“What … what’s she doing?” snapped Ergo Ego. “Are – are you singing?”
Amber’s face flushed red with humiliation.
“RRRR…” Spynosaur growled.
“What larks!” noted Fandango Scaramoosh. “A doomed sidekick, humiliating herself further for no apparent reason! It’s these sort of moments a villain lives for…”
“Enough!” said Ego, striding over to Spynosaur. “What’re you waiting for, slave? Ego says, eat her!”
Spynosaur let out a low growl. Then he turned to face Ergo Ego.
“Ego,” Spynosaur said, “you must be out of your mind.”
“Wh-what?” blurted Ergo Ego. “Ego says, I didn’t say you could speak! How did you—?”
“Didn’t you work it out, Ego? I’ve got a super-secret weapon, too,” replied Spynosaur, helping his daughter to her feet. “Her name is Amber.”
WHOMP.
With a flick of Spynosaur’s tail, Ergo Ego flew across the room, bouncing and skidding until he landed with a FUDD! on top of the pile of P.O.I.S.O.N.’s henchmen.
“I appear to be back,” said Spynosaur, ruffling Amber’s hair with a claw. “What would I do without my poppet?”
“Da-ad, not in front of the evil masterminds…” Amber groaned, still red with embarrassment.
The members of P.O.I.S.O.N. turned tail and raced towards the doorway.
Without warning, the wall of Ego’s inner sanctum blew open, and twenty armed-to-the-teeth Department 6 agents rushed in, surrounding the panicked villains.
“Ain’t nobody going nowhere!” came a cry as Danger Monkey, his tail fixed in plaster, strode triumphantly inside. “Move a muscle an’ I’ll gnaw your eyebrows! I’ll spit in your dinner! I’ll post unflatterin’ remarks about you on social media!”
A moment later, M11 strode through the assemblage of agents, her moustache twitching victoriously. “Well, well … the world’s most unspeakable rotters, all together in one room,” she said, glaring at the cowed criminals. “I don’t suppose I have to tell you that under Amendment Thirteen-point-two of Article 6 of the Anti-Infamy Imperative, you are duly retained at the pleasure of Her Majesty the Queen of so on and so forth.”
“In other words, yer nicked,” Danger Monkey added.
“It’s a stitch-up!” cried Gums Gambino.
“What a drag…” sighed Fandango Scaramoosh.
“We’re cornered and collared!” wailed Shady Lady. “Ego, consider your consideration for membership … unconsidered!”
“Wait … don’t go…” groaned Ego from the pile of henchmen. “I have more nibbles…”
It wasn’t long before Danger Monkey and the agents were leading the lair-full of lawbreakers (masterminds or otherwise) back up to the surface as M11, Spynosaur and Amber looked on.
“Don’t get me wrong, M11, it’s always nice to see you,” Spynosaur remarked. “But what are you doing here?”
M11 let out an exasperated tut.
“As hard as you may find it to believe, Spynosaur, I didn’t get where I am today without a modicum of common sense – I had a hunch you were on to something, so I had Dr Newfangle track the Dino-soarer here.” She looked round. “I assume you found the McGuffin?”
“Well, to be honest—” Spynosaur began.
“There never was a McGuffin,” Amber quickly interrupted. “It was all just wild herrings and red goose chases! And definitely no singing.”
“I see. Well, in that case it’s a job well done,” M11 concluded happily. “And you didn’t even blow anything to smithereens!”
Spynosaur glanced at Amber, and grinned.
“The day’s not over yet,” he said.