[ WP ] You are a super villain mastermind who is in-between evil plots and ca n't figure out what to do next .

* ( I realized while writing that this strayed a bit from the prompt, but I decided to finish it anyway. ) * 
 
 ***** 
 
 She shoved through the door and clattered up to the console, not even bothering to take off her war suit. Next to her, the holographic avatar of Kingston fizzled into existence, his translucent arms crossed. “ Lady Asteria, may I ask exactly why you aborted the plan? All of your airships were in position; you practically had the city in your hands, considering you could have torn it down at any moment. ” 
 
 “ Dammit, ” she growled. Her hands continued to flick across the keyboard as she studied the screens. 
 
 “ My lady, what are –'' 
 
 “ Where is she?! ” Asteria yelled. The screens cycled through all of the cameras in the city, right down to every last smartphone. 
 
 Kingston floated in confusion for a few fractions of a second before his processors caught on. “ Are…are you talking about that upstart little pest? Skyrunner? ” 
 
 The villainess glared at her AI companion. “ Who else would I be talking about? She ’ s the one who ’ s been screwing up my plans for the last six months! ” 
 
 “ Which is exactly why I thought you ’ d be thrilled about her sudden absence. Maybe she ’ s dead. ” 
 
 Asteria sighed and slumped into a nearby chair. “ I don ’ t accept that. ” 
 
 “ You don ’ t accept that?! Why, she ’ s been a thorn in your side for the last… ” Kingston ’ s realization took almost a second longer this time, but he groaned as soon as the thought surfaced. “ It was all for her, wasn ’ t it? You never wanted to take the city. ” 
 
 “ I mean, taking the city would be nice, ” Asteria corrected. “ But…I have to beat her! I have to beat *her*! Not the police or the military or any of the other spandex-wearing idiots running around this world. Skyrunner! But now she ’ s gone. Somewhere. And I ’ m not really in the mood for anything else. ” 
 
 “ So what? We ’ re just going to…do nothing? No plots or schemes or plans? All because you don ’ t get to fight Skyrunner? ” 
 
 The woman didn ’ t seem to notice the questions. “ She wouldn ’ t just ignore this, though. I mean, she ’ s the star hero of this city. ” Her expression darkened. “ What if you were right? What if something *has* happened to her? ” 
 
 “ My lady, don ’ t tell me you actually *care* about that woman. ” 
 
 “ Don ’ t be stupid! ” Her eyes were momentarily aflame before some sort of epiphany dawned on her face. “ Wait a minute... I ’ m not her only nemesis, am I? ” 
 
 “ Well,'nemesis' might be a generous term for–'' 
 
 “ Kingston! Hack into Doctor Vulcan ’ s systems, see if you can find anything there. I know Skyrunner ’ s been harrowing him for the past year. ” 
 
 The avatar rolled his eyes before complying. It was a long, silent minute before he reported back. “ I could only get so far before his security stopped me. No direct evidence, my lady…but it does seem like he and his people are holding *something* in captivity. Judging by the conditions of the security around the base and what little communications I can glean, there is a 73.5543 % chance that the captive is a superhero…of the flying variety. ” 
 
 “ Good enough for me! ” Asteria shot out of her seat and checked her gear. She flicked the switch for fleet-wide comms on her console. “ All ships, set course for Doctor Vulcan ’ s fortress. Ready battle stations. We leave in five minutes. ” 
 
 “ A rescue mission, my lady? Really? ” 
 
 “ It ’ s good to step outside of your comfort zone sometimes, isn ’ t it, Kingston? ” 
 
 The hologram stared at her. Asteria had the slightest hint of a smile on her face. He couldn ’ t remember the last time he ’ d seen her in such a good mood. “ I suppose so. ” 

