Chapter Text
During the time of the Heterodyne Boys, the Mongfish family was perhaps the most feared family of modern sparks. Oh sure, they could never compare to the old Heterodynes, but with the current ones off being heroes, someone had to play the role of the villain. Everyone in Europa hears at least one story featuring the dastardly Lucifer and his three villainous daughters. But, nothing lasts forever, and neither did the Mongfish’s villainous escapades. Slowly but surely, the Mongfish family faded from prominence.
It started with Serpentina. Oh, sweet and bubbly Serpentina. It was an odd disposition for a villain to have, but she made it work. She alway had a penchant for storytelling and adventuring. So, when the handsome Professor DuMedd offered her a chance to explore the world, how could she say no.
Serpentina’s loss was felt heavily within the family. Her absence fundamentally altered the dynamics of everyone in Minsk, but her leaving was not what ultimately caused the downfall of the Mongfish legacy. No, the real downfall came from Lucrezia. While Serpentina was known for her delightful yet disturbing demeanor, Lucrezia was by far the more renowned sister. She was the epitome of a sparky villainess. She was cunning, seductive, and above all else, ambitious. In truth, it was expected that she would inherit her father’s role as head of the Mongfish family after he passed.
Of course then she went and married her father’s greatest adversaries and let the world see her turn good in the process. With the loss of his second daughter, Lucifer read his cards and decided to fold them. He declared his days of villainy over, and humbly retired. Unfortunately for him, his retirement did not last long. Ironically, it was his care for others that got him killed. When he heard about the attack on Castle Heterodyne, he was terrified for his daughter and young grandson. As much as the man was a monster, Lucifer Mongfish did care about his family. He rushed to reach Mechanicsburg, using the first airship he could get his hands on. But, in natural sparky fashion, his rush to achieve his goal got him killed. The airship exploded midair near Prague. His remains were found two months after the attack by a wandering cabbage merchant. It was a truly devastating time for Europa, the time after the attack. The previously established status quo was shattered, and in the chaos it was easy to forget people.
Demonica Mongfish could never compare to her sisters. She wasn’t charismatic and engaging like Serpentina, nor was she cunning and ambitious like Lucrezia. Furthermore, she was far from the spark the rest of her family was. She didn’t have much flair for the dramatic, and the times she descended into mad rants could be counted on a single hand. She was the perfect forgotten middle child. Shown when you needed a complete group, but never given her own solo outing. But as tragic it may seem, Demonica was satisfied with her position in life. She was fine letting her sisters claim all the attention and infamy while she stayed away from prying eyes.
Afterall, someone had to continue the plot to take over Europa.
With her father dead, Serpentina galavanting across the globe with her husband, and the fate of Lucrezia too complicated to even address, Demonica took over the management for the storm king plot. It was relatively easy to pick up where her father had left off, but there were a few things that had to be taken care of.
First of all was the happy couple. The storm king wasn’t a problem. There were numerous candidates she could choose from, and more would likely be born in the intervening years. Though each branch had its own merits, but really any Storm King would do for her purposes. The real problem came down to the Heterodyne Girl. Originally, it would have been easy to marry into the Heterodyne family, but then the Heterodyne Boys came along. By some miracle, Lucrezia actually managed to get herself in by catching Bill’s eye, but the only child she’d had was a son. And due to her unknown current state, it was unlikely that she would have more anytime soon. This left the Lady Mongfish in a very awkward position.
Luckily though, although not as powerful as her sisters, Demonica was still very much a smart person. And she was nothing if not resourceful. She needed a Heterodyne girl, well then she would make one. It couldn’t be too hard to pass on her own child as Lucrezia’s, Demonica thought. And this way, she would actually get to raise the child, meaning she would be much more likely to follow her role.
Bertram Malfeazium had been one of Lucifer Mongfish’s less fanatical minions. He had signed up at sixteen years old not due to the charisma of the Mongfish family, but rather to help ensure the safety of his nearby family farm. Demonica had always liked Bertram. He was kind, funny, but never too ambitious. He felt like a kindred spirit in a way. Willingly caught up in the machinations of sparks, but smart enough to know when to keep his head down. He also chose to stay in service at Minsk after the death of her father, even though Demonica could not guarantee the same protection Lucifer did, saying someone needed to make sure the place didn’t burn to the ground. He felt like one of the few people who truly cared about her as a person and not as a Mongfish daughter. Demonica needed a husband in order to have a child, so she might as well marry a man she likes.
Bertam was quite surprised when Demonica proposed to him, but he did accept. And when little Zola was born, he absolutely adored her. Demonica was quite pleased with herself and her current situation. She had a lovely home, a wonderful husband, an amazing daughter, and plenty of time to work on her own personal projects. Most especially, aside from a brief detour to put in place the precautions Milvistle suggested, the conspiracy seemed to be coming along swimmingly. However, Demonica’s entire perfect plan all had to be scrapped and readjusted with a revelation that came one stormy night.
It was a stormy night in Minsk. Bertram had already put Zola to bed and said goodnight to his wife, but Demonica was still up working on a personal project. It was a small thing, just a concealed warper to deal with being surrounded. She was supposed to have gone to bed hours ago, but as she was preparing herself, she had an epiphany on how to get the conductor to stop producing extra voltage. She knew logically that it could wait until morning, but the spark in her mind was screaming at her that she should do it now Now NOW!!!
So here she was, in her nightgown with her hair still half up in its do from the day. She was slipping in and out of the madness place, calming down then thinking of something more to add, when Demonica suddenly heard the familiar chime stating that there was someone at the door to the castle.
“That’s strange,” Demonica thought as she slowly exited the madness place. No one should be visiting her this time of night. No one should be visiting period! Any member of the Storm King conspiracy knew to send a Smoke Knight directly to her study to meet with, and Bertram's sisters all would have written before visiting. At first, Demonica thought it was a fluke. She just needed to run diagnostics on the alert system in the morning, but then the chime went off again.
Faced with the unfortunate reality that there was in fact someone at her door, Demonica set her project into a state where it could be left alone for a couple hours without exploding, and then made her way to the front door of the castle. Frankly Demonica was too annoyed at being forced to abandon her project to make any guesses as to who might be at her door in the middle of the night. She was tired, she was still coming out of the madness place, and her hair was in an enormous disarray. Her current plan was to open the door, politely tell them to leave until morning, and then go to sleep next to her wonderfully simple husband. And should politeness fail, well…there was a death ray by the door for a reason.
So, Demonica walked to the foyer, grabbed the death ray, opened the door…and was shocked at who stood on the other side of it. In front stood a drenched Barry Heterodyne, her not quite brother in law, clutching something to his chest protectively. Now, Demonica had been a fairly common adversary to the Heterodyne Boys. She had seen their triumphs and their failures. But still, she never knew what a Heterodyne Boy looked like when they lost.
Not until now.
Right now, Barry Heterodyne looked completely and utterly defeated. He showed none of the confidence or bravery Europa had grown to know him for. Instead, he seemed sad and lost.
“Hello, Demonica,” he politely greeted her, “May I come in?”
Surprising the both of them, Demonica immediately responded.
“Yes, yes. Of course. Let us get you out of the rain.” She spoke as she gestured inside.
Demonica moved to set the death ray back in its proper place as Barry entered her home. As he came in, she noticed that the object he was holding was in fact a living child. A girl just around the same age as her Zola. It struck a chord with her.
“Here,” she said “The sitting room is just through here. My husband is asleep right now and the minions have all gone home for the night, but if you would like I can put on some tea.”
“Yes, that would be lovely Demonica,” Barry spoke appreciatively, “I’m sorry for imposing on you.”
“Nonsense, you had the decency to knock this time, rather than bursting through a laboratory window,” she joked “The least I can do is reward your good behavior.”
Barry emitted a small chuckle at the reference to their younger days. Good, it was best to raise his spirits so Demonica was not confronted by the despairing presence he held.
“Besides,” she continued “It seems we have quite a lot to talk about.”
The conversation between the two sparks went late into the night. Barry was frantic, and doing his best to explain all the information he had. Demonica gave the man her full attention, and Barry was thankful to finally have someone to listen.
Most of the information only confirmed what Demonica already knew: Her sister was the Other, and had plans to take over Europa. She planned to use her daughter, the daughter Barry had clutched to his chest, as a means to extend her life.
But, she didn’t let Barry know she knew all this. No, Demonica played the perfect horrified simpleton. She acted shocked, aghast at what her sister had done. That may seem out of character for her, and risky given how she wanted Barry to trust her. She felt it necessary though. If Barry found out about her involvement with the fleeing Geisterdamen, or even worse the Storm King conspiracy, he would have immediately turned on her. Nothing she could say past that point would convince him she was not in league with Lucrezia.
No, the risk was too high. He already believed Baron Wulfenbach to be working with the Other, and responded by letting his best friend believe him dead. If he had even the barest hint of suspicion in regards to her, Demonica feared what he might do. So, for now her best option was to feign ignorance, and continue this conversation until he left.
“That is quite a lot to take in,” Demonica said, placing her tea on the table in front of her.
“I know, I know,” Barry said emphatically, “If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“So, that leaves just one question,” She quirked her eyebrow, “what are you planning to do about it?”
Suddenly, Barry looked more determined. He looked angry and ready to fight someone. Throughout the entire night, it was only at this moment that Barry Heterodyne truly was there.
“I’m going after her.” He said simply. “I’m going after her, and stopping this once and for all. But,” he looked down sadly at the girl he was holding “I can’t take her with me. It’s not safe. For her or for me. I…was wondering if you’d be able to take her in. Pass her off as your own,”
For the first time in the entire conversation, Demonica was truly shocked. It wasn’t really out of character for Barry, nor a particularly egregious request given what he knew. Yes, it would be awkward for Demonica in regards to the Storm King plot, but it could be managed. Really the most pressing issue was-
“Why me?” Demonica questioned, “Not that I am refusing, but beyond our siblings marrying each other, but still we hardly know one another beyond being adversaries. Surely you have someone else you would trust more with this?”
A look of mourning came over Barry’s face. “I did, but” he took a shaky breath “I lost them. I was traveling with Punch and Judy towards Beetle Burg, but we managed to be caught by a patrol of Geister Damen. I didn’t ask them to, but they lured them away from Agatha and I. There’s a chance they might be still alive, but I’ve learned not to be optimistic these past few years. With them likely dead, and me not trusting Klaus for reasons I already told you, that left very few options. Mostly I picked you because you seem to not be doing much lately. You’re not likely to draw extra attention to yourself by taking her in.”
That…actually made a lot of sense. Demonica had been, from the outside at least, the least ambitious Mongfish sister. From Barry’s perspective, his niece would live a calm uneventful life if he were to leave her here. The truth would probably be different. If she were to stay here, Agatha would at least be partially involved in the conspiracy. She would be taught the arts of subterfuge and deceit. And most of all, Demonica would refuse to lie to the child. Agatha would know exactly who she was and where she came from. It is doubtful this is what Barry would want for the child, but perhaps the girl would have a good life under Demonica’s care.
“I know this is a lot to ask of you bu-”
“I’ll do it.” Demonica cut in suddenly, “I’ll take her in. I can pass her off as my husband’s niece.”
Barry looked surprised. He clearly expected this to be a hard sell. But after the surprise passed, his face was overcome with relief. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart thank you Demonica.” he said as he passed the girl to her new guardian.
“It is quite alright Barry. She is my family after all.” Demonica answered quite curtly.
After passing off the girl, Barry stood up. “I should go. I think I managed to lose the trail of the Geister Damen in the mountains, but I can’t be sure. One thing, don’t take off her locket. She began breaking through about a month ago. It’s suppressing her spark right now. Don’t take it off until I come back.”
“You’re planning on coming back?”
“Yes,” Barry responded, “Once I defeat the other permanently, I’ll be back for her. I promised it when she was awake.”
“And if you don’t?” Demonica pried.
Barry turned around and averted his eyes. The sun was beginning to rise outside. “I’m going to come back. Goodbye Demonica, thank you for the tea.”
And with that, the last Heterodyne known to Europa left out the way he came, leaving Demonica alone with the sleeping girl. Her thoughts raced. She accepted the girl impulsively. Tactically, it would have been better to refuse. Let Barry and the girl wander until they met their untimely demise. But, though she was many things, villainess, conspirator, spark, she was also a mother. The girl Barry clutched in his hands reminded her too much of her own child to turn her away.
She let out a deep sigh and leaned back in the arm chair. The plan could be remedied. Agatha being here didn’t automatically mean everything would fall apart. Having someone the castle would actually listen to would be a plus. It would add to their legitimacy if they had an actual Heterodyne watching over the town while another married the Storm King. She could even use the girl to sway more of the Geister to her side.
Yes, the more Demonica thought about it, this could be quite a positive turn of events after all. Suddenly, the door to the sitting room opened.
It was Bertam.
“Demonica darling, were you up all night working again?”
“No dear, I wasn’t working,” Demonica replied to her husband.
“But you were up, weren’t you.” He said in a disappointed yet fond tone.
“Oh calm down Bertram. It wasn’t actually my fault this time.” she defended.
“Oh really?’ he responded nonchalantly.
“Yes actually, we had a visitor I had to entertain, as well as the arrival of a more permanent guest.” Demonica explained as she stood up to face her husband.
“Guest?” Bertram asked confusedly.
“Yes, a guest,” Demonica said as she showed her spouse the sleeping child in her arms. “This is Agatha. I’ll explain more once we have her settled in, but we were asked to take care of her for the time being.”