The moment we’ve all been waiting for.

The Blank Mastermind deleted scene where we see Mansley’s moment of realizing that Wolfgang destroyed his perfect little plan.

(yeah, Mansley. you’re not included in those excited about this.)

But yeah. Probably right after BM part 25, before 26. And the last we see of our behind the scenes villain who otherwise disappeared.

Enjoy booing his evilness.

---

I take in a deep breath through my nose as I enter into the SPI Hero Project building, then let it out in a sigh through my mouth.

 

Over the past three years, things have more or less settled into a humdrum pace around here. At least, as much as can be expected from the organization backing a countrywide organization of superheroes fighting crime.

 

But after today . . . things will be changing up a little bit.

 

I look around and nod good mornings to a few others, then start walking down the hall towards my office.

 

Killing the current heroes is a risk, for certain. But it’s an extensively calculated one. Even with a villain as dedicated as Wolfgang chasing at Charles’s heels every step of the way . . . our media coverage is losing steam. And it was never the plan to keep them around forever anyway.

 

Restarting with heroes with more interesting powers, after we are dealt a near fatal blow to the organization? Now that is something worth covering in the news. And worth taking a gamble for in the long run.

 

It was a bit of a pity if one dwelt on it.

 

I’d miss Charles. Always a welcome presence around the place. The two of us had become something of friends over the years.

 

I couldn’t exactly say the same of Dallas Knight. If I was completely honest, it would be a relief to have that child and his detective aspirations out of the picture. I’d never been so hard pressed to cover my tracks in my life and keeping up the appearance of liking him was exhausting.

 

But no more.

 

Out with the old and in with the new, they say. Charles and Dallas went down together or not at all.

 

I check my watch as I turn down the hallway towards my office room. Ten past eight.

 

With the size of that bomb and the seeds I’d planted in a few news stations to check out the hero meeting? It’d certainly be on TV by now.

 

This is going to be interesting.

 

I shake my coat sleeve back down over my watch and stride into the humble reception area.

 

My secretary looks up from her desk and gives me a smile. “Good morning, Director Mansley.”

 

I nod and smile back. “Good morning to you too, Candace.” I stand there for a bit with my hands behind my back, then glance over at the TV in the corner. The screen is black. I nod towards it. “See if there’s anything intriguing on the news this morning?”

 

“No, not yet, sir.” Candace tucks her hair behind one ear and taps a few buttons. The screen comes on, reporting the weather and a couple of national headlines.

 

Not quite the channel I was hoping for. We probably won’t make national news right away.

 

But still, I stand there looking interested for a minute while quietly theorizing in my head.

 

Will they find any bodies? We haven’t run any tests before on if the hero invulnerability power would make their bodies endure more than a regular human, even if they were dead . . .

 

And I really do hope that when they trace this back to Wolfgang he’ll still be around to fight the Hero Project another day. The last few times I’ve addressed it he seemed pretty dead set on post-victory suicide. If you’ll pardon the pun.

 

He really is a very good antagonist to keep around.

 

I act interested for a few seconds more before looking back to Candace. “How about a couple of more local stations? Get the local news.”

 

She nods and switches around a few channels. A few screen switches later, I see exactly what I’m looking for and hold up a hand, staring at the screen.

 

A picture of an explosion site, with a reporter talking fast in the background.

 

I don’t register the words, just staring for a few seconds. Not as big of a blast site as I would have thought . . . hmm.

 

“ . . . explosion at the site of the Hero Project’s yearly meeting, went off this morning at eight o’clock . . .”

 

Candace gasps. “Oh God . . .”

 

I shift my own expression to one of fake-shock.

 

“Thankfully though, there have been no fatalities. All heroes have survived the explosion . . .”

 

I don’t have to fake the shock anymore. You’re kidding me. We didn’t make them that indestructible. Dallas’s forcefields couldn’t even . . .

 

“ . . . thanks to the heroic intervention of Wolfgang Dankworth, the man who planted the bomb in the first place. And who, in a change of heart, came back to warn and save everyone at great risk to himself.”

 

My heart drops down a pit in my stomach.

 

I would have taken the suicide option for him over this one.

 

This . . .

 

I thought I planned for every single possible problem. Every variable. But not . . . Wolfgang Dankworth taking a heel-face turn . . . that wasn’t even in the realm of possibility after all these years. He couldn’t have possibly . . .

 

He’ll talk with Fernsby. They’ll figure me out in no time and when that happens . . .

 

This ruins everything.

 

Candace has both hands over her mouth, still listening to the report. “Oh my goodness . . .”

 

I tune back in to listen to what the reporter is saying, despite the panic rising in my mind.

 

“Dankworth, Knight and Allister all suffered injuries from their actions to stopping the bomb and are currently hospitalized. All were unconscious and therefore unavailable for interviews . . .”

 

Those three aren’t talking then. Comas all around if I’m lucky.

 

I feel a slight relief. Slight. This gives me a little bit of time.

 

I need to get out. And fast.

 

Candace is still staring at the screen, her eyes wide. A commercial break starts in and she looks over to me. “Sir, can you believe . . .? Dankworth? What an incredible . . .”

 

“Wouldn’t have believed it if I saw it myself. What a miracle,” I respond, shaking my head. I clear my throat and back up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have a lot I need to do in my office.”

---

 

Well, hope you all appreciated that tidbit. It was fun poking back into that.

Have a great Tuesday, people!

~writefury