Silas' van approached an abandoned entrance, blocked off with graffitied signs and barbed wire. However, Gru and Lucy gazed past this and stared directly at the core of Apex Labs. Anyone could've labelled the place as a world of wonder. Scientists and electric cars entered and exited the large turquoise biome. Beside it lay its own runway for private jets and helicopters, presumably for transporting their products across the globe. After all, Apex Labs was one of the largest labs in the world, as well as a fundamental connection to the Anti-Villain League. Most scientists, who begin as Interns, either remain at Apex or join the AVL later in the future.
"You should be secure here," Silas insisted, switching off the ignition. Whilst the area seemed quiet, the van's engine could've easily blown their cover.
Lucy beamed at the spectacle. "Wow…I remember studying this place at university. Never thought I'd see it in person."
Gru chuckled. "You're not just seeing it, you're stealing from it."
Whilst Lucy gave a sly chuckle at the comment, Silas cleared his throat. "Yes, well…don't let the villainy blind you from what's important."
"Humiliating the guards?"
"No."
Lucy shrugged.
Popping open the glovebox, Silas handed the pair a walkie-talkie each. He dialled in the same code in each piece of equipment. "Once you're ready to depart, use the codeword Rams. If you're in an emergency, use the codeword Bottom."
Both Gru and Lucy struggled to contain their laughter. Rolling his eyes, Silas gestured to the backdoor. "Just hurry up and get the job done. I'll be here when you need me."
"Thanks, Silas," Lucy patted him on the shoulder. Throwing up her hood, she jumped out the back, with Gru trailing behind.
Lucy shoved the radios inside her backpack, trading them with her x-ray goggles. She scanned the area. The security was sharp. Each vehicle checked before entering. Each gate covered by verification. She glanced upward, spotting the area circled by trees. Pursing her lips, she judged the distance between the trees and the building.
"Think you can get over there?" Lucy pointed to the top of the building.
With a smirk, Gru searched his suit's control panel. He switched to camouflage, startling Lucy as he vanished into thin air. "Not a problem."
Lucy whirled her head around. "Where'd you go?"
Gru tapped her on the shoulder, chuckling when she jerked. Lucy shook her head with a smile. "That's way too cool. I'm gonna have to make my own version."
Both of them climbed the largest tree, reaching the highest branch that gave them enough height to challenge the building. Twisting a small cap above his left wrist, Gru shot a wire across the distance. It was small enough to be invisible, but the durability would easily hold ten people at once. The grappling hook clasped onto the building, undetected. He wrapped his end of the wire around the branch, tightening it into a knot.
"Okay," Gru ripped off another branch, curved enough to use as leverage on the wire, "I'll glide across and distract any guards that could see you."
Giving him a thumbs up, Lucy grinned. She couldn't fight off the excitement - a break-in was like no other, villain or hero.
Halfway across, the branch tilted to one side. Gru flinched, trying to keep the wire in between. But, the strength of the wire began to slice through the wood. Gru gasped, clenching his eyes shut, ready for the fall-
SMACK!
Gru groaned, peeling himself away from the building. He sighed in relief. At least he made it. The branch, on the other hand, fell to its inevitable doom. Climbing onto the roof, Gru grabbed the grapple hook, knotting it across a pillar on top of the building. He winced as his chest ached from the collision - Lucy shouldn't suffer the same.
Wrapping her hoodie over the rope, Lucy kicked off the ground and zoomed across the line. She glanced down, grinning as her feet hovered above the scenery. The grin faded, spotting the security guard scanning the surrounding area. With her free hand, she grabbed whatever she could find - a biscoff. Shrugging, she dropped it down below.
A scoff escaped her lips. What a sucker. Nobody else detected her, especially as she came real close to the–
"Oof!" Gru and Lucy both gasped, as she catapulted straight into her husband. At least she made it across.
"Sorry," she chuckled, helping him up as she also stood.
Gru shook his head with a smile. Okay, step one completed. He turned, facing a nearby vent. Switching his suit to laser, Gru pointed his finger across the seams, cutting a gap big enough to climb inside.
"Okay," Gru carefully removed the metal, passing it to Lucy, "it's a sudden drop. So we must be careful."
Lucy nodded. "Careful is my middle name."
Gru jokingly winced. "Are you sure?"
Nudging him, Lucy chuckled as she stepped towards the vent. She glanced down, stomach dropping as she examined the descent. Gru suggested he go first, as his bulkier form could easily find leverage, whereas Lucy would plummet to the ground. Switching to sticky, Gru slowly climbed down the vent.
"You'd think places would have learnt to keep their vents small," Lucy pondered.
Doing so, her hand grabbed onto Gru's arm - the suit's control panel in particular. The dial switched to slippery, causing Gru to slide down the walls. Both Gru and Lucy cried out, soaring through the vent, about to burst through the bottom. Luckily, Gru switched back to sticky just as his nose touched the bottom. And if it couldn't get any worse…
"A pleasure to see you again!"
Gru widened his eyes and gasped, scrambling upward and grabbing Lucy in a tight hold. With a finger pressed to his lips, he gestured below. He slapped a hand around her mouth to hide her terrified gasp.
Out of all people they could bump into…Valerie Da Vinci perched on the office desk. Sat in the comfy manager's seat opposite was Brian Apex, conversing about whatever pointless gossip they had to offer. Gru and Lucy weren't as clued up to Mr. Apex like Da Vinci, but they always heard the same word used by other agents to describe him - weird.
Not the negative type of weird. More mysterious. His voice was desperate, hungry for dominance. Beads of sweat trickled down his face during meetings. He always took the last word. A conversation between him and Da Vinci would be interesting enough. Lucy internally wished she brought popcorn.
"So," Apex crossed his hands together, "I heard about your plans, they're quite fascinating. How are they going?"
"They're going," Da Vinci rolled her eyes, "just tons of stupid paperwork to fill. The sooner I organise this fiasco, the better."
"Hmm," he opened a drawer, sorting through some folders, "and the offer that you told me about? That one agent?"
"You mean Mr–"
"Shh," Apex waved a hand, "confidentiality. I can't deal with another lawsuit, so we avoid names."
Da Vinci gave him a strange look. "Sounds ridiculous."
"Not when you've got a business to maintain," he straightened his tie, before continuing, "but back to my point…you're not seriously thinking about accepting his offer, right?"
"I don't take orders from my agents," Da Vinci crossed her arms, sticking her nose in the air, "besides, why should I trust him?"
Apex snickered, "Given his chequered past, I'd think twice."
"It's not his past, it's his incompetence."
"Hmm," Apex nodded in agreement, "he's a sneaky fellow."
Da Vinci scoffed. "And you're far from it?"
Furrowing his brows, Apex leant on his elbows. "Me and him are not the same. I take desperate measures into my hands and confront them. Him? He runs away."
Crossing her legs, Da Vinci nodded in agreement. "That's why I never considered him as director."
"But her?" Apex strained, "Surely you wouldn't take the risk. Especially with our agreement. I sure hope you haven't forgotten."
"Your secret will stay hidden when you give me my damn weapons!" Da Vinci snapped, slamming her hands on his desk.
Apex rolled his eyes. Regardless of how loud she was, it didn't phase him in the slightest.
"I could easily tell her the truth," Da Vinci warned, "I don't need to keep this secret for you."
"And what good will that bring you?" Apex replied with a knowing smirk, "If she finds out, you will be the one going down."
With a moment's thought, Da Vinci almost sunk her head into her shoulders. She couldn't bear to admit that Apex was right - but keeping a dirty secret from one of your agents? Especially this particular agent? Bad news.
Meanwhile, Lucy cocked a brow as she tried to decipher the meaning. "What are they talking about?" She tapped her lip, "Chequered past…could they be talking about you?"
Gru shrugged, feeling a lump in his throat. He hoped she wouldn't catch onto anything else mentioned within the conversation.
"Weapons…secrets…considering someone to be director…" Lucy mumbled to herself.
Gru felt a zap through his veins. There's the cue to change the subject.
"Uh…hey look, this seems promising," Gru gestured to another vent pathway, leading away from Da Vinci and Apex.
Sighing in relief, he crawled through the duct and arrived at another hatch. He peeked through the gap, spotting a young Intern. They sat alone at a cramped desk, drumming their fingers across the table. Clearly clueless on what to do next.
Gru cackled, motioning for Lucy to watch. "In all of my villain years, there'll always be one intern that messes up."
He waited in anticipation. The Intern checked their phone, before rising from their seat and heading for the door. However, even though they shut the door, no click was heard.
"Aaaaaand…there it is," Gru grinned, cutting the hatch open, "just in case we need another exit."
Lucy grinned with him. She loved the enthralled buzz in her limbs - one she felt whilst out in the field as an agent. The new scenario felt just as welcoming.
Switching back to sticky, Gru lowered himself through the hatch and inside the room. He widened his eyes, an admirable gasp escaping his lungs. Nefario's lab definitely needed a refurbishment judging by the Apex lab. He glanced at the door, Room 26. The building was massive - who knows how many more rooms there could be?
After searching around for a while, Gru frowned. "I think we're in the wrong room."
He tapped his tracker. It beeped back, advising him that the mercury was in the room. Gru groaned, trying to refresh the system. "This stupid thing isn't working."
In the corner of the room, however, he heard a few click click clicks. Gru spotted his wife kneeling next to a floor panel and a safe, picking at the lock with one of her hair clips. He realised, much to his embarrassment, the safe was buried within the floor.
With a beep, the safe cracked open. Lucy beamed as the silver glow reflected across her skin. "Here it is."
"No, no, no!" Gru grabbed her hand, "You need to be careful, pure mercury will burn your skin."
Lucy hunched her shoulders. "Oops."
Switching his suit to radioactive, Gru carefully gripped the mercury canister. Him and Lucy beamed at the liquid, exchanging delighted glances. Mission complete.
Easier than I expected, Lucy thought, where's the challenge?
Hooking the canister under his arm, Gru gestured back to the vent. "Okay, let's get outta here."
Nodding, Lucy began to follow him. They would've easily escaped without a trace, but something glowed in the corner of Lucy's eye. She stepped backward, catching the red glint. "Woah, what's this?"
A weapon, shaped almost like a thin-bladed axe. Curious, she removed it from the hook, examining the details. She hadn't seen a weapon like this before, and she scored full marks on the weaponry exam whilst training for the AVL. The red liquid left her in a state of unease. By the looks of it, the weapon hadn't been used yet.
A label caught her eye: THE SPLITTER. DISPATCH TO ANTI-VILLAIN LEAGUE.
And then…something else caught her attention. Her grin dropped.
"Lucy!" Gru whispered, head poking out of the vent, "We gotta go!"
She still wouldn't budge. Something was up. Slipping out the vent once again, Gru joined her side. He followed her gaze, face dropping as soon as he spotted what caught her attention.
A tall portrait, at least ten feet in length, mounted on the wall. Many workers and scientists painted by memory, all together in one group. Gru's breath hitched as he also noticed Lucy's parents lurking at the side. The silver caption read:
In Loving Memory of those lost in the Apex Explosion of 1986.
A rock formed in his chest. Gru glanced at his wife, slipping his hand into hers. "Are you okay?"
"They died in an explosion," Lucy stated, matter-of-factly, "how could this place still be open? After that, you'd shut down completely."
"Honey, we need to get to safety," he tugged her arm, "we'll talk about it when we get home."
Lucy didn't move. She couldn't lose sight of the happiness in her parents' eyes. "But the report said they were found at Pier 13, why are they in this portrait?"
The sounds grew louder. Gru cringed. "We'll figure it out, let's go."
"I'm taking this," Lucy reached for the portrait, but Gru grabbed her hands.
"You can't sneak a portrait out of this place!" Gru's voice grew desperate. He couldn't risk his wife getting caught.
Lucy slipped away from him. "I'm gonna try."
"Lucy!"
Another voice broke into the conversation, "Hey!"
The couple gasped. Turning, Gru and Lucy faced an Apex guard. Realising the weapon still lay in her grip, Lucy hid it behind her back.
"Who are you two?" The guard demanded, waving his weapon at them.
Taking a breath, Gru held up his hands in surrender. He walked slowly towards the guard, "We're not here to harm anyone. Just going to take what we need, and we'll go."
Despite the smooth voice, Gru flinched when the guard aimed the weapon directly at his face. "Return what you've taken, and I'll reconsider blowing your face off."
Gru widened his eyes.
Lucy's heart catapulted, especially when the guard jabbed the weapon in between her husband's eyes. A fire lit inside her chest. Her hands tightened around the weapon. Eyes furrowed. This time, not just a ringlet of her hair transformed, but an entire strand. She aimed the weapon…
ZAP!
The red liquid bubbled inside the weapon, shooting out as a laser. It hit the scientist, who gasped, pausing for a moment.
And what happened after that…
Lucy's glare dropped.
Gru covered his mouth.
The scientist's body split into half, collapsing across the floor. Their hand fell across Gru's foot, who yelped and leapt away from it.
"Who…why…" Lucy dropped the weapon, mortified.
Without hesitation, Gru shoved the mercury canister in Lucy's backpack. Before she followed, Lucy caught a picture of the portrait with her phone. She bolted through the hallway, finally catching up with her husband. Two guards spotted them, charging towards the couple. Lucy pressed a button on her spy watch, shooting epoxy from the dial. Their feet glued to the ground, hardening into concrete.
Lifting his elbow forward, Gru shut his eyes as he lunged for a window…
SMASH!
Gru and Lucy leapt out the smashed window, shards showering beside them. Luckily, they were only on the second floor to provide a soft landing. Glancing around, Gru flinched as six guards were alerted to the sound. Lucy grinned, rolling her shoulders.
"We can outrun these losers," Lucy snickered, before making a break for it.
Tripping slightly, Gru trailed after her. He caught up on her side, casually glancing backward. They were far ahead, but focus was key. "Chasing villains is one thing," he slowed slightly, "but being the villain chased, you gotta give fifty times more power to it."
Lucy nodded, picking up the pace. "Right in front of you!"
Reaching into her backpack's side pocket, Lucy drew out her grappling gun.
Gru shrieked, "Wait!"
POW!
The hook launched out the barrel, sending Lucy towards the highest tree. Gasping, Lucy craned her neck to keep an eye on her husband. She reached a tree branch, climbing on top for leverage. "Gru!"
"It's okay, I'm down here!" Gru yelled, catching up to the tree.
Aiming the grappling hook in his direction, Lucy readied herself to take the shot before the guards could catch him. However, the branch she perched upon wasn't the safest option. The wood slowly splintered…
CRACK!
Lucy yelled as she collapsed with the branch, launching on top of Gru. He lost his balance, sending them both rolling down a nearby hill. With a groan, Gru lifted his head from the floor, dirt tumbling down his nose.
Gru sighed. "At least we lost them."
Breathless, Lucy only managed a thumbs up as she lay face-down.
Brushing his face and cracking his stiff joints, he helped Lucy stand. She brushed herself down, kneeling as she caught her breath. In the distance, she spotted the familiar van that made her gasp. "Quick, I can see Silas!"
Rummaging for his radio in Lucy's backpack, Gru followed his wife as they ran back towards their starting point. The grass wasn't tall enough to hide within, so they could only rely on their stealth.
Pulling the cord, Gru called into the radio, "Silas, we're ready to-"
BANG!
Gru yelled as the radio exploded in his grip. He glanced around his shoulder, spotting a hidden guard aiming a pistol. He gasped, "No!"
If the situation couldn't get worse, the headlights on Silas' van shone across the pair. Lucy heard the echo of guards alerting others, grabbing their closest weapon and chasing after them. She picked up her pace, hoping that Silas was prepared to step on the gas…
…Instead, Silas drove away.
Lucy ran faster. "Wait, wait, what's he doing?"
They both gasped as they noticed two Apex vans following behind Silas. He was caught. Now without an obvious spotlight on them, Gru and Lucy paused a moment, crouching within the grass.
Grabbing the radio from her backpack, Lucy cried, "Silas, are you okay?"
Static.
Lucy repeated, heart quickening, "Silas?"
The silence burdened her. Gru lay a hand on her shoulder as she waited for an answer. Throwing off her hood, Lucy quivered. He's screwed, she thought, I shouldn't have gotten him involved.
But, after a few seconds, "Sorry, I'm against calling and driving."
His voice made Gru and Lucy sigh in relief. Silas continued, "I'm fine, but I won't be able to come back."
Gru buried his face into his hands. "Okay…okay…I'll think of something."
Taking his hand, Lucy smirked. "It's okay, I've got a Plan B…or a Plan L, get it? Plan Lucy."
Reaching into her hoodie pocket with her free hand, Lucy retrieved her car key. She pressed the button…but nothing happened. Her beam lasted for about ten seconds, before her cheeks began to ache.
Her eyes whirled around, trying to catch a sight of her car. "Any minute now…"
The guards' voices grew louder. Within seconds, the couple found themselves bathed in tactical lights and sniper lasers. They shot up, back-to-back.
Lucy whipped her head around. Multiple guards circled them, ready to shoot. She whipped her hood up, knowing they could've easily identified her thanks to her hair. "Oh man…what do we do?"
After several years together, Gru knew one important thing about Lucy - when she panicked, her anxiety caused her to lose the ability to fight. Surrounded by guards and their careers on the line, as well as endangering their daughters, he couldn't watch her panic.
"Lucy, look at me," he grabbed her shoulders, "remember what I said. You are the hero."
She tried listening, but the guards stepped closer. "But-"
"They're the targets," Gru gave her a courageous smile, "don't focus on being caught, focus on defeating them."
Giving him a nod, the pair jumped into their battle stance. Count the targets…identify the weapons…figure out their weakness.
Lucy cracked her knuckles. One fist behind, stretched hand at the front. With this, she prepared for the first guard, who obviously had no tactic. She grasped his fist, twisting his arm and flipping him over.
Footsteps grew closer towards Gru, who turned at the perfect moment. He swiped at the guard's jaw, knocking him down. One leg swiped at another, straight in the groin. Almost caught out by a guard in front of him, Gru trapped them in a headlock. He threw them towards Lucy, who delivered a swift bash of her knee into his chest.
Something jabbed Lucy in the side, making her recoil. She reached into her hoodie and beamed - one of Edith's shurikens sat inside the pocket. With a smooth flick of her wrist, she threw the weapon towards the remaining guards. It swiped through all their weapons, slicing them in half.
The remaining guards were easy to defeat; their weapons were obviously replacements for their shocking combat skills. Although, in the midst of his cockiness, Gru took a sharp blow across his head. He collapsed, gasping up at the guard who struck him. They aimed another gun at him.
Clenching his teeth, Gru threw up his arms in defence. Ready to take the blow…
ZAPP!
Gru opened one eye, sighing in relief as the guard dropped his weapon. Instead, he yelled in agony as his body twisted and contorted, doused in electric light. He collapsed, revealing a giddy Lucy behind him. She waved her lipstick taser in the air, grinning.
"Never gets old," she cheered.
On cue, a pair of headlights skidded to a halt in front of them. Gru pushed Lucy behind him, fists balled up. However, to his embarrassment, it was only Lucy's car. Grinning, Lucy jumped into the driver's seat, chucking her backpack into the glovebox.
"I knew that function would come in handy someday," she cheered.
Once Gru secured himself in the passenger's seat, Lucy stomped on the gas. Her car skidded across the field, gaining enough leverage as the jet function required full bars. She glanced in the windshield, spotting one of the guard's holding a rocket launcher. She winced, her foot pressing harder against the pedal.
One more bar…
WHOOSH!
The rocket launched…slowly aiming for the car…
"Try catching us now, suckers!" Lucy shouted, before pressing the jet button.
With that, the car soared into the air. The rocket launched directly into the forest, smashing down several trees and part of the surrounding barbed wire fence. Gru, who held his breath the entire time, released a large exhale. He glanced out the window, spotting the guards staring up at them as they flew away from the labs.
"YES!" Lucy cheered, fist punching the air, "That was insane!"
Gru couldn't help but laugh with her. He double checked her backpack, grinning at the mercury canister.
Their first heist together.
"So…" Lucy glanced at her husband, "what now?"
By the smirk on her face, he knew exactly what ran through her mind. He couldn't lie, his mind craved for the exact same. That familiar buzz wouldn't stop until it felt satisfied. And with his wife, it felt like that villainous daffodil inside her finally found its season to grow.
Maybe…this villainous side of her could stay a little longer.
"I say…" Gru's lips twisted up in a smile, "we tick off more on that list of yours."
Meanwhile, downtown Pasadena found itself cluttered with couples, families, or casual civilians finding any excuse to walk in the sun. Multiple restaurants fought for attention, but its famous Waffle House sat on the corner of main street, unafraid of any competition. Directly at the window, Vector, Eduardo, and Bratt sat in a booth together with the three girls.
With a satisfied smile, Eduardo slowly appreciated his waffle. He popped a white chocolate-covered strawberry in his mouth, smacking his lips. "The flavour, so delicious."
Bratt nodded, sipping his milkshake. "The food's way more groovy here than back in the jail cell."
After tucking a napkin within the collar of his shirt, Vector rolled up one of his crepes, picking it up from the plate. He eyed the treat like a valuable gem.
Bratt shook his head. "There's no way you'll inhale that in one go."
"Wanna bet?" Vector raised his brow.
Bratt crossed his arms with a smirk. "I'll buy you another crepe."
Licking his lips, Vector gracefully slipped the crepe into his mouth. After a few seconds, he swallowed the contents, wiggling his eyebrows at Bratt.
Bratt blinked. With a defeated sigh, he raised his hand to call over the Waiter. "With extra chocolate chips?"
Vector slurped on his drink. "You know it."
Opposite them were the three girls. Edith gawked at Vector's appetite, grinning as she leant her elbows across the table. "Woah, I wish I had the stomach for that."
"I'll happily teach you," Vector smirked, "It's about locking your mind away from the oh I'm gonna be sick thoughts. Use both direction and magnitude, beanie girl."
Edith chuckled when he ruffled her beanie, shoving another piece of crepe inside her mouth. Agnes tapped Eduardo, pointing at the fork and Vector. He winked at her, cutting off a small piece of crepe and placing it on the fork's base.
Margo gripped her milkshake like it'd jump out her hands. With furrowed brows, she watched her sisters laugh and joke with the…hero villains. This wasn't normal. Two kidnapped them, whilst the other took her mother hostage. How could they be sitting there with wide grins? They should be at home, safe and sound.
She flinched when she heard Agnes cheer, "Ready…go!"
Bratt slapped the fork's base, causing the waffle piece to fly across the table…and directly into Vector's mouth. Everyone cheered and high-fived each other, except for Margo.
She sunk into her chair. I got us into this mess, Margo thought, I gotta get us out.
The idea wasn't the most sophisticated, but child endangerment would alert any adult. Right?
"Everybody run!" Margo leapt from her seat, waving her hands in the air. She pointed at the men, "Villains!"
Vector, Eduardo, and Bratt all stared, shocked. Edith threw her hands up, 'What the hell, Margo?'
The manager stepped out of her office. She dropped the coffee in her hands, staring towards where the villains were sitting. "Oh my word…"
Margo rushed up towards her, pleading, "Call the AVL, there's–"
"Robbers!" The manager shrieked, pointing beyond the restaurant windows.
Everyone gasped, following her direction. Opposite the street sat the downtown bank. Bursting out the doors were two robbers, struggling with a large sack of cash. Their third colleague sat behind the wheel of a gorgeous red car - obviously stolen - grinning as he revved the engine. As they jumped into the wagon, they soared down the street, a few loose dollar bills floating behind.
Vector, Eduardo, and Bratt stared at each other, eyes glinting in excitement. Their mirrored smiles immediately decided on a plan. No time wasted, they scooted out the booth and slipped out the restaurant. Bratt kicked his heels against the pavement, triggering his roller-skates. He gestured for Vector to climb on his shoulders, before he skated towards the car. With enough agility, Eduardo sprinted beside them.
With enough leverage, Vector launched himself from Bratt's shoulders into the air. He whipped out his squid gun and fired. The squid stuck itself to the trunk. Vector laughed in success, until he realised the car kept moving. Still holding the squid launcher, he yelled out as he soared off the ground, flying through the air as the car sped through the town. He crashed through a pile of garbage bins and loose bags.
He called back to the shop owner, "I'll clean that up!"
Pacing ahead of the car, Eduardo skidded to a halt a hundred feet away from the robbers. They stepped on the gas, aiming to ram him straight off the road. However, Eduardo raised his fists…
CRUNCH!
His punch smashed the road into chunks, sending a wave straight towards the car. The car skidded to a halt, trying to swerve away from the collision…but one of the road pieces fell onto the bonnet.
Smirking, Vector pressed the retract button on his squid launcher, landing atop of the car. He swung through the window, kicking two of the criminals in the jaw. The third criminal jumped out the car, throwing open the trunk and grabbing the sack of cash. Vector hijacked the wheel, but wasn't fast enough to catch the other two from joining their accomplice.
All together, they heaved the heavy sack down the high street. Civilians cowered away, terrified of their guns and wicked expressions. Hope seemed lost, until…
"That's a pretty big stash of cash to take outta your account," Bratt called out, roller-skating in front of them, "mind if we do a security check?"
He reached behind his back, drawing a ukulele. Strumming a calm tune caused the robbers to pause, snickering and pointing at the absurdity. Bratt continued to smile, reaching the depth of the tune…leading to several waves flowing out of the strings. They circled the robbers, trapping them in a circle.
One of the robbers yawned, swaying their head to the music. He found a comfortable spot across the road, deciding to take a nap. His companions followed suit, laying across each other in a dog pile. The sack of cash fell from their grip, rolling towards Eduardo's feet.
Hoisting the sack above his shoulders, Eduardo smiled as civilians cheered. He placed the sack in front of the bank's entrance, accompanied by Vector skidding to a halt in the car, and Bratt roller-skating beside him.
The cheers…the smiles…nobody ran away. No pointed fingers or screams. Goosebumps ran through their skin, as well as unfamiliar chills down their spine. But it felt good. They were being praised for once in their life.
They entered the restaurant again, where all the customers stood and applauded. Edith and Agnes jumped on the seats, hollering.
"That was awesome!" Edith grinned, pulling the strings on her beanie.
Eduardo chuckled, sitting back inside the booth, "I agree, it gave me a nice tingle in my heart."
Placing his hands on his hips, Bratt smirked, "Totally, being a good guy feels...good."
Margo gulped. She couldn't lie, all suspicions hovering over the villains were vanquished. Words couldn't describe her thoughts, so instead she gave them a nod. Luckily, it was enough for them.
Vector held out his fist. "C'mon, bring it in. Our first criminal capture!"
Edith and Agnes bumped his fist. With a chuckle, Margo followed suit, as well as Bratt and Eduardo. In the midst of their celebration, the restaurant's television switched on. The manager turned up the volume, interested.
The headline announced in bold letters: DISGUISED THIEVES STEAL VALUABLES FROM APEX LABS, REWARD FOR CAPTURE.
A picture popped up: it was Gru and Lucy, but the girls couldn't see through the black and white saturation. The video jumped straight to Lucy's car soaring through the air, with the remaining guards frustrated and confused.
Margo squinted, noticing that the car in question seemed awfully familiar…
"The culprits escaped with a highly confidential liquid, and barely with their lives," the reporter explained, "there's not much to report on these criminals, only a blurred picture reveals there were two."
Mr Apex appeared on screen, interviewed by the news team. His hand lay across his chest. "Whoever these disgraceful criminals are, we're desperate for the public's help."
Vector waved his hand, retrieving his handkerchief to wipe his mouth. "Ahh, they're overreacting. It's just Gru and Lucy getting that cure, now that she's a villain and all."
Edith and Agnes' mouths popped open. Margo slowly turned her head, unable to comprehend the words that were spoken. "She's a what?"
Bratt and Eduardo shot him a glare.
Sinking his head into his shoulders, Vector murmured, "Oh shoot."
