Season One: The E Caper

Episode One: New Recruits

Episode One: New Recruits

Penny Forrester arrives on the Isle of VILE. Meanwhile, ACME recruits new agents Hiro Hamada and Violet Parr.

***

Penny woke up in a chair. She had went to sleep in her bed. And her pets weren't there. These were the first three things alerting her that something was wrong, even before she opened her eyes.

It wasn't any better when she did. Besides the fact that she couldn't rub the drowsiness out of them because her wrists - and come to think of it, her ankles - were restrained with cold steel, Dr. Calico was sitting directly opposite her, steepling his fingers, though his cat was missing.

Her first thought was terror. She didn't get the script for this episode. They would have to shoot it again.

'I am certain,' the cool, calm voice of Dr. Calico said, 'that you are questioning reality. Wondering, perhaps, whether you are in that juvenile show you did two years ago. Let me assure you that you are not.'

The terror was settling in better now, making itself comfortable and making Penny terrified. Contrary to the other Penny - the spy from Bolt - she had no idea what was happening, had no escape plan, and strongly doubted that Bolt would burst in to save the day. Her mind was screaming incomprehensibly. All she could do to make it keep quiet was to listen to the man who was definitely not Dr. Calico. He had fallen quiet for a while, but now that Penny's vision had cleared a little, she could see that the corners of his lips pointed slightly upwards as he watched her. He was enjoying this show, Penny realised. His show.

'Where - ' Penny shouted, hoping they didn't notice the quaver in her voice, but that didn't matter as the end of her sentence trailed off into a frightened whisper, ' - Mom?'

A woman had stepped out of the shadows. The woman was holding her mom. The woman at least twice the height and a hundred times the strength of her mom had her at least a foot off the ground with a single large hand wrapped entirely around her mom's neck. The only reason Penny knew she hadn't actually done it yet was from the way her mom's mouth opened and closed, gaping for air as her eyes stayed shut.

One squeeze, Penny realised in horror. One squeeze, one toe out of line, and that would be it.

'I see we've got your attention,' the man's voice rang out. Penny didn't acknowledge this, her eyes fixated on that giant hand. 'I suppose you understand?'

Penny's mouth felt dry as she nodded. Slowly, clearly, so everyone could see.

'Please, look at me when I'm talking.'

It was an amiable enough request which sent Penny's head snapping back at once to look at the man, who was so obviously unlike Dr. Calico that she had wondered how she mistaken the two. This man was pale, with identical eyes that were both icy and mocking, creepily staring like he could see straight into the depths of anyone's soul, and understand exactly what made them tick.

And he wasn't an actor.

'Let's be brief,' the man said. 'You are on a secluded island, miles away from any other human activity, where my colleagues and I run an academy. You have been picked as one of the students for our one-year program. It is...' He trailed off, the ends of his lips lifting higher. '...prestigious, and highly selective of our large choice of students. You should be proud. Consider yourself lucky.' He paused, and stood up from his tall chair, pacing across the menacingly green room. 'But you are wondering: what type of school would, in sound mind, kidnap and hold someone against their will? What type of school would possibly take a hostage?'

He came to a stop right in front of Penny, bending downwards to meet her eyes.

'Why, a school for thieves and criminals, Ms. Forrester.'