Birds of a Feather [Incredibles]

Yay! You haven’t updated in so long! :smiley: TDIT pretty much summed it up, especially the bit about the little actions. A lot of fanfiction writers just have line after line of text, and it can get boring, not to mention confusing. Sometimes I lose track of who’s talking 8D You manage to keep everyone in character very well too.

I only have one complaint. Actually, it’s not really a complaint, more me thinking aloud here, and a general issue I have with all Syndrome fanfics (including Synlet) that follow this basic storyline. He killed people. A lot of people. About, what, 20 supers? More? I’m not really sure. Either way, he could technically be defined as a serial killer. As much as he is my favorite Pixar character, you can’t really deny that fact. I can’t help but think Bob, Helen, the NSA, and yes, Violet, would take issue with that. Even if he did claim to be reformed, or had his memories wiped, I doubt Robert would take the news that he was alive that well. But like I said, this doesn’t apply only to your fanfic, it’s just something that’s always bugged me. I realize that if fan fics were totally realistic, very few would get written though. I seem to be rambling, my aplogies. Great job, and I can’t wait to see what happens next :smiley:

Well, the next episode was already titled “Altercations,” if that tells you anything. :laughing: Bob is less okay with the idea of the NSA keeping a Super-killer alive in person than he is on the phone.

Needless to say the next chapter may be just a tad graphic, violence-wise.

It’s still short compared to the first two, but it’s longer than the third one. Behold! Episode 2B!

Warning- this chapter does have some violence in it, and there’s a little bit of blood.

Episode 2b: Altercations

Raven opened the door, hoping to see Phoenix. Instead, Schrödinger was standing on the doorstep, licking one of his paws.

“Phoenix wanted me to shift over here and inform you that he’s on his way. He shouldn’t take long.”

“Vi, who is it?” Helen called from the living room, stretching her neck out in order to be able to see the door but finding no one visible.

“It’s, uh… his super-powered cat,” Raven said, turning bright red due to the absurdity of what she’d just said.

“I can introduce myself, thanks,” Schrödinger said with an annoyed flick of his tail, and before Raven could even blink, he was already standing in the living room. She rushed into the room, picking him up while chiding, “Bad kitty.”

Schrödinger rolled his eyes and shifted back into the living room. “I’m Schrödinger. I’m a cat with the ability to basically teleport and phase through things at will.”

Bob and Helen looked at Schrödinger as though a giant block of Parmesan cheese had just crashed through their roof without warning.

“BAD kitty!” Raven protested, forming a forcefield around him and throwing it across the room. When she turned back, Schrödinger was sitting atop a chair, glaring at her.

“Really? Is that the best you can do?”

Raven was about to drop-kick the quick-witted cat when she heard crashing noises coming from outside.

“I’m guessing that’s Phoenix,” Raven muttered, going toward the door. Bob was about to stand, but Helen shook her head.

The knocking on the door prompted Raven to open it, revealing the redhead on the other side.

“Hey, Phoenix. Your cat showed up, and he’s really annoying. You smell kind of singed, did something go wrong?”

Phoenix scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Well, my rocket boots are prone to malfunctioning, and they did about halfway through the trip over here, and there was some fire, but it’s okay now.”

Raven stared at her partner in almost disbelief for a few seconds before moving out of the way to allow him access. His attention span seemed to be scattered as he glanced about erratically, never paying attention to any one object for more than one point five seconds. Raven counted.

Naturally, it didn’t take long at all before they were in the living room. Helen stood, putting on an almost-believable smile for the former nemesis of her entire family. Thrusting her hand before him a little too forcefully, she gave her forced homemaker smile and said through barely gritted teeth, “Hello, Phoenix. I’m Violet’s mother. Please make yourself at home.”

“Violet? Oh,” Phoenix said, waving his hand upward in what seemed to be a gesture of recognition, “that’s Raven’s given name. I’m sorry for whatever I’ve done to make you so angry at me, and I hope that someday we’ll be on good enough terms so you won’t have to strain to smile when I’m around.” The former supervillain grinned in what seemed to be a sincere manner as he shook her hand, which disoriented Helen more than a bit.

Bob, on the other hand, hadn’t even made an effort to put on a façade of gentility. His mouth was in a deep scowl, and his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white. Phoenix’s eyebrows raised in a combination of surprise and fear as he looked at the hulking hero.

“Um, Raven? Is something wrong with him? He seems to be a lot angrier at me than your mom.”

“Uh…” Raven looked between her partner and her father. “Rick didn’t tell me that I could tell you what went on between you two without you regaining memories, and if you did I’m pretty sure he’d kill you… again.”

Despite the obvious danger, Phoenix approached Bob anyway. “Well, I’m sorry for whatever I may have done, and I know that doesn’t make it better, but- urk!”

This final sound effect was caused by Bob rising from his seat, grabbing Phoenix by the throat, and lifting him up; paralleling the manner in which he’d choked Mirage so many years ago. When the hero finally spoke, it was in a low growl that Phoenix could barely hear even at his proximity.

“If you hurt my daughter, I will make you so miserable you will wish you’d never been born.”

Phoenix nodded as much as he could, still clawing futilely at his throat in an attempt to get the super-strong hand away from his windpipe.

The redhead fell as Bob dropped him, staring down at the coughing form that he detested so much with contempt.

“I, uh, wasn’t planning on it,” Phoenix mumbled as he stood, his knees shaking beyond belief.

“How did you survive?” Bob was still clearly angry, his voice not raising to any higher pitch or volume.

“Um.” Phoenix glanced around nervously, not wanting to get hurt for a wrong answer. “As far as I know, very few of my organs and tissues were damaged by the main accident, most of the damage was from the burns of the explosion. The NSA didn’t take long to find me, because for some reason they were already in the area. I guess they had to relocate somebody. They took me into their medical wing and got me back into… working order within the past few years. That’s what I’ve been told, at least.”

It seemed like it took a while to process in Bob’s mind, but when it did, Phoenix was flying into the adjacent wall, courtesy of the superhero’s right hook.

“Bob!” Helen berated, noting that Phoenix’s forehead had a little bit of blood running down it.

“I didn’t hit him that hard!” Bob protested, his fists finally unclenching in order to form a ‘what’ position as he spoke. Helen’s glare at Bob in response was more of a “you shouldn’t have hit him into the wall” glare than a “you shouldn’t have hit him” one.

Raven, rather than arguing, grabbed a few tissues and pressed them to Phoenix’s head. The inventor grinned weakly.

“Well, I guess I had that coming after everything that happened, didn’t I?”

“There’s a lot more where that came from,” Bob muttered under his breath.

“Where did the cat go?” Raven asked, looking up to find that Schrödinger had long-since disappeared from the chair.

“Probably home,” Phoenix mumbled. “He doesn’t like being around fights. I don’t feel good.”

“Somebody should probably call Rick,” Raven said, still wiping blood off of his forehead. “I’m getting the feeling that this won’t end well.”

Hooray! Love the new chapter. I know I’ve said this already, but Schrödinger is the best cat in the history of cats. He kinda reminds me of Salem, from Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Oh, by the way, I love your new sig :wink:

Thanks! He’s the most sarcastic cat that side of the San Andreas Fault! -brick’d-

I love it too! :smiley:

Wow, that Schrödinger’s one bad kitty! And poor Phoenix, as much as he deserved that punch, didn’t Mr Incredible kill him once already?

The only thing I didn’t like was the statement:

It would be better if she had said that, or demonstrated that while she didn’t object to the punch, she wasn’t pleased with the intensity of it, in some way. Again, it’s the ‘Show, Not Tell’ principle, but it’s a minor quibble compared to the rest of the great writing.

Please continue, I’d like to see the duo start their first case! :smiley:

This is a great fanfic! I’ll be waiting for more. :smiley:

Sorry this took so long! :laughing: I don’t know when 3b will be up, but it should be sometime in the near future. I hope.

Episode 3a: Just Like Old Times

Bob frowned. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

Rick shook his head. “You think? Now really isn’t the time to go repeating the ban incidents, Bob. You could have killed him.”

“He was supposed to be dead anyway! How can you be sure he won’t turn evil and stab us all in the back?”

“We’ve put a lot of time and effort into Phoenix. He’s developed a completely new personality. Even if he remembered everything, he wouldn’t view the events the same way as he did. Although if you keep treating him like this, he might revert to who he was before. Can’t you give the poor boy a break?”

“I already did.” Bob glanced through the window, through which he could see Phoenix lying unconscious on a hospital bed. “They said he has a hairline fracture on his skull.”

“There is one upside to this compared to the old times,” Rick said, also looking through the glass. “We don’t have to erase anyone’s memories, nor do we have to pay to keep anyone quiet.”

“You’re not making him forget?”

“You’ve already gotten your second chance at a first impression with him and you failed miserably. We can’t keep erasing his memories until you get it right, it’ll mess up his brain. Doing a small wipe once has severe consequences, and we did a full one on him already. How much more do you think he can take?”
“Well, he IS called Phoenix for a reason, isn’t he? He seems to be awfully resilient. He survived that…” Bob shuddered. “That turbine, and only has a fractured skull after being punched into a wall by me. Me, Rick! He should be dead three times over!”

“We’re speculating that he had Super genetics, enhancing his bitterness toward not receiving the gene. It would explain a lot about him, including the increased recovery rate and ability to withstand, well, a lot. It would also lend to why he has such a high intelligence, although that can be pegged as a combination of slight genetic prompting combined with several mental conditions.”

“I’m sorry for doing this, Rick. I never knew you’d put so many eggs into this basket… case,” he said, mumbling the last word under his breath.

“He has a lot of potential to help people. Your daughter wanted someone who was intelligent, good with technology, and would keep her on her toes. There’s nothing that’ll keep you on your toes better than a former serial killer.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Bob looked away from the window and toward his boss. “So what will they be doing?”

“Her old ex-boyfriend and up until recently, her main confidant, has gone missing without a trace. I assume they’ll be investigating that first.”

“Tony?”

“The Rydinger kid, yeah.”

“Listen, Rick.” Bob sighed, his arms shifting into a crossed position. “If they- Buddy and Vi- end up together, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to hold off.”

“He’s not her type,” Rick said curtly. “She never told anyone except me, but she wanted Rydinger back. At most, Phoenix might become her best friend, but I don’t think he could ever bear to be with her romantically either. You should probably get used to calling him Phoenix, too.”

Bob breathed a sigh of relief at Rick’s first statement, then looked through the window again. “Do you think he’ll forgive me?”

“Without a doubt. He’s less vindictive now. A better question to ask would be, do you think you can forgive him?”

The Super thought for a while, staring at the form on the bed. “If he ever saves the lives of three times as many people as he’s killed, and does it for an altruistic reason… then maybe I’ll see him as good, but I don’t think I can ever completely forgive him. Sure, I’ll be able to get to the point where I could respect him, maybe even like him. But I can’t let it go that he killed some of my best friends.”

“I don’t blame you, Bob. It’s going to take a lot of time to be able to look at him and see a person instead of a monster. It’s taken me all the time I’ve known him while he was recovering for me to see it, and it was easier for me because of the circumstances. It’s difficult to see someone as a complete monster when they’re pleading with you to help them.”

“If you don’t see a monster when you look at him… what do you see?”

“Potential.”

“That’s it?”

“No, but that’s a lot of it. His mind is an invaluable asset that we need to take advantage of. The technology he’s capable of creating is groundbreaking, and rather than hoarding it to himself and planning to market it and make Supers obsolete, we have him on our side and working to help out the people he wanted to destroy. He hasn’t showed any signs of resentment about it at all, either.”

“Are you going to go in soon?”

“Yeah, I have to warn Vi about something.”

“Shouldn’t I be warned too?”

“I don’t think you’ll ever be riding in a car that Phoenix is driving, so it’s not very relevant to you.”

Bob shrugged. “I guess not. Tell him I’m sorry. It’ll sound more credible coming from you.”

“Do you actually mean it?”

“I’m sorry that I fractured his skull,” Bob said with a sheepish look. “I didn’t mean to hit him as hard as I did, but…”

Rick waved his hand to dismiss the rest of the statement. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll tell him you’re sorry and leave you here to ponder.” The NSA agent opened the door quietly, nodding at Raven and Helen. “How’s he doing?” he asked as he walked into the room.

“Well, he’s not dead,” Raven stated. “We can’t really tell anything else about him yet.”

“If he’s okay, there’s something I need to warn you about.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re going to be doing a lot of driving around Metroville, aren’t you?”

“We need to get around.”

“He’s going to want to drive.”

“I see no problem with that. I’m not that great at it anyway.”

“He’s very good at driving, and I can guarantee that you’ll never get into an accident unless it’s the other person’s fault…”

“I’m sensing a but, here.”

“But if you’re not used to wearing a seatbelt, you’re going to want to get back into the habit.”

Another great chapter, Arkie! You’re a natural at writing, and it comes through in your prose. The ‘flow’ of the conversation leads me on, and your grammar and spelling are impeccable.

I also like how you revealed more of Violet’s backstory with Rick and more about Syndrome’s ‘resurrection’ through their conversation. As I’ve said before, your style of writing reminds me of slower, more exploratory cop shows like Life and The Mentalist, and is a very refreshing alternative compared to more fast-paced, over-dramatized fanfics.

I really do hope the pace picks up, though. So we’ve got a mission persons case as their first assignment? Cool, and there is a personal motivation for Violet to solve it too! I also hope Phoenix’s driving skills get put to good use (ie I’m eagerly awaiting a car chase! :slight_smile:).

Please continue.

Thanks! :3 It’s one of the few talents I’ve actually put some work into, other than drawing and karate. I think my writing is the best, though. And you have my spellcheck to thank for my spelling- it auto-corrects when I mis-type because I’m going too fast. :laughing:

When I first started writing fanfics, everything was all mushed together and all the action would initiate in the first chapter. Once I started writing “for real” I realized that was no good if I wanted anything to be over a hundred pages. This is still one of my slower fanfics, and I’m not planning on revealing the Big Bad for a good long time. XD (Also, The Mentalist is AMAZING.)

It should be picking up in pace very soon, literally in the next half-episode. Most of it is going to involve Vi/Raven clinging onto the side of the car for dear life. XD

Thanks for reviewing! :smiley:

Great chapter! I’m glad you finally updated. I have to agree with TDIT, your perfect spelling and grammar are a nice relief from some of the other fanfics I read. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a fanfic that has such promise where plot is concerned, but is dragged down due to poor spelling and grammar. Also, I like how the story doesn’t feel too rushed. It’s not pure dialogue, which can get annoying. I can’t wait to see what happens next :slight_smile:

Starting with a dramatic scene actually isn’t a bad way to begin (in fact, an Incredibles fanfic I’m working on actually opens with a bank robbery, though I may tweak it as I figure out more of the plot).

I get what you mean by not assaulting the reader with explosions and kidnappings and kisses within the first few chapters. It’s like running a marathon, it’s better to ‘pace’ your reader to sustain their interest. I get kind of tired when a story begins but then has no aim or direction after running out of steam (I’m looking at you, Fast Forward and Lost).

Like I said, you should really check out Life (Damien Lewis’ character is very calm and thoughtful for a cop), and I really appreciate Simon Baker’s The Mentalist in the same manner.

Excuse me while I go perform a ‘Tom Cruise’ jump on the couch.

Ugh, I really get bored with fanfics that read like ‘movie scripts’ (and there seems to be a lot of those kinds here, no offense to the authors, of course). :unamused: I really want to get to know a character better so I can connect with them (even if they’re established ones from canon), but some inexperienced fanfic writers just go for what is cool or dramatic without thought for plot or character development.

Off Topic: Sorry to do a little plug here, but have you both read my ‘Wait For Me’ fanfic? I would really like your opinions on it, so I could use it to improve the current fanfics I’m working on. And yup, as I mentioned earlier, I’m working on an Incredibles one, so any advice from a fellow writer would be much appreciated!

:3 Thanks, Evil. I’m glad you guys like it so much. :smiley: Especially the spelling and grammar, that’s one of my strong points. XD

TDIT: I would usually cram ALL of the action into the first chapter, though. :laughing: That’s not a good thing for a story. I used to do things in my fanfics that happened just because I thought it would be totally cool if (insert person here) was related to me. No joke. I haven’t read your fanfic yet, but now I’m intrigued and I think I’ll go looking for it. :3 Some advice on writing Incredifics is that a lot of people tend to like Violet, so if you murder her character, more people will notice. (Figuratively speaking.) Also, if you plan on having Syndrome in your fanfic, I’ve been told by others that he’s difficult to write. I don’t think so personally, but it might just be my style.

Also, what’s a Tom Cruise jump?