Vaudevillain

Chapter 242: Getting Everything Together

Dr. Zlo arrived back in his lair a few minutes later. Cass stood waiting at the entrance, ready to take Dr. Zlo's hat and cane like a butler should. The villain ignored the minion, marching down to his laboratory.

"You want a drink, boss?" Cass asked, running up behind Dr. Zlo.

"Not now, Cass!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "I've got speeches to plan!"

Dr. Zlo threw open the basement door, making his way down while Cass scrambled behind him.

"Oh, boss. Brunhilde's been acting real weird," Cass said.

Dr. Zlo stopped. Dylan had remade both Brunhilde and Saul after Mabel. It hadn't seemed right for Dr. Zlo to leave them behind, even if he hadn't spent much time with them. Plus, Dylan wanted to see if Brunhilde would fall for Cass again. He'd been enjoying watching the two's strange romance play out. He'd even gone as far as to recreate Quartet. Though, that was mostly because he wanted another lieutenant for the upcoming fight.

"Weird how?" Dr. Zlo asked.

"She keeps nuzzling up next to a Jacques," Cass said. "Gives it big ol' moon eyes and everything. It's starting to creep us out."

Dylan sighed. Of course, things couldn't be that simple. Oh well, a romance with a Jacques sounded fun to watch too.

"Don't worry about it, Cass," Dr. Zlo said. "I'm sure it's nothing troubling. Oh, and gather everyone together in a few minutes. I have an announcement to make."

Cass bowed, "Right away, boss."

Dr. Zlo watched as his butler ran off, the minion's new arm shining as he ran upstairs. The villain descended into his laboratory and took one last look over the plan. Dylan knew he wouldn't be able to account for everything, but everyone had at least covered the most likely ideas. Now, all they had to do was wait.

Cass came down with the rest of Dr. Zlo's minions a few minutes later, as requested. Dr. Zlo turned to look at his gallery of rogues with pride.

"Ladies and gentlemen and Jacques!" Dr. Zlo started. "Today is an auspicious day! For today I have completed my strongest invention, the death ray! With this weapon, I shall bring the heroes guild to its knees by destroying the very moon it rests on. In doing so, I, Dr. Zlo! shall become the greatest criminal to walk the earth and the next ruler of this world!"

The minions clapped, each with different looks on their faces. Mabel held a look of smug amusement, her character always enjoying Dr. Zlo's speeches. Brunhilde applauded politely, too proper to show any more enthusiasm in such a public setting. Saul looked worried as he clapped, the minion knowing he wasn't cut out for all-out war. Cass looked prouder than any parent. His boss was finally going to reach the heights he deserved. In turn, Quartet looked like a tiger waiting to pounce, knowing that taking the world for himself was now possible. The Jacques just clapped, unsure of the specifics going on but excited to be a part of the action.

Dr. Zlo looked over all his villains and grinned. "Now! Let's show the world the might of Dr. Zlo!"

It was finally the day of the next World of Supers expansion, Dr. Zlo's Shrinktackular Surprise. All of Skyline had jumped online once the game's servers were back online, no one wanting to miss the big event. Now, everyone would get to participate in a crime involving Dr. Zlo. No longer would they have to watch a Viewtube video or hope to catch him on an outing.

As Dr. Zlo logged on, the new patch message appeared. Dylan waved it away. He wasn't about to get distracted from the big show. The villain walked out of his hideout, Cass and the rest of his minions in tow. The group made its way inside the Skyline Skyscraper, pushing others out of the way and securing an elevator for himself.

The elevator opened to the roof a minute later, revealing everyone eagerly waiting. Dextra, Shizuka, Sweet Dream, and Riptide all stood in one corner around Jack, who had arrived with some kind of device in tow. Next to them stood the steampunk four and apocalyptic trio, the two groups talking back and forth over something trivial. On the other side stood unfamiliar faces.

"I don't believe we've met," Dr. Zlo said.

The first group of three stood together, dressed in dark red colors. The first had on a black outfit that was marked with more holes than the villain could count, each one stitched up with dark red thread. The second wore their dark red as a leather jacket, the look matching their spiked hair. The third's dark red revealed itself as flame tattoos, the tips poking out under the man's black shirt.

The second figure turned at Dr. Zlo's call, Yuppie's voice coming out of their mouth. "Of course we have? We talked yesterday."

"He's in character, dumb*ss," Fursation said. "You're not playing the same character as yesterday."

"Shaddap," Yuppie said.

"Forgive them," Psy-Ops said. "Killswitch isn't the brightest bulb in the box, despite his powers."

"Hey!" Yuppie retorted.

"Ah, you must be the extra help," Dr. Zlo said. "A pleasure."

"It's all mine," Psy-Ops said. "I'm Deadman, that's Killswitch, and they're Immolate. I'm almost impossible to kill; Killswitch here can shut down anything, and Immolate burns things."

"All the things!" Fursation added.

"A colorful bunch," Dr. Zlo said. "I trust you'll do your job."

"Of course they'll do their job," another voice said. "It's what I hired them for."

Dr. Zlo turned to see the last four villains step into view, a muscular rock leading the pack. The rock wore a torn prison shirt, two manacles on each arm covering both wrists and elbows. Similar manacles were on the villain's knees and ankles, though no chains were found on any of the clasps.

To their left stood twins dressed in opposite colors, their hands juggling a set of pistols back and forth. Dr. Zlo noticed that besides their guns, the two villains carried several other weapons on their person, each one colored to match their partner's outfit. Behind them was a woman in a wide-brimmed hat and a trenchcoat. She nodded to Dr. Zlo as his eye passed over.

"Call me Rough," the rock said. Dylan picked up that it was Oro. "This is here Gemini One and Two, and behind them is Carmen."

"Hey there," Titan's and Rampart's voices echoed out of the Gemini at the same time.

Merla's voice came from Carmen. "A pleasure."

"Good, it seems we're all here," Dextra said. "And no one is late."

"You've stressed the timetable of this enough times that I know it in my sleep," Rough answered. "No one was going to be late."

"Except for Shizuka," Gemini One joked.

"Dex wouldn't let me," Shizuka mock pouted.

"Enough banter!" Dr. Zlo announced. "We have crimes to commit! Jack! Where are we on our plans?"

"The ships are ready and waiting for your armies. But hurry, we need to commit ground forces in ten minutes, according to Dextra."

"A simple problem to solve!" Dr. Zlo announced. "Mabel! Ensure all the Jacques enter the assault ships safely."

"Got it, hon," Mabel answered.

"Now," Dr. Zlo turned. "About our surprise."

"Ready to use it when needed," Sweet Dream answered. "Now hurry up with your announcement so we can get this going. Otherwise, we'll have to speed up our dramatic process."

"No need to get uppity," Dr. Zlo chided. "We have plenty of time to build dramatic tension."

"Just call your d*mn mice already and get this over with," Sweet Dream replied, closing her eyes.

"Quite right," Dr. Zlo answered. The villain turned to call for his minions but found one already nearby, tugging at his pants leg.

"Well, aren't you punctual," Dr. Zlo said. "Excellent! Now, have you gained control of the broadcast network?"

"Yes, Lord. It was a simple task," the mouse answered. "Hardly worth it for our skills."

"I would expect so!" Dr. Zlo laughed. "We shall have to find better uses for your prowess soon. Skulking around in the dark is all well and good, but sometimes you need to cut loose under the light of the sun."

The mouse nodded before handing Dr. Zlo a device.

"We've taken the liberty of compiling all the networks into one," the mouse answered. "Just flip the switch, and our broadcasting drones will do the rest."

A hatbot chirped a few feet away, waving an extender at the group of villains.

"Then, on with the show!" Dr. Zlo announced.