Chapter Text
“Can you believe it? Finally, out on our own.” Dash says as he pulls Veronica close to him by the side, looking at their home in front of the red front door he just walked in from.
“We’ve been here for a month already, Dash.” She says smiling and kisses his cheek.
“Yeah, but now we finally have furniture! And a TV!” He says sitting on a small green couch, just big enough for the two of them, pulled much too close to their box television inset into a wooden console.
As he messes with the dials on the side of the TV, Veronica looks around at their house. Just two months ago they made their plan a reality. They ran away, took a train up north, and found a small little town with only a handful of people and businesses. And a month after that, they moved out of the motel they’d been staying in and into this small wooden house on the edge of town. Dash got a job stocking shelves at the convenience store downtown, and Veronica works at the laundromat next to it. Their house is small, but homey, with wooden panel walls, a small kitchen connecting to the back of the smaller living room with ugly-charming tiling, a bedroom that just fits the queen-sized bed Dash said they had to have, and a tiny bathroom next to the bedroom that looks like it was an afterthought in its design. She returns her gaze back to Dash, who looks a bit frustrated, trying to catch a signal. He’s still in his little blue vest from work, name badge and all, and his white polo and jeans. And Veronica is still in her soft green polo with a white collar and thick line across the middle to match the colors of the laundry machines. She takes off her own name badge as she sits on the couch next to him, looking down at it with a smile.
She rubs her thumb over the little heart she drew over the i in her name. They finally made it.
“YES!” Dash yells as the TV finally picks up a channel, and Veronica jumps in her seat before looking over at him with a smile.
“...Excited for the news?” She asks him after looking at the screen for a moment.
“Hey, it’s better than nothing.” He says leaning back and putting his arm around her.
She smiles and leans back as well, but as the news anchor goes over his top story, they both lean in again, this time extremely concerned.
“Today's biggest story is about an interview that was recently released with none other than the fallen hero himself, Mr. Incredible. What you are about to hear may be shocking for some viewers, but this is what he had to say to the public in an interview we’d like to note that he demanded.”
Dash and Veronica look at each other before turning back to the TV to hear Mr. Incredible’s voice.
“Thank you for having me on.” He says taking a seat in a dark room with a spotlight pointed at him, making a large circle of light and a shadow on the wall behind him.
“O-Oh, sure...” The timid interviewer replies from off screen. He sounds young. And his tone says he really does not want to be here.
“No, really, I appreciate it.” Mr. Incredible continues as he gets comfortable in his seat. His hero suit is similar to Syndrome’s old one, mainly black with white gloves and boots. His retro eye is large on his chest with the classic red dot on it. He has matching red tinted goggles and, on his wrists and ankles, he has thick black metal cuffs. He has longer blonde hair now, down to his shoulders, with noticeable white streaks. “I mean, what, you make a few mistakes, change your hair, and suddenly no one wants to interview you anymore? It’s like, come on, guys!” Mr. Incredible laughs a little, and then looks unhappy with the interviewer, who is not laughing along. “Alright, let’s just get on with it.”
From behind the camera, they hear note cards shuffling. “I-I’ll start off first with... uh, what a lot of people want to know.... Where is Elastigirl?”
Mr. Incredible’s tone shifts. He leans back with a frown, and his hands grip the armrests in irritation. “It’s not like we’re divorced. She’s still Mrs. Incredible. Ask it again.”
“R-Right, uh,” The young interviewer’s voice trembles. “W-Where’s Mrs. Incredible?”
“I honestly don’t know. I only saw her maybe... two months ago.” He says waving his hand with closed eyes. “And, ha,” He laughs, frustrated, “In an interview about ME, it’s still always about her, isn’t it?”
“Well, no, it’s just-”
“Anthony. I agreed to do this interview with you because you said it would be about me. It is still about me, right?” Mr. Incredible says, taking on his classic, always right, annoyed tone, one that’s only gotten worse from being around his new associate.
“Y-Yes, Mr. Incredible.”
“Great. Now what’s the next one?”
“What made you want to become a... a villain, sir?”
Mr. Incredible leans forward with a laugh saying, “Well, it’s due to my ungrateful kids, really. It’s crazy how you make one mistake and get labeled as a monster! I mean, society nowadays!” He says with a smile as he throws up his arms. “But it was more that I was made to be the monster, you get what I’m saying? They pushed me out. They turned me into this. Honestly, I’d turn myself in right now if they just came to talk to me. All I want is a conversation. But they already knew that.”
“S-So what you’re saying is that you’d stop being a villain if your kids just... talked to you?”
“That’s right.” He turns to the camera recording their interview, saying slowly, “...Dash. Violet. It’s your call.”
Dash and Veronica stare at the TV in complete shock. Veronica turns to Dash with her hand over her mouth, terrified, as he stares wide eyed at the television.
“...D-Did you just reveal the identities of your children on national television, Mr. Incredible?!”
Mr. Incredible smiles at the camera before slowly returning his gaze to Anthony.
“Next question please.”
“I-I, uh,” he says stammering, shuffling through his cards. He shuffles too fast. One falls, and then the rest sprawling across the floor. Mr. Incredible rolls his eyes as the young man tries to pick them up and ends up picking up the one closest to him, handing it to Anthony, unimpressed as he leans his head on his arm on the armrest of the chair.
Anthony takes it and holds it for a moment. “A-Are you sure about this one, sir?”
“Just ask the damn question, kid.”
He looks up at Mr. Incredible, and then back down at the note card, swallowing hard in fear before asking, “Uh,” his hands begin to shake as he keeps his eyes down at the card, “W-What do you have to say to those calling you Mr. Mediocre...?”
“THAT NAME IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ME!” Mr. Incredible yells, standing up in front of Anthony. He calms himself, saying, “You just know how to ruffle my feathers, don’t you?”
“No, sir! It was a genuine-” but he begins to choke as a long hollow claw shoots out of the sides of Mr. Incredible’s cuff on his right wrist, making the same motion as his hand, the three metal fingers wrapping around Anthony’s throat. Mr. Incredible smiles with a huff before turning to stare at the camera. “If you want this to stop, just come and talk to me. And as a little motivation...” He says turning the camera with the other claw that shot out of his left wrist cuff, revealing the face of the interviewer. “I’ve got Tony. And Veronica is next.”
The camera feed cuts to static, and the two are left there, staring at the TV in shock.
Violet and Edna stare at the TV wide eyed, having just seen the same interview. Edna shakes her head and suddenly looks very determined, hopping down from the couch and heading down a long hallway. Violet rushes after her.
“W-What are we going to do?! He’s gone completely insane, there’s no coming back from this! H-He has Tony! He's going to hurt him or kill him or-”
Edna smacks her leg with the back of her hand as she opens the door Infront of her, scanning her eye. “Silence, darling.”
Violet looks at her shocked and says, “How can I be silent right now?! How are you so calm?!”
“I’m not.” She says stopping in front of a large glass case in a room full of super suits. “I’m seething.” She says as she stares up at the suit in the middle of the room.
“Well, it sure doesn’t seem like it! What can we do...” Violet says looking around the room, her eyes landing on a sleek black landline telephone. She rushes over to it, dialing some numbers before turning back to Edna, “There has to be someone we can call, right?! There has to be someone who can fix this!”
“...It has to be you, darling.”
Violet looks over to Edna who’s standing in front of her most beautiful suit yet, an improved version of Mauve’s suit that’s collecting dust on it’s shoulders.
“You... you can’t be serious! I told you, once I got this job, I-I was leaving that behind! I don’t need to be a hero, Edna! There’s things more important than that!”
Edna turns to look at her for a moment, and then back at the suit.
“...That’s not what Mauve would have said.”
Violet stands there and huffs in protest. She’s about to say something, but gets interrupted, “But no, that’s fine, darling. It’s not like your mother and brother have been completely unresponsive. It’s not like you’re the last one in the area who didn’t run away or die. It’s not like he has your boyfriend captive in his evil lair.”
Violet stands there guilty for a moment as Edna turns back to her once more before walking out the door, “Thank goodness none of that is happening.”