Wilbur stood in the middle of the ring in a fighting stance. He was dressed in black tank top and shorts. In front of him was Antonio who was dressed in a similar fashion. The two circled around one another. "So, you and Margo have been… friendlier, lately." Wilbur said smirking at his friend. Antonio grew an annoyed look before charging forward.
He kicked towards Wilbur who manage to block. Wilbur threw a few punches, but Antonio dodged them. He grabbed Wilbur's arm and flipped him over his shoulder. "Si, I suppose we have. I have also noticed that you and Violet have been getting along famously as of late." He said chuckling.
Wilbur scowled and spun on the ground, kicking Antonio's feet from under him. He smiled at his friend before rolling back up to his feet. "Yeah, but we got nothing on you two. You're always so awkward together. Why don't you just man up and ask her out on a date?"
Antonio jumped back up to his feet and rushed him. Wilbur blocked the next few kicks he sent at him, but Antonio didn't let up. "It's not that simple hermano, we have some bad blood between us. And it'd never work out anyway." Antonio said before delivering one power kick that knocked Wilbur flat on his back. "Her family hates me."
Wilbur shook his head and looked up to see Antonio offering his hand. He took it and the boy pulled him up to his feet. "Thanks." Wilbur said nodding. "It doesn't matter what her family thinks. It matters what she thinks. And she obviously seems to like you. I think she's just waiting for you to ask her out." Wilbur said nudging his shoulder.
Antonio sighed. "Look, I told you, I'm not going through this again. It didn't work out last time, so why should I think it will this time." He left out the part where it was completely his fault it didn't work out, but his point still stood.
"Because you're both older and wiser? You're acting like one date would be the end of the world for you. If you guys don't feel like it'll work, you can still be friends."
The Latino walked over and grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge. "Whatever. Instead of worrying about me, why don't you worry about your little senorita Violet? You and her are practically already dating." He said before tossing Wilbur a bottle.
"That's… different. Do I like Violet? Yes. Can I ask her out? No." Wilbur said before taking a quick drink. "I mean I'm not going to be here forever. I can't just start something with her and then leave her. I've had to deal with people being taken away from me so many times, I can't do that to someone else." He said leaning against the corner of the ring.
Antonio didn't say anything. They never really talked much about what happened when Wilbur finally had to leave. Neither of them liked thinking about it. Wilbur, even though he had tried not to, had bonded with everyone on the team. He supposed he was just too likeable not to bond with. And Antonio was his closest friend. They were like brothers.
"Hey, if we're lucky your dad will tell you about all this in the future and you'll come back and visit. If you think I can kick your butt now, think of how bad it'll be when you've never had any training." Antonio said trying to lighten the mood with a joke.
Wilbur chuckled. "Yeah, maybe." The doors opened and a tall red head walked in. Wilbur grew wide eyed as she looked around and then spotted him. "Uh-oh." He turned and made a run for the other exit.
The red head held her arm out and suddenly a vine shot out from her sleeve. It stretched out across the room grabbing Wilbur's leg and tripping him. It then began dragging him across the room. "I can't believe you Wilbur! Destroying a flower shop is one thing, but my favorite one? Where am I supposed to buy my camellias?!" The girl shouted.
Wilbur struggled to get his ankle free, but nothing was helping. "Oh c'mon Audrey! Give me a break! I was desperate! I needed to stop the truck! Back me up here Antonio!"
Antonio just kept watching with an amused smirk. "No getting involved in that."
"Almost every time you go out, you end up destroying either a shop or one of my favorite spots! How many flowers are you planning to destroy before you're satisfied?!" Audrey said as she pulled Wilbur to her and put him in a headlock. "You're going to help me rebuild that place, do you hear me?"
Wilbur scowled. "What? More charity work? I'm a hero, what more charity work could you possibly want me to do?" He asked.
"The kind that doesn't kill every piece of plant life you come in contact with!"
The doors opened again and Dash suddenly rushed in. "Hate to interrupt the fun, but dad's calling us in to get ready for a mission! Meet us in the conference room!" He said before zipping back through the doors.
Audrey sighed and then ruffled Wilbur's hair. "Hey! Watch the hair!" He complained.
"You got off lucky this time. But you're still helping me repair that shop later." She said finally releasing him. She walked back through the doors and Wilbur began restyling his hair.
"Man…"
The rest of the team sat in the conference room of the base. Wilbur, Audrey, and Antonio entered and saw everyone spread about. Eep was hanging upside-down from a ceiling lamp, while her brother Thunk jumped up and tried to grab the piece of candy she was holding above his head. "C'mon, give it back!" Thunk complained.
Dash and Edith were both laughing at the scene, while Margo shook her head and rolled her eyes. Eep was always saying how Thunk was the slowest and least agile on the team, and this was supposed to be her way of making him exercise. Though Margo suspected she just liked to tease her younger sibling.
Penny was standing a few feet away holding a tennis ball out. Bolt jumped up and down waiting to her to throw it. "Go get it boy!" She said before pretending to throw it. Bolt ran off looking desperately for the ball. It took him a few moments to realize Penny still had it, and he turned back to her once again eager to see her throw it.
Anna sat at the table with her headphones blasting. She bobbed her head up and down to the music. By now everyone was used to how ridiculous she looked, so no one paid her any mind. "And we can't stop, and we won't stop! Can't you see it's we who own the night? Can't you see it's we who 'bout that life?" She sung still bobbing her head.
Krsitoff, who was sitting beside her, sighed and lifted one side of her headphones. "Anna? Miley Cyrus? Really?" He asked raising his eyebrow.
She pouted. "Hey, Miley Cyrus is awesome."
"Miley Cyrus is a cancer." Ted said balancing a small little tornado in his palm.
Violet giggled to herself before turning to towards Wilbur and the others. She smiled and waved at him, and he waved back. Antonio chuckled beside him, but Wilbur elbowed his side. "Okay everyone." They all stopped and turned towards Bob who was standing at the front of the room. "Now that we're all here, let's get started."
"As some of you know, last night the Stabbington brothers were apprehended. This is a big step towards finally incriminating Southern Industries. And there's even more good news. We believe we've located a facility that is being funded by them."
"Today I'm assigning Violet to lead a stealth team to investigate it. She chose a team this morning. The rest of you will be out on patrol to keep up appearances. The stealth team will be made of Violet, Margo, Antonio, Penny, and Edith."
Anna and Eep both groaned. "Oh come on! I always get left out of stealth missions!" Eep complained. "I'm agile and quick and-"
"Totally destructive." Violet said simply. "I'm sorry but you and Anna are not stealthy. Don't you remember that stakeout we had a few months back?" She asked.
Anna raised her hand. "Oh c'mon, that totally worked out. We caught the bad guys, and we busted an entire drug operation!" Anna said. "I'd say that went pretty well." She said holding her hand out towards Eep who high fived her.
"You also brought down the entire building. Sneaking just isn't where your strengths lie. You're our heavy hitters, when we need to bring down a giant robot, you two will be the first ones we call." Violet said. The compliment seemed to satisfy them and she moved on. "Everyone on the roster for the mission report to the departure room in five."
Everyone got up and began heading to wherever they were assigned. As Violet headed out of the door, Wilbur grabbed her arm. "Hey, be careful. If anything happens don't hesitate to call the rest of the team, okay?"
She smiled. "I'll be fine Wilbur. We've done plenty of stealth mission before"
"I know. I just have… a weird feeling about today. Don't know what about, just do." He said with a shrug. "Besides, you know without me there to watch your back you're in trouble."
She scoffed. "Says the guy who was having trouble chasing down a truck. How did Audrey take to that whole destroying the flower shop anyway?" She asked.
Wilbur frowned. "Don't remind me…"
Violet stood on top of the building across the facility. The rest of the team stood nearby under her force field, also hidden by her powers. "So, how should we approach this?" Antonio asked.
The raven haired girl smiled. "By the book. Master, we could use a distraction to get in." She said. Penny nodded and kneeled down petting Bolt on the head. "Ms. Mind, I want you to give us a mental link. Using a radio in a facility like this could be risky. Let's move."
Penny smiled. "Okay boy, its show time. Let's hit them with the lost dog routine. Pull this off and we can go to the park later. Would you like that?" She asked taking off his collar. Bolt stuck his tongue out happily before turning and jumping down the side of the building. He rushed out of the alleyway and towards the building.
Antonio rolled his eyes. "She gets to bring the dog, but I didn't get to bring Gaara."
"Gaara is definitely better at sneaking, but in this situation… well, a dog blends in more than a bear owl. Besides, Bolt's pretty much indestructible. If things get messy he's the muscle." Vi said watching as the dog approached the two men standing at the front.
The guards spotted him. "Hey, what's with the mutt?" The first one asked.
"I don't know. Did you get lost boy?" The second asked kneeling down in front of him. He patted him on the head. "No collar, maybe he's a stray." Bolt suddenly lunged forward and snatched the guard's gun from his waist. "Hey!"
He reached out to grab it but Bolt backed up. He held the gun in his mouth and began making his way down the street. "Crap! That isn't gonna end well! C'mon, we got to get it back!"
"We can't leave our post!" The first said.
"We also can't let a dog run around with a gun! C'mon, it'll take like five minutes tops!" He said running after him. After a moment of hesitation, the other guard reluctantly followed.
Penny smirked towards Antonio. "Bet Gaara couldn't do that." Antonio waved her off. The two had always argued over cats and dog. Each of them obviously favoring their own pets.
Violet sighed. "Enough you two. Let's move."
Margo lifted her hands and the whole group was lifted off the ground. The group was quickly flown down towards the entrance, still hidden by Violet's power. Antonio opened the door and held it open. "Ladies." He said bowing slightly.
"Flirt." Edith said rolling her eyes.
Margo nudged her sister. "Rude." She said harshly before turning towards the boy. "Thank you." She said gratefully. Antonio just nodded, blushing slightly.
The group quickly made their way inside and down the hall of the building. "Ms. Mind, establish the mental link now." Violet said.
Margo nodded before placing her hand on her temple. "Done."
"Great. Did you happen to read the guards mind? See where any important rooms were?" Violet asked looking towards the telepath.
"Yeah. The lab is three floors down. You have to hit the secret button hidden underneath the panel, it'll take you down downward instead of up."
"Got it. We'll split up here. Master, Pink, and I will try and find the lab. If they are working on something sketchy, then we'll need some solid evidence." Violet thought. "Ms. Mind and Cuchilla, head to the computer room. Download whatever files you can. We'll meet back outside within the hour. If anything happens, we'll contact the other group immediately. Got it?"
Everyone nodded. Margo reached over and grabbed Antonio's hand. "We should teleport to the computer room. Without Violet to shield us we risk be spotted."
Antonio looked nervous at the contact. "Right. Let's go."
Margo closed her eyes and focused for a moment, and suddenly she and Antonio vanished into thin air. Violet looked on a bit jealous. Sure, Margo had to focus hard and couldn't just teleport willy-nilly, but it was still a very useful ability to have. One that she envied. "I'm so sick of looking at those two love sick dweebs. What does she see in him anyway…" Edith thought.
"The link is still up Edith." Margo's voice said clearly annoyed.
"I know." Edith responded bluntly.
Violet began leading her group towards the elevator. They passed by a few guards on the way, but the three of them were skilled enough keep quiet, even when doing something as simple as walking. They steadied their breathing and completely silenced their footsteps. The guards were none the wiser.
Once they got there, they waited for a guard to open the door and then followed him in. When they entered inside, they checked it for cameras. There was only one in the corner, Violet could easily shield them from sight with a smaller force field. Once the guards left, Edith walked forward and reached underneath the panel. "Should be right… here!"
She hit the button and then stood back up and pressed three. Instead of the yellow glow the buttons had given off before, this time it was red. They felt the elevator moving downwards, and then stop. "Remember, we're just here to collect info. Don't touch anything." Violet warned to the other two girls. Though she was looking directly at Edith.
The three girls moved off the elevator and down the hall. It was pretty obvious where the lab was, considering there were numerous people wearing lab coats walking in and out of the double doors right down the hall. "Remember, we're just snapping pictures. Stay quiet, stay within the force field, and be careful." Violet warned.
The other two nodded before they walked down the hall and entered into the lab. They looked around and saw all manner of experiments going on. Edith looked over and noticed some kind of moving black substance inside of a glass box. Penny took a picture of some kind of bright yellow rock which was inside of some type of machine.
"What is all of this stuff?" Edith asked.
"No clue. But I'm pretty sure the scientist back at HQ will have some idea." Violet said. "Just take a picture of anything that looks suspicious."
Meanwhile, Dash ran through the city patrolling as usual. He always made sure to go through his part of the city a few times. If he rushed through it once, then who knows what he'd miss after he left. So far everything seemed normal. No bank robberies, no muggings, not even a street fight going on. It was pretty boring to be honest.
He reached up and tapped his earpiece. "Hey Trufulla, are you done rebuilding that flower shop yet? If so I want you to take the rest of my patrol. You like doing that type of stuff right?"
"Um, no, I don't." Audrey's voice responded. "Even if I was done, I'm not about to just take over you responsibility so you can slack off."
He groaned. "Man, I almost wish some villain would attack or something. At least then I could get some excitement." A loud crash was suddenly heard and Dash stopped. He looked in the direction of the noise. "Oh man, I was only kidding…"
He zipped over towards the scene and saw that a building had collapsed. There were people surrounding it, and he could see a few people making their way out of the ruble. He tapped his earpiece. "We got a collapsed building uptown. Civilians were inside. I might need some help with-"
"The building is the least of your troubles, human." Dash looked up and saw three figures standing on the building across the street. It was strange. They had white spiky hair and yellow tinted skin. "Destroying one building dragged you right out. You heroes are more predictable than I thought." The shortest one said laughing.
Dash narrowed his eyes at them. "This was you three?" He asked. Dash normally liked to joke around when he fought villains, but he didn't feel humorous this time. There were still people in that building. Some of them were hurt, some of them probably worst. He took his job as a hero seriously. And he wasn't about to let these three get away with hurting citizens.
"If we kill this one the others should show up soon." The largest one said pulling out a spear like weapon. "Who would like the honor of slaughtering the first hero?"
The shortest of the three jumped down, landing in front of Dash with a wicked smile. "The honor will be mine. I want to be able to stay I slaughtered the first of his allies in this time." He said pulling out two glowing swords. "Come human, show me if the champions of this era are as formidable as the rebels claimed."
Dash was clearly confused. He had no idea what they were talking about. "You guys must have gotten into some bad hash or something. Either way, I'm taking you down." He said before rushing at him. He leapt up and prepared to punch Scourge who was just smiling evilly.
He reached up and grabbed Dash's fist, and then punched him in the gut. He then tossed him aside, slamming into the side of a nearby car. "Hmm, a speedster. One of the most predictable sort. I was hoping for something a bit more challenging."
Dash growled and then rushed at him again. He began circling around him. "You want challenging, I'll give you challenging!" He shouted before suddenly charging at him from behind. He tackled into Scourge with his shoulder, but he only slide forward a few feet. Dash quickly began moving again. "You're a tough one huh? You still can't catch-"
Scourge turned and swung one of his sword. Dash ducked just before the blade narrowly missed his neck. It even cut off a few strands of hair. He slid to a stop and looked at the alien in shock. How could he be able to keep up with him? He couldn't have had super speed too, could he? "You're quick human, but my reflexes are quicker."
"Shut up!" Dash yelled running at him again. It didn't matter how quick this guy's reflexes were, if he moved around fast enough he'd catch him of guard eventually. He zipped around Scourge so quickly it looked as if there was more than one of him. "Try to keep up with this!" Dash shouted. It even sounded like there was more than one of him.
He moved in again and punched Scourge in the arm. This time the alien couldn't keep up. Dash kept up the attacks, punching and kicking every time he moved by him. Scourge looked slightly annoyed. He put his swords away, and then balled his fist up before slamming them to the ground. The force of the blow send Dash flying back.
Windows shattered, cars alarms went off, and whatever was left of the nearby building collapsed. Dash landed on the street with a thud. "OW…" He groaned out. He tried to push himself up to his feet, but suddenly felt something on his back. He looked up and saw Scourge standing over him. "You will be the first of many to fall, hero."
He pulled out his sword and got ready to impale Dash. The blonde looked panicked. He reached up and tried removing his foot, but he was too strong. "Get off! Let me go!" He couldn't get axed like this! He was only fourteen! He had so much left to do! He didn't even get to have a real girlfriend yet!
Just as Scourge was about to stab him, a blur flew towards them, and Scourge was knocked back. He went flying and smashed into the sidewalk, cracking the cement. Dash looked up and then saw Anna standing over him. She was cracking her knuckles, and had an angry look on her face. "Don't touch my friend." She said glaring at Scourge.
Dash let out a sigh of relief. "Man am I glad to see you. I thought I was a goner there."
"Who the heck are these guys? How did they catch you?" She asked curiously. Though she didn't take her eyes off the white haired creature in front of them.
"I don't know. They just showed up out of nowhere." Dash said. "Their pretty dangerous too. He doesn't have super speed, but he… he predicted me or something. I don't know. Point is that their tough. Don't let your guard down around them."
Anna smirked. "Don't worry, I'll deal with them."
The alien stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth. He glared at Anna and prepared to attack, but suddenly Brutus jumped down cutting him off. "Hold on a moment."
"Get out of the way old fool!" Scourge shouted. "That earth wench had the nerve to blindside me! I'm going to mount her head on my spear!"
"Gross." Anna commented.
Brutus pointed to a pair of strange looking goggles he was wearing. "If you were wearing your Visor you would have seen her coming. And you would also know this one is dangerous. She seems to have Burtonian genes in her. Perhaps she's a half-breed. Either way, this one in dangerous. We need to deal with her first." He warned.
Anna raised an eyebrow. Burtonian? What the heck was that? "Whatever. Let's just get this over with!" She said before flying at them. She lifted her fist and prepared to punch them, but suddenly Brutus pulled a gun out from his belt. Anna ignored it. She was invulnerable to just about everything. Not even Mr. Incredible could injure her. Whatever he had wouldn't work.
At least that's what she thought. When he fired, the moment the beam hit her she winced in pain. She fell to the ground and screamed. "AH!" She wrapped her arms around herself and writhed on the ground in pain. "W-what did you do to me?!" She felt so weak. Like her powers were draining from her body.
Brutus smiled. "This is why it's always good to bring Burtonite. There aren't many of their species left, but they can be quite troublesome without it." He said preparing to fire on Anna again.
Dash zipped back knocking the gun from his hand. He turned and ran back at him, but Scourge leapt forward and punched him in his side. Dash flew off slamming into a light post. He landed on the ground hard. "I recommend staying down human." Scourge said. "Now that she's here, I have a much more worthy prize to kill."
Dash tried to push himself back up to his feet, but fell back over. He was struggling to keep conscious, let alone move. Scourge turned towards Anna and pulled his sword back out. "Do you mind me taking this one?" He asked Brutus.
"Not at all. It'll be your first Burtonian kill."
Scourge stepped over Anna who was still writhing in pain. He raised his sword above his head. "Be honored, you're going to be the first of your species to die by my hand…"
Anna looked up at him panting in pain. She squeezed her eyes shut as he stabbed down.
A/N: OOOOOOOO! Another cliff hanger. So Scourge and the others are finally confronting our heroes. What's going to happen? Will Anna survive? What are Violet and the others going to find in the lab? Find out in the next chapter!
I changed Penny's superhero name from Dogma to Master. The guest reviewer Emi was the only one who suggested any name change, so there you go. The rest of the names are pretty much locked in. Though I'm probably going to call Kirstoff 'Stone' for short.
Also, the reason Brutus is reffering to Anna as a Burtonian is because she has the DNA of another superhero in her. I made a reference to him in a past chapter. Wonder if anyone will get it.