Chapter XXXII: Rising Action

Having been captured by Syndrome, Ushio found herself and the Incredible family back in the situation she'd been in before. Held captive in a containment device with the other four, they watched as Syndrome showed new footage of his plan starting.

"Huh? Huh? Oh, come on! You gotta admit, this is cool." he gloated. "Just like a movie! The robot will emerge dramatically, do some damage. Throngs of screaming people! And just when all hope is lost, Syndrome will save the day! I'll be a bigger hero than you ever were!"

"You mean you killed off real heroes so that you could pretend to be one?" Mr. Incredible questioned.

"Oh, I'm real. Real enough to defeat you! And I did it with your precious gifts, your oh-so-special powers or your magical key. I'll give them heroics. I'll give them the most spectacular heroics anyone's ever seen! And when I'm old and I've had my fun, I'll sell my inventions so that everyone can be superheroes. Everyone can be super. And when everyone's super…no one will be."

Laughing maniacally, Syndrome left the room to prepare for the next stage of his plan.

—

Having made it to a plane to get off the island, Syndrome spotted a familiar face onboard watching the new coverage.

"Quite a spectacle." Aster commented. "Going big for your final performance."

"But of course." Syndrome responded. "And I should mention, I've got your little key girl captive if you want her. While she took out those Heartless you proved for security, truth of the matter was she wasn't a match at all. I don't know why you're worried about someone little that."

"You'll find that when pushed into a corner, people like her are quite resilient." Aster said, getting up and walking off the plane. "It appears to be moving. Better hurry up and give us your show."

—

"I can't believe I'm back here." Ushio mumbled to herself.

"I'm sorry." Mr Incredible stated. "This is my fault. I've been a lousy father and terrible partner. Blind to what I have. So obsessed with being undervalued that I undervalued all of you."

Ushio continued looking to her left where the other four were. As Mr. Incredible talked, she and Dash noticed Violet forming a barrier.

"Dad?" Dash said.

"Umm…" Ushio started.

"Shh. Don't interrupt." Mrs. Incredible said.

Ushio and Dash watched as the barrier Violet created allowed her to roll out of her electrical bonds. With Mr. Incredible ignorant to that fact, he kept talking as Violet rolled over to the control panel.

"Well, I think Dad has made some excellent progress today, but I think it's time we wind down now." Violet said as she pushed the button that released them.

—

With their freedom obtained, the quintet raced down the halls.

"Now what?" Ushio asked.

"We need to get back to the mainland." Mr. Incredible responded.

"I saw an aircraft hanger on my way in. Straight ahead." Mrs. Incredible added.

Reaching the hanger, Mr. Incredible pried open the doors.

"Where are all the guards?" he questioned. Not spotting anyone, he encouraged the others to hurry and take advantage of the situation.

Running to a van, the voices of a few guards could be overheard. Mr. Incredible quickly knocked each out. With the room seemingly clear, the five continued on.

"This is the right hanger, but I don't see any jets." Mrs. Incredible commented.

"A jet's not fast enough." Mr. Incredible said.

"Then what's the plan?" Ushio asked. "What's faster?"

"How about a rocket?" Dash asked. Following him, the four saw the giant rocket he'd pointed out.

"Great! I can't fly a rocket." Mrs. Incredible stated.

"The only thing I've ever piloted is leagues different from this." Ushio added.

"You don't have to." Violet pointed out. "Use the coordinations from the last launch."

"Wait. I bet Syndrome's changed the password by now." Mr. Incredible sighed. "How do I get into the computer?"

"I might know how." Ushio said.

—

On the island, a cloaked figure watched as a rocket was launched. Sensing someone behind him, he turned to face them.

"I'd heard rumors about you from the other Neo Seekers." Aster proclaimed. "It seems you really do exist."

"So you're the one who's working behind the scenes here." the cloaked man spoke.

"I think we should get the formalities out of the way. My name is Aster."

"You want my name in return, huh?" the man said. "I would give it, but now is not the time. Everything is slowly happening. All these events you're building up, they will know of them and how to stop them."

"Being cryptic, aren't you? I'm not surprised. Everyone said you were an enigma. Oh well, I have other pressing matter to attend to. I'll deal with you another time."

"You say that, but this is the last we'll met. As a parting gift, allow me to say this. You may underestimate the girl and believe her to merely be a cog in your plans, but there is more to her than that. She holds many secrets and an important destiny within her, buried deep inside her. The day will come soon enough when all will begin to slip out."

"If that's what you have to say, then I'll humor you. It appears she's headed towards the conflict my pawn has ushered in. I'll just see what she can truly do."

—

The Omnidroid continued its rampage throughout the city. Try as they might, the robot couldn't be stopped. As all hope seemed lost, a figure emerged and started to aid.

"The supers have returned!" a man called out.

"Hey, is he…"

"No, he's definitely…"

"No, no, I'm a new superhero! I'm Syndrome!" he corrected.

Seeing his robot from behind, Syndrome began his act.

"All right, stand back." he proclaimed.

Pressing his gauntlet, the robot stopped in place. He flew by, blasting it as he pretended to be the hero in the situation.

"Someone need to teach this hunk of metal a few manners." Pressing another button, he caused one of its six legs to come off. "Ha, ha!"

However, the Omnidroid analyzed the situation and blasted Syndrome's gauntlet off. Realizing his plan was going awry, he tried escaping only to be blasted away.

With Syndrome temporary incapacitated, the robot continued its rampage.