Breaking Bread with the Enemy

    The Hero had no idea how he was captured. The last thing he could remember before blacking out as trying to defuse a massive bomb that was going to flatten the city. Before he could finish the task, something had happened. At first he thought the bomb had been triggered, but that was not the case because if it had he would not be alive. But he wasn't in the clear either, as when the Hero opened his eyes, he was still in his outfit, but he was shackled to a chair. He wasn't in a prison, however, quite the opposite actually. He was in a very lavished dining room, and sitting at a table that was set and ready to serve a very fancy meal. The Hero tried his best to break free, but the shackles were too strong for him to break even with his powers. As he was struggling, he stopped when the door swung open. As he watched the Villain make his entrance, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

    "That's not possible!" the Hero called out, "You're supposed to be dead!"

    "And yet here I am," the Villain called out, grinning. "Welcome to my humble abode. I think this is the first time you've been in my home, isn't it?"

    "To be honest," the Hero said, "I'm not very fond of the décor."

    "To be honest, I don't give a shit." The Villain chided back, giving a hearty chuckle as he walked closer.

    "What am I doing here?" The Hero demanded. "Where is the bomb?"

    "Where is the bomb?" the Villain mocked. "If you haven't been able to tell already, there was no bomb. I just called it a bomb. To be more precise, the item in question was more of a trap. One that worked rather well, I might add."

    "What makes you say that?" The Hero asked.

    "Well, you're here, aren't you?" The Villain replied.

    "This was a trap to capture me?" The Hero asked.

    "Well, duh." The Villain said, mocking his slow progress.

    "Release me at once!" the Hero demanded.

    "You're not in any position to make demands," The Villain retorted, as he held out a small device from his pocket. "Cliché I know, but it's true. Now just because the last device wasn't a bomb, doesn't mean that this one isn't."

    "What do you want?" The Hero asked.

    "I want to sit down and break bread," The Villain said, taking a seat at the opposite end of the Hero. "We have been enemies for so long, I wanted to take a moment and get to know my nemesis and toast to what has been a long, but respectable campaign against one another."

    "That's it?" the Hero asked, rather confused. "You just want to hang out and have dinner with me?"

    "I don't think that's too much to ask for." The Villain said, "And in return I shall deactivate all the bomb and surrender. So what do you say, Hero? Are you going to break bread with your nemesis, or shall I hit this red button and instantly kill tens of thousands of people. Many of them women and children."

    "You're a monster!" the Hero called out.

    "I am," The Villain confirmed, "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm in control here. So, do you accept my terms?"

    "Fine," the Hero said, conceding.

    "Just to let you know," the Villain continued, "This bomb is on a timer, and if the password is not submitted in sixty minutes, it will go off. So I want your word that when released you will stay where you are and when our meal is finished, I will disarm all weapons and surrender without a fight. Agreed?"

    "Agreed," The Hero said, as he clearly didn't have a choice.

    "Well then, I hope you're hungry." The Villain said with a smile as he made himself comfortable. "We have delectable three course meal being served tonight, including a very fine classic dessert."

    "I'm always hungry," The Hero answered, "My powers cause my metabolism to fire at a very high level. I have to eat at least twenty thousand calories a day to keep up with it."

    "That's very impressive," The Villain said, "I can assure you there are a lot of calories in all these courses, so you'll have no problem meeting your needs today."

    "Considering your tastes," The Hero said, "I am curious to what will be served."

    "I'm sure you are," The Villain said as he rung a small bell that was beside his table setting.

    Upon hearing the bell, three servants came out to deliver the first course. Two of them were carrying trays to serves while the third carried a bottle that had been chilling in the back room. While the first two served the food to each person sitting at the table, the third poured them both a glass of wine to compliment their course. Without saying a word, the men left the room and closed the door behind them. Once the door was closed, the Villain hit a button on his device which released the Hero's arms. With one of those arms, the Hero removed the tray to see what was underneath. It was a fancy looking salad, something you'd expect to see served at a five start restaurant.

    "What is it?" The Hero asked.

    "A shaved celery salad," The Villain replied, "Served with shredded roast rabbit, sliced plums, smoked almonds, and drizzled in a fig balsamic. Bon appétit."

    The Hero sat there looking at the course, and while it did look appetizing, he was hesitant to eat. His host had a reputation for being sneaky, and he couldn't help but feel that he was being tricked.

    "Is there something wrong the food?" The Villain called out.

    "Possibly," The Hero called out.

    "I swear to god," the Villain called out with as he held up the device, "If you tell me you're a vegan, I will detonate the bomb right now on principal alone."

    "No, I'm not a vegan." The Hero replied, "I'm just... cautious."

    "Are you serious?" The Villain called out when he noticed the Hero's hesitation. "If I really wanted you dead, I would have ended you after you were knocked out!"

    "Can you blame me for being so hesitant?" The Hero called back. "Considering your reputation."

    "Oh, for Pete's sake." The Villain said as he stood up and started to walk over to the Hero. While it seemed that it appeared that the Villain was going to physically retaliate for the Hero's insubordination, instead all the Villain did was stick his fork into the Hero's mean and take a bite out of it.

    "There," The Villain said, as he sipped the wine as well. "Satisfied?"

    "Yes, thank you." The Hero said as he picked up his fork.

    "Excellent," The Villain said as he returned to his own meal. "My chef would be rather insulted if I used his food as a weapon. He worked very hard to make something special when he heard you would be dining with me."

    "This is delicious," The Hero said, as he was genuinely enjoying the food.

    "My chef will appreciate hearing that," The Villain said, sipping his wine.

    "If I'm not mistaken," The Hero started, "From the taste and texture of the meat, I would guess that this rabbit was a winter cottontail."

    "That's correct!" The Villain said, his face pleasantly surprised. "I'm very impressed with your knowledge of small critters!"

    "I've eaten a lot of rabbits," The Hero explained, "My father liked to hunt big game, but he also enjoyed picking off critters during the slow days so that we'd have something to eat if our luck hadn't changed."

    "Your father?" The Villain repeated.

    "Well, technically my adopted father." The Hero replied, "The humans that raised me is who I refer to as my parents."

    "I see, and your father was an avid hunter?" The Villain asked.

    "He was," The Hero replied, "I wasn't as active as he was, "But I enjoyed going out with him whenever we had the chance."

    "I bet he loved to fish too." The Villain guessed.

    "He did," The Hero confirmed, "But I'm not that into it myself."

    "No one's perfect," The Villain said, as he then noticed they had both finished their first course. Upon seeing that, the Villain rang the bell again and this time five servants came through the door. Two of them took the finished course, while the two behind them delivered the new serving, and the last poured a new wine into fresh glasses to compliment the new course. The hero lifted the lid off his course and seem impressed.

    "I present to you our second course," The Villain called out, "Wild Fiordland venison with turnip, kale, and cocoa nibs. Bon Appétit."

    The Hero again was hesitating to taste his food.

    "Seriously?" The Villain groaned as he got up and strolled over to the Hero's setting and sampled his food. Both men resumed eating their course after the Villain returned to his seat. After a few moments of silent dining, the Hero spoke up.

    "How did you survive?" The Hero asked him, "And why reveal yourself now?"

    "The machine that saved my life," The Villain started, "Is also the cause of what will be my untimely demise. I am not long for this world, my dear boy, so the purpose of this gathering is to provide closure, and an end to our adventures."

    "I'm sorry to hear that," The Hero said, as he never wished harm on anyone. "How much time did the doctors give you?"

    "A few months," The Villain replied, "More than enough time to get my affairs in order and say my goodbyes."

    "You'll have a hard time doing that from prison," The Hero added, "So I hope you took care of those affairs already."

    "Oh, I have," The Villain said with a smile as he finished his wine.

    The Villain rang the bell a third and final time, and the staff arrived to serve the final course of the evening, which was a magnificent soufflé served a very sweet ice wine to compliment it.

"Our final course of the night," The Villain said, with a hint of sadness as he was enjoying the meal that was soon coming to an end. "This is a fine vanilla soufflé. The one my chef makes is the finest I've ever eaten so I thought it would be fitting to end with a true French classic. Bon Appétit."

    Both men dug into their dessert after the Villain again sampled it again. They were rather quiet, but as they came near to the end of their final course, the Villain was more than pleased with how things had gone but wanted to stall for time.

    "I have a question for you," The Villain called out.

    "What do you want to know?" The Hero replied between bites of his soufflé.

    "What's your favorite movie?" The Villain asked.

    "That's a tough one," The Hero said as he thought about it. "There are so many great films to pick from."

    "Indulge me," The Villain insisted, "There has to be one movie that stands above all others. A film that you've watched more times than you can remember. Tell me, what movie is it?"

    The Hero paused for a moment. "To kill a mockingbird."

    The Villain had a face of surprise. "What an interesting choice!"

    "It was a very popular movie where I grew up," The Hero explained, "Atticus Finch was also someone I looked up to. He stood up for what was right, even if he had to stand for what was right alone. He was a hero that kept fighting against all odds, which was something that I admired."

    "That is truly fascinating!" The Villain said, enjoying this revelation.

    "What about you," The Hero asked, "What's your favorite movie?"

    "Mine isn't as profound as yours," The Villain said, feeling hesitant.

    "Come on," The Hero prodded. "I won't judge you, I promise."

    "Okay," The Villain said, "It's the princess bride."

    "Really," The Hero said, as it was his turn to be surprised. "I didn't expect that. Why is that your favorite movie?"

    "There are so many reasons," The Villain said as he stood up, "The adventure, the sword fights, giants, fire pits. That movie truly had it all. Let's not forget the fact that the hero, Wesley, was also a foul pirate."

    "Of course," The Hero said, as he understood. "You liked the fact that the hero happened to also be a villain."

    "My favorite part was the battle of wits Wesley had with Vizzini," The Villain continued, "Do you remember that part of the movie?"

    "I do, actually." The Hero confirmed, "It was quite clever."

    "Yes, it was." The Villain said, smiling. "And do you remember which cup Wesley put the poison into?"

    "He poisoned both cups," The Hero recalled, "Because Wesley was immune to the..."

    The Hero stopped talking, as he suddenly realized something. He looked down at the food, and then back up at the Villain who was still smiling. All this time, the Villain was taking a bite out of his food to ensure him it wasn't poisoned, but that would be moot if the Villain, like Wesley, was immune to whatever poison was being used.

    "You bastard!" The Hero called out as he used all his power to finally break free from the chair that was keeping him down.

    He didn't know if he could break free, but had mustered all the power he could and it was enough. It was an action that came far too late, as the poison that was in the food was already taking his course. The Hero tried to grab the Villain to take the remote device away from him, but his legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor. He tried to get back up, but the Hero didn't have the strength to do so. The Villain walked over and was amused by the Hero's attempt to get up, but playfully kicked him, knocking him back down to the floor.

    "Just like Vizzini," The Villain called out, "You been outwitted."

    The Villain grabbed a spoon from the Hero's setting and started to nibble on what was left of the Hero's soufflé. He actually enjoyed watching the poison slowly kill his nemesis as he suffered there on the floor.

    "It doesn't matter how much you fight it," The Villain said, watching. "This poison will end you in a matter of minutes. Just long enough for you to watch me break my word, which you should have never trusted."

    The Hero watched from the floor, as the Villain picked up the remote device and pressed the red button. In the background, a explosion could be heard in the distance.

    "Boom," The Villain said, laughing in the Hero's face. "Game over... you lose!"

    The Hero tried to speak, but the poison was now effecting his ability to speak as the poison had reached his brain. As the life slowly began to fade from the Hero, the Villain walked over and looked down at him.

    "This was your last meal, hero." He said to him, "I hope you enjoyed it. I know I did. This has been a very pleasant evening!"

    The Hero still unable to speak merely gargled for a few moments before exhaling his final breath and passing on. The Villain knelt down beside his fallen nemesis, and closed his eyes to make him look more peaceful.

    "Goodnight sweet prince," The Villain said, as he then stood back up and walked over to the table and grabbed his glass of ice wine, which was still half full. "Here's to your health, or the lack there of it."

    After he finished the wine, the Villain stood there and paused as his own pains had come to him for a moment. The Villain wasn't lying about his own impending doom, but he took satisfaction in knowing that when he passed away he would do so knowing that he had conquered his greatest enemy, something he would not hesitate to brag about for whatever time he had left. He would try to be modest and humble in victory, but knew that eventually he was going to get cocky and rub it in many people's faces. Their hero was dead, and he would enjoy watching them all cry. The Villain laughed as he couldn't think of a better way to spend the last few months he had left and looked forward to it.