It wasn't until four days later that Buddy was deemed fit to leave the hospital. He could have been out earlier if they had sold out the miracle worker as the doctors were trying to figure out how they got their initial results wrong, but Buddy was content on keeping that secret. Heaven and hell both knew that he was on enough super shit lists, the last thing he needed was to piss off a super who could alter the state of someone's organs.
Dressed in a pale blue tracksuit, Buddy was comfortably settled into the seat of his wheelchair as Violet carted him out of the room that should have been his tomb. It was clear that no one was expecting him to pull through this time. What media networks that kept up with his situation all reported that it was grim, the doctors all claimed he should be on death's door, but by some miracle, he lived.
He was hoping he could have walked out of the room on his own two feet, if only for appearance's sake, but it was the hospital's standard to have patients be wheeled out. It sure as hell beat leaving the place in a body bag, but he was going to miss that morphine drip.
"Mirage is here with a helicopter on the roof to take us to The Eighth Wonder," Rick said as they walked down the corridors, though Violet was leaving him and her parents in the dust. "Winston is still there with Lillian, and there is a lot that we need to figure out."
"Don't you have some bingo game in Florida to get to?" Buddy quipped as he looked over his shoulder, hoping to see the agent make a face of any kind but no change came to that rigid expression.
"Honey, I think you should slow down, take a load off," Elastigirl suggested as she placed a stretched-out hand onto Violet's shoulder. Before Violet could ask her mother to lay off a commotion broke out in the halls. It wasn't an army of supers like Violet feared, but something she dreaded more.
The press.
Leading the group of trespassing journalists was none other than Cindy Lapore for News 12, the siren that had broadcasted Violet's terrible deed to the entire world.
"WatchDog! Or should we say Invisigirl? Can you comment on last week's incident? Do you have any remorse for the slaying of four supers, and can you confirm your romantic relationship with Buddy Pine?"
Violet went invisible to the eye, it was second nature. She had never cared for the limelight, and the last year of hiding in the helmet of WatchDog had been a blessing. Now she didn't have that cover.
Buddy on the other hand was absolutely smitten by the correct assumption the public had made between the two of them. Had he the permission to stand he would have strolled up to the pool of sharks and play on all the heartstrings he could.
Unfortunately, he did not have the strength to travel that distance on his own two feet to make the trip, but his sworn arch nemesis did.
"Woah there, I think everyone is reading too much into this," Mr. Incredible started as he made his way towards the press. Where Buddy's approach to the public was eagerly basking in the attention, Mr. Incredible was far more modest but equally eager to be heard. "My daughter is only assigned to make sure that the villain known as Syndrome doesn't harm anyone else. Nothing more."
The statement seemed to buy most of the folks off, but not all.
"The NSA files report that Invisigirl was held hostage for at least two months by Buddy Pine. Is it wise to have someone who was terrorized by Syndrome become their handler?" inquired one of the journalists.
"Well, it wasn't my call. Personally, if it were up to me Mr. Pine would have gone through the justice system and have been judged by his peers."
"So you disagree with the way that the NSA handles things?" Cindy Lapore asked suddenly.
"Well sure, but I mean-"
"Mr. Incredible, what is your stance on how the NSA dealt with supers over the course of its existence?"
"Listen, I'm not saying-"
"You conceived children with Elastigirl during the Super Breeding Ban," Cindy's voice came again. "That act has since been repealed, but do you believe that supers are above the law?"
"Hey, that is an entirely different scenario!" Mr. Incredible growled reaching the end of his rope, but the questions continued to fly at him left and right. Rick muttered something underneath his breath before trudging forward.
Buddy smirked seeing the situation blow up in the face of his nemesis. He reached up to take hold of where he believed Violet's hand to be but found nothing but air. Panicked by her sudden disappearance he turned, hoping to see her but instead he heard her voice to the back in front.
"You're all asking the wrong questions," muttered the voice of Invisigirl, stealing the attention away from her flustered father as she appeared before the crowd. "What we should be asking right now is what does Evelyn Deavor have to gain from this crisis? Why is it that in her first week of freedom she decided to tear open these old wounds?"
Turning back around to watch Violet handle the press, Buddy felt the need to join her. He placed his hands on the push rims but was held in place by Elastigirl. Turning his head to question the heroine she nodded to Violet's hands, one of them focused back on them. He was blocked in, or rather everyone else was blocked out.
"Is it true?" Elastigirl asked lowly and Buddy scoffed.
"You're still wondering if your precious NSA is as dark as they say? Yeah, it's all true, and I wouldn't be shocked if there was more to the iceberg."
"I'm not asking about the NSA. Did you or did you not propose to my daughter?"
Buddy blinked at the question. He didn't think Violet told anyone about their engagement but he did lose some time. It was entirely possible, in her grief, Violet had announced the union.
"I did."
Elastigirl's expression didn't change and Buddy found himself relieved that Violet hadn't locked him in an invisible cell with her father, but that reckoning would be on its way soon enough.
"Why?"
"That's a dumb question."
"If you can't answer me honestly, you truly don't deserve my daughter."
Buddy turned his head away.
They were in one sense or another, stuck with each other, but the proposal came from an earnest place from him. Maybe the patriarch would have been better. He'd just get clobbered for the umpteenth time in his life where Violet's mother was going to gut him on a psychological level. Turning his gaze back to the swarm of media workers that Violet was able to maintain, he ran his left hand through his hair.
"I don't know what you want to hear from me, and it's not like it matters, right? You clearly don't approve and I can't say I blame you. Your daughter being in my company must be a nightmare."
"My opinion on the issue is nowhere near as important as my daughter," the mother quickly replied, surprising Buddy yet again. That shock must have been evident because the woman was giving him a more critical look.
"Vi has always been more emotional than Dash or Jack-Jack. She becomes invested very easily and commits everything she has into what she wants and when it comes to relationships, when she falls, she falls hard. She was in love with her last boyfriend long before he even knew her name. You're not just some boy from school but I'm not questioning her sanity on this either. I'm asking you why because it is evident to me that Violet would do anything for you. Anything. I want to know what you are willing to do for her."
Buddy swallowed at the words delivered and continued to watch Violet handle the crowd. Christ, was there a line Violet hadn't been willing to cross for him? She had traveled around the world to find him, single-handedly took down his old criminal cohort, and her kill count was well above the average super because of him. A count that could potentially continue to rise.
Some folks called the killing of Leviathan and the other supers murder, but what they didn't know was that crime was already in her book. She just wasn't caught on camera for killing an old man in his sleep.
But what was he willing to do for her? Aside from keeping her secrets, he'd like to think he'd give her the world if he could. He'd make anything she'd ask for, but he'd just as soon as take a pro bono commission piece just because he could. The only thing she ever asked him to do was to make an honest attempt at turning over a new leaf with the community he had envied but he couldn't even do that.
Bowing his head, he nodded in understanding.
"I'm willing to try," he replied at long last.
"You're going to have to do better than that," Helen warned as Mirage strode up behind them.
"Christ, is this what's taking you so long?!" Mirage asked before she walked right into the invisible dome, the sound of the impact signaling the press of the arrival of the NSA head and the questions all began to address her.
"We don't have time for this," the embarrassed woman shouted as she waved the gathering off. "Have you no respect? This is a hospital for God's sake, let the medical staff do their jobs, WatchDog, Mr. Incredible, if you would please, we are already late for your debriefing."
…
Violet was not pleased with the fact that she and Buddy had to return to The Eighth Wonder but where else in the world could they go? His mansion had been compromised, the NSA was on the verge of total collapse and while the invitation of going home was on the table Violet wanted to put as much space between Buddy and her father as humanly possible, especially with the amount of tension that had been in the hold of the helicopter.
Upon arrival, Colonel Griffin was there to greet them, or more so, there to welcome Buddy home.
"Dr. Pine! How good it is to see you in one piece!" the base commander said as he approached the group.
"Well, you know I couldn't die before getting that tour you promised me," Buddy joked and Colonel Griffin laughed in agreement.
"Well, I would certainly love to provide that tour to you later, Dr. Pine, but our presence is requested in the war room. In light of recent events, we're going to have to tread very carefully around the supers. This is a fragile time for them after all."
"Pft. Don't I know it," Buddy muttered as they all piled into the elevator.
"I'm quite tempted to ask you if you hold any interest in wearing the uniform because you showed exemplary courage in that rescue mission," the military man praised and Buddy just ate up the flattery.
"Heh, well, I can respect the lifestyle at a distance but to be honest I have no interest in it. All the rules and regulations really kill the creative process," Buddy confessed when a snort erupted from Violet's father.
"It's that mindset that makes you a perfect fit for being a villain," Mr. Incredible muttered. "Oh. That's right. You are one."
He had said it in hopes of gaining a reaction from Buddy, but the man just shrugged off the comment.
"Touché, Mr. Insufferable, but I didn't see any heroes coming in to save the day, did you?" Buddy shot back, causing the super to turn his head at the injured man, his blood boiling at the sight of the smug expression on his face.
"You're lucky you're already broken."
"You're just mad that someone else beat you to beating me."
"Well, they didn't finish the job-"
"Maybe not, but they did get closer than you. Way more efficient and a lot less expensive too," Buddy said with a smirk as he eyed the colonel. "I paid this man three times his annual salary for a single job, and he blew almost two-thirds of it on a car that he just chucked at me, I mean can you believe it? The absolute nerve of this guy!"
Helen was about to interrupt the pair's squabble when she turned her attention to her husband. Having been left in the dark about the financial squandering her own facial features darkened.
"You said that you bought that car at a steep discount," Helen hissed as the elevator doors opened again.
Defeated for the time being, Mr. Incredible exited the elevator first, in a hurry to avoid his wife's fury. The rest of the elevator occupants followed, Helen right on her husband's heel and the others following at their own pace, save for Buddy and Violet who exited the shaft but stayed put in the hall.
Violet gave a sigh of relief at the continued survival of her lover. "You really didn't have to do that you know."
"He started it," Buddy mumbled, recalling her mother's words from the hospital.
"I know, I'll have to talk to him too," she said as ran a gloved hand through his hair, but he turned his head to her with a look that concerned her.
"Did you tell them that we're engaged?"
"What? No, I wanted to do that in pers- … oh. That makes way more sense now. I may have flashed my ring to Rick when you were in the OR. Shit. This isn't how I wanted them to find out," Violet said as she covered her face in frustration. Leave it to Dicker for mishandling her love life once again. "That explains why he is so pissed. Or more pissed than usual."
Buddy opened his mouth to comment on her mother as well but bit back his response. Helen didn't exactly say she wasn't happy, but she wasn't exactly pleased either.
"We can let them hash it out with us later, but we better get in there before Mirage bites our head off," Buddy said and Violet nodded in agreement as she began to push him down the hall. Everyone else had already entered the war room, but Winston was waiting outside of the room with Mirage at his side as Lillian was ran towards them at full speed.
"Are you okay Mr. Pine?" the child shouted as she ran full force at him, her whole weight colliding with his legs as she attempted to hug him.
"Ahhh, yeah, kiddo, I'm okay," he said as he did his best to ignore the pain as the child climbed up into his lap.
"I saw you on tv! That was so cool how you flew in there- I didn't know you could fly! Are you like me? Can you only use powers when others around you have powers?"
Buddy smiled at the thought. "Oh I wish I had your gifts, but I guess we are kind of similar. You're a little copycat and I just try to mimic powers through tech," he explained simply as Violet rolled them into the room.
It was larger than all the lecture hall she had ever sat in and would likely rival that of the United Nations assembly, so walking into the large space felt off-kilter seeing that a space that was meant for near 200 people would only house the small group and the two soldiers standing by. Once Violet set Buddy at the edge of the first row of tables and took her seat Winston, Mirage, and Colonel Griffin took to the floor.
"Well, I was hoping that today would have panned out differently, but of course my sister had to cause a riot before our official unveiling of The Eighth Wonder," Winston said as he clasped his hands together. "Thankfully, only D.C. has been a point of conflict, but it would not be surprising if we see other flare-ups in the coming days, so our job is two- actually, three things," he said before passing the floor off to Mirage who nodded.
"First is damage control. We already have a few key supers on the ground to assist in maintaining any trust we have left in the public, but it's an uphill battle as congress is looking to cut all funding to the NSA," Mirage said as Winston used a clicker to start up a slide show.
"We've done some research to see what points the public had the most faith in the NSA," Winston stated. "Unfortunately, it appears that won't be applicable as the points in time that NSA received the most favorable ratings were whenever a super died in battle or after a new program has been launched."
"With that said, what we are going to have to do is to find something to divert the negative attention from us and onto someone else," Mirage finished.
"Bait and switch. Classic," Mr. Incredible said and Mirage nodded.
"And we now have a potential target in mind," Mirage responded as she turned the slide to the drawing Winston bought from Lillian alongside a professional logo of Saturn along with a tagline. "According to our only living witness… this logo is associated with those who are attacking supers."
Violet read the tagline in disbelief.
Hyperion; Health Care revolved around you.
"Before me and Ev took over DevTech she was contracted with this health company, Hyperion. She handled all the IT stuff for the company, and they had all the state of the art stuff going on back then too," Winston announced as he came back to the center. "Evelyn wanted to have our company buy them out years ago, but the board and I disagreed with the move for reasons I can't remember, but trust me, I'm very glad that negotiation did not go through... So. As it turns out, ladies and gentlemen, my sister is still very much evil."
"Sure is looking that way, Win," Elastigirl said as she rested her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her propped-up hands. "So, what evidence do we have against them?"
"At this point? None," Mirage answered. "We were hoping that we could tap WatchDog for that job which is part two of this discussion. Being that we are already on the subject, can we count on you two to try to help?"
Violet nodded in confirmation as Buddy raised his left hand.
"Go back a second though. What sort of medical stuff are we talking about here?"
"Peh, you name it! Drugs, tech for hospitals, anesthesia, tools that are going to make cancer nearly obsolete by detecting that stuff in a mere average blood test!" Winston replied which caught the attention of both Buddy and Violet.
"Woah," Buddy whispered as he placed his fingertips to his temples as Violet turned towards him in her seat.
"That's how they are finding supers!" Violet said quickly and Buddy nodded.
"They are pinpointing the supergene. I mean, it was just a theory but it was only a matter of time until someone cracked the code. Ah man, why didn't I think of that!? Do you have any idea how much money that could have saved me in man-hours alone with Operation Kronos?" he said as he leaned back in his wheelchair, his hands trailing from the side of his head and into his hair. "I mean that's brilliant, infiltrating the healthcare industry to get alerted whenever an unsuspecting super gets a check-up? Oh, I would kill to get my hands on their raw data."
"Pretty sure you've killed enough for one lifetime," Mr. Incredible said underneath his breath but Buddy waved the comment off.
"I'm going to ignore the part where you seemed to wish you came up with that plan," Violet countered as she crossed her legs pretzel style in her seat. "But that also explains how they tracked down families that the NSA couldn't."
"And the loners," Mirage suggested. "Even though supers have gained full rights over the last decade the number of supers that have been reported by average families has dropped in recent years. There are a number of possibilities as to why that is," Mirage continued as she poured herself a glass. "Parents wanting to protect their kids from the life of a super, environmental impact on the unborn, but…"
"It's plausible that someone took a page out of the NSA's book," Rick spoke and Mirage nodded with a grim expression. "Well, that certainly doesn't bode well."
"Okay- so back to damage control, we are going to need someone to calm folks," Winston said as he fumbled with his thumbs. "We had a few names, but they're, uh, not viable anymore."
"You mean vital," the colonel stated before casting a glance at Violet. "Leviathan was top of the list for most liked super, and was a top pick of mine for who would be part of The Eighth Wonder. However, given his response to past dealings by the NSA, his neutralization was likely for the best."
Violet sank into her seat a little more. While the man had given some confirmation that she made the right call on terminating Leviathan, she could still feel resentment for offing the bastard.
"Well I could do it!" came her father's voice again.
"You were on the list, actually," Winston said with a nervous tint in his voice. "But after reviewing the way you handled the press at the hospital-"
"choke" Buddy snuck in as he faked a cough. "Oh, ugh, sorry about that- bad lung."
"You know I've had just about enough out of you!" Mr. Incredible shouted as he got to his feet.
"Bob, sit down," hissed his wife through gritted teeth.
The man returned to his chair, glaring all the while at the temporarily crippled man who returned the wrathful expression with a shit-eating grin.
"Anyways... folks did seem to take a real liking to Invisigirl!" Winston said as he pointed to the screen behind him, a line graph of supers likeability scores over the course of the last year. Violet's numbers had been down in the single digits with being out of commission for the course of that time, but in the last week Invisigirl ranked an all-time high, as did Buddy's 'Syndrome' persona gain some favorability with the public.
"We obviously can have you stepping up to the podium all the time, but we scheduled a press conference in a month to really hammer out all the need-to-know stuff. Since you two were a part of the team that cleared house of those who were in favor of the culling, we think you should be on stage."
"I'm not meant for the public eye but the private," Violet parroted off making Buddy shake his head. The journalist who wrote that tagline truly had no clue what he was talking about.
"As much as I hate to admit it, you did sway the conversation in a decent direction earlier," Mirage pointed out as she stepped closer to her. "And the nature of your and Buddy's relationship is a sizable distraction that we could use right now."
Buddy raised an eyebrow at the suggestion of using their relationship for the gain of the agency but his attention was pulled up by the base commander.
"That facetime is also worthy of luring out the sinister forces behind Hyperion," Colonel Griffin stated. "Especially if the plan is to inform the public about their dealings and the debut of survivalist, Miss Thomas."
Buddy's arm tightened around Lillian who remained in his lap. He narrowed his gaze on Mirage.
"What happened to keeping her a secret?"
Mirage placed her hands onto the table in front of him as she leaned in closer.
"The U.S. government is dancing around the possibility of dismantling the NSA, Buddy. I'm sorry, but we are only allowed to keep so many secrets now and anything that both moves this investigation along and gives us a more favorable tone with the public is paramount."
Buddy shifted his jaw but didn't argue knowing that if the NSA was out the window he'd likely be out with the dishwater as well. Still, he didn't like putting a larger target on their backs. Whoever was killing these supers was intending on keeping her alive, but for purposes unknown.
"Fine, but if we are putting her out there I'm going to need the condensed version of the tour right to whatever tech lab you have in this place."
"It would be my pleasure to escort you to the lab, Dr. Pine, but we need to go over the ground rules of this facility. Before we can get to that point, Winston, would you care to announce the third task on our list?"
Winston nodded and looked in Buddy and Violet's direction briefly before looking to the slide behind him. Silhouettes of figures in capes and suites.
"We had a list of two dozen supers handpicked to become the first inhabitants of The Eighth Wonder, but in light of recent events we need to reevaluate the supers we can trust to have the public's best interest really at heart."
Casting a solemn glance in Elastigirl's direction, Winston gave her a sad smile.
"You're always going to be the first pick in my book. I thought I had a decent judge of character on this project, but I'm not so sure anymore. I would truly be indebted to you if you would assist me in the recruiting process."
"I'd be delighted to help, Win. Whatever you need me for, I'm your girl," Helen replied earnestly.
"Spectacular," Winston whispered before nodding to the base commander as he led a surprised Mirage off of the floor and out of the conference area. Violet turned her head to watch them leave, confused as to why they wouldn't stick around, but it dawned on her that the pair probably hadn't seen each other since before Evelyn let out the NSA's skeletons.
Turning her attention back to the floor, Violet gave the last man standing her undivided attention, as did the rest of the group.
"Firstly, there is no fighting of any sort outside of the training room. While I do not doubt the integrity of this structure I do not want the entirety of The Eighth Wonder to become a jungle gym. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Incredible?"
"Crystal," the super grumbled back and the commander carried on.
"Second is that while there is a hierarchy to this compound I want open and flat communication on all levels. The enlisted soldiers are able to approach me and I hope you would extend them that courtesy as well, especially given the fact that this base operates as a deployment for them and once they hit their six months their minds are wiped clean of any memory or knowledge of this base. I won't tell you to remove your masks, but this facility is a safe space for our heroes."
Violet was taken aback by the measures of the base. Her eyes found Rick looking equally surprised at the information which told her all she needed to know. That was not kosher use of the device but it was in their benefit.
"There are only a few rooms that are off-limits, I'm not going to list them because it should be quite clear as you come across them. The DFAC, or dining facility hours are nonstop for ala carte items, but meal times are set in stone, and since this base operates without contact with the sun we go by ZULU time here. Just be aware of that and set your watches accordingly."
Colonel Griffin turned his attention to one of the soldiers standing by and gave a nod of his head. Without a word, the corporal approached with a suitcase in hand and placed it on the central table for the colonel to access.
"Last but not least, I have a specific request for one of you." Clicking open the suitcase, the man pulled out an item that Violet was all too familiar with and had hoped she had seen the last of.
It was a white metal bracelet with a single light and locking mechanism. It was the Super Antidote Device Buddy had slapped on her wrist well over a year ago. She had wanted the thing incinerated but the NSA had it confiscated for evidence.
Colonel Griffin was now focused on her as he held out the bracelet.
"For safety and security reasons, I'm going to have to ask you to wear this, WatchDog."
Before she could even shake her head Buddy was already going to her defense.
"She's not dangerous."
"Oh, I'm sure that is true. While the men and women who work in the facility won't remember their time here they do recall recent televised news events. It would put them at ease if-"
"She doesn't need to," Buddy insisted a little more forcefully but Violet rose from her seat. Gaining everyone's eyes, she approached the front of the room, never losing eye contact with the base commander.
She did not care for the base, and she grew to dislike the colonel after every interaction she had with him, but what choice did they have? This was quite possibly the only place Buddy could live without fear for the time being.
Extending out her left wrist, Violet gave a nod of acceptance making the military man smirk in satisfaction as he clamped the bracelet around her wrist.
"Your cooperation is most appreciated, WatchDog."
"It's fine. We can drop the formalities too," Violet said with an air of defeat in her voice, her left hand moving up to remove her mask. "I'm just plain Violet Parr in here, right?"
"That's right, Violet. You can relax and leave the defense to us. You're in good hands."