Ultraviolet
Chapter 14
They Walk Alone
Bob got up; offering Frozone a seat while Dash closed the door behind them, in case someone saw the Super in his Super-suit.
"Now explain everything slowly. What happened?"
"Some new villain… Called themselves the… er… Specials or something like that." Violet showed no change in expression at the revelation. She had more than a clue that the Specialists would attempt something like that. In fact, she'll be surprised if they didn't pull this one off. "Rick sent me here as soon as he got the news. They're struggling with security less than fifteen minutes ago; we'll catch up if we leave soon."
"Alright, let's get changed…" Bob announced as he looked at his family, pausing at Violet who was still in her Super-suit.
"Whoa… Hold it, Incredible. I think you should look at this first." Holding up an inconspicuous white package, he tossed it at Bob. The family watched as he ripped off the paper covering, revealing a black cardboard box and a memo, which slipped from his grip and landed on the floor.
Helen reached for it with her arm, reading it with squinted eyes. "It's from Edna… Dear Robert, I heard about the return of Supers, and had this mailed to you at once as an early Christmas present."
Meanwhile, Bob had pulled off the top of the box, lowering so that everyone could see its contents. Among the velvet lining inside were four new Super-suits. Frozone reached for one, unfolding it one fold at a time to reveal a full-body suit, in Mr Incredible's old colour scheme of blue and black, with the same logo displayed proudly in front.
"Wait, there's more in the note," Helen announced as she flipped the card over. "Each suit has an additional centimetre of padding in important areas for more heat retention, keeping the wearer warm under winter conditions without hindering movement. They also keep their old features and can be worn with your current gloves, boots and mask. Good luck and Merry Christmas. With love, E…" Helen looked up at the four pairs of staring eyes. "Well, at least she cuts the 'darlings' from her letters." Everyone laughed at the comment, as they turned their attention towards the contents of the box
Bob and Helen picked out two adult-sized suits from the box, followed by Dash with his much smaller one. Lastly, Violet took out her suit. "Wait, what about Jack-Jack?" Violet asked, pulling out the last suit in the box.
"We'll leave him with Honey or something. That fine with you, Frozone?"
"I dunno, Bob. Not sure if a woman like her can take care of kids... We never had one before…"
"Lucius!" Helen exclaimed, arms on her hips. "How can you say that of Honey? I mean, every woman has motherly instincts and you men know nothing about caring for kids. Right Bob?" Flames were literally shooting out of Helen's eyes as she stared down Frozone. Snorting in contempt, she stormed off to the bathroom with her Super-suit trailing behind her.
"Now I see why they're scared of her, Bob…" Frozone muttered with shaking lips. "I'll just call Honey down to meet us at the hospital." With that he settled down on the couch, dialling a few numbers into the phone.
"We'd better get changed too, Dad." Violet mumbled to her father, walking past him to her room. Of course, Dash was out of his room even before Violet could reach hers. Bob followed behind, moving towards the master bedroom.
Violet removed her suit, putting on the new one. For one, the thick padding made it difficult to stuff her limbs in. Ignoring the mirror, she left her room. She didn't want to know how she looked with one centimetre of extra padding, though she had to admit; it did keep her warm.
The entire family was assembled in the living room, along with Frozone. Jack-Jack was sound asleep in Helen's arms.
"Alright, all of us get into the car now." Mumbling under his breath, Mr Incredible continued, "Like that piece of junk can get all of us there in time."
"Which reminds me… Christmas must have come early for you, my man." Frozone pulled out a set of keys from his pocket, tossing it over to Mr Incredible. "Rick got it spruced up for this day… Thought it'll be of help."
"That's…" Mr Incredible's eyes widened, clutching the keys as though they were a pile of gold. The entire family watched on, unsure of what it meant to him.
"That's right, Incredible… Your very own Incredibile." Frozone grinned, knowing just how much his friend loved his car, along with memories of how he cried when the government confiscated it during the initial phases of the Superhero Relocation Programme.
Mr Incredible's eyes were gleaming as he led the way outside, where the shiny black car was parked. Running his gloved hand down the metallic chassis and revelling in the way the rear-view mirrors were spotless, he cautioned everyone to watch out when entering his beloved car.
"Er… Dad… We kinda have a mission to rush to…" Dash reminded, bringing his father back to reality.
"Right… I was just… you know… checking out my car…" That statement sent everyone else cringing, but at least he started the engine. Within seconds, it was on autopilot, tearing down the streets towards the Supers' hospital. Outside, the heavy snowfall was affecting visibility, such that everything beyond a three feet radius outside was either white with snow or shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
"We'll be there in any minutes now…" Bob warned, checking the screen by the car radio for the umpteenth time. Pulling the car to a halt, the hatch slid open, exposing them to the harsh weather outside. Immediately they were greeted by Honey, Lucius' wife.
In a desperate rush for time, Frozone explained the situation to his wife, passing Jack-Jack over in her care. "You can wait in the car, Honey," he offered, stealing a glance at Mr Incredible.
"Ok, just make sure she doesn't touch anything under any circumstances. I'll lock her in. With the defence systems activated, nothing can touch her," Mr Incredible explained, unable to resist the chance to show off his car.
Honey climbed into the backseat area, cradling the still-sleeping Jack-Jack in his new Super-suit. The couple stared into each other's eyes, not sure of what to say.
"Let's leave them alone for awhile," Mr Incredible whispered to the family, asking them to move on to the entrance, as Frozone and Honey embraced for a second while he hummed a tune, looking nonchalant as Frozone gave Honey one last kiss.
"Good luck, Lucius!" She called out as the hatch slid to a close, and the mechanical latches locked her in the car. Mr Incredible patted Frozone on his back, as the duo trudged through heel-deep snow towards the entrance about a hundred feet away.
They came up to the cavern entrance, where the rest of the Incredibles were crowded around the guard post. "What's the situation?" Mr Incredible asked Elastigirl.
"Knocked out cold," she pronounced, moving aside to let them see. The old lady stationed at the guard post, who was supposed to hold an illusion to prevent unwanted intruders, was slumped over a table.
"They did that to a defenceless old lady… Come on, we have to stop them!" Mr Incredible barked, getting the family up to their feet and moving again, to the hospital deep in the cavern. Along the way were several bodies, strewn all across the pathway. "Security forces…" Mr Incredible muttered under his breath.
They continued through the main entrance, where a similar sight surrounded them. Most of the hospital staff was unconscious. However there was a constant moaning from behind the information counter, emitted from a doctor who had apparently scrambled to safety after the Specialists attacked.
"Tell us what happened, doctor," Mr Incredible probed, helping the man to his feet.
"They burst in and took some of us hostage… tied them up and took the rest of them somewhere into the building … Beat up the rest who didn't co-operate…"
"What did they want?"
"I don't know… They searched some of the rooms by themselves… Still at it I suppose… You'll be able to find their vehicle through the side entrance, past the main entrance road. That's all I know."
"Alright, doctor. Rest here." Putting the man on a swivel chair, he turned back to the others. "We'll split up here. Elastigirl and I will go to their vehicle and wait in ambush. Frozone, take the kids and search the compound for them Vi, you've come up against them. What's it like?"
Four pairs of eyes stared at Violet, making her feel slightly uncomfortable from the attention, but she alone had the information they need. "They may be slightly older than me but they have much more training. I'm not sure about their powers, but they will definitely have some tricks up their sleeves."
"That's good enough, Violet," Mr Incredible said with a smile. "We'll proceed as planned. If you don't find them in half an hour, we'll meet outside and regroup."
With that, the team split up, leaving Mr Incredible and Elastigirl to the outside, and Frozone, Dash and Ultraviolet inside.
Frozone gathered Ultraviolet and Dash together in a group huddle to discuss their next course of action. "Alright, here's the plan. Speedo, you'll search each room with your speed. If you find something, draw them towards us. Vi and I will wait for you here. They'll have to pass us before they exit; this is the only one around. All clear?" Both the children nodded. "Then let's go!"
Dash sprinted off through the off-white hallways and sparkling clean floors. His mother would be glad to live here forever in its perpetual neat state. Before long, Dash came up to the first door. Here goes nothing, Dash thought as he pushed the door open. Could he have uncovered the villains? The door swung open slowly, revealing… a tiny office with nothing more interesting than a model skeleton mounted on a stand.
Maybe this can get slightly boring, Dash thought as he continued down the hallways of the hospital, pausing every second or so to open another door. Along the way he even uncovered the captured hostages, though he only had time to pass them a scalpel before taking off again.
Ten minutes have passed, and Dash felt like he must have covered the entire compound by now. Referring to the map placed on the wall, he realised that there was just one more section to go: the blood bank.
"Aww… Do I really have to go there?" Dash called out to no one. No reply came. "Well, a Super's gotta do what a Super's gotta do…" With that, he was racing towards the blood bank.
The steel vault door was slightly ajar; Dash must have stumbled on something. Pumping his fist into the air as a sign of victory, he took a few steps towards the vault, peeking into the dark interior. Inch by inch, he pulled open the heavy door. Finally it was wide enough for him to enter.
"Hello… Anyone there?" He called out, as the echoes reverberated around the room. Steeping into the eerie room, his eyes fell upon rows of empty shelves. As he walked on, his footsteps seemed to thunder in every direction.
No one's here anyway, better report back to Lucius… Dash thought as he turned on his heels, ready to sprint back to the entrance. Just then he noticed a figure silhouetted by the light outside.
"It's the end of the road for you, kid," came a gruff voice.
Taken by surprise, the only thing he could do was to shout for his sister, though she was more than a thousand feet away, blocked by a labyrinth of hallways.
The last thing he heard was the sound of swishing air as a palm swooped down on his neck, knocking on his windpipe and sending his world into darkness.
Ultraviolet paced along the entrance, turning every few steps along the path. It's been almost fifteen minutes; with his speed, Dash should have finished by now. Something must have gone wrong. Glancing at Frozone, he didn't look too worried, merely leaning against the wall and staring into blank space.
"Hey, Frozone," Ultraviolet called out to the Super, bringing him out of whatever daydream he was having. "Think we should look for Dash?"
"Give the Speedo some time, Vi. He'll be back soon," he replied, waving at Ultraviolet as though trying to drive away the worry littered all over her face.
"Then I'll go and look for him. Alone." She took a few steps towards the first hallway, before an icy wall was formed in her path. Frozone placed a protective hand over Ultraviolet's shoulder, forcing her to turn around and face him.
"Cool it, girl. I can't have you and Dash taking off like that, how am I gonna answer to your parents if anything happens to either of you?"
"Look, Lucius, we're Supers and we know the risks involved in this… Especially me… So just let me go. I'll answer for it, and besides it's me they want."
"No need to go through so much trouble, Violet," came a deep voice as the Frozone's ice wall crumbled to the floor, revealing the three remaining Specialists. Behind the leader, another female Specialist was wheeling along a trolley stacked with test tubes containing blood samples locked into their racks, obviously stolen from here. Beside her stood the last Specialist, up till now the most low-profile member. Smirking, he stepped up to the leader, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I got this one covered, Lance. You two go ahead." Nodding his approval, the leader signalled for his female comrade to move on, wheeling the trolley behind him.
"Take one more step and you're an icicle," Frozone threatened, holding his palm forward. "You're not getting past us; and this is the only exit around."
"Hey Freezer…" His opponent taunted, tossing a limp body to the ground. "Aren't you looking for this little guy?"
"Dash!" Ultraviolet cried out, rushing forward to pick up her brother's body. Feeling for a pulse, she heaved a sigh of relieve. At least he was still alive.
"Well, we'll just have to create our own exit." The leader pulled out a grenade from his belt, tossing it into the far wall to their left. Shielding their eyes from any loose shrapnel, the blast took out most of that section of the wall, leaving a hole big enough for them to leave. Without much resistance, they were outside, moving towards their helicopter and hopefully into the ambush set up by Mr Incredible and Elastigirl.
"You'll have to pass me before you get to them." The Specialist said as he moved into place behind their retreating backs, covering their exit.
"Then you better get ready to move over," Frozone said before forming a group of ice shards, aligning their sharp points towards the opponent. Ultraviolet, who was still crouched beside Dash, looked on as the ice shards were hurtled straight at their opponent. Maybe they could finish this fight… Frozone was more experienced; he'll win for sure.
The events in the following few seconds reminded Ultraviolet just who they were dealing with.
The ice shards seemed to slow down; in fact everything else seemed to. Everything else, of course, except for their opponent who leapt aside in a flash. The second the shards were past his body, they seemed to zoom past him as he landed softly. Raising his head, he was calm and collected, as though nothing was happening.
Meanwhile, Ultraviolet felt the pressure around her body vanish, replaced with a feeling of airiness, as though she was weightless. However that feeling evaporated in a second as everything returned to normal.
"Oh and did I mention… I'm Chronomorphosis, controller of time." The villain got up, smirking at Ultraviolet and Frozone. "Speed it up, slow it down… You'll never touch me."
"We'll see about that," Ultraviolet said as she leapt forward, despite the protests from Frozone. Again, something seemed to slow her down, as she seemed to hang in mid-air, defying the laws of physics itself. It was too late for her to pull out of her jump as her opponent charged towards her at an abnormal speed, delivering a swift kick to her stomach while she was vulnerable. Ultraviolet's hands reacted; moving towards her stomach but that was another mistake, leaving her head exposed to a barrage of blows.
The attack paused for a split second as she hurtled through the air with amazing speed, flipping head over heels and landing with a loud thud on her back. If not for the additional padding in her Super-suit, she may have been severely injured.
"Alright, you're next, Frozone," Chronomorphosis warned, without even casting an eye on the fallen Ultraviolet. From the ground, she could barely see them square off; her whole body was aching and she didn't know if she would risk breaking any bones if she tried getting up. Sounds were the only indicator of the fight's progress, and it didn't seem like there was much action.
Feeling like she should try to get up, Ultraviolet placed her hands by her side, pushing to get at least her upper body off the ground. Careful now Violet, she thought as she sat up, keeping one eye on the fight. At least Lucius was holding up rather well, dodging the attacks though occasionally suffering some hits. Why wasn't he fighting back?
Ultraviolet was about to give a shout out to Lucius when something black streaked up to her side. "Dash! You're fine!" Ultraviolet cried out in surprise, feeling one less load on her mind.
"Yeah, they knocked me out pretty bad just now, but I woke up in time." Pausing for a moment, he averted his sister's gaze. "I don't think you should continue fighting this guy. Go warn Mom and Dad about this. Those two left not too long ago; you'll catch up."
"Dash…" Ultraviolet muttered as he helped her to her feet.
"Just go, and don't worry about us."
Violet nodded as the siblings turned their backs on each other, one charging against his opponent, and the other towards a much dangerous duo, not knowing what other battles she will be up against.
Trivia: This chapter was yet another 'spill-over' chapter; there's just too much information that must be included. The suits they got from Edna were added as an afterthought: How can they stand the freezing cold?