at the same time he couldn’t help but wonder how she was and whenever she was thinking of him. He hated that even though she did so many bad things to him, he still couldn’t stop caring about her… that she almost killed him and he still was attracted to her.

And he knew that their next meeting might get a little awkward and he hated feeling awkward.

But it looked like Overkill was going to meet her sooner than he wished to. Well, maybe he wouldn’t have to necessarily talk to her… maybe the clue to finding Dot was in one of Lint’s headquarters or one of her henchmen knew something… He would much preferred it to be that way. Alas the investigation of her old lairs didn’t bring anything fruitful.

He still wondered if – as much as Janet was a villain and nasty woman – she would take a part in a plan to destroy her former lover. Maybe she would? After all, she once took a part in destruction of everything he held dear; and last time when they’ve met, she was ready to electrify him to death… But at the same time he had hard time to believe Lint would conspire with Meleficent, considering the fact that she thought of Overkill as her boy toy.

Anyway, here he was, in the middle of the afternoon on the outskirts of The City, observing the warehouse where Lint had her newest lair; and thinking all those pointless thoughts. He really didn’t want to go there. He really didn’t want to see his ex-girlfriend again. But he had to do it if he wanted to see Dot again.

And so he went to the back doors of the warehouse, quickly put the two guards there into coma and came in. Then he immediately hid behind the nearest crate. His eyes spotted Lint talking with a henchman who gave her some documents to look through. The villainess’ eye only glanced at papers, before she handed them back and started to instruct the other henchmen to hurry up with the shipments.

“I’m going to my office.” She said and began to massage her temples. “Don’t bother me unless you find something interesting.”

And she went upstairs.

Once she was gone, Overkill took one of Lint’s henchmen aside and injected him with truth serum. When it started to work, the vigilante asked him if he knew something about Meleficent. The henchman replied:

“The boss said you will come, so she instructed us that we are to tell you to meet her in her office.”

Overkill neared his masked face closer to look the henchman in the eyes.

“Is there some kind of a trap?”

“I don’t know, man.” The guy replied. “I’m only carrying the boxes.”

Overkill knocked him off and left the building the same way he entered… but only to came back later through the roof and stealthily get to Lint’s office upstairs. He found her leaning comfortably in her big, black armchair and with a towel covering her eyes. She seemed to be resting, unaware that she had a guest. Overkill looked around the office in search of some trap. It seemed like there was nothing, but – just in case – he locked the door and planned his eventual escape rout.

“Hello, Janet.” He said finally.

Her first reaction was a smile. Then she straightened her seat, took the towel off and turned to her guest. She leaned her elbows on the desk, put her chin on her hands and, still smiling, replied:

“Hello, Estevan.”

“I will cut the crap and go straight to the point.” Overkill put his hands on the desk and looked Lint in the eye. “Are you in cahoots with Meleficent?”

 “And what if I am? I have a right to hang out with whoever I want.”

“Well, yes, but this particular woman swore vengeance against me. So, you know, I have a right to know if my supervillain ex-girlfriend is conspiring with one of my sworn enemies.”

“I love it when you are so demanding.” Lint smirked. “You always knew how to turn on the woman.”

Was it just him or was it hot in here?

Overkill shook his head and went on:

“I have no time for your games, Janet. A life is on a stake!”

“And let me guess: this life belongs to your little blonde friend?”

Overkill’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s what I thought.” Lint suddenly got serious and leaned her back on the backrest.

For a moment she wasn’t saying anything; she was just staring at him with gloomy expression, Then she moved her armchair away from the desk and stood up to turn away from Overkill.

“Tell me, Estevan,” She began and grabbed all three of her braids to play with them. “if this wannabe witch kidnapped me and not your little Dotty… would you save me?”

Overkill clenched his teeth. Why did she have to bring this up now? He knew why she was doing this. The reason was the same as when she said he didn’t find her attractive anymore. And he hated all those little, uncomfortable feelings that this woman was making him feel now.

“And what do you think, Janet?” He began. “You used me to do your boss’ dirty work. It’s thanks to you that I’ve lost my family, my sight and my hands. And the last time when we’ve seen each other, you almost killed me. You’ve hurt me more than you can imagine.”

“So I guess it’s a no.” Lint said, throwing her braids away. “Well, that’s fair.”

“Yes, I would save you, Janet.” Overkill added and she looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Because even though you broke my heart, I still care about you.”

“Aw,” She cooed. “you can be so sweet sometimes.” Suddenly she changed her expression into more nonchalant one. “However, I know, you’re saying this just to get information from me.”

Overkill really wished it was true…

Lint suddenly came to her desk and opened one of the drawers. Then she showed Overkill a light blue pendrive with Disney logo.

“You’re lucky, I have a giant migraine and don’t feel like playing.”

Overkill grabbed the pendrive and eyed it suspiciously. Then he looked at Lint.

“What is there?”

“That’s not my business. I only had to bring it to you.”

Overkill observed her more and asked:

“Why were you even doing what some nut told you to do? You could zap her any time.”

Lint chuckled cheerlessly and sat on the edge of her desk.

“A girl needs some entertainment in her life. And I’m really interested how this whole thing will end. Don’t disappoint me,” She smirked. “I’ve betted hard cash that you will kick Meleficent’s ass.”

Overkill raised his eyebrows but didn’t comment on it. He didn’t know if he should be touched that Lint thought he will win.

“See you soon, Janet.” He turned his back on her and went to the door.

When he unlocked it, Lint called after him:

“Oh, and one more thing, Estevan.”

He turned back to her, but didn’t say anything.

“Don’t get yourself killed.” She added soon after.

Overkill looked at her one last time and opened the door.

“I won’t.” He said and left.

Dot was walking from one corner of her cell to the other, pondering her situation. Now, when she knew that Meleficent had magic, she needed to figure out how it worked and if there was a way to nullify it. Her best bet was that Meleficent’s powers were coming from the staff, but it could be also her own power. Dot had to gather more information, however, she couldn’t do it, being locked in here.

She heard her stomach growl. She didn’t know how long she was here, but she was certain that it had to be good four to five hours since she woke up. And yet they didn’t brought her any food. Were they going to starve her?

But then the door opened and a man dressed in whole-body Timon costume entered, holding some kind of a soup. The man was of average high just like Dot. Suddenly a plan started to form in her head.

“Breakfast, princess.” The gruff voice underneath the happy Timon’s face said.

He put it on the nightstand, turning his back on a prisoner and Dot didn’t waste any more time. She quickly put her arm around the guy’s neck with her forearm up under his chin. Then she took her other arm and placed it on her bicep. Finally she put her free hand behind Timon’s head and had him locked.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?!” He asked.

“You know, I can break your neck.” Dot answered with threats. “All I have to do is push my hand a little harder…”

This seemed to work because he said with panicking voice:

“Okay, okay! What do you want?!”

“How did you come in? How does this door open?”

“There are special sensors in our costumes so the door react only to mistress Meleficent and her men. It’s by mistress’ design.”

“What about the exit? How can I get out from here?”

“It’s on the bottom floor, but you won’t go out. There are gargoyles guarding it.”

“Gargoyles?” Dot raised her eyebrows.

The henchman nodded… as much as he was able to.

“Mistress used magic to animate statues. And believe me, there’s a lot of them here.”

“She seems to be very powerful.”

“It’s the staff. The gem in it, specifically. The first one got destroyed sixteen year ago but mistress managed to find another one.”

So if a gem gets destroyed, Meleficent will be powerless… – Dot thought… but then another thought crossed her mind: This guy is too eager to reveal his boss’ secrets.

“Don’t you worry what your mistress will do to you if I go out?”

She heard him chuckle under his breath.

“She’s not concerned. You see, it doesn’t matter if you stay in your chamber or leave it: you will never escape this place. Mistress thought of everything and there’s nothing you can do, princess, to free yourself. Your only hope is that your prince will come for you.”

Dot felt an urge to prove him wrong. The more they were calling her “princess”; the more they were telling them that she could only count on Overkill coming to her rescue, the more she was determined to find the way out and not wait for anyone’s help.

“We’ll see about that.” She replied to the henchman and squeezed her muscles.

Her prisoner lost consciousness and she put him on the bed. But before she was going to do anything, she quickly ate the whole soup. She wasn’t that much in hurry to escape on empty stomach.

It took Dot some time but eventually she took the Timon costume’s off the man and put it on herself. Once she stood in front of the door, it opened. Dot smiled to herself and went out on the corridor. She found herself on the corridor that had a row of doors on her left and a safe barrier on her right. It looked like some kind of prison – there was a similar corridor on the other side and upstairs and downstairs. Dot quickly realized she was on the second floor and there were three of them.

When Dot came closer to the barrier and looked down, she saw Meleficent sitting on a throne while her minions (one dressed as Pumba, the other two as hyenas) were sitting around various computers and doing something. Dot moved away to not be noticed, but she managed to caught the view of large doors with “exit” sign above and two gargoyles standing on each side. Dot knew it will be hard to get there and not getting Meleficent’s attention, giving that the witch was standing in front of the door. So Dot decided to for now play the henchman. Meleficent will eventually send her minions to do something and that will be Dot’s chance.

Dot went down the stairs and immediately heard Meleficent calling after her:

“Did she eat it?”

Dot realized that she stumbled upon a problem. How was she supposed to imitate the male voice? Nodding probably wasn’t going to work, since Meleficent probably demanded to be addressed per “mistress” by her minions. So what Dot should do? Should she speak or try to be silent either way?

“Well?” Meleficent, on the other hand, started to be impatient.

Dot gave a deep breath and said in the lowest voice she could muster:

“Yes, she did, mistress. I saw her eat every last drop.”

This was the moment of truth. Will Meleficent fall for it? Or not?

“Good.” She said and Dot gave a soft sigh. “Then let’s get down here, Timon, and help with the video seed.”

Dot came down the stairs and quickly joined the other henchmen at the computers. She glanced at Meleficent. The villainess seemed to be bored if anything. She waved her hand above the gem and looked inside. Dot really hoped she wasn’t using it to see the cell…

She quickly averted her gaze and focused on her temporary computer. It was showing the footage of Arthur’s apartment. When she moved her eyes on the computer next to her, she saw Dangerboat standing in the docks. The monitor on her far right depicted some kind of a warehouse. She couldn’t make out what was on the last one.

Suddenly Dot felt something tightening around her. In two seconds her mind made a connection with a similar earlier experience. Then the invisible force put her up in the air and turned her around so she could face Meleficent. The witch smiled widely and snapped her finger. Dot was moved closer to her and now she was hovering few inches in front of the throne. The other henchmen turned away from their work to observe what was happening.

Shit…

“Glad, you’ve joined us, princess.” Meleficent snapped her fingers away and suddenly Dot wasn’t in the Timon costume anymore. Then she said to her minions: “Bring some comfy chair for our guest!”

Pumba put some chair right underneath Dot, while one of the hyenas brought the rope. When Meleficent seated her prisoner, the henchmen started to tying Dot up. The Everest girl tensed her muscles to later have more room for maneuvers. She also kept complaining and screaming, so the henchmen would be more sloppy.

To be fair, she was glad of this turn of events. Here, near Meleficent, she had an opportunity to spy on her.