RETURN OF THE PHANTOM // A KISS fanfiction (completed)

Chapter 7: Discovery

The next few couple of days were insane. Reporters from every station were questioning what exactly happened on Halloween night. They were all told the same thing, that the fire started was deliberate, and there would be no concert until the culprit was found. Calvin started to feel like a broken record after telling the 12th reporter the same thing.

The park's publicity was at high levels, but for all the wrong reasons. Magic Mountain couldn't handle any more negative publicity, as they were already fighting to stay open.

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The members of KISS were thinking and discussing if it really was a good idea to come back to the park after all that had happened to them there.

"I knew it!" growled Demon. "I had a feeling something like this would happen..." he stared off into the distance, in deep thought.

"It seems that we were wrong. Our past here has not completely vanished, which makes me wonder if this is just picking off from where it was left the last time we left these gates." Starchild told the others in the room.

"But that Devereaux cat is dead. Right? I mean...he looked pretty dead to me, the way we found him in his workshop." Catman said, contributing to the conversation.

"If you ask me, he looked a little too lifeless. Y'know, I've never seen anyone so doll-like, and not to mention upright," said Space Ace while sipping on a beer.

With that statement, it was like a lightbulb was switched on inside each of their minds. It was not impossible that Abner could have indeed staged his death. Made a robot creation of himself, and fled before anyone noticed he was gone. This was just an idea of course, but if it were to be true, where was this man now?

Their thoughts were suddenly stopped as an ear piercing scream was heard echoing around the park. It was a woman's voice.

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Starchild was the first to move when he heard the call for help, followed by the other members. When they arrived at the scene, a woman in her early 30s was crying, sitting on a bench, with her face in her hands.

They all went to her, Starchild and Catman sitting on either side of her and Demon and Space Ace standing around them.

Starchild gently rubbed her back as he said, "What's wrong?" startling her a little bit as she had not yet realised they were there.

After a while, she replied, "It's my little girl, Rosie, someone's taken her... a man wearing black... I couldn't stop him he was too strong." She started sobbing loudly again.

"Was anyone else around?" Catman asked her.

"No." She replied, "The park was practically deserted, as it is now."

"We'll do the best we can," Starchild said reassuringly.

"I think I know where to start looking" Demon growled as the two on the bench stood up. "Meanwhile..." he turned to the lady, "If you follow that path to the back of the park you'll find our accommodation. You can stay there until we've found your daughter." The lady looked up at him thankfully.

"Where are we heading to Demon?" Space Ace asked.

"Mr Lawsen's workshop" he stated. "You know what to do Space Ace."

And with a move of Space Ace's hand, they were all teleported to the entrance of the workshop, leaving the lady there, shocked, wondering what on earth she just witnessed, and what sort of creatures these men were.

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"We can't just barge in there!" Space Ace pointed out.

"True, we need a distraction..." Catman stated.

As if it was meant to be, at that moment Calvin and Snede were heard talking, coming up the path to the workshop.

Space Ace teleported the band as quick as lightning, about ten metres away from the scene, behind a mass of bushes.

They called Mr Lawsen on the speaker and he came up the lift to greet them. Within 5 minutes they were out of their sights, leaving the workshop free to investigate.

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The next problem was getting into the workshop, which they solved by using Starchild's eye laser to mess with the wiring in the lock system.

Coming down the lift and entering that familiar room was like travelling back in time. All the memories were flooding back.

"I'll start in the back room, Starchild, you and Space Ace check the central room, Catman you come with me," Demon told the other guys.

The four split up and started searching for something, anything suspicious or related to the disappearance of Rosie. If the word were to get around that a child was abducted inside the park, it would surely be put out of business.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That was until Space Ace decided to take a break and leant up against a wall. Almost immediately, the wall pushed back a little bit, throwing the space alien off balance, and slid to the left, revealing another room.

All four members stared at the secret compartment with open mouths. The shock increased when they realised what lied within the room.

Rosie. Lying on a metal table. Wires protruding from her wrists and her neck. She was alive, but not awake, in a deep, deep sleep.

As Space Ace stood up, Starchild rushed over to inspect the child. The other three close behind.

Rosie was a small child, around the age of 6. She was wearing a white dress with red spots and had long blonde wavy hair.

Having been faced with this kind of situation before, they hoped and hoped that history was not repeating itself. Their fears came true as Catman pulled back her hair away from her neck, and found a sparkling wire attached to the side of her neck.

At this, the other members removed the other wires very quickly, and straight away, Rosie sat up straight, staring lifelessly at the wall in front of her. Not blinking or moving one inch.

"She's been programmed! Made into a robot, just like Sam the last time we were here, and those teenagers!" Catman yelled. His voice echoed around the underground workshop.

Everyone was so shocked that they couldn't move or speak until Demon stepped forward and removed the wire from her neck.

Almost instantly she closed her eyes again and collapsed into his arms.

"We have to get her out of this place, and back to her mother," Demon said, his voice shaking with the horror of the situation.

"I highly doubt that will be happening." Said an unknown voice from the top of the staircase that led up to the lift.

They all turned to look up at a man cloaked in all black that covered his face. It was Mr Lawsen.

Demon picked up the limp child in his arms, sensing that a quick getaway would be needed in the near future.