Dragons Rise in the Brave Tangled Tardis - PART 9

Merida: Help us? With what?

Hiccup: Who are you?

?: *entering the room* Most people call me Enigma. As for what I’m helping you with; I don’t know yet, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Jack: *quietly* Well, you’re certainly living up to your name.

Enigma: I’m sure you all want to know what’s in these. *she grins and lifts up the lid on one of the trunks* I can’t wait to see your faces. There’s one for each of you. It should be fairly obvious whose is whose. Go ahead.

Hiccup: *puzzled* But they’re all the same.

Enigma: I meant once you open them.

Merida: *crossing her arms over her chest* Well, I’m not goin’ to be first to touch one.

*Rapunzel uses her hair as a lasso to grab the handle and fling open the lid of the trunk closest to her. Jack walks over and peers into it.*

Hiccup: What is it?

Jack: It’s a...bow. And some arrows in a container.

Merida: *earlier hesitance disappearing instantly* Let me see!

Jack: What-*he’s knocked aside by Merida with surprising force as she leaps forward and reaches into the trunk to lift the contents out* Hey!

Merida: Ah don’t believe it! Just like the ones my Pa gave me!

Jack: You mean they’re yours?

Merida: Yes! They have to be!

Hiccup: What’s in the other boxes?

Enigma: Why don’t you take a look for yourself? *gestures to the trunk beside her*

Hiccup: Okay...*approaches the trunk cautiously and slowly lifts the lid. He reaches in and lifts out a viking helmet that looks just about his size.* What-what-how did you...?

Enigma: I can’t tell you how we got these things. Not yet.

Hiccup: Well if you’re not going to tell me that, at least tell me why you got this. I never wear it!

Enigma: I think you’ll find you need it.

Hiccup: Yeah...I don’t think so.

Rapunzel: *from the other side of the room* A frying pan?

Jack: I’m guessing that’s not mine.

Enigma: You were tricky. But eventually we found what you need. *reaches into the last trunk and emerges with a brown piece of cloth draped over her arms*

Jack: Is that...*walks forward and gingerly takes the cloth from her, unfolding it to reveal a brown shoulder shawl* ...but that’s...impossible. I abandoned this centuries ago.

Enigma: *quietly* “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Jack: Huh? *peers at Enigma, and notices for the first time the golden chain glinting around her neck* Is that a cross?

Enigma: Yes. Do you know what it stands for?

Jack: Yeah.

Enigma: Great! *grins* It doesn’t offend you?

Jack: *shrugs* Not particularly.

Enigma: grins wider Even better. Now, let’s get going. *claps her hands together enthusiastically*

Merida: *to no-one in particular* Why does everyone keep clappin’ their hands?

Hiccup: To keep up the illusion that we’re being productive?

*They leave the secret room, the door shutting automatically behind them. They follow Enigma into the hallway, but hesitate when she starts to walk in the opposite direction from Drake’s office.*

Rapunzel: What about the Doctor?

Enigma: He’ll be fine. There’s somewhere else you need to be.

Jack: Hold on a minute; why should we trust you?

Enigma: Well, why should you trust him?

Merida: ‘Cause he’s our only hope of getting home.

Enigma: And those things you’re now holding? Where did they come from? *she lets that sink in for a moment* I promise you I’m here to help you. Besides, the Doctor told you to snoop, didn’t he?

Hiccup: How do you-

Merida: *interrupting* Fine. We’ll go with yeh.

Jack: You’ve changed your tune.

Merida: Well I’m sick of the Doctor tellin’ us he’s gonna “take us home soon”. I want to go home now! I can’t just sit still and wait. I have to do something. <i*>with sudden gusto, like a warrior*</i> Who’s with me?

Rapunzel: I’ll come.

Jack:*somewhat dubiously* Okay...

Hiccup: *to Toothless* Looks like we don’t have a choice, bud. Again.

Merida: Ah course yeh’ve got a choice. Now come on! *marches purposely ahead, following Enigma down the corridor*

Hiccup: *sighs loudly, then hurries to catch up*Where exactly are we going?

Enigma: To the basement, where they keep their failed experiments.

Hiccup: What kind of experiments?

Enigma: Ones like that Dalek you saw, but most are more dangerous.

Hiccup: *stops walking* Oh, oh great. *turns to Toothless* We’re dead.

Merida: *without looking back* Hurry up!

*Toothless shrugs his shoulders as though rolling his eyes*

Hiccup: Yep, that’s what I thought.

Merida: Ah said; hurry up!

Hiccup: Okay! We’re coming.

Enigma: Just a warning; don’t be too loud. This floor is sparsely staffed, but we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.

Jack: So I take it you don’t work here?

Enigma: I don’t work for Drake Jestin, no, and he wouldn’t be very happy to find me here. *they reach the elevator at the end of the corridor and she pushes a button*

Jack: So, if you don’t work for him and he doesn’t want you here...who’s the bad guy?

Enigma: Why does there have to be a “bad guy”? It’s very simple; what they’re doing is immoral and needs to be stopped.

*the elevator doors open and they all enter after her, Hiccup and Rapunzel more hesitantly than Jack and Merida*

Merida: An’ how are yeh going to do that? Ah don’t think it’s a coincidence yeh’ve given us weapons.

Jack: *incredulously* How’s this a weapon? *holds up his shoulder shawl*

Merida: Yeh don’t need a weapon, Frosty.

Jack: Name calling isn’t very regal.

Merida: *mutters* Shuddup.

Enigma: I guess you’re not quite used to each other yet. You know, you’ll make a great team once you do.

Jack: Us?

Enigma: Of course. Already, together you’ve traveled through space and time and managed to access a hidden room.

Rapunzel: That’s true. I’ve never really worked with other people before...it’s kind of exciting!

Merida: Ah usually do things on my own.

Jack: Well, there’s one thing we have in common.

Hiccup: I-

Enigma: *holds up a hand to stop them talking and whispers* From here on in, while we’re down here, nothing above a whisper okay? *there’s a quiet click as the elevator stops and the doors slide open to reveal a large, darkened room glistening with a thin layer of frost* We don’t want to risk waking anything.