Episode 7 - Intermission
Things went radio silent as the Syndicate entered Rhyboflaven's airspace. They began to descend into the atmosphere. Night had already befallen the land and the lights were glistening across town. But something felt off to Professor Venomous and Cosma. They stood silently having a vague feeling they weren't finished for the night.
"Uuuh, boss, you sure they don't mind us chilling out here for a while," asked Fink.
"Positive," Venomous nodded. "You know how friendly Cattus is. And he knows you so he wouldn't care."
Turbo looked out the ship's main windshield and said, "I sure hope we don't have Vambre and Prohyas watching us 24/7."
"Oh don't worry," Cosma replied. "That's what I do to them on some nights. They're scared of me."
"You guys can head in," said Nanini. "It's too lavish for my taste."
"Yeah, same," Winnie agreed. "Usually I stick around outside or back at school."
"Wait, so you don't have a house?"
"More like a kennel."
Those headed to the castle walked near the rear entrance where no security remained. An area Cattus informed the Professor of for personal access as everyone would be onto him. Venomous punched in the code to get in, yet nothing happened. He repeated it but all it did was ring the input as negative.
"That's not right," he said to himself.
Turbo tilted his head, "Cattus didn't program it correctly?"
"No, it should be the same code as always."
"Maybe you should check your internet or reload this page," Cosma suggested to the reader.
Wondering the cause of the change, Venomous tapped his communicator on his wrist to immediately radio the king.
"Cattus, are you home? I'm locked out."
Oddly enough, Cattus replied but not in his normal confident tone of voice. He replied, "I…I thought you returned an hour ago, Professor. Witch Way arrived and said you were behind them."
"Uh-oh…"
"It's a trap, isn't it," Cosma speculated.
"They haven't done anything truly evil before, but I wouldn't be surprised if they found out about us. We'll check the main entrance."
"Good luck Professor," said the king. Bimm and myself are away, but my son should be there to assist you."
"Thanks Cattus. We'll do what we can."
Heading to the entrance when no one's around, Venomous took center stage and looked at the windows and the main gate, completely intact. When he knocked, however, he was rammed by a rhino bursting through and nearly mauled by a Lanolion, which Turbo chucks off his father! Inside, Professor MaBarnacle and Plunderbite held down two more rhinos while Familiar waved fire in front of a slither of rattlesnakes.
The old mother of Bimm shouted, "PROFESSOR! Aye, we've been waiting for you!"
"Anyone heard from Boxman," he asked.
Whilst holding a tiger's head back and gripping the neck with his arm, Plunderbite answered. "He's in the hall to the right. Nyando's keepin' all these critters away from him."
"You go and rescue him, Venomous," said Cosma. "I've got a job to do!"
Seeing a grizzly bear challenging her with the gesture of palming its firsts, Cosma met the creature by jumping into it and engaging in a cloud of fists, bites, and kicks while all the other critters watch. Off to the side, Nyando held all the animals attacking him back with a few bursts from his Whirlwind Magisword. Boxman stood behind him and held tightly onto his stun gun in preparation to defend himself.
"There you are," he announced!
Equally glad to see the Professor, Nyando said, "I had a feelin' Witch Way was up to no good. They usta bully V an' P, but we didn't think they had beef with us!"
"You'd be amazed how long an evildoer can hold a grudge, and the lengths they'd go to," Venomous replied.
Fink asked, "How'd they'd find out anyway?" But she quickly paused. "On second thought… The dynamic duo blurted it out loud, didn't they?"
"This is why we don't invite 'em to group chats…ever," Nyando scowled.
Up the velvet staircase next to them, the gold clad Glori brought down two coyotes and proceeded to the group.
"Well I just took out the heavy ones," she said. "I think the duo went downstairs to find the Witches."
"We'll take care of it," Venomous nodded.
Boxman tapped his arm and balled his fist, "I know my hands don't do like they used to. But let's do some damage!"
The Professor replied, "Let's," with a smirk.
Deep in the basement areas of the castle was Witchy Simone just on the other side of a corner listening in on a conversation between different villains waiting to ambush her. Her long ears twitched when she overheard Fink walking down the staircase to greet her, anticipating a big fight.
"Oh hey Fink," Simone smiled. "What's up?"
Fink answered casually, "Nothin' much. Bro and sis here?"
"Right down there. But I ain't goin' to check. I'mma be sneaky an' do somethin' else about it."
"I like the way you're thinking," Venomous agreed. "The rest of us will go greet them. Just get in position."
In the room ahead was Witch Way, the rivals of the Warriors for Hire, consisting of the impish Morbidia and feline anthro Gateaux. They both patted their hands clean of the chaos they caused upstairs and quietly celebrated in the moment as two other villains arrived. A short fairy-like member of the Gem race named Aquamarine and a man holding an amulet in emperor attire named High Roller accompanied the pair.
"See Gateaux. I TOLD you this would work," Morbidia mentioned. "All that's left is to wait on that professor and his goons."
Gateaux chuckled, "Heh. Goons."
"Do you always have to repeat the last thing she says," asked Aquamarine.
"No. I just find it funny."
Their conversation is cut short when they hear the sound of slow clapping coming from the staircase. Venomous nearly gave a standing ovation, impressed by the display of villains grouped in the room before him, Boxman, and Turbo.
"So you've finally gone above and beyond your usual schtick, huh Witch Way?"
"Oh there you are," Morbidia pointed. "PERFECT timing!"
In a flash, two more evildoers spawned behind Turbo and his father. The notorious Orangusnake and magical fox, HueHue, cornered them, keeping a battleaxe close to Boxman's neck to hold him back.
"Gentlemen, as Victor would say, you just got pranked," said the magical kitsune.
"So what's your deal here," Turbo asked.
Orangusnake's was first to respond. "HueHue and me worked with Catra once and she left us with Mao Mao and his crew. Sssso what better way of having our revenge by killing her ssssupplier?"
"High Roller and I also have an agenda with enemies of our own," Aquamarine added. "And once we defeat you, we'll each have our share of the universe once Black Hat gives us the means of destroying them!"
"Heheh, you're in for one helluva of a surprise," said Boxman. "He doesn't appreciate other villains taking the spotlight. He's just using you as little minions like always."
"Eh, true," High Roller shrugged. "But he doesn't expect us to launch an assault with what he gives us! If there's one thing I hate more than plain ol' humans, it's him and his ego!"
Venomous got up closer to the pair of evildoers and made a plea, spreading his arms out in a peaceful manner. "Well then, why don't we work together and take him down the professional way? We want the same thing."
"That is very tempting," said the Gem. "But considering your track record, it would only be a matter of time before you betray us. And you're the only thing standing between our army and the prideful fool."
"Any last words," Gateaux asked.
"Just one," said Turbo who prepared to scream, "NOW!
ZZZAPP!
Simone knocks out High Roller from a distance with her beams of magic and stuns Aquamarine while Fink leaps out from the darkness, grabs Morbidia by the face, and slams her head into the floor with a loud DOOSH! HueHue deflects and warps around each of Turbo's fireballs until he's caught by the tail by Boxman, who kept a can of knock out gas on him. The fox fell asleep while Orangusnake battled Venomous with his axe, almost hitting him when the creature is kneed in the snout then instantly K.O'ed by a swift punch from Turbo! Gateaux, being the only one standing, freezes everyone in place with his magic thanks to a glorb he kept in his pocket.
Aquamarine even recovered and prepares to blast the lot of them with her wand. But just as she's readying herself, Glori arrived, striking her in the head with the hilt of her staff then clotheslining Gateaux into the floor! Seeing the amulet in High Roller's hand controlling all the critters upstairs, she shatters it to pieces, causing every wild animal to become docile and begin quietly exiting the building.
"SPECTACULAR," Boxman cheered!
Venomous folded his arms triumphantly and commented over the sight of lesser supervillains, "Looks like Walker's Prison is gonna have more inmates soon."
Suddenly, behind the squad, Orangusnake and HueHue began warping away! An LED on the head Sky Pirate's crown triggers an instant teleport to their flying fortress where their crew is at the dinner table seeing them pop up underneath it as they're drinking coffee.
"Ok. The prison's gonna have enough inmates."
MMMMRPH! MMMRPH!
Hearing murmuring underneath the floor boards, Fink tore them open to where Vambre and Prohyas were behind held underneath, tied together by rope with their mouths covered.
Now with his arms behind his back, Venomous asked the two, "Tell me if I'm wrong. They overheard you talking about me, didn't they?"
Prohyas nodded
"I'm just gonna bring you home," said Glori. "And keep that tape on."
"Rrrgh," Vambre grumbled.
BZZ
The Professor's comm link buzzed and Nanini answered from her shuttle. "V-Man, the other Fink just called! She said she got lucky and found someone who knows about Black Hat's project."
Venomous widened his eyes, "Already?! I thought she'd be asleep by now!"
"Since when did I ever sleep," Fink asked him.
"Keep the details for tomorrow. We'll make sure we're ready for it this time." He cut off his call and observed the damages in the room. "I'm assuming Cattus or some maid of his can handle the mess since we'll be heading Black Hat's place first thing. Simone, you think you guys will be OK?
The imp smirked, "Is my skin color pink?"
BREAKING NEWS: NOTORIOUS SUPERVILLAIN AND COSMIC FOODIE KNOWN AS COSMA HAS RECENTLY RE-EMERGED AFTER MONTHS OF INACTIVITY ABOARD THE ADMINISTRATIVE SECTOR OF ENTERRA DRIVE YARDS! SECURITY FOOTAGE AND VISITORS CONFIRMED SHE WAS FIGHTING AGAINST AND DEFEATING THE DETHRONED DICTATOR, VEXUS, AFTER SUCCESSFULLY RECUSITATING A CIVILIAN. SHE WAS ALSO REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN
WEARING AN OUTFIT IDENTICAL TO CATTUS THE ULTIMATE OF LYVSHERIA. WHILE MANY HAVE COMMENTED HOW OUT OF CHARACTER THIS IS FOR HER TO DO, MANY PRAISE HER FOR HER HEROISM. HOWEVER, IF THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE DISAPPEARANCE OF PROFESSOR VENOMOUS REMAINS A MYSTERY.
"There's no way!"
KO was baffled hearing the news. He agreed even this much was out of character for the notorious supervillain. But he especially believed she knew full well where his father was hiding. As did his allies in attendance with him at P.O.I.N.T. headquarters. Many superheroes, old and new, have gathered for the conference; most of which were waiting for president Elodie to give the ok to confront the former villain the next time she appears in public.
"It definitely sounds like a Venomous plan when you think of it, sport," said Carol.
It is not
Cattus' calm assertive voice echoed through the chamber as he approached the center stage to address the audience himself, standing along with Bimm fully dressed in her traditional attire. Out of respect, much of the attendees bowed their heads and took a knee at the sight of them.
"Woah...," Radicles said to himself, trying to keep his voice low.
Mr. Gar was pleased to see the king and his wife and quietly walked up to the pair to give a personal handshake.
"Well this sure is a surprise. It's a true honor."
"The honor is mine," Cattus smiled. "We apologize for intruding, but after seeing my apprentice's performance, I couldn't keep quiet any longer."
Stunned, Elodie asked, "Could you repeat that...?"
"It's true," the King addressed to the crowd. "She was my acolyte. When my son and I searched for Venomous that day, we found Cosma wounded by assassins searching for the Professor. We brought her to our castle to heal while continuing our hunt and she became my apprentice by choice. Unfortunately, the last she recalled seeing young K.O.'s father was in Boxmore before she was hurt."
"Wait, so it's not a Dad scheme," K.O. asked for clarity.
"My boy, as heavy as it is to say, I wish it were."
"But I don't get it," said a very confused Enid. "Cosma's one of the toughest, if not THE toughest evildoer around. How did she get hurt like... Oh yeah. The Strike clones! I forgot."
"Yes. They ambushed her and Venomous. But during the attack, he somehow fled the scene before we could arrive. We came moments when the attack began, and yet...we have no idea where the Professor has gone to in such a short time span."
"He's right," Carol sighed. "My ex is fast and always had an escape plan. He'd find a way."
"Either way, it's impressive he dodged a bullet but Cosma didn't," said Gar. "Guess that means you got a new hero to recruit, Ms. President."
"Well, I can't say I'd like that," Elodie admitted. "But if she can take us one step closer to finding Venomous, then she's more than welcomed."
"Not for me," K.O. grunted. "I get she was hurt, but I don't trust her enough cause I haven't seen her myself. And usually villains like her have an even bigger plan they're just playing a part of. It never changes. I keep getting a sense this is all to do with my Dad and I wanna know where he is so I can stop him from making things worse like he always does. Just ask all the Boxbots. They'll say they didn't see anything, and they're probably lying. Heck, I don't even know if you're ly-"
He stopped himself realizing what he just said to the King. Every eye in the room was pointed straight at K.O.'s face, including Dendy, Carol, his friends, and Cattus himself. Quietly he grit his teeth and said.
"Um...sorry. I uh... Heh. I got a little hot there for a sec. Guess I still have some things to get off my chest, don't I?"
Cattus grinned, "It is perfectly fine, K.O. I understand how you feel about your father. We only ask that you trust those around you to help you, help us find him."
"Yeah, you're right... But I still wanna get to him for all he's done."
"Ditto," Radicles palmed his fist. "No one messes with my best bud!"
"I never got a shot at him for throwin' our team under the bus," Foxtail commented. "He's goin' down!"
"Your motivation is pure," said Cattus. "However, I must warn you. The collateral response to villainous activities in search of him has been widespread. You must remember your principles, and to not stoop to the level of the one you seek. In the meantime, Bimm, I believe it's time for us to return home."
Bimm nodded and a portal spawned behind her giving the two an exit back to a field in their kingdom. They left as quickly as they came. And getting back to the point, Elodie addressed K.O. directly.
"K.O. you might actually be onto something with what you said about the Boxbots. Maybe you can talk to them. Just, y'know, don't fight 'em unless you need to. They're pretty chill after the whole Shadowy thing."
Red Action spoke next to Enid, "Doesn't one of them own a farm too?"
"Think it was Darrel," the other one answered.
As the discussion was driven further, K.O. stood silent thinking to himself. He internally punched himself in the face snapping in front of the crowd when he thought he had himself under control for years now. But the moment's passed.
In his thoughts, he said, "Good. Everyone's on the same page now. Maybe we can go easy on supervillains, the Republic won't come down on us and we can put all this behind…"
IT'S MECHANIKAT!
"Wha…?"
BOOM!
The whole room gets blown in a pile of rubble by an explosion from the outside! Almost everyone is buried by the roof collapsing and only K.O. stood firm, perhaps in shock over what just happened. He brushed himself off ready to dig in the debris, asking, "Mom…?! Everyone…?!" But just when he started, a powerful laser struck him in the chest and threw him into the wall where the stage used to be! He looked at where the shot came from seeing none other than cyborg feline Mechanikat sat in a floating chair with Delilah at his side. Even an army, a cruiser filled with identical robots, hovered behind them.
"Ok, yep. This story's run out of budget for evildoers!"
"We've just destroyed your territory and you still treat us like jokes," Mechanikat asked.
"I mean, your name sounds exactly like it was meant to be."
Before one of the evildoers could reply, K.O. overheard something he didn't want to. Dendy whimpered trying to recover, sensing that her arm was broken from a piece of the ceiling falling on it. This was it. The sight sent her husband into a frenzy in his mind.
Delilah said to her leader, "Spare him the comeback, Mechanikat. It sounds like the only way to hit him where it hurts is by going in the old-fashioned way."
The cyborg grinned as his assassin leaped for K.O. But she would land on hard concrete slashing at nothing. As soon as she arrived, the hero rocketed into Mechanikat and through the hull of the cruiser behind him! They crashed into the fusion reactor of the ship with the villain's back crushed against the machine and K.O.'s hand gripping his neck!
"Tell me where Venomous is!"
The villain replied soundly, "That's what I was going to ask you. I felt the only way to lure him was to have his son crushed under my heel. But it seems the weapons Black Hat gave us weren't enough."
"He sent you to piss me off…"
"With your language, I'd say it worked flawlessly."
Yet another tick to have K.O. ready his fist for a blow to Mechanikat's cranium. But this one wouldn't be a knockout. It would not only splatter him but also the reactor he's been pressed against. Fast to stop himself, the hero relented.
"No. No, this is too much." K.O. lowered his knuckles but kept his grip on the cyborg. "Do you at least know where Black Hat is?"
"No, I was only told about his plan for your father by my assistant, Snooky Wookums. He's on paid vacation right now."
"Then he'd better spend it finding a new job!"
He didn't kill, but he flung the evildoer back into the chamber he fired upon! While K.O. was at it, he plunged his fist into the reactor and leaped out where he came as the ship began to burst into flames before an explosion could ensue! The cyborg got caught by Foxtail who palmed his head perhaps to crush it as everyone else in attendance rose in anger.
"Um," Mechanikat stuttered, "You all subscribe to the 'No kill' rule, yes?"
"We do," said Red Action. "But only to do this!"
In seconds, everyone grouped up on the man and tore him apart! The new heroes were particularly brutal on his cybernetics, which K.O. could see flying around him. He stood there both fascinated and disturbed, looking at his own hand that was ready to turn the villain's head into a fine powder, shaking. He didn't even realize Delilah had already left, having escaped before anyone could catch her. And even if he did see, he wouldn't want what's happening to her leader to happen to her too.