Chapter Nineteen: Project Geo Base – 2012
A few agents rushed for Facilier as soon as his
transformation into the “Shadow Sorcerer” was complete; unfortunately, he
detected their action before it was put into motion, and he turned them to ash
with just a wave of his hand. The Shadow Sorcerer smiled upon witnessing his
own malevolent power. His own men were frightened of him and his new
capabilities, watching in stillness as he stood in the center of the room, his
hands lifted high and shooting electricity from his fingertips. An extremely
uneasy Sammi looked on with a stunned Lisa standing by her. Fury wasn’t certain
what he should do next with such a powerful entity among them. Even the
Avengers (Rogers, Stark, Barton, and Romanoff) had no strategy to counteract
the Shadow Sorcerer’s unpredictable magic.
(Authorial Note: Facilier's "Shadow Sorcerer" persona is a completely original concept thought up by Livingston. He wanted Facilier to be a more challenging threat, not having much of a chance against the heroes with a powerful sorceress on their side.)
Where’s Thor when
we really need him, Stark particularly thought.
Facilier stood over the fallen, lifeless body of Gigi,
laughing as he looked down at her. “Now…what shall I do with you? I can do
anything I want to now. Nothin’ ain’t gonna stop me. Not even you.” Without looking away from Gigi, he
pointed directly to where a highly horrified Sheryl stood; her body grew tense
as she saw the dark figure address her. “Don’t think for a second I don’t know
what you’re plannin’ on doing.”
Sheryl was at a loss for words. She did have a plan to stop Facilier, but she presumed it wouldn’t have
gone noticed by the Shadow Sorcerer, due in part that she was a magical being
as well. Regrettably, Facilier proved to be more powerful than her. “I…I…” Not
even words could have led her out of the predicament that she suddenly found
herself in. With another gesture from his left hand, she soon
found herself caught in a spell. The room around her got bigger; but, in truth,
she had gotten smaller.
Facilier, the Shadow Sorcerer, cackled with immense
satisfaction as he watched Sheryl’s form shrink down until she was buried
beneath her own clothes, which were left as a pile on where she once stood.
Addressing the audience of petrified souls surrounding him, Facilier said while
moving to the pile, “Y’all wanna see somethin’ really pitiful?” With his foot, he moved aside the empty robe,
shirt, and leggings to reveal the small, misshapen, gray-skinned humanoid
creature that barely stood within the pile.
(Authorial Note: Already a story filled with references to Doctor Who, Livingston was inspired by an episode of the British sci-fi drama with this transformation of Sheryl's. In the episode "Last of the Time Lords," the Doctor's nemesis - The Master - aged the Doctor by a thousand years into a tiny, disfigured creature. Livingston found the scene powerful, showing just how threatening an adversary can be to resort the hero to such a frail, vulnerable state at the flick of a finger.)
Rogers watched along with the others at the creature that
was in actuality a transformed Sheryl. From the way she attempted to cover her
naked, deformed body from her oversized clothes, she still seemed aware of her
surroundings and what Facilier had transformed her into. Rogers focused on the
Shadow Sorcerer and asked, “What’ve you done to her?”
(Disney Note: Sheryl's transformation also bears resemblance to the victims of Ursula the Sea Witch's bargains, turning them into polyps should they fail to fulfill their end of them.)
“I turned somethin’ beautiful and powerful into somethin’
ugly and weak. What else does it look like to you, fool?” His gigantic form
loomed over the tiny creature. He then lifted his right foot and let it hover
right over her. “I can squash her like the pitiful little bug that she is.”
Sheryl’s tiny, desperate screams were hardly audible as she was shadowed by
Facilier’s giant foot.
(Disney Note: This crude gesture of Facilier's is a direct reference to the way in which he killed Ray in The Princess and the Frog.)
“NO!” Lisa immediately yelled, catching the attention of
everyone in the room, including Facilier. “You will turn her back to human form
now, Facilier, or you will face the
consequences of your actions here!”
Facilier stared upon the bold S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with a
large grin on his face. He moved his foot away from Sheryl and made his way
towards Lisa. “It’s you, isn’t it? The all-powerful Yen Sid.” He glanced
towards Sammi, seeing her true form
as well. “And his rodent apprentice, Mickey Mouse.” Facilier’s insulting
comment brought upon a furious glare from Sammi, who momentarily forgot how intimidated she
was by him. “What’s up with the female disguises, gentlemen? Too cowardly to show
yourselves as men…well, one man, at
least.”
“We’re not
cowards!” Sammi angrily exclaimed.
Watching the exchange, Fury became heavily confused, as
were Sean, Ciciley, Elendriel, the Avengers, the Disney characters, and the
other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Ain’t it obvious, Mister Fury? You got spies in your secret clubhouse. A master
sorcerer and his apprentice – both just as powerless as their prized heroine
layin’ over there.” He gestured to the inert Gigi.
“What makes ya think we don’t have the power to stop ya,
fella?” Sammi challenged the Shadow Sorcerer.
Facilier chuckled. “Don’t believe me? Then show me.” He outstretched his arms to
expose his slender torso, providing an easy shot. “Show me how powerful you two
are.”
Both Sammi and Lisa raised their arms and aimed their
palms towards Facilier. However, nothing – no magic or displays of sorcery –
escaped from their palms. They instantly looked confused – Sammi more so than
Lisa. “What…What happened to our magic?” Sammi questioned in surprise.
“It’s gone, lil’ rat. Without the Guardian, your magic
and the magic of all the other sorcerers from your world now belongs to yours
truly! I control all the worlds from this one to beyond now! Like I said, there
ain’t nobody that’s gonna st—ACK!”
(Narrative Note: The Marvelous World is the first story in the series to express just how important the Guardian is to the Disneyverse, particularly the Fantasia realm, being a catalyst in the stability of magic that shrouds the entire universe.)
Everyone watched in confusion as Facilier reacted to a
pain in his right leg. From the way in which he shook it, some wondered if the
mighty Shadow Sorcerer suddenly developed a cramp in his leg. But the only one
who knew what had really happened to
Facilier was Sammi, who happily cheered, “Get ‘im, Pluto!”
Upon hearing Sammi’s cheer, Lisa quickly realized that
Facilier had been bitten by the apprentice’s precious dog, a result of another
disobeyed command. Considering the severity of their current situation, Lisa
never felt so relieved to have been disobeyed. She and everyone else watched
Facilier wrestle with the invisible dog whose jaws were clamped down over the
Shadow Sorcerer’s lower right leg. He finally managed to remove Pluto by first
making him visible again and conjuring a spell that made the leg Pluto had
gnawed on phase through his jaws, leaving Pluto clenching his teeth. Facilier
summoned another spell that pushed the dog away from him and sent him colliding
into a computer tower.
(Narrative Note: World of Disney has a recurring theme of innocent characters being injured by villains who throw them into walls or objects. In the first story, it happened with Robin at the hands of Dawn/Joanie. In Marvel Mayhem, it also happens with Walter at the hands of Loki. Both of these circumstances involve Muppet characters as the victim.)
“Pluto!” Sammi fearfully cried, rushing to the fallen dog
and aiding him.
Facilier sinisterly smiled over his victory against the
troublesome pooch, but his celebration was short-lived as another searing pain
developed over his upper left arm shortly after a loud gunshot rang
through the area. Clenching his wounded arm with one hand, he turned to see
Sean aiming an unusual handgun with a fiery beam of energy emitting from its
barrel directly at Facilier. From the surprise masked on Facilier’s
face as he looked upon the handgun, the young S.H.I.E.L.D. agent could tell
that he had him right where he wanted him. “Like this? We constructed it after
the success of its predecessor and in memory of the man who tested it before he
was killed in action. We named the first gun after him – Coulson’s Revenge.
This bad boy here is its child – Coulson’s Wraith. It’s immune to everything, especially magic, which means it can and will put an end to you, if you don’t stand down right now!”
(Marvel Note: "Coulson's Revenge" is not the official name of the massive gun used by Phil Coulson in The Avengers. It is in fact the given name for it from the Marvel: Avengers Alliance social network game when it became an unlockable item shortly after the release of the film in 2012. The gun was reverse-engineered from the Asgardian sentinel known only as "The Destroyer," after it was defeated by Thor in his first film. It retains some part of the Destroyer's fiery core and can discharge powerful bolts of energy, producing heat, light, and concussive force in the process.)
The Shadow Sorcerer stared closely at the gun and sensed
that all of what Sean claimed about it to be true. Realizing that he was
cornered, Facilier tried to find a way out of his dilemma. His eyes then
centered on the Sphere, which towered over the proceedings, and he saw hope. “So that’s how y’all wanna be,” said Facilier,
who pretended to sound infuriated to convince his adversaries of his defeat.
“Alright. Let’s make this war then!”
He raised his arms up high and, in the blink of an eye,
he and his army of thugs – including Gaston, LeFou, and the Stabbington
Brothers – disappeared from the room. A puzzled Sean holstered his
super-powered handgun, looking around along with the others to see that not a
trace of the villains was left behind in the wake of their intrusion. Flynn was
the first to question their supernatural exit: “Okay…which way did they go?”
“They ran with their tails between their legs.” Fury
deduced before giving Sean a congratulatory pat on the shoulder. “Nice call on
the gun.”
Sean nodded with a smile as he glanced over at Ciciley.
“I’ll never question your Christmas gifts again.” Ciciley returned the smile.
The smiles turned to frowns as soon as everyone’s
attention went to the still unconscious Gigi and the transformed Sheryl. Lisa
crouched beside Gigi’s motionless form, checking for breathing. Sammi remained
by the fallen Pluto’s side, but her focus briefly shifted to Sheryl. “Master
Yen Sid,” she said to Lisa, “what will we do about Sheryl?” When Lisa did not
respond, Sammi glanced over to him as he continued to stare upon Gigi. “Master
Yen Sid?” Lisa finally looked to her; her expression was the usual grimness of
Yen Sid, but it had a strong hint of sadness behind it. This clued Sammi in on
what Lisa had discovered of Gigi’s condition, and it distressed her. “Oh, no.”
(Narrative Note: This is the second time in which a main character - particularly the hero - dies in the series. The first time was with Sean Thomas in the final chapter of World of Disney in his attempt to reach Diana, his grandmother. The real twist in this situation, however, is Gigi - who readers initially believed to be the primary hero of the story, much like she was as Joanie in the first - dies before the climax, certifying her status as a secondary protagonist, much like Sean Thomas.)
Before Sammi could have a moment to grieve, she was
interrupted by another unusual event that had befallen the base. Its very
foundation quaked, starting slight at first but turning violent within seconds.
Deep cracks developed within the walls and ceilings. An immense humming sound
emerged from the Sphere, growing more and more intense until vibrations from
the noise increased the volume of the quake. When a part of the ceiling fell
down and nearly crushed a few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Fury called for an immediate
evacuation.
(UP NEXT: Another death, another funeral.)
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