Both teams of two arrived by an abandoned warehouse near the city limits. Marisol nodded towards Toru and Jaleesa from opposite rooftops. They convened by the side of the warehouse, careful to remain undetected by any stragglers. Underneath a rusted staircase, Supernova plotted their next move.
“They cleaned out the ShopMart across town. Everything and anything that had sugar gone.” said Jaleesa. The four friends ducked low as two robots whizzed down the street and into the warehouse. Marisol tapped her Novawatch to get a hold of Noah, but she received a double-blip, indicating he was busy.
“We’ll have to move in without him for now.” said Marisol, her eyes still wary of their surroundings.
“There!” signaled Elizabeth, pointing to an air vent positioned near the top of the staircase. The team kept a low profile as they snuck up the rattly stairs. Elizabeth carefully removed the vent cover and signaled her teammates to move in. The four friends found themselves on a mezzanine floor upon entering the warehouse. Dirty barrels, splintered pallets, and metal scraps were scattered within the rusted walls of the weathered building. Ominous whirring echoed across the room, along with a crooked voice. Marisol moved the group so that they could get a better view of the man. With a firm hand, Marisol halted their movement. In the center of the warehouse stood an older man with short, prickly hair, a pair of rounded spectacles, and an oversized lab coat. He stood in front of a large metal tank where drones dumped their sugar-filled snacks at random. The man ran his hand through the sugar tank, scooping up a handful of the white grains and letting them fall through his fingers.
“Excellent!” he said through a wicked smile. “Soon, all of the sugar in this city will be mine!”
The robots continued wandering into the warehouse and filling the sugar tank. Marisol and the others sneaked closer for a better vantage point.
“Who is this creep?” whispered Elizabeth as they watched the old man pet his robots as they passed by.
“Then we’ll take the world!” he laughed, lifting up another handful of sugar.
“I think this guy is missing a few screws.” said Jaleesa, trying to connect grocery theft with world domination.
“Definitely, but he still has an army of drones at his disposal,” added Toru, “and we’re down by one.”
“Well, we still have the element of surprise.” said Marisol. “Let’s make our way for the doors so we can at least close them off.” Marisol placed her hand forward, but before her teammates could stack hands, a loud crash was heard from the eastern wall of the warehouse. Loud bangs and clangs echoed against the building’s metallic walls before escalating into one final crash. The four friends looked over the railing to find Noah and one of the drones sprawled out on the floor, surrounded by scraps and debris.
“Not the surprise we had in mind, but a surprise nonetheless.” joked Elizabeth.
The old man stepped closer to the red-suited hero, who was recovering from his smash entrance. “It was only a matter of time before you goody two-shoes’ came looking for me, but you are a fool for coming alone!” he sneered.
“He’s not alone!” shouted Marisol, as she and the other three landed behind Noah, who was more than relieved to see them. He sprang up and quickly fell into formation with them.
“Supernova! What a delight!” said the old man, “Though I must say I’ve already had my fair share of treats today.” He laughed as he nodded towards the sugar tank.
“Give it up, you geezer! I don’t know who you are or what you want, but you better step down now!” shouted Elizabeth, holding a tight fist in the air.
“Ah, how rude of me. Please, let me introduce myself.” The man raised his arms up in great dramatic fashion, “I am Dr. Albert Cornelius Thore—” his arms then fell to a shrug as he added, “D.D.S.”
Noah looked at his teammates, then back at Dr. Thore, “You mean like a Dentist?”
“Yes.” he answered, then placed his fists by his hips and perched forward, “But I am also a great inventor and scientist!”
“And stealing sugar was the best your evil genius could come up with?” said Jaleesa.
“Don’t you children know? Sugar makes this capitalist hellscape go round!”
“Enough talk!” shouted Elizabeth. “Are we gonna keep letting this creep flap his chops or are we gonna rumble?”
“Charming” he sneered. “But let’s see what you’re really made of.” Dr. Thore retrieved a remote which was clipped to his belt and pressed a button. The warehouse shuddered as hidden trap doors from all sides opened up, releasing single file lines of robots bobbing up and down. Supernova tensed up and readied themselves for the army of robots encircling them.
“Ready, team!” Marisol called out.
“Minions, attack!”
Comments (0)
See all