Next In Line

Chapter 5: The League of Ordinary Supervillains

It seemed typical for a supervillain to send their underlings out to do their evil bidding in their stead for whatever practical or selfish reason they wanted, but Mike and Katherine didn't operate that way. Much like the parenting style they used in every other situation, they instead chose to just send their children out to do their own thing, so long as it was on the dark side of the moral horizon. So imagine the reactions Mike Jr. and Josephine had when they were sent out on an actual mission for once. The former immediately groaned and tried to weasel his way out of it, while the latter appeared shocked, an emotion that rarely came over her.

Nonetheless, the twins figured it wasn't worth complaining for hours, so they decided to get it over with. Today's objective brought them over into Seattle, Washington, a trek that would've taken weeks with a physical body. According to their mother, there were some abandoned circus grounds just outside the city, holding a highly important object she needed for whatever her sinister goals were. Not that either of them cared what she was up to, just so long as it didn't involve pushing them around. She'd been doing that way too much as of late.

"Welp, we're here!" Mike Jr. proclaimed, upon stepping through the dingy arch that used to be vibrant and colorful. He looked back to see his sister casually strolling a good ways behind him. "Jesus Christ, why do women walk so slow?"

"You know, sometimes I wonder if you really are questioning your worth as a villain." Josephine scowled, way beyond used to her brother's sexism. "We're already planning to sabotage Mom's plan, and I'd hate to have to turn on my twin too."

"Hey, old habits die hard. Plus, we can't exactly betray Mom yet, if we don't know what she's up to."

"Like I don't know that, genius. Now where are we supposed to find that object?"

"How about we check the most obvious place?" Mike Jr. pointed to a large, red and purple circus tent in the dead center of the park.

"Yeah, right. Like someone would be dumb enough to hide such an allegedly powerful item in the main attraction... but since it's too soon to breathe the same air as Mom again, why don't we check there anyway?" Josephine shrugged, trotting ahead of her twin.

"Right behind ya!"

Inside the tent, the twins gazed around at its surprisingly spacious interior, dimly lit due to the sunlight that barely peeked through the translucent walls. Old wooden bookshelves lined the walls on the bottom floor, containing thick books, crystal balls, voodoo dolls, and masks, many of which had spilled onto the floor and caught a ton of dust. Some dodgy-looking staircases spiraled up towards the ceiling, with a few bigger landings along the way. Most notably, a massive machine resembling a mechanized coffin with a glass panel on the front stood in one corner, a large lever standing atop a stage nearby.

"Guess I should give you props. This does look like a villain's lair," Josephine noted as she started to explore.

"Yeah, and to think Mom was able to locate this by binge-watching sitcom DVDs," Mike Jr. added. "Heh, and you thought I was full of shit. Now pay up!"

"We didn't bet, meathead. Now c'mon, let's split up and search this place."

Sneering as his sister stalked away, Mike Jr. scanned the room from where he stood, and it was only when he looked up that something caught his eye. All the way up on the top floor of the tent, he could make out the end of what looked to be a long, thin black cane, a translucent, spinach green orb at the tip, just barely lit up by what little sunlight managed to seep through the walls. He didn't hesitate to sprint up every last flight of stairs until he got to the ceiling, not sacrificing any stamina or effort in the process. Once he'd picked up the staff, which was about two thirds his height, he hurried back down to the bottom.