Vaudevillain

Chapter 53: Ambush

Captain Quross stomped up to the control deck with their entourage of guards. Qurana was going to get an earful for ignoring the protocol commander Qrox put in place. They knew all communications had to end with the procedure word out. Of course, ignoring protocol most likely meant something had happened to the control room, which was why Quross had a squad of guards as they marched ahead.

Quross had ordered the rest of the honor guard to stay back and clean up the prisoners. Some of the escapees had holed up in the cafeteria one floor above. The fight was slow going. Somehow, the prisoners had reinforced the cafeteria tables to resist ray gunfire and had stacked them in front of the entrance. Quross assumed a super was responsible; those tables couldn't even hold their own weight in food.

The sight of the control room door brought Quross's mind back into focus. There didn't look to be anything wrong with the doors, meaning Qurana fended off the threat. Or it had already taken over. The captain held up a hand to signal quiet. Their guards obeyed, clamping down on all chatter and making careful steps across the floor.

Quross and their guards stacked up on one side of the door, ready to perform a breaching maneuver. The captain signaled, pulling out a flash grenade from their belt and tossing it into the room as a guard opened the door. The guards stormed in, ray guns at the ready, only to find a wall of Quli standing tied together in front of them. Confused, Quross started to scan the room.

A voice spoke, "Ah, how nice of you to join me."

Quross whipped their gun around at the speaker, aiming directly at the unknown opponent.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, captain. Your subordinate might take offense to you shooting."

Quross saw him then, one of the Earthlings from the planet below. He sat on top of Qurana, legs crossed and one hand holding a martini. A cane in his other hand rested squarely on top of the vice-captain's head. Quross had no doubts this Earthling had bested his vice-captain. Qurana was still as the grave, a dead look in their eyes.

"What have you done to my vice-captain," Quross growled.

"You make it sound like I'm the bad guy here," the Earthling complained. "I'm not the one who brought a giant army to my planet with the hope of conquering it. Of course, I'm not exactly the pinnacle of virtue myself. Dr. Zlo, villainous mastermind, at your service." Dr. Zlo rapped his cane on Qurana's head, causing them to shuffle forward.

Quross snarled, "You dare to use my vice-captain as a chair? I will have my guards rip you to pieces."

The Earthling eyed the guards fanning out from behind Quross, "So I am. But I don't think your guards should take any more steps. Unless you want your vice-captain a few pounds lighter and a lot less intelligent." Dr. Zlo rapped his cane on Qurana's head for extra effect.

"But where are my manners," he continued. "A good host must be cordial at all times! I am here to inform you that Earth is under my control. Kindly get off my lawn."

Quross lowered his weapon, "You threaten the might of a galactic empire. Do you really expect a single planet to survive our assault?"

"I mean, we've fared well so far. But yes, I expect you to lose."

The captain barked a laugh, "No. Here's what's going to happen. I am going to order my guards to shoot you. If the vice-captain gets caught in the crossfire, so be it. It is a small price to pay to remove you from this planet."

"Small problem with that," Dr. Zlo rebutted.

"I don't think so," Quross replied. "Guards, fire!"

The guards brought their ray guns up, ready to fire on Dr. Zlo. But before they could act, globs of chocolate struck them in the back. Quross turned, behind him stood a monster as tall as the control deck. It dripped dark chocolate and stared down with a bitter smile. The captain prepared to fire their laser, but something struck them in the back of the head. He whirled again, this time seeing an Earthling in a sea-blue jumpsuit.

"I got it, dude!" the Earthling called.

Dr. Zlo stood from his seat, "Good job, Riptide! Now, quickly Mabel!"

"On it, hon." Another stood from behind a console. "Well, aren't you just a tall drink of water. Would you kindly stand still for a moment?"

Quross felt their body stiffen from the request. They realized then, that Earthling had mind control powers! The captain struggled, "Guards! The Earthlings have mind control, take me out before I reveal secrets!"

"Oh no, we can't have that!" Dr. Zlo aimed his cane, spraying a blast of liquid fire through the squad of guards. The aliens flailed, dropping to the ground in an attempt to put out the fire. Riptide took the chance to surf over them with his board, firing lasers at the helpless Quli.

Quross paled. They felt their body freeze, obeying the command of the controller. He tried to contemplate what Dr. Zlo would make him do. Would Quross be forced to give up secrets? Would he be used as a sleeper agent, striking out at his commander when the time was right? Or would the villain think of something even worse? The scenarios passed through the captain's mind like water through a drain.

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"We did it!" Riptide yelled.

Sweet Dream shifted back into their base form, "Not yet, hurry and enact the last part of the plan."

Dr. Zlo nodded, "Mabel, command the captain here to send all the troops out of the mothership. And try to make it convincing, like the heroes have cleaned up the last of the ground troops and they need help or something."

"Sure, hon." Mabel turned and got to work, weaving her control through the commander.

Dr. Zlo sat back down on Qurana, "And now, all we do is wait."

"Okay, out of character for a second," said Sweet Dream. "You might want to think twice about sitting on the alien like that."

Dylan furrowed his brow, "Why?"

"You look like a dom or something, dude," said Riptide.

"What?" Dylan gestured down at himself, "How does this look anything like that?"

Sweet Dream held her hand up, ticking her fingers down as she listed off her arguments, "Let's see. Fancy suit signifies power, the cane is a bit like a whip, you've got a whole theme going on, and the way you sit evokes dominatrix."

Dylan looked down, "How does crossing my legs, 'evoke dominatrix?'"

Riptide shrugged, "It just does, dude."

"Alright, fine," Dylan stood up. "I still don't see it, but okay."

Sweet Dream smirked, "You must not spend enough time on the internet then."

Quross chose that time to interrupt, "Attention all personnel, I have received word our ground forces are losing to the invading force. Our orders are to send all available warriors groundside to repel the threat. Out."

The captain turned to Dr. Zlo, "Any other orders, sir?"

Dylan gave the alien a questioning look.

"I made it so he thinks you're his commanding officer, Zlo hon," Mabel clarified.

"Ah, thank you Mabel." Dylan walked over to the captain, falling back into his role as Dr. Zlo. "I want you and the vice-captain over there to guard the door. If someone comes in, subdue them and remove that headband protecting them from mind control. That way, Mabel can affect them."

Quross saluted, "Yes, sir!"

"How much time do we have left for the hack?" asked Sweet Dream.

Dr. Zlo looked down at the hacking tool, "Six minutes."

"Aw dude, what are we going to do for six minutes?"

Sweet Dream shrugged, "We could strip the other guards of their gear."

Riptide thought about it, "Alright, I'm down. I wonder if I can use one of those batons."

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Down below the Quli mothership, outside of the government district, chaos had erupted. With Dextra Black's call, the Black Syndicate made its move. Members assaulted crucial aspects of the city, places like the power plant or the police station. Others, the rank and file of the Syndicate, rushed out onto the streets to cause general chaos.

At the power station, a man walked up to the front gate. It was a flimsy thing of cheap metal operated by a single guard sitting in a cramped booth a step away. The guard flipped through a magazine, not noticing the person walking up to him.

"Hello," Nikola said as he stepped near the guard. "The Black Syndicate is extending an offer to join us in our takeover of the city. If you comply, you will be rewarded with riches and splendor as we lead the island into a new age. Refuse and become nothing but dust under our boots."

The guard charged forward, a shock baton in his hand and ready to strike. Nikola let it connect, smiling as the arc of electricity bolted through his chest. "That's cute. But you shouldn't bring toys to a gunfight."

Nikola's eyes glowed an electric blue, and sparks shot from his skin in a display of fireworks. Trembling, the guard tried to back away, but Nikola was too quick. The villain pressed one hand to the power station guard, releasing his pent up electricity. The NPC spasmed, convulsing to the ground as arc after arc of electricity ran through him.

"You really should have joined up," said Nikola. "Much less painful."

He stepped in through the fence and into the power station. Soon, the entire grid would be under the control of the Black Syndicate.

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