I do not normally like writing the word "meanwhile," particularly in a cliché such as "meanwhile, back at the ranch." But I'm afraid I will have to use them a few times in the course of this story, because the Parrs were split up among the land, air, and sea team looking for the sugar bowl.
I have just described what happened with Violet, KitFox, Duncan, and the Man with a Beard and No Hair. Meanwhile, the Woman with Hair and No Beard drove the other two teams away in her black limousine. She dropped the sea team (Syndrome, Dash, and Isadora) off at the pier, and took the air team (Jack-Jack and Quigley) to a private landing field where the jet was parked.
"K sera sera," said Jack-Jack to Quigley, which meant, "I know you wish I were Violet, but I'm not, so we have to make the best of it."
"I'm sorry," Quigley said, "I can't understand you."
The "freaks" and the bunch of Snow Scouts that the Menacing Couple had kept for themselves were all sitting toward the front of the plane. The Scout were silently miserable, too afraid of the Woman to talk. Hugo, Colette, and Kevin were playing cards with Uncle Bruce. They still seemed to have no memory of being Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, and Macroburst.
Quigley started toward the front of the plane with the idea that he might be able to cut off their hypnotic collars and restore their memories, but a voice from the jet's loudspeaker cut him off.
"This is your Captain speaking," said the Woman with Hair and No Beard. "Any attempt to approach my slaves will be regarded as a breach of the truce and grounds for immediate execution. Thank you."
Quigley walked back and sat next to Jack-Jack. It was going to be a long flight. He watched out the window as the Woman executed a search pattern over the ocean, apparently looking for a ship that might have made off with the sugar bowl. It didn't seem very promising.
Quigley touched Jack-Jack's shoulder. "Better copy my power. You might get the opportunity to break your parents free."
"Rojja," said Jack-Jack, meaning "I'm on top of that."
Meanwhile, the sea team boarded the Karimelita. Dash was inwardly feeling a little frightened at facing the villain on his own, but he tried to put on a bold front.
"Are you going to use slave rowing-power again?" Dash asked Syndrome.
"What's it to you?" Syndrome said with a snicker. "There's a motor on this tub too. Since I want to get there as fast as I can, I'll use both the rowers and the motor. Tell you what: since you're so interested, once I find the sugar bowl and the truce is over I'll let you and your girlfriend be galley slaves too. Hoo hoo tee hee hee."
After Count Buddy left to see to the motors, Fiona came into the room.
"Dash! Did Syndrome capture you again?" she asked.
"No, it's a truce to find the sugar bowl," Dash explained.
"What was that he said about a girlfriend?" Fiona asked.
"He was blowing smoke as usual," said Dash. "Fiona, this is Isadora Rydinger, a friend of mine from our last school. She's a half super. Isadora, this is Fiona. She used to be Stratogale, but now... she works for Syndrome."
The two eyed each other, sensing a rival. Dash realized a bad situation was developing. He tugged at Isadora. "Come on, Isadora. Let's find a porthole so we can watch for the sugar bowl."
"You realize if she's Stratogale she's about twenty years older than you?" Isadora asked Dash as they walked away.
"It's a time-warp thing," Dash explained. "She and Splashdown jumped forward fifteen years."
The Karimelita raced through the water at high speed, and in about an hour it surfaced at the ruined site of Anwhistle Aquatics.
"Whoever tricked Captain Widdershins and Phil into leaving the Quohog must have had the sugar bowl with them," Syndrome said. "There are passages from here down to the Gargoyle Grotto. Triangle Eyes, you and your brother and I will search the site for clues. Esmé and Kari Melita will remain inside to guard the Snow Scouts. Dash and Isadora, I suggest you stay inside and keep out of my way."
"We're coming out and looking for clues, too," said Dash. "As long as the truce is on you can't threaten us."
"I can't?" said Syndrome. "Oh well, come out and look if you must."
The search group walked out into the burned-out shell of the huge aquatic research station.
"This brings back old memories," said Fernald.
"Yeah, of burning the place up," said Dash.
"You don't know anything about it," Fernald said with a scowl. "There were good reasons. Gregor Anwhistle was a brilliant but twisted scientist. The experiments he was doing with mushrooms and... with other things had to be stopped."
"They told us something about Anwhistle in V.F.D. training," said Isadora. "Wasn't he Josephine Edna Mode's husband?"
"That was his brother Ike," said Fernald. "I don't know much about him except I think he was a scientist, too."
"Stepfather would never have approved of fighting fire with fire like that," said Fiona.
"Ha! He helped me do it!" said Fernald. "Then he swam away at the first sign of trouble, leaving me to face the music alone."
"I can't believe it!" said Fiona.
"Believe it, sister," said Fernald. "Why do you think he went into hiding right after the fire?"
"Stop gabbing and start searching!" ordered Syndrome.
The group broke up and began to poke around in the ashes.
Isadora pulled Dash aside. "I have an idea," she said.
She closed her eyes and chanted in a low voice:
"Now bring to me a vital clue,
The sugar bowl was lost to who?"
A knotted piece of rope appeared in her hand. The knot was intricate and convoluted. Suddenly Fiona, who had been hovering overhead, swooped down and grabbed it.
"Hey!" said Dash, "That's our clue."
"Do you know what it means?" Fiona asked.
"Umm, no," Dash had to admit.
"I do," said Fiona. "It's a Devil's Tongue knot, trademark of the Female Finnish Pirates. I saw it in an old book when stepfather and I were researching legends of the sea, when we were trying to find Atlantis."
"Then the Female Finnish Pirates have the sugar bowl," Isadora said.
"There was something else I remember about the F.F.P.," said Fiona. "Their base is on an island where they made it illegal for anyone else to pick the fruit. It's called the Isle of Forbidden Fruit."
Isadora called KitFox on her cell phone. "We have a lead on the sugar bowl."
And that brings us back to the "meanwhile."