The Incredibles
All's Fair in Love and Glory
Chapter Four: A Secret Mission
Bob woke early the next morning.
Sneaking around his room, he struggled to muffle his alarm clock; and getting dressed, packing, and writing a note in silence proved a challenge. He kissed his wife gently on the forehead and left her the note, telling of his leaving for "work" on her dresser. Then he left.
Violet, invisible, and Dash, crouched by the coffee table, observed his departure.
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"Hello? Snug?"
Helen was shoving things into a bag as she called her old flight instructor. She had a feeling that he might not so willingly lend her a jet after she had crashed the last one, but Mirage had paid for it.
"Yeah… I'm gonna need another plane. I still have to—"
Snug cut her off and she was silent for a minute.
"Thanks Snug. This means a lot to me."
Smiling, she hung up. No explanation needed. Good old Snug.
She woke up her kids quickly, hoping she still had enough time to make it to the island and back, as well as investigate, before Bob got home.
Violet groaned and rolled over, trying to ignore Helen's early wake up call.
"Violet," she said sternly. "This is important.
The girl sat up immediately, concern in her eyes.
"I need to go somewhere today, Vi. I want you to stay home from school and... take care of things."
Her eyes widened.
Stay home from school? Can't object to that, she thought.
Vi nodded, still a little unsure nonetheless.
"You know the drill – don't answer the door, or the phone. There's leftovers the fridge you can warm up for dinner. And…"
"Go to bed on time," Violet muttered.
"Atta girl."
Helen kissed her daughter, picked up her bag, and slipped on her mask.
"I have to go now," she said, stroking Vi's hair reassuringly. "Don't worry. Just be careful."
Violet's eyes searched her mother's, but she said nothing.
"Oh, and make sure Jack-Jack is watching that educational television stuff!" Helen called out as she left.
When she had gone, Violet ran to Dash's room.
"No school today!" she sang out.
"What?" Dash cried.
Violet raised her eyebrows.
"You aren't happy about that? What's wrong with you?"
He socked her in the arm.
"Ow!" she frowned and rubbed the spot, adding sarcastically, "You're so mature."
"Why can't we go to school?" he whined.
"Because, you little freak, Mom went on a—" –she put her fingers up in the air as quotes to emphasize this – "secret mission and she told us to stay home. Probably because no other sane person will watch Jack-Jack after what happened to Kari."
"I thought Rick said she didn't remember all of that?"
"Who knows who she told about it before the procedure."
Dash shrugged.
"In any case – she has to go out and Dad's butt. Again. From whatever the heck he's doing up there." She sighed. "While we stay home and be safe." She rolled her eyes.
"Right," Dash snorted. "She probably just wanted her and Dad to have all the fun."
"Dad went to work, as far as Mom knows," she reminded him.
"Oh yeah."
"Then why is she going to Nomanisan?"
"Maybe she isn't. She didn't tell me. But it's safe to assume, from the message I listened to on the phone the other day." She smirked.
Dash snickered.
"Something's not right," Vi mused, her face taking on a thoughtful look. "Obviously, neither of them are going to work, and neither seems to know what the other is doing."
She groaned, and Dash made a face.
"Don't even start talking about how—"
"—their marriage is in danger."
He smacked his forehead.
"Well, it is! Besides, the day before yesterday, I listened to that phone conversation I told you. And guess who mom was talking to?"
"Pretty lady?" he guessed.
Violet narrowed her eyes.
"Yep. Mirage."
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The jet was shaped like a manta ray. It could zoom through the air and water at the same speed, and the ride was as smooth as silk the entire ride.
Bob entered it eagerly, remembering his last journey aboard it. There had been a robotic host offering food, drinks, and entertainment. He hadn't even had to clean up after himself.
"Wel-come back, Mis-ter In-cred-i-ble," said the now familiar voice.
"Hello," he grinned, plopping down into a cushy leather seat.
"Nice to have you back," the voice droned. "Now pre-par-ing for take-off."
He buckled up and slid down into his seat. It was time for a nice, long… nap…
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"Snug," Helen said warmly, greeting her old instructor with an embrace. "Thank you so much. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for this."
Deciding not to mention how the money Mirage had given him hadn't been enough to pay for the other plane she'd borrowed – and destroyed – he patted her shoulder.
"You're doing more for this world than I ever could," he told her quietly.
An awkward silence followed for a moment. (Neither of the two had ever been the talkative type, and really most of their conversations had contained information about wind gusts, and which switch to pull, or how the landing gear needed to be tuned up a bit.) Helen finally broke it.
"I should go. I think something suspicious is going on, and I need to stop it."
Snug nodded.
"Go," he murmured, urging her on.
Helen squeezed into the cockpit of the small, sleek fighter jet, pausing to poke her head out for a last goodbye.
"Thanks again, Snug," she called, dropping down and disappearing.
He gave her a brief nod, watching her carefully while she took off - as she had hundreds of times in the past, under his careful tutelage, of course. He figured now was as good as time as any to repeat his old instructor's ritual, for his old favorite student. He quickly crossed himself and took off his faded baseball cap to rub his balding head for good luck.
"Go get 'em, kid," he whispered.
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Cheerfully, Mirage had dismissed the guards the previous afternoon to let them roam the island at their leisure. Their dorms were located conveniently close, but lately they'd done nothing but dote on her. She felt she didn't need them around to greet Mr. Incredible – particularly after the beatings he'd inflicted on most of them during his last visit.
As she slipped into the little elevator that let down to the island's hidden landing pad, Mirage smoothed down her skirt and checked her makeup in the elevator's reflective wall surfacing.
She sat impatiently in the small elevator for what seemed eternity. She had prepared for so long for Mr. Incredible's arrival, and it had been months since she'd seen a man's face (after all, the guards' were all covered up). It would be satisfying to see a real man running the place. She had big plans for the business that she now had control of, and even bigger ones for herself. All she had to do was get a little help to start things out.
As the elevator's doors finally were activated by their motion sensors, she smiled.
"Mr. Incredible," she purred. "Welcome back to Nomanisan."
