This idea came to me when I've realized that Dot was never a damsel in distress (at least I didn't got to any stories when she did). So I wanted to write a fic in which she would be in danger and the villain will try to use her as a bait... However, I also tried to make her smart, resourceful and badass.

Either way, after some time I've got an idea for a villain and their theme. Then came the idea for why that person would want to kidnap Dot to get to Overkill and how Overkill was going to handle this situation and that's how we get here.

Anyway, this time I really need reviews. Reviews under this fic will be a proof that people want me to keep going with this story and I really want to finish it. So feedback will be very much appreciated.

Be Prepared

Dot was struggling with the ties around her wrists, but she already managed to loosen them a little. She had to admit that freeing from ropes without any sharp objects in her surroundings was far harder than she initially expected, but oh well… it wasn't her first time either. And she was gradually getting better…

The door was opened and two familiar faces showed up. Tick and Arthur's eyes almost widened at the sight of Dot being tied up to the chair. Dot sighed with annoyance. Great. Just the guys she wanted to see at this very moment. And she was so close…

"What the hell, Overkill?!" Arthur screamed at the direction of the man, who sat few inches away, holding a stopwatch in his hand.

"Yes, this is not how you treat friends." Tick pointed out.

They both quickly rushed to her side, but Dot stopped them:

"Don't you dare help me."

"And don't distract her." Overkill added, not even looking at them. "She's close to beat her record."

"Actually, I think some distraction would be good." Dangerboat said and moved his eye towards their guests. "You know, for additional realism. It's a bit harder to free oneself when there's chaos around you. There is a sense of urgency to help your friends."

"We will get to the possible mission scenarios later. First we are covering the basics." Overkill retorted, still focused on the stopwatch.

Dot managed to loosed up the ropes by rotating the wrist back and forth. The fact that her hands were tied behind her back made escaping harder, since she couldn't use her teeth, but she was slowly getting closer to her goal.

Finally! Her wrists wriggled out of the ropes. Dot smiled to herself and proceeded with untying her ankles and stood up.

"Ha, success!" She called and looked at Overkill who just stopped the stopwatch.

"And only half the time than the last attempt." The vigilante said and showed Dot the time on the stopwatch. "You're getting better."

"Thanks." She replied, still smiling.

"But why are you doing this, anyway?" Arthur asked and gave Overkill stern look.

"Hey, It was all your sister's idea. I'm only doing what she told me to do." Overkill pointed out.

"I'm preparing for the inevitable." Dot replied, massaging her left wrist. "Giving that I'm a sister of a superhero and hang out with former AEGIS agent, it's only a matter of time until some psycho gets to use me as a bait or something. I much rather prefer to escape and kick their ass than be a damsel in distress. So I've asked Overkill to give me some lessons on self-defense and escape techniques."

"Neat idea!" Tick said with his usual enthusiasm and looked at Arthur. "Maybe you should try it too, eh, old chum?"

"What? No!" His sidekick turned to Dot. "Look, this is all good and dandy, but don't you think people in med school or ambulance will get suspicious of your wrists suddenly having rope marks? At best they will think you're into so kinky stuff, at worst – that you have an abusive boyfriend."

"Don't worry. I've told them in advance that I've got interested in magic tricks. Besides, mom and Walter know what's going on."

"And they let you spend time with him?" Arthur said, pointing finger at Overkill.

The vigilante was taken aback by this remark but his only reply was:

"Yes, because they would like their daughter to be safe. After all, one guy's girlfriend was stuffed into the fridge once."

"Oh, yeah," Arthur agreed, all of a sudden remembering the incident. "there was something like that. Wait wasn't she pushed off the bridge and the guy almost caught her but as a result he broke her spine in the process?"

"No, you're thinking about the arachnid one. The fridge guy was doing some shit in space." Overkill corrected him.

"Wow, this is so wild…" Tick said.

"Bottom line," Dot cut in sharply to get the attention of all three men. "I don't want to be fridged so I'm coming here for lessons. End of a story."

"This is a very neat idea, Dot." Tick repeated his previous statement. "We will help you either way, but still," He gave her a thumbs up. "pretty neat."

"Look, Dot, I get this." Arthur turned to his sister. "And really, who am I to question your badassery, but… I don't know…" He moved his eyes away from her.

For a moment he wasn't saying anything, probably trying to gather his thoughts. And everybody were looking at him, waiting for his next words. Finally Arthur gave a soft sigh and spoke:

"I guess, I don't like the thought of you being tied up here very much. Or you being kidnapped in general."

"Well, I don't like the idea that you might get hurt." Dot retorted. "But I trust that Tick can keep you safe. And that you know what you're doing. Try to do the same for me."

Arthur gave another sigh.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"Why are you even here?" Overkill asked with his usual annoyance.

"Look, we've come because we need to check something." Arthur replied. "Some guy in the suburb said he saw men dressed as pirates from Disney's Peter Pan and doing some suspicious work in the warehouse area. Since you and Dangerboat are always in the docks, have you seen something unusual?"

Overkill didn't reply right away. He only stood up and came to his partner's computer.

"Dangerboat, are there any suspicious people in the docks, dressed like Hook's pirates?"

"Wait, I'm scanning." The AI said and for about half a minute there was only sound of his operating system working. Finally he said: "No, there's no pirates in the docks. Or even a pirate ship for that matter. It seems that there are only the usual sailors and smugglers."

"So your pirates are probably somewhere in The City's suburbs. They probably some cosplayers."

"Well, they really got into their roles." Tick said. "They were singing Pirate's Life during bank robbery."

"Pirate's Life?" Overkill asked.

"You know, this song Captain Hook's men sing when they keep Lost Boys hostage." Arthur explained.

"Oh…" Overkill seemed to think about what he just heard, before he went back to being his professional self and added: "Inform me if anything like that happens. Cosplayers committing crimes, while singing Let it Go… Something like that. I will keep an eye on odd things too."

"Wait, you know something." Arthur said. "What is it?"

"I will tell you if I will get more intel." The vigilante replied quickly, but it was clear he said only to stop any more questions.

Arthur gave him a weird look, but his only response was:

"Okay, we will leave you alone. I have things to do anyway. But you keep us informed too." He added gazing at the vigilante meaningfully.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Overkill waved his hand.

And both superheroes left the boat. Now there was only Dangerboat, Overkill and Dot. For a moment the paramedic and the antihero were observing each other in awkward silence. Dot got the impression that Overkill was slightly more awkward than she. Granted, it wasn't the first time, but it was still unnerving. It was like he wanted to say something but he couldn't quite get it out of his system.

Dot just smiled to Overkill and said:

"Guess, I will go too. My exams start next week, and I thought I might go out with the girls."

"I see." Overkill replied. "Have fun."

He didn't smile or anything but Dot new he sincerely wished her a good time.

"You should also go out more."

"I'm good. I will just watch something on Netflix."

Netflix… knowing Overkill there will be no chill. But alas, she was looking forward for girls' night out for a very long time.

"If you say so…" The paramedic said finally. "See you later, Overkill."

"Yeah." Was his only reply.


Once Dot was gone, Dangerboat looked at Overkill and started to sing:

Sha la la la la la, my oh my

Look like the boy's too shy

Ain't gonna kiss the girl

Sha la la la la la, ain't that sad

Ain't it a shame, too bad

He gonna miss the girl…

"Shut up." Overkill glared at him. "You're not funny."

"I'm just saying… I can see how you look at her. And oddly enough, she seems to like spending time with you."

"We're just working together. Besides, I don't like her that way. And even if I did," He gave the AI another hard look. "I wouldn't want to make everything awkward. Like certain boat, who was a little flirty around the Everest kid."

"Low blow, man." Dangerboat replied. However, he didn't stay mad. "Anyway, you can say whatever you want. Remember that I'm monitoring your vital signs. Your erratic heartbeat whenever you come closer to Dot too."

Overkill looked down. Guess, he forgot about that feature. Damn it, nothing can't be hidden from that idiot.

"Why are we even having this conversation?" He said, not even turning to Dangerboat's eye. He came to the computer and started to search the data base with certain keywords. "There's a lot of other more important things to talk about."

"Ah, yes. Like that fact that you didn't tell Tick and Arthur about certain supervillainess from your past. It's not wise to hide information from your allies."

Some part of the vigilante agreed. He actually felt uneasiness about the possibility that she might be back. As silly as she was, she was also a formidable opponent. If she was going to be back, he needed a plan… and backup.

"First of all," Overkill began. "I do need more intel. Last time when I've seen her, she was in AEGIS prison. And you know how much they care about security."

"Like that time when you went rogue and take me along?" Dangerboat prompted.

"Secondly," Overkill continued. "even if it is she, we need to find out what she wants. Bank robberies aren't her style. So first we confirm it is her, then we tell Tick, Arthur and Dot."

"If you say so…" The AI wasn't going to argue.


Dot definitely needed this girls' night out. As much as she liked Tick, Arthur, Overkill and Dangerboat, she wanted some normality in her life. And she really wanted to just go out with her friends, have few drinks and talk about things that weren't related to superheroes and supervillains. Frankly, that was what she got. She and her friends were talking about exams, TV shows they've seen, movies they wanted to see, the roller-skating championships in July and how they were going to smash the other teams. It was a blast.

Before Dot knew it, the time was first in the morning and to be fair, Dot felt a little tired. So she called the taxi. The voice in the cellphone told her the driver will be in ten minutes, in front of the restaurant. When ten minutes passed, Dot said goodbye to her friends and went out. The taxi was already waiting. Dot felt that something wasn't right, but when she looked around, there seemed to be no creeps. Just in case, she reached into her purse to feel if everything was in place. Pepper spray? Check. Keys? Check. Cellphone? Check. The trucking device? Check.

She carefully entered the taxi. That feeling was still there, so she decided she wanted to be as far away from the restaurant as possible.

"Where to, princess?" The driver asked, not turning to his client.

Dot already didn't like him.

"First off, I'm not your princess."

"Of course, miss." He said. "I apologize. So where would you like to go?"

Dot told him her address and the taxi began its course. For a moment it was quiet and this made the atmosphere a bit eerie. She reached to her purse again. Everything was still on its place. But why was she so nervous? It was just a taxi.

Nevertheless, she activated the tracking device.

"I will turn on the radio." The driver said suddenly. "I don't like silence."

"Yes, of course." She replied, quite relieved he offered it.

But he didn't turn on any station. He simply went for a CD player and soon the voice of Elton John was heard from the speakers on the back of the taxi:

There's a calm surrender

To the rush of day

When the heat of a rolling world

Can be turned away…

"Beautiful song, don't you think?" The driver asked, all of a sudden.

"It's fine I guess…" Dot shrugged.

"And Lion King… truly a cinematic masterpiece." The driver went on and even glanced at his client from the corner of his right eye.

And can you feel the love tonight?

It is where we are

It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer

That we got this far…

"Maybe for majority of people." Dot replied. "My brother always hated the Hakuna Maatata part."

"Why?"

It's enough to make kings and vagabonds

Believe the very best…

"Well, he thinks it's stupid that Simba just sings a happy song about the end of all worries right after he saw his father dying." Dot explained.

"Then your brother missed the point of this song, princess."

There's a rhyme and reason

To the wild outdoors

When the heart of this star-crossed voyager

Beats in time with yours…

"You see, what's beautiful about Disney songs is that they can basically convey everything. And some of them should be read in the context."

"So what's the real meaning of Hakuna Matata?" Dot decided to let the 'princess' slide for now.

"Why, escapism of course! Simba just left his home in shame and guilt. He found two odd fellows who decided to take care of him and showed him a way of life that seems to be idyllic. We see that he grows up with Timon and Pumba, away from responsibilities and worries about his kingdom."

And can you feel the love tonight,

How it's laid to rest…

"It's only when Nala comes to his paradise that Simba is reminded he has duties. He doesn't want to go at first, because he doesn't want to leave the good life he has with Timon and Pumba; and because the thought of home reminds him of his shame. Do you understand it now, princess?"

The song ended and Dot said:

"I get it. But I'm not your princess."

"Mine not, but for sure there is some Prince Charming in your life, right? Some Philip, Eric, Eugene or Kristoff?"

"Excuse me, but that's none of your business, sir." Dot felt the rising sense of dread, but tried to stay calm.

"Oh, on the contrary, princess." The driver replied and clicked some button on the dashboard.

The front seat and the back seat had been separated by a glass and Dot immediately knew what was going to happen. She tried to open the door but, of course, they were blocked. Meanwhile she heard the hissing sound… The gas was already released.

"Don't worry, princess. Your prince will surely come to your rescue."

Dot settled for the next best thing – she took the can of paper stray and attempted to break the window. But the glass seemed to be too hard to break (damn it, they thought of everything…). And even though, Dot covered her nose and mouth with a scarf, she felt more and more sleepy with every second. And the sleepier she got, the weaker her tries with window were.

Defeated by a glass… What a lame way to lose…

But she knew they wanted her alive. She was going to be a bait. For who? It didn't matter. The important thing was that she wasn't going to get herself fridged.

The last thing she heard was another song on ominous driver's CD:

I know you,

I walked with you once upon a dream…

I know you

The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam…

She always hated Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.