Author's Opening Note: I know I made some errors in the last chapter. Thanks for pointing them out for me. I went back and fixed them. If you find any here, let me know ASAP. Also, I'll be slightly altering the first chapter of "The Incredibles" tomorrow.
In the meantime, I posted a poll for the next one-shot adaptation I'll be writing once I wrap up "The Incredibles". It'll be for a video game, so let's get those votes in, people. And have a Happy Halloween.
Review Responses
Observing the Stars: Qrow does fit Logan's role like a glove now that I think about it. That sounds like a good idea for a one-shot. Thanks.
Jason K: Oh yeah. That scene with the horrible realization that Watts/Syndrome has been murdering supers is gonna hit the audience like a tidal wave.
Guest, Oct 19: That would make an excellent one-shot. I already know what scene I would adapt. The big question is who should play Joker?
EmeraldStirling: I saw it. It looks pretty good so far. Keep it up.
WhiteWolf0216: Well, the full-length adaptations will stop after "The Incredibles". But in my one-shot fic, you're most likely to see a Godzilla adaptation.
BlackRaptor1: I'm happy to hear you like my choices. And you're on the right track, Gold-Sith's theater has a built-in device that allows everyone else to hear Ozpin, even from within Oscar's head.
060896: I just watched that video after reading your review. It was disturbing lol
Yawar: My thoughts exactly. Since Whitley was the best choice for Frozone, Velvet would be a good choice for Honey. It just came to me, so I went with it.
Guest, October 9th: If I ever adapt "Dead Man's Chest", it'll be in my one-shot fic.
Guest, October 8th: Lol, yeah. That one's gonna be fun to write.
XenoGenerator: Oh yeah! Lol. That parts gonna be a blast to write.
NinjaAssassinM: That's a good point. By the time he would get outside, the mugger would have already escaped. I guess he just acted on heroic impulse.
HunterPrimeAW5M3: That part is gonna be fun to write. I promise I'll make it good.
Eternal Drakness of Light: There won't be any more full-length adaptations, but if I ever do "The Avengers" for my one shot, I'll keep your casting ideas in mind.
Pharamine: I'm glad you like my casting choices. And yes, I know. I was a little hasty when I posted this chapter and didn't check to make sure I changed all the 'he's' to 'she's' regarding Ruby. And sometimes the text lines merge with one another. I went back and fixed all that.
Blackwing8: Oh yeah. The glory days are coming back.
4dv1ct0r14m2017: It's Maria actually. Coco would have been a good choice, but I think Maria suits her better.
Arashi78: Lol. That's a good point. You could say it's a combination of Ruby and Yang. And I went back and fixed those errors. Thanks for pointing them out.
Enigma42: Oh yeah. Definitely. Ruby will probably be the most freaked out by that scene and when Syndrome gets killed.
blaiseingfire: It wasn't too difficult for me. Ruby already possesses superspeed after all.
Cinderfall20412: Cinder actually was my first choice, but I settled for Emerald instead because it foreshadows her defection from Salem's faction.
LoamyCoffee: I'm glad you like my casting choices. I think they mesh well too. Though, if you'd done any worse to Cordovin/Huph, it would have been fatal.
.4545: Thanks. I appreciate that.
DYnoJackal19: Thanks. I went back and fixed the error. I'm glad I have reviewers like you to point those out for me.
Benfur: I fixed those errors. I copied and pasted the script and missed a few of those on the first posting of the chapters.
Guestspirit: I know. I edited and fixed those mistakes. Problem was, I copied and pasted the script to save time, but I forgot to fix the he's to she's.
Zweig: True. But I wouldn't put it past him to be racist toward Faunus.
Xenozip: All fixed. Thanks for pointing those out for me.
Monster King: Hahaha. Don't sweat it. Yang will probably make a similar pun.
Inspiration: The Incredibles
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit story for entertainment purposes only. "RWBY" is the property of director and animator Monty Oum (RIP) and production company Rooster Teeth, and "The Incredibles is the property of director Brad Bird, production companies Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios, and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Open to a hospital. Caroline Cordovin was lying on a hospital bed in a full body cast and three of her limbs were suspended. Only her face and fingertips could be seen. An understandably angry expression was on her face.
Cordovin's condition created reluctant feelings of satisfaction in a few people, namely Blake.
An elderly man wearing dark gray suit, black round eyeglasses, and carrying a black briefcase exited Cordovins hospital room and stepped into the hallway where Ghira was sitting and waiting on a bench.
"Why are you there, Ozpin?" Oscar asked his host.
"Remember, Gold-Sith mentioned I worked for the NSA. It stands to reason I would get involved in an incident involving a retired superhero," Ozpin answered, recalling what Gold-Sith said earlier.
Ghira stood up. "How is she?" he asked Agent Ozpin.
"She'll live," Ozpin answered simply, his gaze kept straight ahead as he walked down the hallway.
"Wow. She's surprisingly durable for a short, middle-aged woman," Marrow noted, sounding impressed.
"Lucky her. Unless she's suffered anything permanent, like paralysis," Penny said, not wishing her father's disability on anyone.
"I'm fired, aren't I?" Ghira rubbed the back of his neck, already knowing the answer.
Ozpin cocked his eyebrow. "You think?"
"No, Ghira. Don't sweat it. At worst, I'm sure you'll just get written up for this," Maria said sarcastically, eliciting a few snickers.
"Ah, that job sucked anyway," Nora said with a dismissive wave.
"What can I say, Ozpin?" Ghira shrugged.
"Nothing you haven't said before," Ozpin replied, speaking from experience.
Blake looked pensive "I assume that was the 'breaking cover' event that Kali mentioned earlier?" she guessed.
"It could be," Jaune said before frowning. "Speaking of which, Kali and the kids aren't going to be happy when they hear about this."
"Someone was in trouble," Ghira defended.
"Someone's always in trouble," Ozpin retorted as the two of them stopped to allow a couple of orderlies to roll a patient on a gurney past them.
"Sad but true," Ironwood agreed sorrowfully. "Like hunters and soldiers, superheroes aren't gods. They can't save everyone, no matter what powers they have."
"I had to do something," Ghira reasoned.
"Yeah," Ozpin drawled out as he continued walking. "Every time you say those words, it means a month and a half of trouble for me, Ghira." Both men reached an elevator where Ozpin pushed the down button. "It means hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' lien."
"I know," Ghira admitted, looking guilty.
"We gotta pay to keep the company quiet. We gotta pay damages, erase memories, relocate your family. Every time it gets harder. Money, money, money, money, money," Ozpin finally looked at the retired hero in exasperation. "We can't keep doing this, Ghira."
Blake rubbed her temples at being correct. "How many times have you messed up like this dad?" she groaned.
"I knew it sounded a little strange they only lived at their current house for only three years," Ren shook his head. "Thanks to Ghira, they've had to relocate at least once to stay under the radar," he deducted.
"And from the sounds of it, they had to pay Insuricare some hush money," Qrow added. "Seeing who their boss was, they probably accepted the bribes without a second thought,"
Yang smirked. "That's a good point, Uncle Qrow. Everyone at Insuricare must have thought little of Cordovin," she joked, eliciting groans all around.
The elevator doors dinged and slid open, and Ozpin went on as he stepped aboard "We appreciate what you did in the old days, but those days are over. From now on, you're on your own."
With that, the doors began to slide shut, but then Ozpin placed his hand on one, stopping them. "Umm..." Ozpin shook his head before raising it. "Listen, Ghira. Maybe I could relocate you. You know, for old times' sake."
"No. I can't do that to my family," Ghira said remorsefully. "Everyone just got settled. I'll make it work. Thanks."
Ozpin nodded. "Take care of yourself," he bid Ghira farewell as he released the elevator door and allowed them to shut with another ding.
With that, Ghira sighed, alone and unsure wat he was going to do.
"Well, there's your lesson for today: always think before you act," Ozpin said wisely. "Losing your temper and pulling a similar stunt like this could get you fired, arrested, or sued."
"At best. You could get injured or killed in battle acting like that," Ironwood added sternly with a sip of water.
"There's one lesson I had to learn the hard way," Yang held up her prosthetic arm.
Marrow scratched his head. "And just how is he going to make this work?"
"Well, without government support, he's gotta get a new job on his own," Winter answered.
"He could do something that requires strength, like construction," Jaune suggested, trying to be optimistic. "He just has to hold back, that's all."
Cut to the Belladonna house as Ghira returned in his little blue car. He drove his vehicle back into the driveway of his house, his head hanging low in despondency. After the car's engine sputtered to a stop, he stepped out and closed the door.
"Man, Kali's gonna be pissed when she hears the bad news," Harriet said.
"And the kids won't be happy either," Clover added sympathetically.
Ghira perked up and turned around to see the boy on the tricycle from the other day staring at him.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ghira asked in a grumpy manner.
The kid shrugged. "I don't know. Something amazing, I guess," he replied.
Ghira sighed. "Me too, kid," he said sadly before entering the house.
"Preaching to the choir on that one, Ghira," Yang said, missing Mr. Incredibles crime-fighting days.
Ruby shrugged. "Hey, the movies not over yet. There's still time for something amazing," she said, trying to sound positive.
Inside the house, Ghira opened the door to his study, flipped on the lights and stepped inside. The rooms walls were heavily decorated with news articles, awards, collectors' toys, and other paraphernalia dedicated to Mr. Incredible. He even had his old superhero costume in a display case on the wall.
"Nothing but bittersweet memories of a time long past," Penny said sadly.
"It's just not fair such an amazing hero was forced into retirement," Jaune added, eliciting a few nods.
Ghira walked over to his desk, loosened his tie, and opened his briefcase to throw out his old workplace items. He started with his Insuricare Employee Manual, which he tore in half and threw into a trashcan next to his desk. Next, some sheets of paper, then Ghira simply picked up the briefcase and emptied the contents into the trashcan…
…including something unexpectantly heavy that made a thudding sound.
The audience heard the sound as well and perked up.
"What was that?" Marrow asked.
"Huh?" Ghira looked inside the trashcan to see a folder sticking out.
Ghira plucked out the folder, examined it, and then opened the bottom, allowing what looked like a black tablet to slide out.
Weiss examined the onscreen device. "That looks like an old model scroll with a solid screen," she said.
"Even so, that seems like pretty advanced tech for this kind of time period," Oscar remarked.
"Emerald must have snuck it into his briefcase earlier that day," Ren said before cupping his chin. "But what does she want with Ghira?"
The tablet's screen glowed as it activated on its own, then a bright dot materialized in the center and expanded into a circle. It then shrank and returned to its original size as two flashing words appeared, which Ghira read aloud. "Hold still."
Suddenly, Ghira's face was illuminated by a grid scanner that divided into four separate parts that lit up one by one. "Match: Mr. Incredible." An automated voice confirmed from the tablet, prompting Ghira to yelp and drop it in surprise.
A few surprised gasps filled the theater as the audience watched, tense but interested.
"Facial recognition software? And it knows Ghira is Mr. Incredible," Clover commented uneasily.
"That's impressive…and alarming at the same time," Vine noted how the device could identify a retired superhero.
Luckily, the tablet wasn't damage. A thin rod flipped open next to the screen and emitted a scanning wave that swept across the entire room while Ghira took a wary step back.
"Room Is Secure," the tablet reported as it retracted its scanner. "Commence Message."
"Correction. That's very advanced tech for this time period," Oscar rephrased his earlier comment.
Elm tilted her head. "But why would the sender have to scan the room for anyone else?"
"Because clearly the message is only meant for Mr. Incredible," Maria answered. "So, it must be something big."
"Hello, Mr. Incredible," A familiar voice emitted from the tablet as its screen displayed Emerald with an arrangement of screens behind her. "Yes, we know who you are. Rest assured; your secret is safe with us." Ghira circled around to view the message from the right angle, a dumbstruck look on his face.
My name is Emerald. We have something in common. According to the government, neither of us exist," she said mysteriously, while Ghira picked up and examined the tablet as he listened to the message with mysterious music playing.
"Ooooh, mysterious," Nora said forebodingly.
"The spy movie vibes are back," Marrow noted, feeling excited by the change of tone in the film.
Harriet nodded. "You're right, a mystery woman who knows his secret identity sending him a message for his eyes only. Cliché, maybe, but cool," she commented positively.
"Please pay attention, as this message is classified and will not be repeated," Emerald warned.
Ghira immediately ran to his desk while Emerald continued. "I represent, a top-secret division of the Vale council, designing and testing experimental technology," Ghira desperately tried to find something to write with, first he grabbed a file, which he tossed aside, then he grabbed a pen, but it was out of ink, so he threw that away too.
A few people laughed at Ghira frantically searching for something to write with.
"Oh, that's happened to me plenty of times," Ren chuckled, remembering times he needed to jot something down, only for his pen to be dry.
Blake giggled. "Me too."
"You think maybe Ozpin is behind this assignment offer?" Oscar questioned. "After all, he knows Ghira is unemployed now."
"I don't think so…" Winter said dubiously. "She planted the tablet before Ghira lost his job. So, the division she's talking about may be unknown even to Ozpin," she said astutely.
"-and we have need of your… unique abilities," Emerald went on while Ghira finally found a working pen to jot down some notes. Emerald's message went on. "Something has happened at our testing facility." The tablet screen displayed the cover of a digital file for something labelled: "Omnidroid."
"Omnidroid," Penny read the file aloud, her interest captured.
"Whatever happened must be very serious if they need to hire a superhero of his caliber," Jaune remarked before chowing on some popcorn.
Weiss blinked. "But why not hire Whitley? Emerald was observing both of them after all."
"Maybe they thought Ghira would be a better choice. He is Mr. Incredible, after all," Yang reasoned.
"Honey!" Kali called from outside.
"Huh?" Ghira glanced up from his desk. "What?"
"Dinner's ready!"
"Uh-oh. If she walks in on him…" Oscar trailed off.
"Ghira will not only lose his chance to return to superhero work, but he'll have to break the bad news," Ozpin forebodingly finished for his host.
"Okay!" Ghira called back but kept listening to the message.
The tablet now displayed the schematics of some a massive robot with multiple arms. "...has escaped control. Although it is contained within an isolated area, it threatens to cause incalculable damage to itself and to our facilities," the images changed to other schematics of the machine, "jeopardizing hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of equipment and research…"
Kali approached the door. "Is someone in there?" she asked.
"It's TV, I'm trying to watch."
Harriet rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. That's the oldest trick in the book."
"Yeah. I don't even see a TV in that room," Qrow pointed out.
"Well, stop trying! It's time for dinner!"
"One MINUTE!" Ghira yelled in frustration.
Elm looked a bit surprised. "And yet, she fell for it. Lucky for Ghira."
Emerald's face reappeared. "If you accept, your payment will be triple your current annual salary." Ghira wrote down "BIG $" on his notepad. "Call the number on the card. Voice-matching will be used to ensure security. The supers aren't gone, Mr. Incredible. You're still here. You can still do great things. or," her tone shifted to teasing, "you can listen to police scanners. Your choice. You have 24 hours to respond. Think about it."
"He's going to accept," Blake said with conviction. "It's the chance of a lifetime for him to be a hero again."
"Besides that, he needs the money now that he's out of a job. That's a lot of cash they're offering," Qrow added.
"And to top it all off, people could be in trouble from this Omnidroid. As he said earlier, he's gotta do something," Oscar repeated what Ghira said to Ozpin earlier.
The tablet deactivated, leaving Ghira alone to contemplate the offer. His gaze then shifted to the wall of old memories and accomplishments from the glory days. A triumphant tune played as Ghira smiled with nostalgic glee at the framed newspaper articles with headlines reading "MR INCREDIBLE SAVES HUNDREDS" and "INCREDIBLE RESCUE AT SEA", the front covers of magazines, a jar full of dented bullets labelled "BULLETS THAT BOUNCED OFF ME," a golden key, and even pictures drawn by children with thankful words. Finally, his eyes stopped on his old, displayed superhero outfit.
It was obvious that his answer would be yes.
The audience, especially the youngsters, all stared in awe and admiration of all of Mr. Incredibles accomplishments. A few even wished they had such a collection of memorabilia to gaze upon one day while looking back on the past.
"Did anyone else catch that jar full of "bullets that bounced off me"?" Jaune asked offhandedly. [1]
"No surprise there. He did shrug off a vault door slamming into him," Harriet reminded.
"And stopped that train," Oscar concluded.
Suddenly, the tablet beeped and Ghira looked down at it as it ejected a white business card from the bottom. He picked up the card to see Emerald's name and a phone number had been printed in shimmering ink on it, while the tablet kept beeping.
And then it made one final announcement. "This Message Will Self-Destruct." The beeping sped up.
Ghira's eyes widened. "Uh-oh..."
"Uh-Oh…" a few people echoed Ghira.
A heavy thump resonated outside the office, then a coughing Ghira burst into the hallway from, smoke billowing from the door. This set off the houses sprinkler system, much to the chagrin of the rest of the family. Or joy in Ruby's case.
"Ghira!" Kali's angry voice echoed from down the hall, as well as a delighted whooping from Ruby.
Jaune sighed wearily. "They always do that in spy movies. And at the worst possible times.
"Yang snickered. "Well, Ruby's enjoying it."
"Yeah. I probably would at that age," Ruby nodded with a smirk.
"Although, now dinner is probably ruined…" Ren assumed.
A bit later, in the dining room, Kali lifted a chair off the dining table and placed it on the drying floor. "You..." she approached her husband, who was drying off book pages with a hair dryer, "are one distracted guy."
Ghira shut off the dryer. "Hmm? Am I? I don't mean to be."
"How is he going to break the bad news to Kali?" Oscar asked tentatively, but nobody had an answer.
"I know you miss being a hero and your job is frustrating," Kali rubbed his arm in comfort, not failing to see him flinch at the word 'job'. "I just want you to know how much it means to me that you stay at it anyway," she finished and kissed his cheek.
Ghira looked uncomfortable. "Honey? About the job?"
Kali had just reached her seat. "What?"
Qrow leaned his head back. "Hooo, boy. Here we go."
"This is gonna be bad," Marrow said through clenched teeth.
"Something's happened," he said, looking guilty.
Kali stared at her husband. "What?"
Jaune swallowed lightly. "I think she knows what he's going to say?"
Everybody tensed up for what they thought was an upcoming argument…
"The, uh..." Ghira tried to come up with something.
"What?" Kali asked sharply.
"The company is sending me to...uh, a conference."
And then they looked dumbstruck at what Ghira said.
"Huh?" Blake did a slight double take.
"A conference?" Weiss scoffed at Ghira's lie.
"A conference?" Kali questioned.
"O-out of town." Ghira stammered but kept going. "And I'm just gonna be gone for a few days." But he looked dubious that she would believe him.
Blake shook her head in disappointment. "Really, dad? You're lying to her?"
"Well…I can't approve of the deception," Clover criticized lightly. "But it would explain why he's leaving and make it look like that he still has a job."
"And it's a better relationship than what dad and Raven shared…" Yang thought sadly.
"They've never sent you to a conference before..." Kali muttered, seemingly not buying it. But then she nodded. "This… is good, isn't it?"
"…yes," Ghira answered hesitantly.
Kali returned to Ghira. "You see? They're finally recognizing your talents, you're moving up!" she cupped his chin.
Ren looked surprised. "What? She believes him?"
Elm scratched her head. "Yeah. That doesn't make sense. She even said he's never gone to any conferences before."
Nora just shrugged. "Hey, whatever gets the ball rolling on this new mission."
"Honey!" Kali hugged her husband with delight. "Awww...This is wonderful!"
"Yes, it is," Ghira said, looking regretful already.
"I've got a strong feeling that this is going to backfire, no matter how well-intentioned he is," Ozpin predicted.
"Probably," Qrow conceded. "But what's done is done now. There's no turning back."
Yang decided to lighten the mood. "Well, silver lining, I think we're about to see some more action!"
Back in his office, Ghira was seated at his desk with a phone in his hand, gazing at the number on Emerald's card.
After a single ring, Emerald answered. "Hello?"
"This is Mr. Incredible." Ghira swiveled in his chair to look at his super suit. "I'm in," he accepted the offer.
Everyone felt a mixture of excitement and hesitation at Ghira accepting the offer.
"All right! He's back in the game," Nora punched the air excitedly.
"For better or for worse," Weiss said with uncertainty.
Ozpin wasn't so sure though. "Call me paranoid, but this almost feels too good to be true…" he said forebodingly; deep down, everyone at least partially shared his sentiments. [3]
Cut to a sleek, high-tech airship flying through the air at supersonic speed, piercing clouds as it went. Inside the ship, Mr. Incredible, wearing his old suit once again, gazed out of a window before it darkened, and Emerald approached him. She sat on the opposite side of a control panel where a holographic projector activated.
"The Omnidroid 8000 is a top-secret prototype battle robot," Emerald began to brief the hero, before she typed on a keyboard to bring up the schematics of the aforementioned robot. "It's artificial intelligence enables it to solve any problem it's confronted with. And unfortunately..."
"Let me guess," Ghira interrupted. "It got smart enough to wonder why it had to take orders."
Penny put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my. For a high-tech battle robot, that's very serious if it's grown a mind of its own."
"You see that a lot in sci-fi movies and comics where robots gain sentience and turn hostile," Jaune spoke from experience, eliciting nods from Oscar and Marrow.
Ironwood frowned. "Reminds me only too much of the fall of Beacon…when the AKs were hacked," he said in a sorrowful voice.
Qrow put a hand on the general's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself on that one, Jimmy."
"We lost control," Emerald admitted. "Now it's loose in the jungle, threatening our facility. We've had to evacuate all personnel from the island for their own safety," she continued as the screen switched to an image of the island the ship was heading toward, tropical in nature with lush jungle and an active volcano.
Marrow whistled. "That's one hardcore looking island. It even has a volcano."
"Do you think it's active?" Oscar asked before munching on some popcorn.
"If it is, let's hope Ghira doesn't get too close to it when he fights this thing," Elm said.
"How am I going in?" Ghira asked.
"The Omnidroid's defenses necessitate an air drop from 5,000 feet," Emerald brought up a display a simulation of the airship flying over the island and releasing something. "Its cloaking devices make it…difficult to track. Although, we're pretty sure it's on the Southern half of the island."
The southern section of the island was highlighted to give Mr. Incredible an idea of where he was going.
"From 5,000 feet up? What is gonna do? Jump from the airship?" Ruby questioned.
"I doubt it. While Mr. Incredible would probably survive the fall, there's no guarantee he'll land close to his destination. Or even on the island," Ozpin doubted.
"One more thing. Obviously, it represents a significant investment."
"You want me to shut it down without completely destroying it," he assumed.
Emerald smiled. "You are Mr. Incredible.
"But that'll make it more difficult if he has to pull some of his punches," Qrow realized.
"True, but if he demolishes the robot, they'll likely dock his entire pay," Ironwood presumed.
With that, Ghira sat down in another chair, pulled down an overhead harness, buckled himself in, and pulled a lever on the side to recline the seat backward. Now lying face up, Mr. Incredible grinned and gave a thumbs up to a soldier in grey body-armor and helmet with a black visor, who returned the gesture before hitting a button on a control panel in front of him. Mr. Incredible slowly slid feet first into a small drop pod…
But then Mr. Incredible (and the music) suddenly stopped half-way into the pod. Both he and the soldier looked surprised. The guard pressed the button again to no avail. Ghira's excessive weight was keeping him from entering the pod. The soldier tried a few more times, but, to Mr. Incredibles frustration, it didn't work.
Jaune, Nora, Yang, Oscar, Ruby, and Qrow all laughed uproariously at the jab to Ghira's weight problem.
Everyone else tried to at least stifle their lighter laughter with varying success.
Even Blake couldn't help but laugh reluctantly at her father.
Finally, the soldier twisted the button a few notches, then hit it one more time and Mr. Incredible was sucked into the pod, and the top hatch closed behind him. The entire pod then slid into the ships launching slot.
Emerald approached the pod before it was dropped off. "I've got to warn you, it's a learning robot," she cautioned through the pods radio. "Every moment you spend fighting it only increases its knowledge of how to beat you."
"Oh, that's comforting," Yang said sarcastically.
"Just like with me. Father installed learning software so I can analyze and process battlefield data to fight Grimm more effectively," Penny identified a similarity between her and the Omnidroid.
"Shut it down. Do it quickly. Don't destroy it," Ghira summarized his assignment impatiently.
"And don't die," Emerald added.
Mr. Incredible forced a grin. "Great. Thanks."
"Yeah, dad. Please don't die," Blake pleaded, hoping he wasn't too out of practice to accomplish his goal.
With that, the pod jettisoned out of the plane and descended rapidly down toward the island. Once its booster stopped, a set of four propeller blades jutted out and steered the pod to its destination at the base of the volcano. It hit the ground, kicking up a small dust cloud.
On the ground, Mr. Incredible struggled to exit through the hatch, but his girth prevented him. Giving up, he slipped back in, then shoved against the interior, shattering the pod apart from the inside out.
Mister Incredible performed some quick stretches, like shoulder-rolling, touching his toes with his fingers, and stretching upward, exposing his belly under his costume.
A few people averted their eyes from the screen in mild disgust.
"Ugh! He reminds me of those overweight nerds cosplaying at comic-book conventions," Jaune recalled from the past.
Yang shuddered a bit. "Yeah. Nobody wants to see that," she agreed.
Mr. Incredible finished his stretches. "Showtime," he said eagerly, and ran off into the jungle.
Mister Incredible began his search by running along a rocky cliff, panting from the effort. Next, he arrived a slope leading downward into a valley. He paused there to catch his breath, then continued on, running or sliding down the slope.
"This reminds me of our initiation out in the woods," Ruby reminisced on the Beacon days, prompting nods from everyone present that day.
"Only we didn't have to keep stopping to catch our breath," Blake noted with concern for her father.
Qrow sighed. "Unfortunately, all that weight and fifteen years out of the game will do that to you."
Next, he was seen lifting a large leaf out of his path and shooing away a fly buzzing near his face. He looked around briefly, then slid down another slope before moving on.
Sometime later, deep in the jungle, a tired Mr. Incredible stopped and leaned against a large tree to catch his breath again.
Nora tapped her foot impatiently. "Where is it?" she questioned, eager to watch some action.
"Given its size, I figured he'd have found it by now," Ren agreed with his partner.
"Even then, the island is pretty big," Maria reminded. "He still has a lot of ground to cover to find this thing."
It was at that point he saw a gash against the tree trunk he was resting against. Like something big scraped against it. He then looked down and saw a large x-shaped footprint right at his feet.
"Hmmm…" Mr. Incredible hummed with a frown, his sixth sense for danger piqued.
Blake gazed at the Omnidroid signs. "It looks like he's getting close," she murmured.
Suddenly, two huge metallic claws pushed aside some trees right behind Mr. Incredible and he spun around wide-eyed to see the Omnidroid towering over him. Just like the presentation showed, it had a huge spherical body, a single blue visor, and five metal tentacles with four-clawed feet.
"Whoa!" half the startled audience yelped.
"More than close. It's right there!" Jaune pointed at the screen.
"Amazing it was able to sneak up on him like that, given how heavy it must be," Penny commented.
The Omnidroid tried to strike Mr. Incredible with its claws. The hero dodged the first two and rolled to the side, but robots third attempt grazed his shoulder, ripping the fabric of his costume and leaving a bloody cut.
Blake gasped. "It hit him! And it can draw blood."
"It's a good thing he has super toughness, or else that strike might have taken his arm clean off," Vine
Mr. Incredible clasped the cut with his free hand and jumped over the Omnidroids next attack, launching himself over the robot, and landed behind it. The robots visor swiveled around just in time to see the hero cock his fist back and deliver a powerful punch. The blow sent the robot flying through the air and crashing against a tree, its arms going limp. Mr. Incredible grunted in triumph.
Ruby, Yang, Jaune, Nora, and Oscar cheered and clapped the successful hit, hoping that it deactivated the Omnidroid.
Then its limbs pushed the Omnidroid back up, and the visor turned fixated on him again.
Ghira's grin vanished. "Uh-oh…" he muttered.
The cheering immediately turned into groans of disappointment.
Qrow sighed deeply. "Should have known it wouldn't be that easy."
Mr. Incredible tried to jump over the robot again right before it reached him. But just as Emerald had warned, it was a learning robot. It quickly calculated the arc of Ghira's jump, locked onto a certain point, and swatted him out of the air. He slammed against a tree hard enough to break the trunk and topple over towards the Omnidroid, only for it to retract its head and limbs and roll out of the way.
Marrow winced at the hit. "Damn. That thing does learn fast."
"It makes sense, given how much money and research was poured into designing it," Ironwood remembered Emerald's briefing.
"Most Atlas robots don't learn that fast. Whoever designed and installed its programming knew what they were doing," Penny said, believing the Omindroid's learning capabilities might rival her own.
The Omindroid reverted to its combat mode for a moment before going spherical again and rolling toward Mr. Incredible in an attempt to crush him. Ghira managed dived out of the way, but the robot circled around and rolled toward him again, knocking down trees like bowling pins under its sheer bulk. Mr. Incredible sprinted through the jungle, panting heavily and barely outrunning the huge ball of metal right behind him.
"This reminds me of Sun running away from that huge boulder in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" Ruby recalled from the viewings in Argus.
"Yeah. But this is so much worse," Yang said.
Just before the robot reached him, Mr. Incredible, jumped to his right and went flying off a with the robot directly behind him. As Ghira slid down the rocky side, his robotic opponent remained in ball form, tumbling after him until it fortunately hit an outcropping that launched it away. The Omnidroid's tentacles jutted out in mid-air, allowing it to land on its feet on the ground below.
From offscreen, Mr. Incredible threw a boulder at the Omnidroid, only for it to shatter harmlessly against its thick armor. The robot then countered by throwing boulders back until one hit Ghira and sent him flying against a wall. He then barely dodged one of the Omnidroid's claws and took off, the robot pulling the claw out, taking a small section the wall with it, which it broke apart as it opened again.
"Ghira's not winning this fight," Vine bluntly voiced what everyone was thinking.
"If only he were in better shape, he might stand a chance," Nora said with worry.
"Or knew any of the Omindroids weaknesses," Clover said before trailing off with a hint of suspicion in his voice. "Emerald could have briefed him a bit better on that…"
The robot jumped after him and landed on the ground behind him hard enough to shatter it. Ghira plummeted through the air until landed on the rocky ground, his opponent landing immediately after.
They were now close to the core of the volcano, molten lava all around. Mr. Incredible got to his feet just as the Omnidroid lanced a claw at him, which he narrowly caught. It then turned into a test of strength, which the Omnidroid was winning as it slowly pushed its target toward the red-hot lava. Ghira glanced behind him to see the fiery cauldron, then back up at his robotic opponent only inches away from pushing him in.
Everybody was at the edge of their seats at this point.
Blake clenched her armrests, going tense. "Oh no. He's going to get burned alive!"
"Come on, Ghira! Don't let it win!" Marrow urged.
But then, just as he reached the edge, Ghira shouted and swiftly side-stepped and released his grip on the claw. The Omnidroid was sent falling into the lava by its own momentum and fell into the lava and completely sank into it like a brick.
Everyone burst into cheers, applause, and whistling at Mr. Incredibles apparent victory.
"But wasn't he supposed to just shut it down without destroying it," Weiss brought up once the audience calmed down.
"Yes, but I don't think that was possible at this point," Ironwood countered.
Harriet shrugged. "Well, then I guess the government is just gonna have to bite the bullet and build another robot," she said simply.
Mr. Incredible pointed at the lava and laughed triumphantly, then he twisted his upper body to the side…and let out a yelp of pain as his back popped. "Oh, my back!" he groaned.
Everyone groaned or winced at the screen.
"Oh man! I felt that," Qrow put a hand on his back.
"He's gonna need to see a chiropractor when he gets home," Marrow grimaced slightly.
His back wasn't the only problem, though. The Omnidroid, its metallic body now glowing red-hot, suddenly broke through the stone platform right in front of him Including where Incredible was standing. And it was completely undamaged.
The audience watched in fear and exasperation at the seemingly invincible Omnidroid.
Nora threw up her hands. "Oh, come on!"
"That thing can survive in lava? What is it made out of?!" Harriet questioned in befuddlement.
"I hate to admit it, but the Omnidroid is a very impressive piece of machinery," Penny said reluctantly.
Still clutching his back, Ghira stepped painfully onto the larger section as a small section floated away on the lava.
The robot then pulled its claws out of the lava, also red-hot, and began to spin them like helicopter blades. Mr. Incredible was forced to back up toward the edge of the platform. He jumped on the portion of rock that broke off to float away and escape, but the Omnidroid quickly grabbed his feet with its now cooled claw and slammed him onto the ground. Ghira was then held up and his arms were seized by another claw, then both began to pull in opposite directions.
"Dad! No!" Blake cried in terror for her father.
"It's gonna rip him in half!" Penny joined in, having flashbacks of her counterpart suffering the same fate at the hands of the Alien Queen.
"I can't look!" Nora covered her eyes.
Mr. Incredible groaned in pain as the robot slowly tried to rip him in half. The groans became louder and more pained… before something cracked. Mr. Incredible blinked, then laughed before yanking his hands and feet away, ripping the claw holding them off its respective tentacle and freeing himself at the same time.
The audiences fear turned to relief and renewed confidence now that Mr. Incredible finally inflicted some damage onto the Omnidroid.
"Looks like he won't be needing a chiropractor now," Ruby said smugly.
Yang rubbed her hands together. "Oh Yeah! Now's his chance to scrap that hunk of junk," she said excitedly.
The Omnidroid had lost its target. Its visor swiveled around, searching for the hero. It then deployed a second visor underneath it to scan the area.
It failed to realize that the hero had slipped right beneath it and followed its footsteps to stay in its blind spot. Then he appeared with a shout in front of its lower visor to tear it off, throw it into the lava pool, and then quickly clambered inside the robot through the resulting hole. Realizing what was happening, the Omnidroid began to strike its own body with its claws, gouging multiple holes in an attempt to impale Ghira. But all it did was inflict heavy damage to itself while Ghira sat smug and safe inside the robot's hull. The robot staggered, sparks spewing out from the many holes in its body, before coming to a stop.
Everyone watched in awe and delight as Mr. Incredible finally began to defeat his opponent.
Penny carefully observed the screen. "So, only it's claws can pierce its armor," she noted the Omnidroids only apparent weakness.
"And he took advantage of that, along with the robots programming to terminate him," Ironwood realized with reverence for Mr. Incredibles clever move.
Mr. Incredible then punched the robots remaining visor off and popped up from the hole. He gave a loud whistle and patted the robot's side to get its attention. With its last ounce of stretch, the robot reached inside it's body attempt to strike Mr. Incredible, but he dodged the attack, tricking it into tearing out its own power core.
Penny looked squeamish. "Tricking it into ripping its own brain out was rather…brutal," she said uncomfortably.
Winter rubbed Penny's back in comfort.
The destroyed machine stood motionless for a moment; the power core still clutched in its claw. A triumphant Mr. Incredible leaped out and calmly walked away, as the Omnidroid collapsed to the ground with a heavy thunk.
Loud cheers and applause filled the theater at Mr. Incredibles victory, especially from the youngsters.
"Even with his weight and back problems, he's still got it," Jaune praised.
"I was worried for a minute, but he did it," Blake laughed with pride, hoping her counterpart would be as big a hero as her father.
"And he didn't totally trash it, so he won't have to worry about them complaining about any serious financial loss," Vine concluded.
But what the victorious hero didn't realize was that he was being watched by a blue Macaw nearby. Only it wasn't a Macaw. It was a disguised camera, its mechanical camera lens eye zooming in on him.
Cut to Emerald sitting in a control observing Incredibles victory over the Omnidroid on a surveillance monitor and wearing a headset.
A modulated male voice came over Emerald's headset. "Surprising. We must bring him back," it was a man who sounded impressed. "Sound the all-clear. And invite him to dinner." It was too altered to identify the speaker though. [2]
Emerald smiled and moved to follow the man's instructions.
"What?" a few people muttered, confused.
"They were watching him all along. Observing his performance," Ozpin noted.
"Who was that Emerald was talking to? I couldn't make it out over that modulator," Winter questioned.
The rest of the audience had no answer, and there was no small amount of suspicion among them
Cut to a large hall with red walls and dimmed lights, a white transport pod slid to a set of doors, which then opened. Ghira stepped out of his transport dressed in a dark blue suit, necktie, and his domino mask. He walked down the hallway until he came to a double set of stone doors with fancy carvings. He opened the one on his left-hand side.
The next room was just as big as the hall, its only light source was a waterfall of lava that made up nearly the entire left wall. Two huge statues shaped like human heads flanked either side of the waterfall. The right wall was slanted towards the ceiling, granting a beautiful view of the jungle outside. A long dining table was placed in the center.
A few people let out some "Oooohs" and "Aaaahhhs" at the room's opulence.
"Whoever hired Mr. Incredible for this task has done very well for himself," Weiss commented, believing the mysterious employer may have been as wealthy as the Schnee's.
Maria nodded slowly. "And he's brilliant, too. Utilizing molten lava like that? That's no small feat."
"I know! I mean…a freakin lava waterfall? That's so awesome!" Nora geeked out while Jaune and Ren snickered.
But there was nobody there. Mr. Incredible checked his watch to make sure he was on time and was about to enter when a sudden sound attracted his attention. He quickly stepped back behind the door and pulled it half-shut. He peaked out waterfall parted int the center, allowing Emerald to saunter out in an exquisite, black dress. She then stopped and turned around as someone chatted with her while standing between the two halves of the parted lava. His voice was nearly inaudible, and he was largely hidden behind the flowing lava.
Elm put a hand to her ear. "What's he saying?"
Penny listened with her enhanced hearing. "Most important, keep things light. Praise him. Make him feel like we appreciate his abilities," she informed the audience, before squinting her eyes slightly. Even over the sound of the lava, the voice sounded familiar…
Winter took notice. "What is it, Penny?"
Penny shook off the suspicion. "Nothing."
He and Emerald then quickly looked toward the door where Ghira was.
Emerald strolled across the room and opened the door. She saw Mr. Incredible as he had apparently just arrived.
"Am I overdressed?" Ghira asked, pretending he'd just shown up.
"Actually, you look rather dashing," Emerald complimented.
Blake narrowed her eyes. "He's also married, so keep your hands off of him," she said heatedly.
Inside the dining room, Ghira and Emerald both sat at opposite ends of the long table, but the mysterious host wasn't there.
"I take it our host is..." Mr. Incredible asked, trailing off.
"That's a good question. Why isn't he there?" Winter shared Penny's suspicion.
"I'm sorry," Emerald apologized, lifting her champagne glass. "He won't be dining with us. He hopes you'll understand."
"Of course. I do usually make it a point to know who I'm working for," Mr. Incredible said before munching on a shrimp.
"Very wise of him," Weiss nodded with a sip of tea. "Many Faunus miners wished they knew that before joining the SDC."
Blake giggled. "My dad has a taste for seafood here, just like his real-life counterpart," coincidentally some shrimp herself.
"He prefers a certain amount of anonymity. Surely, you of all people understand that."
"I was just wondering, of all the places to settle down, why live-"
"With a volcano?" Emerald finished for Ghira. "He's attracted to power. So am I. It's a weakness we share."
"Seems a bit unstable," Mr. Incredible remarked.
"I'll say. Building your headquarters near an active volcano seems a little too dangerous," Ren agreed with Mr. Incredible.
"And showboatish," Weiss added, feeling the lavafall was a show of power.
Nora shrugged. "Maybe. But it's still cool."
"I prefer to think of it as misunderstood," Emerald played with her champagne glass a bit.
Ghira chuckled briefly. "Aren't we all?"
"Volcanic soil is among the most fertile on Earth," Emerald gestured to the banquet between them while Ghira sipped his champagne. "Everything at the table was grown right here. How does it compare?"
"That's right," Penny confirmed. "Volcanic ash collected after eruptions have been proven to contain special minerals that help crops grow. Inhaling them is the most dangerous part of a volcanic eruption. So, if you let them settle first you have nothing to fear," she supplied some information.
Maria looked impressed. "Very good, Penny. I see Pietro installed a of intricate files in your CPU," she complimented.
Penny giggled a bit. "Oh yes. I'm knowledge ready!" she saluted with pride.
"Everything's delicious," Mr. Incredible answered.
Emerald smiled and rose her glass to him in a toast.
Blake fixed her gaze on Emerald. "Don't even think about being a homewrecker," she snarled.
Yang put her hand on Blake's shoulder. "Easy, Blake. There's no way Ghira would cheat on Kali," she said, calming her partner down.
"She's right. All that talking was just business related," Elm added with reassurance.
"Besides, Kali is a far better catch than Emerald. Why would he want to cheat?" Qrow said bluntly, drawing a few looks, but nobody disagreed with him.
Cut to an airship landing at an airport as Ghira returned home to upbeat trombone music.
Next, Kali was seen watering the garden at the Belladonna house. Ghira suddenly spun her around and pulled her into a kiss. Kali was initially surprised, but then melted the kiss while the hose sprayed water over them.
All the women and a few of the men in the audience squealed and whooped while Blake smiled with relief and joy that Ghira remained loyal to his mother.
"Oh yeah. Kali's got nothing to worry about," Elm rephrased her earlier statement.
Inside the house Blake was reading a magazine while listening to music on a pair of headphones while her parents mess around behind her. She took notice of the noise and looked up just in time for Ghira to kiss her on the nose.
Blake blushed a bit in embarrassment while the women cooed or gushed at the screen.
"Awww. You're so cute, Blakey~" Yang teased, earning a death glare from her partner.
The next morning, Ghira and Ruby were racing toy cars, though the latter was winning easily to the former's frustration.
Ghira was then shown giving little Adrien a hug.
"At least I got to play a racing game instead," Ruby said with relief, feeling it would have been weird if Ghira kissed her counterpart instead of her real father.
Weiss giggled. "And it's nice to see him bonding with his kids now," she noted happily.
The next day, Kali waved goodbye to Ghira as he drove off in his tiny car.
And then he returned that evening in a new sporty black car with flip-up doors. He then presented his wife a second car of the same design, only red in color and with a red bow wrapped around in.
Marrow whistled in admiration. "Nice rides he just bought," he commented. "He has that tripled salary to thank for that."
"I'll say. The black one reminds me of the Incredibile," Yang agreed before sipping her soda.
"And it was sweet of him to buy Kali a new car," Elm said softly, hoping she would marry such a great guy someday.
Later, as the Belladonna parents passed each other in the hallway, Ghira gave her a little pinch on the backside as he walked by.
Ghira then flinched as felt Kali return the favor that made him turn around with a smile to see a smirking Kali retract her arm.
Maria's eyes widened. "Ooooh~ Getting a bit more handsy, aren't they," she said playfully.
Blake sighed and hung her head, reminded only too much of her parents acting in such a way, while Yang, Jaune, Nora, and Qrow all laughed.
At dinner time, Ghira was shown spoon-feeding Adrien while making the same funny faces as Kali did.
Out in a large grassy field, Ghira and Ruby were playing catch. Ghira threw a football, which Ruby eagerly zipped off to catch and then returned to jump into her father's arms in a split second.
Ruby glanced at Qrow. "I remember playing catch with you and dad like that when I was little," she remembered fondly.
"Mmm-hmm, I remember, kiddo," Qrow smiled.
Ghira was then shown looking at himself in a mirror, looking unhappy at his considerable gut.
"It looks he's going to start getting back into shape," Ruby pointed out. "Although it's gonna take a while."
"Well, he seems determined, now that he's back in the game," Winter said positively. "I'm sure he can do it."
So, he shared a goodbye kiss with Kali as he left while wearing a nice suit.
And then he was shown pulling a long line of train cars along some tracks at a trainyard in the late afternoon.
Everyone looked impressed and surprised by yet another demonstration of Mr. Incredibles strength.
"Now that's what I call training," Yang laughed at her own joke, but nobody else did.
"It makes sense, given his superhuman strength. Ordinary weights are too light for him to get any results," Vine figured out.
Later, Ghira checked his waist size with a strip of measuring tape, and was disappointed to see it was 50 inches.
"You've got a long way to go before you get rid of that gut, Ghira," Harriet remarked.
"Unfortunately, the older you get, the harder it is to shed fat," Ren said with a sip of green tea.
"Don't remind me," Ironwood grumbled, needing to exercise every day to keep himself trim.
Cut to the living room. Ghira was reading a fitness magazine while Kali vacuumed, the former lifting his feet and the corner couch when he had to.
Back at the trainyard, Ghira continued his workout routine by bench pressing a railway engine.
Marrow gave the screen a thumbs up. "Keep going, Ghira. You've got this!" he encouraged.
"Man, what I would give to have that kind of strength," Nora said in awe and jealousy.
"Me too. I could probably punch a Goliath into orbit," Yang claimed.
The next day, Ghira prepared to go to "work", only for Kali to grab him by his necktie and pull him in for a kiss.
Blake, Weiss, Ruby, Elm, and Nora all cooed at the passion returning to the Belladonna's marriage.
As for his next workout, Ghira rolled a train car on his feet, then immediately dropped it back on the tracks just in time to wave at a passing train before he got spotted.
"Good. Seeing as my counterpart can't bail him out anymore, Ghira's being extra careful not to blow cover again," Ozpin noted with respect.
"That's the last thing he needs now that things are looking up," Oscar agreed with his mentor.
Then the next day, when Ghira tried to leave again, a pair of elastic arms dragged him back in for some smooching.
Next came a workout where Ghira was pulling up a train car one hand at a time, with each respective car wrapped up in chains underneath railroad cranes.
All of the training paid off, as Ghira measured his waist one more time, then smiled and nodded in satisfaction to see it had been reduced to a healthy 36 inches.
The audience applauded or cheered lightly for Ghira's successful weight loss.
"Looks like the old Mr. Incredible is really back in action," Clover said happily.
Nora pumped her fist. "Oh yeah! The glory days are back.
Cut to Ghira in his bedroom, inspecting his super suit. The cut in the fabric from the Omnidroid was big enough to stick his hand through. "Ah, jeez," he grumbled.
"Oh right. I forgot about that tear in his suit," Jaune said.
Marrow scratched his chin. "You think he has a spare?"
"I don't know," Ironwood shrugged. "But if not, he'll need to have it repaired before Emerald's employer brings him back like he mentioned earlier."
The perked Maria's interest, remembering Gold-Sith mentioning her counterpart's role earlier.
"Hurry, honey!" Kali called from outside. "Or you'll be late for work!"
So, Ghira quickly shoved the suit into his briefcase and left.
In the garage, Kali hugged Ghira goodbye while his car door slid open. "Have a great day, honey."
"Thanks."
"Help customers, climb ladders..." Ghira droned on.
"Bring bacon?" Kali finished before she kissed Ghira's cheek. "All that jazz," she said with a smile as she watched her husband enter his car and drive off for work. Or so she thought.
"All right. Enough of the mushy love stuff. Back to the action," Harriet said impatiently.
Ren realized something. "You know, I hate to say it, but what's gonna happen if Kali finds out?"
There was a pause as Ren unintentionally killed the good mood.
"Well…I guess he'll just cross that bridge when he comes to it," Elm said simply. "For now, just let the good times roll."
Author's Points
[1]- I had to throw this one in. That bullet jar is my favorite easter egg in the movie.
[2]- I altered this scene because otherwise the audience would have recognized Watt's voice, since they have already heard him in both "Robocop" and "Aliens".
[3]- Unfortunately, once again, Ozpin has no idea how right he is.