Dash stared at the man in the doorway for a second. "Count B-"
Violet nudged Dash hard in the ribs before he could continue.
"What my brother means, Stephano, is that we're counting on you to get us to Nomanisan Island as quickly as possible."
Stephano gave Dash and Violet a suspicious stare.
"Yes, please remember I am your only chance of getting to the Island," Stephano said. "If you annoy me by calling me by the wrong name or telling your host unpleasant stories about me, I might withdraw the offer, or maybe even get careless with this knife and perhaps drop it on your baby brother's foot."
They suddenly noticed the large, sharp blade in his hand. It had a high-tech look, with several buttons on the grip. There was no doubt in the children's minds that it was more than it seemed, just as there was no doubt in their minds that this man was Count Buddy in disguise.
Jack-Jack had crawled up next to them while they were talking, and the menacing blade was aimed at his left foot.
Just then, Monty Best walked up to the door. Since this was his home and he didn't want to give his secret identity away to a stranger, he had taken off his costume.
"Come in, Stephano," said Monty. "As I told you on the phone, I want to help these children look for their parents since they did such a great job in saving the city from that monster robot... Hey, is that a knife?"
"Oh, you caught me being a mentor," said Stephano with a chuckle. "I was just showing these nice children that it's dangerous to play with sharp objects."
"They're pretty good at looking after themselves," said Monty coldly.
"Quite so, quite so," said Stephano. "Well, shall we be on our way? You told me you were eager to get to Nomanisan Island as quickly as possible."
"In just a few minutes," said Monty. "I need to pack a few things. I'm a herpetologist. An isolated island like Nomanisan is a great place to look for new species of reptiles."
"I'll help you," said Stephano quickly.
When both had left the room, Dash turned on Violet.
"Why did you cut me off, Vi? We should've fought him!" Dash exclaimed.
"Because he's our only way to Nomanisan Island to find Mom and Dad," Violet said. "He really does have a jet. I heard him tell Mirage he flew out there and back the day we were doing chores."
"So we just play along with him?" Dash asked.
"Until we can get the drop on him. Right after we land at Nomanisan, I hope," Violet said.
"How can we warn Frozone?" asked Dash.
"I don't know," said Violet. "Syndrome isn't letting him out of his sight for an instant. He'll be too alert for me to sneak in invisibly and whisper a message."
"Vipa!" said Jack-Jack.
"Good plan, Jack-Jack," said Violet. "You morph into an Incredibles' Deadly Viper again and crawl into the Reptile Room where they're packing. You can carry a message written on your back."
Dash sped around the front rooms for few seconds, looking everywhere for something to write with. He came back with a magic marker. Jack-Jack morphed into snake form.
"What shall I write?" he asked Violet.
"What about just 'IMPOSTOR'? That's only eight letters and it will fit on Jack-Jack's back." said Violet.
Dash wrote 'IMPASTOR' on the snake. Jack-Jack crawled rapidly away to the Reptile Room.
"I don't think you spelled that right," said Violet.
"Monty will get it," said Dash confidently.
A few minutes later, Monty and Stephano came out, carrying a large box. Monty smiled and winked at them as he passed. Apparently he had gotten the message.
The Incredibles, Monty Best, and Stephano/Syndrome got into a taxi and drove to the airport where the jet was waiting.
"There's a completely automated robotic pilot on this baby," said Stephano after they had boarded. "Just a moment and I'll set it to take us to Nomanisan."
"Frozone, this is our chance!" said Violet in an excited whisper. "We can attack as soon as the autopilot is set."
"What are you talking about?" said Monty.
"Didn't you get our message?" asked Dash.
"Yeah, and it made me smile. 'I'M PASTOR', it said. Pastor Troy is a favorite rap artist of mine, too," said Monty.
"No, we meant Stephano is an impostor! He's Syndrome in disguise, and.." said Violet.
But trying to correct the communication mistake had taken too long. From the front of the plane a high-tech knife came flying. It stuck itself into Monty's back and he fell face down in front of them.
Syndrome emerged from the pilot's cabin, back in his black-and-white caped costume. He looked even more menacing with his bald head.
"This is your captain speaking," he announced gleefully. "Next stop, Nomanisan Island. Beautiful sunsets, pleasant beaches, and relaxed guardianship laws."
"Why did you kill Monty?" Violet cried.
"There's only room for one guardian while I complete your training as my sidekicks," said Syndrome.
He faced them confidently, gauntlets ready and aimed. The Incredibles felt disheartened. They had led Monty into this trap, unprepared because of a misspelled message. Could they fight this villain alone and win?
The plane streaked through the sky toward Nomanisan Island.
