Prologue: A New Journey Begins
(Editorial Note: Marvel Mayhem was first published on FanFiction.net on March 21, 2014 - just a couple of weeks after the completion of Tales of the Disneyverse. One of the first "spin-off" installments in the World of Disney series, Marvel Mayhem is the first in a trilogy of stories that begins an overarching plot, involving the Marvel Universe residents first introduced in 2012's The Marvelous World: World of Disney 2.)
“Joanie, what’s
happened to you?!”
“My name is Dawn, creature! And you and your companions will keep
silent if you know what is best for you!”
……..
“Joanie! Please
don’t do this! This is not you!”
……..
“How does it feel? Enjoy your last
moments of existence!”
……..
“We will meet
again. Whether it’s by this new face of yours or by one of your old ones, our
business is far from over.”
(Narrative Note: These quotes by Dawn are taken from her first-ever appearance in World of Disney and her more recent reintroduction in Tales of the Disneyverse, the latter spoken by her new form "Yve Ette," who plays a integral role in this story.)
Genevieve awoke with a loud, terrified gasp. Her forehead
was drenched with her own sweat from the horrible nightmare she took a moment
to recover from. But it was not a nightmare – it was a series of
memories…memories of one woman who haunted her, no matter how hard she tried to
forget about her. Dawn.
The first time Genevieve encountered her, during her
original life as Sean Thomas, was an unforgettable moment. To see a woman who
looked like Joanie Navarro but acted like a completely different person – a
psychopath nonetheless – still sent chills through her. Dawn nearly killed
Robin the Frog on their first encounter; it was something Joanie, after
awakening from the sinister alter ego that nearly controlled her life, was
unable to forgive herself over until she made things right by becoming the
first Guardian of the Disneyverse.
For the previous eight months since she and Victoria had
taken solace in the Muppet Theater, Genevieve had these recurring nightmares.
It did not help her sleep status much by being in the basement – the former
site for Muppet Labs and a living reminder of her first adventure with the
Sphere. She wondered if there was some “ghostly residue” left behind in its
banishment from the Muppets’ realm, its original home. Maybe that is what’s haunting me, she thought while sitting
up and staring at the brick wall where the Magic Gateway used to be housed.
(Narrative Note: In The Disney Access, it is revealed that there are separate alternate timelines created from the events of the first World of Disney story. More than one of these timelines share similar histories with Bunsen Honeydew's Magic Gateway machine and the events from 1977 but have led to different futures, each having a different "Sean Thomas.")
“Another night terror?”
She looked to her left and saw Victoria, lying in her cot
and staring up at the ceiling in annoyance.
“I’m sorry.” Genevieve told her, wiping away her sweat
with her bed sheets.
“It’s the seventh night in a row.” Victoria remarked,
finally turning her eyes to Genevieve. “What is it that’s got you all riled
up?”
Genevieve swallowed hard before she answered. “It’s Dawn.
I don’t know why she’s been on my
mind so much these past months.”
Victoria sighed, knowing exactly how she felt. “I’ve been
a bit concerned myself since we last saw her, during the merge. I mean, what
she said about us seeing her again…none of us really know when or where that’ll
happen.”
(Character Note: Genevieve and Victoria were both introduced as reincarnations of Sean Thomas, the current Guardian of the Disneyverse, in Tales of the Disneyverse. Victoria is the very first incarnation, having been reborn in a realm based on Disney's Frozen film with no prior knowledge of her former life as Sean Thomas until Yen Sid discovered her. Genevieve is the very last incarnation and the most powerful of the seventeen known reincarnations.)
She was not doing much to ease Genevieve’s anxiety, only
making it worse by reminding her of that fateful moment when both of them,
along with many other reincarnations, were merged as a new entity, self-named
“JeniLynn.” It was a moment that she had not forgotten and left her on edge
ever since.
“When will the nightmares end, Genevieve?” Victoria asked,
though Genevieve was not certain if it was for her own benefit or hers.
She shrugged with a look of uncertainty. “I think they’re
directing me somewhere.”
“Somewhere in the Disneyverse?”
Genevieve shook her head. “Someplace outside the Disneyverse.”
“Here?”
“I don’t know. But it is
someplace very close.”
-------------------------
A new morning, a
new start.
Ever since arriving back into the home realm of her
original self, Genevieve took much pride in following that old motto. With
Paula Abdul’s “Promise of a New Day” playing in the background, she freshened
up with a hot shower and put on the clothes she deemed suitable for her time
back in the Muppet Theater – a grey sleeveless top, black leggings, a black bra
(the straps of which showed with those of the top at times), and black
knee-high boots. They were not just her usual threads, but her work clothes as well.
She and Victoria were helping hands at the Muppet Theater – the deal they
struck for taking up residence there. While Victoria worked as “assistant-gofer-assistant”
(a job that involved her working as an assistant to Scooter and most everyone
else), Genevieve worked maintenance.
(Authorial Note: The jobs of Genevieve and Victoria were chosen from their respective "work attires." Genevieve's, which was inspired by a photo that the real Genevieve Marie Nylen had modeled in, maintained more of an "action-centered" appeal, whereas Victoria's was very "business-centric," based on the Audrey Hepburn look she created for herself in Tales of the Disneyverse.)
The two women found their jobs to be less than stellar
compared with that of Sean Thomas, who worked as producer, director, and writer
of the Muppets’ shows in the Hollywood-based Theater (originally Orlando-based
before moving production to California at the request of theater owner, Joan
Navarro-Thomas). The current show he was responsible for producing, directing,
and writing was “The Muppet Telethon,” the intended comeback show for the
Muppets.
In recent weeks, the stress of making the program perfect
began to take its toll on Thomas. There was pressure from oil baron Tex Richman
threatening to tear the theater down if the money needed to save the theater
was not delivered in time. Then there was the fact that Thomas’s wife,
Christina, was just a month from her due date.
(Pop Culture Note: This is the exact plot of 2011's The Muppets, only reinvented to fit with the alternate life of Sean Thomas. The Muppets was released a year after the first World of Disney installment was written, hence why its characters and story had not been referenced until Marvel Mayhem.)
Genevieve remembered how the overwhelming pressure led
into the ultimate failure in making enough money from the telethon to save the
theater – something Thomas had to live with the rest of his life. As much as he
deemed necessary not to interfere in the events of the timeline, she
delicately altered certain moments to ease tension for her “original,” as she sometimes
referred him as. Victoria did her share to help as well, such as taking Christina
out to shop for baby clothes – a task that originally sidetracked Thomas from
his work on the show.
In working maintenance at the theater, Genevieve was
assigned to be the protégé of the janitor, Beauregard. She felt as if she hit
rock-bottom; one day she was the all-powerful Guardian of the Disneyverse, and
the next she was shown “the ropes” to “good mopping.” It was an embarrassment,
but she accepted it as long as she could keep a low profile in her observation
of the original. Of course, the unnecessary tutorials bore Genevieve to no end,
especially when the task was not even required – Beauregard often mopped on a
floor that was already clean.
(Authorial Note: Beauregard is a personal favorite Muppet character to be used in my work, often as the source of a surreal moment to be played in comedic fashion. He was more than once featured in his "crazy taxi driver" persona from The Great Muppet Caper in my earliest online series, The Marvelous Muppets, as well as the very first installment in The Disney Ghostbusters.)
That morning, during another dull tutorial, Beauregard
fell asleep, standing and slumbering away on his mop. Genevieve took advantage
of this to do some real work. Heading
out the backstage alley, she took care of a pile of old wooden crates that had
been in desperate need of being dumped for some time. She handled the task all
on her own, lifting heavy crates that were as light as a feather while she was
in her Guardian mode and dumping them into the nearby dumpster. After disposing
of a few crates, she started to make the time-consuming job more enjoyable for
herself, going as far as performing a number of tricks with the crates, such as
twirling them on the tip of her index fingers and treating them like
basketballs – scoring three-point shots with them Harlem Globetrotter-style.
She couldn’t remember when she last had so much fun while
working at the Muppet Theater. With no one watching her every move, she felt
like she was free to be what she usually was in the Disneyverse.
“Wow.”
As she was in the process of lifting one of the last
three crates, she turned her head to look back from her bent-over position to
see Gary, Mary, and Walter staring right at her from across the alley. Frozen
in place, with her backside facing directly at them, she felt more awkward than
she cared to realize. Did they see her juggling those crates just a second ago?
(Character Note: This is the first-ever mention of Gary, his Muppet brother Walter, and his girlfriend Mary - characters originated from The Muppets. While Gary and Mary are only featured in cameo, Walter goes on to become an important character in this story, as well as World of Disney 3 and The Disney Access.)
“Uh…Genevieve?” Walter said. “A-Are you alright?”
Letting go of the crate, she turned to face them and did
her best to hide her humiliation. “I’m…I’m fine. H-How are you all?”
“We’re just getting back from a little sightseeing.” Mary
said; her surprise still evident in her demeanor. “Do you need anything? You
barely look exhausted from all this heavy-lifting.”
(Biographical Note: In The Muppets, Mary is portrayed by Amy Adams, who is known to Disney fans as "Princess Giselle" in 2007's Enchanted. Genevieve Marie Nylen, the inspiration for "Genevieve," bears an uncanny resemblance to Adams, which makes this interaction between their characters rather interesting!)
“Yeah, a job like this normally has two people doing it,”
Gary indicated, “but you’re doing it all by yourself?”
“In the sweltering heat?” Walter added.
Genevieve gave a chuckle, waving off their concern.
“You’re all so sweet, but I’m fine. It’s no sweat.” She made that last
statement sound more literal from the lack of actual perspiration from her clothes and body.
“Well, I still wouldn’t want you to finish alone.” Gary
said as he approached one of the crates. “Let me help you ou—” He made an
attempt to lift the crate but barely managed to get it to budge. He gave one
more effort, gathering all the might his six-foot, four-inch body had in it,
and…
CRACK!
Gary’s body stiffened in its hunched-over posture as the
sound that was as clear as a bell resounded from his back, which strained the
instant he made his attempt in lifting the crate.
“Oh, no.” Walter muttered. “G-Gary? You O.K.?”
All that came out of Gary’s trembling mouth were
whimpers.
“Oh, my.” Mary said, greatly concerned. “Walter, help me
get him inside.”
As he did so, Walter looked back to Genevieve and said,
“This work doesn’t need just two people – it needs a dozen!”
Genevieve shrugged. “Guess I’m stronger than I look.”
Even as she jokingly flexed her arms, Walter remained unconvinced and even a
little suspicious of her. Once he, Mary, and the injured Gary were out of
sight, she finished dumping the rest of the crates and returned inside.
She entered to find Beauregard still asleep in the same
standing position she left him in. She shook her head, smiling, and moved along
towards the stage area to see what progress Sean had made with the dress rehearsal.
To say that rehearsal was a disaster would be the
understatement of the year. Due mostly to the spat between Miss Piggy and
Kermit the Frog, brought on by Kermit’s inability to admit that he needed her to come back for the show,
the rehearsal led into a chain reaction of events that sent the whole thing
spiraling into catastrophe. Gonzo had plans for an impossible stunt, many other
Muppets missed their cues (with some of the bigger ones knocking over set
pieces or getting stuck in them), and a few just were not getting into the
rehearsal, opting instead to converse and have coffee with each other.
(Pop Culture Note: If you go back and watch the dress rehearsal scene from The Muppets, you'll actually see this all happen when Kermit tries to direct.)
It all brought back memories of dread for Genevieve,
watching her original struggle to maintain order over a bunch of characters who
didn’t know the meaning of the word “order.” Once he realized that he was not getting
anywhere, he yelled, “Take five!”
His loud, frustrated tone brought silence over the busy
stage. The only one who made any further noise was Fozzie, whose “fart shoes” released
their unsanitary sounds as he stepped forward and asked, “What five should we
take?”
Unable to deal with Fozzie’s ridiculous question (or his
ridiculous shoes), Sean walked off stage right. He headed right in the
direction of Genevieve; due to looking down in his despair, he accidentally bumped
shoulders with her. The bump was hardly much to be concerned about, yet
something gave her a powerful jolt in reaction to the contact their bodies
made. Visions flashed before her eyes of people she met and places she had been
to during her time in the Marvel Universe so long ago, when she was Sheryl –
her second reincarnation. In her visions, she saw Nick Fury, the Avengers,
Ciciley Livingston, and Ciciley’s son, Sean Livingston – Sean Thomas’s
counterpart – as well as the Helicarrier and its battle with the
Facilier-controlled Sphere.
(Narrative Note: This physical-mental interaction seen here can be found again in Chapter One of The Disney Access when Genevieve touches Brandy's hand, triggering a static shock that enables her to see Genevieve's fractured history in a series of visions.)
Genevieve was so preoccupied with the visions that she
failed to recognize the concerned voice repeatedly calling her name. She felt a
pair of warm hands firmly grip her shoulders and shake her out of her trance.
She finally noticed the alarmed Thomas, whose face was a blur for a brief moment
before it came into focus. He looked directly into her dazed blue eyes and
asked, “Are you alright?”
Blinking a few times to regain awareness, she replied,
“Oh, yeah…I’m fine. Sorry. Just a bit off today, I guess.” She reminded herself
of the earlier scene she witnessed and followed up with a question of her own:
“Are you alright? I saw all the insanity
that went on that stage.”
Hearing this, he deeply inhaled and exhaled. “I don’t
think I’ll be able to save the theater. But I want to keep hope alive for
everyone…especially Walter. I see so much of myself in that little fella. He’s
a true Muppet fan, like I was before I worked with them.”
Genevieve smiled at him. “Sit down.”
“Why?”
“Just sit.”
He did as she requested and sat on a stool near Kermit’s
old desk. She stood right behind him and placed her delicate hands tightly upon
his shoulders, which she was surprised to see how broad they were – her hands looking
slightly small while they were pressing down on them. He felt extremely tense,
more than Genevieve remembered when she used to be him. Her massage seemed to have made him more relaxed from the
way he moaned with satisfaction.
“Tomorrow’s my birthday,” he randomly told her.
Genevieve was caught off guard by this, shocked that she
failed to even remember the day. I’ve
lived for so long as many different people that I’ve forgotten the date of my original
birth, she mentally reflected.
(Biographical Note: This chapter of Marvel Mayhem was in fact written and posted close to the date of my real birthday, April 4th.)
“Oh. That’s cool.” She remarked, feigning nonchalance.
“Asked for anything nice?”
Sean chuckled, taking her question as a joke. “No one
here has the time or money to get me
anything…not with all that’s been happening between Richman and the telethon.”
He added with a flare of grimness, “The only birthday surprise I’ll be getting
is Richman laughing in my face.”
“But Richman never laughs.”
“That would be
the surprise.”
(Pop Culture Note: The Richman character only "laughs" by significantly uttering "Maniacal Laugh" to his minions, who were Bobo the Bear and Uncle Deadly in the 2011 film.)
Genevieve giggled. “Well, I promise you I’ll get
something for the special day.”
Sean smiled, gently patting one of the hands she massaged
him with. “Aww. I’m grateful for ya, but it’s unnecessary. My real gift will come in a month, when I
see my baby girl born. I hope that the first thing she sees after coming into
the world is me, smiling down on her while holding her little body in my big,
warm arms. Becoming a father – that’s the only real gift I deserve.”
He felt something tap on his left shoulder; thinking that
it was one of Genevieve’s fingers, he looked to see a wet stain on the shoulder
of his bright blue shirt. As soon as he heard sniffling, he curiously looked up
to see how Genevieve’s young, beautiful face was masked in tears. She had stopped
massaging him and started crying.
Getting up from his chair in concern, he quickly
comforted the young woman. “Hey, hey. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She assured him. “I’m just touched by your
view on fatherhood.”
Sean laughed. “Sorry about that. I’m just excited.”
“Don’t blame ya,” responded Genevieve, wiping away her
tears. “I know you’re going to be an awesome
daddy.”
(Authorial Note: I always enjoy incorporating emotional moments like this for one of Sean Thomas's reincarnations. You get to see how much of him still exists in that reincarnated shell his spirit is contained in and breaks out through emotional response to the past original life he can never go back and live in.)
The two smiled to each other just as they heard the stage
door open and turned to see an incredibly exhausted Victoria enter, carrying
every single one of the bags from Christina’s “shopping spree” – half of them
containing food she ordered. Both Christina herself and the scent of barbeque
followed Victoria in; she held only a Styrofoam tray of BBQ chicken, ribs, and
coleslaw.
(Biographical Note: "Christina" is based on and inspired by my dear friend since the days of MySpace, Christina Renee. She has always been written as a "love interest" to my fictional counterparts, starting from her character "Christina Melnitz" in The Disney Ghostbusters. I decided to develop her World of Disney character as the wife of Sean Thomas while figuring on a potential love interest for the "Agent Sean Livingston" character here in Marvel Mayhem. Originally, Christina was intended to be featured as two different characters, one as Sean Thomas's wife and another as a reporter in the Marvel Universe that has a rocky relationship with Agent Livingston that blooms into romance. The idea was scrapped once I decided to have Christina become a recurring character into World of Disney 3 and The Disney Access.)
Watching the winded Victoria nearly on the verge of
collapse, Sean went right to scolding his pregnant wife. “Christina! You know
better than that!”
“What?” She reacted with a mouthful of ribs.
“You got some strength to help this poor girl with all
your stuff.” Sean said, taking some of the bags away from Victoria.
Swallowing the bits of ribs in her mouth, Christina fired
back, “I’m hungry and I’m having a baby – sorry.”
She went on to give the exhausted Victoria another order while taking another
bite of the ribs: “Put all the baby stuff in the car outside but leave all the
food in here, m’kay?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Victoria wheezily acknowledged.
Sean shook his head in annoyance. “Victoria, don’t worry
about that. You just take a load off – literally.”
She gave him a weak but grateful smile, plopping herself
right onto the stool he sat in earlier. “Thank you, sir.”
“And as for you,”
he pointed to his wife, “we need to have a word.”
“Can I bring the chicken fingers with me?” Christina
asked.
“Now!” He
beckoned through gritted teeth, showing her how serious he was.
Following her husband’s demands, Christina departed from
the backstage area with her tray of barbeque. Once she was alone with
Genevieve, Victoria exhaustedly dropped the shopping bags to the floor with a
collective clump. “That woman…has
royally…kicked my butt…today,” she uttered between breaths.
Genevieve gave an understanding nod. “Yeah, she’s
somethin’ else. Sorry you had to take the brunt of her attitude.”
Victoria casually waved it off while removing her
slippers and rubbing her sore feet. “Oh, it’s quite alright. As long as that
little one is sitting comfortably in her tummy, I’m willing to take whatever
madness she sends my way.” Gazing towards Genevieve for the first time since
her return to the theater, she noticed how red her eyes were. “Have you been
crying?”
Genevieve suspected there were traces left of her
emotional breakdown. “I made myself
cry.” She said this with a smile that grew when she noted the baffled look on
Victoria’s face. “Sean poured out his feelings on becoming a father to me.”
“Aww. That had to be heavy for you to listen to him talk
about things that you have already
experienced.”
Genevieve nodded. “It was. That’s how the waterworks
started. But the memories I struggle with the most are the ones that came after the birth of my daughter. I spend
years living with my failure in saving the Muppets, affecting things between me
and my family. I swear that I will make things right here in the past. But
first I have to make things right elsewhere.”
Victoria reacted in confusion and wonder to this
declaration of hers. “Where is it that you’re going?”
(UP NEXT: The Mayhem Begins!)
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