Vaudevillain

The Terrible Tea Rex (3)

"How dare you insinuate such a thing!" Dr. ZLo shouted in anger. "For that insult, you'll die first! Mr. T! Dinnertime!"

Mr. T roared a challenge and stomped toward Maximillian. The monster bent low as he charged, a thousand razor-sharp teeth ready to tear the museum owner to pieces. Maximillian only sighed and snapped his fingers.

"How predictable," he said.

The automatons surrounding the man rushed forward, dogpiling each other. Dr. Zlo almost gloated at the sight, but he paused when the robots started to merge into one unit. A second later, a brass hand clamped down on Mr. T's mouth, snapping the open maw shut. A second hand grabbed the dinosaur's neck and tossed him across the room and knocking over a few of the slower nobles.

"Mr. T! Are you going to take that lying down?" Dr. Zlo shouted. The villain pointed his cane, "Of course not! Now, get up and thrash these intruders! Our livelihood depends on it!"

The dinosaur answered with a roar of agreement, pushing itself upright. The room shook as the king of the lizards charged once more. The robot again reached out to throw Mr. T, but the lizard pivoted, headbutting the hand away and spinning to strike with his tail. This time, it was the automaton's turn to go flying, and Dr. Zlo cackled in delight as some of the lesser heroes found themselves in the shadow of the robot colossus.

"None can stand against the king of the dinosaurs!" Dr. Zlo boasted. "Now! Sweet Dream, Riptide! Collect our spoils. I think it's time we call an end to this party."

"Got it dude!" Riptide said.

The surfer flew down toward the pile of treasures, only for the police robots to create a perimeter. "You have the right to remain silent!" the robots shouted.

"That's an American thing!" Sweet Dream retorted. "It doesn't apply here!"

The candy villainess opened her inventory and procured a weapon Dr. Zlo had invented for situations like these. The device resembled the sticky hand toys found in old coin machines, crafted out of taffy and not some strange rubbery material. With practiced aim, Sweet Dream whipped the hand out. The taffy concoction snagged a pile of jewels and pulled it into her waiting arms.

"Like taking candy from a baby," Sweet Dream said.

"Didn't we like already do that, dude?" Riptide questioned.

"Oh, just grab more loot already."

Riptide laughed and swooped toward the pile, only to roll at the last second when more automatons marched into the room and started shooting. Blue electricity crackled across the ballroom, frizzing a few nobles' wigs. Saura, the other dinosaur in the room, roared in surprise at the lightning.

Before anyone could speak, the reanimated minion charged across the room and collapsed onto the incoming automatons. Metal creaked and groaned as the t-rex's large body squished them underneath. Maximillian grimaced at the sight. Reinforcements would be on the way shortly, but Dr. Zlo was the tricky sort. Action had to be taken sooner rather than later.

The man sighed, "It seems things are going to have to get less civilized."

The villain waved his hand, the broken pieces of scrap from Saura's rampage collecting together. The brass twisted and bent, gears ticking in place until they formed a metallic Triceratops. The geared contraption hissed gouts of steam, challenging Saura to a duel.

"It seems someone is getting into the spirit of things!" Dr. Zlo cackled. The villain rocketed from his perch, flying low to meet with his foe. "Though, I would have gone with a predator, not some grazing herbivore."

"How deluded," Maximillian replied. "History has shown that the herbivores are often the most deadly."

Dr. Zlo laughed. "Witty banter! It seems you're coming out of your shell!"

The villain blasted Maxmimillain with a laser, recoiling when it rebounded off of a wall of light. The counterstrike struck Dr. Zlo in the leg, sending him spinning in place.

"You'll pay for that!" the player shouted.

"You only have yourself to blame," Maximillian answered.

Dr. Zlo whipped his cane around, forming the intricate pattern needed to cast his disintegration spell. This time Maximillian moved, stepping out of the way and letting the blast drill into the floor. The surrounding nobles screeched in horror as the floor vanished, revealing an underground catacomb.

"Be still!" Dr. Zlo growled.

"All that anger can't be good for you," Maximillian taunted. "Perhaps you should let off some steam."

The police robots behind Maximillian pointed their arms at Dr. Zlo and fired. Blasts of superheated water blanketed the sky, forcing Dr. Zlo to fly up and break sight with Maximillian. Once the gas dispersed, Dr. Zlo found himself alone with the robots.

"Coward!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Can't face me like a man, can you?"

"How antiquated," Maximillian said, his voice echoing across the ballroom. "No wonder you stole from my museum collection. You practically belong there as well."

"D*mn, dude," Riptide said. "This guy's got game."

"Riptide, stop complimenting the enemy!" Dr. Zlo said. "Or at least compliment my genius!"

"No can do, dude," Riptide answered. "I gotta call it like I see it."

"See if I ever take you on excursions again," Dr. Zlo muttered.

"We got the loot!" Sweet Dream said. "Let's make our escape!"

"No," Dr. Zlo said.

Sweet Dream groaned. "Not another vendetta! This is like the sixth one this week!"

"It's not my fault that people won't acknowledge my superiority!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "So I have to make them see it!"

"Then come back later with a new surprise!" Sweet Dream complained. "Personally, I'd like to actually use these dinosaurs more than once!"

"Fine, take Saura and get out of here," Dr. Zlo answered. "But I'm not going to rest until I get revenge."

Sweet Dream rolled her eyes, "Fine. But don't blame me when you lose."

"As if I would ever lose!" Dr. Zlo countered.

Sweet Dream only rolled her eyes. "Saura!" she shouted, turning to the giant dinosaur. "Party's over! We're going home!"

Saura turned from her duel with the mechanical triceratops and roared in protest.

"Don't take that tone with me!" Sweet Dream said. "It's time to go, and I won't take no for an answer. Do you want to get put back in timeout?"

Saura slumped her shoulders, then stomped away from the triceratops. It tried to goad her with a charge, but Riptide surfed a wave of electricity into it before it could reach. The contraption spasmed in place as Saura slunk off, following behind Sweet Dream like a chided puppy.

"Sorry, dude," Riptide said to the robot. "Maybe next time."

The triceratops fell to the ground, gears rolling off as the electricity broke whatever was making it run. Riptide saluted the creature, then flew off into the sky after Sweet Dream.

"Now!" Dr. Zlo shouted at the ballroom. "Show yourself!"

"You must be joking," Maximillian answered.

"The only joke here is you!" Dr. Zlo answered. "And I'll prove it! Mr. T! Finish that scrap of a robot and come here!"

Mr. T roared, headbutting the giant robot in front of him to throw it off balance. The robot answered with an uppercut, attempting to knock the monster unconscious. Mr. T slipped to one side, dodging the blow and knocking the robot on the shoulder.

The robot reeled back, creating an opening for Mr. T. His tail spun, thwacking the enemy and crumpling the brass chest. Gears flew out like blood splatters, clattering on the ground. Mr. T roared in triumph, and Dr. Zlo cackled as the robot hit the ground.

Maximillian wasn't done, however, and Dr. Zlo saw the robot stand once more, the scattered gears flying back into the machine.

"You cheater!" Dr. Zlo shouted.

Maximillian only laughed. It echoed across the ballroom, granting it an ominous air.