Disclaimer: Don't own Incredibles, don't own Aberrant (though I wonder if it's possible to buy the rights since White Wolf discontinued it). Disney owns Incredibles, White Wolf/Onyx Publishing (until someone buys it from them or they just give it up) owns Aberrant.
Author's Notes: Okay, yes, this a rewrite of "Interesting Times". Why? Because when I first started writing this twisted 'verse, I had no idea what the hell I was getting into or how big this thing would turn out to be. Originally, this was meant to be a humorous drabble but, obviously, turned into something else. And now, as I reach the end of WoA, I realized I should take this opportunity to clean up/edit some errors in the original story (like I did with the Aeon prequel). Not much has been taken out, but there are some goodies being added in.
Aeon Building
Chicago, Illinois
The sixty year old woman didn't appear to be much as she stood in the middle of the room and studied the various monitors on the walls. In fact, her graying hair and conservatively cut skirt and jacket combined with her small frame would give most observers the impression that she was someone's grandmother or just some retiree who would spend the rest of her years gardening while living in a house full of cats. And that was was just the impression she would want the general public to walk away with if they ever saw her.
However, the handful of people who were in the room with her they knew this "grandmotherly" figure had a heart of stone and had no problem ordering someone's death with just a mere sigh and a dismissive wave of her hand. The four technicians monitoring the feed coming in from Aeon's intelligence gathering network were too busy focusing on analyzing and filtering the information and seemed to pay no heed to the danger. After all, they were doing their jobs and were too busy to think about "cold old bitch" who watched the various data and footage flash across the screens.
The two men who flanked the woman also didn't seem to show much fear. One of the men, an Asian man in his late fifties stared at the screens with as much interest as the woman had while the other man, a Caucasian in his forties with a medium build and slightly receding hairline, seemed less enthused about being there.
"Being patient was never your strong suit, was it Jonathan?" The woman didn't even turn her attention away from the screens when she asked the question.
"My apologies, Director Thetis," Jonathan Lansing said, bowing his head slightly. "Given the situation that has occurred recently, I am concerned about the threat this young man represents to us given what he is."
"Ah yes," Thetis said, "David Pine Flynn." One of the main screens brought up the image of a young man in his late teens or early twenties with short-cropped red hair. "I must admit that the boy's sudden emergence on the public scene might signal some possible turbulence ahead, but nothing we can't handle."
"With all due respect, Director, this 'mere boy' is more than possible turbulence."
Thetis paused for a moment and closed her eyes. "Oh yes," she said a few seconds later as she opened her eyes and slowly turned to face the man. "That's right, you were one of the Aeon agents assigned to monitor Buddy Pine's activities when he was working for us. And you were the one suggesting that the child should be eliminated eight years ago when the NSA took him."
"A decision I still stand by, Director."
Thetis studied the man's demeanor for a moment before responding. She noted there was no defiance in the man's voice, but she could see that there was something in the man's eyes...yes...fear. "If you don't mind me asking, what is it about this boy that scares you, Jonathan?"
"The fact that he can easily learn our secrets, especially after what happened in Oklahoma last year."
"Ah yes," Thetis nodded sadly, "the Redfield incident...that was very unfortunate."
"And we failed to contain and neutralize the threat. He briefly accessed our primary network and walked off with sensitive information."
"And yet he remained silent for nearly a year after escaping," the Asian man finally said, causing Thetis and Lansing to turn in his direction. "He quietly bided his time and managed to reclaim some of his father's assets before going public even though we had him under surveillance. I guess the question is, 'why now'?"
"If he's his father's son, Ozaki, I think it's safe to say he'll be coming for us," Lansing replied. "When I approached him last week, he pretty much told me to get lost."
"And because of his reaction, you deem him an urgent threat?" Ozaki shook his head. "While I agree that David Pine Flynn is a potential threat and may become one in the future, I don't see the point of agitating him and forcing the issue."
"If he's anything like his father, you might want to change that tune."
"And that's what concerns you, isn't it, Jonathan?" Thetis asked. "You truly believe the apple doesn't fall from the proverbial tree." When the man nodded, Thetis sighed and made a decision. "Very well," she said, "increase your surveillance on the young man, but do NOT engage or try to start something. As Ozaki said, it will not do to agitate the situation and we cannot risk having a crisis break out at this time."
Especially, she silently added, if it's not a crisis of our own design and implementation.
Lansing nodded again, then turned and walked away. Thetis waited until the man was gone until she spoke again. "You think I might have made the wrong call, don't you, Hideo?"
"No, Director," Ozaki replied. "Given what we know of the boy's father and what he is capable of, it's only logical to assume the child may share some of the father's traits. The only thing I really question is allowing Lansing to spearhead this operation."
Thetis smiled, but it wasn't a warm smile, it was a cold and calculating one. "Perhaps," she admitted, "but he does know Buddy Pine and how the man operated." She then chuckled as a thought occurred to her. "If we're going to deal with sea monsters, we might as well have our own 'Ahab' deal with it."
We've always seen, heard, or experienced the old term "the past coming back to bite you in the ass" at some point in our lives. In the case of the Adam-X experiment we recovered from Pine's island stronghold, it could almost be seen as both a blessing and a headache. Some of my colleagues wanted me to terminate the experiment and turn the remains over to the Aeon Society. However, I never trusted the Aeon Society, not since my own days as a "hero". Instead of turning the boy over to Aeon, I made sure our agency took custody of him. I had him placed with one of our semi-retired operatives and, while there have been some complications, I do not regret the decision. However, I never expected the boy to do what he did. But instead of coming back to bite me in the ass, my past took a different approach...he simply drove up to the front door of the family his biological father had almost murdered.
-Journal Entry, NSA Director Rick Dicker
Helen Parr, mother, wife, and occasional crime-fighter looked out the kitchen window and smiled as she watched her youngest son playing basketball in the driveway. Though he was only nine years old and probably the most powerful in the family, Jack seemed interested in "more important things" like basketball, roller-blading, and playing video games.
"Parr has the ball, only seconds to go, but he's blocked...he passes, gets it back...long shot for three points...SCORE!"
Helen shook her head and laughed as she listened to her son's imaginary commentary. She thought it amusing that Jack, one of the most powerful supers on the planet, was more grounded than his other siblings.
No, she thought, that wasn't really fair. Violet, at the age of twenty, was starting her second year of college and Dash was going to graduate this year although he had expressed spending more time with the Incredibles team than looking at going to college like his sister.
Jack, however, was different. He didn't seem to be enthralled by the whole "super hero thing", though Helen wondered if that was because Jack grew up in a family of supers that wasn't trying so hard to be normal. Helen knew that the boy would probably want to embrace the family tradition as he got older, but for now...he was just a normal, albeit slightly hyper-active kid and Helen was happy with that.
It had been an interesting last eight years since the team made it's official "debut" in the battle against Syndrome. Supers were starting to make their presence known again, especially after the Galatea incident, though most were hesitant when certain US senators drafted legislation requiring registration. Thankfully, that motion was defeated, but it still lurked around in the Senate...occasionally rearing its ugly head whenever there was an incident involving supers and widespread damage.
However, the Parrs were able to make it work. They were mostly inactive, only going active when a major threat arose, but they kept mostly to themselves. Bob, surprisingly, was made a supervisor at his job and ended up heading a department that investigated insurance fraud. Helen managed to return to college and finish her degree, majoring in psychology and education. She occasionally substituted as a teacher at the local high-school, much to the chagrin of Dash.
Overall, it had been a relatively quiet life...that was suddenly shattered when she saw a black BMW Mini-Cooper convertible pull up in the driveway, stopping to leave enough distance for Jack continue to shoot at the basket.
It wasn't the two teens she saw sitting in the car, a boy and a girl enjoying a drive, that bothered her; though the girl's bright pink and spiky hair did sort of stand out. The young man who got out of the car, Helen figured him to be around 18, was dressed in jeans, but wore a black button down shirt and casual shoes which looked like they were Italian leather. And yet, there was something about the young man that made her uneasy.
"Excuse me," he said to Jack who stopped what he was doing to take a look at the strange car that had invaded his driveway. "I'm looking for your parents."
"Hey, Mom!" Jack shouted. "There's some weird guy in the driveway who wants to talk to you!"
The stranger shook his head and laughed as he made his way towards the front door. "I guess that would be accurate," he said.
Helen opened the front door and froze for a moment as she saw the young man's boyish grin. His blue eyes had a sort of playful quality. But she saw something familiar...something that sent chills up her spine.
"Mrs. Parr?" he asked.
"Yes," said Helen, amazed that she was able to act normal despite the strange fear that seemed to be gripping her.
The young man hesitated for a moment, glancing down at his feet for a moment to chuckle nervously before looking back up at her. "I'm sorry...this is kind of hard for me, I figured being direct and honest about this would get it out of the way and make it easier, but...okay...I can do this...if I can face down corporate board members, I can face this."
Helen's momentary fear dissipated a little at the amusing moment as the young man took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Sorry," he said. "I'd been rehearsing this moment the last few days in front of a mirror when I knew I had to deal with you and your family." He looked around nervously for a moment. "Especially since we both know your husband could probably throw me into the next state...yes, I know who you are."
The fear suddenly returned and Helen took a step back. "Who are you?" she asked more sharply than she wanted to. Apparently Jack overheard her because he stopped shooting hoops and watched them from the driveway.
"Okay," the young stranger said. "I had an idea of how this moment was going to turn out...unfortunately, it's going EXACTLY the way I thought it would."
"Who are you?" Helen asked again, this time her voice was lower, dangerous. This young man knew about her, Bob, and probably the rest of the family...he was a definite threat and yet there was something about his demeanor that threw her completely off.
"Are you a bad guy?"
That question caught both of them off guard. They both turned to look at Jack who was now walking up to them. Helen could feel her self panicking...she didn't want her youngest at ground zero if things went sour and a fight broke out.
"Um...sort of..." was the stranger's response. Then he paused again and took another breath. "Okay, enough with the dramatic beating around the bush," he said. "My name is David Pine Flynn. You could say I'm Syndrome's bastard."
That's when it all hit her. The boyish smile, the blue eyes, the reddish-brown hair...then she focused on the black BMW Mini-Cooper and the stylized lighting bolts on the sides...except they weren't lighting bolts...they looked too much like the "S" on Syndrome's costume. She could already feel the adrenaline beginning to rush through her body as she prepared herself for a fight to defend herself and her son. And yet...David Pine Flynn still just stood there...non-hostile. For another long moment, there was silence as she and and the young man faced off against each other while Jack stood off to the side.
A face-off that was interrupted by the annoyingly cheerful beep from the BMW's horn and the pink haired girl sitting in the passenger seat who rolled down the window.
"David! Hurry up...I'm low on my caffeine fix!"
"Just a second," David hollered back over his shoulder before returning his attention to Helen. "Sorry about that, Mrs. Parr. Zoe's a little cranky today." He then lowered his voice to a whisper. "She gets that way when she doesn't get her mocha."
"I heard that!"
It was a surreal moment for Helen. One instant she was expecting a fight with a being claiming to be the bastard child of her family's most dangerous enemy, then she found herself trying not to laugh at the young man as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a business card and handed to her.
"Look," he said, "there's a Starbucks down the road about a mile out...I'll be there for the next few hours. Tell your husband that I just want to talk...that's all, okay?"
Helen didn't say anything in response. She simply took the card and examined it as David started to walk away. The card read "Syndrome Software and Technology" and had an address for a small business complex that was in town.
Suddenly, David stopped and turned around. "Oh...one last thing...my dad...did he really have 80s hair?"
Again, Helen was taken off guard by this young man. What kind of villain was he?
Or is he a villain?
Helen nodded slightly. "Yes," she managed to say.
The young man shuddered slightly at that answer, unconsciously running his hand through his hair. "Okay...definitely going to shave it all off if it goes that way." And with that final comment, he turned and walked back towards his car, pausing for a moment to give Helen a tiny wave before getting inside.
Helen watched the Mini drive off and waited for several seconds...making sure it was gone. She then looked down at Jack who was twirling the basketball on a finger.
"Jack...get inside."
"Huh?" The boy looked up at his mother, obviously confused by the sense of urgency in her voice.
"Just do it, okay?" Helen said as she half-pulled her son into the house. She closed the front door, locked it, and grabbed the phone off the living room coffee table. She hit the button for Bob's office, glancing out the window as she waited for her husband to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Bob...you need to come home, now!"
"Um...honey, I'm kind of in the middle of an investigation, can it wait?"
Helen kept her voice even. "It can't wait Bob, we have a problem."
"Oh...Jack didn't break something again, did he?"
"What? No...no...not like that, but it is one of those kind of problems."
"Oh...that kind of problem." There a pause on the other end of the line and Helen heard a door shut in the background before Bob spoke again. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine," snapped Helen. "It's not every day that someone claiming to be the son of one your enemies shows up on our doorstep."
"Ah...hon, don't you think you're overreacting? I know this is a secure line, but do you really want to talk about the 'family business' now?"
"Bob...a young man claiming to be the son of Buddy Pine was just here."
Dead silence was the only response Helen got for several seconds. "Bob? You still there?"
Bob was still quiet for several more seconds before finally saying, "I'll be home in ten minutes."
"That could have gone a bit better," said David as he pulled the Mini into the Starbucks parking lot.
"Well what did you expect?" asked Zoe. "I mean, you are technically the genetic offspring of the psychotic mastermind who sold weapons to everybody and killed a bunch of superheroes and nearly destroyed a city and kidnappedalittlekidandwaspre ttymuchamentallyunstablepsyc hopathsufferingfromdelusions ofgrandeurandhadaverybadcase of80shair."
David looked over at Zoe for a moment, shaking his head at the annoying habit the young speedster had of slipping into high-speed babblespeak. "Okay...that's it...you're drinking decaf."
"You wouldn't!" Zoe half-snarled/half-laughed.
"In a heartbeat."
"80s hair," she giggled, reaching over to mess up his hair. "It's genetic, better be ready."
"Zoe!"
"How long before my eighteenth birthday?"
"One year, two months, one week, three days, ten hours, 22 seconds," David responded, his hyper-intelligent mind processing the question before he could consciously stop it. He hated when the girl did that to him.
Zoe smirked at him, pretending to shudder in terror. "I can't help but be a little worried about that..."
"Dammit, Zoe! You did that on purpose."
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Did too."