AN: Thanks for reading. This chapter took a long time to write. It's still not as polished as I'd like it to be, but if I keep it around too much longer it'll get stale. Might as well get it up semi-on time. As I write this, it's eleven on August 31, so I'm not late yet. Hope you enjoy. Fun Fact: This chapter was written using the last pages of my Synlet notebook from the last school year. Still don't own The Incredibles.

Violet Parr was a mess.

After wrecking Cara's plan for the hero and her nemesis three fighting days in a row, the cyberkinetic had taken Violet in for her first "testing." The Super had soon discovered that it involved seeing how much pain she could endure, her body's reactions to different chemicals, how fast her blood flowed in relation to how deeply she was cut, and how long she could cry until she ran out of tears.

The nervous wreck called Ultraviolet was sitting in the recovery room, her test outfit in absolute shambles. She was crying again, not because of the pain but due to how naive she'd been. She didn't think this kind of thing actually happened, not to her, not to an Incredible. Yet, here she was, sitting on a cold metal table, bawling her eyes out. If this was what being an independent hero was about, she didn't want it. She wanted to go home.

For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating because of Cara's chemicals, but the sound was too firm and sure to be a phantasm. Violet turned toward the source of the noise and saw a female with cherry-red hair and glasses waiting in the doorway. As she walked forward, Violet could see that she had freckles and blue eyes. The heroine wasn't sure what this person was, girl or woman, because though she looked rather developed, she was very short and petite in stature and very well-meaning and childlike in expression. Cara had broken even the most optimistic of heroes with hardly an effort, what chance did anyone else stand? Violet stared at the... thing as it spoke up again.

"Excuse me, miss Violet?" Her voice was polite and dainty, just as she seemed to be. "I hate to be a bother, but would you like your wounds treated?"

Violet didn't know if she could actually speak since she'd screamed her vocal chords out, so she nodded.

A cold hand went on her arm, and as quickly as the touch had come, the pain was gone entirely. The girl started wiping the dried blood off of her arm with a damp cloth while once in a while glancing up at Violet. "Now I see what was meant. I was told that you'd need attention quickly if any semblance of your sanity was to be retained. Cara doesn't usually give mass amounts of tests unless she's angry. Remove your shirt, please."

Violet pulled off her ripped, bloodstained shirt and threw it aside as the thing started to heal some of her larger wounds. "Who told you that?"

"My programmer, of course."

"Your what now?"

"I'm a highly advanced artificial intelligence android, capable of independent thought and running unique personality protocols. Naturally, I have to have a programmer. Since I was designed for healing, I was called Aceso."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Aceso is the Greek goddess for the healing process. My programmer has a 'thing' for Greek mythology."

"Who's your programmer?"

Violet heard the door open, and before the new addition to the room could say a word, she'd already sighed. "You were waiting outside for the most opportune moment to enter, weren't you, Syndrome?"

"But of course. I like to have dramatic entrances. They're more fun."

"Not for the recipient," Violet retorted. "After a while, they get really old."

Syndrome finally made his way into Violet's line of vision. "So, how's it going?"

"How do you think? Look at the situation." Violet stopped for a moment, realizing that the upper half of her body was only clothed in a somewhat-ripped sports bra. "On second thought, don't."

"It's a bit late for that," Syndrome replied, his eyebrows wiggling beneath his mask.

Violet glared at him, but let it go. "I'm not doing very well, obviously. Cara decided to do a bunch of things at once. The only reason I'm sane at all is because of Aceso here."

"I see you're taking full advantage of my technology then." Syndrome grinned.

"If I could smack you right now, I would."

"I'm sure you would. That's why you'll notice I'm keeping a fair distance from the table."

Violet sighed. "Why do you let Cara get away with this? You could easily overpower her."

Syndrome ignored this question in favor of another. "You do know that I'd do all of this just to get to you, right?"

The heroine shrugged. "I guess so. I don't think you are, though. You'd never want someone else to break your nemesis."

"Why wouldn't I? I'd still get to watch."

"That's supposed to be your job, one that only you should get that sick pleasure from. Unfortunately for you, I'm pretty sure Cara's going to break us both pretty quick if we don't start going along with her plans."

"No. That's my right and mine alone, and I'll defend it if it kills... her." Syndrome looked serious for one of the first times since Violet knew he was alive again. "Despite the irony, I think I'm going to have to help you get through this in order to exercise my right to break you on my own terms."

"I don't think that's your only reason for wanting to help me."

"Really. I'd like to know other reasons for helping you."

"If you only wanted to break me, I think you would've taken advantage of Cara's progress, or at least tried to make me depend on you while she hurt me. You have something completely different on the agenda."

"I don't see where you're going with this." Syndrome appeared genuinely puzzled.

"You think I'm attractive, don't you? I've seen the way you look at me, and there's more there than just a casual once-over that a nemesis would give. Heck, I even noticed that little grin you got when you realized I was only wearing a bra on the upper half of my body. You didn't think I noticed, did you?"

"Attraction is not always a two-way street, Incredigirl," he said, giving her an amused smirk as he completely ignored her question. "Just because you think I'm handsome doesn't mean I'm attracted to you."

"Bullcrap," Violet spat. "You did make a good point, though. I'm an Incredible."

"All the more reason for me to hate you."

"All the more reason for you to fanboy. You've always wanted a Super, haven't you? And the daughter of your greatest nemesis and biggest hero is just the icing on the cake. It's like a dream come true."

"Don't pretend like you're immune to attraction," the redhead remarked with a smirk. "Ever since you dropped Ol' Garden Hose you've had a thing for guys from the wrong side of the tracks, but you never worked up the courage to talk to one because you were confined to the personality of Violet Parr, Wallflower Extraordinaire. I'm the first one to confront you in costume. I'm the only one who sees the invisible girl."

"You're the only one who wants to see the invisible girl," Violet retorted, and Syndrome rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, sweetheart. I'm going to my room, it's early in the morning. I'll probably be awake if you want to talk. I'm getting the feeling that you do, but I've been wrong before."

"You weren't as wrong as I made it sound." Violet's face turned light pink.

"That's not what I was talking about, but thanks for the info," he replied with a huge grin, knowing he'd just won.

"Oh, you little-"

"I am older, taller, and heavier than you. You have no right to call me little."

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

"Can we stop arguing? I have a headache, my face still stings, and I'm tired."

"Fine." Syndrome looked at her for a moment longer, concern showing through in his expression for a mere second before dissolving into a smug grin once more. Violet noticed the concern and smiled to herself as he walked back toward her, pulling a chair up next to the bed.

"That's creepy, watching me while I sleep."

"I'm a villain. It comes with the territory." Syndrome grinned. "Besides, it's not like it's the first time I've done it."

"Creep."

"Weakling."

"I'm going to sleep."

"Sweet dreams."

Violet fell asleep for a while, and when she woke, Syndrome had gone missing. She had no idea that a full-out war was being waged between the two major sides of his personality about whether to admit to himself that he liked her or not. He still wasn't sure what he'd sided with when she entered.

"So, you decided to show up."

"I noticed you weren't there. It actually kind of bothered me."

Syndrome grinned. "It bothered you that I wasn't there?"

"I was in close proximity to Cara. Sleeping anywhere near Cara without protection makes me nervous."

"I guess that's plausible."

The door opened out of seemingly nowhere as Violet sat on the bed and Syndrome moved himself to a standing position near the foot of his bed. On the other side were two females that Violet was unfamiliar with. One was much shorter than the other, her high brown ponytail not giving her much against the tan girl's height. Both had oddly colored eyes, the brunette's being bright red and the taller girl's black hair and contrasting fang-like white bangs framing her bright yellow, narrow pupilled eyes. The two seemed to be opposites physically, but their mental similarity had yet to be seen.

"This is most certainly a fascinating development," the brunette said, stepping forward. "We'd just come to see if the rumors were true, and here you are."

"What rumors?"

"You haven't heard?" The tall one scoffed. "She hasn't even been here a week and people are already saying you two are going out."

"Why?"

"The rumor mill is generally a processor of lies and pain," the short girl commented, but the black-haired one interrupted her.

"Well, you're opposite-gendered nemeses, and the whole obsession thing with her dad doesn't help your case at all, Syndie."

"What about me? Why would I like him?" Violet frowned as Syndrome rolled his eyes.

"People tend to think you're either co-dependent and weak, which doesn't make much sense; or independent and invincible or something and you're into bad guys. I think they've got a few letters mixed up in invincible, but whatever."

"So, uh..." Violet gulped, obviously nervous at the thought of being in the same room as three villains at once. "Why are you... you already answered that. Can you leave now?"

The brunette smirked. "You seem awfully eager to get us away from here. Might I query what you will be doing after we exit?"

Violet didn't get the chance to answer, however, as Syndrome went up to face the pair instead.

"Enigma." He looked down at the shorter one, glaring at her, then turned to the tall one and stated "Draconia." The duo stared back for a moment before he spoke again, a severe threat underlying his short statement.

"Get. Out."

The villains didn't need to be told twice, and the door was shut in a few seconds.

"Wow. You're pretty influential, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," he said, staring at the door. "I brought in a new age, survived an encounter with the famed Incredibles, went through a jet turbine and lived to tell about it, retained billionaire status after having my assets frozen, wrote the Villain Code, and gained more global power and influence through destruction than anyone since the Joker. I'd say I'm pretty amazing."

Violet rolled her eyes. "Wow, bloated ego much? Did you ever have any sidekicks or-"

"Nope," he replied in a quick, forceful tone.

"What, am I poking a wound?"

"Do you want me to start poking yours?" His voice started to sound dangerous, but Violet continued.

"Poke away. I can handle it, unlike you. I'm not an unstable volcano waiting to explode."

Continuing to face away from her, Syndrome frowned and held his clasped hands up near his chin as he leaned on the bed. "You have to answer truthfully."

"Not a problem."

"What really happened to Tony?"

Violet sighed. "He didn't like me underneath the pink, which is okay because he was a backstabbing jerk. Not one like you, oh no, he was worse because I couldn't fight him, couldn't take it out on him or get him arrested for cheating on me! After that, I finally understood why you didn't go with Mirage again after we left. She cheated on you! I just... I want to punch her, even though she helped us! I-"

Syndrome had apparently turned around at some point and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Listen, Violet. This is me, the unstable genocidal maniac, telling you that you're getting too worked up about this. Tony's in the past, you seemed well-adjusted to it when we met. Please calm down. This is kind of scaring me."

Violet took a few deep breaths to regain her composure. "Sorry. Just haven't had time to rant about that for a while. I get that reaction to it from my mom, I think."

The villain smirked, but the cocky grin quickly faded as he seemed to realize something.

"What's wrong?"

"What are you doing to me?" Syndrome turned away again, gripping his bedpost as if it were his lifeline.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a big, bad villain. I'm not supposed to feel. I felt dead most of these years, like I was supposed to be. And then YOU came along."

"Are you about to ask what I think you're going to ask?"

"No."

Violet blinked. "What are you going to ask, then?"

"I'm going to ask if that's a good enough excuse. If we're pretending to date, it'll make Cara mad and give us some time to make plans to escape. That's going to be why I'm dating you. Does it sound like a good explanation?" He'd turned around again, a smirk on his face as usual.

"Oh... yeah. You had me going there for a minute." Violet laughed. "Yeah, I'd love to use that as an excuse. The faster we escape, the better."

Syndrome grinned even wider. "I couldn't have said it better myself. Glad you like the idea."