The Blue Octo sighed. He wrestled against his restraints as he sat in his chair, waiting for the meeting to start. He wasn't even trying to escape -- he had turned himself in. He just wanted to be able to move his tentacles. Was that so bad? Why must they treat him like such a criminal?
... Oh. Right. Well, he thought. Not much to be doing here. Not yet.
He looked around: a huge table took up most of the meeting room. They were all here: The Super, Rose, Cassandra, even that shady character that Octo could never remember the name of. The glass tabletop seemed unfitting -- what if someone got angry and slammed their hands down on the table and shattered it to pieces? Poor planning, really. And why were the walls glass panels, as well? Didn't that make it easier for spies? And burglars?
This place really needed to sort out its priorities. At least the ceiling was lined with wood paneling. There was a gargantuan television screen propped up in front of one of the glass walls; for visual presentations, obviously.
"What are we waiting for, exactly?" asked Rose.
"Yeah," said the shady character, "we're all already here. Who else could be showing up?"
The Super sighed. "I actually know the answer to that just as much as you do. Which is to say: I haven't got a clue. All I know is we're supposed to wait here for my boss to arrive. I don't... actually know my boss... yet. We haven't... had the pleasure to meet in person. I apparently wasn't 'high profile' enough. Point being, we're all in for a surprise here."
"WHAT?!" shouted Rose and Cassandra at the same time.
"How could you not know who you've been working for this whole time?" demanded Rose.
"You're not even supposed to have a boss!" cried Cassandra. "You work alone!"
"Since about six months ago, I started working for this company, Super Security. They help me pick up on the high-profile criminal activity, and I give them -- well -- good publicity."
"You mean you sold out??" asked the dark kid. "What kind of a hero are you?"
The Super turned to look out the window, obviously trying to avoid the others' gazes. "An old one."
Octo paused to consider this. It was true: neither The Super or himself were, in any sense, young. The Blue Octo had reached his peak so long ago that he'd been all but forgotten. The Super, while not quite one to be lost to the media, was old news. Just how old, not even The Super himself could tell you that, but it was clear that he had been getting rusty. He had needed a way to stay on top, and Octo respected that, but... selling out like that? Not even Octo would try that move. And it was clear to him that even that last-ditch attempt didn't pan out so well -- he could hear it in The Super's voice, see it in the way he walked, feel it in the hero's presence.
The Super had lost his motive, his power, his emotion. He didn't even try at witty banter anymore. If he wasn't tied up, Octo would have most likely walked over there to comfort the lost soul.
He lowered his head. "I... didn't realize just how much you'd given up, old friend."
The Super turned back around, ashamed. He walked over to a chair and flopped down in it. "Yeah, well. This adventure might very well be my last." Suddenly he perked up. "You... you still consider me a friend? But back at the desert, I was such a jerk, I-"
The Blue Octo laughed. "Are you trying to be funny? Do you know how many times I've broken out of prison just to come at you? Did you forget all those years we spent fighting each other solely because I wouldn't give up on my quest to destroy you?" He smiled at The Super. "I'd say we're even. Or, at the very least, your quarreling with me earlier made a small dent in the tortures I've put you through. Don't torture yourself over my mistakes; it's unbecoming of a hero."
The Super just stared at Octo. "Man. You'd make a real good hero yourself, if you weren't evil."
The octopus cackled at this. "Oh, believe me... I know." He sighed. "You're definitely not the hero I got to know through all those battles, though... not anymore... You're trying. You're trying as hard as your failing will can muster. But it's not enough -- you can't fight all your battles on your own. For once in your life, let us help you. Don't give up, just accept that you're not quite good enough, and that's okay. We're here to make sure the job gets done. For starters, you can stop acting so guarded all the time and actually open up to your peers so they get to know you."
There was silence for a while, the sound of the air conditioner humming the only thing keeping their ears from ringing.
"Wow," said the strange dark boy, "when you want something said, you sure say it."
"I've become much more sentimental over the years, yes," said The Blue Octo. "Like I said, I've been in prison for a long time."
Whatever quip the snarky teen had up his sleeve was swallowed with a small dose of fear. Everyone sat quietly, awkwardly avoiding each others' gaze.
Finally, after what seemed like years of nothing happening, someone opened the door and walked in.
He was a portly fellow, wearing a green suit. His long silvery hair waved across his shoulders. His skin and hair, though seemingly human, were tinged a strange shade of green -- but just barely. If you didn't look hard enough, it wasn't really all that noticeable. The man grinned a practiced smile, peering through a monocle as he strode in triumphantly. It was as if he thought he was the most important person on the planet.
"Hello," said the man. "My name is Dr. Drazil." He came to a stop at the table, set his hands down on the surface. He seemed like a perfectly reasonable man. Everyone watched him to see what would happen next. Would they finally be able to move on with this "mission" of theirs?
Unfortunately, it seemed they would have to wait a bit longer.
Cassandra shot up from her seat, leaping across the table, and collided with the man. She pushed him against the wall with her forearm, forcing him not to breathe. "Ya slimy lizard," she growled. "I thought you were gone for good."
"A-gurg-- and I, y-you," he managed.
"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH," shouted The Super. "What in the name of Pete is going on here? Care to explain?"
Cassandra stepped back from the glass wall, which Octo supposed should really just be called a window, and noticed there were no cracks in its surface. Huh. Maybe it was unbreakable glass.
The girl maintained her grip on the new arrival, though. "Meet Dr. Drazil," she said, "also known by his real name, Dr. Lizard. He's an old nemesis of mine. I never thought we'd meet again, after that run-in at the movie agency."
"You're going to have to do more explaining," said The Super.
"Why should I? You never did."
"Ooooh," said the shady teen. "Burned."
The Super's face turned greener than usual. "Shut up." He turned back to Dr. Lizard. "What have you done with my boss, you green-haired creep?"
Cassandra loosened her grip on the man's throat. Immediately he let out a cackle that turned into chaotic hacking. Being choked can have some pretty severe effects on the voicebox; Octo would be one to know.
The green man cleared his throat. "My dear boy, I am your boss!" With that, he flashed an evil grin, slipped out of Cassandra's grip, and sat down at the head of the table. "Now," he said, "let's get down to business."
Yay! I have returned from a very long hiatus from blogging! I apologize for not letting you know in advance; it was pretty unplanned, actually. But I have returned. For how long, I do not know. But it's the tail end of spring break, so I thought I'd make it worthwhile.
I also got a Tumblr... I'm debating on whether or not to share it with you because it's not as "friendly" as what I have going on here. Suffice to say, if you want to get more of what's going on here, don't go there. But if you want to hear random snippets about my life and catch wind of some of the fandoms I'm a part of, then I suppose.... you could check it out at epicninjabowlerhatguy.
Anyway. I have a big ol' plan for this blog again, so I'mma get hoppin'! (<-- idiot teenager self butchering the English language.) Do expect more soon, but I may not get any more stuff up here until Tuesday...? Does that sound reasonable? I think it does. Gives me a day to sort all this out.
See you then!
~PolarFarina
