CHAPTER 19

The boat sped over the water. Gru was steering it, the wind in his face as they got closer to Bratt’s lair.

“Look at us!” Dru called out. “Two brothers pulling a heist. And that diamond will make us the richest, most powerful villains in the world! Right, Brother?”

“Sure…,” Gru replied half-heartedly. He thought of his real plan of returning the diamond to AVL. He could still picture Valerie’s smug face.

“Look, we’re here!” Gru said, changing the subject. He pointed at the tower out in the middle of the water. Jagged, razor-sharp spikes jutted out all around the base of the fortress. “I’m going in. Take the wheel.”

“I still don’t see why I can’t go with you,” Dru said.

“Hey, we discussed this,” Gru tried. “Now is not the time to mess with the plan.”

Gru hit a button on the dashboard and BOING! He ejected himself from the boat and went flying toward the tower. Using the controls on his wrist, he cycled through different modes, eventually choosing STICKY. By the time he hit the building, he was as sticky as glue. His suit would now hold him in place as he climbed the tower.

He reached up, beginning his climb, when Dru crash-landed beside him. Dru hit the building hard, his face smashed flat. “Hey, Brother,” he mumbled.

“What are you doing?” Gru cried. “I told you, you were supposed to stay in the boat!”

“I didn’t think you meant that literally!” Dru said.

“What other way would I have meant it?” Gru asked. He let out a deep breath, knowing it was too late now. Dru was here, and he’d have to deal with it. “Alright. Let’s move. Just follow my lead.”

Dru lifted up one hand then immediately went tumbling down toward the spikes.

“Help me!” he yelled. “Ow, ow, oh no! The poison spikes! Oh, I’m gonna be impaled!”

Dru kept falling toward the bottom of the building, trying desperately to get his sticky suit to work. Finally, he stopped just inches from one of the spikes.

“Ha!” he called up, realizing he was still alive. “I’m okay!”

“Come on,” Gru said, scaling the side of the building.

Dru hurried to catch up. But the security bot had already sensed something was off. Its red light was beeping as it swooped down to see Dru.

“It’s a scanning device!” Gru hissed. “Quick—camouflage mode.”

Dru hit the button on his wrist, cycling through all the different modes. Scuba, nope. Armor, nope. Flame, nope. He finally got to camouflage just as the bot flew by.

“Freeze!” Gru called down. “And close your eyes. And your mouth. Don’t forget the mouth!”

Dru did what he was told. He tried to stay completely still as the bot scanned the side of the building, trying to detect if anyone was there. Gru watched, waiting to see what would happen, afraid this was it. Would it all end here? Would they be caught before they even got inside?

He held his breath, and then the security bot finally flew away. He began another long circle around the tower. Gru knew this was their chance.

“Take my hand!” he called down.

They climbed together toward a narrow ledge halfway up the tower. They were still a few yards from the top. Gru hit a button on his palm, filling the suit with an air bubble that looked (and felt) a lot like a fart. He floated up and up, his suit like a helium balloon.

“Follow me!” he called to Dru, who hit his own button.

Gru used sticky mode to stick to the side. He was right at the entrance to the lair—a small vent in the top, which was just big enough to climb in. He was about to enter when Dru flew toward him, totally out of control. He looked like a balloon that someone had untied—all the air was rushing out of his suit, making him do big, crazy loops in the air.

“Look out!” he yelled as he slammed into Gru.

The two brothers went tumbling through the vent and into the lair below.