"Heh, hee, haw!" giggled Syndrome. "This is more like it. I can attack you from here all I want, but you can't get to me!"
He fired a shot directly at the three children. Violet raised a force-field, but when the beam hit she cried out: "It's too much energy! I can't deflect it all."
After the next blast hit, she said, "My shields are getting weaker. I can't keep this up for long."
Dash asked, "Vi, do you still have the Frozone suit? Maybe Jack-Jack could make an ice bridge."
"No," said Violet. "I left it in the bedroom this morning."
"Gleep gloop!" said Jack-Jack in disappointment.
"Do zomethink!" Josephine demanded. "Zat last zhot damaged ze boat, and ze leeches vill get in!"
The leeches were attacking the damaged sides of the ship. Soon they would bore through and the boat would sink.
"Having a little leech problem?" Syndrome taunted. "I was smart enough not to eat anything today, but I guess you weren't."
He fired another shot at the Parrs. This time, Violet's shield was weaker and a little of the beam broke through. The children fell to the bottom of the boat, stunned. Josephine was still unhurt because so far the blasts had not been aimed at her.
Syndrome called to her, "Mode, you don't have to be in the same boat with them"
"I don't?" Josephine asked, surprised.
"Work for me and I'll spare you," Count Buddy said. "I could use your super-costume technology."
"It is an offer I cannot refuse," said 'E'.
"Exactly," said Syndrome. He moved his boat up closer. "I'll let you come aboard and then I'll finish them off."
Josephine said, "I zee you are vearing ze new green costume I vorked up for you ven I thought you vere Captain Zham. But vhat is that on ze chest?"
Syndrome chuckled. "I wanted my old white-on-black 'S' logo, so I just patched it on."
"It clashes vith the green. You haff no fashion zense," Josephine said.
"And you have no common sense!" Syndrome snarled. He raised the atomic cannon, ready to shoot Josephine at close range.
WHAM! An oar wielded by an invisible hand came down on the atomic cannon's delicate firing mechanism, smashing it. But one last burst of energy from the weapon struck Josephine a glancing blow, sending her flying into the water far from the boat. Leeches headed her way, and whether she survived or not is an open question... but it's not very likely.
"I know you're there, Violet," said Count Buddy. "How did you get across when there's still a couple of yards of water between our boats?"
Violet had formed a large force bubble right below the water surface, temporarily displacing the leeches and giving her a way to walk from one boat to the other, but she knew not to answer aloud and give away her position.
"Won't talk? Then I'll just have to blast in a wide spray," said Syndrome. He started to fire his gauntlets.
Without thinking, Dash rushed to her aid. He suddenly realized that he was running on the water surface, too fast for leeches to bite. In an instant he was on the other ship, punching Syndrome as hard and fast as he could.
"Is that the best you can do, boy?" Syndrome taunted. "My new costume is as damage-resistant as yours. I can barely feel your punches."
Back in the other boat, one of the leeches jumped over the side and tried to bite Jack-Jack. One touch was enough for him to absorb its abilities; Jack-Jack morphed into a giant leech. He seized the banana peel in his mouth and dove over the side of the boat. The leeches never attacked their own kind, so this giant newcomer passed unchallenged. A horde of them followed the smell of food, however.
Jack-Jack leaped up at Syndrome and bit him on the bottom, rubbing the banana peel into the villain's costume as he did. He hung on as hard as he could even though the costume made it hard to grip with his teeth.
Syndrome tried to grab Jack-Jack and wrestle him off, but the leech form was very strong and slippery. Count Buddy lost his balance and fell into the water. The leeches that swarmed around him had tinier teeth, sharp enough to penetrate the weave of his new costume.
"Yeoooww!" Syndrome yelled. He came shooting up out of the water covered with leeches. Jack-Jack dropped off into the boat, but all the other leeches hung on.
Count Buddy had had enough. He rocketed away with his jet boots, yelling, "I'll get you next time, orphans!"
Jack-Jack touched the broken atomic cannon and morphed into a working miniature of it. He fired at Syndrome and shot him out of the sky. Buddy dropped into the lake and did not reappear at the surface, at least as far as the children could see.
Dash was jubilant. "Good shot, Jack-Jack, you got him!"
"Goomb!" Jack-Jack replied with glee.
"Did you hear what he just called us?" Violet asked.
"Some stupid supervillain taunt," Dash said. "Oaf-heads, or something."
"No," Violet said. "He said 'orphans'."
"But that would mean..." Dash said. "NOOO! He was lying. He had to be lying."
"He may not have been," said Violet, her voice breaking.
Jack-Jack began to wail.
Epilogue
At this point I stopped monitoring though our satellite, the Big-Eye-In-The-Sky, and began to type up my notes. They deserved some privacy in their grief.
Just then, my brother entered our secret headquarters behind the big clock at City Hall.
"How does it look?" my brother asked. "Will they make good recruits for the Volunteer Freedom Defenders? We need more members to revive our superhero organization."
"This isn't a good time. They're still in shock over their parents," I said.
"Why don't you help instead of just watching them?" my brother asked.
"There's not much I can do as The Lemon. I only have the power to turn things sour. You could do more with your athletic powers," I said.
"I might just do that. It's time for The Jock to get into action again," my brother said.
"Careful, brother. I don't think we've seen the last of Syndrome, and he's very dangerous," I warned.
"I can take care of myself," Jock said.
"I'm going to write up their adventures and get them published. If the world knows of their heroism it will help us supers to get established again," I said.
And so I turned back to my writing. The world needs to know of these incredible but unfortunate children, and I, The Lemon, will make sure that happens.
But for now, with all due respect...
THE END