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 30- Vanisher’s return (Part 1)

To establish a time line the events of this chapter take place one week before the prison break.

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5 am, dawn had barely broken. Violet felt like she had just slept for minutes when the pounding on the door began. She groaned loudly and rubbed at her eyes. “Five more minutes mum.” She muttered, half awake. She didn’t even realise that she wasn’t at home and it wasn’t her mum pounding on the door.

Elizabeth Price pushed the door open and barged into the room. She flicked on the lights and threw a large bucket of icy water over Violet. She screamed and rolled out of bed, crashing to the floor. She sat gasping and stared at Elizabeth with wide eyes. “What the hell?” She screamed. Mirage said nothing, but tossed a towel and a set of black clothing.
“Get dressed. I want you outside in ten minutes or I’m coming back with another bucket.” she turned and walked out of the room, leaving Violet staring at the empty doorway with confusion. She slowly climbed to her feet and pulled off her soaking pyjamas.

********

Twelve minutes later she stepped outside, still cold, still a little damp but wide awake and dressed all in black with her hair tied back. Mirage was dressed in the same black outfit and waiting for her.
“What the hell was that?” Violet demanded angrily.
“The start of your training. You will be awake and ready at 5 am every day from now on or you’ll be given a bucket of ice water. The more times it happens, the colder the water will be.”
“You can’t do that.” Violet protested. But Mirage just shook her head.
“You wanted me to train you. I told you it wouldn’t be easy.”
Violet growled, but said nothing else, she didn’t know what she was expecting out of this training, but she hadn’t thought of this. She looked down at her outfit. “Can’t I at least have my Super suit?”
Mirage shook her head silently. “When you are ready, it will be returned to you. But you have to earn the right to be Vanisher again.”
Violet fell silent and nodded, it made sense she supposed. Mirage walked a little, of the concrete path and over onto the grass. Violet followed her, expecting a lecture or perhaps some jogging or a hard marathon. “Now, show me what you can do.” Mirage said, she turned and swung her leg upwards in a powerful kick aimed right for Violets head. Violet yelled and ducked down. Mirages leg swung over her harmlessly. Violet looked at her with fearful eyes. “What are you…” But she got no further, Mirage swung her fist down to the crouching Violet and hit her across the jaw. Violet fell to the ground, clutching at her face. Mirage raised her leg up, straight up like a ballet dancer, and drove it down, aiming the heal right for Violet’s chest. Violet rolled out of the way and Elizabeth’s boot dug several inches into the ground. Se wasn’t messing around, this was a serious fight between the two of them.

With the distance her rolling bought her Violet raised herself up onto her feet, her legs were stiff, and her muscles were starting to hurt, they weren’t used to so much exercise now. Violet raised her fists and ran at her, she swung her fist but the move was too slow and heavy. Elizabeth easily avoided the blow. As Violet’s arm swung by she grabbed it tightly, bringing her leg up she rammed a knee into her ribcage. Violet cried out, all the air flying away from her lungs. Her legs went limp but she didn’t drop, mirages grip was too tight. Mirage pulled Violet hard, flipping her hard head over heals and sending her crashing hard onto the floor.

Violet lay winded, she had landed back first. Her chest burned, her arm was sore and her heart was pounding in her head at a mile a minute. Mirage stood over her looking down with disapointment. “We have a long way to go. Your Super side is dead; we need to make you remember who you are.” She reached down a hand and Violet took it and was pulled up to her feet. Elizabeth hadn’t even broken a sweat but her entire face was soaked and she was out of breath. “Now listen carefully to me Violet, what we do today we will do everyday until we are finished.”
“When will that be?” Violet jumped in and interrupted.
“Only you will determine that.

Mirage started to speed up her pace, going from a walk to a light jog, violet sped her pace to keep up. The jogging pace increased and Violet tried to move faster, but already her legs were beginning to hurt and her lungs burn. She was pretty wiped already by the brief battle. She was far too unfit. Within yards she was falling behind but she didn’t stop. Her body was becoming drained but there was an energy in the muscles, perhaps they remembered how strong they used to be and were trying to live up to their old reputation. Still though, after a mile Elizabeth came to a stop. She was panting and a very fine layer of sweat was on her head, she had raced all this way. Perhaps she herself had been sitting behind a desk for a little too long, fit, but not as fit as she had been. Violet finally caught up and collapsed onto the ground. Her face was soaked with perspiration and her lungs burned in demand for air. Her legs felt like lead and she could feel the veins in her body ready to explode from the pressure of her pounding heart. The mile had nearly finished her.

Mirage turned and looked at the sunrise that was warming up the land. The world was beginning to wake. “Breakfast.” She said and turned, walking back toward the building, ignoring Violet as she went. Violet watched her go, feeling the burn in her lungs and the anger in her mind. How could the woman do this and leave her behind? She staggered up and rushed forward, trying to charge at Mirage. Mirage dodged easily and slapped Violet on the head as she rushed by. “Anger gives you strength. But it is a weapon to be used only by your opponent. You must transcend fear, anger and the mortal trappings of lesser folk and master these emotions. Command their power, do not allow the power to command you.”

Violet scowled and folded her arms across her chest, walking alongside Elizabeth back toward the house. The dawn was breaking, turning the dark sky a rich orange and pale blue. There were a few clouds in the sky and the air was cold, but getting warmer.

The breakfast consisted of bacon, eggs, sausage and French toast; an extra large serving because she would need all the nutrients she could get her hands on during this tough fitness regime. Violet was used to large meals, being a Super burnt up a lot of calories. She had filled out a little since she had first become a Super, mostly muscle that had softened up during her injury and time in the wheelchair.
“I’m beginning to get a grasp of what your capabilities are.” Mirage said as she sipped at some coffee and ate some toast. “I’m sorry to say that your body is in a real mess.”
“I already know that.” Violet snapped. “My muscles are weaker, my reaction times are completely shot, I don’t have any stamina anymore and I think I’ve forgotten how to do any of the martial arts I trained to use.”
“No.” Mirage replied. “The muscle memory might have faded during your recovery but I know the level of training you put yourself through. You know how to do these things, it’s all up there in your mind somewhere. It’s only your body that has forgotten how. After the ordeal your body went through no one can expect you to come out of that unaffected. Ordinarily I would say, if a person was going to recover any o their abilities at all, it would take years.”
“I don’t have years.” Violet said angrily. She jumped from her chair and pushed the half eaten breakfast across the table. “I’m done. Now let’s go.”

Mirage didn’t move. “I’m the one doing the training not you. I make the decisions. Right now I have decided you will have a meal before we do any more training.”
“You’re supposed to be teaching me how to fight, not about my diet.” Violet said, the anger in her voice was loud and obvious.
“What I teach is my business.” Mirage said coldly. “You made it my business when you asked me to train you. So sit down, eat your breakfast and trust that I know what I’m doing.” She gave Violet a full blast of a cold and angry stare. Violet held her own and returned the look but quickly have up and sat back down at the table. She pulled the remainder of the breakfast back to her and picked at it lightly.

Violet’s move lifted when Tony walked into the room. They smiled at each other and he came over and sat next to her at the table. Mirage stayed silent and observed their interaction. Tony leaned forward, moving in for a kiss. Violet greeted it with a look of confusion, but luckily Tony’s eyes were closed so he didn’t see it. She realised what he wanted from her a second later and kissed him. When they parted they both felt something wrong. Their kisses used to be full of passion, every time had felt like electricity flowing between them and now this time there was nothing.
“Are you alright?” Tony asked, but there wasn’t any of his usual happy interest in his tone. He was still mulling over that kiss, as if they were two strangers who’d accidentally touched lips and now came an embarrassed silence.
“A little tired.” Violet replied, feeling just the same way as Tony. “I had a rude wake up call.”
“I heard the screams.” Tony said, trying at humour but fully aware he was failing. He looked at her and wanted to say so much about what he was thinking and feeling at that moment, but the words choked in his throat. She had changed so much; barely recognisable as the girl he had fallen in love with. All because of what He had done to her. He didn’t want to talk about Him, nor even think His name. But it was all down to Him, He had hurt her so badly that it remained to be seen if the Violet Tony knew could come back.

Violet glanced at Tony while she picked at her breakfast. In her head was a thousand feelings that couldn’t be expressed in words. She loved Tony so much, she adored him and had done from the moment she first saw him in school. She would have loved nothing more than to be here with him, safe and far away from the city and all of its pains. But it wasn’t that simple, not when Psychewave was involved. She couldn’t stay here another minute knowing that he was in Metroville free to do whatever his psychotic mind felt like doing. He had hurt her so badly, beaten and broken her. She wouldn’t allow that to go unpunished. She could not allow herself to be distracted by any of her irrelevant desires. She had to do her duty. She would stop him. No matter what it took.

***********

Elizabeth led Violet outside again, it seemed to be her preferred training ground. “You can disappear. But now you must learn to become truly invisible.”
“I can already become invisible.” Violet snapped. She phased her body, shifting it out of sight. Only the clothes she was wearing remained an indicator to where she was standing. The hollow shape of a human being giving them mass. “Teach me something useful.”
“You might not be visible to the naked eye.” Mirage answered calmly. “But you are still leaving traces that can betray you.” She pulled something out of her pocket, a blindfold. Elizabeth slipped this around her eyes and took several paces away from Violet. “Hit me, if you can.”

Violet didn’t become visible again; if it was stealth Mirage was looking for then she felt more comfortable like this. She clenched her fists, and raised her arms. It would be simple, a rush forward and a sweep with the arm across the chest. Mirage would be on the floor before she knew what was going on. She raced, at just one foot away Violet stuck out her arm. There was no avoiding it.

Moving almost too fast to be seen Mirage grabbed Violet’s wrist tightly and spun around hard; twisting the arm around and pushing it up her back. Violet screamed, her body shifted back into sight against her will. Mirage pushed harder and the poor girl screamed again, doubled over with the pain. Mirage pulled the blindfold away from her face and tossed it to the ground. “Far too noisy. You must leave no trace of yourself to be found.” She said in disgust. She let Violet go, the girl dropped to her knees, gripping her wrist in pain. “Metroville is in total chaos. The people that couldn’t make it out are scared and criminals of the worst kind are roaming the streets freely. If anything is going to be saved then you need to become more than a standard Super.”

Violet stopped listening and jumped to her feet, she rushed at Mirage again, swing her fist as hard as she could. Mirage effortlessly grabbed Violet’s arm and flipped her head over heals, slamming her hard onto the ground. Violet lay still, feeling the shockwave of her landing spread through her body. All the air had been driven out of her lungs for a few seconds, making her vision swim and blacken until she could breath again. Mirage stood over her looking very disappointed.
“Anger is a weapon only to be used by your opponent.” She said, reciting a mantra she had said just a few hours ago. In very similar circumstances. “You must learn, Violet, to be more than you are. More than a person, more than *just* a Super. You have to be a symbol; an idea. A figure to aspire toward. A being to be feared. Something incorruptible and powerful. Then, and only then, will you be ready.”

Violet stared up at her trainer in surprise, confusion an a lot of disbelief. She only had the vaguest clue what the woman was talking about and no thoughts at all that it was achievable. Mirage grabbed Violet’s arm and pulled her up to her feet, perhaps a little rougher than she should have. “I now have a full assessment of your skills Violet and considering the Super you were, you are a disapointment. There is nothing but the cold ashes of the burning skill that you once had. I once actually respected you; someone so young achieving so much. But you have lost that respect by allowing yourself to be defeated so easily. While I shall train you, I shall not speak with you until you have earned it again. Go and rest yourself. We will train twice as long tomorrow.”

Mirage walked away, leaving Violet dumbfounded. She didn’t see how Mirage not speaking to her was going to be a problem. She let the woman walk away and turned back to the safe house. Her wrist was sore, but it was only a minor pain compared to her back. If someone sat a car on her chest it might have hurt less.

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Violet staggered back to her room. She didn’t even close the door she just walked over to the bed and collapsed. The day was only half over but she felt exhausted, like she could sleep for a week.

She would put up with all of this for the end result; she would return to Metroville triumphant and defeat Psychewave. No matter what it took she would not fail again.

To be continued