Season Finale: Revelations

The following takes place immediately following: Little Pripyat

As the sun begins to set, the Master and Waldo return to the main campus grounds—tired, filthy, and slightly traumatized after their misguided catacomb escapade beneath the old Council buildings, where Dr. Evangeline Drabak betrayed them and resurrected the lutin, Mr. Vincent.

They slump down at the outdoor table beside Frakes, who’s lounging with a copy of Playpen. Frakes peers over the top of the magazine with a dry smirk, then flips it around to show them the front cover.

Frakes: Hey Waldo, look—it’s Mrs. Travers on the cover of Playpen…

He turns the page and flashes the nude centrefold of Waldo’s ex-wife.

wF: 😟😡

Kaz approaches, holding a tray stacked with glowing chemical burgers.

Kaz: Looks like you guys had a busy afternoon. What happened? Where’s your friend?

MD: She turned out to be a psychotic bitch. Summoned a lutin. Has aspirations of mass murder…

Frakes (dryly): Wow. Who could’ve seen that one coming? 😏

wF: The masta French kissed her... It was disgusten!

Frakes: Really? 🤣

MD: I absolutely did not. She sexually assaulted me. Can we not ever have a period of peacetime in the Waldoverse? I haven’t done actual work in ages.

Frakes: Like you ever do any actual work...

MD: Excuse me, Frakes??

Frakes: I’d also like to point out that you, Master Devlin, helped her summon the lutin. Had you just stayed home, none of this would’ve happened. No one’s forcing you to deal with these people. You could ignore them if you wanted.

MD: Yes, quite. But if I ignore them, people die.

Frakes: Then don’t complain to me. Not my problem. This is just a job. I don’t care about any of it.

He returns to reading the magazine.

MD: I didn’t ask for you, Frakes. You just show up, spouting your silly 'facts.' And frankly—wait... Why did you refer to Drabak as ‘the bird’? That’s not exactly your usual phrasing for a woman…”

Frakes: Yeah... woman...

Frakes sniggers without looking up and starts chuckling quietly to himself.

MD: What do you mean by it? Frakes??

Frakes: I’m reading... I don’t have to answer your questions.

MD (sighs) Fine. Guess I’ll have to ask someone else…

The Master reaches into his pocket, pulls out a fake moustache, and sticks it onto Waldo, who’s currently helping himself to one of Frakes’ burgers.

Travers: “HeLLO Master Devlin! It is I, Mr. Travers—National tr—wait... why am I all dirty? And where’s my suit?

MD: Never mind that. How are you? How’s your wife?

Travers: Oh, fine, fine... thank you. She’s studying for the bar exam. I'm going to make her partner in the firm!

MD: Excellent. I’m glad to hear it. I suppose it will be good for the firm to have an actual lawyer for legitimacy.

Travers: Also, as you can see there, she was recently Playpen’s Playmate of the Month... Travers is very proud, indeed.

MD: Yes... I, um, saw that. Doesn’t she wonder where you are?

Travers: Nooo, Master Devlin. She understands that an important man like her husband, Travers—pillar of the community—has places to be...

MD: Of course. Now—I have something important I need to ask. It’s about Dr. Drabak. And don’t try the attorney-client privilege excuse—we both know you’re wildly unethical and not even a real lawyer. I need to know everything you can tell me. She’s dangerous.

Travers: Nooo, Master Devlin. It is you who is the unethical one who speaks out of turn... Travers is indeed a real lawyer, and I AM bound by attorney-client privilege under Waldonian law... however—you did officiate my wedding, so I suppose I can make an exception.

MD: Please do. What can you tell me?

Travers: She hired me a few weeks ago. Said she wanted to change her legal name and a few other personal record details...

MD: So she approached you? Interesting... Go on.

Travers: Only she didn’t just want a name change—she was very eager to have her old identity erased completely. That did require some... sweet-talking with a few judges. But of course, Travers got the job done. The changes were made, and her old records were scrubbed.

MD: I need to know her real name, Travers. Lives are at stake. You can write it on this napkin.

Travers: I can’t do it, Master Devlin. You don’t understand—this thing goes all the way to the top. I have a wife to think about now... the Editor told me not to divulge the name. He’ll know, god damn it!

MD: Hrmm.

Travers: However... I can tell you this: in my professional opinion, that woman is no doctor of any kind. Her new name is D.R. Evangeline Drabak—she was very insistent about the ‘DR’ initials.”

MD: I see... Not sure how much that helps, but thank you, Travers.

The Master rises from the bench.

Travers: Not so fast, Master Devlin... I can’t give you the name. But no one said I couldn’t give you a clue.

MD: Oh?

Traversavers: The new name—it’s an anagram of the old one.

MD: Hmm.

The Master sits down, pulls out a pen, and scribbles D. R. Evangeline Drabak onto a napkin. He studies it. Rearranging letters in his head. Searching. Then—he sees it.

He begins writing it out: R... E... G...

And just like that, it hits him.

The story she told about reconstructive surgery.

Frakes casually calling her "the bird".

Something in her eyes—familiar yet sinister, but never placed.

He looks down at the napkin and suddenly feels sick.

REGINALD VAN DER BEAK

He silently turns the napkin toward Travers, who gives a solemn nod.

MD: I see...

The Master can barely contain his disgust and fury.

MD: Frakes... can you confirm? Is Dr. Drabak... The Bird? Van Der Beak?

Frakes casually looks up from his magazine, completely unfazed.

Frakes: You are correct. It’s fact.

MD: But... how? He was smashed into a bird patè at McMurdo...

Travers: Hey—what’s that?

He points to a plume of smoke rising over the campus skyline. A fire.

The Master bolts across the grounds. He finds the new library ablaze. Firefighters are already on the scene, covering bodies on the lawn. The building is half-consumed, the blaze raging without mercy.

Travers catches up, panting—shocked by the ferocity of the fire.

Travers: Good lord... what could’ve done this? Master Devlin??

But the Master says nothing.

He just stands there, staring into the inferno, silent and heartbroken.

End of Season 2

The story continues in Season 3