Shadow Play, Chapter 2

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

The lobby of the headquarters was nicely decorated in marble and metal, with displays of old superhero gear lining the walls, and the crest of the Defenders hanging above the receptionist’s desk. The receptionist, a white Nimmo, did a double-take as they came in. “Er—can I help you?” she asked.

Isengrim bowed. “Isengrim, the Werelupe King, seeks audience with Judge Hog,” he said. He paused, then added, “I believe I have an appointment.”

The Nimmo’s eyes widened even further as she leafed through her schedule. “Oh—yes, there you are,” she said. “Please wait a moment.” She turned to the Beepallite that sat patiently on the desk. “Judge Hog, King Isengrim is here to see you.”

The robot Petpet whirred as the light on the feedhorn of its antenna dish flickered, and it blinked and shifted its weight from one foot to the other before settling back down again. “There’s a good boy,” the receptionist said, patting its head, and it let out a few mechanical clacks in delight.

 

The feedhorn flickered once more. “Tell him to come on up,” said a gruff voice, made slightly tinny by the Beepallite’s speaker system.

“The lifts are that way,” the Nimmo said, pointing down the hall. “He’s on the 41st floor, third door to your right.”

“Thank you,” Isengrim said with a nod, leading his family toward the magic-powered lifts.

“Nice to see they’ve got some Virtupets tech down here,” Terra said as they all shuffled into a lift. Isengrim basically took up half the lift car by himself, but thankfully Terra was slim and Blynn and Hyren were smaller Neopets, so they fit snugly, but not uncomfortably.

“I wonder what they used to use before the Beepalites,” Blynn said. “Maybe Lightning Lenny just ran around the building all day delivering messages.” Terra laughed.

By the time they stepped into the hallway on the 41st floor, Terra could easily notice signs of apprehension from Isengrim. His fur was flat, and his tail and ears drooped, despite his efforts to keep them perked confidently. She reached over and nudged his arm. “Remember,” she said, “you’re doing the right thing, and that’s always worth it. And if Judge Hog gives you any grief, he’ll have to answer to me.”

Her Werelupe chuckled self-consciously. “I would never ask you to defend me like that,” he said. “But… thank you for being here. You give me strength.”

“Thanks,” Terra said. “I’m happy to.”

“Here it is,” Hyren said. He pointed to the letters on a door’s frosted window: JUDGE HOG, CHIEF OF OPERATIONS.

Isengrim tensed. “You’ve got this,” Terra said.

“Yeah, you’re a good guy now,” Blynn said. “And if Judge Hog doesn’t understand that, that’s his problem.”

The Werelupe King nodded. Squaring his shoulders, he took a deep breath and knocked at the door.

“Please come in,” said the same gruff, professional voice from before.

Isengrim clenched his jaw and opened the door, and they stepped into Judge Hog’s office. For a superhero’s workspace, Terra thought it looked surprisingly mundane. There was a calendar and a coatrack, a bulletin board plastered with papers, and even the requisite potted plant next to the window. On top of a filing cabinet sat a greeting card drawn by a child, with a crayon doodle of a caped Moehog. It read “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A SUPER DAD”. Terra smiled. That alone was enough to put her mind at ease about this Defender.

Judge Hog himself sat at the desk in the room, his hands folded as he waited patiently for everyone to get situated. The bulky blue Moehog looked rather comical behind a desk built for normal-sized Neopets, but that was really the only thing comical about him. He sized Isengrim up with a stern frown, but his expression softened when he saw the Werelupe’s family. Terra smiled politely, if a bit nervously. Meeting new people was not what she did for fun, but she knew Isengrim was having a more difficult time than her right now.

“King Isengrim, I presume,” Judge Hog said. “The Defenders know about how you and your pack used to roam the Haunted Woods, taking whatever you pleased. And how you moved to Meridell, attempted to invade Illusen’s Glade, and then worked with the Darkest Faerie.”

Isengrim’s hackles rose and his crimson eyes glittered, and Terra frowned, as did her other Neopets.

Blynn opened her mouth to protest, but then Judge Hog said, “We also know about how you worked together with Brightvale, Meridell, and Darigan Citadel to stop a rogue mage from destroying the world. And that you’ve been on good terms with those kingdoms ever since. We’ve also gotten reports from the Haunted Woods that you defeated another Werelupe King who had risen to power and was terrorising the villages there.” The Moehog stood up and extended a hand to Isengrim. “You sound like an exemplary hero, Your Majesty. I’m glad to meet you.”

Isengrim’s expression brightened and he shook Judge Hog’s hand firmly. “Thank you, sir,” the Werelupe said. “I appreciate that.” Terra let out the breath she had been holding.

Judge Hog motioned to the chair on the other side of the desk. “Please, have a seat,” he said. “I apologise that I don’t have more seating for your family.”

“No worries,” Blynn said as Isengrim took the chair. “We know how to stand.”

Terra put a hand on Isengrim’s shoulder. The Werelupe took another deep breath and deposited the scrolls on Judge Hog’s desk. “Here you are, sir,” Isengrim said. “This is all the information I have about Malkus Vile.”

Judge Hog’s eyes lit up as he reached for the scrolls, breaking the wax seals and scanning the text Isengrim had written with his own paw. “Excellent,” the superhero said. “Thank you. This should help immensely in our search for Vile.” He glanced up at Isengrim. “If I may ask—what compelled you to cut ties with him and give us this information?”

“If I am as much of a hero as you say I am,” Isengrim said, “then it behooves me not to ally myself with criminals. My business with him has already been dwindling these past few years.” He absently scratched below his ear. “I have felt guilty about my connections with him since my owner adopted me… so I recently decided enough was enough. I am ‘going straight’, as they say. I will have no more to do with Vile or his dealings. And I could think of no better way to fix things than by helping you bring him to justice.”

“Very forthright of you,” Judge Hog said. “You’re quite the honourable sort. I like that. If it’s not too much of a bother, could I ask you some further questions about Vile? I’m sure the information you’ve given me here will be a huge help, but if I could learn anything more about him while you’re here, perhaps we could finally nail him.”

“Of course,” Isengrim said. “Ask me anything you like.” He turned to Terra. “Ah… do you have something else you could do for a bit? Vile is… not exactly a nice person, and I do not think you would want to hear much of what I have to tell.”

Terra smiled. “Sure, I think I can find something to do,” she said. “Meet me in the lobby when you’re done? I won’t leave the building without you.”

“Sounds good,” Isengrim said. Terra appreciated how he always looked out for her, not just protecting her physically but shielding her from things she was sensitive about. He was a truly conscientious and caring Neopet, and she felt faerie-blessed to have him in her family.

“Ooh, I’ll come too!” Blynn said. “I really wanna explore this place! C’mon, Terra, let’s see what we can find!” She grabbed her owner’s hand and started for the door.

“I think I’ll stay here,” Hyren said. “I’d like to know more about Vile, too. You never know when that kind of intel will come in handy.”

Terra nodded. “See you guys later, then,” she said as Blynn pulled her back out into the hallway.

“I wonder what’s in every single one of these doors!” Blynn said. “Where do you wanna start? Should we go to the top and work our way down? Or the other way around? Or pretend like we’re window washers so we can climb all over the outside—wait no, you don’t like heights, scratch that plan.”

Terra laughed. “Thanks. Um… let’s see what there is to see on this floor, and then maybe make our way back down to the lobby?” Terra would wait for as long as she needed to if it meant the Defenders getting what they needed to apprehend Malkus Vile. She just hoped there would still be time for a good dinner afterward.

She and her Zafara meandered down the hallway, looking at all the doors and trying to guess as to what was in them—while they were curious, Terra was firmly against prying, so they touched nothing. As they neared a corner, they began to hear voices further down the hall.

Around the bend stood two more Defenders—a blue Kougra in a yellow-and-black jumpsuit and a yellow Kau in jeans and a t-shirt, wearing a blue pendant around her neck. “Want me to bring you back anything?” the Kau asked the Kougra.

“I do like their rock,” the Kougra said. “Feels good on my teeth.”

“Howdy!” Blynn said, waving as she tugged Terra toward them. “Why are you talking about eating rocks?”

The Kougra gave them an odd look, and the Kau laughed. “Not rocks,” she said, “rock. Kiko Lake rock. It’s a type of candy. I’m going there on vacation next week.”

“Ooooh, right,” Blynn said. “I like their rock too. It has a good crunch to it.” She pointed to her own fangs. “I get kinda bitey sometimes.”

“Do we know you?” the Kougra asked.

“Nope,” Blynn said. “Our family’s here on official Defenders business. You must be the Masked Intruder! I recognise you from the comics!”

The Masked Intruder smoothed back the fur on his head. “That’s right, kid,” he said, folding his arms and leaning against the wall, the tip of his tail twitching. “The one and only.”

Blynn pointed to the Kau. “And you’re, um… y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen your name anywhere,” the Zafara said.

“I don’t go on many high-profile missions,” the Kau said. “I’m the Emerald Amazon. Pleasure to meet the both of you.”

“I’m Blynn,” Blynn said, “and this is my owner, Terra.” Terra waved with a polite smile. “So how d’you get to be a Defender, anyway?”

“There’s a rigourous application process,” the Masked Intruder said. “And the other Defenders all decide together whether or not your abilities and moral character qualify you to be a superhero.”

“Gotcha,” Blynn said. “How’d you get your superpowers?”

“Well, aren’t you full of nosy questions,” the Masked Intruder muttered.

The Emerald Amazon shot him a glare before smiling back at their visitors. “Funny thing,” she said, “it’s different for everybody. Judge Hog was born with super strength, for example. Captain K is an escaped Virtupets cyborg, and Dr. Flexo is a former chemist whose experiment went wrong. I used to be an archaeologist, but when I was exploring a Geraptikan tomb, I found this.” She held up her amulet. “As soon as I picked it up, it granted me the powers of a lost warrior race, and I knew I had to use those powers to fight evil.”

“Coolies,” Blynn said, and Terra smiled as well. She liked to learn about people, but she was rather shy around people she didn’t know well. Blynn, on the other hand, had absolutely no social reservations, so she was great at getting the scoop for them both. The Zafara turned to the Masked Intruder and asked, “What about you?”

“My powers aren’t as extravagant as the Amazon’s,” the Intruder said, inspecting his claws, “but I’m nothing to sneeze at. I’m a master of stealth and a former thief—until the Defenders caught me, that is.” He chuckled. “They helped me see a better way of living, and during my rehabilitation I realised I could use my skills to help people rather than rob them. So I applied to the Defenders, and somehow they accepted me.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Blynn said. “Judge Hog seems like a nice guy. He probably believes in second chances.”

“That’s what makes him so great at leading the Defenders,” the Emerald Amazon said.

Around the corner, Terra heard a door open, followed by familiar voices. “Speaking of,” Blynn said, “sounds like our family’s done in there. Thanks for chatting with us! See you around!” She and Terra waved to the two Defenders as they moved to join Isengrim and Hyren.

“Guys, over here!” Terra called to the Grundo and the Werelupe, who were headed toward the lifts.

They stopped and turned. “Ah, there you are,” Isengrim said, his tail wagging. “Did you have fun?”

“Sure did!” Blynn said. “We met more superheroes! I wonder how many of ‘em are crawling around this place.”

Hyren laughed. “You make them sound like Vernax.”

“How did it go?” Terra asked Isengrim.

The Werelupe King smiled. “Very well,” he said. “I think I was able to answer Judge Hog’s questions satisfactorily. That, and the information on those scrolls, should keep him busy for quite some time.”

“You’re awesome,” Terra said. “I knew you could do it.”

He put a paw on her head. “Thank you for your support,” he said. “Now, then… did we still want to try that restaurant?”

“Sure did!” Blynn said.

Terra pumped her fist. “Our job here is done,” she said, “so let’s have a super fun vacation in Neopia Central! Ready, go!”

Hyren laughed. “Okay, now it’s time for food tourism.”

When they got back outside, it had started raining again. After much protest, Hyren finally let Terra lend him her jacket. It reached his ankles and the sleeves were far too long, but he was susceptible to catching cold and Terra would not risk it. And Isengrim, true to his word, kept her plenty warm and dry under his furry arm.

The restaurant Blynn wanted to try was a cosy, hole-in-the-wall place with a menu full of old standbys. Terra ordered the fettucine alfredo, which came steaming hot on a huge platter that she could never finish in one sitting, and Blynn got spaghetti and meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce. The place also served steaks, which Hyren and Isengrim were eager to try. Everyone agreed that the food was delicious, and it was hard to make room for dessert—but none of them could pass up the opportunity for dessert, so they ordered a large cheesecake to share, dripping with a bright cherry sauce.

Afterward, they headed back to the hotel, too tired and full to do anything else but sleep and look forward to all the fun they would have tomorrow. Terra and Blynn said goodnight to Isengrim and Hyren, who were staying in the next room over, and then the girls retreated to their own room and got ready for bed.

Clad in warm flannel pajamas, Terra took off her glasses, curled up in her comfy bed, closed her eyes, and listened to the rain patter on steel and pavement. “Night, Blynn,” she said.

“G’night, Terra,” Blynn said from her own bed. The Zafara had made herself a cave-nest out of the bedding, and only her long tail flopped out and draped over the edge. “Let’s do lots of fun things tomorrow.”

“Yes, let’s,” Terra said. She buried her face into her pillow and started to plan those fun things. They would have to check out the vast array of shops that sold everything under the Neopian sun, for starters. And Neopia Central had such an impressive history—she wanted to visit sites like the old, abandoned Catacombs and the Money Tree. Perhaps they could even buy gifts to give to Neopets staying in the Pound. She liked having enough money to do stuff like that.

As she drifted off to sleep, Terra felt an overwhelming sense that everything was going to be okay. Things were getting better, after all.

In retrospect, she felt she should have realised that things getting better did not mean there were no more battles to be fought.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2