"Are you kidding me right now?!"
Buddy and Violet awoke with a start at the sound of Mirage's voice over the intercom system. Without thinking, Buddy grabbed his dress shirt to cover Violet, but found that she had already turned herself invisible. He knew she was still next to him but she may as well have been a thousand miles away at this point, leaving him prey to Mirage's focused fury.
"Haven't you heard of knocking? Or calling?" Buddy shouted back as he scrambled to gather the rest of his clothes.
"I did call, but obviously you two didn't hear your stupid wrist bands go off!"
Buddy rolled his eyes. He lost count of the amount of times he informed their small social circle that he and Violet were wearing the future with their multipurpose communication watches. Maybe the tech wouldn't reach the mass public within the decade but someday everyone would be paying big bucks for this stuff, even without the additives of zero-point energy or invisibility adaptors.
"Alrighty then, mind telling me why you let yourself in uninvited?!" Buddy asked as pulled on his pants, his eyes seeking for the nearest bird-cam.
"Sure, as soon as you tell me why you left Lillian unattended to play Tarzan and Jane in here," Mirage bit back. Buddy was going to admit defeat at that blow but checking the time he saw that it was only a little after 6am. Running through the menu on his communication watch, he pulled up the security camera feed and saw that the brat in question was still in bed.
"She's sleeping, as should I be right now!"
"Oh for the love of- That's not the point! Something could have happened to her! What if you were attacked?"
"We would have been fine!"
"I got in!"
"Yes, obviously you got in. You have the key to the place and all the codes to bypass security- now can you tell me why you are on my ass before normal business hours?" Buddy grumbled.
"I told you that I would be bringing the information on the Thomas case for WatchDog's benefit."
"No, no, no. You said you would be forwarding it!"
"Well, the documents aren't digitized yet, and likely won't be due to the nature of the case. Which is why I'm going to have to insist on taking Violet away for a bit… Violet, wherever you are, pack a bag and I'll meet you at the door.
Buddy opened his mouth to argue but he bit back the fighting words. He'd have to have this conversation with Mirage in person. He felt Violet grab onto his hand but only saw thin air.
"I don't know which one of us has it worse here," Buddy muttered as he began to make his way for the chamber exit, Violet still holding his hand. It was one thing to have history with your boss, but it was a whole other issue when said boss had the key to your home and could drop in without notice.
"I'd say you, but I don't think she cares too much for me either," Violet mumbled back as they got into the locker room. Violet spotted the nightgown on the floor but walked away from it and Buddy pulled out one of the spare sweatsuits that were left in the lockers.
"I'd kill for a shower, do you think Mirage would spare the time, or am I going to stink for the rest of the day?" She asked as she threw on the hoodie and made herself visible once more.
"Oh don't you worry about her," Buddy said with a smirk as he planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'll buy you time to clean up and pack. Why the hell she couldn't just take the files with her or agree to a virtual meeting is beyond me."
Violet nodded thankfully but sighed. "I was kind of hoping for a slow day to be honest. Work on Lillian a little more but- shit… Lillian. Are you going to be okay with her?!"
For a moment Buddy had completely forgotten about the near-death experience he had with the orphan. She could have had him in a sorry state to say the least but it would be fun to throw that insult to the veteran supers when they failed to take him out.
"As long as no other uninvited guests visit, especially those with powers, we'll get by just fine. I'll just have the robots on full alert and stick myself in the den until you get back."
Violet eyed Buddy with concern but didn't push the subject. Lillian was as threatening as any other child in the world. He might have been known for taking revenge efforts way too far, but he wasn't one to size up with a grade-schooler. At least she hoped that was the case.
The pair made their way up top and split up once the elevator doors opened. Violet didn't even bother trying to hide from Mirage who was seated in the dining room with a cup of coffee she had helped herself to as Buddy went right on the attack.
"You know, when you first got the promotion I thought I'd be seeing less of you, but clearly I was wrong."
"Believe me, Buddy, I'd love nothing more than to keep our interactions at a minimum as well. But as you can imagine, I am taking all the precautions I can with this sensitive issue."
"Oh, I do notice that. I'm just starting to wonder if you're putting this personal touch on it because you care so much, OR if it's because you used to help make supers disappear," Buddy inquired as he moved to ring himself up a coffee.
Mirage set the cup in her hand down with some force as she sent a glare at Buddy from her side of the room.
"You don't get to pull that card with me," Mirage hissed gently and Buddy smirked with a shrug.
"Oh, I'm aware of that, Mira. Why it'd be the ultimate pot calling the kettle black situation. No… I'm not criticizing you, but I'm sure your peers must be asking about this. Unless of course, you are keeping a tight lid on this case altogether because you don't want other people questioning your place in all of this. Nah… that can't be right. The new and improved NSA is fully transparent, right!?"
Buddy had to contain his glee for the conversation but he didn't remove the shit-eating grin on his face as Mirage looked ready to throttle him.
"This situation is bigger than you think it is, Buddy."
"Being that you put Violet on the case and not one of the other suits, I think it is a big deal actually. But come on, one family gets stamped out and you keep it all hush hush? What's the deal with that? I tried checking the papers and there hasn't even been an obituary placed for the poor bastards."
"Because it isn't just one family," Mirage whispered. The grave expression on her face made Buddy pause his inquiry and waited for the NSA Director to elaborate on the matter. The Thomas' is the third family that's been targeted in a few short months actually. And a fourth one was just taken out last night in Florida," Mirage confessed as she picked up her coffee to stare into the black liquid. "We're doing all we can to track down any other supers who have opted to stay out of hero work but it's pretty difficult considering that anti-breeding laws just made any super on super romances that much more in the dark. There could be dozens of other families that we don't know about."
Buddy moved from the counter to the table with his coffee in hand. Staring at the woman, he contemplated the reality of the situation. Someone was hunting supers again. Just like they did. Only rather than luring the heroes out of their own free will the killer was going into the homes of these supers and handling them with extreme prejudice.
"And none of the families so far have been in contact with the NSA since the ban was lifted?"
"No. None of them did which makes this so much worse. The only thing that really connected these families, as far as we know, is that they all settled down with kids."
"Ironic that these families probably kept out of sight for their families sake only for them to be slaughtered because of that radio silence."
Mirage nodded in agreement. She was fighting a battle that likely couldn't be won, and to make matters worse if they did announce the problem it could cause mass panic. Make people question the point of the NSA, question her ability to lead-
"What do you need from me?" Buddy asked suddenly. The question forced Mirage's eyes from her coffee and to the intense blue eyes of her ex.
"What? No, I don't- Violet's investigation skills should suffice."
"Hey, I know you'd love nothing more than to forget about the operation you and I ran back in the day, but if anybody can find a super hunter, it's us. Right?"
Mirage sat back in thought at the statement. He did have a point. "It's not the same though… whoever is doing this-"
"Also has funds to have a national or even global reach if they could take out families scattered around the country.," Buddy interjected. "They might not be sitting in wait for a super to slip up on a heist job but there is definitely a code or pattern to follow to find their next hit. I'm confident I can pin it down and once we find the criteria we can nab the suckers."
Mirage's temperament seemed to improve, but a critical gaze came on her face again.
"I suppose you'll be wanting extra compensation for this gig?"
"Ahh… You know me so well!" Buddy gleamed before shaking his head. "What I actually want I know won't be provided, but… I'd settle for a compromise?"
"Which is?"
"Give Violet more missions again. Since you took up the top dog post, Violet's only mission has been to be at my side whenever I make a public appearance. I don't think that's a coincidence. I could be wrong on my thoughts, I've been wrong plenty of times before- but WatchDog means a lot to her."
Mirage's expression was placid throughout the accusation and plea deal. She wasn't going to admit to the crime of blackballing Violet but she wasn't going to deny it either. With a solemn nod, Mirage extended her hand out to seal the agreement and Buddy quickly took it with his own firm grasp.
"I'm looking for results, Buddy. I don't want to come across another family-"
"There was another family?" Violet asked, forcing the two at the table to break their eye contact to meet Violet with their gaze.
"Yes, unfortunately so," Mirage whispered looking at the time. It was nearly 7, and while there was no set time her jet had to take off, Mirage wanted to have Violet's eyes on the most recent scene within 24 hours of the murder. "I'll fill you in on the details on the way there," Mirage said, standing up and looking at Buddy, realizing he would need some more data if he was going to be doing his own investigation. Pulling out a business card, she handed it off to Buddy who took it with a look of confusion as he already had her contact info, but read a different name on the card.
Kelly Anderson.
"Who-"
"She's trustworthy. Just tell her that you need the names of the other victims, but you have to tell her that the weather in Maine is brutal this time of year."
"Jesus, can't you just have a normal passcode or number?" Buddy grimaced as he pocketed the card.
"No, and the phrase changes weekly so I suggest you get that call in today."
Buddy rolled his eyes but silently noted with appreciation that out of the two of them Mirage was certainly the better cyber hacker. It would only make sense for her security measures to be that more extreme.
"I'll leave you two to your goodbyes," Mirage said as she gave Violet a once over, acknowledging the appropriate gear for the mission, the WatchDog helmet in one hand and a bugout bag in the other. "Wheels start moving in 5 minutes."
Violet nodded with a bowed head as Mirage made her way out of the room and the house altogether. Once alone, Violet peered up at Buddy with a questioning face but he was at the ready with his answer.
"You're not the only sleuth under this roof, Parr," Buddy said as he looked over her outfit. It was the first time in a while that they'd be apart for more than a night and he wanted to make sure that she had all that she needed, even if this was just a consultant gig. "Are you going to be okay?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Violet whispered looking to the stairs behind her. Lillian was usually ready for breakfast by this time, but she had been up rather late last night.
"I've got the easy gig. I stick the kid with some crayons and chicken nuggets and she's good to go. You on the other hand get to deal with the silver dragon herself!"
"You're just scared that she's going to reveal all the bad things that you did when you two were together to get me to leave," Violet teased.
"Well. I hadn't considered that before. Now I am absolutely terrified," Buddy said in earnest but the super just laughed before pecking his cheek.
"I thought it was already obvious that we were stuck with each other. But I better get out there. I'll message you when I land, okay?"
"Sounds good. But hey, one more thing?"
"Yeah?" Violet asked, already turning to leave but was stopped by Buddy grabbing the strap of her back and pulling her back towards him to steal a kiss, though it wasn't really a theft if she was returning the passion.
"I love you," he said once they broke the kiss.
"I love you too," Violet whispered and the sound of a car horn sounded off outside. With no time left to spare she quickly left his side without looking back and Buddy remained where he stood. He wasn't so controlling that he would stand and watch the car pull out of the driveway, but he had trouble moving from where he stood. Until he heard the stairs creak.
Looking up to the cause of the disturbance, Buddy was met with the sight of Lillian who was still in her pajamas, a purple onesie that looked like it functioned better as a dinosaur costume than sleepwear. The two stared at each other in silence, unsure of who should make the first move. As the only adult in the house, it should have been him, but Lillian managed to muster the courage before him.
"Where's Miss Violet?"
"She, uh, she just left actually."
"When is she coming back?"
"Tomorrow night if we're lucky."
"Oh."
"Yeah," Buddy said, feeling the same bit of disappointment Lillian was showing now. "... Can I make you breakfast?"
"No thank you. I can push the buttons myself," Lillian said from the steps and Buddy nodded.
"Right… well, I am going to be in that room right there," he said pointing to the den as he recovered his mug of coffee. "So, if you need me. That's where I'll be. Okay?"
"I won't need you."
Buddy nodded with a blank stare. He had forgotten how blunt children could be, though Lillian seemed to be more forward than the average kid. "Oh. Okay… Have a good day, I guess?"
They continued to stand and stare at each other for an indescribably long period of time.
"Are you sure you don't need anything?"
"I'm just waiting for you to get out of the kitchen so I can order food from the fridge."
"Oh. Right. Sorry, I'll just, I'll just be on my way then," he mumbled as he fled the kitchen.
There was a point in time when he was the master of his own universe. Where he had an island of ruthless mercenaries to command, a series of murder-prone robots at his disposal, the anonymity to sway politicians or buy out corporations without showing face. Now here he was allowing a kid to rule over him in his own house.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
…
Examining the home of the Carter family, Violet felt sick as she stood in the master bedroom. The bodies had been pulled from the site and were currently being examined by morticians but the sight of the bullet holes in the bed frame painted a very clear and disturbing photo for her.
They hadn't a clue it was coming.
"What was the approximate time of death?" Violet asked through her mask. It was only her and Mirage inside of the house, but Violet was not going to risk getting caught without cover. Not if she could help it.
Mirage examined the paper on her clipboard and began to flip through the pages. "Roughly between the hours of 10:30 to 11:45 at night."
Violet nodded as she reexamined the bullet holes. It was highly unlikely that this killer was operating alone. Not with the evidence before her. There was no way that the parents wouldn't go running to their children at the sound of gunfire, and the same was likely for the kids- or at least they would hide or run away.
"This is an organized group, not a single operator," Violet stated as she turned to face the crib set in the corner of the room, a single bullet hole was made in that. Violet could feel her blood boiling. A family of five. Just like hers.
"What can you tell me about the earlier families off the top of your head?
"Well. They all had families, obviously. Had zero contact with the NSA since the ban originally went into effect, and aside from that? I can't say."
"And the agents that these two were affiliated with back in the day?"
"Miss Teria, her powers were making illusions, she hadn't had the opportunity to swear into the Federal Super Program so she is, apologies for the wordplay, but a complete mystery to us. As for her husband, he was vetted in, a very short period of time, however. I'll have someone track down his past agent, along with anyone else assigned to the deceased."
Violet sighed and nodded. That would have been her first move if she was pulled in earlier. That, and warn the world that someone was hunting down supers.
"We should alert the public," Violet warned.
"You do realize who the first suspect would be on this series of murders, right?"
Violet didn't need to be told. She was more than aware that the public, civilians and supers alike, were already suspicious of Buddy. She didn't blame them, but she was still aiming to convince those willing to listen that he did have potential for redemption. Even if he didn't believe it.
"Well, this isn't Buddy's MO at all. As someone on the receiving end of his wrath twice over, he really likes to play with his prey before he makes the kill," Violet mumbled as she exited the room and crossed the hallway to the kids' rooms. A pair of twin boys once slept in here. They weren't much younger than Jack-Jack. "If we want to prevent another massacre, you need to alert the press."
"And cause mass panic? That would be unwise, and besides, as someone who has worked for and against Buddy, he is more than able to adapt should the mood suit him. This should be kept quiet unless you want word about Lillian to get out as well."
"People deserve to know, but if you are concerned about more attacks against Buddy, I can protect him. I've done a decent job at it so far. Adding one more life to the line will be cake."
"Yes… you have done rather well," Mirage agreed. With her assault on Doctor Schmerzen's lair, Mirage had to remind herself before every interaction they had that if Violet wanted to, she could pop her head like a pimple. "But again, Buddy isn't the only one at risk for suspicion."
"If you are referring to your own social standing I wouldn't worry about it," Violet replied as she picked up a shell casing. "From what little agent gossip I've picked up, you seem to be in a good position. But keeping the lid on this will make you vulnerable the longer this goes unsolved. If a whistleblower got out, you could kiss any progress you made goodbye."
Mirage wasn't sure if she should thank Violet for the insider information or scorn her for trying to tell her how to do her job. Instead of debating between the two, Mirage ignored the statement for the time being and surveyed the room with empathy. And then she remembered who she was in the room with.
"When we find the culprits, I'd like to remind you that we should proceed with the justice system."
Inside of her helmet, Violet mouthed a silent curse but nodded in response.
"Fine, but I've got no issue pulling the self-defense card on these assholes. Anyways, I'm not sure what else I can gather here. Are we heading back to DC or is there another scene I can check out?"
"That eager to spend the night away from Buddy, are we?" Mirage taunted.
"I'm just trying to do my job and prevent the next attack," Violet said as politely as she could as she rose to her full height and turned towards the Director of the NSA. "But if you must know, I am still pretty sore from last night, so a break would be appreciated."
Violet normally left the snarky comments to Buddy, but seeing Mirage's jaw unhinge was well worth stepping out of her comfort zone. Violet made her way outside of the room and headed for the front door but stopped at the sight of a family portrait hanging above a mantle and suddenly she was overcome with the sensation of being homesick. She was only a couple of hours from her parent's place but she hadn't seen her family since the last holiday party.
"Can I at least tell my parents?"
"They'll be fine, so far this group has only targeted inactive supers."
"Yeah, 'so far' being the key point. We don't know when that tactic could change. And we still don't know how they are targeting folks… Maybe the parents attended PTSD support groups," Violet said, her tone softer than before.
Mirage lifted an eyebrow at the suggestion but said nothing. She was well versed in Violet's files. After the accident on the pier that resulted in the death of one Anthony Rydinger, Violet was in and out of social worker offices.
"We can speculate on similarities on the flight to D.C. I can't take you to the other crime scenes since they have already been deconstructed. You'll have to make do with the evidence we have back at HQ."
…
Buddy had hoped that Violet would have returned the very same day she left but the investigation had to continue for her at the NSA headquarters. It was looking like it could be more than a couple of days if things continued to just be dead ends. He would have been happier for her if Lillian wasn't in the picture, but her absence also reminded him that this was the longest that they had been apart since Schmerzen kidnapped him and he wasn't too keen about remembering that white room.
"How is she?" Violet asked through the landline that Buddy had wedged between his shoulder and ear.
"Bossy," Buddy replied, stealing a glance at the monitor which showed the room the orphan was occupying. She was asleep as far as he could tell. "Enough about her though. How are you? Got any leads I can dig for, or any words I can prepare for Mirage?"
"No in both arenas, but it's appreciated," Violet said in exhaustion while lounging in her hotel room. It was the one place she could remove her helmet without fear of being recognized, however, it was mostly her being paranoid. Nobody on the East Coast knew the life or death of Violet Parr. Invisigirl, on the other hand, was a near household name. Given that her former hero identity was inactive, tons of fan theories had been thrown around. Theories of her potential death, being on prolonged top-secret government missions, a few nuts spewed that she had gone evil and was being detained by the NSA or biding her time in an abandoned bunker. Her favorite tale so far was that she gave up hero work to play pranks on people. It sounded more like something Dash would do, but it was fun to pretend.
"Got an ETA for me on your return?" Buddy asked, making Violet smile.
"Miss me already?"
"No… I mean maybe a little. Although I think the runt is going to have a fit when she realizes she stuck with me for at least another day."
Violet held back a laugh as she recalled the days her mother was getting back into hero work and her father stayed behind to watch her and her brothers. Lily was nowhere near the handful that Jack-Jack was, but Buddy was far less experienced when it came to kids.
"I wish I could say. I don't think I'll stick around for more than two more nights, but if I don't pick up a trail soon I may find myself with a permanent room here. I just don't get how these families who were doing nothing out of the ordinary got picked out of the mix."
"Yeah. Can't say that their lifestyles would have alerted my operation back in the day. And these sups hadn't even been in contact with each other so the likelihood of a grudge is less likely. Maybe there were some international villains they all could have tangoed with. Problem with that hypothesis is that not too many bad guys still breathe today that aren't already behind bars."
"Think someone faked their death?" Violet mused.
"Well, being that I came back from the dead so to speak, and you are supposed to be dead… yeah that's not a bad place to start. I'll try to cross-reference any mutual enemies the parents had and go from there. I can't help but think we are still missing something though."
"Yeah. I've got that feeling too."
Silence filled the phone line and the pair delved into the recesses of their minds. Both trying to find the answer to the same riddle. To no avail, nothing significant emerged.
"I'll be looking over photos of the other crime scenes tomorrow. Can I call at the same time to share what I found?"
"Are you sure I can't fly out to pick you up?"
"Oh, I'm sure," Violet muttered. "Not that I wouldn't love your company, but-"
"The kid needs to stay safe and hidden, yeah I got it."
"Well, there is that... And I'd rather not risk you traveling without me. I'm sure word has gotten out that I'm not at your side, so if you're spotted before you get here-"
"I appreciate the concern, but I'm pretty sure that a super would learn real quick that you're not protecting me, but rather saving them from a world of pain."
"Which is why I don't want you to travel," Violet countered.
Buddy frowned but didn't argue. Maybe one of these days he'd be able to get a sparring match in with an over-eager super.
"Fine. We'll stay on lockdown until you get back," Buddy grumbled into the phone and stared at the ceiling. "But Mirage isn't giving you any trouble, right?"
"Nothing I can't handle. You just focus on keeping Lillian occupied and I'll be back in no time? I've got my work cut out for me here but I'll call back when I have a clue of when I should be back."
"Sounds good to me. Feel free to let M know that Winston is visiting me tomorrow."
"Oh, she already informed me about that actually. I guess it was her idea…"
"Did you spill the beans on our little incident?"
"No, but I'm pretty sure she knows. It wouldn't be too hard for her to check through your video footage, you know?"
Buddy nodded and sighed. The NSA always having eyes on them was one of his least favorite things about their current predicament, but he really didn't like thinking about the times that may have been viewed without his or Violet's consent.
"Is that wise though? To have Winston over? He isn't exactly the most secretive person," Violet argued, having lost count of the number of times the billionaire nearly outed her secret identity by accident or a slip of wording.
"Well, I couldn't exactly turn him away. The man practically invited himself over for a pity party because-"
"Because his sister is out of prison… right. I forgot about that," she lied. She knew Evelyn was out, she just no longer associated the Deavor siblings together.
"Apparently the first thing she did was announcing that she was taking on the government and the family company for her shares in DevTech. Caused a little bit of a scene. I bet Winston would have loved to have had a super intern come to his rescue."
"Oh, I'm sure he would. I'm just not so sure if he'd want me dealing with his sister," Violet muttered as she nestled deeper into the mattress.
"Heh, yeah. Maybe not."
Silence filled the line until Violet broke it with a heavy sigh.
"I'm calling it a night, but can you give me hope that Mirage isn't an early riser like you?"
"No can do, Parr. In fact, she'd routinely wake up before me."
"Wonderful…"
…
The only person who rose earlier than Mirage was Winston because before the sun could hit the eastern facing windows of his bedroom, Buddy awoke to a delightful yet worrying scent of pancakes.
He found Winston in the kitchen, along with a rather giddy Lillian.
"What else can you cook Mr. Devin?"
"Deavor, but please, call me Win. All my friends do. And we are friends now, right?"
The young girl nodded enthusiastically, making the business executive grin like he just sealed the deal of the century. The smile expanded once his eyes came into contact with the ginger of the house.
"Gooooood morning sleepy head! Miss Lillian and I were wondering when you were going to get out of bed!"
"Winston, it's six in the morning- and how did you get in my house?"
"Oh! Mirage gave me the code."
"Of course she did," Buddy grumbled as he made his way to the coffee dispenser.
"And it's a good thing too. Little Lily here has informed me that you've been feeding her nothing but those premade, tasteless, instant plates!"
Buddy glanced back at the child who was stuffing her face with syrup-slathered hotcakes. Focusing on his coffee cup, Buddy did his best to ignore his frustration with Mirage for forcing his hand and being exposed to Winston in his Mr. Incredible pajama set. It was a gag Christmas gift from the Parr family and while he did put on a show of an attitude not fitting for a gift he did enjoy them. He just wouldn't be caught dead in them, or so he thought.
"I assume that Mirage also told you about her case?" Buddy asked softly, dodging the attack on his guardianship and Winston nodded as he turned off the stovetop.
"Yeah. Yeah, she did."
"I'm surprised you haven't tried to start a campaign in her family's honor yet."
"Believe me, I wanted to- still do, but Mira pointed out that making any good deed that points out a super's death could trigger riots or the killer to strike again."
Buddy shifted his gaze to his philanthropist friend briefly. He wasn't sure which impressed him more; Mirage taking the risk of telling Winston top secret information or the fact that Winston was, so far, keeping a tight lip on it.
"Are you sure there isn't a marketing angle you want to test?" he tempted and Winston gave a chuckle.
"Oh Buddy, I've been brewing pitches since she told me not to utter a word! Why do you think I'm making pancakes in your house at the crack of dawn?!"
"I just assumed you were trying to steal a super kid and make them your company mascot."
"Ha, well, we both know I'm not the type to snatch supers, now am I?" Winston jived.
"Touche," Buddy muttered back as he took a sip of his coffee and focused on the child again. "So… your sister… how was that?"
Winston kept his eyes down as he silently began to clean the pancake batter from the stove. Buddy wasn't going to push the subject, but it was unnerving to see the normally talkative fellow so quiet.
"I tried to convince her to move back home. To our parent's house, and let me tell you, she did not take that too well. Not well at all," Winston stated as he began to place the dirty cookware into the sink. "Said that if she was going to sleep in a grave she'd dig her own."
Buddy let a hand go to the back of his neck. He was aware of the downfall of the Deavor patriarch, and while he wasn't one to carry guilt, but the butterfly effect theory weighed on him. Had he not pulled the Incredi-Boy stunt, had the Mr. Incredible lawsuit never gone down, maybe the Deavor family would have been alright. He doubted Winston's parents would be alive today, but maybe Evelyn wouldn't have dipped her feet into the role of evildoer.
"Sorry," Buddy muttered but Winston perked up and gave a shrug.
"Eh, it's fine. She always was a bit of a lone wolf- though she is going to have a difficult time coming up with crazy schemes with a surveillance team on her every hour of the day!" Winston said with a chuckle. Buddy smiled back, but he wasn't as optimistic. There were ways around complete detection- one's he wasn't willing to risk just yet but Evelyn had the brains and financial backing to cut some of the supervision. He wouldn't be shocked if she had gained a few connections from her time behind bars as well.
"Betcha wish you had a sibling like mine growing up, huh?"
"Actually I was the problem child growing up, but it would have been nice to split up my old man's beatings," Buddy said. The question had caught him off guard and the answer wasn't what Winston was expecting either, as he wore an expression of shock and worry. "Shit, sorry-"
"Little ears!" Lily scolded from her seat making both of the men look her way.
Seeing that she cleared her plate, Winston stepped over to take it from her but paused seeing the drawings laid out around her. Picking up the one with the least amount of syrup drenching the surface, Winston offered her a smile.
"How much for the art, kid?"
Lillian blinked at the question until she made eye contact with the wallet he pulled from his pocket.
"Two dollars."
"Hmmm, you put up a hard bargain, kid. Do you think you can break a twenty?" Winston asked as he held out the bill to her.
Lily stared at the CEO long and hard. It had been a while since he had seen such tenacity in a business conversation. She narrowed her eyes before snatching the twenty from Winston's hand and shook her head.
"Nope!" And with that, the young girl took off running leaving Buddy dumbfounded by the scene.
"Did you just get ripped off by a third grader?"
"You can look at it that way, Buddy, but I'd like to see this as an investment in the arts," Winston replied as he looked over his shoulder at his former business partner and back to the drawing of a purple Saturn. Folding the paper in half, Winston retrieved his jacket and tucked the purchased art piece into an inner pocket. "I'm sorry to leave you with a mess but I think I forgot something at the office."
"Wait, wait, wait, did you really drive two hours just to make breakfast and leave?"
"No, I mean that is the case now, yes, but I'm sorry, I just really need to check on something-"
"Well slow your roll, Win! We can take a field trip out to the city in my jet. We could be there and back before you'd even be able to arrive by road."
"It's fine, really! I'm sure you want some more quality time with the kid anyway!" Winston said hurriedly which put Buddy off. It really wasn't like Winston to be so rushed when it came to his work. He ran a smooth operation and the only time he got stressed was when he was waiting on others. Nor was he usually one to turn down and offer that improved speed and efficiency.
"Winston, what are you hiding?" Buddy asked as he followed him to the foyer. Winston turned around to meet Buddy with a rather guilty smile.
"What makes you think I'm hiding anything, Buddy?"
As soon as he finished that sentence, the doors to the mansion were ripped off of their hinges. Turning around, both he and Buddy stared up at a hulking figure that easily put Mr. Incredible to shame. The figure dawned a dark blue super-suit with a black pair of bull horns on his chest, black boots and gloves to match, though the knuckles of the gloves also were adorned with horns of their own.
"Win… Did you invite this guy?" Buddy asked, taking a gradual step back.
"Nope. I sure didn't," Winston replied as he also took a step back, holding his hands up. He did recognize the super immediately. "Take it easy there, Ox-"
"That's right, I am The Ox! Stronger than a bull and the defender of the weak! And I am here to avenge the fallen by killing you, Syndrome!"