Vaudevillain

It was finally time. The mice had gotten back to Dylan with information about the alien mothership. It was definitely going to be a challenge to assault, but Dylan knew it would be a fun time whether he won or lost. A part of him wished John was still around, but Dylan hadn't seen or talked to his friend for a few days. He had gotten over the argument they'd both had earlier, as Dylan was never one to dwell on things. He assumed John was still upset because he had to be a follower. Give him a few more days, and Dylan knew his friend would come around. An argument like this wasn't something to lose a friend over.

Heck, they'd even stayed friends into college and past it. Dylan had gone on to work at the architecture firm in the big city, and John had stayed in their hometown, working as an IT consultant. Their love for superheroes and games had kept them together long past the standard length of childhood friendship. Dylan was confident a speedbump like this wouldn't wreck the relationship.

One of the mice tapped on Dylan's hand. "Yes?"

Lord, we have uncovered another of the spy devices.

The mouse handed over the listening device. Dr. Zlo crushed it in his fist. "Excellent! That Dextra Black thinks she can get the upper hand, but none are a match for my genius!"

Obviously, Lord.

"Tell me, Lovelace was it?"

Yes

"Are we absolutely certain about the entrance?"

Yes, Lord. The only way into the mothership is through the tractor beam in the middle. Should we check again?

"No, no. I was just making sure."

Dylan and his companions had spent the better part of yesterday going over the options they had. From what the mice stated, the only way inside the alien mothership was to use the tractor beam located in the center. A tractor beam that only opened for the Quli aliens. Though, the mice had mentioned that one alien inside the government district held a keycard of some kind. They suspected it was the mid-boss for the whole invasion arc.

The inside of the alien craft held reinforced doors and walls, preventing supers from punching their way through to the command room. Patrols of Quli scoured the ship with all manner of devices, catching invisible and intangible supers in their technological net of sensors. It was only the mice's small frame and cunning that kept them from getting found. But their success revealed exactly where the control room sat. Right in the center, three floors above the tractor beam.

Dylan had gotten the mice to create a map of each floor, and he wasted no time drawing up a blueprint. Then he, Surfsup, and Sweet Dream all tried coming up with other ways to infiltrate the mothership. Surfsup suggested boring a hole into the side of the craft. Sweet Dream vetoed him, saying that Vert coded the metal as indestructible. At least, that was what the forums said. Surf then suggested the group try and stow away on the ship by taking the rings of light. Sweet Dream knocked that one down too. The forums stated the rings were a special effect and didn't connect to anything.

"No matter!" Dr. Zlo said. "We shall not be stopped! If we cannot sneak into the place, we shall walk in as invited guests."

Dylan then went on to explain his idea.

"I like it," Sweet Dream said after he'd finished.

"Yeah, dude. That sounds like an awesome idea!" Surfsup said. "And oh, guys. I thought up a good name for my villain. What do you all think…" he paused for effect. "of the name Riptide."

"Wow, Surf. That's pretty good actually," Sweet Dream Said. "Here I was thinking you were going to go with Gnarly Board or something like it."

"I went through a list of surfer slang last night. When I saw the name, I knew it was totally perfect."

"And with your new armor, designed by yours truly, you will be a menace on land and sea!" Dr. Zlo whipped out the new creations he had made for his friends. When he'd mentioned his issue in collecting materials, Surfsup and Sweet Dream directed him to an online trading site. Players could use the in-game courier service introduced in the patch to send items to friends. Instantly, a market had popped up with crafters of all kinds selling inventions.

Dylan had spent his off time advertising his Mad Science ability on the site. Saying that if someone gifted him the materials and a small fee, he would create them the items they requested. It was a lot of back-and-forth in and out of the game, but it was worth it to fully outfit the group for the heist. But he would need to come up with a better solution soon, crafting items for others ate into his game-time.

"Oh, dude! This armor is sick!" Surfsup grabbed the aqua-blue suit out of Dylan's hand and stretched it out over his body.

Protective Rashguard

This rash guard has been reinforced with protective plating to protect from bullets and other penetrative weapons.

Rash guard (1)

Steel thread (1 spool)

Ceramic plate (10)

Oobleck (1 bowl)

The surf-obsessed player added the rash guard to his character and posed as the skintight suit placed itself over his frame. "How do I look?" Surfsup flexed.

"Perfect my aquatic friend. I have also created you a special helmet, built to protect us from the alien's ray guns." Dr. Zlo tossed over a full-face helmet styled like a shark.

Protective Motorcycle Helmet

This helmet has been reinforced with all manner of technology to grant the wearer a protective forcefield that guards against lasers and ray blasts. It is styled like a shark to fit a theme.

Motorcycle helmet (1)

Alienite (1)

Shark tooth necklace (1)

Computer (1)

Surfsup snatched the helmet and firmly sat it on his head. "Dude, this is so cool!"

"So, you got anything for me?" Sweet Dream asked.

"Of course, my candied criminal friend!" Dr. Zlo pulled out a strange rubber glove. "I must admit, your chocolate power confounded me for a few seconds, but I believe I have created the perfect weapon for your unique composition."

Pressurized Rubber Glove Blaster

This unique weapon looks like an ordinary rubber glove at first glance. However, anyone with the power to emit liquids can use the weapon as a blaster to focus their shots. The glove also re-sizes itself to fit the wearer.

Rubber glove (1)

Water gun (1)

C02 canister (2)

Metal water bottle (1)

Rubber bands (200)

Sweet Dream took the glove from Dr. Zlo's hands and admired the weapon. She slipped in on her right hand and morphed. The glove expanded as her body grew, funneling chocolate into dozens of tiny compartments. Sweet Dream turned to the wall of the secret lab and pointed a finger. A thin stream of chocolate beamed outward, splashing against the other end of the laboratory. "Cool," she said. "Needs a few more accessories, though."

"And as for you all!" Dr. Zlo turned towards his new gallery of rogues. He had crafted three more minion types and was hoping to use this first batch as a test-run. The first in the gallery was the mermaid, who lounged on a palanquin carried by four Jacques. Surfsup and Sweet Dream weren't quite sure she would be useful, but Dylan saw that she had most of the Jacques wrapped around her finger. It would be perfect to have something of a sub-commander in the ranks.

Second in line stood Dr. Zlo's latest creation, a man in a boating hat and pinstripe suit. He'd decided this would be the minion Quartet for now. He had no idea when he could grab another piece of phlebotinium, not to mention two grams of the stuff. The piece he'd gotten from Dextra had gone towards a hacking machine to control the mothership. Quartet stood at attention, a cane dangling from one arm. Dr. Zlo had designed the rod with his own in mind, though there were fewer options. Quartet could only use the liquid fire, smoke bomb, and adhesive.

Third in line was the generic minion designed for Sweet Dream. The creature was an anthropomorphic rabbit in a polka dot vest and gaudy striped bowtie. It carried a basket of eggs and on its head sat one of Dr. Zlo's hatbots. Dylan thought it had been a good theme, matching the hatbots love of riding animals with the chocolate theme from Sweet Dream. The bunny hefted an egg for inspection as Dr. Zlo walked past it.

Fourth down the line was Surfsup's minion, a muscular man with a shark head. Surfsup's description of his minions had been very clear, make sure they have shark heads and only wear swim trunks. The result was these muscular monstrosities with floral print swim shorts. Dr. Zlo had made a few additions to give the minions a bit more oomph. Each shark head had jellyfish tentacle hair, and the minions had a stingray tail jutting out of their hands. Neither addition held much in the way of poison, only causing a slight drop in health over a short time. However, the poison did stack. Plus, Dylan figured the creature's natural strength would make up for any issues with weak poison.

The last in line was the second creation Dylan and his companions worked on. This minion wore a white button-down, unbuttoned at the top, and a cream suit that perfectly fit the minion's frame. Instead of dress pants, the minion wore cut-off shorts that gave off a relaxed air, like the minion was on vacation. "Whatcha need from us, bossman?" The minion asked, their perfectly tan-gold face smiling.

"A good question, Jawbreaker. You and your fellow minions are going to be our distraction for our upcoming heist."

Dylan and his friends had spent a bit of time creating Jawbreaker. After creating the mermaid, none of the friends knew a theme that fit all three's personal preferences off the top of their heads. Dylan had been the first to mention a beach theme, and Surfsup added the idea for a golden look, like the gold foil on chocolates. The name had been Sweet Dream's idea, mixing the three themes into a fitting name for the bruiser they'd created.

"Say the word, and we'll be out there." Jawbreaker cracked his knuckles, ready to see action for the first time.

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