Under New Management

Chapter 15

"We need to start moving." Gru said, as they watched Emily zoom away from them.

Lucy nodded, and they started walking.

"Do you have any idea about how to beat these guys?" Lucy asked.

Gru shook his head. They seemed so powerful.

"Well, what do we know?" Lucy asked. "We know that their base is underwater."

"And that Devin specializes in genetic mutation." Gru added. "He's got an army of his experiments."

"They also don't have anyone else with them." Lucy said.

Gru looked at her curiously.

"I mean, they don't have anyone working for them. They have the mutants, but that's it, other than Devin and Carla." She explained.

Gru realized that she was right. He never would've noticed that.

"Also, I think that they want us for something." Lucy added. "Otherwise, they would've just killed us right then and there."

"That's also true." He said, thinking hard. Why didn't they just kill us? They must've had something even worse in store for them.

"So, do we just go back down there?" Lucy asked.

"No." Gru said. "We'll find somewhere to make camp for now. We need to rest, and we need a plan. Then, we'll go back."

Lucy agreed, and they began their search for a place to sleep. Eventually, they found a cave, and climbed in. Gru shone his watch around the cave. It was small, but dry. He began to do a more thorough search.

"What are you looking for, hun?" Lucy asked, curiously.

"Just making sure that this cave is actually empty." He replied.

"Come on." She said, laughing. "What could be in here?"

"Hidden cameras, to start." He said. "Or some kind of animal. Bats, maybe."

The color drained from her face. She shivered. It was times like these that she was exceedingly grateful for Gru's thoroughness. She never would've thought to check for that.

"All clear." He said. He came over, and sat down next to his wife. "You should sleep. I'll take the first watch."

"I can't." She whispered, leaning into him.

"Did you sleep at all when I left?" He asked.

"A little." She said. "It's worse when you're gone."

He pulled her closer to him, and began stroking her hair.

"Please try." He whispered.

She nodded, but instead of laying down, she curled up on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, and continued to stroke her hair.

"No more talk of darkness," he softly sang. "Forget these wide-eyed fears. I'm here, nothing can harm you. My words will warm and calm you. Let me be your freedom. Let daylight dry your tears. I'm here, with you beside you. To guard you and to guide you. Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Let me lead you from your solitude. Say you need me with you here, beside you. Anywhere you go, let me go too. Lucy, that's all I ask of you."

When he looked down at her again, she was fast asleep.

Lucy awoke to bright sunlight. She looked around, and saw that Gru was drawing something in the sand.

"Did I sleep all night?" She asked.

He nodded.

"You should've woken me!" She said, frustrated. "You need to sleep too!"

He just shrugged.

"You needed it more." He said. "That was the first time you've slept through the night in a month. I didn't want to disturb that."

"I didn't know you could sing like that." She said.

He blushed.

"Mum used to make me sing in the choir. I liked it, but everyone made fun of me for it, so I quit." He said. "I haven't sung since."

"Aw!" She squealed. "You should do it more often! I love it!"

He smiled.

"You know, I was in theater when I was at the orphanage." She said. "We put on some musicals, and I really enjoyed it, but I never had the money to go anywhere with it."

He laughed.

"It's funny to think about where we would be now if we had continued down that path." He said.

She smiled.

"Anyways," he said, snapping back to action. "I tried to get some breakfast, but there's not much. Just a couple nuts. Oh, and I made a plan. I'll tell you while you eat."

"We'll enter through the trapdoor like we did before." He began. "We got to the lab, and we set all of their creatures loose. We take the two of them down in the panic."

"What if the creatures try to attack us?" Lucy asked.

"We run." He said. "I know that it's not ideal, but it's all that we've got. I'm hoping that they'll all just run around or attack each other, and it won't be a problem. We know so little about them, and that makes this really hard."

He looked frustrated with himself, like he was letting her down. She understood his feelings of helplessness, but she needed to explain a few things to him.

"Listen," she said to him. "You've done more than anyone could ask for. You made a plan from the little information that we know, and if it doesn't work, we'll just wing it."

She gave him a long kiss, which he gladly accepted. Eventually, they pulled away, but only because they had to. They had a mission to complete.