Chapter Text
The title credits of the most watched television talk show in Radiant Garden flashed onto the screen: What's New With Newlin? A catchy little ditty played as the camera panned over to Steve Newlin sitting in a well lit studio room with a comfortable chair and two decorative ferns. Steve, as ever, had a big grin on his face as the producer's voice introduced him.
"Good afternoon Radiant Garden, and thank you for tuning in!" Steve said. "This is What's New With Newlin? where you get the hard hitting journalism that you deserve to keep our city healthy and prosperous. Now we're goin' on a month since these alleged 'war criminals' from Avalon were extradited and imprisoned here in Radiant Garden, and we only just this morning received a statement from the Restoration Committee. Can we play the clip, please?"
The scene cut to Cid Highwind standing at a podium in front of a crowd of reporters, obviously looking uncomfortable to be there.
"The criminals we've got locked up in the Super-Max Prison were Maleficent's Undertakers," Cid explained to the crowd. "They were defeated in Sora's quest to free Avalon from Maleficent's tyranny. We've got 'em locked up safe and secure. Ya got nothin' to worry about. We're also still workin' on cleanin' up the mess in Zero District that Professor Ratigan caused. He is, at the moment, still at large."
A reporter raised their hand and chimed in. "Why are we incarcerating criminals from another world? Why is any of this our problem?"
"Are you f-" a censor bleep sounded, "stupid?" Cid asked. "They're bad guys, and somebody's gotta keep 'em locked up so they don't come and kill people."
The clip cut back to Steve Newlin looking particularly smug.
"Don't ya just love it when the people who are supposed to represent your needs curse at you?" Steve asked, sarcastically. "Makes them totally seem like the type of stable person you want in charge. But let's pretend for a second that the Restoration Committee is telling us the truth: that these are highly dangerous criminals. Then why are we importing them to be in prison here? Why are they not Avalon's problem? Why are our tax dollars going towards paying for these people to be locked up? Why are we being asked... no, not asked, forced to accept that murderers and rapists are being housed right in our backyard? When one of them escapes, and one of them will eventually, who are they going to rape and murder? All of us! And we got no vote on that at all!
"But let's take a step even further back," Steve said, calming his tone down. "We don't know who these people are. We don't know anything about them. They are being held without trial indefinitely on the word of a Restoration Committee with no true political authority. I believe in 'innocent until proven guilty,' don't you? Our constitution protects habeas corpus. Our constitution has a process for this kind of thing, and it is being ignored. And if that doesn't scare you, you need to WAKE UP! The Restoration Committee is acting as an absolute monarch in the absence of Ansem the Wise, and it has put forth absolutely no plans for fair elections. It's their world, and us ordinary folks are just living in it."
Steve Newlin pulled back and let a moment of silence to give his viewers time to digest his words before speaking again.
"Alright, we've got some callers at home from viewers like you. Michelle from the North Side, you're on air!"
"I get so scared listening to your show every day," Michelle began. "And my anxiety has gotten so much worse since I started. But then I realized that I was anxious because you're speaking the truth, and the truth is scary. I don't want my kids growing up in a place like this."
"It is! It's a terrifying world out there," Steve said. "But ignorance of the horrible things happening isn't true safety. It's an illusion, and I'm so glad you're waking up to it."
"What do you suggest we do about all this?" Michelle asked.
"Well, Michelle, we make our voices heard," Steve replied. "They can't ignore the will of the people for much longer. We need to push for a fair election. The king ain't comin' back, so we need a Prime Minister chosen by the people to lead this great city into the future. Alright, next caller is Wedge from Castle-Town. How ya doin'? You're on the air."
"Thanks, man!" Wedge said. "I'm just fired up by what that old b-" a censor bleep. "said to that reporter. It's like there's no decency in the world, man!"
"It's disheartening," Steve agreed.
"I think we need a well stocked militia," Wedge said. "They can't say no to us if we've all got our guns pointed at 'em."
"Now I do NOT condone acts of violence," Steve clarified. "Otherwise we're no better than gang bangers like Ratigan. Non-violent protest is the only way forward. However, hold onto those guns. We have the right to defend ourselves, and there may come a day when we need to. Okay, next caller is also from Castle-Town, you're on the air Rikku."
"Yeah, how 'bout you tell your viewers how you're under investigation for the disappearance of over half of your Midnight Fellowship congregation," Rikku said. "You're just another villain full of foofie!"
"Now THAT outrageous claim is foofie," Steve said, hanging up. "Folks, I will always be honest with you: yes, the disappearance of half of my congregation is being investigated. However, I am not personally under investigation, nor am I a suspect. My church and I are cooperating fully with the investigation, and my heart goes out to everyone still missing a loved one. I am personally in pain from my missing flock. I loved each and every one of the men and women who disappeared. And that is the honest to gods truth!"
"Turn that shit off," Cid barked from underneath the control panel.
Ienzo did so just as Steve started to take a caller about Gummi Ship chem-trails.
"We're losing the town," Ienzo said. "Maleficent's not going to give up until she gets her people back. Her other Overtakers are powerful, but this one... this one is practically making me doubt myself."
"He's a fuckin' smug little prick," Cid barked. "I'd like to knock his pretty perfect teeth out."
"And you didn't help things by going off on that reporter," Ienzo said. "If you couldn't keep your cool, then why did you volunteer to do a press conference?" Ienzo let out a deep sigh. "We're going to have to do something to keep the townsfolk happy. Maybe it is time to start having elections?"
"That's just askin' for Maleficent to snag real political power," Cid said as he slid out from under the terminal and wiped the grease off his hands. "At least right now, all she's got is words. Dammit, I liked it better when you just beat the shit outta villains and they did the same. Now they've got it all jumbled up. It's a fuckin' trainwreck!"
"No arguments there," Ienzo said. "By the way, I'm beginning to get worried about Dilan. He's been on vacation without checking in for weeks now. Aeleus is covering his shifts at the Super-Max, but he can't keep doing that forever. That man likes to act strong, but even he needs to sleep sometimes."
"Leon's the same way," Cid said. "Maybe when Sora and the gang get back from their world tour, they can take a few shifts off our hands."
"Any word from Sora?" Ienzo asked.
"They've got their hands full in Agrabah right now," Cid answered. "Mirage apparently made a bigger mess of things over there than Ratigan and the Heartless did over here. And then Twilight Town is still not respondin' to any communications, so Sora's already fearin' the worst."
Ienzo shook his head in sorrow. "May the gods have mercy on all of us."
Yet some gods were in no condition to bestow mercy upon anyone. Loki, the God of Mischief, stalked the shadows of the Eminence Palace, the castle once known as the Castle That Never Was. In the recent past, the shadows would have comforted the Liesmith, as darkness was his forte. However, ever since the Master came into power, Loki had good reason to fear what was lurking in the dark. He may have been a god, but the Master was something beyond even that.
Loki stood there waiting, obstructed from view. He kept checking around him for anything slithering or slinking about. Once Doctor Doom passed by, Loki pulled his lover into the shadows, away from prying eyes.
"Forewarning would be appreciated," Doom grumbled.
"Is the great Victor von Doom afraid of the dark now?" Loki teased.
"Doom fears nothing," he boasted, though Loki knew that to be a lie.
The Master had shaken everyone in the Overtakers to their core. Once, they were the most fearsome villains in all the worlds. Now, they constantly looked over their shoulders for red tentacles slithering towards them.
"I have confirmed our suspicions," Loki whispered. "The Master has not left the lowest chamber. He has created something of a nest of darkness down there. Even with my powers of illusion and deception, I could barely evade his notice. He's not with anyone or sleeping or anything remotely resembling anything logical. He's just... dwelling in the dark."
"It is almost as if the beast is incubating before he infects us all," Doom suggested. "If it weren't for his miserable minions, perhaps we could escape his notice and dispose of him permanently."
"That would take Maleficent's help to accomplish," Loki reminded him, "which, I believe, was your task to complete."
"Her fighting spirit is gone," Doom said. "It's as if she has simply accepted her fate as a lackey. I have not been able to successfully rouse her from her misery."
Loki raised his eyebrow and sighed. "Did you at least try to be polite, or did you just bark at her like some dog with no understanding of subtlety?"
"Doom is no motivational speaker," he replied. "After my unsuccessful attempt, I delegated that task to Hades. If anyone can get through to her, it is him."
"How are the ill?" Loki asked.
"Unchanged," Doom answered. "Ursula is doing all that she can, but I fear we may need to allow Grimhilde and Winifred to perish. Once we are free of the Master's grip, we can find a way to resurrect them."
Loki and Doom both knew that though Doom had said "once," what he really meant was "if." The Master, to make his power known, had chosen to make examples out of Grimhilde and Winifred Sanderson. He had consumed their magic, and, since both had used magic to restore their youth, left both witches in a state of elderliness. Their bodies did not respond well to such a change.
"Oh how I rue the day I decided to return to this prison of a castle," Loki bemoaned.
"Bah! The Master would have managed to track you down on any world you fled to," Doom said. "We are under the beast's control because he wanted us. Our fate was sealed the moment he set his sights on our glittering assemblage."
"Well, I will destroy him," Loki vowed. "This I promise you. The Master will fall."
"What are you two whispering about?" a deep voice bellowed.
A man clad in purple and silver knight armor stood facing the two men, his eyes, as ever, obscured by a dark visor: Koragg, the Knight Wolf. Koragg was one of the Master's two lieutenants he had patrolling the upper levels of the Eminence Palace. This Koragg was technically the third servant of the Master to assume that name. Before he was Koragg, he was a former ally of Xehanort's by the name of Dilan who had come seeking out his previous master only to find a new Master instead. Koragg reigned as the master's head knight, though, as far as Loki and Doom were concerned, he was nothing more than a puppet.
Loki and Doom stepped out of the shadows. Loki magically discarded several articles of clothing to give himself a disheveled appearance.
"Some of us here actually enjoy pursuing sins of the flesh," Loki spat. "I was not aware the Master was opposed to carnal pleasure."
"Have a care," Koragg warned. "I am the Master's second in command in this castle, and you answer to me. Your dalliance is of little concern to me so long as it remains contained."
"Was there a point to your interference?" Doom asked. "Or have you come to simply throw your weight around?"
"Mind your tone," Koragg growled. "The king has requested your presence in the throne room immediately. The Master is ready to put his plan into motion."
"Far be it from me to keep his majesty waiting," Loki replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm and contempt.
Koragg escorted Doom and Loki into the throne room once known as Where Nothing Gathers. Once, this room was surrounded by thirteen high-sitting thrones. Now, all but one had been shattered into rubble, and the room's current occupant kept his throne lowered at a far less excessive level. Even though his throne did not tower over the room the way that Xehanort's once had, he still felt as though he towered over the others standing on the floor before him.
Russell Edgington, Captain Hook, and Cruella De Vil were already standing there waiting when Loki and Doom arrived. Hook and Cruella were both sporting twin fang marks on their necks from where Russell had fed. With the vampire not being permitted to leave the castle, Fish, Hook, and Cruella opted to alternate keeping their ally fed until such time as he could chase after a prey that he could really sink his teeth into. Russell was very obviously itching for a kill.
The king looked down on the five Overtakers, his expression unreadable on his skull-like countenance. When the Master took over and saw the Black Cauldron for the first time, he pulled a soul out from the cauldron's maw. At first, the Overtakers thought it was Arawn, the Death-Lord himself, but they quickly learned that the being pulled forth was altogether different. He was the Horned King, a warlord from Prydain who attempted to use the Cauldron before it fell into the hands of the Overtakers. He had been trapped within the iron crucible for years. Now, this lich king served as the Master's general overseeing the Overtakers.
"What a handsome group Maleficent has assembled," the Horned King said in a raspy voice. "An outcast god, a tinkerer of machines and spells alike, a vampire turned abomination, the revenant of a pirate, and a fur clad harlot. It is not, however, my place to question those who the Master deems worthy to serve him."
"Well tell your bloody Master that he's about to lose two of his servants," Hook warned. "Grimhilde and Winifred will not survive much longer. Have some honor and let us go!"
The Horned King snapped his fingers, and Koragg punched Hook in the gut and slammed his elbow down between Hook's shoulder blades, forcing the captain down to his knees.
"I do not accept insolence," the Horned King warned. "This is no longer Maleficent's world. It is mine... on behalf of the Master of course. Now then, where was I? Ah yes... The Master hungers for a feast of light magic, but not just any light. He wants a light that is pure and succulent to consume. He wants a Princess of Heart."
"I was not aware we'd been reduced to mere delivery boys," Loki whispered to Doom.
"You five have been chosen to go," the Horned King said. "No more. No less."
"No fewer," Loki corrected under his breath.
"If any try to flee, you will be found, and you will be punished severely, as will your friends back here," the Horned King threatened, either not hearing or not acknowledging Loki's grammatical correction. "Failure will not be tolerated. You will succeed, or you will die."
"Charming," Cruella remarked.
The Horned King opened a Corridor of Darkness in the middle of the chamber. "You are dismissed. Go now!"
None of the five Overtakers had to be told twice. Whatever their feelings were towards the Horned King or the Master, all of them longed for the freedom to leave the castle.
Steve Newlin returned to Villain's Vale after the broadcast and tossed his briefcase down on the couch next to where Demyx was plucking away at his sitar.
"Have you moved at all today?" Steve asked.
"I went to the bathroom," Demyx answered.
"Did you go on that recon mission I asked you to go on?" Steve asked.
"Of course," Demyx said, never looking up from his sitar. "Oh, wait, the one you asked me to go on today? No."
Steve sighed in exasperation. "When Fish gets back, we are havin' a long conversation about your work ethic!"
With all of the other Overtakers a prisoner of the Master in the Eminence Palace, Steve had been left standing as the sole Overtaker free. Daken, Demyx, and Sarah and Mary Sanderson were the only ones left with him in Villain's Vale. Russell kept Steve updated via cellphone, and, until the situation changed, he was to carry on their work on the outside. Steve may have been a master of media spin, but trying to keep his four allies in line was a chore he was in no way prepared for.
"Where are the others?" Steve asked.
"Huh? Oh, uh, Mary went grocery shopping," Demyx said. "We were out of Cheese-Whiz. I thiiiiiink Daken and Sarah are having sex in your office again, but I didn't really care enough to check."
The sound of tiny feet scurrying in the rafters made Steve flinch.
"What was that?" Steve asked.
"We have a raccoon problem," Demyx said with a sigh. "Am I supposed to know everything? Gosh, you're so bossy."
Steve yanked the sitar out of Demyx's hand. "How's this for bossy? Go on that recon mission I told you to go on earlier, or I'm gonna fuckin' throw you in the dungeon with the other Norts."
Demyx got up from the couch and walked away grumbling.
"And when you get back, you can deal with the raccoon problem!" Steve yelled after him.
Steve stomped back to his office (which was thankfully free of Daken and Sarah) and sat down at his desk with a deep sigh.
"Demyx seemed to be in a bad mood," Daken said as he entered the room.
"Daken, I don't have the energy to deal with bullshit," Steve warned. "So if you're not here for a reason-"
"Good news only, fang-face, I promise," Daken said as he hopped up on Steve's desk and crossed his legs. "I have successfully taken complete control of Ratigan's criminal empire. We've got the Radiant Garden underworld under our thumbs."
"Finally some good news," Steve said with a sigh of relief. "I'm running out of content to fearmonger on my show. Maybe we can generate some attack to make the Restoration Committee look bad. I've got them on the ropes, but I'm having trouble landing that critical hit."
"Our big handsome leader has been working so hard, hasn't he?" Daken asked, walking behind Steve and rubbing his shoulders. "I think he needs a distraction to... take the edge off." Daken leaned down and whispered into Steve's ear. "I've never done a vampire before, but I do love a little biting."
Steve could feel Daken's pheromones working on him, and he'd been away from Russell for so long. He wanted what Daken was offering so badly. His fangs popped out on their own, and his pants currently looked like a tent. Still, he shook his head. He knew Daken was manipulating him for power, and he refused to let the other man get that kind of control over him.
"No, no, I can't," Steve said as firmly as he could.
"Russell doesn't have to know," Daken whispered.
"I mean it," Steve said, swatting Daken's hands away. "If you wanna fuck someone, go fuck Sarah or Demyx like you've been doing."
Daken groaned and walked away with a sway to his walk that set Steve's desires on fire.
"Demyx just lies there and puts no effort into anything," Daken complained. "And Sarah's delicious, but sometimes you just need a man to pin down underneath you."
Steve desperately wanted to be pinned down. He wanted a big strong man to just dominate him. However, he refused to be unfaithful to Russell, and Daken was a dangerous bedmate.
"Go!" Steve ordered, desperately trying to hide his fangs from Daken.
"If you insist," Daken said, walking out and doing everything in his power to draw attention to his butt.
Once Daken left the room, Steve dashed over to shut the door and locked it. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He needed Russell and the others back soon. The wolf was at his door, and it wouldn't be long before he was fully in its jaws. As Steve took a moment to relieve his tension, he wished he could say he thought of Russell.
"Let Naminé go, Maleficent!" Roxas ordered.
"Imbeciles!" Maleficent scoffed. "Very soon, your miserable existence will cease to be! You've already lost!"
"I don't think we have, Maleficent," Sora said. "Naminé! Can you hear me? I know she has you under some evil spell, but you're stronger than her. You always have been!"
"Ha! This is priceless ," Maleficent cackled.
"Your heart is a part of mine and a part of Roxas's," Sora went on. "We're your friends, and as long as we treasure each other, we'll never be apart! And according to Master Yen Sid, you, me, and Roxas all share a little bit of Ventus's heart too. All four of our hearts stand together as one!"
Maleficent's blood ran cold at that. Her mind drifted back to Volla's prophecy: "The strength of evil is good as none when stands before four hearts as one." Maleficent whipped around and clutched Naminé's shoulders.
"Write these fools out of existence, Naminé!" Maleficent ordered. "DO IT NOW!"
Naminé began to write, and for a moment, Maleficent believed she had won. However, she soon saw for herself exactly what Naminé had written:
Nothing written in this book will ever come to pass save for this:
The Author's powers will disappear forever!
"NO!" Maleficent screamed in fury.
The book flashed with light, and then a wave of darkness washed over everything. Crimson tentacles began to slither across the walls, only now it was a different scene altogether.
"Leaving so soon?" a deep voice echoed throughout the chamber. "I simply wouldn't hear of it."
A red ball of lightning fell from the ceiling and landed a few feet in front of the Overtakers. From the ball of lightning, a horrific looking creature took form. The beast was all red with black armor decorating his body. He was vaguely humanoid but with massive claws in place of his hands and feet and tentacles protruding from his shoulders and jaws. His eyes were a pair of solid yellow lights glowing with the embers of hatred and death.
"Maleficent, did you really think you could take over all of reality without me?" the beast asked with a bone-chilling laugh.
The tentacles on the wall began to close in on the Overtakers, and the Master cackled again with glee.
"I am your master," the Master replied. "The Overtakers are clearly in need of new leadership, and I nominate myself. Any opposed?"
The tentacles grew what appeared to be dragon skulls at their tips that bared their fangs at the Overtakers. Everyone looked to Maleficent for guidance. The evil fairy merely bowed her head and sighed.
"None oppose you... Master."
Maleficent shot up from her bed gasping for air as if she'd been drowning. Her sleep taunted her with memories of her failures. She led her Overtakers to defeat, and then she led them right into the clutches of the Master. Mistress of All Evil? More like a Mistress of Fools. Her sudden awakening did not rouse Hades on the other side of the bed. She quietly laid her head back down on the pillow. She ordered her mind to put such unfortunate memories aside, but she knew it would not obey.