The services of White Hat corporation were requested. Since Clemencia's bold self-advertising and the Briefcase mission, quite a few clients requested assistance instead of buying gadgets and other products. Slug's personal funds and free time were suffering because of it and he was not in a good mood, especially with the latest mission. The client – admiral Banks, led the west coast's navy. They refused to share more details about the mission out of fear of being spied on. What they knew was where the pick-up point was and that it would most likely include fighting.
"Why must I also go?!" – Slug grumbled.
"Because the mission is not something Clemencia can do on her own and 606's bone and fur density makes him too sluggish in water. You are the best people for this job." – White Hat explained and straightened his coat.
"And why can't YOU accompany her?"
"Do you want to meet the investors on a 2-day conference? I would gladly switch places with you!" – White Hat smiled widely, showing his teeth.
"N-no thank you, sir…"
"I see! Good for you then." White Hat smiled "Have a safe trip and watch out, please."
"We will! No worries!" – Clemencia beamed.
They were soon sent off to the meeting spot.
….
Clemencia and Dr. Slug were picked up by an armored truck over an hour ago and they finally arrived at the marine base.
"We could have gotten here with our jet way earlier! Why did we have to go through all this?!" – Slug questioned admiral Banks.
"Because it would have been obvious. Who knows when or where he is watching us from…" – the admiral whispered.
"So, what's the task, chief?" – Clemencia got comfortable on a nearby chair.
Banks gave a signal and all blinds and doors were pulled down and closed. A projection appeared on the white wall.
"This is Prof. Gym Thorax Milis, or just Prof. Milis. He was once an exceptional researcher in the field of biology and psychological study of animals. He went crazy a few years ago, allegedly after an electric eel fell on him and sent him to the hospital. He quit everything, sold all his study papers, properties… Now he is currently in a submarine near this coast, training an army of moray eels with lazers attached to their heads to do his bidding and control the seven seas." – the admiral finished with a serious look.
"Pff…" Slug almost laughed "Excuse me, but… What the actual fuck?! This is ridiculous! It sounds like one of those silly cartoon villains' plans. You can't be serious!" – he looked incredulously at their employer.
"Silly cartoon? AM I SERIOUS?! That bastard has only a dozen battle-ready eels and he sunk two of our vessels, stole 6 torpedoes and almost took over one of our atomic submarines! I am more than serious! Many good men were lost, many scarred for life… I myself almost lost my left cheek!"
"But… It seems fine?" – Clemencia looked at his face.
"Other cheek."
"Ooh!" realization hit her "Must have hurt."
"A lot. So, our plan is for us to distract him while you sneak in on his submarine and take him down once and for all, before he gets even more powerful." – the admiral squared his shoulders.
"Seems reasonable. Where and when is this happening?" – Slug asked.
"In the late morning tomorrow. Moray eels are nocturnal. They'll be less active during the day. As for the location…" the admiral opened a folder "Our radars have detected recent activity 20 miles off the coast. He must be there, doing… something. Sorry, but those eels get every drone we send anywhere near that place, so he must be there! Please, we are desperate!"
"I see-" – Slug began.
"We'll do everything we can and stop that baddie!" – Clemencia proclaimed, one fist up in the air.
"Thank you." - the admiral thanked her, sincerely.
…
Slug, Clemencia and a small squad boarded on a submarine, equipped with diving gear. Their submarine and a few smaller ones headed towards Prof. Milis' underwater hideout.
As the building came into view, Dr. Slug couldn't help but compare it to something that came of the stupid cartoons Clemencia watched. It was composed of several metallic domes, connected to each other and the nearby rocks with huge pipes with a moray eel wearing an eyepatch drawn on one wall.
'Great. This is going to give me a migraine at this point.' – he rubbed his face and groaned.
Slug had been reluctant to but, in the end, took off his bag, the risk of it getting ruined or get in the way too big.
"Prepare for impact, men! They are coming!" – the captain shouted.
"Wait! What?!" – Slug felt like he missed something important.
The submarine shook and everyone had to grab onto something to not fall. Just as he thought it couldn't be worse, a pipe burst and the vessel began filling with water.
"Put on your oxygen tanks and prepare to engage the enemy!"
===Meanwhile===
"HAHAHAHAHA! Go, my minions! Teach those fools the horrors of what happens to those that oppose us!"
Prof. Milis was a tall and lanky man with sunken eyes, pale skin and bright yellow hair, clearly dyed judging by the black roots you could see if you looked.
He pressed a few buttons on the armrest of his chair and hummed, pleased by the progression of the excavation. He smirked and relished the feeling, he felt untouchable, his plans progressing and the increasing number of sunken army vessels making his grin almost split his face.
===Back with our heroes===
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZT~ Creak…BANG!*
The sound of a cut off metal plate echoed thorough the empty corridors of the villain's air.
Sploosh~~
Two figures emerged from the hole, water dripping off them.
"We are aliiiive!" – Clemencia shouted and was about to throw her diving helmet on the floor.
"STOP IT!" he snatched the helmet from her hand "Do you want to suffocate?! If this breaks and we have to run, you'd be done for! Now, take care of your gear." – he handed it back to her with a glare.
"You know… It's a bit hard taking you serious with that pretty face."
"S-shut up and get to work! The sooner we are done, the sooner I can go back to my lab. Fucking eels…"
=Mini flashback=
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Gyaah!"
"ABORT! ABORT!"
[Captain! They have entered the submarine!]
"I know, Fred!"
"AAAAAAAAAAH! There's one on my diving suit!"
=end=
It was eerily quiet, the steps of Clemencia and Slug echoing through the empty metal halls. Soon, they reached a room, the door to which Slug hacked to open.
"Ah! I see you have found me." A slightly raspy voice greeted them "I ma surprised you surface-dwellers managed to even get here."
Prof. Milis stood in front of them, posing menacingly. They just stared at the man, with probably a few loose screws in his head, as he continued on with his act.
"Dude, you're a human too." – Clemencia blurted out.
"Blasphemous! How dare you disrespect me like that?!" – he shouted.
"No, I ju-" – Clem started but she was interrupted.
"All my life, I was ridiculed by you fools. No one listened to me, no one respected me… No one wanted to admit eels are the ultimate life form, be it fresh or saltwater ones! Now, I'm going to change that! With my army of moray eels, which I've equipped with deadly tools, I will take over the world!"
The two colleagues exchanged looks and Clemencia even spun her finger beside her head, the universal he's crazy sign.
"-With it, I'll be unstoppable!"
"Wait, what did you just say?" – Slug asked the man.
"As I was saying… With the many resources I've excavated from this site, I have been able to improve the TPX-20 and created this formula!" he waved a syringe in his arm "My concoction will allow me to ascend from this body and reach my full potential! With it, I'll be unstoppable!"
Just then Slug noticed the man had moved into a shallow ankle-deep section of water. It seemed to be a pool that got deeper in the other end, probably connected to the outside.
Prof. Milis quickly injected the slightly yellowish substance in his veins.
"HAHAHAHAHA! I feel it! I feel the power!"
Milis' body started to twitch, twist and bulge at all the wrong places. In a short time, he was transformed into half-man and half-moray eel.
"Beg and I may give you a swift death! Hahahahaha!"
"Ugh…" Slug groaned "Why, God, why?"
As the now mutated man gloated, Dr. Slug pulled out a small gun out of a zip lock bag, aimed it and shot at the water Prof. Milis was standing in. It was a modified taser. The effect was almost instantaneous as the eel-man was electrocuted and taken care of. Clemencia pulled him out of the shallows once he gave her the OK and they quickly apprehended him.
"With all that show he put on, I thought he'd be tougher. I didn't even get to use my bat." – Clemencia pouted.
"He didn't account for electricity getting in contact with the water. He was an idiot." – Slug concluded as they dragged the villain away.
…..
Clemencia and Slug came back to Hat island without much fanfare. Compared to how the marines had all but kneeled at their feet when they emerged with the professor, he was starting to wonder if they were the only people that didn't act like they were in a sucky TV show.
"Welcome home. Good job!" – White Hat greeted them the moment they entered the living room.
"Grrh." – 606 grumbled from the side but still shoved a few handmade cupcakes in Clemencia's ands.
"Aww!" she squealed "I LOVE YOU!" – and shoved them in her mouth before clinging to him like a koala to a tree.
White Hat looked a bit worn out, he had no obvious physical signs but the look in his eyes, the slightly melancholic note to his smile and unusually low cheerfulness suggested he didn't have a good time during the meeting. Nevertheless, he still smiled and congratulated his employees for their good work and apprehending the villain quickly without any causalities.
"Ugh, you are going to get diabetes at his rate." – Slug looked at Clemencia as she was having more cupcakes.
The doctor looked much more at ease with his paper bag back on his head and close to his workplace.
"I am going to my lab, don't bother me until dinner."
"Whuy?" Clemencia said with half-full mouth "Have a cupcake at least!"
"Uh… What about NO!" – he turned around and quickly left.
There was a bit of silence before Clemencia let go of 606 and wiped the frosting from her mouth.
"We need to talk. Like, serious talk." – she looked at White Hat.
"Can't this wait until tomorrow?" White Hat slumped a bit, he was now super obviously exhausted "You know how the 'after-meeting' can be." – he closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to relieve some tension (tension that was now only in his mind).
"I know…" she looked down at her feet "But he- Prof. Milis… he had TPX."
White Hat froze and he straightened up, now really looking at her.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. He said he improved the TPX-20."
"So mark 20, huh? Come with me to my office. Amelia also needs to hear it."
"Sorry, Six'O. I'll come later for the cakes and clean up OK?"
The two of them quickly left, leaving a perplexed 606 behind.
===Somewhere else===
[Agent #337 eporting, sir!]
"Continue." – the man in the darkened room spoke.
[Milis was captured, the underwater facility was taken over by the marines and CIA.]
"So, are you telling me you failed?!" – he growled.
[ N-No! Definetely not, sir!] #337 bowed, quickly apologizing [During the chaos, I managed to get all the research data Milis had on the tampered version of TPX-20 he used on himself. Not to mention, I got the 'Sea king's blood'!]
"Good… I guess that fool had his uses. Return immediately and deliver the data to the scientists."
[Yes, sir!] – the screen turned off, leaving the room even darker.