Supervillain Idol System: My Sidekick Is A Yandere

Don stood there, watching Elle and Trixie walk off, their chatter fading as they disappeared into the tram. He stayed still, his arms loose at his sides, while Gary came up next to him.

Gary's steps were soft, hands tucked neatly behind his back as always. When he stopped, he sighed lightly. "Good to see the young madam back to her old self," Gary said, smiling faintly. "I knew she'd listen to you, Sir Don."

Don didn't reply right away, his gaze lingering down the now empty tram stop. 'Was it really me?' he thought, still chewing on the subtle changes he'd seen in Elle. Her split personality, that wild side—it had left a deeper mark than he wanted to admit. It all felt connected somehow, and that nagged at him.

Finally, he shrugged. "Agreed. It's my fault anyway that she wasn't her whole self to begin with."

He glanced sideways at Gary, just barely, like he wasn't really looking. 'Come on, take the bait.'

Gary frowned almost immediately, shaking his head. "Please don't say that, Sir," he said, his tone firm but still polite. "As much as your absence affected the young madam, she was already becoming... unstable. If anything, your leaving helped her get a better handle on her arcane gifts, though I do wish we knew more."

Gary's words hung there, just long enough for Don to notice the crack in his usual calm. A shadow crossed the butler's face, worry flashing through his eyes. Don could hear it too—the slight hitch in Gary's breathing, the faint change in his heartbeat. 'He's not lying.'

That eased some of the weight pressing down on Don's chest. At least he wasn't the only one clueless about what was going on with Elle. If even Gary didn't have all the answers, then maybe there wasn't a single, clean explanation., at least for now

But Gary didn't let the moment last. His face returned to its usual composure, and he straightened, hands still clasped behind him. "Shall we head to the Command and Control Center?" he asked, his tone lighter now. "I'm sure the minions will manage from here."

Don gave a small nod. "Lead the way."

———

A few minutes later, Don was back in another tram. The quiet hum of the ride filled the air as the tram sped through the underground network. He leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, his thoughts spinning but his face giving nothing away. Gary sat across from him, as still as a statue, his gaze fixed somewhere distant.

The tram slowed with a quiet **whirr** a few seconds later, followed by a soft ding as it came to a stop. Don stood up, the slight vibration under his boots fading as he stepped out.

They were in front of another set of heavy doors, even larger than the last ones. The air here felt cooler, almost heavy, but that wasn't what drew Don's attention.

Flanking the doors were two massive robots, their frames hulking and menacing. They stood like silent statues, their dull gray plating polished to a spotless sheen.

The machines were bulky and utilitarian, built for war. Instead of hands, they had enormous rotary guns, barrels thick enough to shred through anything in their path. Their heads were boxy, with a single horizontal red light glowing faintly in place of eyes. The joints and limbs were reinforced with heavy plating, and each step they could take probably shook the ground.

Even though they looked old, there wasn't a scratch or speck of rust on them. They weren't there for show—they were still very much alive and capable of leveling anything stupid enough to get close.

Gary stepped forward, not sparing the machines more than a glance. "The old owner really had quite the eye for decor, wouldn't you say, Sir Don?"

Don followed, his boots thudding against the floor as he walked. His eyes flicked to the robots, then back to the massive doors ahead. "That's one way to put it," he said flatly, stopping beside Gary.

The two of them stood on a circular pattern engraved into the floor. It didn't seem decorative—it was too precise for that—but Don wasn't sure what its purpose was.

Gary smiled faintly, shifting his weight just slightly. "Even the most practical minds have their moments of extravagance," he added.

Don said nothing, his focus now on the doors.

Mere seconds after Don stepped onto the engraved circle, the lines etched into the floor glowed faint blue, the same faint hue threaded through the recesses of the facility's design. The light pulsed outward like a ripple, smooth and seamless, as though the base itself was waking to acknowledge them.

Gary's attention shifted to the glow as he clasped his hands behind his back once more. "Despite this place's age, it's amazing how seamless the biometric scanners are throughout the base," he commented, his voice full of quiet admiration.

Don's eyes tracked the glow briefly before settling back on the large doors ahead. 'So this is a scanner,' he thought.

He kept his expression neutral, offering nothing but a curt nod. "True. It'll be an impressive base once we upgrade it where necessary."

Gary smiled, the faint lines around his eyes softening his otherwise sharp features. "Indeed, Sir."

As if on cue, the faint blue light surrounding them shifted to green, accompanied by a deep **click**. The massive doors ahead let out a low groan as they began to slide apart, the sound echoing faintly in the expansive hallway behind them.

The space beyond was revealed—a dull gray metallic pathway illuminated by a soft blue glow along its edges.

On either side stood towering smooth pillars, their surfaces unbroken save for faint hints of movement within. Binary code, faintly glowing blue, shifted endlessly across their interiors, like veins carrying lifeblood through the ancient structure.

Gary stepped forward first, his pace calm, and Don followed silently.

As they walked, Gary's gaze drifted to the massive pillars, his admiration evident. "I still can't help but be impressed that our supercomputer was able to be fitted into this place," he said, his voice thoughtful.

"The infrastructure of a base this old posed significant challenges. We had to account for power stability, spatial optimization, and maintaining the structural integrity of these pillars without compromising the computational core."

He gestured subtly to the pillars, his fingers loose as he spoke. "There was also the matter of heat regulation—older bases like this weren't designed for the thermal output of modern systems. We had to install custom cooling solutions, which wasn't an easy feat given how dense this place is."

Don nodded along, letting Gary's words roll over him. He had no need to comment—Gary's explanations filled the space sufficiently, and Don's focus remained on the path ahead.

The pathway eventually came to an abrupt stop, the space ahead consumed by darkness. Don tensed slightly, his eyes narrowing.

Then, without warning, the recessed lights lining the floor began to extend forward, one segment at a time. The soft blue glow moved through the blackness, revealing a vast circular chamber that stretched high above them. Find adventures on empire

The light crawled up the walls and pillars surrounding the room, illuminating their smooth metallic surfaces. The glow climbed higher and higher until it finally reached the ceiling, casting the entire space in a cool, uniform light.

The room itself was enormous. At its center stood a massive circular table, the dull gray metal matching the rest of the facility's aesthetic. Its edges were clean and sharp, with no unnecessary decoration.

The center of the table was open, revealing a hollow core from which a holographic earth model hovered, rotating slowly in the air. The projection was detailed, its continents and oceans illuminated in faint blue light, with pinpricks of red marking various points of interest.

Around the table were numerous chairs, each with a utilitarian design. They looked identical except for one at the far side—it stood out subtly, its back slightly higher and its frame slightly thicker. Don's chair, no doubt.

Gary moved to stand near the table, his posture as composed as ever. He then turned to face Don, spreading his arms slightly in a welcoming gesture.

"Welcome to the Command and Control Center, Sir," he said with a faint smile.

Don's gaze swept the room, his face impassive, though his mind cataloged every detail. The scale, the design, the functionality—it all carried an element that suited the role this place would serve.