Another Dawn; Act I; Setting the Blame
folder
zMisplaced Stories [ADMIN use only] › Incredibles, The
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
4
Views:
5,619
Reviews:
1
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
zMisplaced Stories [ADMIN use only] › Incredibles, The
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
4
Views:
5,619
Reviews:
1
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own The Incredibles, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Another Dawn
Another Dawn; Lady Ochre; Incredibles, the; Fiction
Beta Reader: englishwitch
Rating/Codes: PG-13; WIP
--
Scroll down to star line to ignore legal, technical, and other claptrap. Go to next chapter for sex.
--
This fanfiction story can be legally posted ONLY at (adult-fanfiction.org). If found published in part or whole in any media, be it electronic, hardcopy, audio, video, etc..., ANYWHERE ELSE, it will be construed as an infringement of intellectual copyright.
--
THIS WAS WRITTEN AS A SEQUEL TO ENGLISHWITCH’S *TEST OF THE HEART*.
--
Summary; Another Dawn; Prologue:
Sequel to englishwitch’s “Test of the Heart”, we begin where he left off. In the deep night, an unknown visitor on an unknown errand visits an unconscious hero. Three long years later, Tony and Violet receive an unpleasant surprise during their wedding.
--
Full Disclaimer
I do not own “The Incredibles”. I do not own the characters found in the original motion picture. I do not own any original material found in englishwitch’s “Test of the Heart”. I own any and all original material, be it characters, plots, innovations, locations, etc... found in the following pages.
Original materials found in the original motion picture “The Incredibles”, including both movie and short animation “Jack-Jack Attack!”, belong to Pixar and Disney. The term ‘omnidroid’ belongs to George Lucas’ company. Original materials not found in the original movie but found in englishwitch’s “Test of the Heart” belong to englishwitch. Any original materials found in neither the motion picture or “Test of the Heart” belongs to me. Use of these without permission from their authors constitutes infringement of intellectual copyright.
That being said, this series was written without permission from Disney or Pixar under ‘poetic’ and non-profit conditions. Englishwitch has granted permission for this sequel.
This series is a work of fiction. Don’t try using Super-powers you don’t have. Don’t try jumping off buildings just to see if you can fly. Or whatever. Before performing an action, be sure it is both physically possible and perfectly legal. I am not responsible for stupidity.
Whether or not I agree or disagree with the situations I’ve written is irrelevant.
This full disclaimer will not appear except in prologues/interims.
--
ALL FEEDBACK MUST BE CONSTRUCTIVE AND UPFRONT.
Personal concerns should be emailed to (lady_ochre@hotmail.com).
************************
englishwitch’s characters: Psychewave, Shifter, Tony (person)
my original characters: “the doctor”, Jack-Jack (person)
inconsequential characters: Janessa, Kim
*Anyone tagged “person” indicates partial or complete copyright over personality/physical attributes given to Pixar’s characters.
--
As an opening note, I may have inadvertently changed some characters. Shifter is dumber and often found in beast form, for example. I apologise to any original copyright holders who feel insulted by these changes. Insults are not intentional except for this one: Suck it up.
I seem to have deviated from Englishwitch’s “Department of Superhero Cleanup and Identity Protection (SCIP)” which is, in itself, a deviation from the original NSA. For purposes of laziness and originality, it’s just the Agency now, ‘kay? We’ll just say that two years have gone by and the government made Super heroism into a good old-fashioned job like any other job; show up, get paid.
I intensely dislike negative, non-creative criticism. This includes single, unoriginal liners such as “you suck” or “do this” that contain no explanation or useful information. If you hate what I write, keep it to yourself or diplomatically “suggest” changes. If you have some positive feedback, I’m more than willing to accept it.
--
It should be noted that anything enclosed in stars (*) should be italics for emphasis. As a personal, stylistic choice, I put thoughts in single-quotation marks (‘’). In-text author notes have been replaced by foot-notes. Doesn't seem to like 5-space indentations, either.
--
Adult situations: none
--
This is a prologue. Sex WILL follow. To this purpose, this has been rated R and should not be viewed by anyone who is not legal age in his or her area of residence. On any chapters where there’s no sex, the top will have a little note under ratings as “PG-whatever”.
~~Prologue: Secrets Kept, Secrets Forgotten~~
The hospital was quiet. It was night and the place was buzzing in whispered conversations about what had happened only that afternoon at town hall. It was the latest gossip, the best tidbit of information these simple folks were ever to have. It was short lived.
A figure walked down the empty corridors listening to the echoes of the television repeating the events again and again. He was clothed in a doctor’s smock and carried a pad with him. The reception desk on the fourth floor was empty, the nurses chittering like birds in the breakroom just out of sight. The figure smiled and walked past the desk without hesitation.
He glanced at his board and looked up at the numbers on the wall. 432, 444... The 448th room was unguarded. He glanced at his watch; “Three minutes.”
He stepped into the room to hear the end of a conversation between the biggest man he had ever seen, the thinnest woman, and a small, old coot with a long nose, “...nothing more than a slap on the wrists will come of it. Don’t worry, Bob, Helen. She’ll be fine. It could have been a lot worse all around.”
The ‘doctor’ opened the door fully, taking their attention from each other and offering a genial smile, “I’m afraid visiting hours are over. You may come back tomorrow.”
The woman smiled in understanding and looked over to the only occupied bed in the room. She walked to the bedside and kissed the girl’s forehead, “We’ll be back soon, honey. You rest up.”
“She’ll be fine,” the large man assured his wife, “She’s got your spirit, after all.”
The old man nodded to him as the three visitors left the room reluctantly. The intruder glanced at his watch; “Two minutes.”
He surveyed the room. Simple and typical of a hospital: Four beds with monitors and curtains for each. A large window on the wall with its blinds down. But only one occupant.
He stepped to the injured girl’s bedside and smiled down. Her hair had turned purple from her ordeal and the change created an aura around her. She had closed eyelids, suggesting perfect eyes; her very presence was seductive. He reached over and selected one of her hairs in the dark. Once he was sure he had one, he yanked it off her head. She moaned in her sleep; “Oh, Tony...”
Ah, yes. The hero of this afternoon’s fiasco. A stolen mayorship, a stolen heart, and somehow the boy without Super powers had set everything to right. In the public’s eyes, he was the hero. While the girl with powers of invisibility and force field creation had ended in the hospital. Rumour had it that they were lovers. How typical of the common people to lay such thoughts on their heroes.
He pulled out a small plastic bag from his pocket and put the stolen hair in. The bag fell into his pocket and he checked his watch again; “Less than a minute.”
“Can I see her, doc?”
The voice surprised him and he spun around, unsure of what he was able to do to the unexpected visitor. But when he saw the blonde boy leaning heavily against the doorframe, he knew he didn’t have to do anything. It might work in his favour.
“Are you Tony Rydinger?” the man asked.
“Uh, yeah,” he tried to shrug but fought to support himself in the wake of the hospital drugs, “Can I see her, doc?”
“Of course,” the false doctor helped the boy nearer to the Super lying in bed. As he gave the boy his arm, his other hand reached out and plucked a hair from the boy’s head. The boy barely reacted.
Almost the moment the boy was at her side, the drugs overwhelmed him and he fainted. The doctor smiled, giving them a bare glance – maybe the rumours were true after all – before he quickly darted to the door. Erasing the look of haste from his actions, he closed the door and walked off as two military troopers approached, “How’s the patient doin’, doc?”
Anyone with half a brain would know that Supers heal better than most people, but he kept a professional smile on his face, “She’ll probably come through.”
With a nod to each officer, he walked away. That was too close. He’d have to be more careful in the future, if his plans were to succeed.
--
...three years later...
Violet Parr was the happiest woman in the world. She had somehow managed to keep the greatest guy even though she had insulted him and threatened his life. And now she was marrying the man. How could the perfect day be any more perfect?
“By gosh, Vi’, you look great!”
She twirled in her marriage gown and watched the white lace dance in the mirror, “Thanks for being here, Kari. I don’t think you could have made a better dress.”
“Oh, you pick up shum things ‘ere and there,” she smiled, showing straight, white teeth. She had the dentist remove her braces over a year previously; ironically, the speech impediment was her own, “My mum taught me how to show. And you’re my besht friend. I couldn’t have shtayed away.”
“This really means a great deal to us,” Violet continued thankfully as Kari repaired an error only she could see, “It’s really too bad Edna couldn’t be here, but I think you’ve done better than she ever has.”
“Aw, thanksh, Vi’,” Kari blushed, “But really. Madam Moje ish incredible. I could never compare to her. I mean, her dejignesh are known acrosh the world.”
“She’s a family friend, remember?” the bride said, waving her friend away from the continuous details of an absolute perfectionist, “I know her work, and I don’t think she’d do anything so normal as a wedding dress.”
The blonde reddened at the compliment as she rose to her feet, “You’re too kind, Vi’.”
Violet looked at herself in the mirror and brushed a few hair strands back into place. Even after three years, Kari still marvelled at her best friend’s new, exotic hair.
The white wedding pavilion’s flap opened and the large, muscle-man Vi’ called father walked in. There was a tear in his eye and a handkerchief in hand, “Never thought the day’d come when I’d give away my daughter.”
He shuffled closer to give the bride a gentle hug and kiss on the cheek. “Well, they’re almost ready over in the groom’s pavilion. There’s a whole gaggle of people out there.”
She smiled, only a little nervous. So many eyes would be watching her. She wondered what thoughts were going through Tony’s mind.
“Is Rick going to be here, dad? He’s always been so nice.”
To her disappointment, but not to her surprise, Bob slowly shook his head, “He called your brother a little while ago. Said he’s busy but he’ll try to be here. I’ll never get used to phones you carry around.”
“They’re called cellphonesh, Mishter Parr,” Kari offered.
“I don’t care what they’re called,” he said, standing tall and knocking his head on the bar over the doorway, “They’re unnatural.”
The tent opened again and Violet’s brother Dash popped in, “They’re ready, Dad, sis.”
The bride smiled, “Let’s do it.”
--
The wedding was perfect. Tony was perfect. Both families behaved and Dash didn’t once make a scene. Jack-Jack was happy and jumping around on his sugar-high. The cake was beautiful: a combined effort between Violet’s mother, Helen, and Tony’s mother, Kim. The ice sculptures, donated by Lucius, Bob Parr’s long-time friend, kept the heat off the warm summer day. Everything was perfect.
As Violet was eating her piece of cake and talking to Tony’s sister Janessa, the sound of a helicopter’s propellers distracted her. From the clear blue sky fell a black ‘copter, landing on the grass a short distance from the wedding grounds.
“Excuse me, Jan.”
The blonde girl nodded as Violet walked away from the guests towards the ‘copter. As expected, two serious-looking agents in impeccable black suits stepped out followed by a small, old man with a long nose. Violet met them halfway, “Thank you for coming, Mr. Dicker. I know you’re busy but it means a great deal to dad.”
“Violet,” he nodded professionally, “I’m glad I could make it but I wish it were under better circumstances. Get your family together. Your husband too. I’m here on business.”
“Could it wait until after you’ve at least had some cake? A refreshment?”
“It’s important, Violet.”
“Oh, alright. I’ll go get dad.”
--
“I’ll get right down to it,” Rick Dicker pulled out a briefcase and opened it with long practice. He pulled out a sheet of paper and put it down in front of the gathered crowd.
All inhaled, surprised.
“What’s going on, Rick?” the father of the bride asked menacingly, “You had these boys locked up. Tell us you still do.”
“Honestly, Bob, I don’t know what happened,” the short agent shook his head, “No one does. There was a break-in. Not out but in. Someone broke into the Lindry Facility last night, killed a bunch of guards and ran out again. The cameras were fried. The army arrived in time to prevent Shifter from freeing Psychewave but the wolf got away regardless. I thought you should know that something’s going on. Shifter’s on the loose and Psychewave seems to have some powerful friends on his side.”
“You still have Psychewave, don’t you?” Tony asked, concerned.
“We’ve got him, but if someone was able to break in, free Shifter, and leave no one guarding Psychewave alive, there’s a problem. I’m heading back to Washington to confer with the Pentagon. It was a serious security breach.”
“What do you mean, Rick?” Helen Parr asked.
“Someone broke in, killed all the guards watching Psychewave and Shifter, and walked out. We don’t even understand why this unknown left Psychewave in his bed. We don’t know what’s going on and we have no security tapes that’ll tell us.”
“Have you thought about bringing in Pathogen?” Bob asked, “He could probably track this guy, whoever he is.”
“Pathogen was following Shifter’s trail when I left. Remember, though, that he can only follow a Super’s trail. Whoever this unknown person is, he or she’s no Super.”
“Thank you for telling us, Mister Dicker,” Violet said in a suddenly emotionless voice, “Will you stay for punch, at the least?”
“Thank you, Violet, but no. I need to get to Washington.”
“Safe trip, Rick.”
“Keep safe, Bob,” he paused, “If you don’t mind, Violet, could I have a word with your husband? Alone?”
“Vi’s my wife now, Mister Dicker. Anything you have to say to me, you say to her.”
“This is for you alone, Tony.”
The groom looked as if he was going to protest but Violet tapped him on the shoulder, “It’s alright, love. You can tell me later.”
The Parr family solemnly walked out of the pavilion, leaving the Super agent and the new husband alone.
“I’ll be frank,” Rick began, “There’s still debate in the Pentagon about you knowing what you do about Supers. We’ve thought of erasing your memory more than once. The only thing keeping you in that family is the fact that yours know nothing about it. If any of your friends, or sisters, or parents hear about Supers, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep you and Violet together.”
“They still don’t know,” the boy assured the senior, “I won’t tell them.”
“Good,” the agent nodded, “That’s all I needed to hear. You don’t mind if I put that on the record, do you?”
“I’ll do anything to stay with Violet, Mister Dicker. I hope you know that.”
“I’ll quote you on that too, Tony. It was good seeing you again. But... business is business.”
“You’d better come to her birthday,” Tony warned him, “Else Violet might flip.”
The face that rarely smiled cracked and the little man looked him in the eye, “I’ll be there if I can. Thanks, Tony.”
The briefcase snapped shut and the agent vanished.
The wedding was perfect.
*
You are not permitted to complain about a lack of sex. Go to the next chapter. This is a prologue, a setting of the stage. No sex here, as warned.
Lady OCHRE
Beta Reader: englishwitch
Rating/Codes: PG-13; WIP
--
Scroll down to star line to ignore legal, technical, and other claptrap. Go to next chapter for sex.
--
This fanfiction story can be legally posted ONLY at (adult-fanfiction.org). If found published in part or whole in any media, be it electronic, hardcopy, audio, video, etc..., ANYWHERE ELSE, it will be construed as an infringement of intellectual copyright.
--
THIS WAS WRITTEN AS A SEQUEL TO ENGLISHWITCH’S *TEST OF THE HEART*.
--
Summary; Another Dawn; Prologue:
Sequel to englishwitch’s “Test of the Heart”, we begin where he left off. In the deep night, an unknown visitor on an unknown errand visits an unconscious hero. Three long years later, Tony and Violet receive an unpleasant surprise during their wedding.
--
Full Disclaimer
I do not own “The Incredibles”. I do not own the characters found in the original motion picture. I do not own any original material found in englishwitch’s “Test of the Heart”. I own any and all original material, be it characters, plots, innovations, locations, etc... found in the following pages.
Original materials found in the original motion picture “The Incredibles”, including both movie and short animation “Jack-Jack Attack!”, belong to Pixar and Disney. The term ‘omnidroid’ belongs to George Lucas’ company. Original materials not found in the original movie but found in englishwitch’s “Test of the Heart” belong to englishwitch. Any original materials found in neither the motion picture or “Test of the Heart” belongs to me. Use of these without permission from their authors constitutes infringement of intellectual copyright.
That being said, this series was written without permission from Disney or Pixar under ‘poetic’ and non-profit conditions. Englishwitch has granted permission for this sequel.
This series is a work of fiction. Don’t try using Super-powers you don’t have. Don’t try jumping off buildings just to see if you can fly. Or whatever. Before performing an action, be sure it is both physically possible and perfectly legal. I am not responsible for stupidity.
Whether or not I agree or disagree with the situations I’ve written is irrelevant.
This full disclaimer will not appear except in prologues/interims.
--
ALL FEEDBACK MUST BE CONSTRUCTIVE AND UPFRONT.
Personal concerns should be emailed to (lady_ochre@hotmail.com).
************************
englishwitch’s characters: Psychewave, Shifter, Tony (person)
my original characters: “the doctor”, Jack-Jack (person)
inconsequential characters: Janessa, Kim
*Anyone tagged “person” indicates partial or complete copyright over personality/physical attributes given to Pixar’s characters.
--
As an opening note, I may have inadvertently changed some characters. Shifter is dumber and often found in beast form, for example. I apologise to any original copyright holders who feel insulted by these changes. Insults are not intentional except for this one: Suck it up.
I seem to have deviated from Englishwitch’s “Department of Superhero Cleanup and Identity Protection (SCIP)” which is, in itself, a deviation from the original NSA. For purposes of laziness and originality, it’s just the Agency now, ‘kay? We’ll just say that two years have gone by and the government made Super heroism into a good old-fashioned job like any other job; show up, get paid.
I intensely dislike negative, non-creative criticism. This includes single, unoriginal liners such as “you suck” or “do this” that contain no explanation or useful information. If you hate what I write, keep it to yourself or diplomatically “suggest” changes. If you have some positive feedback, I’m more than willing to accept it.
--
It should be noted that anything enclosed in stars (*) should be italics for emphasis. As a personal, stylistic choice, I put thoughts in single-quotation marks (‘’). In-text author notes have been replaced by foot-notes. Doesn't seem to like 5-space indentations, either.
--
Adult situations: none
--
This is a prologue. Sex WILL follow. To this purpose, this has been rated R and should not be viewed by anyone who is not legal age in his or her area of residence. On any chapters where there’s no sex, the top will have a little note under ratings as “PG-whatever”.
~~Prologue: Secrets Kept, Secrets Forgotten~~
The hospital was quiet. It was night and the place was buzzing in whispered conversations about what had happened only that afternoon at town hall. It was the latest gossip, the best tidbit of information these simple folks were ever to have. It was short lived.
A figure walked down the empty corridors listening to the echoes of the television repeating the events again and again. He was clothed in a doctor’s smock and carried a pad with him. The reception desk on the fourth floor was empty, the nurses chittering like birds in the breakroom just out of sight. The figure smiled and walked past the desk without hesitation.
He glanced at his board and looked up at the numbers on the wall. 432, 444... The 448th room was unguarded. He glanced at his watch; “Three minutes.”
He stepped into the room to hear the end of a conversation between the biggest man he had ever seen, the thinnest woman, and a small, old coot with a long nose, “...nothing more than a slap on the wrists will come of it. Don’t worry, Bob, Helen. She’ll be fine. It could have been a lot worse all around.”
The ‘doctor’ opened the door fully, taking their attention from each other and offering a genial smile, “I’m afraid visiting hours are over. You may come back tomorrow.”
The woman smiled in understanding and looked over to the only occupied bed in the room. She walked to the bedside and kissed the girl’s forehead, “We’ll be back soon, honey. You rest up.”
“She’ll be fine,” the large man assured his wife, “She’s got your spirit, after all.”
The old man nodded to him as the three visitors left the room reluctantly. The intruder glanced at his watch; “Two minutes.”
He surveyed the room. Simple and typical of a hospital: Four beds with monitors and curtains for each. A large window on the wall with its blinds down. But only one occupant.
He stepped to the injured girl’s bedside and smiled down. Her hair had turned purple from her ordeal and the change created an aura around her. She had closed eyelids, suggesting perfect eyes; her very presence was seductive. He reached over and selected one of her hairs in the dark. Once he was sure he had one, he yanked it off her head. She moaned in her sleep; “Oh, Tony...”
Ah, yes. The hero of this afternoon’s fiasco. A stolen mayorship, a stolen heart, and somehow the boy without Super powers had set everything to right. In the public’s eyes, he was the hero. While the girl with powers of invisibility and force field creation had ended in the hospital. Rumour had it that they were lovers. How typical of the common people to lay such thoughts on their heroes.
He pulled out a small plastic bag from his pocket and put the stolen hair in. The bag fell into his pocket and he checked his watch again; “Less than a minute.”
“Can I see her, doc?”
The voice surprised him and he spun around, unsure of what he was able to do to the unexpected visitor. But when he saw the blonde boy leaning heavily against the doorframe, he knew he didn’t have to do anything. It might work in his favour.
“Are you Tony Rydinger?” the man asked.
“Uh, yeah,” he tried to shrug but fought to support himself in the wake of the hospital drugs, “Can I see her, doc?”
“Of course,” the false doctor helped the boy nearer to the Super lying in bed. As he gave the boy his arm, his other hand reached out and plucked a hair from the boy’s head. The boy barely reacted.
Almost the moment the boy was at her side, the drugs overwhelmed him and he fainted. The doctor smiled, giving them a bare glance – maybe the rumours were true after all – before he quickly darted to the door. Erasing the look of haste from his actions, he closed the door and walked off as two military troopers approached, “How’s the patient doin’, doc?”
Anyone with half a brain would know that Supers heal better than most people, but he kept a professional smile on his face, “She’ll probably come through.”
With a nod to each officer, he walked away. That was too close. He’d have to be more careful in the future, if his plans were to succeed.
--
...three years later...
Violet Parr was the happiest woman in the world. She had somehow managed to keep the greatest guy even though she had insulted him and threatened his life. And now she was marrying the man. How could the perfect day be any more perfect?
“By gosh, Vi’, you look great!”
She twirled in her marriage gown and watched the white lace dance in the mirror, “Thanks for being here, Kari. I don’t think you could have made a better dress.”
“Oh, you pick up shum things ‘ere and there,” she smiled, showing straight, white teeth. She had the dentist remove her braces over a year previously; ironically, the speech impediment was her own, “My mum taught me how to show. And you’re my besht friend. I couldn’t have shtayed away.”
“This really means a great deal to us,” Violet continued thankfully as Kari repaired an error only she could see, “It’s really too bad Edna couldn’t be here, but I think you’ve done better than she ever has.”
“Aw, thanksh, Vi’,” Kari blushed, “But really. Madam Moje ish incredible. I could never compare to her. I mean, her dejignesh are known acrosh the world.”
“She’s a family friend, remember?” the bride said, waving her friend away from the continuous details of an absolute perfectionist, “I know her work, and I don’t think she’d do anything so normal as a wedding dress.”
The blonde reddened at the compliment as she rose to her feet, “You’re too kind, Vi’.”
Violet looked at herself in the mirror and brushed a few hair strands back into place. Even after three years, Kari still marvelled at her best friend’s new, exotic hair.
The white wedding pavilion’s flap opened and the large, muscle-man Vi’ called father walked in. There was a tear in his eye and a handkerchief in hand, “Never thought the day’d come when I’d give away my daughter.”
He shuffled closer to give the bride a gentle hug and kiss on the cheek. “Well, they’re almost ready over in the groom’s pavilion. There’s a whole gaggle of people out there.”
She smiled, only a little nervous. So many eyes would be watching her. She wondered what thoughts were going through Tony’s mind.
“Is Rick going to be here, dad? He’s always been so nice.”
To her disappointment, but not to her surprise, Bob slowly shook his head, “He called your brother a little while ago. Said he’s busy but he’ll try to be here. I’ll never get used to phones you carry around.”
“They’re called cellphonesh, Mishter Parr,” Kari offered.
“I don’t care what they’re called,” he said, standing tall and knocking his head on the bar over the doorway, “They’re unnatural.”
The tent opened again and Violet’s brother Dash popped in, “They’re ready, Dad, sis.”
The bride smiled, “Let’s do it.”
--
The wedding was perfect. Tony was perfect. Both families behaved and Dash didn’t once make a scene. Jack-Jack was happy and jumping around on his sugar-high. The cake was beautiful: a combined effort between Violet’s mother, Helen, and Tony’s mother, Kim. The ice sculptures, donated by Lucius, Bob Parr’s long-time friend, kept the heat off the warm summer day. Everything was perfect.
As Violet was eating her piece of cake and talking to Tony’s sister Janessa, the sound of a helicopter’s propellers distracted her. From the clear blue sky fell a black ‘copter, landing on the grass a short distance from the wedding grounds.
“Excuse me, Jan.”
The blonde girl nodded as Violet walked away from the guests towards the ‘copter. As expected, two serious-looking agents in impeccable black suits stepped out followed by a small, old man with a long nose. Violet met them halfway, “Thank you for coming, Mr. Dicker. I know you’re busy but it means a great deal to dad.”
“Violet,” he nodded professionally, “I’m glad I could make it but I wish it were under better circumstances. Get your family together. Your husband too. I’m here on business.”
“Could it wait until after you’ve at least had some cake? A refreshment?”
“It’s important, Violet.”
“Oh, alright. I’ll go get dad.”
--
“I’ll get right down to it,” Rick Dicker pulled out a briefcase and opened it with long practice. He pulled out a sheet of paper and put it down in front of the gathered crowd.
All inhaled, surprised.
“What’s going on, Rick?” the father of the bride asked menacingly, “You had these boys locked up. Tell us you still do.”
“Honestly, Bob, I don’t know what happened,” the short agent shook his head, “No one does. There was a break-in. Not out but in. Someone broke into the Lindry Facility last night, killed a bunch of guards and ran out again. The cameras were fried. The army arrived in time to prevent Shifter from freeing Psychewave but the wolf got away regardless. I thought you should know that something’s going on. Shifter’s on the loose and Psychewave seems to have some powerful friends on his side.”
“You still have Psychewave, don’t you?” Tony asked, concerned.
“We’ve got him, but if someone was able to break in, free Shifter, and leave no one guarding Psychewave alive, there’s a problem. I’m heading back to Washington to confer with the Pentagon. It was a serious security breach.”
“What do you mean, Rick?” Helen Parr asked.
“Someone broke in, killed all the guards watching Psychewave and Shifter, and walked out. We don’t even understand why this unknown left Psychewave in his bed. We don’t know what’s going on and we have no security tapes that’ll tell us.”
“Have you thought about bringing in Pathogen?” Bob asked, “He could probably track this guy, whoever he is.”
“Pathogen was following Shifter’s trail when I left. Remember, though, that he can only follow a Super’s trail. Whoever this unknown person is, he or she’s no Super.”
“Thank you for telling us, Mister Dicker,” Violet said in a suddenly emotionless voice, “Will you stay for punch, at the least?”
“Thank you, Violet, but no. I need to get to Washington.”
“Safe trip, Rick.”
“Keep safe, Bob,” he paused, “If you don’t mind, Violet, could I have a word with your husband? Alone?”
“Vi’s my wife now, Mister Dicker. Anything you have to say to me, you say to her.”
“This is for you alone, Tony.”
The groom looked as if he was going to protest but Violet tapped him on the shoulder, “It’s alright, love. You can tell me later.”
The Parr family solemnly walked out of the pavilion, leaving the Super agent and the new husband alone.
“I’ll be frank,” Rick began, “There’s still debate in the Pentagon about you knowing what you do about Supers. We’ve thought of erasing your memory more than once. The only thing keeping you in that family is the fact that yours know nothing about it. If any of your friends, or sisters, or parents hear about Supers, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep you and Violet together.”
“They still don’t know,” the boy assured the senior, “I won’t tell them.”
“Good,” the agent nodded, “That’s all I needed to hear. You don’t mind if I put that on the record, do you?”
“I’ll do anything to stay with Violet, Mister Dicker. I hope you know that.”
“I’ll quote you on that too, Tony. It was good seeing you again. But... business is business.”
“You’d better come to her birthday,” Tony warned him, “Else Violet might flip.”
The face that rarely smiled cracked and the little man looked him in the eye, “I’ll be there if I can. Thanks, Tony.”
The briefcase snapped shut and the agent vanished.
The wedding was perfect.
*
You are not permitted to complain about a lack of sex. Go to the next chapter. This is a prologue, a setting of the stage. No sex here, as warned.
Lady OCHRE