AUTHOR'S NOTE:...Yeah, we REALLY dropped the ball here. We didn't intend on it taking til after Christmas for this to be put out, but neither of us took into account how hectic the holidays would be for us and how busy we'd end up being. Still, better to upload this late than not at all or even waiting til next year to get it updated. But yeah, we do apologize for how late this came out.
DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely none of the properties you will see here. All rights go to their respective owners.
The Infinity Verse Holiday Special
Part 2
Though the holidays were a time for comfort and joy, it was also known to be a time for stress and avarice. Such was the case at a local superstore where an angry crowd had gathered in front of to voice their frustration over the lack of a certain action figure that had been highly sought after this Christmas. Leading the charge was a woman who was demanding to see the store's manager.
"I swear that, by the time I'm done with you idiots, I'll be OWNING this store!" the woman raged at the poor employee's face.
As the mob continued to scream and draw closer to a full-blown riot, the sound of a truck horn blared over the crowd's angry cries. The mob collectively turned around to see a large semi-truck racing up to the store. Just as it reached the front of the store, it transformed into the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime. The once rabid crowd instantly fell silent upon seeing the League leader upon seeing them approach them. Well, ALMOST everyone.
"Hey, alien!" the woman from before shouted up at the Autobot. "I don't care who you are, but I'm a woman of God, and I-!"
"Hey lady, shut the fuck up, it's Optimus Prime!" a man shouted from the crowd.
"Yeah, show some respect!" a woman added. "He's a hero!"
The crowd, who were once on the woman's side, had now turned their venom on her for her disrespect toward the superhero. But before they could go any further, Optimus raised his hand to silence the crowd.
"Ladies and gentleman, while I understand that the holidays can be stressful, it is also a time for bringing comfort and joy to others, such as your fellow humans," he began. "These employees have been working for hours non-stop, separated from their loved ones as they earn little in terms of income. I ask that you calm yourselves and give these people that same comfort and joy as you would your own family."
He then looked over to the woman who had whipped up the crowd into a frenzy.
"And as for you," he said in a stern voice. "You will go to the end of the line and wait your turn to enter the store like everyone else."
"Now see here, you-" the woman tried to protest.
"Or, you can speak the authorities," Prime continued. "I'm sure they would be interested to know as to why you nearly incited a riot over a toy."
The woman shut her mouth before doing as Optimus instructed, going to the back of the line while the mob settled down, most of whom were ashamed of themselves for following such an idiot in the first place. As Optimus oversaw the mob settling down, the store's manager came up to him.
"Thank you for your help, Optimus," she thanked. "I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't arrived."
"It's no problem, ma'am," Optimus assured. "But I actually came to your store with a purpose. I was wondering if you had any Turbo Man action figures left in stock. I'm trying to find one for a boy who wishes to have it."
"I'm sorry, Prime, but we're out," the manager replied. "Have you tried the other stores?"
"I did, but they were also out of stock, and I wasn't going to pay a single scalper online," the Autobot leader answered. "Your store was my last hope."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Optimus. I truly am," the manager apologized.
"It's no fault of your own, ma'am," Optimus assured.
"Who knows, maybe Santa will send you a Turbo Man doll for Christmas," the manager joked.
The manager then returned to her duties, leaving Optimus with an idea: If he couldn't get the toy in a store, why not go to the source directly? With that thought in mind, he made a call to Skyward Tower.
"Wheeljack, I need a teleport to Kyoto."
After being beamed to Paris, Randy set out to find Ladybug, hoping that she'd give him an idea for the perfect gift to give to Alya. However, before starting his search for the hero of France, Randy took in the sights and lights of Christmas in Paris. McFist may have been the embodiment of capitalists' greed, but he did put on quite the holiday light show in Norrisville. Still, Paris had this aura of beauty that filled Randy with a sort of warmth inside him. After taking in the landscape for a minute or two, he reminded himself of the reason for his visit and threw out his scarf to start swinging from building to building. In his head, the Ninja assumed it would be easy to find Ladybug. But there was a problem with his plan: Paris was pretty big.
The city was a sprawling metropolis where the spotted heroine could be at any point. Thankfully, Randy, of course, had a device that could reach out to his teammate so he wouldn't be on a wild goose chase all night.
"Ladybug, it's Ninja," he said into his communicator as he swung through the city. "Listen, I'm in Paris, and I was wondering-"
"Sorry, Ninja, but I can't talk right now!" Ladybug cut him off. "Hawkmoth akumatized Mr. Ramier into Mr. Pidgeon again, and it's just me out here fighting him!"
"Say no more, Ladybug, I'm on the way!" the League leader. "Uh, where are you anyway?"
"I'm at the Eiffel Tower," his teammate answered. "If you're going to get here, you better do it now!"
"I'll be there soon," her leader assured.
No sooner had he gotten off the comm did Randy feel his cellphone vibrate in his suit. Knowing who that was, Randy quickly answered it.
"Hey, honey, what's up?" he said into the phone.
"I just got the last details of the rent settled. The cabin's officially ours for the next five days," Alya's voice answered.
Thanks to both heroes knowing one another's true selves, it allowed them to do things that most heroes couldn't, such as go on vacations such as this. Alya hid the fact that they were superheroes in the paperwork, keeping that secret to themselves.
"I gotta say, it's kinda nice to use our real names on the lease since we know each other's secret identities," his girlfriend continued.
"Yeah, it'd be awkward if we put 'Rena Rouge and the Ninja,'" Randy noted with a laugh. "Though I still think we should've put 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'"
"Well, 'Mr. Smith,' for now, you'll just have to settle for being Randy Cunningham on our vacation," Alya teased. "Speaking of which, are you on your way? I'm already here at the cabin."
"Yeah, I just got held up with one little thing," her lover informed her. "I just gotta pick up your gift, and I'll be at the cabin."
"You don't have to get me anything, babe," Alya assured. "This vacation is about us, not about gifts."
"Well, that was before you decided to get me that guitar and album," Randy mentally mused before speaking aloud. "I know, babe, but I wanna get you something that'll show you how much I love you."
"Awe, your so sweet," his lover thanked before adding. "...You don't have-"
"I don't have anything."
"Thought so," the fellow hero teased with a chuckle. "Well, I COULD give you a hint about what you could get me for Christmas if you'd like."
"No, no, don't make it easy for me," Randy denied. "I can find you a gift that'll make your panties drop!"
"I'll hold you to that," Alya laughed. "I'll see you soon, babe. Love you!"
"Love you too!" the Ninja answered before hanging up, all the while letting his anxiety run wild as he now really panicked over getting the best gift for his love.
No sooner did Danny step into the Wakeman house was he greeted by a barrage of sight and sounds of the Christmas party within the home. True to her word, Jenny had been allowed to reactive her sisters for the special night, and they had spread out throughout the room. Not only had Jenny brought back her siblings, but she had also invited several of the small town's residents. Upon seeing the fellow superhero enter the house, many of the people of Tremerton began to approach the half-ghost.
"Holy shit, it's Danny Phantom!"
"Can I get a selfie with you?"
"What're you doing in Tremerton?"
"Do you know where the bathroom is?"
"Okay, guys, take it easy. Give Danny his space," Jenny advised. "He just got here after all."
As the crowd dispersed, Danny couldn't help but find the humor in all of this. There was a time when he was hated and feared as he tried to protect the city of Amity Park from ghosts of all sorts. Now he was an international hero who had something of a celebrity status. Once the crowd had broken up, the half-ghost was allowed to fully enter the Wakeman house, to which he was instantly blindsided by another of Jenny's siblings, XJ-4
"Filthy, filthy, filthy!" she stated as she furiously wiped and sprayed Danny all over his body. "Don't you know the kinda germs that could you track in?!"
"It's okay, XJ-4. He's clean," Jenny assured in a sharp voice, already getting annoyed by all of this.
"Well, if I wasn't already, I am now," Danny noted.
With a 'hmph!' from her younger sibling, the other XJ unit departed, allowing the two heroes to have some alone time.
"I am so sorry, Danny," Jenny apologized. "I know this isn't how you wanted to spend your Christmas vacation."
"You should see my family during the holidays," Danny answered. "Seriously though, Jen, it's no problem."
"If you say so," Jenny relented before seeing another crisis unfolding. "Wait, XJ-2, don't point your laser at those kids!"
Jenny took off to avoid any more damage done by her sisters, leaving Danny alone. Rather than be a wallflower, he decided to go and mingle with the crowd. As he did, he was greeted by another familiar face.
"Dr. Wakeman," he greeted. "I'm surprised to see you here. I figured you'd be back on the Tower."
"I assure you, Daniel, there's no other place that I'd like to be than back in my lab on Skyward Tower," the professor answered. "But my daughter insisted that I attend the party. In hindsight, that was for the best since now I can keep these ruffians and the other XJ's from destroying my home."
"Yeah, that might be for the best," the half-ghost agreed. "So, any chance you can direct me to the snack table?"
Dr. Wakeman pointed to a nearby table that was sitting up against the living room wall before leaving to find some semblance of peace. Danny was indeed hungry from his journey to his teammate's hometown. Plus, this allowed him a few moments of peace before reuniting with Jenny. It wasn't that he minded crowds. It was just that he didn't know anyone else outside of Jenny and her mother. As the protector of Amity Park got a plate together, his mind went back to thinking about Sam and what the holiday's meant to them. He remembered the times they had alone together and the love that they once shared.
However, the thing was that while he was fond of those memories, they didn't hurt as bad as he thought they would when he stepped into the Wakeman house, especially when he was around Jenny. Danny couldn't quite put his finger on it, but whenever he was around Jenny, he felt like his problems faded away. Just hearing her voice was enough to calm his nerves. As he made his way through the household, Danny was approached a young couple whom were closely connected to his friend.
"So, your Danny Phantom?" the boy began. "Funny, I thought you'd be taller."
"Oh, be nice, Brad," the girl said.
Brad, along with his brother, Tuck, were names that Danny had heard Jenny mention in passing before. The two brothers were the first people Jenny had befriended back when she was still hidden inside her mother's home. Since joining the League, Brad and Tuck had been staying in their hometown, which was now under the protection of a new robot girl who just so happened to be dating Brad.
"Oh, so your Brad? Nice to meet you," Danny greeted with a handshake before looking over to the girl. "Then I guess that makes you Melody."
Melody, like Jenny, was a robot girl. But unlike Jenny, Melody's creator, Dr. Locust, created his child as a weapon of mass destruction. However, rather than serve her father's desires for world conquest, she instead found love in the form of Brad. After escaping Dr. Locust, Melody found her way back to Tremorton and Brad, though her return was less than welcomed by Jenny, who was jealous at the time. When Jenny became a leader in the Infinity League, it meant that there needed to be a guardian to protect the town whenever XJ-9 was absent. Melody was the perfect pick to be Jenny's successor, though the villain's daughter had to be reminded that not all villains could take a punch at 175 miles an hour.
"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Danny," the fellow robot girl answered. "Jenny's told us so much about you."
"I hope only about the good stuff," Danny joked.
"Oh, it's nothing but good when it comes to you," Brad mentioned. "Sometimes, you're all she talks about."
"That's odd," Danny said. "I don't think I'm that interesting to talk about."
"Well, Jenny doesn't seem to think so," Brad replied. "Speaking as her best friend, whenever she talks about something or someone that much, it means that she usually likes them a lot."
Danny simply laughed at that remark, but on the inside, it felt as though his world was turned on its head. His breath became shortened as his mind raced with what that could've really meant for him. He had to get out of the house, and not a moment sooner as he noticed Jenny coming back up to him.
"Excuse me," was all he could say in a rushed voice. "I need some air."
Before either Brad or Melody could say anything, Danny suddenly walked through the wall and back outside.
Though Jake was still worried about Kim and how she would deal with the tape being leaked, he managed to keep up appearances that everything was right as rain at the dinner table. There was laughter and stories about everyone's lives and what they had been up to. Jake may have been only gone for a few months, but it felt like an eternity since he had last spoken to his family. However, not everyone was all that talkative at the dinner table. Jake had said nothing about his younger sibling's behavior, but even earlier, he knew that Hailey was vexed about something, and he had a pretty good idea that it was him. So, Jake, rather than merely ignoring his sister, wanted to turn the conversation toward her.
"Well, enough about me, what're you up to, little sis?" he inquired.
Hailey only gave her elder brother a steely glance toward him before looking back down at her phone.
"Hailey's training is coming along quite well," Grandpa mentioned. "She's a faster learner than you were."
"Yeah, maybe she'll be a better Dragon Warrior than you are one day," Fu teased.
"I wouldn't mind that. I could use the retirement," Jake joked.
"Oh, yay, more time away from everyone," his sister muttered.
"Now, Hailey, be nice," her mother advised. "You should be happy that Jake's back."
"You mean until he's gone after a few days," the young dragon sneered. "Why should I be happy for a guy who wants nothing to do with us?"
"Hey, that's not-" Jake tried to say.
"What? True?" Hailey cut him off. "We both know that's a lie!"
Hailey then shot up from her seat and began to storm out of the room and toward the front door.
"Where do you think your going, young lady?" her father demanded.
"Anywhere HE isn't!" Hailey snapped back.
With a slam of the door, Hailey had departed from the Long home. As the rest of the family got up to go after her, Jake motioned for them to stay put.
"I'll talk to her," he assured.
Jake quickly got up from his seat and followed after his sister, but once he stepped outside the house, his sister had already vanished. As Jake tried to find his sibling, his grandfather stepped out to speak with him.
"There's something that you should know, Jake," he began. "Haley's training has allowed her to unlock abilities that neither you nor I ever had."
"Let me guess: She can turn invisible," Jake surmised.
"Actuality, her scales allow her to camouflage with her surroundings," his grandfather corrected. "There's a difference."
"Oh, clearly," his grandson agreed sarcastically before adding "Why does she hate me so much?"
"She does not hate you, Jake," his grandfather pointed out. "She just feels that you abandoned her."
"Well, it's time to let her know that I haven't," Jake stated. "I'll bring her back, gramps."
With that, he dove into a nearby alleyway before transforming and taking off into the sky in search of his sister.
"Wakey, wakey, sis," a voice ordered.
Guy slowly opened her eyes at the sound of SheZap's voice. As her vision slowly came back to her, the pink-powered heroine found herself handcuffed to the floor of her plane. It didn't take long to remember what had happened to her as her evil doppelganger stood over her with a sinister grin on her face. Guy glanced over to the cockpit to see his lover's clone, Harley, manning the controls. Guy attempted to struggle against her restraints, only to be unable to break her bonds.
"I wouldn't if I were you," SheZap warned. "Those chains are forged out of Glam Rocks. Ya know, the one thing can hold you down."
Glam Rocks were both a blessing and a curse to SheZow. Eons ago, a mystical comet fell to Earth in the time of cavemen. It was discovered by a woman who would become the first SheZow. The comet, like all things that fell to Earth, had debris fall off of it as well. These were the Glam Rocks, and through them, the She-Lair and all of SheZow's tools and vehicles were forged. These pink mystical stones were a rare magical element that could be harnessed into forging weapons and buildings. But they could also be used to capture and even harm those who bared the SheZow title since they were the same mystical element as the She-Ring. Though many of the Glam Rocks were kept in the She-Lair, others had been found across the planet after laying dormant for ages. In fact, it wasn't long ago that SheZap used a Glam Rock to entrap Guy so she could steal her car for a joyride. Seeing that her options were limited for the moment, SheZow figured that she'd at least get some answers as to what her clone wanted.
"So, what's the plan here, 'Zap?" the Glamazon warrior questioned. "Kill Santa and ruin Christmas?"
"Kill Santa?" SheZap repeated in mock disbelief. "I'm not a monster, Guy."
"Then what's the point to all this?" SheZow demanded.
"You remember when I told you that I found out my blood's capable of corrupting others?" the evil clone began. "Well, I figured, what with it being the holidays an' all, why not spread some holiday cheer of my own? So, I'm gonna fly this puppy to Santa's Workshop and expose every toy Ol' Saint Nick's got in there to my blood. And when the fat man starts his charity run-"
"You'll infect every child on the planet," SheZow gasped in horrified realization.
"Bingo!" SheZap confirmed with a wicked laugh.
"Santa wouldn't take a single toy out of there if he knew you contaminated them!" the pink-powered heroine pointed out. "He'd rather cancel Christmas than harm a single child!"
"Which is why Santa's gonna be the first to get a taste of my blood," the doppelganger replied.
"Forget it, SheZap. This plan isn't going to work!" Guy stated. "If you couldn't infect anyone within the League like you claimed, then your not going to infect Santa!"
Rather than be shocked by this news, SheZap only chuckled at that remark.
"Do you know how long it takes for rabies to gestate in the human body?" she began. "It can range from a few days to more than a year. But when it finally gets going, oh boy, it's something! See, Guy, DNAmy found that my blood's a lot like that. Some test subjects took only a few days to go bonkers while others it was a few months. But no matter what, it happened all the same. I wasn't lying when I said I was going to infect the Infinity League. In fact...I already got a few."
Guy's eyes widened in horror. She had thought that she and Heidi had managed to stave off a crisis by warning the team of the evil clone's plans, but it seemed as though that it was all for naught.
"Now, full disclosure, I couldn't get everyone like I hoped I would," SheZap furthered. "But I'll tell you this much: Six of your team members are already infected. But I'm not gonna tell you who. That'd just ruin the surprise. I wanna see your face when your teammates go off like a powder keg! Think about it, sis. Even now, six of your friends in the endless number of the League are just waiting to go mad like yours truly. It could be anyone, really. It could be six random heroes, or maybe, one of those six is one of the leaders who could stop you from saving them and the others. Hell, it might by all six of the other leaders for all you know. The magic in my blood is capable of infecting machines as well, so even the likes Optimus and Jenny are suspects as well!"
Guy was trapped in a state of total horror upon hearing that. Now, rather than be among friends, she was surrounded by six time bombs that could go off at any given second. As Guy tried to mentality register this information, SheZap opened the cargo hatch to the She-C-10.
"Happy landings, sis!" she declared.
The next thing SheZow knew, she had been kicked out of her plane and sent plummeting to the snow-covered ground below. Upon colliding with the snowy ground below, Guy was knocked unconscious, yet again. However, the Glamazon warrior's fall to Earth did not go unnoticed by a nearby traveler. The stranger, curious by what had fallen to Earth, approached the fallen object. But upon seeing that this was a friend of Santa Claus, he gasped out in shock.
"Happy Birthday..." he breathed out in surprise.
Usually, getting a red-eye flight during the holiday season wasn't exactly an easy thing, even if you had a tech-whiz in your corner. But Roanapur wasn't exactly a holiday destination. Hence why it was so easy for one to travel to this crime-ruled city. Ronanpur was known to be a cesspool of sin that would make Miracle City blush, but it also had an aura of mystique to it. Roanapur had no know metahuman activity at any point in its history and was controlled by various mobs, Hotel Moscow being chief among them. The League leaders had discussed going into Roanapur and essentially clean house and throw every thug in the city in prison, but that would only cause a massive international incident.
This, however, was not a League-sanctioned mission that Kim and Ron were currently on. So, the sooner that they recovered the tape and got out of the city, the less they'd run the risk of causing more trouble for the team. With Wade's help, the superhero couple was able to create false identities to appear as henchmen of Dr. Dementor to the horde of villains that they were about to be a part of during the bidding for the tape they had come to collect. In an odd way, it was rather comforting for Kim to know that Ron was by her side. It reminded her of their days before helping to form the Infinity League. After getting to the location where the auction was taking place, the duo found themselves not at a warehouse like they thought it might be held, but a beautiful hotel where villains of all backgrounds had gathered for the vaulted tape. The couple was, of course, nervous about being discovered, but as long they didn't draw too much attention to themselves, then their disguises should hold up.
The inside of the hotel had been decorated for the holiday season with food and wine prepared for the villainous guests, who were talking among themselves like people at a Christmas party.
"This would be so cool if these guys weren't gonna hurt us," Ron noted before asking. "So, what's the plan?"
"We find the tape and get out of here," Kim explained.
"Oh, yeah, totally, should be easy," Ron noted. "And, uh, what if we get caught?"
Ron already knew the answer, but he wanted Kim to say it.
"Then we're on our own," she said. "But come on, it's not like we haven't faced these odds by ourselves before."
Ron couldn't help but smirk at that. Despite the odds they were now facing, as long as he and Kim remained together, then there wasn't a force on Earth that could stop them. Just then, an announcement came over the intercom.
"Attention, guests, the auction will commence in ten minutes," the voice over the intercom stated. "Please make your way to the main hall at this time, please."
"Okay, here's the plan," Kim began. "I'll sneak off and find where they're keeping the tape. You go and bid in the auction."
"That's a great idea," Ron agreed before noting "Uh, one problem though: I don't have any money."
"No, but you do have a loud voice," Kim pointed out. "Just stall for time until I get a hold of that tape."
Ron didn't like this plan in the least, but in his time as a superhero, he knew one important rule: Always trust Kim. So, with a nod, Ron followed the crowd of villains into the main hall while Kim took this opportunity to slip away from the masses. At first, Kim was hesitant of having Ron at her side to secure the tape, considering what was on it, but it seemed as though it was doing her a favor. However, just as she stepped out outside into the adjacent hall, she was instantly greeted by the last person she wanted to run into in Roanapur.
"Hello, Kim Possible," Balalaika greeted with a cold grin on her face.
As this was taking place, Ron had taken his seat, albeit one in the very back. As he sat, he kept his head down and did his best not to draw attention to himself. It was a good thing that he didn't bring Rufus along for this mission, fearing what the villains would do to him if they were caught. It was then that one of the leaders of V.I.L.E., Countess Cleo, took to the podetium on the stage.
"Greetings, villains one and all," she began. "Tonight, on this special holiday night, we have a special piece that, for the right price, will bring someone in this room what we've all wanted: The end of the Infinity League."
She then held up a videotape.
"That's it?" Princess Morbucks said. "You called us out here for some stupid box?!"
"It's a videotape, you Gen-Z abortion," Destro rudely corrected. "But the brat has a point. Are we to really believe that the key to finally destroying the Infinity League is some videotape?"
"Oh, I can assure you, Destro, this will bring both the League and the nations of the world to their knees," the countess affirmed. "Perhaps a show of the video's contents will change your minds and open your pockets."
With that, Countess Cleo walked over to a nearby TV screen where she placed the videotape into a VCR and pressed play. Just as she had done show, the image of Kareem Al Quhad appeared on the screen, holding a gun to a girl's head, and he shouted at some unknown person he was standing off with. The stranger, unphased by the warlord's demands, fired their gun and struck Al Quhad between the eyes, killing him instantly. It was then that the killer stepped out of the shadows for all to see.
Kareem Al Quhad's killer...was Kim Possible.