A Stitch In Time

Summary: Blight and Plunder are out to cause trouble.

Disclaimer: I do not own Captain Planet, I'm just borrowing it and will make no money whatsoever from these stories.

Stamp Out The Fire

"Get a move on Looten, I don't have all day." The mad scientist went back to checking her calculations.

A smooth, almost gentlemanly voice replied. "I rather thought that was the point of all this, Barbara my dear, surely we have all the time in the world?"

"It's my time you're wasting, Plunder." She growled. "Who needs that many clothes anyway?"

As the polluter struggled with his luggage, up the ramp and into Blight's ship, he wished again that he'd brought a henchman or two. "It's a matter of style, you can't possibly expect me to buy something to wear from the early eighties!"

She looked over his green suit with its leopard skin collar and the long ponytail that was currently over one shoulder. "Shall we tell him Mal Baby?"

The angular green face on her console sniggered. "Another waste of your time I fear, dear Doctor."

"What?" Plunder looked confused.

"Style is irrelevant." The half attractive woman dismissed the subject with a careless wave of her hand. "It doesn't matter what you do, just get on with it!"

Plunder snorted and continued on towards the sleeping area muttering under his breath. "That's the opposite of what she said last night! I wish she'd make up her mind, I'm supposed to wait for her but she..."

The ship suddenly lurched upwards and sent him flying into the wall.

"We have arrived, Doctor." Mal's clipped voice pronounced triumphantly. "Bensonhurst Brooklyn, May 1983."

Blight preened, running her hands down the sides of her tight pink jumpsuit, but the harsh tone was back in her voice as she yelled to her companion. "Are you ready Plunder?"

"I'm still not sure about this Blight." The eco-villain told her. "Wouldn't you appeal more to that hormonal eco-punk?"

Sighing, Blight shook her head and picked up a book that had been lying on the console. "According to this recently to be published biography, '…at that time Nick Wheeler's alcohol problem and subsequent abuse of his wife and child drove young Jason out of his parents apartment and onto the unforgiving streets of New York."

The book closed with a snap making Plunder jump. "He needs a father figure, Looten. Besides he's only ten, too young to develop a crush on beautiful woman, he'd probably be more interested in a computer game."

Plunder snorted and moved to the hatch Mal had just opened for him. Climbing down the rope ladder that was hanging from the hovering craft, he watched the street until a small but still recognisable figure came into view. Jumping down just in front of Wheeler, Plunder took his target by surprise.

The young boy didn't have time to stop, he barrelled into the older man and fell back onto the ground. "Hey, watch it mister!"

"My apologies." The oily businessman replied. "But I have proposition for you."

Wheeler sniffed and wiped some wetness from his eyes, but as he took in Plunders appearance, his posture became wary and began to back off. "No thanks, man."

Mal's screen appeared in the ships hatch as it moved along its rail. "The good Doctor says you're making a mess of it Plunder, just bring the kid up here!"

The red heads eyes had gone wide at the sight of Mal, but he still managed to use the interruption to scramble to his feet and turn as if to run.

Plunder was quicker though, he grabbed the back of Wheeler's jacket and hauled him backwards.

"Let go!" the American boy struggled with all his might, but had not yet learned to defend himself properly, not that it would have helped since Mal came to the kidnappers aid with a metal pincher, dragging the future planeteer into Dr Blight's ship.

Wheeler glowered sulkily at his captors, a look of satisfaction crossing his face when Plunder hobbled painfully to a chair. "The little brat caught me full on the shin."

"Shut up Plunder, things have gone badly enough already because of you." The blond woman, her face half covered by her hair, moved to stand in front of the American and tried to smile. "My associate wasn't supposed to scare you, cutey, we're here to recruit you."

Mal's metal arms still had him trapped and he could feel the strange craft moving. The young boy worried about how far away they were moving, before he remembered that he didn't have anywhere to go back to anyway. "Recruit me for what?"

"Look at that!" Plunder exclaimed from his chair. He had his shoe and sock off and was examining the yellow bruise their guest had given him. "I'll be all shades of purple in no time!"

Dr Blight rolled her eyes. "Don't be a baby."

She turned back to Wheeler, impressed that he wasn't crying anymore even though he was still clearly terrified. "We want to put a special team together, a team of gifted children… like you."

"I don't have no gifts lady." He glared, his stomach rolling as he remembered what his father had called him and he looked away.

"Now that's where you're wrong young man." Plunder, deciding to be useful, limped forward. "We happen to know you could have a great future… with us."

Wheeler sneered at him. "I bet."

Throwing himself into the role, the criminal continued. "I'm serious. I know you've misunderstood our purpose in collecting you, but I assure you no harm will come to you. You will see in time that all we want is for you to join us, we see great potential in you."

"Wouldn't you like that Jason?" Blight's voice dropped into her most wheedling tone. "To be a part of something bigger, to be appreciated for who you are… for who you can be?"

The young boy swallowed and refused to meet her gaze. The two polluters exchanged smug glances. "My name is Doctor Blight and this is my associate Looten Plunder... and you, Jason Wheeler, belong with us."

After a few seconds, Wheeler looked up and asked nervously, "What would I have to do?"

Back in the present time, Gaia called her five teenagers to the Crystal Chamber. "Something is very wrong Planeteers."

As the Earth spirit waved her arm the planet vision shimmered into life and showed an aerial view of their home. Around the small tropical island was what looked like a ring of distortion… and it was closing in.

"What is it Gaia?" Kwame asked. He sounded his usual calm self but his dark eyes were worried.

Linka stepped closer to the screen and answered before Gaia could. "It is not affecting the sea at all, you see where it has passed over, it is calm and as it was before."

"That doesn't mean it's not bad news Babe." The red headed American told her. "It doesn't look natural to me."

Gaia nodded. "In a way, it is natural Wheeler, but you're right it is bad news. It's a temporal schism."

Gi frowned. "A disturbance in time? What caused it?"

"Someone went back in time and changed something, but the effects weren't immediate like killing someone would be." Gaia looked as worried as her Planeteers. "The changes are echoing forward in time slowly, but they're converging here."

"Which means it is something to do with one of us." Linka said. "Our pasts."

"Look!" The youngest eco-warrior exclaimed and pointed at the screen. "The pier, it is gone."

The all turned to look and sure enough, the man made structure was nowhere in sight, as if it had never been there.

"Guys…" Wheeler's voice sounded strangled but only Linka looked around immediately… and she screamed as he disappeared.

The others gasped and demanded to know what happened.

"He looked like a ghost, I could see through him… and then he just vanished." Linka's face was white and she looked like she was on the verge of panic.

Gaia nodded and raised her arms, closing her eyes to concentrate. "We start with Wheeler's past then. I can create a portal for you but we'll only have one chance at this, get to the geo-cruiser before it disappears!"

Her four remaining Planeteers turned and ran.

To be continued...

A/N: Hope you like my new fic, let me know what you think :o)