The Path of Redemption

The Incredibles: The path of redemption.
Englishwitch
Disclaimer: Disclaimer- I do not own The Incredibles, it is a Disney/ Pixar animation motion picture

Chapter 29- The finding.

The streets were empty, no one went outside anymore if they could avoid it. The city had never been so empty in it’s entire existence. Many of the homes an apartments were empty, those who could evacuate already had done so long ago, before martial law had been declared. People stayed inside now, not that it meant they would be safe. As well as the criminals that were already loose and about certain citizens had resorted to a gang culture, stealing and looting anything they wanted, regardless of who they were taking it from. And now there were many horrible rumours beginning to circulate that violent criminals had been released and were on the loose. Every day things seemed to just get worse. The army was failing, what little police force remained wasn’t enough and the Supers were stretched to breaking point.

Prowling these empty streets, occasionally stopping to sniff at an overturned garbage can or an interesting abandoned item, was a wolf. The fur was filthy, greasy and matted with dried blood. Clumps o the fur were torn out, revealing dark flesh beneath and yet more wounds. Blood was on the muzzle of the creature, all around the nose. One of the larger fangs was missing from the mouth and the poor creature limped lightly, trying not to put too much weight on its front left paw. Shifter was a sorry sight, but so were the people he saw daily, the criminals and the cavillians. He had been fighting so hard every day since this whole terrible mess began, but it hadn’t been easy. The name of Shifter still carried with it too much attachment to Psychewave and he was hated for it. No matter how many criminals he took down, no matter who he helped save, people treated him with such loathing. His paw had been injured by two people he had rescued from four criminals, they had turned on him and ought back against the enemy they thought he was. Yet somehow he didn’t hate them. He never fought back against cavilliens, only ran and hid. He could escape quite easily in is animal form. He’d come to expect this behaviour from people, his parents had treated him with fear because they didn’t understand and now others acted the same because of what he had done alongside Psychewave. In his mind he thought that they were right to do so. Violet had been the only one, for the first time in his life, to treat him with a fondness, a friendship. He might even be so bold as to say she cared for him, even if it wasn’t in the same way he cared for her. But she was gone now, Psychewave had seen to that. So he fought against Psychewave and his efforts, in her name.

He stopped, his nose twitched, there was a scent in the air, a familiar scent. A scent that sent a chill right down into his bones. He was afraid, but he tried to keep in mind what would Violet do. He followed the scent, getting closer. If he was right, and he knew that he was, this would be his chance to bring down Psychewave.

He stayed as out of sight as possible, hiding behind a burnt out shell of a car. There was an abandoned building ahead, Psychewave always had a fondness for abandoned buildings. All the windows were covered with thick plywood and graffiti. There were thick cracks in the brickwork and the whole structure had an atmosphere of neglect. The entrance looked like it had been bricked up, but there had to be a way in. the whole area wreaked of Psychewave and many other scents that he couldn’t identify, strangers. There was a noise, his animal eyes heard it, quiet footsteps and muffled voices. He yelped out as the sound of clanking machinery rang out suddenly, almost deafening to his wolf form. The bricks that blocked the entrance swung forward, making the grinding noise of stone on stone, a doorway was revealed and a dark tunnel was revealed. Shifter looked in wonder, but kept in mind that he was trying to hide. There he was; Psychewave. He stepped out into the day light, bold as brass and looked up and down the street smugly. There was a sudden strong metallic tang in the air, blood! Psychewave’s hands were stained in blood. Psychewave stepped out into the street and from the building stepped two others. Both were frightening to look at, covered all over in some kind of metallic armour, one tall and lean the other slightly shorter and heavily muscular. Bodyguards. Psychewave rubbed his bloody hands together and muttered to himself as he walked. “yes, yes, nearly time. Almost time now. They will see, everyone will see. I shall be remembered. They will honour us all in the end.” he turned to his two companions. “Close that door and come with me. Time we moved to a residence more worthy of the man who will bring forth the glorious future.”

*All this time*, Shifter thought to himself, *and he still wants to cause that dammed revolution*. He growled but stopped just as suddenly and ducked down. Psychewave looked at the source of the noise, but shook his head, it was probably a dog or something. “Let’s go.” He yelled to Alpha and Omega. He started rubbing his hands together again and muttering as he walked. “They’ll see. Everyone will see. All for you mother. The world will honour our name.”

Shifter watched him go, but very grudgingly. In his powerful werewolf form he might just stand a chance of bringing down Psychewave alone, but not with these two things to protect him. He wouldn’t stand a chance. He scolded himself for his fear, knowing that it was a large contributing factor to his inaction. Violet would have acted, he thought she would have anyway. There wouldn’t be any problem for her if Psychewave had two bodyguards or twenty, she would have acted. That’s what he thought anyway. Only once Psychewave was out of sight did Shifter move from his hiding place behind the burnt out car. He reared up on two legs, starting his transformation. His legs grew longer and more muscular, the body became more human, paws became furred hands and his arms grew thick and strong. His werewolf form, the best traits of human and animal and none of the weaknesses. He felt the strength in his body, the power at his command and stalked up to the building and the bricked up door. Psychewave may have abandoned this place, but it could still hold secrets, clues that could aid the Supers and army in their battle. Shifter curled his fist and punched the wall with all the strength he had. He growled in pain as the shock went up his arm and gripped his wrist. The knuckles on his fist were bleeding, just another injury for the list. But his effort had not been entirely stupid, he had seen the brick door move, only slightly but it had moved. The door could be knocked down, it was not entirely impenetrable. He backed up several steps and braced himself, aiming his shoulder at the door. With a growl he rushed forward and rammed his entire weight against the aging brickwork. They collapsed and fell apart around him and Shifter fell hard onto a tiled floor of the inside of the building. The smell of blood was strong here, and fresh too. There were other scents almost completely masked by the smell of the blood. There was Psychewave and the smell of those two who’d accompanied him. There were two, no, three others that he couldn’t identify. Noises, someone, no, many people, breathing. Psychewave was abandoning this place, was he shutting these people inside? Leaving them to die? That sounded exactly like Psychewave. Shifter readied his clawed hands in case of trouble and paced forward, not knowing what to expect.

**************

Mr Incredible rushed through the doors of the government base. The military central base of operations that had been set up in police station. From here they coordinated their efforts in trying to restore some kind of order to the chaos of the city. Trying and failing.
“Mr Incredible.” Called a beautifully familiar voce. Bob turned to the source of the noise in time to catch his wife in his arms. Helen was out of the hospital bed, and had been for a few days now. She still looked worse for wear but they all did. The unshaven stubble on Bob’s face was now long enough to be a beard his hair was limp, greasy and filthy and his suit was dirty and smelled terrible, had hadn’t been given the chance to clean himself up since this whole thing started. But all of that was forgotten now he had Helen in his arms. He held her tightly and they kissed passionately.
“Get a room.” Said a joking voice. Bob broke away from his wife and looked down at Dasher. It was the first time all three o them had been together since Violet had left them. All the supers were here. Frozone, The Guardian and Wondergirl all stood nearby. They all looked as worn out and messed up as Bob felt. Wonergirl and Guardian had been on the scene during the prison break. They hadn’t faired as bad as Bob had, his ribs were still sore and he had a black eye that was yet to heal, but they hadn’t done too well either. The number of convicts had been just too many.
“Is it true?” Bob begged, looking at Helen and Dash, “Have they found her?”
“Shifter found her.” Helen confirmed. “They’re in their.” She pointed to a closed door with two armed guards and a sign, INFERMARY. Bob went forward and, for a second, it looked like the guards were about to try and stop him, but they decided against it at the last second.

Bob burst through the doors and froze. Shifter was sitting on a bed in his human form. A filthy and starved child. He stared at Mr Incredible with empty eyes, tired beyond belief. There was dried blood underneath his nose and is lip was swollen and spilt. His suit was filthy and Bob could smell him from his spot several feet away. The sleeve on his left arm had been rolled back and a doctor was wrapping his wrist and hand up tightly in a bandage. “Mr Incredible.” The boy said. There was a slight lisp in his speech and Bob saw that a couple of teeth were missing. This kid had suffered just as much as they had.
“Shifter.” Bob said calmly. “You’ve really found her?” Shifter used his free hand to point behind him at a curtain. Bob saw the knuckles were badly scraped and covered in dried blood but he pushed past the kid and pulled the curtain back.

Edna had a doctor and two nurses around her, she was dirty, her skin was sallow and she looked quite starved. Drips were attached to her arms and her breathing laboured. She looked up at Bob, and all the Supers around him with her large eyes. “My old friends.” She said in a weak voice. “It is good to see you again.”

Everyone wanted to say something to her but at the second the doctor stepped up and took Bob by the arm and guided him toward the door. “The patient needs a lot of rest. I must demand that all of you step outside now.” He ushered all of them out of the door, no one argued, they were all just relieved to see Edna alive.
“How is she doc?” Helen asked as she willingly moved out of the room. The doctor paused in the doorway and sighed.
“She’ll live. But she’s been through on hell of an ordeal. Psychewave locked her in a cage. She was starved, only eating when someone remembered to toss her a scrap of food. She hasn’t eaten in almost five days now. Now please, I must attend to my patient.” He turned and went back into the room. Shifter walked out a second later, rolling down his sleeve and rubbing his injured wrist tentatively.
“You alright?” Wondergirl asked. Shifter looked at her, for a second he was reminded of Violet, but it was gone in the blink of an eye.
“It’s a twist, or a sprain or something. Nothing broken.” He froze in place as Bob moved to stand right in front of him. Robert stared down at the kid that he hadn’t cared much for but had still brought into his home at his daughters request. But now things had changed. He smiled and patted him on he shoulder lightly.
“You did good kid, you did real good.” Shifter looked at him in surprise, his jaw dropped and he didn’t even notice.

“Mr Incredible.” came a new voice. Bob turned and looked at a soldier, a captain, stepped up and saluted him. “I’m captain Macintyre, I’m in charge of the armed forces during this, disturbance.”
“A pleasure to meet you captain.” Robert said, returning the salute and then shaking the man’s hand.
“I assume that you want to see the prisoners?”
“Prisoners?” Bob looked at the captain in surprise.
“Edna wasn’t the only one Shifter found.” Helen said in a very nervous tone. “There were others in that place but…I don’t think you want to go in there.”
“Why not?” Bob pressed, he looked at Helen, Shifter and the captain. “Who are they.”
“Syndrome.” The captain said gravely. “Mr Incredible, sir, it’s Syndrome.”

“INCREDIBLE. JUST CALM DOWN.” Helen screamed as she wrapped her body, like a living rope around her husbands body. Bob growled and struggled against her but she was too tight.
“I’M GOING TO KILL HIM.” Robert bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“MR INCREDIBLE STAND DOWN.” Shouted the captain. He drew his weapon, and a dozen soldiers in the room all did the same. Each one of the Supers readied themselves, including Shifter. If Helen couldn’t hold him it would take all of them to stop Mr Incredible.

Bob Shouted, grunted and struggled, but didn’t even come close to throwing his wife from him. It was almost five minutes before he calmed down. He dropped to his knees and sighed deeply, his shoulders fell limply and he nodded his head. “Alright. I’m ok now.” Tentatively Helen unwound herself and returned to her normal shape. Bob looked up at her like she had betrayed him. “After everything he did, how can you stop me?” Helen looked down at him with tears in her eyes.
“You haven’t seen him. Oh god Bob, if you could just see him.” She said sadly.

Bob raised himself up to his feet and nodded. “I have to see him.” he looked at the captain. “Take me too him.” Captain Macintyre looked unsure, he didn’t want Mr Incredible to fly into another rage. But on the other hand, if he was going to get angry then being surrounded by Supers was the best time to do it.
“Alright, come this way.”

Syndrome sat on a bunk in a cell, his wheelchair was nowhere to be seen. His face was baldly bruised and his nose was out of joint, it had been broken. One eye was swollen shut and bruised, but one less eye didn’t halve the rage that poured out of his glare. But these injuries were not the attention grabbers. His metal jaw, mechanical hands and legs, one foot was broken and gone, leaving a metal stump with wires sticking out of it. One of his metal hand was held to his chest, nursing broken ribs. Robert stared in shock at the thing before him. It was not a man, not Syndrome, not anymore. He was a broken man, more machine than human. He wasn’t angry anymore, in fact he actually found himself pitying this thing. “What happened to you?” He said in awe.

Syndrome gave him that glare with his one good eye. “You know exactly what happened to me Incredible. You and your little family destroyed me. Nothing but a broken man remained.” He sneered and Bob saw that a few teeth were missing. “Luckily everything broken can be fixed.”
“He received help from a female assistant.” The captain said, pointing a few cells down. A woman, badly beaten and bruised was laying on a bed unconscious. “She was wild, not letting anyone near her. The doctors had to sedate her just to treat her injuries.”
“So you survived.” Bob said, turning his attention back to Syndrome. “And broke Psychewave out of the government prison?”

Syndrome laughed cruelly and nodded his head. “I liked his grand plan. With him on my side I would have the power to take this city, and in time, the whole nation.”
“Something clearly went wrong.” The Guardian mentioned, stepping up to the bars. Syndrome growled and bared his teeth, several were missing.
“He betrayed me.” He muttered under his breath. “Turned everything I had against me.”
“You know many things.” The Guardian pressed. “You have information valuable to us.”
Syndrome laughed cruelly and continued to glare at the gang of Supers before him. “You can go to hell. I’d rather see that bastard ruling the world than help any of you.”

Bob growled and bashed his fists against the bars. The cell rattled furiously but the bars stayed in place, Bob had seriously held himself back. “God damn it Buddy, HELP US. You’re going to let that freak destroy everything just because of this beef between you and me?”

“MY NAME IS NOT BUDDY.” Syndrome yelled at the top of his lungs. “and if you’re so arrogant to think that this is all about you, then you deserve to die. If not by my hands; then his.”

Bob sighed and tried to suppress the rage building inside him. “Get your revenge against him. Give us the information we want.” he said, as calmly as he could, but there was undeniable anger in his voice.
“Use my name.” Syndrome said in a superior tone. “Beg me with my name.”

Bob looked like he was going to tear the bars from the wall and rip Syndrome in two. No one could blame him if he tried. To have the ultimate humiliation of this enemy holding all the power was something none of them could ever tolerate. But in a shock move that surprised everyone Bob dropped down to his knees. “For Violet.” He muttered gravely. “Syndrome, I beg you. Tell us.”

Syndrome threw his head back and cackled maniacally. He gripped his sides as if his ribs were going to explode. When he was finished he actually wiped a tear from his good eye and sneered again at Bob. “No, I don’t think I will”

Bob jumped to his feet and pulled his arms back, ready to bring the walls down. His rage was interrupted by the screams of his wife. Helen grabbed the cell bars and rattled them as hard as she could. “Just tell us you fucking freak.”
Bob looked at Helen in surprise, such rage pouring out of her was so rare.

Syndrome folded his arms and sneered. “We are what our lives make us, aren’t we *Mr Incredible*?” He spoke slowly, putting a lot of sarcastic emphasis on Bob’s Super name. “Right now I’m perfectly fine with sitting back and waiting to see who’s better, who’s right. Psychewave and his vision for the world, or your classical beliefs of Super’s being servants. But neither of you will get any help from me.”

To be continued.