The penultimate chapter is here!
Make sure your comfy before you start reading this, as this is possibly the longest chapter I will ever write. I considered splitting it into two chapters, but I didn't want to make any more horrible cliffhangers where you'd have to wait a few more days to find out the conclusion.
Strap yourself in for this 10,000-word chapter, and let's go.
Chapter Eleven -
Let's End This
Gru, Lucy, Dru and Jack drove through an expansive and barren landscape. A few dying trees were littered around them and the only wildlife seemed mutated beyond recognition. Jack was completely accustomed to these surroundings and remained entirely nonchalant as they drove through. The other three, on the other hand, were a little disturbed with the unpleasant environment before them. They continued to travel deeper and deeper, the world around them seeming to get more and more abhorrent, until Jack put his hand on Gru's arm.
"Pull up here." He said, keeping his eyes locked out of the window, searching for any signs of any agents. Gru stopped the tank in what seemed like nowhere before looking around and questioning it.
"Why here?" He pondered, glancing at Jack. "I can't see de elevator."
"We need to leave a little distance between the tank and the entrance," Jack replied, getting up from his seat and checking to see if his body armor had been properly equipped. "That way, there's less of a chance of them noticing us."
"That doesn't really matter though, does it?" Lucy chirped, shrugging her shoulders. "When the explosives go off, everyone's gonna know we're here anyway."
"We don't need anyone noticing us before we set them off," Jack replied, picking up his shrink ray. "If they do, it's gonna make this a lot harder."
"Tell de minions to stop, Dru." Gru instructed, turning to face his twin brother.
"Yoo got eet!" Dru replied, before picking up a walkie-talkie and looking up into the sky. "We're down here! Yoo can't see us? How can yoo miss a huge tank like dis? Can't yoo see me waving!?"
Dru began jumping up and down, waving his free hand in the air.
"Dru...we're een de tank," Gru began, holding the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Dey're not gonna see yoo."
"Yeah, dat's us!" Dru shouted as he stopped jumping and turned to face his brother. "Well, dey saw me."
Suddenly, three very large aircrafts descended and landed beside them. The rears opened up, and hundreds of minions piled out of each one. A large amount of them were holding freeze rays, while the rest were holding many different types of unrecognizable guns. Gru, Dru, Lucy and Jack emerged from the tank before Gru called out to the little yellow army in front of him.
"Right, anyone dat has been geeven an explosive weapon, follow on behind." He commanded, waving his arms to grasp everyone's attention. "De rest of yoo, wait for de seegnal. Got eet!?"
Every minion spoke the same gibberish word in unison, as they saluted their boss. The foursome and around seventy minions began sneaking down the barren road, each of them looking in different directions.
"How much further is it?" Lucy asked, shooting her gaze around as she searched for anything suspicious.
"Not too far." Jack replied, holding the shrink ray up and remaining alert. "I can't wait to get face to face with my old boss again."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Jack." Gru stated, who was carrying a strange looking gun and swiveling it around in different directions. "We need to get een furst."
"Pfft...getting in will be easy." Jack replied, rolling his eyes. "In fact, getting through the first floor will be easy as well. There are only a few rooms, and most of them are used to store stolen artifacts."
"Well, what about de second floor?" Dru asked with worry. Jack turned to face him with determined anger in his face.
"Let's just say..." He began. "We're gonna have hundreds of trained, murderous agents as company."
"Sounds good." Dru replied sarcastically, looking down to the ground in fear.
"Pow par shuderloud liss tee feest bloor?" A minion that walked beside Gru questioned. The former AVL agent looked down to him and nodded his head.
"Good question." He replied, before looking up at Jack. "How far underground ees de furst floor?"
"Not that far down," Jack replied, remaining alert. "I'd say we need about twenty rockets to break into it."
"Dat's not a problem den." Gru replied, looking at the seventy minions that surrounded him and smiling in excitement. A few seconds after, a small white cuboid, that had a double metal door on the front, came into view. The shine and cleanliness of it looked completely out of place when compared to the derelict surroundings.
"There's the elevator." He proclaimed as he pointed towards it. He turned around to face everyone and spoke dangerously. "It's time."
Gru, Dru and Lucy looked around at each other with fearful expressions. The butterflies were forming in their stomachs as the situation at hand was becoming clearer. This was the most dangerous mission they had faced, and will most likely ever face. They were about to fight a huge organization, one that the AVL had failed to take down several times, all on their own. If it all went bad, the consequences would be even worse.
If Gru and Lucy don't return from this mission, the girls would be sent back to a terrible life at Miss Hattie's. Imagining their distraught expressions when they found out scared the trio beyond belief. All they wanted was to turn back around, head home and continue on with their normal (or what counts as normal for the Gru family) lives. But they knew they had to do this. It was imperative that everything went right. Gru closed his eyes and took a deep breath before placing fake confidence in his voice.
"Yoo ready?" He asked as he clenched his fists, looking over to his wife and brother. Dru began trembling as he looked to the floor, while Lucy simply stared at her husband for a few seconds, racking her mind to find some sense of belief.
"You betcha." She responded anxiously after the few seconds of silence died out. "I'm...I'm so, so ready..."
"Guys, don't worry," Jack stated sternly, giving them all serious expressions. "If you trust in your skills, then nothing will go wrong."
Jack spoke and looked calm, but inside, his mind was going crazy. Only a few days ago, his dream was to be a part of the IVB's top ranks. Now, his dream was to see his boss's terrified face as Jack stormed in and took him down. That quick transition was a little befuddling, but he wouldn't allow it to take control. Pure adrenaline began pumping through his blood before he smiled mischievously and put his fist in the air.
"LET'S END THIS!" He yelled as the minions jumped up in a cheer of excitement around him. Jack charged forwards and the minions followed on behind. Dru and Lucy watched nervously as they remained glued to the spot, unable to free themselves of their bad thoughts. But for Gru, Jack's adrenaline seemed to rub off on him, and the determination coursed through his veins.
"Yes..." He growled through gritted teeth, remembering that these guys were the ones who sent hitmen to kill his daughters. "Let's..."
He also charged forward, trying his hardest to keep up with the unbelievable speed that the minions possessed. The yellow army raced ahead and came to a stop the second that Jack did. Jack pointed his finger towards the ground a few meters in front of them before yelling.
"Fire there!" He proclaimed as the minions pointed their explosive weapons to the floor and pulled the triggers, sending dozens of rockets towards the ground. Huge craters opened up and rubble went flying everywhere, as small mushroom clouds ascended into the air. Jack stared at the fire and destruction and began drooling in satisfaction. The explosions snapped Dru and Lucy out of their fearful trance, allowing them to gather their thoughts. Gru turned to face his twin brother and gestured his arm towards the four vehicles behind them. Dru understood the signal and grabbed the walkie-talkie from his back pocket.
"Now!" He yelled before the two thundered forward. A thousand minions began charging through the barren wasteland towards the craters, as light began shining out of them.
"We can get eenside!" Gru yelped, as he peered into the hole and saw the opening to the first floor. He turned to face Jack, who met his gaze almost instantly. "Let's go!"
Jack nodded his head before everyone climbed down into the craters and through the large openings. A battle cry rung it's way across the barren wasteland and into the IVB headquarters, before being replaced by a confused silence. There was no-one around them. The entire first floor seemed empty...
"Where ees everyone?" Dru questioned, looking around at the half-destroyed room in front of them.
"They must all be on the second floor," Jack replied, taking a few step forwards and investigating every nook and cranny. "But there's usually at least one guy guarding the first floor..."
Gru investigated his surroundings as well, before turning to face the army of minions, that looked back at him in confusion.
"Plant de explosives." He instructed. The minions obliged instantly as around thirty of them scampered around the different rooms, placing down bombs. One of the minions opened up a huge wooden door that had a sign placed on it. It read 'Authorized Personnel Only'. Jack had never been inside the room and took his chance to find out what it was there for.
He walked in and found a single ray gun pointing down onto a chair, with a table placed beside it. On the side of the gun, block text read 'MIND CONTROL RAY'. His eyes widened and he ran over to the gun, just as the minion placed the bomb down and left. He inspected the gun for a few seconds before his attention was caught by a clipboard and syringe on the table. He put the shrink ray down and picked the clipboard up as he began reading the slip of paper attached.
MIND CONTROL INSTRUCTIONS
Written below will be instructions and guidelines on how to operate the Mind Control Ray, built by Dr. Simon Joshua Ph.D. Please abide by these regulations and forward all inquiries to any head member of staff or Fiona at the third-floor reception desk.
First, ensure that no unauthorized personnel are in attendance when operating the machine. Employees deemed as 'unauthorized', include:
- Any IVB Recruit (or Trainee)
- Any Recruited Villains
- Any IVB Agent who has not worked with the organization for longer than ten years.
Please remove anyone who falls under these categories from the room before doing anything listed below.
Second, sit the kidnapped child down onto the chair and ensure that the ray is pointed directly at their head. Ensure that he/she remains unconscious before starting. You can do this by injecting them with the Knockout Serum developed by Dr. Joshua, which should be placed alongside these instructions. This should guarantee that the child will not wake up. AGAIN, make sure the ray is pointed at their head. The procedure will be unsuccessful if it is pointed at any other part of the body.
Third, warm the gun up by switching the power on and leaving it for a minute. It may not function properly if this is not done.
Fourth, press the red button on the side of the gun to shoot the control beam. Allow the beam to consume the child's subconscious by leaving it for at least two minutes. The child may be killed if it is left on for any longer than four minutes.
Fifth, remove the child from the chair and give him to the IVB Recruitment officials. They will make sure that the child is transported to the arena for the fight safely.
Note: This procedure should only be used on kidnapped children and any uncomplying members/agents. The procedure may need to be repeated every five years, but this does not apply to every recruit.
Jack was almost sick as he read the words printed on the clipboard. This explained a lot. When he was kidnapped, they must've placed him in this chair and used the gun to control his conscience. That's why he, and the other five kids in the arena, did what they did. They had tricked their subconscious into thinking they had to kill each other.
At first, he was completely disgusted. But then, he realized that the only reason he had killed all these people over the past few years, was because his mind had been warped to do so. He wasn't actually born a bad person, but instead transformed into one. That comforted him a little, but also angered him at the same time.
The note at the end also explained why he had changed so much over the past few days. It looked like the mind control was wearing off, and coupled with the love from his sister and her family, he reverted back to the Jack he once was. In fact, it was then that he realized, that before he'd actually been kidnapped, he'd never wanted to kill anyone once. Not even his unloving, hate-filled parents. The murder of the social worker was, of course, a complete accident. The only thing that Jack's brain was actually inflicted with, was the tendency to get very angry, very quickly. And that was something that most likely developed after ten years of complete neglect from his parents. He slammed the clipboard back onto the table and began trembling with rage.
The boss was gonna pay for this...
"Jack!" Gru exclaimed as he poked his head through the doorway. Jack snapped out of his thoughts and he turned to face him quickly. "We're ready to start clearing de second floor! Are yoo okay?"
Gru added the inquiry at the end after noticing the mix of anger and bewilderment in Jack's expression.
"Oh! Uh...yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Jack replied quickly, shaking his head and picking the shrink ray back up. "Let's go."
Gru didn't believe his reassurance, but this was neither the time or place to argue about it. The two ran out of the room and met back up with Dru and Lucy, who were anxiously hyperventilating.
"The staircase is this way!" Jack yelped, pointing at a wooden double-door. The four, plus all the minions, raced through the doorway and descended down the stairwell. After going down four flights of stairs, they reached the second floor and propelled themselves through the doorway. They emerged into an extremely long hallway, with hundreds of doors covering the walls all the way down. Again, no-one was in sight.
"What the hell!?" Jack proclaimed, taking a few steps down the hall and shaking his head in confusion. "There's no-one here."
"Something's not right..." Lucy announced dejectedly, aiming her weapon around her surroundings, preparing herself for an unexpected event.
"Maybe dey're all hiding een deir dorms..." Dru suggested, walking to stand beside Jack. Jack knew that Dru wasn't correct, since IVB agents are trained to fight against any sort of danger, but agreeing would be the perfect excuse to keep them up here while he goes down to fight the boss on his own.
"Yeah, maybe." Jack lied. "Search each one. I'm going to have an unscheduled meeting with the boss."
"Jack. I'm coming weeth yoo." Gru stated, walking up to him as he spoke.
"No you're not, Gru." Jack replied, attempting to keep himself from getting angry. He needed to save his anger for the boss. "We talked about this earlier. This is my score to settle!"
"Dat guy sent people to kill my family!" Gru argued, frowning and putting on his demanding expression. "I've got a score to settle too! I'm coming weeth yoo and dat's FINAL!"
"NO IT ISN'T GRU!" Jack screamed back, pointing his finger threateningly. "I'm putting my foot down here! I know you're only trying to help me, but the only way you can, is by staying up here!"
"Jack, plea-" Gru began, before being instantly interrupted.
"No, Gru!" Jack blurted. "That guy is probably a better fighter than me. So if you can't beat me, how can you expect to last a second against this guy!?"
"Jack...we just don't want you to get hurt." Lucy said softly, coming up to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. Jack's rage calmed down quickly as she did so. "If he's a better fighter than you, then you might need back up."
"Maybe you're right Lucy..." Jack began, giving her a stern but calm glare. "But there's only one way to find out for sure. Please. Just stay up here."
Lucy turned to face Gru and shrugged. Gru gave the two a frustrated glare before he huffed and opened up the first dorm door to search for agents.
"Fine!" He stated angrily. Jack felt a little guilty for getting so demanding and enraged, but he couldn't let the guilt overcome his determination.
He darted down the hallway towards the second-floor staircase and barreled his way down them. He leaped through the doorway and into the third-floor reception, darting his gaze directly at the reception desk. The receptionist wasn't there.
Jack began to feel a little worried. Was the boss going to be gone as well? He wasn't sure, but there was only one way to find out the answer.
"Right then." Jack said, clicking the joints in his shoulders and knuckles before smiling evilly. "Time to end this."
He threw the shrink ray to the floor and approached the large door. He booted it to the ground and thundered into the boss's office. He shot his angry gaze at the desk, where he saw that the boss's chair was turned away from him, as usual. He began walking up to it dangerously, tensing his muscles and clenching his fists in anticipation. As he got in front of the desk, he grabbed the chair in front of it and threw it across the room. It slammed into one of the paintings and knocked it to the ground. The boss slowly swiveled around in his chair and met his angry gaze.
"Jack..." He muttered. "So nice to see you again."
"Stop talking like you're so strong and scary!" Jack exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the desk, creating a large dent in it. "I ain't afraid of you!"
"I know you're not Jack." The boss replied, sitting back in his chair. "And that upsets me. You would've become such a great villain. I mean, you killed Fierce and you defeated my two spies. Only someone with real talent can do that."
"No!" Jack blurted in response, pointing a threatening finger at him. "Only someone who's had their minds warped when they were a child can do that. And while we're on the topic, I found your little 'Mind Control Ray'. You have some real nerve, you know that..."
"Ohhhh...so you know." The boss replied, lifting his head in slight surprise. "I did it for your own good, Jack. You're a strong person, and with a little bit of a guidance, you could've been moulded into one of the best villains of the last century. But you let that snot-nosed brat and her stupid little family take your mind all for themselves!"
"Don't talk about my family like that..." Jack growled as he began to violently shake in anger.
"Your family?" The boss replied, grinning with amusement. "The only one of them that you can characterize as your family is the urchin with the pink hat. The rest of them are just using you! They don't care about you! They just don't want you to hurt them, so they're using love to manipulate you."
"That's not true!" Jack screamed aggressively. "And you're one to talk about manipulation! Using a kid's subconscious to do your bidding! That's the most blatant piece of manipulation if I've ever seen it!"
"I try my best..." The boss replied, sitting back in his seat and smirking evilly.
"Just stop talking." Jack replied, tensing up angrily. He couldn't wait to start beating this guy down.
"I had a sister once, you know." The boss announced suddenly, turning in his chair a little as he spoke. "Notice the keyword 'had'. She was in the way, so I killed her. Decapitated her I did. You should've seen her face when I cut through her neck with that sword."
He began chuckling as he spoke that last sentence.
"You're sick." Jack said, shaking his head in disgust.
"Why thank you." He replied, smiling widely before leaning in and talking furiously. "Do you want to know how old she was?"
"God no!" Jack exclaimed, the apprehension building in his voice. He really didn't want to hear this conversation, especially if it was going where he thought it was going. The boss chuckled again, only this time, more evilly.
"She was nine." He said with a grin. Jack almost vomited. "If I remember those profiles correctly, that's how old your sister is, am I right?"
"Yes..." Jack muttered angrily, almost jumping over the table and beating the boss to a pulp right then. "But what has that got to do with anything!?"
"You have one final chance, Jack!" The boss blurted, standing up and towering over him in an attempt to intimidate him. It wasn't working. "Kill your sister! And after that, kill that whole family! If you do that, you'll be just like me and I will make sure you will be next in line to take over as the boss of the IVB! It's a simple request."
"SIMPLE REQUEST!?" Jack screamed, his violent shakes becoming even wilder. "You are absolutely insane, you know that right!? She's nine years old! She's my sister! I don't care if you make me boss of the world, I'm not killing her! My little sister, and her entire family, are all that I care about anymore! They accepted me into their home and treated me like one of their own! NO-ONE has ever done that for me before! I would give my life to keep them safe! And now, you're gonna pay for trying to hurt them!"
"Pfft...I am, am I?" The boss replied, walking from behind his desk to get face to face with Jack. "I highly doubt it! I've been fighting for thirty years! I have more experience than anyone you've ever met! You on the other hand, you're just weak! Ooohh, I can't kill her she's only nine years old! Ooohh, I can't kill them they're my family! Ooohh, I can't intimidate Felonious Gru he's too strong! All you ever do is whine and sulk! You're just a little kid! And you seriously think I'm gonna get beaten up by some pathetic little tyke like yourself!? Give it your best shot!"
"Oh! I will alright!" Jack exclaimed, before sending a punch towards his face. The boss snickered and easily dodged it, but that was part of Jack's plan. He jerked his body at the last second and flung a flying kick into the boss's stomach, sending him crashing into the wall.
The boss growled and got up quickly. He lunged at Jack with all of his strength, but Jack managed to dodge him by millimeters. The boss managed to save himself from falling to the ground in a heap and turned to face him with an expression of pure rage.
"Is this it?" Jack chuckled mockingly. "I think you're the one that's weak, old man!"
"I'm only getting started..." The boss muttered through gritted teeth, before strafing towards him with pace. Jack tracked his movements and attempted to calculate the way to dodge, but he was moving too fast. He slammed into Jack's side and tackled him to the ground, before sending a few powerful punches while he sat on top of him. Jack managed to jerk his head out of the way of the last few, but the first one made full contact with the side of his head. He slid under the boss's legs and sent a powerful elbow to his cranium. The boss flung himself forward to dodge it and hit Jack with a scorpion kick as he did so. Jack flew through the air and landed on the ground with a huge slam. His back and bones began to ache severely, but he didn't let the pain get to him.
He leaped to his feet and analyzed the boss, who was also getting back up. He needed to plan out his next move but found himself slightly lost for ideas. The boss strafed forward again, but this time, Jack took a guess with the direction of the dodge. He picked correctly and managed to swiftly miss his tackle, before giving him a right hook as he jumped through the air. The boss was flung up against the wall, where a painting fell down and hit him on the head.
"Just give up..." Jack said, breathing heavily as he spoke. "I won't kill you if you just give up!"
"You won't kill me anyway." The boss replied, getting up from the floor, seeming completely unhurt. "You're too weak."
"I'm NOT weak!" Jack retorted, the anger seething in his expression.
"You can't even kill a nine-year-old, Jack." The boss replied mockingly, chuckling a little as he did so. "That makes you weak."
"That makes me weak!? Are you serious!?" Jack replied furiously. "Anyone who can kill a person so young and still live with themselves is truly disgusting! And that's exactly what you are! DISGUSTING!"
"Enough talk..." The boss replied fiercely, before charging at Jack. Jack attempted to dodge him, but the boss managed to get enough contact with his side to knock him to the ground. Jack rolled as he landed and prepared to throw a punch when he got to his feet. Unfortunately, he didn't see that the boss had got to him very quickly, and he sent a flying right hook into Jack, flinging him across the room painfully. Jack felt the agony in all of his limbs and his body, making it almost impossible for him to move. The boss took his chance while he was weak by moving over to him, picking him up and throwing him hard into the wall.
As Jack laid on the floor in complete anguish, the shock and panic took over his judgment completely. The boss stared down at Jack in satisfaction, enjoying the sight of Jack stewing in pain. He pushed himself to his feet, even if the pain was unbearable, and quickly reached to his back pocket. He grabbed the handgun that he put there as a last resort and aimed it at the boss.
"You're not playing fair, Jack." The boss said with a huge grin. Jack's legs began to wobble and his mind began to fade into a dazzling confusion. He had to try really hard to form coherent sentences.
"I...I don't care!" He exclaimed, as his vision blurred slightly. "I'm gonna...gonna KILL you!"
The boss mockingly scoffed, before strafing towards him again. Jack attempted to aim the gun at him as he danced left and right, but his confusion made it practically impossible. The boss reached him and smacked the gun out of his hand, sending it flying across the room. He then grabbed Jack by the shoulders and threw him to the floor hard. Jack felt every bone in his body ripple as the pain reached unbelievable levels. The boss laughed hard as he watched the wince in his face.
"Weak!" He yelped with a mocking grin, before wandering behind his desk and pulling something out of his drawer. Jack attempted to see what he grabbed, but the blur in his vision wouldn't allow him to. The boss made his way back over to him and the item in his hand became just about recognizable. It was a double-barreled shotgun.
"Please..." Jack begged as he tried his hardest to move. The pain in his muscles, however, was imprisoning him to the ground.
"You had your chance, Jack!" The boss screamed, towering over him as he laid on the ground. "You brought this on yourself! If you had just killed Gru's family, none of this would have to happen! But you had to let your weaknesses overcome your strengths! Family doesn't matter! Life is all about the control you have over others! Family simply gets in the way! You need to push it out of your life and get on with intimidating and murdering your enemies! That's all that matters!"
"No..." Jack muttered aggressively, his eyes half closed as he spoke. "Family...is all that matters. To me anyway..."
"Exactly..." The boss stated bleakly, shaking his head in disappointment. "You're weak. You did all of this to keep your family safe, and all of it will be for nothing..."
"What...?" Jack spoke weakly, wanting to exclaim in fear, but only managing a whisper.
"After you're gone, your family will be my next target." The boss announced, the menacing smile returning. "I can't wait to see their faces when I tell them you're dead. They're gonna be distraught. They might even cry as well. Luckily for them though, it won't last long."
"Please..." Jack mumbled as a few tiny tears appeared in his eyes. "Don't hurt them..."
"I also can't wait to see their lifeless expressions after I pummel them all to death!" The boss continued evilly, his grin growing wider and wider as he spoke. "Just imagine it! Gru and his wife, their corpses being used for firewood! That twin brother, his head decapitated and stuck on top of a spike. Those three little girls, laying dead on the floor of Gru's living room. It's gonna be so much fun!"
"Please..." Jack pleaded, the tears now fully streaming from his eyes. He was crying hard as he laid on the floor. "Please just stop..."
The imagery was too horrific and he couldn't stand another second of it, especially knowing that it would come true if he was killed. The determination ran through his veins again and he attempted to leap to his feet. But he just couldn't. He felt the most pain he had ever felt in his life as he tried to move and he cried out in agony.
This was it. He had lost. He was going to die. His family was going to die.
The IVB had won.
"Anyway..." The boss said, cocking his head creepily. "It's been fun, Jack. Send me a postcard from hell!"
The boss pointed the shotgun at Jack's head and the teen closed his eyes in preparation for his death. He thought about his little sister. That's what he wanted his last thoughts to consist of.
He remembered the hug they shared after they were reunited.
He remembered when she fell asleep into his side and his heart melted with the adorableness.
He remembered her gleeful face after he tackled Fierce to the ground.
He remembered when he gave her a goodnight kiss.
He remembered when she told him that she loved him.
He remembered when she hugged him and told him that he meant something to her.
He remembered her face after he punched the man in black to the ground and saved her life.
Even though he was about to die, he couldn't resist but smile at the memories. All except for the last one...
He remembered the parting hug they shared before he left for the mission.
That broke him inside...
"I love you, Edith." He whispered, before tensing up and preparing himself for the bang of the shotgun. "Goodbye..."
BANG!
The gun went off. Silence took over the room straight after. The silence was deafening. It scared him. It really scared him. He wasn't sure why, but it petrified him. The pain in his head roared. The blur in his vision became stronger. The consciousness in his brain faded.
And then suddenly, everything went black...
Gru was now tired of checking dorms. He had searched through twenty of them and it was dawning on him that this place was definitely empty. He wandered back into the hallway just as Lucy emerged from another doorway.
"I think it's time we just give up." Lucy said, shaking her head in boredom.
"Good idea." He replied, before pointing towards the staircase to the third floor. "We need to see eef Jack needs help."
"Gru, you heard what he said," Lucy replied. "The only way we can help him is by staying well away and letting him finish this on his own."
"Lucy! De man downstairs sent hitmen to kill yoo!" Gru responded angrily. "He also sent a trained agent to kill Edith!"
Gru found it hard to say those words. It only reminded him that if Jack hadn't got there in time, Edith would be dead right now. Gru still hadn't repaid the favor to him for saving her life, so now seemed like the perfect time to compensate.
"We need to at least see eef he's okay!" Gru continued, prompting Lucy to look to the ground in uneasy contemplation. Gru moved over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "What eef he get's hurt? I mean, really hurt. Eet'll break Edith's heart..."
Lucy knew he was right and the adrenaline pumped through her blood. She placed an angry expression onto her face before nodding to her husband.
"Let's go." She replied menacingly. Gru grinned before the couple darted down the staircase and into the third-floor reception. They looked around their surroundings and spotted a huge empty doorframe, with the door booted off its hinges. That's definitely where Jack was...
The two raced forward and entered through the doorway, before stopping dead in their tracks. A very tall man in a dark green tuxedo stood over the teen, who was stirring in pain. The tall man held a double-barreled shotgun in one hand, and even though they couldn't see his face, they could tell he was the one talking.
"After you're gone, your family will be my next target." He announced. "I can't wait to see their faces when I tell them you're dead. They're gonna be distraught. They might even cry as well. Luckily for them though, it won't last long."
Lucy inched forward aggressively, wanting to rip the man to shreds. Gru put an arm in front of her and stopped her from moving any closer. He looked down to the ground to watch Jack, who was looking incredibly worse for wear. Blood was trickling from his nose and two large bruises covered his forehead. Judging by the way that he was struggling to move, Gru figured that those probably weren't his only injuries.
"Please..." Jack mumbled as a few tiny tears appeared in his eyes. "Don't hurt them..."
"I also can't wait to see their lifeless expressions after I pummel them all to death!" The tall man continued evilly. "Just imagine it! Gru and his wife, their corpses being used for firewood! That twin brother, his head decapitated and stuck on top of a spike. Those three little girls, laying dead on the floor of Gru's living room. It's gonna be so much fun!"
Gru cringed and clenched his fists in a complete bout of rage. He had never felt so much anger towards someone in his whole life. Someone can threaten him all day long.
But no-one threatens his family...
Before his subconscious pushed him forward to lunge at him, Gru gathered his wits and thought hard. He put his gaze to the floor in order to contemplate. That's when his eyes set upon a handgun that was laying on the floor, just in front of his feet. He bent down quietly and picked it up to inspect it. It was the exact same one that Jack had aimed at his head a few days ago. That memory seemed distant at this point.
"Please..." Jack pleaded, the tears now fully streaming from his eyes. He was crying hard as he laid on the floor. "Please just stop..."
The way that Jack pleaded while he was on the floor put small tears in Gru and Lucy's eyes. He pleaded just like a child would, like Edith would, and that sent chills down their spines. Jack attempted to move while he laid there but had to stop himself as he screamed in agony. His almost lifeless expression and deeply saddened eyes were piercing holes in Gru's heart and he couldn't take it any longer...
"Anyway..." The tall man said, cocking his head. "It's been fun, Jack. Send me a postcard from hell!"
The tall man pointed the shotgun at Jack's head, and the teen closed his eyes in preparation for his death. Lucy darted her expression at Gru with worry, as Gru could only stare at the horrifying sight in shock. He didn't know what to do. Can he shoot and kill this man? Did he deserve to die?
"I love you, Edith." Jack whispered, before tensing up and preparing himself for the bang of the shotgun. "Goodbye..."
Did he deserve to die? Gru couldn't care less anymore...
In a wild moment of panic, Gru lifted the handgun and shot the tall man in the back.
BANG!
The sound of the gun going off rippled across the room and made the silence that followed incredibly eerie. The tall man shuddered for a few seconds after the bullet penetrated his skin, before dropping the shotgun and falling to his knees. Gru noticed the huge amount of blood pouring down his back, which indicated that he had managed to shoot him right through the heart.
The man remained on his knees for a few seconds before finally collapsing to the ground. A pool of blood formed below him, and the lifelessness in his eyes disappeared completely.
Gru had just killed someone...
Gru stood there, staring at the man's lifeless body, in a pure state of shock. He had just killed a villain. Around a year ago, that could've been him that just got shot and killed. The thoughts were causing him pain and it trapped his consciousness in a blanket of guilt. Lucy turned to face her husband in shock, before darting over to Jack as he laid on the floor.
"JACK!" She yelled, as she fell to her knees and shook his side. "Are you okay!? Did he hurt you!?"
Jack didn't move. His body seemed completely inanimate. Lucy's heart skipped a beat as she watched his closed eyes remain closed, and fear took over all her senses. She quickly lunged her hand to his pulse and waited for the beat.
There it was. Beating back at her.
Lucy sighed a huge sigh of relief. He was only unconscious. She got back to her feet and turned to face Gru in panic, who was still staring at the tall man's dead body in disbelief.
"Gru!" She yelled, making him shake his head out of his daze and turn to face her. "We need to get him out of here!"
Gru nodded his head before pacing up to the body of the teen. Gru looked down at him as he laid there, filling himself up with worry as he watched his bloody, unmoving face. He bent down and used every bit of strength that he had to lift him up. Gru began slowly walking out of the room, before stopping as his phone went off in his pocket.
"Could yoo answer dat for me?" Gru requested, prompting Lucy to move over and take the phone from out of his trouser pocket. She looked at the screen and her eyes widened in worry as she saw it was Dr. Nefario. She answered it without a seconds thought.
"Doctor! Are the girls okay!?" She asked very quickly, as the two continued to make their way out of the room.
"Lucy! Where are you?" Nefario responded, avoiding the question. That only sent another pulse of fright through Lucy's heart.
"What...we're at the IVB headquarters!" Lucy replied in confusion before repeating the all-important question. "Are the girls okay!?"
"Yeah, yeah, they're fine," He said, calming Lucy's nerves down. "You need to get to the AVL headquarters now! The IVB are attacking!"
"What!?" Lucy shouted, her mouth going agape in shock. "How do you know!?"
"It's all over the news!" Nefario replied. "Forget those headquarters! Just get to the AVL now!"
"Right...uh...yeah!" Lucy responded. "Thank you doctor."
She hung the phone up before filling Gru in on the situation. His eyes grew wider as she explained everything that Dr. Nefario had just told her.
"Dat explains why dere's no-one here den!" He replied as they emerged through the doorway and back onto the second floor, Gru still carrying Jack's unconscious body over his shoulders. "We need to move fast!"
Dru and the minions stood in the center of the hallway, the villain staring at the couple angrily. That's when they noticed Jack's lifeless body, and both Dru and the minion's expressions transitioned to worry.
"Gru! Where deed yoo go?" He asked quickly, keeping his gaze centered on the teen over his shoulders. "I heard a gun shot! Ees he okay!?"
"Don't worry Dru, he's fine." Gru replied, his expression remaining concentrated on the current situation. "But we have a problem!"
"What?" Dru responded quickly. "What's going on?"
"The IVB are attacking the AVL headquarters!" Lucy chirped. "We need to stop them!"
Dru nodded his head before everyone made their way back up to the first floor, trying to keep up with Gru, who was moving slowly with Jack's heavy body over his shoulder. It took fifteen minutes, but finally, everyone had made their way back to the vehicles. Gru slumped Jack down onto the passenger seat before almost collapsing in exhaustion.
"We can't take Jack to the AVL ship if he's unconscious," Lucy exclaimed. "So what are we gonna do with him?"
"I'll take heem back to de house, yoo and Dru get to de AVL." Gru said quickly, sitting down in the driver's seat as he spoke. "I'll join up weeth yoo after he's safe."
"Are yoo sure, Gru?" Dru asked with a saddened expression.
"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Gru replied, before firing the tank's engine up. "Jump een de back of one of de minion's planes. I'll see yoo een a bit."
Lucy gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before her and Dru jumped out of the vehicle. They ran up and boarded one of the minion aircrafts just as Gru sped off down the road. The aircrafts took off into the sky before flying out of view. After getting a good enough distance from the base, Gru took out a small detonator from his pocket and looked down at it reluctantly.
The recent memories were flooding back and the guilt began sweeping over him again. After a few seconds of staring apprehensively at the detonator, he shook away his thoughts and pressed the button. The sounds of multiple explosions could be heard from behind as the huge mushroom cloud became visible in the rear-view mirror.
"What have I done...?" Gru chastised quietly, attempting to keep his concentration on the road, but finding it hard to escape his disgusting thoughts.
Gru pulled up into the drive of the house. He shot his gaze around the exterior and breathed a sigh of relief to see no damage or any signs of breaking and entering. He switched off the engine and lifted Jack over his shoulders again, trying his hardest to ignore the severe fatigue in his muscles. He made his way out of the car and up to the front door, which he managed to unlock after a minute of fumbling with his keys.
He trudged through the hallway and into the living room, slamming his palm down on the button the second that he made it to the rhino chair. The cannon thumped down to the ground and opened up to allow them to enter. He slowly trudged in, his grip loosening on Jack as the pain got larger, before descending down into the lab.
After getting down into the lab, he made his way over to the minion's recreational room, where Dr. Nefario was looking after the girls. He opened the door quickly and shot his gaze around the room, hoping to see the girls completely safe.
Thankfully, Edith was using her nunchucks to play table tennis with Margo, while Agnes was showing Dr. Nefario her unicorns, who looked beyond bored and frustrated. Everyone in the room turned towards Gru as he walked in, and everyone mirrored that same expression of worry after seeing Jack's unconscious body over his shoulders.
Gru relaxed a little after seeing the girls but didn't spend any longer than a second looking at them. He jogged as fast as he could towards the nearest sofa and laid Jack down on it. He deeply gasped in fatigue after putting him down.
"Is he okay!?" Edith yelled as she ran from the table tennis table and over to the sofa, keeping her gaze locked on Jack.
"He's fine." Gru replied sternly, massaging his raging temple. He wanted to respond softly to calm everyone down, but the stress in his mind was taking over.
"He doesn't look fine." Margo replied worryingly, watching Jack's bloodied and unmoving face.
"He got eento a bit of a fight," Gru said, propping his head up against a pillow. "Dat's why he looks a leetle worse for wear."
"Is he gonna die?" Agnes asked with dread all over her face, jumping up onto the sofa to sit beside Jack's body.
"No..." Gru replied quickly before another pulse of fear thundered through his heart. Jack looked very pale and his eyes were completely inanimate, as if the brain behind them was completely nonfunctional. He put his finger to his pulse and breathed a sigh of relief to feel it beat back at him. He looked over to Dr. Nefario and spoke to him demandingly. "I need yoo to look after heem. I've got to get to de AVL ship."
"Of course." Nefario replied, placing his hand's behind his back. "Godspeed."
Gru nodded quickly before darting out of the room. This mission was nowhere near over yet...
The AVL ship was a disaster zone. Fire raged through the large room that housed the huge fight. AVL and IVB agents were engaged in a war to the death. Dead bodies of agents from both organizations covered the floor and the pure sense of panic could be felt in the air. Lucy, Dru and the army of minions flooded into the room to join the fight. They knew that they might never leave alive...
"Oh my god..." Lucy muttered under her breath as she caught sight of the bodies littering the floor and the flames rising into the ceiling.
"Dis ees awful," Dru said, covering his eyes in a state of disgust. "I thought yoo good guys never killed anyone."
"I thought that too," Lucy responded, clenching her fists and preparing herself to fight. "But it looks like I was wrong..."
She darted her gaze to the nearest IVB agent and lunged at them. The minions roared a battle cry before firing their freeze rays at every bad guy in sight, while Dru stood there for a few seconds in uncertainty, before being snapped out of his thoughts by a powerful punch. There was no way Dru was going to take that...
The battle went on for ages. Twenty minutes had passed and it seemed like there was no end in sight. Just as the minions had managed to freeze all of the IVB agents in the room, more emerged from seemingly nowhere. Lucy was exhausted from all of the fighting and she wasn't sure how much more she could take. That's when the sounds of anguish from the AVL director, Valerie Da Vinci, could be heard from high above. Lucy looked up and saw her being attacked by one of the IVB agents. She couldn't just stand there and watch.
Lucy made her way up by using different staircases, kicking and punching every agent in sight as she did so, before finally making it up to Valerie.
"Agent Wilde!" She yelled as she attempted to back away from the powerful attacks the IVB agent was using. "Come help me out here!"
Lucy jumped for the agent but was met by a strong kick to the head. She slumped to the ground and felt her mind spin in a daze. Before she could get muster the strength to get back on her feet, she watched the agent remove a handgun from their pocket and point it at the AVL director. Valerie cried out in fear, but couldn't escape the bullet that flew through her chest, killing her instantly. Lucy panicked as she realized she could be shot next and dived into the agent's legs.
They were dumped to the ground as Lucy punched the agent in the head as hard as she could. She managed to land four hits before he threw her off. Lucy rolled on the ground to get back to her feet and turned to face him. She was startled to see the handgun being pointed at her head. Her face dropped and she readied herself for the bullet.
Suddenly, the agent turned into a block of ice. At first, Lucy was confused, but then she realized what had happened and couldn't wait to see his face. Gru emerged from the left, and even though the fight was still ongoing, Lucy couldn't help but jump into him with a hug. It only lasted a second, however, as Gru was forced to pull her out of it.
"Dis eesn't over yet!" He yelled, electing Lucy to nod and look around at the destruction in front of her. IVB agents consumed in blocks of ice littered the room and it seemed like everything was beginning to quieten down. It looked like they were about to win. That is, until Gru pointed at one of the agents who was planting a large bomb on the wall. "We need to stop heem!"
The couple ran over different walkways and up different staircases before finally reaching the bomb. The agent turned to them with a wicked smile on his face before showing them the detonator in his hands.
"Say goodbye to your precious little airship!" He yelled before moving his finger to push the button. Gru's eyes widened and he leaped into the agent's waist, making the detonator fling out of his hand and fly through the air. Lucy kept her eye's narrowed onto it before positioning herself. She caught it perfectly.
"Yes!" She cheered as it landed in her hands. Gru began punching the living daylights out of the agent on the ground before a minion came over and shot his tranquilizer gun at him while he laid beaten up on the floor.
Gru stood up and looked around the entire room. It was finally about to end. The minions had trapped the last IVB agent in a corner, pointing their freeze rays at him dangerously. He looked like he was pleading for forgiveness, but the minions weren't stupid. They may be energetic and crazy, but they aren't stupid. Within a second, he had been enveloped in ice.
An eruption of minion cheers broke out within the room. Even Dru's emphatic squeals could be heard from somewhere. Gru punched the air in victory before taking his wife in a loving embrace. They kissed passionately and didn't want the moment they were sharing to end.
"Awwwwww..." The minions said heartwarmingly in unison, prompting Gru to lift his head away from his wife's and shout out to everyone.
"Yeah, yeah! Just be quiet!"
Jack's mind finally began to wake up. He felt a huge feeling of comfort and relaxation. He didn't open his eyes, as he didn't want to leave the soothing darkness. As he remained dazed for a few seconds, he genuinely thought he was in heaven. He was waiting to see the pearly gates appear in front of him. But as his senses returned, and as the bulging pain in both his head and limbs came back, he realized that he was still alive.
He was a little afraid to open his eyes. His last memory was a gun going off. Surely he should be dead, but the soft feeling of the sofa on his back and the cold touch of the air on his skin told him otherwise. If he was still alive, then what happened? There was only one way to find out.
He began shuffling around in unease as the pain in his body continued to cause him discomfort until he managed to flicker his eyes open. What he saw made him completely forget the horrible pain for a little while.
Edith was sitting beside him on the sofa. She was looking away from him and seemed both afraid and sad. Jack couldn't believe his eyes when he saw her. This was surely just a hallucination. There was no way he could be here with her. He sat up, even with the pain burning in his limbs, and spoke to gather her attention.
"Edith?" He whispered, the pain making his voice quiver. She turned to face him extremely quickly and beamed with a smile the second she could see his conscious face.
"Jack!" She yelled before jumping into him with a huge hug. The second she touched him, he realized he wasn't hallucinating, and that made him grin hugely. This was all real. He wasn't sure how he managed to get back to the house, but in that moment, he couldn't care less. He held her close and felt his heart melt with both relief and joy.
"Thank god..." He whispered again, closing his eyes and enjoying the hug while it lasted. He never wanted to let go of her.
For the second time in his life, he had almost lost her forever. And he didn't want to risk losing her again...
Then, Jack felt two other people join the hug. For a fraction of a second, he was confused. He opened his eyes and saw Agnes and Margo holding onto him with a smile. That feeling of pure happiness covered him again and it made him want to cry. He still didn't feel like he deserved to be treated this well.
The hug seemed to last forever, but in reality, it went on for around twenty seconds. It would've lasted for longer, but the sound of the door to the recreational room pulled them out of it. Everyone looked and saw Gru, Lucy and Dru enter. They looked tired and hurt, but carried a jubilant smile.
"Girls!" They cheered in unison, making the three girls jump up from the sofa and hug into their legs.
"Is it over!?" Margo yelled, as she let go of Gru's legs and looked up at her mother, father and uncle. Her sisters did the same after the question was asked.
"Yes..." Gru replied, giving each of the girls a smile of relief. "Eet's all over..."
Jack managed to just about get up from his seat on the sofa and limp over to the rest of his family. He frowned angrily before pointing his finger at Gru, Lucy and Dru.
"So which one of you saved me!?" He asked furiously, his voice still quivering in pain and unease. The trio looked around at each other in panic before Gru owned up.
"Eet was me..." He began, holding up his hands in surrender. "I know yoo said to stay up on de second floor but we were just really worried dat yoo were hurt and I hope yoo can understand dat I-"
Gru was suddenly cut off as Jack gave him a big hug.
"Thank you." He whimpered, closing his eyes and holding onto him as if he were a child holding onto their parent. Gru remained a little startled for a second, before warmly smiling and hugging him back.
"Yoo're welcome." He replied.
The rest of the family, even Dr. Nefario, joined in with the hug. A warm and loving silence filled the room as an atmosphere of relief swept over everyone. A few of them may be a little bloodied and bruised, but all that mattered was that they were all alive and safe. The past few days had been eventful, with both bad and good situations coming from them. But judging on how they felt right now, it had all been worth it.
Jack still didn't feel like he was truly a part of this family, but the feeling wasn't mutual. In the eyes of the others, he was now one of them. In fact, Gru had always told his mother that he wanted a son when he was younger. This was a chance to have one, even if he may already be seventeen years old.
Edith couldn't be happier to have someone biologically related to her, especially one who was practically the same as her. She thought her family beforehand was perfect, and she wouldn't have changed any of it for the world. But now, she wondered where she even was without her brother...
Tomorrow would be the first day in a little while where they could spend it all together as a family. And they couldn't wait to get started...
Wow...that took a lot out of me.
We're not finished yet, as I have one more chapter left to release for this story. What a ride it's been so far...
Please, PLEASE, take a moment to review. I've had to battle with multiple headaches to get this done, so it would really mean a lot.
The next chapter should be out soon. There are only one or two things left to tie up, so it won't be anywhere near as long as this one.