Wade Lodes Command Central

White text cascaded across the screen. Another rapid-fire clatter of keys produced a similar display. Numerous sets of numbers chugged as yet another scenario played out. No matter what parameters he entered the young oily skinned boy could not make heads or tails of the data. Wade Lode grasped his chin lightly as his eyes scanned across the LCD for a third time. The 64oz soft drink dripped from the sweating sides of the paper cup slowly trickling down the backside of his other hand. The dark skinned hand lifted
the cup bringing the straw to his lips for one last slurp that sent the ice gurgling at the cups bottom.

"Common guys where are you?" His fingers hit the keyboard a little harder than he intended as frustration griped him. The screen once again filed with scrolling text as the command crunched out the data analysis once again. As the screen rolled wade found himself lost in thought.

I don't understand. One minute they were there and the next minute they're gone. The data shows a large power serge in the Middleton medical high-rise but that's it.

Reaching down he opened the mini fridge at his feet and grabbed a two-liter of cola. Still lost in thought his hand skillfully poured a fresh slurpster full then stowed the bottle back in the fridge. As frothy foam settled in the cup the lid snapped audibly as he resealed the drink.

Thinking out loud he turned the event over in his mind. "People don't just vanish. Could Ron's chip have malfunctioned?" He shook his head. "No, the Kimunicator isn't showing up either."

Yet again nimble hands, trained from years of experience blazed across the keyboard. Not one, but two displays popped to life splashing maps and images from security cameras systematically in time with Wade's requests.

"This is so weird. One minute they're walking into the medical building and next they're completely gone." Wade turned to another display as the global scan continued running. "Hmmm"

"I guess ill recalibrate and run the search again. If they wanted some privacy they could have just asked..." His hand found the slurpster again providing his mouth with another shot of caffeine.

He was about to turn back to the screen when the wall-mounted hi-def widescreen TV caught his attention. Wade gulped his mouthful of soda and blurted out loud. "Shego and Drakken?" His hand flew to his forehead as his mind reeled at the emergency broadcast
interrupted the rerun of "The Fearless Ferret" playing in the background on trash TV.

Channel 63, Middleton 24hr news shook with excitement as a camera clumsily trained in on a group of global justice agents surrounding two figures.

At least it looked like Drakken and Shego. Shego appeared to be her usual self, clad in green except she had a few new accessories with her. Drakken on the other hand was dressed in some kind of drab military uniform clad in an array of equipment. Something else about the pale man left Wade puzzled, a different air about him, Drakken almost looked...capable? The tween super genius blinked and nonchalantly slurped at his drink as a ditzy blonde news reporter bobbed in and out of camera trying to convey the
confusion at the scene.

"Coming to you live from downtown Middleton just outside the Middleton medical high-rise Channel 63 brings you this late braking story. Dr. Drakken, super freaky villain, and his accomplice, once Go City hero, Shego Go, have some how managed to escape prison and have been intercepted by global justice upon their exit of this complex."

"What are you talking about? Shego's voice echoed across the television speakers. "Why are you attacking us and who's this Drakken guy? The lithe form stood poised in defense as the pale man stood behind her.

Wades mind blocked out the rest of the confusion on screen and trained in on the two villains. Something's not right. The boy blinked once more at the screen and then turned to another computer display hanging above his workstation. He sat there watching the live video feed from Global Justices maximum-security prison, specially designed for super villains. "This just can't be." his voice dribbled bewilderment out loud to the empty room as the display bathed him in light.

There on the display flickered two live video feeds streaming directly from outside Drakken and Shego's cellblock. Briefly the image flashed scanning from cell to cell, Drakken lie on his cot reading a magazine while Shego fought halfheartedly with her glow power limiting manacles. Turning back to the television again Wade's brows furrowed deeply as his brain struggled for the answer. "This just isn't possible. Shego and Drakken are still in prison." A 64oz drink returned to his lips for a brief moment followed by a long slurp. "Kim, Ron...where are you?"

The Flip Side – GPS control room

The GPS control room lay in ruins, the result of an earth shattering twist of unfathomable trans-dimensional energy. Equipment smoldered, office furniture caved and every so often another piece of plaster ceiling would crumble to the floor. Dust hung lazily in the air stirred by the occasional clap of debris hitting the piles of slag.

Somewhere from the center of the room came a muffled cough breaking the eerie silence saturating the battle torn room. Another cough slipped through the rubble, followed by yet another. A slight movement shifted a pile of plaster sending a small round piece skipping down the side of the heap. Just another moment had passed when suddenly a large piece of the ceiling erupted from the pile and flipped over as a blonde haired freckle faced teenager broke through the dust and gasped for a breath of air. A fresh cloud of dust fluttered to life as Ron shuttered into a fresh fit of coughing and wheezing.

"Cough...cough...gasp…HEEEE…wheeze…Oh boy….Kp…Kp? KP!" Ron spun around frantically looking over the rubble at the realization that his bestfriend was nowhere to be found. "KIM!" after only seconds of visual search his brain escaped its stupor and kicked into auto pilot forcing his search under the piles of plaster ad debris. Chunks of ceiling flew through the air, the dust thickening with each piece that exploded against the floor. Trembling hands clawed at the ground as a gentle heart beat with the desperation of a lost child. Finally his right hand brushed against a soft fleshy appendage.

"KIM!" Ron's voice almost cried as he quickly unearth his girlfriend and gently pulled her free of the plaster to cradle her in his arms. "KP! Say something!" brown eyes border lined on full on tears as his face drooped painfully at the site of the limp girl. Twenty years of sadness jerked at the muscles in his face as liquid emotion almost poured until suddenly the redhead stirred in his arms and seemed to awaken back to life. She struggled for only a moment in obvious reaction to the fall that occurred only seconds before but quickly calmed at the feeling of Ron's arms holding her gently. Kim blinked and sputtered for air and a moment later her emerald eyes beheld a set of chocolate brown that stared back laden with worry. She greeted them with a week smile and squeezed Ron's hand gently as she found its grasp.

Ron shivered, the panic slowly drained from his mind quickly being replaced by relief. "Kim you had me worried for a second there."

Kim smiled sheepishly at him for a second, batted her eyes gently then shrugged. "No big Ron." After a brief moment in his arms Kim picked herself up off the floor and stood with little help from her boyfriend.

"Argh! My hair is a mess!" A red mane fluttered in the air as Kim scowled and began raking her fingers through her hair trying to untangle some debris, flinging pieces of plaster as she did. Ron now standing beside her began half heartedly brushing dust from his cargo pants. He stood there for a moment zoning out blankly until a look of realization snapped to his face.

"RUFUS!" Frantically Ron began pawing at his numerous cargo pockets looking for his naked pal with no avail. Two eyes darted around scanning the rubble until he dove into a nearby pile of plaster digging furiously as he shouted over his shoulder. "Kim help!" Several pieces of plaster flew over Kim's head before she too was on her hands and knees sifting through the debris.

In the sudden burst of hustle neither of the two teens noticed a small pink body clamber from under and overturned desk. Rufus hoped onto the desktop and stood on his hind feet taking a moment to watch his two human friends playing in the dirt. A moment later he scurried down and began digging right in between the two of them. Ron was just throwing a particularly large piece over his shoulder when he noticed the mole rat digging right beside him.

"RUFUS!" The poor little guy squeaked audibly as Ron snatched him up into a miniature bear hug. The little guy struggled slightly as his boy's happiness all but crushed him. "Ugh…TIGHT…Aww."

"Ron, ease up he's ok." Kim stepped up and patted Rufus on the head as Ron released his friend allowing the little guy to scamper up onto his open palm.

"Sorry there buddy."

"Sok." Rufus flashed a bucktooth grin and threw out a thumbs-up.

Kim smiled at the two of them as she looked around beginning to soak in their surroundings.

"What happened KP? One minute we're coming down the stairs and next think you know we're under and pile of junk!

The red head squinted and started around the room. The gears in her head were instantly spinning into mission mode noting the scarred walls and obvious electrical burns on the walls. "I'm not sure Ron. Maybe Wade can…" Her voice stopped abruptly as the Kimunicator emerged from her pants pocket only blipped on only to produce white snowy static on the tiny screen. Changing the channel reward them with the same endless white snow. "That's weird. We've always had signal in buildings before." Kim scowled at the handheld then pocketed it again.

Ron shrugged and followed Kim's lead around the room. "Maybe it was damaged in the fall?"

Kim looked up just in time to watch dust fly from her boyfriend's hair as he absent-mindedly ran his finger through his hair. "Ugh! Ron you're filthy!" she stopped a moment and surveyed her own clothing. "So am I, lets get out of here so we can call Wade and get cleaned up." The tanking grasp of Ron's hand firmly she made for the exit.

Ron's silly grin shone brightly at Kim's sudden insistence. "You don't have to ask me twice. Coming Kimilla! Common Rufus!" Not that it was necessary to tell the pin rodent as he was already perched on Ron's shoulder.

"Hick! Dirty!" A big buck tooth grinned as the mole rat saluted and clambered down into his cargo pants pocket hideaway.

A few moments later the two were making their way through the building's hallways until stumbling into the stairway again.

"KP, I don't know why but I have this funny feeling about this place." Ron looked around nervously as they began down the steps. His hand involuntarily slipped into Kim's, her fingers lacing into his in response.

"No big Ron. We'll get to the bottom of this." Her hair bounced as they took more steps her voice coming out clear and a confident as usual. Unknown to Ron, Kim herself was kind of puzzled as to what had happened. It was all a blur.

"Did we fall or something?"

She cringed. The only answer she had bothered her somewhat as she was at a loss to explain what had really happened. After a brief pause her words came deliberately slow, "I don't think so." Another pause, and nibble of the lower lip, another response, "We were on a stair way…if we would have fallen we'd have landed on more stairs…right?"

"Make sense to me KP." Ron nodded as he watched his feet take each step one at a time. He breathed deeply in contemplation. "This kind of seems like the stair case we were on before we fell… doesn't it?"

Kim looked hard at her own feet for a moment. "Something weird is going on I can just feel it."

Finally they found the bottom of the stair well and hurried out into the main hallway. A sudden sense of urgency had been growing in their chests and now the two moved at almost a fast jog towards the exit. The expected relief dissipated like smoke as Kim and Ron pushed out through the exit and stepped out onto the street, their minds reeled as the bright street lights contrasted with the dark night sky sending them into sensory overload.

They both snapped forward grabbing each other forcefully in shock as car lights washed over them as they passed. Something was definitely not right in Middleton.

I'm sorry it's been so long. This chapter really was rather dull. Didn't mean for it to be but it ended up that way anyway. I'm terrible at moving a story alone to the interesting/exciting parts. Next chapter will have a couple interesting twists and turns as real confrontation begins; I just had to get the story up to that point. It's been a long dull ride I know. Thanks for everyone who's hung in there and thanks for the reviews!