Mr. Incredible stared absently ahead as he and what remained of his family left the memorial service for Invisigirl. The Hero of Heroes was what the public was calling her, but he would have preferred to call her and her pick up the corded phone in that old studio apartment of hers. He doubted there was anyone else out there who had to bury an empty casket twice for a child of theirs. And for the sake of anyone who had the privilege to be a parent, he hoped no one else had to experience such an ordeal.
"Why didn't Buddy come?" Jack-of-all-Trades asked, searching the crowd of supers and government officials for the fiery-haired man.
"Because he never cared about her," his father muttered.
"Bob, please-" Elastigirl whispered. She held his hand to her left. Her right hand was replaced with a Kronos prosthetic. A top-of-the-line model that required a mechanic and a surgeon to put it on. The procedure and limb cost a fortune and a half, but the bill was paid for before the surgical appointment was marked on the family calendar. There was no notice of who provided the service but it was perfectly clear who was behind the deed. It wasn't an aircraft, but it was appreciated. "Everyone grieves differently."
The father held back his tongue as the former base commander approached the family. He could air his grievances in the car ride back to the hotel, on the flight back to California, and every single day until he was laid to rest. He'd likely never end his bad-mouthing of the scum that ended his daughter's life.
"Incredibles, I can't express my sympathies enough," the military man said as he made his rounds on shaking each of their hands, staying on Helen's robotic limb to take in the craftsmanship. It was sleek, expensive, but he was surprised that it was also a combat model. "Please know that you will always have a friend in the Pentagon. Should you need anything, you need only ask."
The men of the family all gave quiet nods, but Helen just stared at the man, wondering how losing a base got one promoted to a Brigadier General. As though he sensed Helen's questioning, the recently pinned general eyed the woman's arm again.
"It's a shame that Miss Fields did not have more control over her powers."
"She did her best," Helen defended quickly. "I think the real tragedy lies in how the base was infiltrated in the first place."
"I take full responsibility on that front, ma'am. I don't know how Sergeant Laclair managed to send out messages to Evelyn, but I assure you that we will find him and bring him to justice."
The mother only nodded as she flexed the mechanical digits. Voyd also didn't show up for the service. She had known she wasn't going to show as Karen blamed herself more than anyone for the fall of The Eighth Wonder and had admitted herself into a hospital. Helen had been the one to push her towards the door to recovery, but as far as she was concerned, Karen should have been deemed as a top-tier hero for getting everyone else out of the death trap that was set for them.
Voyd was a hero. The papers all agreed on that front, but Karen didn't see it that way. She saw it as a failure for not only maiming her role model but depriving her of a daughter as well.
"Have you received any contact from Dr. Pine?" General Griffin asked and the Parr family shook their heads in unison.
"I think he had something to do with this," Mr. Incredible confessed. "He hasn't been telling anyone the whole truth- I think he knew about whoever was plotting this."
"Is that so?" The general asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's my understanding that he returned to Nomansia. Perhaps I should pay him a visit. That island is still the property of the U.S. government after all."
"Well if you do see him, let him know that he's dead to me," Robert stated, not caring for the looks the rest of his family was giving him.
"I'll be sure to send him your regards," the general said before looking to the two boys. "But before I go, The Pentagon is looking to take on a new strategy to harness supers displaced by the loss of the NSA- I was wondering if The Speedster would like to be the face of our star spangle supers program?"
Had the question been asked the day the NSA was disbanded, Dash would have been running laps around D.C. asking where to sign, but he declined the offer. "I think I'd rather stay close to my family if it's all the same," Dash said as he took his brother's hand and walked off with Jack-Jack in tow who was already nagging him why he'd be so dumb to turn down the opportunity.
Left with just the parents, the general was half tempted to pass the offer to the father of the family, but Helen was looking right through him.
"Don't hesitate to reach out, Incredibles," he reiterated before leaving the cemetery for the nation's most treasured supers. "I'm not a spiritual man, but I do believe that Violet is in a better place."
...
Two days after the memorial of Invisigirl, Buddy sat in a beach chair on the white sands of Nomansian Island in a pair of navy blue swim trunks and a pink Hawaiian shirt. A pair of wayfarer shades were shielding his ice blue eyes from the descending sun. It was the only form of protection he currently had on. It didn't take much sun for his fair and freckled skin to burn but he was currently conducting a science experiment of sorts.
Which would incapacitate him first; sun or alcohol poisoning?
It had been three weeks since The Eighth Wonder was attacked. Three weeks since he was given his life back, but he was hardly putting this second chance to good use.
Or was this his third shot? Maybe it was more like his fifth or sixth at this point. He couldn't say and frankly, it didn't matter. His days of playing chicken with death were at a close.
Reaching down into his industrial cooler, he pulled out his twelfth beer of the day, but he was still sober enough to take notice of the figure walking towards him.
"You're lucky I like you, Dr. Pine. I'm almost tempted to hand you an Article 15 for damaging government property," warned the gleeful voice of the newly made Brigadier General Jacob Griffin.
"You know I'm not one of your soldiers, General. Besides, I'm pretty sure I've earned this vacation and all the consequences that come with it," Buddy said without looking in the man's direction. I was wondering when you'd turn up."
"Well, you clearly knew I was coming," the general said as he nodded to the empty chair beside him.
Buddy didn't deny the assumption. Popping the cap off from the beer bottle in his hand, he held it out to the uniformed man who took it in stride.
"I was worried that if I came any later I'd find only a note rather than a fellow fan of John Donne."
Buddy snorted air through his nose as he reached down into the cooler once again.
"I'd hardly say I'm a fan."
"Oh, surely you kid with me, doctor. No Man Is An Island? It is a classic poem!" the general beamed as he took the seat to Buddy's left and stared out to the sea.
"No man is an island,
entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
as well as if a promontory were.
as well as if a manor of thy friend's
or of thine own were.
Any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind-"
"And therefore never send to know for whom, the bell tolls;" Buddy begrudgingly chimed in. "It tolls for thee."
Smiling, the general raised his beer to his comrade.
"You were schooled very well," the general applauded and Buddy ignored the prideful stare the man was giving him. "But it is ironic that you've gone ahead and forgotten the meaning of the poem. That we need our fellow man to thrive in this world."
"I haven't forgotten. I'm just pro-isolation these days."
"I'd very much like to get you to reconsider your hermit attitude and join the ranks, Dr. Pine"
Buddy guzzled the entire bottle, hoping to feel a buzz, but there was nothing. He observed the label of his father's preferred brand of beer in his right hand, contemplating what he was supposed to do after today. He didn't have to run, didn't have any grudge matches worth pursuing. He found himself wanting only to fall to the bottom of a bottle. Maybe he was more like his old man than he had hoped. He just wished the bastard had better taste.
"Sorry G, no can do," Buddy said as he dropped his emptied bottle to the sand, the glass clinking against its fallen brothers from before as he reached for its replacement. "Uniforms cramp my style and I'm in no mood to play with others."
"You don't have to be alone anymore, Dr. Pine. There is a whole community waiting for you."
"I'm not the hero people are saying I am. And I'm 80 percent certain that missile was a dud anyway."
"See, that's exactly why we need you on the team. Always a step ahead!"
"Mhmm."
The general sighed heavily before taking his first swing.
"I've put a lot of work into you, Dr. Pine. An not in just getting this island back in your name."
"Appreciate it, thanks."
"You wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork I had to go through to access your file! So much red tape and nosey agents, but I'm glad that your wrist is back to full operation. I felt just awful about what that animal did to you, but I had to get you out of house arrest somehow and I knew that you could handle a dumb brute like The Ox.
"I have to admire your resilience as well. Why- Major Metal wasn't kidding when he told me that you were his best student. Having a super as your own personal bodyguard, who'd willingly kill for you? Die for you?" the general shook his head and chuckled. "Truly exemplary work. But it's as you said before, I don't think our mentor would have condoned fraternization with the enemy. She did have a nice pair of legs on her, though, I'll give her that."
Buddy remained still as he listened to the confession. He raised the bottle to his lips and Colonel Griffin took the absence of anger as a sign of agreement on the issue. Chuckling again, the military man took another sip from his bottle as he surveyed the sunset.
"I don't know if I could have done such an intimate job myself. Why just having to work for those freaks of nature this last decade and a half was enough to churn my stomach, but I can understand your loss. I lost a dog once," the man said with a sigh. "Dixie. What a little spunk she was, but I know it's not the same. I never fucked my dog at least. No offense."
"None taken."
"But ol' Major Metal would have been proud of us I think. The long game, as he said, was always the best game."
Buddy nodded in agreement, not taking his gaze off of the sunset. "It sure is."
Only the sounds of the ocean water lapping against the shore could be heard on the beach, neither of the men moving a muscle as they waited for the other to make the next move. It was Buddy who caved. "I didn't think the Major had anyone else under his wing."
Smirking, General Griffin dragged his seat closer to Buddy and leaned over the armrests.
"Well, you were the last one to enter his graces, but the way you so aptly named your super killer project made a few of us believe that you knew all along. He told the rest of us about you though. Had you gone to his funeral, who knows what could have been… I still feel a tad bit jealous over the way he raved about you. Said you'd be the one to really bring the end of supers once and for all, make them 'obsolete' were the words he used if I recall correctly."
"Did he now?" Buddy said with a wide grin. "I think I'd like to meet the rest of my cohort."
"All in due time, Dr. Pine. All in due time… though truthfully we are a dying breed as well. You and your dog saw to one of our deceased alumni projects forced to an end, but you can't carry all of the blame. We should have made ourselves known to you much earlier."
"Was Evelyn-?"
"No, though I would venture to say that he would have liked her very much. Had things ended differently maybe a place for her could have been made for her, but I prefer to tie up loose ends. Evelyn was just a means to an end for our plan to get you as a free man again. You were always our top priority. Well, for most of the group, but we can talk about that nuisance another time."
He shrugged off the compliment. "Surely I was on your radar before the super came along, right? Why didn't you all approach me back then? Could have saved us both some trouble."
"Well I think that should be obvious, don't you? You were working with all those high-risk low reward criminals. We couldn't risk partnering with you while you were tied up with such ilk that would sooner give away their own than hold the line. Especially with that fellow, the medical dropout… Schnapps? Oh it was German, wasn't it? Schmerzen? Yes. That was the name. Schmerzen. We couldn't have a war criminal of that magnitude trying to come into our operation. There is already a power struggle as it is."
Buddy nodded again. Schmerzen had been one of his more valuable clients before Kronos, but he had the scars to prove how dangerous that relationship was. But Buddy was more than pleased to know that there was instability within the group he was receiving a long-overdue invitation to.
"Good call."
"As long as we push those supers into extinction first, I'll die a happy man," the general continued as he rested back in his seat again. "I do have to admit that you really convinced me for a time that you actually cared about that super. I mean, when you proposed to that thing on stage, it took everything in me not to laugh!"
"Yeah. I guess I was laying it a little thick there, wasn't I?" Buddy said as he tilted his head flashing his teeth at the general.
"Oh no, I think the icing on that cake was just right! I'm rather upset that the ambush didn't work out the way that I ordered it. You lined that shot up so perfectly too. Almost like you knew we were trying to save you from a terrible mistake. It's sadder still that we lost The Eighth Wonder, but there will be more opportunities to cut the supers down to size. Who knows, maybe you can even make this island your own personal playground again. Hunt some supers for sport. I know the rest of the crew would enjoy that."
"You really think so?" Buddy asked, his voice a little more enthusiastic than before.
"Without a doubt! God, I can't wait to introduce you to everyone else, but I know our munitions man, will become fast friends with you. Oh, yes. Greg Matthews-"
"Why do I know that name?"
"Oh, well he is the number one producer of our favorite mineral," the general answered. The owner of Etna Mining? I'm a little surprised you haven't crossed paths with him before."
Oh, but Buddy had met him. Briefly. Years ago. Before Violet ever stepped foot on this island, - before he had ever stepped foot on this island. He was in the market for graphene and he opted for another vendor on account of budget differences.
"Well, Griff, as I said, I don't have any hard feelings," Buddy said before setting his half-finished beer down. "If anything, I suppose I should be thanking you now. Improving my outlook on life again and whatnot."
"I'm so glad to hear that because, again, you truly had me worried."
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I went off on the deep end for a minute there. Just needed some reminding at how utterly useless supers are at protecting the world."
"That's what we are here for, isn't it?"
"I guess so… But no worries about the wrist. I always wanted to be ambidextrous anyway," Buddy stated, making the other man pause at the odd choice of priorities, but it was too late.
Buddy had drawn the general's revolver from his hip and unloaded two rounds into the man's side without looking away from the ocean.
Blood and gurgles of pain left the older man's mouth as Buddy rose to his feet, eclipsing the sun from his victim's view. Taking in the expression of shock on the dying man's face, Buddy felt nothing at all.
"W-why would you do this? You just said that-"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, Griff, it's all peaches and cream between you and me. I'm just getting these shots in for someone else," Buddy said as he pulled his sunglasses up to rest on his crown.
"You'd betray mankind's dominance for those freaks? Or are you killing me over a single super- your little sl-"
"Actually, that was for Helen," Buddy interjected. "You know, she's not so bad for a super. I figure if she was here she'd probably want to take a shot or two at you. Maybe with that nice new limb I sent her. She really is too soft on the bad guys, I mean, I would know," Buddy said with a smirk as he waved the six-shooter away from him. "I am one."
The general glared at the once-promising recruit with nothing but malice in his eyes.
"You'll rue this day, Pine-" the man spat and Buddy could only laugh at the dropping of the formalities. "The rest of the organization will come for you and when they do-!"
"They'll what? Kill me? I'd like to see them try- Hell, I welcome it! I've got nothing but time, six-packs, and myself to kill at this point. A little change of pace would be nice, and I've already proven I'm good at killing supers. I think it was Richard Connell who pointed out that man is the superior game to hunt."
Now it was the general's turn to laugh.
"Glad to see you find this amusing as well," Buddy said but the silver-haired man shook his head.
"I was just thinking of something that little super said. It's a shame she couldn't be here to see it herself."
Buddy wanted in on the joke as well. He wanted to squeeze every last ounce of information he could out of the man when it came to Violet. To consume every memory the world had of her just to keep her fresh and alive in his mind.
Instead, he ended up pulling the trigger again, firing a single round to the general's head. Griffin's entire body slumped back at the impact and he was dead as a doornail.
Buddy stood there for a moment, observing the deed before he dropped the weapon into the sand. He hadn't meant to let go of it, his hand just became unsteady and shook uncontrollably and he recalled a conversation with someone much stronger than him. A certain beauty ridiculing him for never taking a life with his own hands. It was a line she had said within an infuriating fight that broke into a kiss, and that kiss that dragged him down into the god-awful sickness that he would likely never recover from.
Grabbing hold of his shaking hand, Buddy cursed his weakness. Had he been stronger, or faster, maybe he could have managed to prevent the demise. His intelligence wasn't enough to save her and his arrogance was partially to blame for her loss. That, and the desire to give her a better life even if it meant depriving himself of one entirely. The universe clearly wanted to make his life a never-ending Greek tragedy.
He turned his hardened gaze out to the Pacific again. It wasn't the waters that had drowned his love, but he still resented the sight of the ocean for resembling her deep blue eyes. Inhaling the sea air, Buddy held back on releasing the salt in his eyes, but he could not contain his scream of pent-up frustration and agony.
He screamed his lungs out in the direction of her watery grave. Oblivious to the fact that she still had breath in her lungs.
….
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Three weeks prior
When Violet let the shields down in The Eighth Wonder, she had a last-minute change of heart about giving up entirely. No longer needing to save a building full of people she shielded only herself. The orb she created allowed her to survive the ocean that crashed around her, but she was far from being out of the woods, or in her case, out of the watery depths of the Atlantic.
On top of the bullet that had ripped through her, she had maybe an hour or two worth of air in the bubble. But it would be enough. Buddy was already on his way to her. That's what she would do for him, and she had no doubts that he'd come for her.
Even as the air thinned and her blood pooled beneath her, she still held out to the thought of Buddy being the one to pull her from the remains of The Eighth Wonder. It was still on her mind even as her vision faded with a haggard Sea King dragging her orb to the surface.
Buddy was going to save her. That's what heroes did.
...
She was in and out of consciousness as the bullet wound was sealed. The voice that stitched her was so familiar. Maybe it was the doctor who had sewn her cheek?
She didn't know. She just kept waiting to hear Buddy's voice. Did he hear her while he was in a coma? She hoped that he did, but she hoped to hear him more. Instead, she heard the voice of the man who was in the process of closing the hole in her back.
"Aside from the projectile wounds, the subject looks to be in prime condition. Mid to late twenties. Average weight and height. Still need to collect data on medical and mental health history. Making a note to ask Atlas for the files on one Violet Parr and the NSA intel on Invisigirl."
Violet didn't know why the surgeon spoke about her like she wasn't in the room, but it was off-putting, even under sedation. She felt sick from whatever anesthesia they were using on her, and it didn't do much for the pain.
"Prometheus was possessive of this remarkable creature for reasons that escape me, but I intend to see the full capabilities of this super, and then some. Her abilities are already impressive from the spectator's perspective, but there is plenty of room for improvement yet!"
Violet no longer cared for this doctor and his awful bedside manner. She just wanted to sleep and wake up with Buddy at her side. But she couldn't sleep, not fully. Even after the surgeon closed her up and left her side she still remained in the operating room where there was another person.
Screaming.
"I don't know! I don't know where she is! I'm sorry, I thought she was in her room, just please, let me go!"
" Shhhhh...Please, Mr. Laclair, this is very frustrating for me as well! I had such high hopes for today, but instead of getting to achieve my life's work I get to be here with you," said the sickly sweet voice of her surgeon. "Now I'll ask you one last time, and this is a curtesy I do not often extend to liars- which would you rather have enhanced; your eyes or your skin?"
Violet didn't know what that meant- she just wanted the screaming to stop. She must have mumbled something because she soon felt a warm and wet gloved hand was touching her face.
"There, there, you can rest, Pandora. Let us count back from one hundred together," the surgeon cooed, but Violet did not join the countdown.
"One hundred."
"Ninety-nine"
"Ninety-eight-"
Eight. The Eighth Wonder- That's where she knew Laclair from. But where did she know this voice from?
"Ninety-seven"
"Ninety-six"
"Ninety-five…"
…
…
...
When Violet woke again she woke slowly. Her head felt like it was a thousand pounds, but that's what happened when you tried to hold back an ocean with a bullet in your back.
She lifted an arm to shield her eyes from the bright fluorescent lights, and as she did she came into contact with an electronic black cuff on her wrist.
She sat up fully and frowned. Feeling for the laser cutter Buddy had gifted her, her stomach dropped realizing she was dressed only in a white hospital gown and undergarments beneath that. Ones that she did not put on.
"Buddy?" she called out, hopeful. The last time she had woken up in an unfamiliar place with a bulky accessory it had been in his clutches. But she didn't have the same luck as he did.
In the blinding light, she heard a door open and footsteps followed. She shielded her eyes with her forearm again, hoping to make out the figure who approached her.
"It's about time you woke up," came the voice of The Eighth Wonder's commander. Violet had never felt so relieved to hear that man's voice before and she stumbled out of bed to greet him, tempted to hug him but just stopped short of doing so.
"Colonel Griffin! Oh, thank god you're here. I was worried that I was somewhere else," Violet admitted as she lowered her arm, adjusting to the light. "Where is this anyway? And everyone else for that matter? Where is Buddy?"
"Oh you'll have no need to worry about those details much longer super," the commander stated as he unclasped his hands from behind his back. Without warning he struck her with the back of his hand, the sound of the slap echoed in the cold room.
Stumbling back, Violet brought her own hand to her cheek and eyed the man, bewildered at the show of aggression. "What the hell is your problem!?"
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that. You've ruined my perfect plan to wipe out your best and brightest, and you truly sullied the mind of our most brilliant asset," he said as he began to unbutton the top of his uniform. Pulling his tan undershirt down at the collar, it was just enough to show off a small black tattoo of Saturn.
"You're part of Hyperion?!"
"Found out too little too late, Violet. Yes, although we each go by a different name. Hyperion was just a cover for one of our recently departed members who introduced us to Evelyn, may she rest in peace," he said with a grin that promised anything but peace. "As a whole, we go by The Order of Saturn. Each of us has our part to play, and a name to go with it."
"Atlas," Violet hissed and the general smiled in recognition.
"That's correct, super. I was bestowed with the deadly-minded titan, and the one burdened to carry the world upon my shoulders… But all that grueling has finally begun to pay off. Oh, don't look so upset," the conniving officer purred as he took in the sight of the furious woman. "Soon you'll be a member of our ranks with your very own code name. Though I would have preferred it if you were dead, and I suspect you'll eventually feel the same, but my colleague believes in recycling garbage."
"If you and your friends think I'm going to help whatever fucked up plans you have here-"
"Oh, you are going to do far more than help, Violet. Even I must admit, your ability to kill is without equal, and you've done rather well at eliminating a few supers for us already," the man stated as he neared her. "It's just a matter of harnessing your will to do our bidding, though we are going to leave that nasty task to Iapetus."
Without thinking, Violet threw a fist at the man's face but was caught at the wrist and forced down to the floor. Her face was pressed brutally against the cold slate tile as she was placed into an armbar and Griffin's knee pressed painfully into her back.
"Buddy won't let you get away with this, do you hear me? He isn't like you maniacs anymore and he will come for me!" she growled and her attacker only laughed at the statement.
"Do you know where he is right now? I gave him his island back. Free of government surveillance. He left without a goodbye to your family, no grieving with your loved ones. He didn't even show up to your memorial service. Nobody is coming for you."
Violet shook her head. Even if that was true, even if the world thought her dead, he'd find her eventually. Wouldn't he? He didn't show up to the funeral because he knew she was still alive.
"When he finds out-!"
"It will be some time before it comes to that, super. We have to make sure he is willing to share before we can let him in on our little secret," the turncoat whispered into her ear as a hand seized a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back to meet her hateful eyes. "He's all alone right now, and I'd venture to say that he is almost as vulnerable as you right now," the hand that wasn't threatening to rip her scalp off trailed along the inside of her thigh.
Violet's response came swiftly and the man cursed, wiping the spit from his eye. Slamming her face back to the tile, the military man cracked his neck in anticipation.
"You little bitch!" he growled as he pulled his fist back but it was held back by a new hand but Violet recognized the voice that followed.
"Now, now, Atlas. I spent a good deal of time putting her back together and went through the trouble of recovering this fine and obedient specimen. It would be a shame to damage such a perfect tool as soon as we got her stable again."
"Apologies, Iapetus, but this super is far from obedient, I think some discipline may be in order," the older man suggested as he tore his fist away and the silhouetted figure laughed. The laugh was familiar to Violet, but she still couldn't quite place where she knew the voice from. "I'd be more than happy to prep her for you."
"Very true, but I have a strong feeling that this one can not only withstand whatever beatings you deliver but also repay them in kind. And I for one would love to see what she would do to you, unrestrained. If you want to break her in, those are my conditions."
Violet flinched as the new figure knelt down and took hold of her face with a gloved hand, the scent of latex filling her head. Opening her eyes again, Violet was caught by the man's beautiful features. He was closer to being her contemporary than the general's but she could see that terrible wisdom laid behind those steely hazel gray eyes.
And then she remembered the man in the box, asking Atlas if anyone was home.
He smiled at her as his thumb stroked her still stitched cheek. The continuous friction from the latex began to irritate her skin.
"Atlas, you may take your leave. I do believe that you have a promotion ceremony to prepare for, or am I mistaken on the rank change? Did Janus hack into the DoD servers to give you a demotion instead?"
The soon-to-be general muttered something underneath his breath as he pulled his weight from the woman. Violet wasn't sure if she felt relief or fear flood her system as Griffin exited. Still in the grip of the perfect stranger, Violet attempted to break away but he doubled down on his hold of her like the prized trophy she was.
"You aren't the super I asked for, but what a gift you are, Pandora," he whispered as he gripped her face tight and Violet was forced to rise to her feet and they were eye to eye, his stature only standing an inch or two taller than her. "You're going to work wonders in helping us end your kind's reign on the planet."
"I guess you weren't here when I told that other asshole the fact that I'm not helping you people," Violet uttered as she broke the hold by swinging her arms over his. Once free she put some distance between them but the man continued to smile all the same.
"Even the Pandora of legend did not have much of a say in her destruction," the man said as he watched her from behind his glasses. "Or are you not familiar with the legends and gods of old?"
Violet was in no mood to be lectured on a subject that she had once adored in middle school. She only wanted to get out and get back to her family. She wanted to be held by her mother, to hear Jack-Jack tell another joke that was missing the punchline. She wanted to tease and be teased by Dash and to listen to her father tell the story of the time he single-handedly stopped Abbra Cadabra from making the Metroville Modern Art museum disappear for the hundred and fifth time.
Above all else, she wanted to look into those icy blue pools that she called home. And maybe to rub in his face that she was right about the colonel all along. She just had to break out of here first.
Wherever here was. And she highly doubted that they were in Kansas.
She motioned for the door and felt along the seams of the red-painted door when the pain hit her. Electricity pulsed through her and she collapsed to the ground. A holler was waiting to be released from her throat, but her jaw was clenched shut from the energy that subdued her. When the shock waves finally ceased her entire frame went limp against the cold floor, but it was the rubber laced hands on her that made her shake.
The man that Griffin had called Iapetus rolled her upon her back and mounted himself on top of her, one hand taking hold of her face again, gripping her jaw tightly as his thumb trailed over her lips.
"I wished for the child that could mimic the powers of others. She truly does take after the name Pandora after all. 'All-gifted' that's what the name means. But you may make a reasonable substitute until we collect her and her gifts.
"I was actually open to you the moment we met… So curious, so innocent, and how much the world feared you. Pandora was a beautiful woman created by the Olympians and was offered as a gift to Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus. This union however was a curse in disguise to spite the humans for taking the gift of fire from Prometheus."
Iapetus let his other hand expose Violet's abdomen, the gloved fingers feeling the exit wound stitches that he had sown. The relatively weak man relished the way the powerful woman trembled underneath him and he knew that this was only the beginning for him and his latest pet.
"She opened the jar that contained all the things that would bring about man's destruction. Pain and horrors beyond imagination. Plagues and famines that made civilization welcome the end of the mortal coil," he mused as the hand that held her chin moved to brush her hair from her face. "Pandora attempted to close the box again, but the only thing that was shut away from the world was hope… how interesting it is that fine fine line between hope and despair. Why I think I can see it in your eyes now."
Violet also saw her hopeless expression in the reflection of his glasses and that realization made him smile more
"Instead of denying hope for mankind, however, you will restore it. Your breed will be without prayer to stop their destruction and being forced back into the dark once more."
"I'm not going to help you," Violet whispered again as she felt her muscles come back to life slowly. In spite of her fears, she had to fight. She would fight. Fight until she was free by her own hands or from Buddy's. "I'm not joining your stupid club."
"Oh, my sweet, terrible, and beautiful Pandora… What makes you think I'll leave you any choice in the matter?" the cruel scientist asked.
The Synlet story will continue in Identity Theft. Coming this Winter.