The Incredibles 3: A Competition of a Lifetime

Chapter 2

"Planes booked?"

"Check."

"Files double-checked and stored?"

"Check."

"Translators ready to go?"

"Check."

Winston Deavor continues to pace nervously in the modern conference room. In just twenty-four hours, supers from across the globe would be traveling to this spot in the Atlantic Ocean. Jess, Winston's business partner, sits at one of the glass desks, tapping her pen against her coffee cup. 

"Calm down," Jess says as Winston wipes his brow with his handkerchief. He regrets wearing such a fancy, thick suit in this summer weather. Baronial Island sat isolated from the rest of the world, where Winston planned to hold the competition. The island was not small; with plenty of mountains and hills and valleys and caverns, Winston had spent the past five years creating this ginormous obstacle course for supers with the help of Jess and his team. DevTech had surpassed a handful of tech companies by a landslide as the most productive and successful company in the world, placing Winston in a very comfortable position as a multimillionaire. With this much power and wealth, Winston should have felt invincible and confident. Instead, Winston paces back and forth in the welcome center, a fortress-sized skyscraper that sat near the coast of the island, nervous for tomorrow.

"What if no one comes?" Winston asks.

"They will come," Jess assures, taking a sip of coffee. "You have worked too hard for this. Plus, who can reject such an offer? All the powers in the world? Heck, you're making me want to be a super now! They will come, I promise." Winston smiles and joins Jess at the table. 

"Thank you," he answers. "For everything, really."

"You're very welcome, Deavor the Beaver," Jess jokes, standing up. "Now relax. We have a very exciting day ahead of us."

"Isn't it awesome?!" Dash exclaims, throwing his hands up. "I cannot wait to become the most feared super in all of the galaxy!" Dash pretends to shoot galactic aliens from the distance.

"Wow," Violet says with a smile. "This sounds pretty cool, actually." She picks up the letter once more. 

"Well," Helen sighs, appearing in the doorway of Violet's room. "You guys have had two days to think about it." Bob hovers next to her, anxiously picking at a thread in his shirt. 

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Dash shouts, pounding his fist in the air. "I want to do this so bad!" Helen turns to face Violet. Her daughter lets out a small laugh.

"How can you say no to this?" Violet answers. "I'm so in." 

"That's my girl!" Bob laughs as he grabs Dash and Violet into a huge hug. Helen chuckles as she gazes back at the letter.

"Well, then you kids better get packing. The first meeting with Winston Deavor is tomorrow afternoon," Helen explains. As if on cue, Dash speeds into his room across the hall and comes out with two suitcases in under five seconds.

"Done!" Dash beams proudly. Helen chuckles, as she brings her son into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you guys," Helen confesses. "You're very brave for doing this."

"I can't wait to do this!" Dash exclaims, grabbing his suit from under the bed. "Just wait until all of the other supers get there and see how good I am! They'll be begging to go home!" In a split second, Dash disappears from his spot in the hallway and speeds around the living room downstairs. Bob chuckles and begins to head downstairs. Helen turns to face Violet.

"Mind if we talk?" Helen asks in a gentle voice, closing the bedroom door to muffle the loud shouts and hoots from the boys downstairs.

"Nope, come on in," Violet answers from her desk. Helen closes the door and joins Violet at the desk. 

"Promise me that you'll be careful," Helen says after a moment of silence. Violet looks up at her mother.

"Mom, I know that --"

"No, I'm serious," Helen interrupts, placing her hands on Violet's. Stunned by the serious tone in her mother's voice, Violet adjusts herself on her chair.

"Mom, I'll be fine..." Violet begins, but her mother stops her by raising up her arm. Violet already knew what her mother was going to say, but she remains silent as Helen places her only arm on top of Violet's desk.

"The accident. You already know about this, but I just want to remind you," Helen says slowly. It happened four years ago on a mission against an erratic villain who had tricked Helen into entering a locked freezer. Long story short, due to her carelessness, Helen had stretched further than her body could handle, and her left hand snapped off like a twig off a tree. It had served as a reminder then, and it would serve as a reminder now: safety comes first.

"I'll be safe," Violet promises finally. 

"And protect your brother," Helen adds. "Try your best there, but don't push yourself too hard. If something doesn't feel right, then don't do it. You understand?"

"I understand," Violet answers, refusing to look away from her mother's eyes. All of the pain from her mother's accident and past mistakes begin to pour from Helen's eyes. Tears begin to trickle down her face.

"Mom..." Violet whispers as she grabs her mother into a tight embrace. "I promise. I promise. I promise." Helen holds onto her daughter for a while, and then begins to let go slowly. 

"Hey," Helen says in a half-laugh, half-whisper. She begins to wipe her tears with her sleeve. "Be safe. But don't forget to play hard, okay?" Violet giggles.

"Okay, mom. I won't let the Parr family down," Violet answers with a smirk.