The Villain's Intern

Air filled Spencer’s lungs when he caught sight of her. Scarlett walked his way about to walk past him. Scarlett fumbled with a dozen shopping bags, bag straps looping both arms. She nearly dropped the contents of one bag as she tried to get the handle back over her hand. Spencer ran forward just in time to catch the falling roll of streamers. He took one handful of grocery bag handles, dropping the streamers back in one of the bags.

“Decorating your dorm?” He followed her lead as they walked through the square.

She laughed. “No, it's for the dance Saturday.”

She smiled at him, making his heart stutter.

“Is that this Saturday? I have to work an evening shift.”

Her smile fell. Could she possibly care if he came? There’s no way.

“That’s too bad. Your boss is making you work nights on the weekend, that’s downright evil.”

He forced a chuckle, but his smile felt more like a grimace. She had no idea how right she was. “The life of an intern never stops.”

She stopped and faced him. “Is everything ok, Spencer?”

“What? Yeah, totally. I’m just bummed I won’t make it to your dance. I’m sure it’ll be fun. Well, I never have a date for those things anyway.” He pinched his eyes and mouth shut. He should stop talking.

“Me neither. I think that’s why Cortney put me in charge of running the thing, to give me something to do.” She looked down at the brick sidewalk.

“What? There's no way, you’re…” She was the most beautiful girl he had ever met, but he couldn’t say that.

“Like you said, school, work, and…everything. It’s just a lot to keep up with.” She stopped walking. Looking up the steps at the campus building next to them. “Here we are. I can handle them the rest of the way. Thanks for your help.” She smiled up at him.

Her hand brushed his as she took back her bags.

She made his brain malfunction. “Oh yeah no probl—anytime yep, bye.”

Not even trying to salvage that, he walked away feeling like the biggest idiot in the world.

-------

Spencer dropped his security card. He picked it up and swiped the electronic lock on the door. The loud buzz shook his tense nerves. He nodded to the hulking security guard glaring at Spencer from behind his desk. Stopping in front of the waterfall fountain at the back of the lobby, he pulled out his other access card. After searching for a moment, he found the right rock and held his card up to it. The waterfall stopped, and a walkway rose out of the water beneath it.

Spencer slipped on the wet catwalk but caught himself. Water dripped onto his head as he waited for the automatic door hidden behind the waterfall to open. He walked through, brushing drops of water off his laptop bag.

“Ah, Sparky, you’re here.” His cheerful tone vanished. “You're late.”

Spencer scanned the dark room before spotting his boss, sitting in the oversized chair behind his desk.

“I’m not late, Mr. Medows—”

“Use my villain name, Dr—”

“Yeah, yeah, Dr. Monarch, I’m not late, you said 10 am.” Spencer checked his watch and nearly rolled his eyes. “It’s 9:45.”

“We needed you at 7. A good henchman should always anticipate the needs of his boss.” The pale man stuck his large nose in the air.

“I am not a henchman, sir, I’m a programming intern.”

The small man sat up straight. “Ah, but you have the potential. You have powers, weak and barely useful, but perfect for the henchmen trade.”

“What did you need help with?” Spencer walked down the stairs to his desk that sat in ‘the pit’.

The floor in the middle of the room sank in. The pit held ten desks where he and the other ‘underlings’ worked. Spencer dreamed of a cubicle, well lit by fluorescent bulbs that flickered and made him nauseous. Maybe with a neighbor with a pen-clicking addiction.

“We need you to charge the supercomputer.” Dr. Monarch gestured dramatically to the desktop by Spencer’s elbow.

“It is just a computer, Sir.” Spencer turned on the computer.

As it hummed to life, Spencer held his hand over the black box of the computer’s casing. Closing his eyes to concentrate, he used his power to send little lightning bolts of electricity from his hand into the computer. He focused and pushed power through the circuits, forcing it to run faster and stronger than it could have on its own.

Spencer regretted ever interviewing for this job. Dr. Monarch had asked so many questions in such quick succession. Somehow, in his panic to answer, Spencer had given up his most protected secret.

Spencer looked around at the empty desks. “Where is everyone?”

A wicked grin curled Dr. Monarch's thin lips. “They are out capturing our enemies.” Then he scowled at the laptop on his desk. “Sparky, I can’t find my emails again.”

Spencer should have taken that job fixing printers in the school’s mail room.

Spencer walked up the stairs to the boss’s desk that sat under the only white light in the room. The rest of the room’s light came from red bulbs pointed at the angular details on the walls. He approached the ornate wooden desk.

“Never mind, I found it.” Dr. Monarch waved him away.

Spencer caught his toe on the metal paneling that made up the floor. He bit back angry words as hot frustration filled his head. He sat at his desk and rubbed his stubbed toe. The sharp metal had taken a notch out of the sole of his sneaker.

Shouts echoed through the room as the door opened.

“Ah, you’re back, and what did you find?” Dr. Monarch held his hands together and swiveled his chair to look at the henchmen returning. “You only caught one?” He slammed his fist onto the armchair.

The evil versions of Larry, Curly, and Moe, tall and beefy with few teeth, stood on the opposite side of the circular room. Frozen by Dr. Monarch’s anger. They held the arms of someone with a bag over her head.

Spencer stood up, mouth open. “What are you doing? Did you kidnap someone?”

“We have to capture the members of the Super Squad. They are the only ones in between us and world domination.” Dr. Monarch shrugged as if explaining the obvious.

For the past few weeks, Spencer had believed this whole scheme was just harmless entertainment for an eccentric ceo. He looked at the girl, head slumped, held up by brutes. This was serious.

She wore a bright red combat outfit, complete with red army boots and a tactical belt. Spencer recognized the uniform of a member of the Super Squad.

“Take the bag off, I want her to know how badly she has failed before we kill her.” Dr. Monarch positioned himself, sitting up straighter, and donning a menacing grin.

Sam clenched his fist, feeling bolts of electricity sparking off of him.

He turned back to see the hood lifted from her face. His hands fell open and the air left his lungs.

“Scarlett?”

She looked up at him, her brows drew together. “Spencer? What are you…” she frowned, answering her own question before asking it.

Her look of pain stabbed Spencer, and he looked down at the shadowed floor.

“Aw, how touching you know the henchman intern. And now we know you, Scarlett. Don’t worry, we will be the last to know your name before you end.” Dr. Monarch gave a shrill laugh that ended in a cough. “Now, Super Squad girl, aren’t you curious to hear how we will take over the world?”

She gave him an annoyed stare.

“Well, we will be using that supercomputer, powered by your little super friend, to hack every bank in the world.”

Spencer opened his mouth to explain that it still wasn’t a supercomputer, but gave up. It didn’t matter. Dr. Monarch was right, Spencer had helped make this whole dumb plan possible, both with his powers and programming.

“Gaining access to all the electronic funds of the world, we will hold them hostage until they crown me ruler of the world.” Dr. Monarch stood arms stretched out and cackled again, finishing in a cough.

Scarlett looked down at Spencer, hurt spilling from her expression.

“Now that I have had my little boast. Kill her.” Dr. Monarch waved at the henchmen as if asking them to leave his office.

“Wait.” Spencer picked up the computer, ripping the cord from the wall, and held it up. It was heavier than expected, and he nearly dropped it.

“What are you doing?” Dr. Monarch ran to the railing of the pit.

“Tell them to let go of Scarlett or I will destroy your supercomputer.”

Dr. Monarch started back, holding a hand to his chest. “Sparky, after all I have done for you—”

“Now.” Spencer raised the computer higher.

“Alright, let her go.” Dr. Monarch waved at the men.

They let her go, and Scarlett flew up, away from them. Hovering in the air like a kite.

Once she was free, Spencer slammed the computer into the ground. Parts flew off a motherboard hitting him in the shin.

“Nooo.” Dr. Monarch stretched an arm over the railing. “You will pay for that, Sparky Watts. Underlings get him.”

The men ran down the stairs.

Spencer sent a bolt of energy into the metal floor.

The men all stopped, their teeth chattering.

Stopping the flow of electricity, the men fell to the ground unconscious.

The lights cut out, leaving the windowless room pitch black. Then emergency lights flooded the room with real, cool, white light.

Scarlett pulled handcuffs from her belt and flew down to the unconscious henchmen.

Spencer stormed up the stairs.

Dr. Monarch ran, head snapping around, looking for some escape. He scampered to stand behind his tall chair.

“I’m not afraid of you, Sparky. You’re just a henchman.”

“I am not a henchman, I’m an intern. And you should be afraid.” Spencer placed a hand on Dr. Monarch’s laptop. Shooting enough electricity through it to fry its hard drive. “I’m the only one who knows the password to your cloud storage.”

Dr. Monarch screamed and jumped out from behind his chair, holding a prototype laser gun.

Before he had time to aim it, Spencer sent a bolt of electricity at Dr. Monarch. Dr. Monarch dropped the weapon and fell groaning to the floor.

Scarlett flew past him and cuffed Mr. Meadow’s hands behind his back.

“And by the way, Mr. Meadows. I quit.” Spencer marched away.

He stepped over the henchman’s legs and retrieved his things from his desk.

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he turned to see Scarlett. His heart stopped for a second.

“Looks like I have Saturday off after all. Would you want to go to the dance with me?” He clenched his teeth shut as the realization of what he just said washed over him.

His jaw dropped as she smiled.

“Yes. I’d love to.”