Vaudevillain

Chapter 182: Should Do It My Way

The city of Toedo rested on a small island just off the coast of the continent, flanked on its sides by mountainous wilderness and rolling farmland. As the densest city in World of Supers, Toedo was home to more NPCs than anywhere else, and the architecture showed.

"An impressive display," Dr. Zlo said, looking up at the towering high rises.

Toedo felt like an open city, despite the ridiculous number of skyscrapers packed near each other. Dylan figured it was because the design incorporated a lot of greenery. Parks of all shapes and sizes rested on shared balconies, and in some cases, were built between buildings. The continuous flashes of greenery cut through the monotonous silver skyline, adding a natural feel to the location.

Dylan looked on at the skyscrapers, admiring how some held bridges for pedestrians to cross over streets. The roads themselves were hubs for cars now, with small pathways for bikers on the edges. Every few blocks or so sat ramps leading down into parking garages, no doubt connected to the skyscrapers above. At the center of it all stood a spire, painted a rusty red and running cables across the city.

Riptide looked up at the spire in excitement, "Dude, I wonder if they'd let me surf it."

"Don't forget why we're here," Sweet Dream reminded.

"Relax, I'm thinking of doing it after we steal everything," Riptide answered.

Dylan had met his two friends a few minutes earlier, both of them finally free from their school obligations. They had contacted him as he was preparing to leave and were eager to join in on his heist when he mentioned it. Therefore, Dylan had Cass and the other minions rest at home, stating their injuries still needed healing before taking them out for another scheme.

"So, where to first?" Sweet Dream asked. "You mentioned getting an engine, some glass, and a suit of armor?"

"Quite right," Dr. Zlo answered. "My new invention calls for all kinds of materials, some of which I can't buy outright. Therefore, I must risk exposing my plans to the world. But I guess that's the price to pay for my genius."

"As if you wouldn't enjoy the act of explaining your plan," Sweet Dream commented.

"Ah, you know me too well," Dr. Zlo replied.

"Dudes, you think we'll get to see one of the giant monsters that attack the city?" Riptide asked. "Ram and the others were talking about it the other day."

Sweet Dream shook her head, "Doubt it. Most of those happen closer to the mountains or farmland. And very rarely on the beaches. We have to worry more about patrolling heroes here. That and the local police. They're some of the more competent ones."

"Aw man," Riptide sulked. "I was hoping to surf a giant monster."

"We can always surf it later, I'm sure," Sweet Dream said. She also wanted to see the giant monsters Rampart and the others were talking about. The excitement they had describing them had piqued the villainess's interest.

"Yes. Right now, we have materials to steal!" Dr. Zlo exclaimed. "Lovelace!"

The small mouse hopped out of Dr. Zlo's pocket, making Sweet Dream pale for a moment. Riptide grabbed her hand and stepped in front, blocking her vision of the creature.

Lovelace pulled a small smartwatch out of Dr. Zlo's pocket, using the onscreen typer to talk.

The diesel engines in Toedo are found near the parking lots; look for any mechanic. The polycarbonate you need would be in factories closer to the mountains. You can find suits of armor in historical museums or in the private collections of wealthy individuals.

"Is there a suit of armor close to us?" Dr. Zlo asked. "I think we'll start with the engines first, then the armor. The polycarbonate comes last since it's so far away."

There is a museum of Toedo history along the route to the mountains. The mice have informed me armor belonging to an ancient warlord resides there.

"Excellent!" Dr. Zlo clapped. "Let's get started! Go scout out the museum for me. We'll make our way to the engines and meet with you later."

Lovelace squeaked an affirmative, jumping out of Dr. Zlo's pocket and rushing to the closest skyscraper. He heard a shrill scream a moment later, no doubt someone noticing his loyal minion.

"So we're heading to a mechanic first? Or Engineer?" Sweet Dream asked.

"That's right," Dr. Zlo answered. "We should find one near a parking lot."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Riptide asked, throwing an arm over both villains' shoulders. "Let's go!"

Sweet Dream led the way, ready to transform into her chocolate form at any moment. Dr. Zlo followed behind, the villain using his cane as nonchalantly as he could. Riptide brought up the rear, slowly surfing around on his rocket board.

The three were under Toedo now, having just left a parking lot and following their map to the nearest mechanic. Dark, almost claustrophobic walls pressed down on them, bringing an overbearing air that didn't exist in the upper part of the city. The NPCs around mimicked the feeling, hunching over and walking with purpose past the villains. There was no law enforcement around, though the three did catch a few groups that looked like gangs.

Riptide tried to clear some of the air, "This place is depressing, dudes."

"I bet the villains are all down here," Sweet Dream said, making small talk. "I wonder if the mechanic will be a hideout or something."

"It won't matter," Dr. Zlo said. "Hero, villain, anyone is fair game. After all, you can't be the greatest if you don't branch out."

"You could always be the greatest of something," Riptide commented. "Then you don't need to branch out, dude. Like, you're the greatest criminal mastermind, right? Not the greatest villain."

"He has a point," Sweet Dream admitted.

"How dare you try to correct me," Dr. Zlo growled. "I'll have no more insubordination!"

"Too bad we don't work for you," Riptide joked.

Dr. Zlo snapped his fingers, "Blast! Foiled again. I knew I should have brought my minions. At least they agree with me."

"Don't you think that an echo chamber of yes-men is problematic?" Sweet Dream asked.

"Of course not!" Dr. Zlo exclaimed. "After all, if I had others smarter than me, they might usurp me! I can't have that."

"Shhh, dudes," Riptide said. "We're here."

Dr. Zlo looked over to see a small auto mechanic shop down the hallway. A narrow road led off into the distance, headlights from cars illuminating the walls. The rumbling of an engine caught the villain's attention, and he turned to see a muscled man in overalls slowly driving a compact vehicle over an industrial lift. Pneumatic pumps pushed the car up as the man stepped out, suspending the car in the air for the mechanic to work.

"You see that dude's tats?" Riptide pointed out. "Five bucks he's Yakuza or something."

"No deal," Sweet Dream said. "Look."

The others turned to see two more men walk into the shop. They were dressed in suits and wearing sunglasses, but the attire couldn't mask the lethal air the two men had. It was something in the way they stood: that and the ridiculous number of scars across the exposed parts of their body.

Dr. Zlo noticed a few more men standing near the waiting car, one of which was a rather old man in traditional Japanese attire.

"Dude's, I think that's a boss or something," Riptide said. "You think he has a power?"

"Probably," Sweet Dream said. "I'd bet all of them have powers."

"Does anyone see our target?" Dr. Zlo asked, getting back on track.

"Over there, I think," Sweet Dream pointed over to a line of older cars and trucks, a few which had open hoods with exposed engines.

Dr. Zlo stood, "Excellent. Time to announce ourselves."

"Woah, hold on," Sweet Dream said, holding a hand out. "We could wait for these guys to leave or just sneak around and steal the engines."

"But that doesn't sound fun," Dr. Zlo complained.

"Maybe not. But we have three of these things to do. I don't want to spend the whole day in fights. Rip and I were going to go touring through the cities. See the sights."

"Oh yeah," Riptide chimed in. "I almost forgot."

Dr. Zlo narrowed his eyes, "Fine. But know I do this under duress."

Sweet Dream rolled her eyes, "Come on. We can stick to the shadows and pick this one up in a moment."

The woman started forward, her steps silent across the concrete floor. Riptide jumped off his board, following behind. Dr. Zlo moved last, keeping his eye on the suited men.

As the three entered the area, Dr. Zlo noticed another group of cars pulling up. Tires screeched to a halt next to the mechanic's garage, and a young man in a white suit stepped out. He had the kind of derisive look on his face that young people tended to give to annoying elders. Two other guards stepped out, dressed in similar suits.

The young man pulled out a comb and ran it through his hair, leisurely walking toward the old man. The bodyguards around the elder Yakuza tightened ranks, a few reaching for weapons. The young man brought his hands up in a disarming gesture and spoke, Dr. Zlo unable to hear.

"Come on," Sweet Dream whispered. "How many do you need?"

Dr. Zlo looked over to the open cars, "Which ones are diesel engines?"

"How should I know?" Sweet Dream hissed. "I thought this was your plan?"

"See, this is why we should have done it my way. We could have captured one of the mechanics."

"Uh, dudes," Riptide whispered. "Let's just grab all the engines? It's not like our inventory won't carry them."

Dr. Zlo and Sweet Dream looked at each other, then reluctantly turned to follow Riptide's suggestion. They looted every engine from the trucks, storing them in their inventory as they moved. As Dr. Zlo collected the last one, a grunting caught his attention. He turned to see one of the Yakuza guards flying through the air, crashing into a car nearby.

"Sh*t," Sweet Dream cursed. "Let's get out of here."

The three bolted, sprinting away as quietly as they could. Dr. Zlo looked back to see the young Yakuza from before pointing in their direction. A box appeared in his vision a moment later.

For completing your crime, you have gained reputation! Your current reputation rank is A, you will reach S rank after 75 more escapade(s)!

Another box appeared a moment later.

The Young Dragon of the Hi clan has murdered an elder of the Mokuzai clan! To make matters worse, the Young Dragon has noticed your spying and wants to silence you before you can escape! The Hi clan will be on the lookout for your image, making it hard to travel through Toedo until you solve this crisis!

"I knew we should have done it my way," Dr. Zlo complained.

"Dude! This is awesome!" He heard Riptide cheer. "Do you see this quest?"