"So, Elsie, how are they?" Holly asked. She was sitting in a makeshift hospital ward, where Elsie had forced Adyson and Melissa to stay for a time no less than a week. They were asleep at the time.
"Melissa's arm is healing well, but she hasn't been put in a sling. Honestly, you guys should at least know to do that. It's one of the simplest rules of first aid," Elsie said. Her leg had been wrapped up, and she was healed enough that she could stand and tend to others. "Adyson, meanwhile... her leg is badly broken. I'm surprised she could walk at all. And who was responsible for carrying them back, again?"
"Buford, we've told you a million times," Holly answered.
"Remind me to teach him how to transport wounded people," Elsie growled.
"Heh, alright. Have you checked on Lacey, by any chance?" Holly asked.
"Yeah she's fine. Those bandages were all that was really necessary. She wasn't hurt nearly to the extent that these two were," Elsie said, "Where are the other Firestorms?"
"Manufactory #172," Holly said, "Along with Django. Coltrane and Jeremy are with... that guy... you know."
"Three-man strike team strikes again," Elsie said, rolling her eyes. She was no longer examining the two, sitting down across from Holly.
"Yeah, him. They're taking out another one. Just about 16 more after these and we can run the Dimension Hopper. Phineas and Ferb are inventing some crazy contraption, but they wanted it to be a surprise, so I'm out of this one," Holly said. Elsie raised an eyebrow, when she noticed that Holly had mentioned Phineas quite a bit more emphatically.
"You like 'em?" she asked.
"Well, yeah, they're some of the best friends I have. I'm more at home in the lab than in the field, even," Holly answered.
"Yeah. That's what I meant," Elsie said sarcastically. "So, has Candace been out recently?"
"No. We're worried about her," Holly admitted. "She barely goes on the field, anymore. She's practically put Isabella, Jeremy, and the twins in charge. She still comes out and gives plans occasionally, but other than that, she's nearly nonexistent."
"Hm. I'm no psychiatrist, but I'm the closest the resistance has. Maybe I should see her," Elsie suggested.
"It's as good a plan as any. We're seriously considering removing Candace from command if this continues, but we don't want to," Holly said, "Let's go right now, while they're asleep and you can stop mollycoddling them."
"Alright, then," Elsie said, standing up with Holly.
They entered a tunnel which lead across the street, climbing a ladder that was actually in the outer wall of the Flynn-Fletcher house. They knocked on the ceiling above them, which they knew was simply a trapdoor.
"Who are you?" Candace asked from inside her room.
"Holly and Elsie. You are Candace, leader of the resistance. We would like to speak to you," Holly said.
"One moment," Candace said. They could hear a door being locked and curtains pulled, before Candace cautiously opened the door. Her staff was in one hand, but she relaxed when she saw that it was really them. "Well, we're alone. What did you want?"
"I'm just gonna say it. I'm worried about you, sir," Elsie said, sitting in a nearby chair. Candace raised an eyebrow, urging her to explain. "I've heard from Holly that you do not come out of your house much. And, well, as the almost semi-qualified doctor of the resistance, I'm concerned."
"I'm not sick or injured," Candace said, sitting on her bed and crossing her arms.
"I didn't say you were," Elsie responded. "I'm more concerned for your mental health, if I may. You were once our go-to girl for any mission, no matter the danger. And yes recently, you merely direct from behind the scenes, if that. You have practically left the resistance." Candace stayed silent for a while.
"Can you blame me?" she asked at last. Neither of the girls had heard such a weak response from Candace, neither in wording nor voice. "I let you down. I let Buford down. I let Adyson and Melissa down. How soon will it be before I let someone else down, and leave that other girl to rescue them?"
"Stacy is her name," Elsie said quickly. "You know quite well that noone blames you for any of that."
"You're wrong," Candace said, shaking her head. "I blame myself. If I lose my own members left and right, what makes me fit to lead?"
"Funny thing, there-" Holly began, but Elsie shook her head to quiet her.
"Listen, more people will be lost if noone leads," Elsie pressed.
"Well, yeah. And can't Isabella lead as well as I can?" Candace asked.
"I doubt it," Elsie said, "You're older and more experienced.
"You wanna bet?" Candace asked, raising an eyebrow. "Scene cut, please!
Scene cut...
"Ginger, get the second floor!" Isabella ordered, holding off a flank of Norm-Bots.
Ginger nodded, taking the steps two at a time to what could barely be called a floor. It was a bunch of rickety walkways and rails atached to the ceiling, which Norm-Bots were swarming. The railings were balanced precariously over vats of the same liquid energy used to power weaponry and the robots themselves. Ginger thought the entire design of the manufactories was stupidly unsafe, but then took into account that Doofenshmirtz wouldn't care. By the time she reached the second floor, there were Norm-Bots lined up behind each other, preparing to fire if she took down the one in front of them. She smirked, and delivered a flying kick to the first Norm-Bot.
"Uh-oh," it said in it's jovial Norm voice, as it was kicked backwards, knocking into the dozen others behind it.
"Fact: the enemy of the Norm-Bot is a preteen black belt," Ginger deadpanned.
Meanwhile, Katie and Django were ripping through much farther Norm-Bots, away from the rest of the group. In the past few weeks, Django had his birthday, and been given the bizarre present of a weaponized paintbrush, partially to poke fun at his tendency to use them as weapons, anyway. The paintbrush couldn't actually be used to paint, as the fake paint at the tip was actually metal-melting acid. It tore through the Norm-Bots as Katie went wild with her daggers.
"So, Katie," Django said, clearing his throat and going back-to-back with the girl. "What kind of plans do you have for when this is over?"
"Why do you ask?" Katie questioned, taking down another robot.
"Eh, no reason. I was just... listen, we've known each other for a while, right?" Django asked. He was glad that she couldn't see his increasingly-red face, and not due to the heat of the factory.
"Well, yeah," Katie said, shrugging as they each took down more of the enemy. "Since you moved here years ago."
"I, uh... ever thought of us as really close friends?" Django asked.
"I don't see why it matters," Katie said. Django sighed.
"Eh, nevermind. I'll talk to you more when we're not in a life-or-death situation," he said, shrugging.
"Ok..." Katie muttered, completely befuddled.
Elsewhere, Isabella had fought off the flank and took the chance to call Gretchen, who was hacking into the manufactory's layout from a distance. Milly covered her in the meantime.
"Gretchen, which direction to the main controls? The quicker we can stop Norm-Bots from spawning, the better," Isabella said.
"You're standing on them," Gretchen reported.
"No, I'm not. They are quite clearly not at my feet," Isabella said, "Where are they?"
"I just told you. Does the floor look newer at your feet?" Gretchen asked.
"Yeah, why?" Isabella answered.
"Blast a hole in it, the controls are probably beneath the floor," Gretchen said, "Is that all you need?"
"Yeah, I'll call you if they're not there," Isabella said, "Over and out."
Isabella took a laser pointer and began carving a hole in the floor, which, Milly noticed, attracted a lot of attention. She shot off Norm-Bots, when Isabella gasped. The controls were beneath the floor. She took her blaster and destroyed them. The machines throughout the manufactory slowed down and halted, and the Norm-Bots hastily began retreating.
The Firestorms (including Gretchen) and Django regrouped by a vat of energy.
"We can consider this factory seized. Good work, girls and boy," Isabella congratulated. "Begin rerouting the power to the headquarters for future use in the Dimension Hopper."
"Yes, sir," Gretchen said, flying her fingers across a laptop.
"I gotta say, this thing is useful," Django said, twirling his acidic brush around.
"So, what were you gonna say to me, Django?" Katie asked. Django froze.
"Um- I was gonna say... uh..." He looked at the questioning faces of the girls around him. "That you're really good at fighting?"
"Well, I hope she is," Isabella said, with her hands on her waist. "I trained every Firestorm Girl in my command personally."
"You're, uh, a really great leader!" Django said, grinning a ridiculously fake smile. The girls rolled their eyes, not wanting to go deeper into whatever he was playing at.
"Power rerouted, sir," Gretchen reported, "This was a fairly active manufactory. Along with the power that Jeremy's squad seized just minutes ago, we need about 14.5 manufactory's worth of power."
"Or just one," Katie suddenly said.
"Sorry? That would take a huge manufactory," Isabella said.
"Yep. There just happens to be a huge manufactory here in Danville," Katie said, smiling. It took a moment for the other girls to catch on.
"No, way. Way too heavily-guarded. Plus, it would attract loads of attention," Isabella said, shaking her head.
"What are you girls talking about?" Django asked.
"Manufactory #1," Katie said. Django's jaw dropped.
Yes, a single manufactory with the strength of 15 others. That would be our target... except that it has the fortifications of a hundred. We estimate over 2,000 Norm-Bots guarding that factory alone, not to mention the speed at which it can make more. Is it possible to take it? Yes, most likely. Is it possible to take it without death of our friends? Highly unlikely. I don't even know what Katie was thinking. I mean, Candace would never approve, right? Right?
First of all, I would like to thank Midnight4568 for remaining a constant reviewer of my story You win a cookie, completely free. Second, this was a fairly short chapter, but I intend to make up for it in the next one, with, hopefully, a decent action scene. I admit, I'm not good at writing those, favoring dialogue in my style. But maybe I can pull it off. And once power is secured, it's off to the First Dimension!
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