How I Saved the World (Again, Apparently)

[10] An Epic Fail Finale

.| CHAPTER TEN |.
An Epic Fail Finale

"There is no need to worry!" I turned to face Gray and Xavier, who were gripping each other in fear, and Owen and Sir Dastardly, who were crying in each other's arms.

And to say they were still trying to sell the whole "we're foes" thing.

"Clearly," I persisted. "He does not have a real bomb. I mean, look at his device. Who can take that seriously?"

One of the cylinders detached and fell to the ground with a clatter. The rest of my team continued to hug and cry in fear.

Leo waved his remote around proudly. "MUAHAHAHA!" he said. "Finally, I prove that I'm the evil mastermind!"

I crossed my arms. "So where is this bomb, then? I thought you spent all your allowance on the device."

"Yeah, well, that's what you think," Leo said sassily. "I spent all my money on the device, but someone else helped me plant the bombs. Because there are more than one, and they're all at Kline Jewellers HQ, inside the jewellery display cases. When I hit this button, it will alert my accomplice that it's time to detonate the bombs, and then those bombs will soak all of brother dearest's precious empire. He'll be ruined!"

I blinked. Soak his empire. . . ? "What kind of bombs are these?" I asked.

Leo twirled the remote around his finger by the antenna absent-mindedly. "Mentos bombs, duh. Are there other kinds?"

I dragged my hand across my face.

Behind me, Xavier seemed to be coming to life. Perhaps he understood the threat was no longer as real. Perhaps his entire clutching-Gray-in-fear scene had been an act—though considering how loud his heaving breaths had been, I doubted it. Most likely, he suddenly remembered Sir Dastardly's promise to allow him to join the  Nefarious clan if he proved his worth.

"I cannot allow you to destroy Kline Jewellers HQ!" Xavier shoved Gray away from him so that he could adopt a challenging pose.

Not expecting the push, Gray executed a perfect backwards summersault. "Whoa," he said, ending up in a sitting position.

"Yes, don't take my eeempiireee," Sir Dastardly sobbed into Owen's shoulder.

Xavier reached into his backpack and pulled out something black that I recognized from the week before.

"Xavier!" I gasped. "Is that a—"

"Gun!" Leo threw himself behind his device, still holding tight to his remote. "You cannot threaten me with such weapons! I will be the evil mastermind, whether you like it or not!"

"Noooo!" whimpered Sir Dastardly. "I dooooon't like it!"

Xavier began to chase after Leo with the gun, and Leo loped about the warehouse with the remote held high in the air. At one point, he leaped over Gray's head, who was still sitting on the ground in dazed confusion.

"As the niece of a police officer, I cannot condone this!" I jabbed my finger at Xavier. "Stop! Halt! Hands in the air!"

Suddenly, Leo stumbled over Xavier's backpack, which was still laying on the floor. He began to slide forwards on it, skittering and trying to stay uptight only to end up crashing headfirst into his device. The remote went flying, and as the device collapsed in a cacophony of sound, Xavier shot at Leo's falling form.

At the same time, Gray noticed the air-born remote. He had struggled to his feet and thrown himself after it. Even as his hands clasped around the black box, red blossomed on his shirt.

He landed on the floor in a heap.

"Did you kill him?" I gasped.

Xavier laughed madly, brandishing the gun in the air and beginning an odd dance. "I did it! I did it!"

I rushed towards Gray, sliding the last few feet on my knees. "Are you dead?" I asked him frantically.

"Dead!" he said. "Dead, die!"

"Noooooo!" In a very Sir Dastardly kind of way, I threw my arms into the air and hollered into the skies. At least now I knew why they all did it. It was kind of releasing. "Gray, please, I was going to upgrade you to Trust Level 3, and a date didn't seem that bad an idea. Plus an investment banker, that's stable. You can't leaaaveee meeee!" I clutched his shirt and began to sob.

"Dead, die. . ."

"Yes, I know, you're going to die, oh, it's horrible!"

Gray surged upwards and took me by the arm. His face was pinched, but I soon realized it was because he'd dislocated his shoulder in the fall. "Red. Dye."

It dawned on me. "Oh."

Xavier continued to wave his gun, which I was now aware was a water gun loaded with red-coloured-water, in the air. "I did it! I did it!"

The warehouse door slammed open and a handful of cops rushed in, lead by my uncle. "Penelope, Eliza called me, said you were in the company of a bunch of wackos and possibly a kidnapper. I'm here to save you!"

They set to work on handcuffing Leo and taking statements. A second squad was called in to remove all the Mentos bombs at Kline Jewellers HQ, as well as to arrest Desk, who was the secretary apparently in cahoots with Leo.

Well, better late than never.