Chapter 29: The Best Laid Plans
Tensions were high as the group of superheroes gathered into Home Base's main meeting room. The Parr family were seated together in one corner, most of them shooting glares at Monger, Ramsbottom and Dicker, who were sitting at the head of the table. The one exception was Violet, who was looking worriedly at Mirage, the older woman pointedly not looking back at her from her seat next to Dicker.
"Okay, can someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Go Go asked as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
"Well, as some of you already know, earlier this afternoon, Jack-Jack Parr was kidnapped by the Syndicate," Dicker answered, his gaze focused on his hands steepled together on the table in front of him, "Specifically, the crime seems to have been perpetrated by Felonious Gru with Agent Lucy Wilde serving as his willing accomplice."
A ripple went through the crowd as they once again processed the information. Megamind in particular looked deeply uncomfortable.
"Now, we have reason to believe that this was done in order to maintain their cover," Dicker continued, glancing over at the Parrs as they glared at him, "Though that doesn't excuse the emotional anguish that it has caused, the action does seem to have produced results."
As Dicker spoke, the screen on the wall behind him changed to reveal a map of the globe. After a moment, a red dot appeared in the area of South America, before the map zoomed in on a small island in the south Atlantic.
"About a half an hour ago, we began receiving a signal set to the frequency utilized by AVL agents," Dicker explained as he gestured to the screen, "It originated from this otherwise uninhabited island. We believe that this is the location of the Syndicate's secret base, specifically the active volcano at the island's center."
"How do you know it's specifically in the volcano?" Link questioned.
"The volcano is an excellent source of geothermal energy, which is likely why Enigma set up the Syndicate's base of operations on that island in the first place," Megamind explained as he stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Also volcano lairs are a villain stable, as their imposing visages tends send quite the message to your enimies."
Megamind smirked as he looked at the rest of the group, only to be met by unimpressed expressions and outright glares.
"Uh, continue," Megamind said to Dicker as he coughed awkwardly into his fist.
"Right," Dicker replied with a sigh, "Now, we might know the location, but that's it. We have no idea about the layout of whatever structure the Syndicate has built, what traps might be waiting for us inside, or even where Jack-Jack is being held."
"Sounds ripe for a disaster," Doc observed grimly.
"Precisely," Monger agreed with a nod, "Which is why we need to do recon first, along with some search and rescue."
"You mean extract Jack-Jack," Bob surmised.
"We don't know what kind of condition the little fella will be in when you find him," Monger replied, "We figure it's best to get him clear before the shooting starts."
"And once we do get Jack-Jack clear?" Helen inquired.
"Then we bring the hammer down on those S.O.B.s," Monger answered with a savage grin, gently pounding his fist against the table for emphasis, "We send the rest of this team in, along with every AVL agent we can muster, and put an end to this whole debacle."
"You know, we'll need an awfully big hammer to crush a whole volcano," B.O.B. pointed out, causing the rest of the group to turn and look at him in confusion.
"B.O.B., buddy, what did we say about talking during meetings?" Link asked as he gave the blob a friendly smile.
"Uh, don't?" B.O.B. replied pensively.
"There's my guy," Link confirmed with a nod.
"So, what we must first do is assemble a team to infiltrate the Syndicate's base and recover the youngest member of the Parr family," Ramsbottom continued.
"I'm going, obviously," Violet spoke up, "This is the type of thing I was born to do."
"There's no way I'm sitting on the sidelines when my son's life is on the line," Helen added, placing her hand on Violet's, "And I can be pretty slippery when I have to be."
"I think Doc would be a good choice too," Susan spoke up as she gestured to the man in question, "He'll be hard to spot with his shrink tech and wall crawling and I'm sure he'll be helpful if you run into any tech problems."
"Thank you, Susan," Doc said as he looked at the young woman appreciatively before he turned his gaze towards the Parr's, "I'd be honored if you entrusted me with helping get your son back."
"We'll be happy to have you," Helen replied with a nod and a smile.
"I'll come," Mirage offered, ignoring the embarrassed look Violet shot her way, "I have experience with spec ops."
"I'm going too," Fred announced from where he was sitting, staring at the table with his arms crossed over his chest.
Fred's announcement caught everyone by surprise and the gathered group looked at the young man with a mixture of shock and confusion.
"Fred, are you sure about this?" Riley asked with a note of concern, "Stealth isn't really your thing."
"Look, I know my suit's abilities are a little on the flashy side, but what if they run into something that they need more firepower for?" Fred questioned in return.
Pausing, Fred turned his attention to Violet and her family, who also appeared uncertain.
"I can do this," Fred said, a note of pleading entering his voice, "I can help."
Hearing the plea and remembering the conversation the two of them had just had, Violet slowly nodded her head in agreement.
"Okay," Violet replied, her voice barely above a whisper, before she collected herself and said with more authority "Okay."
"Violet, honey, are you sure?" Helen asked, placing her hand on Violet's shoulder while looking over at Fred, apologetically, "I don't mean to sound insulting, Fred, but this is my baby we're talking about. I need to get him back."
"Mrs. Parr," Fred began to say, pausing to correct himself as he gave the older woman an imploring look, "Helen. I promise you I will help you bring Jack-Jack home."
"Well, it sounds like we're decided," Rambottom observed with a clap of his hands to bring everyone's attention back to him, interrupting any further argument Helen was going to make, "We'll send in our extraction team to rescue Jackson Parr and once he is secured, we'll put an end to the Syndicate."
"Make whatever preparations you need," Monger added as he observed the gathered heroes with a grim expression, "Wheels up in one hour."
With that, the meeting ended and the group began to disperse, the Parr family watching as Fred quickly fell in alongside Hiro and began speaking with the boy.
Meanwhile,
Gru stood silently in the main chamber of the Syndicate's base, his gaze focused on the now dormant gene resequencer, inside which he knew the unconscious form of Jackson Parr lay, the boy's screams of pain and fear echoing in his head.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Enigma's mechanized voice questioned from Gru's side, causing him to snap out of his thoughts and whip his head around to look at the shorter villain.
"Oh, just tryeeng to puzzle out what you're up to weeth all this," Gru replied with a nonchalant shrug, "I know you said you needed the boy to figure out how to sequence Super genes together, but I haven't figured out what you're goeeng to do weeth that information."
"All in due time, my friend," Enigma answered with a wave of his hand, "All will be revealed in due time. Now, come on, we need to discuss the next stage of our plans."
Nodding in agreement, Gru turned and followed Engima, sparing a glance back at the gene resequencer before leaving the large room. Gru trailed behind Enigma as the villain led him through the winding hallways of the complex.
"So, deed you get what you wanted from the boy?" Gru questioned cautiously as he walked, "The secret to make gene resequenceeng work like you wanted?"
"Yeah, I got what I wanted from the kid," Enigma responded as he opened a sliding metal door and stepped through, "Just like I got what I wanted from you."
The words immediately set off alarm bells in Gru's head, but he was already stepping through the doors by the time they registered. The first thing Gru noticed as he glanced around the room was Lucy sitting on her knees on the floor, her mouth gagged and her arms bound behind her back by a long tentacle of microbots that led back to Phantasma, who was looming over her, Lucy's signaling device held in the robot's free hand.
Gru's eyes widened in shock as he took in the sight while Lucy turned her frightened gaze towards him. Before Gru could react, the looming form of Mr. Perkins stepped into view. The mountainous man had shed his coat and tie, while the sleeves of his white button shirt were rolled up to his elbows. Covering Perkins' already meaty fists were a pair of stainless steel gauntlets, which were augmented with various electronic components. Grinning viciously, Perkins cocked his arm back and formed a fist, the gauntlet whirring with power and crackling with electricity before he threw a punch at Gru.
The blow struck Gru in the chest with devastating force, lifting the man off his feet and knocking him through the air, sending Gru crashing into the wall on the other side of the hall with enough force to dent it. Grunting in pain, Gru began to slide to the ground, but before he could completely fall over, Perkins stepped forward and grabbed him by the throat before holding Gru off the ground, the smaller man's feet dangling helplessly beneath him.
"I've been looking forward to this for awhile," Perkins growled as he squeezed Gru's throat with the metal gauntlet, "Do you know what it was like finding out your only son died alone, asphyxiating on the Moon!?"
Gru could only gag and choke in response, the air completely cut off from his lungs.
"I'm going to take my time with you, Gru," Perkins continued as he leaned in close to Gru, "It's going to be slow, and you're going to beg before the end."
"Perkins," Enigma's electronic voice cut through the air as he stepped into the doorway, "Let him go."
"You said I could have him!" Perkins snapped as he snapped his head around to glare at Enigma, his grip on Gru's throat unchanged.
"After I was done with him," Enigma countered, his voice carrying a dangerous edge, "And I'm not done with him yet."
A long moment passed as Perkins continued to glare at Enigma before he reluctantly released his hold on Gru's throat, causing the other man to slump to the ground as he gasped for air.
"What…What the hell ees goeeng on!?" Gru demanded through his gasps and coughs as he held a hand to his bruised throat.
"Oh come on now, Gru," Enigma admonished as he turned his attention towards the thief, "You know what this is about."
When Gru did nothing but defiantly stare back at him, Enigma sighed and stretched his mechanical arm back towards Phantasma before snapping his fingers, prompting her to place the transmitter into his waiting grasp.
"Do you know what this is?" Enigma questioned as he held up the device and wiggled it tauntingly in Gru's face as he walked over to the thief, "Because I do."
Leaning in closer, Enigma tapped Gru on the end of his long nose with the transmitter.
"It's exactly what I wanted you to do," Enigma continued, and Gru could practically hear the smile in his electronic voice.
"What?" Gru croaked, finally breaking his silence as he furrowed his brow in confusion, "What are you talkeeng about?"
"You really didn't think I'd find it suspicious that Felonious Gru, the man who successfully stole the moon for an evening before completely dropping out of the villain community, would suddenly decide to get back into the game out of nowhere just as I'm putting my plans into action?" Enigma asked incredulously, "How stupid do you think I am?"
Gru said nothing as he glanced over at Lucy, who looked defeatedly back at him.
"You knew the whole time?" Gru inquired as he turned his gaze back to Enigma.
"Of course," Enigma answered with a shrug, "How else would I get what I wanted if I didn't play along?"
"Jackson Parr," Gru whispered in shock, "You wanted me to keednap heem for you?"
"I wasn't lying when I called you the world's greatest thief," Enigma replied.
"So, what now?" Gru asked evenly.
"Well, as Mr. Perkins here has suggested, I made a deal to hand you over as…payment in return for financial support from his organization," Enigma elaborated as he gestured towards the mountain of a man who was glowering at Gru.
"Turns out you can put a price on revenge," Perkins growled.
"But, I think that'll have to wait," Enigma said.
"What!?" Perkins snarled as he spun to face Enigma, "We had a deal!"
"And I'm not reneging on the deal," Enigma assured him, "You'll have all the time you want with Gru. But we don't have the time now. That signaling device means that the AVL knows where we are and they're most likely on their way as we speak. We need to use what time to prepare. You can have your fun when we're done."
Perkins looked like he wanted to argue, but thought better of it, his gauntlets making a low humming noise as they powered down.
"That's the spirit," Enigma said with a nod before he looked back at Phantasma, "Collect our guests. We have a party to prepare for."
Meanwhile,
Home Base's central hangar was abuzz with activity as AVL agents and technicians ran back and forth, preparing a fleet of jets for takeoff. One of the jets, black in color and sleek in design, sat at the center of it all, where the heroes had gathered.
"Okay, so show it to me one more time," Fred, dressed in his Kaiju costume, sans the headpiece which sat on the ground next to him, requested as he looked over his clawed hand.
"All you have to do is touch the button inside the glove and it will activate the microcameras we installed in your suit," Hiro explained from where he stood next to Fred, "When the cameras turn on, they'll observe your surroundings and match your suit's coloring to it."
As Hiro spoke, Fred pushed the button in question, causing his suit to begin humming lightly. A moment later, the scales on his suit changed color from their normally vibrant blues and oranges to the blacks, browns and grays of Fred's surroundings.
"Whoa," Fred whispered as he turned his hand back and forth, watching as the colors fluctuated.
After a few moments, the suit let out a high-pitched whine and sparks shot off as the scales flickered before returning to their original colors.
"Crap," Hiro hissed as he pulled a tool from his belt and stepped up next to Fred, going to work on a part of the Kaiju suit underneath one of the arms, "This was kind of a rush job, so I haven't been able to properly test this new system. I would try to use it sparingly, it could give out on you at any moment."
"Only use it for emergencies, got it," Fred replied with a nod of understanding as Hiro finished his work.
"Look, Fred," Hiro muttered as he stood up straight and looked his friend in the eye, "I get that you feel guilty about what happened with Jack-Jack, but are you sure you're a good fit for this kind of mission?"
Fred was quiet for a moment as a pensive expression crossed his face.
"I know," Fred agreed as he reached down and scooped his suit's headpiece off the floor, "Subtle isn't exactly a word anyone would use to describe me. But I have to do this, Hiro. I have to prove that I belong here."
"Belong here?" Hiro echoed as his brow furrowed in confusion, "Fred, of course you belong here. You helped save the world."
"Yeah, helped," Fred replied dismissively, "That's basically like saying I was there. I'm not a super. I'm not even a genius. I'm just some rich kid who knows the right people. I'm willing to bet some people think I'm here out of pure nepotism. I mean, if I was anything else, I could have prevented all of this."
"Jesus, Fred," Hiro whispered, his expression turning stricken, "Now, I'm convinced that you shouldn't be doing this. You're not in the right headspace for any of this, and I know how dangerous going into something like this can be if your brain is all messed up."
"And you think they're in the right headspace!?" Fred hissed as he leaned down towards Hiro while gesturing towards the Parrs, Violet and Helen dressed in their superhero costumes, and talking to Bob and Dash in quiet, worried tones, "I need to do this almost as much as they do. If Violet or her mother got hurt fixing a problem I caused…"
"Okay, alright," Hiro relented with a sigh, "But just remember that if you're the one who gets hurt while doing this, then I'll be the one feeling the guilt."
"Don't worry, little buddy," Fred stated, his expression shifting into a confident smirk before it disappeared beneath the headpiece of his costume, "With your upgrades, this is going to go flawlessly."
Later,
In the depths of the Syndicate's volcano lair, a control room dominated by various large information screens that had been attached to the rock walls of the chamber. Various mercenaries worked at computer terminals and hustled back and forth across the chamber, while Enigma stood at the center of it all, Phantasma standing at the ready to his right. Suddenly, a loud alarm rang through the room while a few lights began flashing red, causing everyone to freeze and turn their attention to the screens.
"Sir!" one of the mercenaries called as one of the screens began displaying the grainy image of an aircraft roaring over the open water, "Those satellites you tapped into are picking up an image of a small aircraft approaching the island, flying below our radar. Just like you said it would."
"Alright everyone, places, places!" Enigma called as he gestured dramatically around the room, causing the mercenaries to spring to life once more, all scrambling in new directions, "As a great hero once said…"
Enigma turned his attention towards the screen and glared at the oncoming plane with his glowing red eye, obvious glee leaking into his electronic voice.
"It's showtime."
A/N: Well, it's been quite a long time since I updated any of my stories, huh? Definitely going to try and get some updates out faster, so hope you all keep sticking with me! As usual, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!