Cowabunga flew almost lazily through the bombardment of drones, his eyes searching for either an entrance or a place to make one. Lasers swerved past him, easily moved out of the way as traveled. It seemed a bit odd to him that Dextra, villainous mastermind, would enact such a simple plan. Overwhelming Cowabunga with numbers wasn’t going to work.
The hero had already upgraded his power into helping him automatically group and deflect attacks. An answer he knew he would need to have with so many heroes and villains on the field. Plus, his ‘awareness’ had expanded in a circle around him as well, enough that nothing could get past him.
It effectively made him invincible, which was why Dextra had to have some other plan. And the easiest way to stop such a plan would be to stop Dextra. Hence, the assault.
Of course, it was possible that the villain was acting as bait, but even if that was the case, taking them out was still the best option. If Dextra wasn’t bait and Cowabunga ignored them, then it left him open to any other schemes they came up with. So while it was still risky, it was better to do this than react.
Soon enough he was landing on a lip of the flying machine, gaze searching over the black matte finish. It was almost strange how much the airship resembled a black limousine, but then Cowabunga remembered who he was going up against. Dextra Black did nothing without style.
Case in point, the hissing doors that opened to welcome Cowabunga inside.
“You know, I know you’re playing me, right?” He said. “What makes you think I won’t just open a new path with my powers?”
“Other than the fact you’re a hero that no doubt would wish to minimize collateral damage?” Dextra said, voice echoing smoothly from hidden speakers. “Well, take a look.”
A screen appeared above the open doors, revealing a bale of baby sea turtles swimming lazily in a large tank.
“These are endangered Green Sea Turtles,” Dextra said. “A lovely species of animal, don’t you think? Now imagine what will happen if all those intricate components inside my airship suddenly stop working?”
“Bro! Not cool,” Cowabunga said. “Baby Sea Turtles did nothing to you!”
“Of course not,” Dextra said. “They’re hostages, alive as long as you cooperate. Not to worry, though. Cooperate and I’ll release them back to the wild. I’ll even let you press the button!”
Cowabunga narrowed his eyes. “What’s the catch?”
“Simple,” Dextra smiled. “You march into my maze of traps like a good little hero. You take care not to smash through the walls and ruin all that delicate circuitry. All the while you shall be assaulted by all the cunning and guile my great intellect can pit against you.”
“So what? To prove something?” Cowabunga asked.
“Of course!” Dextra exclaimed. “This is our magnum opus! Our grandest foray! To prove that we are the best versions of ourselves! And my proof is thus! You are far and away the strongest of your quaint heroic team, and thus the greatest challenge. If my intellect surpasses your strength, then it shows the world that my mind is superior.”
“Bro, not gonna lie,” Cowabunga said. “That was a lot of words for, ‘I want to get my face bashed in by a hero’.”
“Then, come, try if you dare,” Dextra tittered. “Just know that if your refuse to, ‘play the game’, I shall be forced to enact unspeakable horrors on these poor baby sea turtles.”
“Bro, you don’t gotta worry there,” the hero stated. “’Sides, I won’t even need to work that hard to win I bet. All I gotta do is roll with the punches.”
“Well, we’ll see,” Dextra said.
Cowabunga hadn’t sat idle while they talked. The harnessed seals were still shooting, meaning the hero was still collecting the various bullets, lasers, and fireballs. Each one was collected and pulled into a large ball that he kept moving around his person, slowly bleeding off the energy. He knew eventually, ammunition would run out and he could be on his way.
Sure enough, his guess was correct. Eventually, the harnesses stopped firing, leaving only a miniature flaming sun surfing over some entirely too round seals. A striking image, for sure, but certainly not one that seemed to fit the tension Cowabunga felt. Who knew how much time he’d wasted, how much of an advantage he’d given Dextra.
But there was nothing else to do but keep moving forward. Though he noticed none of the doors in this room opened up. Meaning he needed to backtrack.
Quickly, Cowabunga rushed back down the hallway, surfing again over the adhesive traps. He eventually bled off the rest of the heat from his surfing fireball and let the mass of melted bullets clang to the ground.
The next room opened to a crab rave.
Cowabunga blinked. He rubbed his eyes. He blinked some more in the hope that he was imagining things. But no, standing before him was a consortium of crabs, each one holding a multicolored glowstick.
“Um, bro?” Cowabunga asked.
“A puzzle for you to solve, hero!” Dextra exclaimed. “In each crab’s hand is a glowstick filled with all manner of deadly chemicals! If agitated, the vials will break as the crab squeezes, spilling its contents all over. This kills the crab. And makes you look bad.”
Dextra laughed. “Now, Cowabunga. Can you save all these crabs without breaking a vial?”
The hero grumbled. Now this, this was ridiculous. Who would even think of this? Dextra, that’s who. And the worst part was he wasn’t sure if he could succeed here. His power had accuracy, but not the pinpoint precision he’d likely need to save everything here.
Cowabunga had to make a decision, and fast. And at the end of the day, these were crabs, not people. Not the other heroes counting on him to subdue Dextra and save the city. So, with grim resolve, Cowabunga reached for his power.
Vials smashed against exoskeletons, vibrant liquids splattered across the room like modern art. Crabs fell over, poisoned by whatever Dextra had inside the vials. Cowabunga grit his teeth at the sight and scanned the room for any more surprises.
A door to the side hissed open, leading him forward. Dextra’s voice crackled over the hidden speakers. “My, so heroic!”
“Not cool bro,” Cowabunga said as he rushed forward. “Making me choose between the sea animals and people.”
“On the contrary, I find it quite ‘cool’,” Dextra answered with exaggeration. “After all, what’s cooler than watching your favorite heroes fall to the dark side?”
“Fat chance of that, bro,” Cowabunga said.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Dextra said. “I’m sure you’ll come around.”