Vaudevillain

As the Zlomobile left, a silent alarm went off, alerting John. Dylan's former friend sneered as he received the message. It was time for his plan to begin. Soon, Dylan wouldn't know what hit him.

The player opened up his messages and sent alerts to all the other discontent players he'd found the past few months. Players that disliked Menagerie's popularity, monopolies on certain products, and various other complaints. He received confirmation from them moments later. They were all ready to start the plan.

Once he received all the answers he needed, John walked out of his room in the crafting hub and made his way over to the drone hub, using his new clearance to enter inside. Once there, John ducked out of sight, casting as many magical traps as he could before his mana ran out. Once finished, the player switched over to placing stored bombs and charges he received from other players, making sure to keep them all out of sight. A few players waved to him, as John had kept up his friendly façade while planning his revenge. Unfortunately, none of them suspected what the player was up to.

Once he'd placed charges in the drone hub, John moved on to the NPC factories and then the very heart of Skyline. This would be the tricky part. John wasn't exactly allowed inside the reactors, that small space between the upper and lower parts of Skyline. However, the player had found a way to enter undetected. It turned out that some hideouts in the city bled into the generator rooms. Menagerie was still trying to fix the issue. The leaders had contacted Vert about it and had alerted everyone whose hideout bled inside that heavy security would be waiting for them.

Of course, John had an answer for said security. He'd learned that the defenses were all pointed outward. Once someone entered a generator room, they were completely safe. So John grabbed a somewhat useless power (in his mind) that made him undetectable by anything for a short amount of time. The power heavily ate into his stamina and mana, but it would be enough for the man to sneak inside the room. And if it wasn't, well, John had enough mana and stamina potions to recover a small army.

Using his power, John placed charge after charge of explosives into the generators, making sure to keep them out of sight so others couldn't find them. He knew he wouldn't be able to hide them perfectly, but he didn't need that much time. Once John ambushed Dylan, he would spring the trap, and by then it would be too late. Skyline would sink and fall, and everyone wanting a piece of Menagerie would be there to see it through.

Task complete, John activated the magical tracker he'd snuck onto Dylan's Zlomobile, learning exactly where his old friend was going.

Dylan arrived at Necropolis after a small amount of travel, enough time for Lug to get a bit restless. Mabel made sure to keep the minion calm, whispering sweet nothings into its ear while Dr. Zlo drove. Cass made sure to give his boss directions to the city, the Zlomobile zooming across the various streets linking World of Supers' many hubs together. Once Necropolis's skyline appeared, Dr. Zlo slowed down to a sedate pace, making sure to activate his secret identity.

Sure enough, the NPCs didn't bother the villain, waving him inside after a quick look in the car. Dr. Zlo cackled under his breath.

"You said it, boss," Cass answered.

"Now, Cass," Dr. Zlo said once they entered the city. "Tell me where I need to go to find the World Health Laboratory."

"The WHL is gonna be on your left, boss," Cass said. "You can't miss it. The building looks like a giant stethoscope."

"What?" the villain said. "That's ridiculous."

"It's true, boss," Cass said. "Look."

The butler pointed out of the car, and Dr. Zlo turned to see an arching building in the distance. Two metallic pillars curved inward, meeting in the middle where the pillar sloped to the ground and curved in on itself.

"A giant stethoscope indeed," Dr. Zlo muttered.

The villain pulled the Zlomobile off to the side, hiding it inside a nearby alley. Egghead, Lug, and Mabel all stepped out of the car first, the minions making sure no one was around to spy on them. Once the coast was clear, Cass stepped out of the vehicle and walked around to open the driver's side door.

Dr. Zlo stepped out, straightening his coat and sniffing the air.

"Egads," the villain said. "What is that smell."

"Necropolis deals with dead things, boss," Cass answered. "So the air gets a bit musty."

"This is worse than musty," Dr. Zlo answered, waving a hand in front of his face in an attempt to ward off the smell. "I could craft chemical weapons with this stench."

"Oh, hon," Mabel said. "It ain't that bad. Why, I remember just a bit ago when we all had to hide out in one of those sewers. And while Momma loves to get cozy, I wouldn't say the smell put anyone in the mood. Compared to that, this is a spring morning."

"Thank you for the comparison, Mabel," Dr. Zlo said with a shudder. "I don't need a reminder of our times hiding out. Remember, we're villains of class! Skulking is beneath us."

Lug and Egghead nodded, the latter memorizing the words. Mabel just waved a hand, gesturing Dr. Zlo to get on with his monologue. The villain turned his face upward, sneering at the stethoscope-shaped building in the distance.

"The WHL won't know what hit them," Dr. Zlo said. "Once we take their vials of the common cold, my newest invention will be complete! And with it, I shall rule the world!"

Dr. Zlo laughed as maniacally as he could.

Cass clapped appreciatively, "I can't wait to see how you do it, boss!"

"Why, with style, Cass," Dr. Zlo answered. "Just like I do everything else. Now, let us be off."

The villain turned toward the building.

"Don't forget the Jacques," Cass pointed out.

"Ah, yes," Dr. Zlo answered.

The villain walked around to the back of his vehicle, opening the trunk and starting up the Jacques-a-pult. The villain paused before he placed his hand on a converted Jacques.

"Hold on a moment; I'm getting an idea."

Dr. Zlo turned, "Cass! I need you to drive the car for a moment. You're going to become our getaway driver, understood?"

Cass nodded dutifully.

"Excellent," Dr. Zlo answered. The villain turned to Egghead next, "How many Jacques do you think you need to get us inside?"

Egghead turned to look at the building, its bulbous forehead furrowed in thought. A few moments later, the minion held up seven fingers.

"Only seven?" Dr. Zlo asked. "Truly?"

Egghead nodded.

"Well, far be it from me to stifle your confidence," Dr. Zlo said. "Lug, grab me seven cubes out of the trunk."

Lug lumbered over, grabbing a fistful of Jacques-a-pult ammunition. Egghead walked over, pulling the larger minion's hand down and counting out seven cubes. Lug then put the rest back at Egghead's gesturing.

"Perfect!" Dr. Zlo said. He looked at Egghead and Lug, "Now. This will be a test of your abilities. Mabel and I will head into the building first. I shall announce my presence and inform the hapless scientists that they must turn over their items. In the meantime, you're responsible for following up. Understood?"

Egghead saluted with military precision.

"Perhaps I should make a few of you for Brunhilde," the villain mused. "You two seem very similar in some aspects."

"Hon, I think we should hurry on up," Mabel said. "We're liable to get caught by some strapping young hero if we wait for too long. Not that I would mind that happening."

"As always, Mabel, you are a voice of reason," Dr. Zlo answered. The villain pointed his magical cane at the WHL, "To villainy!"

The World Health Laboratory in Necropolis was one of the many scientific facilities dotting World of Supers. After all, laboratories were a staple in any superhero fiction. Heroes and villains alike needed the structures. Heroes, especially the technology-based ones, needed the labs for a multitude of reasons. At the same time, villains required the buildings because they had items to steal. As such, the facilities always needed to be less prepared than their real-world counterparts.

Dylan expected this to be the case, at least. So he was slightly surprised when the building initiated lockdown protocols once he walked in as Dr. Zlo.

"Good evening!" The villain had started, sweeping into the room like he owned the place. "I am Dr. Zlo! Criminal mas–!"

The villain's speech was drowned out by the sound of klaxons and the screeching of blast doors. The lights dimmed to an ominous red, and Dr. Zlo watched as the various laboratory workers locked themselves in any room they could.

"Well, how rude," Dr. Zlo stated. "They didn't even let me finish my grand speech."

"I'm sure it would have been magnificent, hon," Mabel replied. "But why don't we stop with the gloating and stop this lockdown before the heroes all show up like fruit flies on a pie."

"By all means," Dr. Zlo bowed. He held out a hand for Mabel, escorting his minion toward the front desk.

"I'm sure there's a broadcasting system here somewhere," Dr. Zlo said. "We tested if your abilities worked through telephones, didn't we?"

"I don't think it ever came up in casual conversation," Mabel answered.

"Well, no time like the present!" Dr. Zlo cheered.

The villain activated the intercom, moving it over toward Mabel.

"Could one of y'all be a dear and stop all this noise? It's ever so hard to hear myself think over all this racket."

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