“The Smoke Strikes Again”. As the man read the headline, he let loose a chuckle that slowly faded away as it echoed down the enormous hallway filled with pictures of every type. Intrigued by the headline, he kept on reading, “The Smoke remains at large after his biggest feat yet, robbing the mayor of his beloved snow leopard carpet along with other valuables.” The man comfortably rubbed his feet through the carpet below him, a new addition to his home. He looked back at the newspaper but didn’t get what he expected, “Even though this was an incredible feat, he could not have done it without some of the other villains, including Spark, Ice Whiz, Acid…”

“Enough!” he said angrily, storming over to the fireplace and throwing the paper into the tongues of fire, consuming it instantly. “Those good-for-nothing villains did nothing to help me take that carpet. I should have just left them to be taken by the Super,” the man known as Smoke said, regretting saving those useless excuses for villains from the grasp of The Human Rocket. He ascended the pine wood staircase thinking hard about what his next move would be; then he had it.

“Edward!” he yelled as he raced up the stairs, his mind flying.

“Yes, your Honor?” said a smooth, sarcastic voice that came from somewhere above him.

“Cut the sarcasm, Ed. I need you to prepare a meeting with the Villain Council in the catacombs under V-Tech.”

“Alright. I sent the message and the meeting will begin in one hour,” came the slightly disappointed voice of Edward, now visible as a circular floating robot that looked like a mini UFO.

“Also, would you mind disarming the laser gate in front of the bedroom,” He said as he passed a wall of technological brilliancy, the mainframe for the AI intelligence. As he approached the doors to his bedroom, an electric buzzing sound signified that the laser gate had been disarmed. He slammed the doors open, unleashing only a miniscule amount of his anger on those doors. Wood chips fell to the ground as he grabbed his guise off his handmade coat rack, a dark blue hoodie with a flowing black cape as dark as a starless night sky. He rushed back down the stairs, bare feet thumping on the polished wood as tried to get his suit on. He ran past the living room barely even glancing at the handmade wooden creatures surrounding the living room. He kept on running into the hallway but skidded to a stop when he heard a sharp, metal click under his foot.

“Ed,” he said calmly, his heart racing, “please deactivate the poison mines.”

“Yessiree, sir. Will do.” As Edward said this, multiple clicks sounded down the hallway, including the one Smoke’s foot was on. With a sigh of relief, he lifted his foot and started jogging down the hallway once more. He soon reached the end of the hallway, where a wall of rock stood. Even though this would be an impossible obstacle for a normal person to get past, but he wasn’t a normal person.

“Bye Ed,” he managed to say before he faded into a smoke so thick, not even the best eye could penetrate it. He then proceeded to fly to the top of the wall and glide through a slit in the wall. After he got through the thick wall of solid stone, he floated to the snow-covered ground outside the mountain that hid his secret lair. Right before he hit the ground, he transformed back into his physical body, causing snow to fly up into the light of the afternoon sun. He walked through the falling snow, pulling the hood over his head as he trudged towards the city of Sketchville. As he walked under the covering arms of the trees above something happened, something unique, something that had never and would never happen to anyone else for the rest of history.

A boy ran through the woods, running away from someone or something. He looked left and right trying to find a tree that met his needs. Sticks and leaves crunching under his feet, he continued his search until he found the one. This tree was a giant, hundreds of arms reaching out to grasp anyone who came near.

“It’s perfect,” the boy thought as he grabbed the lowest branch and swung himself up onto the limb to start the climb to the place that would hide him from his pursuer. Soon, he had gained enough height that if a person looked up from below he would only see the the orange and red leaves of an autumn tree at full bloom. He froze as he heard the crunching of his follower’s footsteps, the sound getting closer by the second. Suddenly, there was nothing but silence. The boy slowly raised his arm to go higher when a hand shot out and grabbed his leg, startling him into screaming very much like a little girl.

“Very funny, Dad,” said the boy, who had just lost their game of hide and seek. “How do you do it, Dad? How do you find me so quickly every time?” he said as he climbed down the tree.

“It’s all about perception, Mark,” said the child’s father, a fit, 35 year-old man. “This time I found you because you shook a large amount of leaves off the branches as you climbed,” he remarked. Mark slapped his hand against his forehead, frustrated such a tiny mistake could give him away. As they reached the ground, the father sat down on the glistening grass and beckoned for Mark to join him.

As Mark came over, his Dad said, “There’s no need to be frustrated. Mistakes should teach us to work better next time, not to focus on the mistake we just made.” Then he went over and gave his son a hug, a hug that only a father and a son could understand. As he did this, the world started to turn grey, then black, then slowly faded out of sight.

Smoke’s eyes opened with a start and he fell to his knees, his mind overwhelmed by what had just occurred.

“What is happening to me?” he asked nature around him. “WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!?” he shouted to the air, the trees, but mostly to himself. As he sat there on his knees, he slowly gained his composure back, glad there was nobody there to see him at his weakest. He gradually stood up, wondering if he should continue the meeting after what had just happened.

“No,” he thought, “I must go on. I must show the world that I am the greatest villain of all time.” So he continued his trudge towards the catacombs that lay beneath the city of Sketchville. As he walked he thought about what his plan would consist of and how he would execute it. Lost in thought, he penetrated the border that separated the forest and Sketchville, cutting through alleys and abandoned warehouses. The lowly criminals who inhabited these places shrunk back from him, not wanting to get in his way.

“If they did get in my way, it would not end well. For them,” he thought with a smirk. Soon enough, he was at the back of V-Tech, a gigantic skyscraper, and a seven foot tall goon opened an almost seamless door in the wall for him as Smoke strode in, slowly descending a staircase that was walled in by shining metal, luminescent lights hanging from above. At the bottom of the stairwell he gained his composure once more and opened the old wooden door to the catacombs. As it creaked open, he entered the room with a posture of immeasurable confidence while taking in his surroundings. The rock room was covered in tapestries of previous villains, including the Twin Twisters, Human Wrench, The Giant, and Hydro Heat, all of them legends among villains. Smoke smiled as he saw his tapestry which showed him fading into smoke. A table sat in the middle of the room with exactly 21 chairs surrounding it, the one at the head of the table meant for him. His second-in-command, Stretch, sat to his right. He saw that a couple of villains weren’t there, including Spark, Ice Whiz, and Acidic Torch, the three he had rescued from the clutches of the Human Rocket.

“Probably a smart idea. I would have dismissed them as apprentices from the Council and disgraced them. They would have become lower than a piece of chewed gum stuck to the sidewalk,” he thought disdainfully. As he became in tune with reality once again, he addressed the group by saying, “Thank you for joining me on this wonderful Thursday afternoon to talk about a plan to destroy the mayor’s reputation and take over control of the city.” A couple of villains chuckled evilly at these words, hoping that they would finally be able to accomplish what they had been trying to do since the founding of the Villain Council.

“Before we get started, would anyone like to bring anything to the Council’s attention?” Smoke said, waiting a few seconds to see if anyone would say anything.

Just as he was about to continue on, a tiny voice said, “I would like to say something.” Looking for the voice, Smoke saw that it had came from a tiny human the size of a mouse occupying one of the seats he had previously assumed to be empty.

“And what would you like to say?” Smoke said in an amused voice.

“I challenge you for leadership of the Villain Council.” the villain said in his pipsqueak voice.

“And who are you?” Smoke said in a questioning voice.

“Do you not recognize me? I am the Human Atom, one of the most powerful villains in the city,” the Human Atom said as he grew several feet before their eyes. The now large man had tubes sticking out of his body, filled with neon green fluid.

“Well, it will be an honor to destroy you,” Smoke said with a sneer. They both then walked down one of the many tunnels sprouting out from the main room, the other villains traveling behind them to watch the fight. Soon, they reached a room with a reinforced glass cage that was twenty feet long and twenty feet wide, with chairs surrounding it. These chairs soon filled as the two villains entered the cage, both looking angry enough to kill the other. Smoke wanted to erase any doubt from the Council’s mind that he was the best villain to be leader while the Human Atom had a much more secretive and sinister motive. As Stretch moved to a podium in front of the cage, the Human Atom flashed an evil smile to a villain in the corner of the room. Smoke followed his gaze, but the villain stepped back into the darkness right as Smoke looked at him. He then turned his attention back to his opponent, waiting for the fight to begin. Stretch listed off the rules for the fight as he focused on the Human Atom, trying to find his weaknesses.

A wall of weapons rose out of the ground as Stretch said in a booming voice, “You may each choose one larger weapon or two smaller weapons. You can also use one of your own weapons if you have one.” Smoke looked at the wall closely, seeing which weapon would pair best with his superpower. His eyes passed over broadswords, flails, and axes, but stopped at two daggers that had multiple curves in them, not unlike waves in an ocean. While he was choosing, the Human Atom had attached a jetpack to his back. The wall of weapons sunk into the ground as Stretch finished listing off the rules for the fight. He then slammed a button on the podium, his face aglow with glee, and a loud buzz sounded. The crowd cheered as the two opponents started circling, waiting for the other to make a move. The Human Atom attacked first, coming at Smoke and shrinking to the size of an ant right before hitting him. Smoke dodged to the left, guessing that the Human Atom still packed a lot of punch even when tiny. He heard a crash as the Human Atom hit the wall, angry that he had missed Smoke.

He let loose a guttural cry, growing even bigger than he was before. He chased Smoke around the cage until he finally backed him into a corner, ready to destroy.

“Get ready to be smashed,” the Human Atom said with a malicious smile. But Smoke had other plans as he looked at the Human Atom, his levelheadedness infuriating him. He took a shot at Smoke which should have killed him instantly, but something amazing happened. The punch that would have killed him just went through him, that part of him turning into smoke, and as it did, he was thrown off balance, causing him to fall to the ground, dazed. Smoke waited for him to rise and then ran at him with lightning speed slicing his daggers into his arms, which the Human Atom used to protect his vital organs. He shrunk back down as he tried to get away, his arms bloody from the attack. Smoke swung his daggers around, trying to hit the miniscule villain that could only be seen by the tiny flames of his jetpack. After minutes of useless swinging, he decided to try a different strategy.

“Come out and fight like a man,” he said to the air in a mocking voice. “Or are you too afraid?” he said. “Well I guess we’ll just have to acknowledge you for the COWARD you are!” Smoke said, the crowd laughing at this last jeer. With each passing word, fury bubbled up within the Human Atom until he finally couldn’t take it any more. He grew to his biggest size yet, ten feet tall, with a furious roar, his anger overflowing.

“Just where I want him,” Smoke thought with a smile. The Human Atom came at him, his eyes ablaze with fury. Just as he reached him, Smoke turned into smoke and floated around the monstrous villain, his hands just dense enough to hold the daggers. He slashed into the back of his adversary before the Human Atom even realized what was happening. The tubes on his back were sliced open and they gushed an unidentifiable green fluid that quickly spread across the floor. The Human Atom fell to his knees, his body shrinking to the size of a normal human.

As he realized he was dying, he was able to whisper a few words in a raspy voice, “You are truly the greatest villain,” he said while gasping for air. “End my misery.” At that point, Smoke drove the dagger through his chest and killed him. The crowd was silent for a moment. Then they roared their applause for their leader, showing just how evil they were. Smoke rose to his feet and basked in the applause, exiting the cage with a swish of his cape and starting down the passage back to the meeting room.

As all the villains filed back into the room to continue the meeting, Smoke got ready to announce his plan to the Villain Council by going over it in his head again. Once all the villains had taken their seats, he said, “This will be our most difficult crime so far. We will attempt to steal The Jewel.” Murmurs ran along the table, malicious mouths questioning how they were going to pull off this grand theft. Smoke motioned them to be quiet so he could continue.

As the villains quieted down, Smoke said, “Today the Baron has allowed the Mayor to show off his most prized possession to the city. It is being held in the Sketch Museum until tomorrow, when it will be transported back to Jamesburg. That means we must steal it tonight,” he said fervently, stabbing one his new daggers into the table, startling everyone around the table.. He then went on to tell the Council what the plan would be.

“And that is how we will steal the Jewel,” Smoke said, finishing his speech. The villains then wrote whether they wanted to steal the Jewel or not on a tiny slip of paper in front of them. They then slid the pieces of paper over to Smoke as he read each one carefully.

As Smoke read the last slip, he announced, “Well I guess its anonymous. We’re going to steal the Jewel!” A cheer rose from the Villain Council as they exited their chairs and ran up the stairs to their most challenging theft yet. The villains ran out the door and got on their own unique vehicles and speeded toward the meeting point. As Smoke strode out the door, he stopped to watch the sun sink below the horizon, breathing in the cool night air. After all the other villains had left, Stretch called for Smoke to join him, startling him out of his thoughts. He then walked over to the mercedes, a silver and black masterpiece, the sleekest car ever to be created.

“I remember when we stole that car from Captain Legend,” he said as he opened the car door, a smug look on his chiseled face.

“Now that was a great day,” Stretch replied as he started the hybrid car.*

“Let’s do this,” said Smoke in an earnest voice as the engine started, sounding like the purr of a cat. They zoomed off, the car reaching 80 mph in a matter of seconds. They dashed through the suburbs, passing houses, stores, and restaurants. Soon they reached the highway, darting between cars in the steady flow of traffic, caring nothing for the normal rules of driving. Going 20 mph over the speed limit, they soon reached their destination, the parking lot for a tall skyscraper with the museum to its right. The reason for this particular parking place was all part of the plan. As Smoke and Stretch left the car, they walked to where the rest of the villains had gathered.

“Welcome to the party Smoke.” said one villain, a man named Smash.

Smoke rewarded the man with a tense smile and said, “Time to put Step One into motion.” As he said this the only villains with wings, numbering three in all, flew towards the bank that was conveniently placed in the opposite direction of the museum. After waiting around ten minutes, the villains could faintly hear a shrill alarm sounding in the distance. They ducked down as multiple police cars sped past them, sirens wailing and lights blinking.

“That’s our signal,” Smoke said as he checked his gear once more. “Daggers are here,” he thought as he looked down at his waist, where they hung from his belt, encased in leather sheaths. “I guess I didn’t bring anything else,” he thought with surprise. He then started running towards the Museum, the rest of the villains trailing behind him. As they reached the closed building, Smoke kept on running towards the back of the museum while the rest of the took up hidden positions around the Sketch Museum. When Smoke reached the back of the museum, he was met by a solid, brick wall with no openings except for a tiny air vent at the top.

“No problem,” Smoke thought as he cracked his knuckles, ready to begin the biggest theft of the century. With no further hesitation, Smoke faded into smoke and flew up to the vent, entering the metal hallway. He zoomed past tunnel after tunnel, trying to navigate the serpentine maze. His path had many openings leading to different rooms in the museum, none the one he was looking for.

“Where is it?” he said in a quiet but frustrated voice, “I thought I would have seen it by now.” Suddenly, he passed an opening slightly bigger than the previous ones, signifying that he had reached his destination.

“Finally,” Smoke whispered, “the entrance.”

“Time for some fun,” he said, a hazy, cruel smile appearing in the smoke the filled the vent. He then dove through the grate to his destiny.