"This is a bad idea."
"Yes, Tennyson, I know," Dexter growled out, arms crossed, one hand clenching the opposite arm in annoyance. "You've told me several times now."
"Have I mentioned it's a really bad idea?" Ben challenged, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind the back of his head. "Because this is a really bad idea."
"Ben," Gwen scolded, swatting her cousin on the arm. "You can knock it off now. It's getting old."
"You're starting to sound like a four-year-old," Kevin piped up from the other side of his girlfriend, resting his head lazily in his hand.
Ben leaned forward, resting one arm against the conference table he was seated at.
"Sorry, but I just have to point out it's a bad idea to have those two in a hospital filled with injured citizens," the teenager remarked, pointing a thumb at where Mojo Jojo and Mandark sat. Mojo rolled his eyes, not wanting to engage in verbal combat with someone he deemed of lesser evolutionary standing. Mandark was seething as well, mostly because he was annoyed to be lumped together with Mojo. "Why are they even here?"
Dexter grumbled some unkind words under his breath, rubbing the spot just between his eyes in aggravation. He was running low on sleep, coffee, and patience. Since the alien invasion, Dexter's stress level went higher and higher. He was busy with rolling out the new force-field containment for the heavily infected areas in the world, and he was trying to manage the volunteers that were pouring into Tech Square. There were people lined up when he left for Offworld Plaza, and so it's why he left Computress behind to see to their registration. On top of all that stress, there was also this meeting, which he hadn't even planned at the start.
Max Tennyson had phoned Dexter in the late afternoon the day prior, stating that he had vital information on their enemy, and wanted to share it with the genius and whoever else Dexter deemed important enough to know. However, because of the aged man's responsibilities with the Plumbers, he was sending his grandson's team in his place, and tasked Dexter with getting the ball rolling. So, Dexter filled out the rest of the roster, with all but one currently in attendance.
As loathe as Dexter was to admit it, the boy genius had called in Mandark for the meeting. While Mandark was infinitely in superior to Dexter in every way possible, Dexter couldn't deny that Mandark would be an asset in the war that was being waged. The Professor, Bubbles and Blossom were obvious choices as well. The Powerpuffs were heroes and would need to hear this information, and the Professor was a leading mind in science. Double D, Mojo Jojo, and Kiva Andru were out of left field choices, but were necessary. Double D was a kid from the Cul-de-Sac that Dexter had encountered occasionally at science fairs. The kid was a scarily talented engineer, and he had contacted Dexter about his theory on the alien invaders, and that had piqued Dexter's interest. The boy genius had extended an invitation to Coop Kaplowski since he was Megas' driver, arguably the most powerful thing to fight the aliens, but Kiva Andru had come in his stead. Kiva deemed the meeting too important to let Coop come alone to, so she invited herself (and apparently, Coop and Jamie had a Beasts and Barbarians video game tournament running that Coop deemed more important than a meeting to save the world). Sitting next to her was the Providence representative, Amber Ignis. Although he had been unsure if Providence would even bother answering his call considering how that went last time, the woman had been the first to show up. Mojo's inclusion had earned him an annoyed glare from Blossom (and Ben's many vocal complaints), but Mojo's reason for being there was for something Dexter was planning after the meeting. The only unknown, uninvited individual was the lone samurai sitting in the corner. The stranger had just appeared out of nowhere and sat himself in the corner, pulling his straw hat over his eyes and probably resting. No one dared to approach him and tell him to leave, so he was allowed to stay.
The group in attendance was at Memorial Hospital, using one of their largest rooms for the meeting. The initial plan was to have it at DexLabs, but Dexter didn't want Mojo or Mandark near his technology. The hospital seemed like neutral territory, though the annoyed look they had received from a pink haired volunteer upon arriving made Dexter wonder how long the staff would allow them to use the room before coming in and kicking them out. The meeting was supposed to have started ten minutes ago, but they were being held up by one missing member. Dexter had sent out an invitation to Kids Next Door operative Numbuh One of Sector V, and the eleven-year-old had yet to make an appearance.
The door at the front of the room suddenly opened, and in stepped Numbuhs Two and Five of Sector V. Not Numbuh One.
"Oh. Are we late?" Numbuh Two asked, staring back at all the eyes on him.
Dexter almost responded, because honestly, he was reaching the end of his fuse. However, Numbuh Five beat him to it. She took off her hat and whacked him on the shoulder with it.
"Of course we're late. Numbuh Five told you to hurry up, but you had to mess with the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. anyway," his fellow operative lectured.
"Well I couldn't just let that noise slide," Numbuh Two argued back, defending himself. "How was I supposed to know it was a hamster getting a tan?"
"Can we get to the matter at hand?" Dexter cut in, shutting down their argument. "I sent the invitation to Numbuh One. Where is he?"
"He's back at the Treehouse," Numbuh Five answered, already moving toward an open seat on the opposite of Mandark. Numbuh Two followed behind her dutifully, flashing an embarrassed smile at the group. "With communications down between us and the Moonbase, Numbuh One is filling in as Soopreme Leaduh. He sent us in his place."
"Fine. With you two here, we can finally start," Dexter said with a sigh, resisting the urge to run his hand down his face. He turned and addressed Ben, "What can you tell us about these creatures?"
Ben pulled out a disc the size of his palm from his jacket's pocket, and placed it in the middle of the table. He then tapped the glassy surface, bringing up a holographic projection of the planet that was looming up in the sky.
"So, according to the Galactic Enforcers, this is Planet Fusion," he explained, resting his arm on the table once more. "The planet is ruled by some jerk known simply as Lord Fuse, and his underlings that invaded our planet three days ago are referred to as Fusions. They come out of Terrafusers, which are the plants that are taking root in our soil. No information on how long he's been around, but the estimated belief is that he has been conquering and consuming planets far longer than a millennia. The Galactic Guardians-"
"Uh... you mean the Galactic Enforcers?" Numbuh Two cut in, attempting to correct Ben.
"Nope. There's the Enforcers and then the Guardians," Kevin answered in the other teen's place. "Pretty unoriginal naming if you ask me."
Gwen elbowed her boyfriend as a warning.
"Yeah, so anyways, according to them, only two planets have survived an assault by Fuse. The Glorfts managed to repel Fuse-"
"Of course they did," Kiva complained with a huff.
"- and the Ectonurites joined forces to protect themselves against him," Ben continued, not at all stopping when he heard Kiva's comment. "All other planets that have crossed paths with Fuse and his planet were wiped out completely."
There was a moment of silence after the info dump Ben laid on them. Each person was digesting the information they had been given. Kevin and Gwen were the only two unaffected, already having heard this from Max. They had more time to digest the information over the others.
"So... is there any way to stop this Fuse?" Professor Utonium asked, looking around the group uncertainly. "Mojo, you went up against him and came out of it in one piece. Any ideas?"
Mojo crossed his arms and pointedly looked away from everyone in the room.
"Hmph. It is true that I, Mojo Jojo, encountered Fuse in my giant robot and that I, Mojo Jojo, returned to Earth in one piece. However, there is no information to be given," the simian answered.
Mandark snorted, rolling his eyes from behind his glasses. "Well that was useless."
Bubbles frowned in Mandark's direction, but turned a comforting smile in Mojo's direction.
"It's okay, Mojo. You did what you could," she encouraged him.
"So there's no way to stop him?" Double D fretted, wringing his hands out of anxiety.
"The military is in shambles," Dexter reported, one finger tapping the table surface rhythmically. "Global Security and the Justice Friends haven't responded to any of my calls. Communication was lost with the Moonbase. Imaginary Man and Monkey, along with low-tier heroes, are missing."
"Megas is completely covered in that Fusion goo," Kiva added in, frowning. "We've been trying to get close to it, but haven't made any progress."
"The Galactic Enforcers are too far away to help," Gwen jumped in. "The Galactic Guardians have agreed to help, but twenty-five percent of their fleet have gone missing, presumably by Fuse."
"What about those volunteers?" Blossom asked, directing her question and gaze at Dexter. "You mentioned something about them in your broadcast. Are you serious about it?"
Dexter exhaled through his nostrils, trying those deep-breathing exercises his sister lectured him about.
"I didn't have any plans finalized on the matter, but many popped up the morning after, signing up to help in whatever way possible," Dexter answered, rubbing his left temple. "The Kids Next Door opened up their own volunteer system, haven't they?"
Numbuhs Two and Five nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, just yesterday in fact," Numbuh Five answered. "So long as they're under the age of eleven, kids can sign up as volunteers only without joining the organization officially. They're given supplies and weapons by us, but they can't enter a Sector's treehouse or be in any of our meetings."
"Rolf is doing something similar with the Urban Rangers," Double D piped in. "Although Rolf is making them join the organization as official members, and they can't venture far from the Suburbs."
"The Plumbers are planning to go public and supply the volunteers with whatever technology they can give to help out," Ben contributed to the conversation, leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his neck. "I talked to Rex over at Providence, and apparently they're thinking of doing something similar. That's still the plan, right Amber?"
Amber's frown deepened into a scowl, annoyed with the familiarity Ben had when speaking to her. She didn't vocalize her issue, however, and settled for nodding in confirmation at his question.
"DexLabs is already producing weapons and armor to help," Dexter said. "What about you, Mandark?"
"Of course Mandark Industries will be producing weapons and armor," Mandark stated, slightly appalled that Dexter would imply otherwise. "I can't have you flooding the market with your inferior product!"
Dexter rolled his eyes, not letting his heckles rise at the jab. He had other things to take care of. "After today's meeting, I will be issuing a public statement in regards to volunteering. I hope to have it more fleshed out once I finalize one last issue," Dexter explained vaguely, not going into any detail about what the issue was. "In the meantime, if organizations or groups you are apart of can help supply the volunteers with gear, armor, weapons, whatever, that would be of great assistance. In the crisis to come, we will need every bit of help we can find."
"Excuse me. If I might ask, how much is known about his underlings?" the samurai questioned, causing a few members to jump in their seats due to having forgotten he was around. He was standing up in the corner, lifting up the brim of his straw hat so that he could see everyone.
"Well... the smallest monsters are called Fusion Spawns," Ben answered. "But that's all the information we have on them. Apparently, the new variations that have been popping up are new."
The samurai frowned slightly in thought. "I see. So it is possible for them to take on any shape they wish?"
"From what we've been told, yes," Gwen answered.
The samurai nodded, his face clearing with a look of epiphany.
"I see, so that explains why the creature looked like myself," the samurai commented aloud.
Various people stared in surprise at the samurai, some dropping their mouths open in surprise. Mojo Jojo looked alarmed by the revelation, Double D looked ready to faint, and even Amber, who had been apathetic throughout the meeting, raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
"Could you repeat that?" Dexter questioned. "Did you just say one of these Fusion monsters looked like you?"
"Correct," the samurai answered. "I was in the Darklands when a small monster - I believe you would call it a Fusion Spawn - rushed up and stole my sandal. After a second or so, the creature began to transform, and it took the shape of myself," The samurai rubbed his left eye almost absentmindedly, and it was then that the assembled group noticed the freshly made scar running down his eye. "I did battle with it, and managed to drive it off."
"You weren't able to get rid of it?" Bubbles asked curiously.
The samurai dropped his head in shame. "Unfortunately, no. The Fusion was more powerful than I suspected it to be. I only managed to stave it off. I suspect it is still somewhere in the Darklands."
Dexter dropped his head back, staring up at the ceiling for a moment as he collected his thoughts. At that moment, they were interrupted by a knock at the door, followed by the same pink-haired volunteer from earlier poking her head in.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but are you almost done?" the kid asked. "We need the space."
Dexter glanced over Ben's way, silently asking the teenager if there was anything else he was leaving out. Ben shook his head in the negative.
"Yes, that's all," Dexter answered the girl. "But I'll need the room for only a few minutes more."
The pink haired kid frowned in annoyance. "Fine, but only five more." She closed the door behind her a bit aggressively.
"Well, on that note, I want to thank you all for coming," Dexter addressed the group. "We've learned a lot today, and we have a monumental task laying before us. "
The members stood up and began to exit the room, some talking amongst each other about what they had learned, others already making phone calls.
"Ben, Double D, Mojo," Dexter called, stopping the three from leaving. "I need you three to stay behind for a moment. I need to have a word with you."
Ben raised one eyebrow up, but waved off his cousin and her boyfriend, re-taking his seat and sending a frown in Mojo's direction. Double D, with a perplexed look on his face, mirrored the hero's action and took his seat again. Mojo had been sitting already, so he settled for re-crossing his arms and waiting for whatever it was that Dexter wanted; he had more important things to do. Dexter waited until the last of their guests - the unknown samurai - exited the room before addressing them.
"I need to have a brief conversation with you three about being guides..."
"...Day Five of Fuse's Invasion, and already the total number of missing persons has risen to..."
Alice muted her television, not wanting to hear Diane Farrah's report. She never used to watch so much news before the alien invasion, but it was the only thing that was on. A majority of the channels had been knocked off air, leaving only a handful still operational. In only a short amount of time, Ultimate Exposure and Harangue Nation became the most watched programs, and even channels that didn't carry the two picked them up. Ultimate Exposure used to be dedicated exclusively to EVOs, but Diane had expanded her reach to talk about the Fusions, and was among the first to do so. Harangue Nation had been knocked off air for a day, but had quickly found a way to get back on T.V., and his anti-alien messages became wildly popular with the invasion going on. Alice stayed away from Harangue, not wanting to hear about what he had to say. Alice had heard that the Kids Next Door had a channel dedicated exclusively to their organization, but they didn't release it for the public, and Alice didn't know how to get access to it. Considering she was just shy of thirteen, she didn't think they'd just willingly tell her.
So much had happened in only a short amount of time, but Alice was used to things changing at the drop of a hat. One day she had a mom, the next she didn't. One day she thought she was human, the next day she found out she was an alien.
One day the world wasn't invaded by aliens, the next day it was.
Since the invasion, information on their invaders began popping up. The planet was known as Planet Fusion and was controlled by an alien by the name of Lord Fuse. The creatures attacking were called Fusions, with the small green ones known as Fusion Spawns. The plant that they came from was known as Terrafusers. The larger creatures didn't have a name, so Dexter was sending out volunteers to catalogue all the different variations and name them. So far, more than three-fourth had been named.
That was another addition: volunteers. Although Dexter had mentioned them in passing on the night of Fuse's invasion, it seemed that people jumped to the call regardless. They signed up and began assisting the heroes in fighting off the Fusions. The Urban Rangers had seen a surge in numbers, and the Kids Next Door were running a volunteer program for any kid under the age of eleven. With these new volunteers, armor and weapons produced by DexLabs, Mandark Industries, the Urban Rangers, the Kids Next Door and the Plumbers (after they went public about their organization) were starting to be sold. Dexter supplied every volunteer with an updated version of his DexLabs communicator, designed specifically for the war.
The volunteers did everything from fighting off Fusions to patrolling to cleaning up Fusion Matter in the Infected Zones. The Infected Zones were the areas that had been heavily damaged by Fusion Matter. A day after the invasion, Dexter had rolled out force-field technology that enclosed the heavily infected areas to keep the toxic substance from spreading faster. Some group known as S.A.C.T. was partnering with DexLabs to clean up the Fusion Matter in these zones since they had some sort of technology that could help contain the toxic substance.
Alice didn't join in the frenzy, choosing to stay tucked up safely in her home. She would have gone to Nowhere to be with her family, but the journey was dangerous now that there were creatures roaming around powerful enough to hurt people. They couldn't come and get her, and she couldn't go to them. Still, that didn't stop her aunt from calling her every day to check in on her, making sure she was doing alright and that the Fusions hadn't gotten her.
Looking away from the news report, Alice glanced out her window, staring out toward the Cul-de-Sac. The Urban Rangers liked to patrol around Peach Creek Commons and Estates, taking out the local Fusions. From time to time, a few Fusions would get close to Alice's home, but the Rangers took care of them without fail. Today, however, something new had been added to the Cul-de-Sac. She got off the couch and stepped out onto the porch, staring across the street to get a better look.
Cardboard boxes surrounded the outline of the Cul-de-Sac, about three layers high. She could see several Urban Rangers standing at the top of the construct, using a pulley system to move the boxes. Curious about what was happening, Alice left her front porch and followed the sidewalk to the entrance, approaching the opening of the fortress which was being guarded by two Rangers Alice didn't recognize. They looked younger than her, but not by very much. The two didn't say a word as Alice walked past them, venturing further inwards. She glanced around as she looked for Double D, finding that the neighborhood had some patches of Fusion Matter spattered around, but not in dangerous doses like the Infected Zones. As she got closer to the dead-end, she found Double D standing at the base of a throne made out of cardboard, a purple chair sitting at the top of the platform. The boy had his back to her, scribbling away on his tablet.
"Double D?" Alice called out cautiously, not wanting to frighten him.
"Yes?" Double D questioned, turning his head to look over his shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw the girl. He turned around so he could face her properly. "Oh, Alice! Salutations! What brings you here?"
"What's this?" Alice asked, gesturing at the walls surrounding them.
"This is our latest creation," Double D explained gleefully. "We're creating a protective fortress around the Cul-de-Sac to keep out the Hydro Hammers and the Power Painsaws." He seemed a little uncomfortable as he added, "As well as the Kankers."
Alice gave the fortress-in-progress another look around. Along with the cardboard boxes being set up around the perimeter, a handful of Rangers were setting up stands around the curved part of the road. In the center was the throne with a red carpet leading up to it. Alice looked back to Double D and frowned.
"Will this be enough?" she asked, remembering how the Fusions had been able to enter the middle school with almost no effort.
"I believe so," Double D responded with confidence. "Once we get this complete, it'll be too high for the Fusions to invade. There'll also be doors at the front, large and sturdy."
Alice looked back over her shoulder at the entrance. Even with the what was put up, there was no normal doors high enough. How it was going to work wasn't noticeable to Alice at the moment, but Double D was one of the smartest people she knew, so she didn't question it. Instead, she focused on another issue she had noticed upon entering the neighborhood.
"It's empty," Alice noted.
In her life, the Cul-de-Sac had never sounded so quiet. The Eds would usually have some sort of scheme running that was large and fantastical.
"Ah, yes," Double D began, briefly pushing back his sock hat so that it was still on his head correctly. "Rolf is away right now, leading a team of Urban Rangers to Foster's to get more cardboard boxes. Madame Foster was kind enough to give away the boxes for free, so long as we went to collect them. Jimmy is somewhere on the outside, helping build the fortress and keep the monsters from getting close. Sarah is doing some reconnaissance for me in Candy Cove. Kevin was pretty upset about Cutts and Bruises Skate Park being turned into an Infection Zone, so he and Nazz went down to Orchid Bay to see if they can help out." Double D frowned slightly as he finished up in an annoyed tone of voice, "Eddy is in his house right now, waiting for construction to finish."
Alice listened, mentally counting off all the kids he mentioned, but frowned when she realized two kids were missing.
"What about Ed and Jonny?" Alice asked.
"Well...Melonhead hasn't been seen in two days..." Double D trailed off slowly, letting Alice fill in the blanks.
Alice nodded, remembering she had heard about the Cul-de-Sac hero's disappearance. Jonny was a good kid, but Alice didn't think he properly lived in their reality. It wasn't that hard to imagine that he answered the call to protect the Cul-de-Sac and squared off against an enemy he vastly underestimated. He was officially labelled as missing.
"And Ed?" Alice asked gently.
Double D released a sad sigh, glancing away from the girl.
"No clue," the sock-hat boy answered. "He just disappeared."
"I'm sorry," Alice said, frowning in sympathy.
Double D's smile returned, but it didn't reach his eyes like it had before.
"It's fine. Ed's strong, so he should be fine," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "You know, he reads so much monster comics, he's probably an expert on dealing with aliens."
Alice nodded, not saying anything. Double D was obviously trying to be optimistic about Ed's disappearance, and she didn't want to say anything to contradict it. She wasn't nearly as optimistic; not with how high the missing numbers were.
"How are you doing, by the way?" Double D asked the girl. "I'm surprised to see you're still around these parts. I would have figured you'd be in Nowhere. Are your aunt and uncle with you?"
Alice shook her head in answer. "No, they're still in Nowhere. They can't come out this way, but they're doing okay. Aunt Muriel calls every day."
"That's good to hear," Double D said, nodding his head. "You know, if you don't feel comfortable living alone right now, you can stay in our spare room. I'd have to ask my parents, but I can safely say that they'd be more than okay with it."
"Thank you, but I'm okay," Alice answered, repeating word for word the exact same thing she told the Professor.
Professor Utonium had made the same offer only days ago. When he had finished raving over the knowledge that Alice did have powers, he had offered a room to the girl so that she wouldn't be alone. The girl had declined, primarily because she wanted to be at her own home.
"The offer stands if you change your mind," Double D replied.
"Hello! Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt."
Double D and Alice turned as one to the new voice, and Alice's eyes doubled in size when she got a look at the newcomer. A very tall, red being was walking toward the two pre-teens, his only arm curled up, holding flattened cardboard boxes. His other arm ended in a short stump, and one eye was looking broken.
"Hi, Wilt," Double D greeted. "You weren't really interrupting." He turned to Alice, using a free hand to gesture at Wilt. "Alice, this is Wilt, from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. He's been helping us gather the cardboard boxes." He then turned to Wilt and gestured at Alice. "Wilt, this is my classmate, Alice."
"Hello, Alice," Wilt greeted, transferring the boxes from his good arm to his bad one, and Alice was moderately surprised to see that he could use the stumped arm properly. He extended his working arm out toward her. "It is very nice to meet you."
Alice shook hands with him, returning his kind greeting with a shy "Hello" in return.
"Pardon me if this is rude, but are you one of the volunteers?" Wilt asked kindly.
Alice noticed the excited look in Double D's eyes, and glanced away to stare at the concrete. Double D was more involved in the war effort than Alice was, having been announced as one of the four Guides who were spearheading the effort to bring down Fuse. After there were so many people volunteering to help out, Dexter had decided to create the Guide system so that, along with taking out Fusions, there would be more concentration on stopping Fuse. Each of the Guides, made up of Dexter, Ben, Double D, and, surprisingly, Mojo Jojo, had their own path to end Fuse.
Dexter believed that they needed to find the missing heroes like Melonhead, Imaginary Man, Monkey, and so forth so that their firepower could be added to the fight. Ben believed that alien technology needed to be found and kept out of Fuse's hands, so that the alien overlord wouldn't have access to them and turn their powers against Earth's army. Mojo Jojo wanted to improve on his monkey minions, wanting to create a large enough army to fight Fuse. Double D believed that there was hidden candy out in the world that could be used against Fuse.
Knowing that Double D was busy with putting up a fortress and providing guidance to volunteers while Alice sat at home away from danger filled the girl with guilt. She felt like such a coward.
"No," she answered, shaking her head. "I live across the street. I saw the fortress and wanted to see what this was."
"Ooh, that's too bad," Wilt commented. "Wait, was that rude? I'm sorry."
"It's fine, Wilt," Double D assured the Imaginary Friend with a gentle smile. "Thank you for helping out. With the way this is going, we'll have the fortress done by tonight."
"Oh, it's my pleasure!" Wilt replied cheerfully, grinning widely. "I'm always happy to be of assistance."
Alice's attention moved away from the two holding a pleasant conversation, sliding her eyes over the fortress walls, top to bottom. She couldn't be sure, but she felt something bad was close to the other side of the wall. The hair standing on the back of her neck wasn't exactly proof, but that still didn't ease the dread rising up in her.
"Double D-" the girl began, about to ask the sock hat-wearing boy about the safety structure of the fortress.
"FUSIONS OFF THE SOUTH SIDE!" a voice hollered out loudly, cutting off Alice.
Alice looked around in confusion, trying to remember which way was north and south, but Double D had figured it out quickly, turning in the correct direction. The south side was to the right of the throne, and a lone Urban Ranger was at the top of the wall, firing off with a pistol type weapon. A moment later, a Fusion Monster broke through the wall, creating a hole and sending cardboard boxes flying in different directions. The red hydrant body Fusion Monster took two steps into the neighborhood, using its yellow hydrant hands to smash at the ground.
"HYDRO HAMMER!" an Urban Ranger shrieked.
The Rangers that had been setting up stands either ran off or ran toward the invading monster, depending on if they had a weapon on hand or not. The Hydro Hammer whacked its attackers away with the swipe of its hand, sending the kids flying. Wilt dropped the cardboards he'd brought over from Foster's and was able to raise his arm up, catching a kid that flew by, saving her from hitting the ground.
"Thanks!" the kid chirped, grabbing her baseball bat from off the ground and running back to fight the monster.
"You're welcome," Wilt called after her.
"That isn't a Hydro Hammer," Double D observed, his eyes widening. "It's the boss, High Hydro Hammer. Quickly, we need to get somewhere safe."
"I'm sorry, but shouldn't we help out?" Wilt asked, frowning in concern. "That monster is bad news."
Double D worried his lower lip, glancing around his neighborhood. A small number of Urban Rangers were trying to kill the invader, but more Rangers were lying on the pavement, curled up in injury. Despite Double D's first instinct to run, he took in a deep breath and nodded.
"Right, let's get the injured Rangers out of the fight," Double D agreed. "They're sitting ducks if they stay where they are."
Alice stood rooted in place, watching Wilt and Double D work to get the injured Rangers to safety. Double D moved the Rangers closest to him away from the fight, while Wilt ran closer to the injured Rangers near the hole in the wall. A few Urban Rangers had recovered on their own and went back to join the fight and push the invader back. The High Hydro Hammer didn't want to be cornered at the hole it had created, however, so it swiped at the line of Urban Rangers blocking its path, sending the kids flying back. Wilt ran to their side, scooping up two with his working appendage. He paused in his actions when he noticed the shadow looming over him. He looked up, finding the boss Fusion raise its hand up high over its body, aiming for Wilt and the injured Rangers.
Alice's eyes widened, and for a very brief moment, her scenery changed. She was back in her junior high's hallway, watching a Fusion Monster raise its hand at Suzy and swing it down. When Alice blinked, the scenery returned her to the Cul-de-Sac, and she watched as the High Hydro Hammer brought its hand down upon Wilt and the Rangers he was assisting.
Alice screamed at the top of her lungs, dimly aware that lightbulb glass was breaking around her. She raised a hand up on instinct, like she had done days ago in the junior high hallway, except that nothing flew at the monster. Instead, a ball of energy shaped in the palm of her hand and shot at the monster, hitting it in the side. The monster paused in its attack, turning its attention away from its captives and onto Alice. Moving over the humans below it, the Fusion Monster ran at Alice. Acting on instinct, Alice raised her second hand and fired off more energy balls, one after the other at the monster to slow it down.
The High Hydro Hammer raised its hand up and swung down on Alice, with the girl reflexively crossing her arms into an X above her in an attempt to protect herself. The High Hydro Hammer pressed its hand further into the spot, to ensure that its enemy was defeated, but it felt resistance. Slowly, the hand was pushed back, revealing that Alice had been unharmed. A bright light encased the girl like an outline, and she was protected in a sphere constructed out of blue light. Her hair floated around her and her eyes glowed a bright blue color, hiding away her irises completely.
Alice rose off the ground, using the sphere to push back against the Hydro Hammer's body part until she completely knocked it away from her. The monster stumbled a step from the force, righting itself before it could fall over. Dropping the protective sphere from around her, Alice raised both her arms, and the High Hydro Hammer's arms mimicked her actions, raising up high into the air over its body. Then, with a downward swipe, the High Hydro Hammer's arms mimicked her actions and descended, hitting itself with its own body parts. The momentum sent the boss Fusion to the ground, and it dissolved into a puddle of Fusion Matter.
The light that surrounded Alice like an outline died away, and the light in her eyes gave way to her normal bright blue. She crumpled to her hands and knees, the energy that had powered her vanishing. Anything that had been in her stomach promptly exited out her mouth, becoming a puddle below her. Alice's energy was leaving her, and the muscles in her arms strained with the effort of keeping her upright. A presence at her right side was the only thing stopping her from buckling in exhaustion. She caught a glimpse of a black beanie and an orange shirt, and her mind groggily supplied that this was Double D holding her up. His mouth was moving, but it took a second for Alice to make out what the words were. They sounded muffled, even though she was sitting right next to him.
"-mmy, go and get me a bowl of water, a rag, and a cup of water. Ranger Ralphie, grab a bucket and mop, and clean this up. Ranger Charles, Ranger Melissa, get the injured medical attention. Ranger Joey, gather all the Rangers and protect our fortress. Do not allow another monster to enter!"
A chorus of "Affirmative" sounded out from the Rangers Double D had barked orders to, and they were off running to act upon them. Alice was momentarily surprised by Double D's authority; she'd seen him, on the rare occasion, blow up on Ed and Eddy when the two crossed a line, but she had never seen him take command. Maybe his position as the school's editor-in-chief gave him some leadership experience.
"I'm sorry, but can you move?" a voice to her left caught her attention.
Turning her head to look at this new voice was a lot harder than it should have been, but she eventually did it. Crouching at her side was Wilt, his one good eye looking at her in concern. Alice thought over his question, and then shook her head. Her legs were functional, but moving about on her own would end up with her falling over.
"That's okay," Double D said, his voice soft and assuring. "We've got you."
As a team, Double D and Wilt lifted Alice onto her feet, and dragged her to a chair underneath one of the canopies. The shade felt nice and cool to the girl, and she closed her eyes momentarily. Falling asleep sounded like a wonderful idea, but Double D was at her side, keeping her awake. Jimmy arrived with Double D's requested items, handing over a water bottle instead of a cup. He didn't hand over the bowl of water like Alice assumed he would. Instead, he put the rag in the bowl, wringing out the excess water. He was about to clean her face, but paused when he saw the startled look in Alice's eyes. Smiling softly, he held out the rag to the girl, and although she was still drained from her burst of power, Alice managed to grip the rag in her hand and clean around her mouth.
Double D handed her the water bottle after opening it, letting her take a drink out of it on her own instead of doing it for her, saving her from the embarrassment. Her energy was coming back to her, and so she was able to hold it steady. She took a long sip of the drink, recognizing that it was one of Jimmy's fancy brands. She dropped her gaze to her lap, embarrassed by the way the trio fussed over her. She meant to thank them for their kindness, but Eddy's sudden arrival and the accusing look on his face shut her up.
"What the heck was that!?" Eddy demanded, freaked out.
"A Fusion Monster," Double D answered, rising to his feet. "Specifically a High Hydro Hammer."
"I'm not talking about that, genius," Eddy snapped, glaring at his slightly taller friend. He thrust out a hand in Alice's direction. "I'm talking about her! I wanna know how an EVO got in my fortress!"
Alice reeled back from the accusation; not because she was actually an EVO, but because his words were laced in venom.
"Eddy!" Double D snapped, a disapproving glare on his face. "She just saved the Cul-de-Sac, which includes you! Try to show some gratitude."
"Defending the fort was your job," Eddy argued back. "We wouldn't have needed her help had you done your job right."
Double D sputtered indignantly at the accusation.
"I'm sorry, but that's not okay," Wilt jumped into the conversation with a frown on his face, coming to Double D and Alice's defense.
"Yeah, even if she is an EVO, she was still nice enough to help us!" Jimmy added in.
"I'm not an EVO," Alice spoke up, her free hand flying up to cover her mouth just a second after.
She didn't know what compelled her to speak out, but the words were left out in the open, and all attention was back on her. Eddy's eyes narrowed in accusation.
"What then? A demon?" Eddy demanded. "That's even worse!"
Alice removed her hand from her mouth, moving it to her lap. She didn't dare meet anyone's eyes, worried about what the response would be when she revealed the truth.
"I'm an alien," she answered slowly, closing her eyes. "I...I was sent here when I was a baby. I only just found out very recently."
"An alien, huh?" Eddy questioned. He pointed at the hole in the wall made by the High Hydro Hammer, keeping his narrowed eyes on Alice. "Like one of them?"
Alice flinched at the accusation, keeping her eyes clenched shut so she wouldn't have to see the frightened looks on everyone else's faces.
"Take that back!" Jimmy spoke up, his voice rising several octaves. "She saved us, so she's clearly not on their side!"
Eddy frowned, transferring his attention from Jimmy to Alice. The girl continued to sit in the lawn chair, skin still pale from her earlier display of power, eyes shut tightly. Her face was twisted up in fear. Eddy's anger and fright simmered down, and he looked away in guilt. He didn't know Alice as a friend, but he did know what she was like, and she wasn't his enemy. He had been scared when he saw the Hydro Hammer break through his fortress' defenses and then at Alice's power, and he had taken that fear out on Alice. He knew that wasn't right, but he was too proud to admit it.
"Whatever," Eddy muttered, turning around and heading back for his home.
"I'm sorry, but that was seriously rude of him," Wilt commented, frowning at Eddy's retreating form.
Double D sighed in frustration, already preparing the lecture he would give to Eddy later in the day. "That's Eddy for you."
"Are you feeling better?" Jimmy asked Alice, smiling when he saw her open her eyes.
"Yes," Alice answered. "Thank you."
"Awwh, it's no problem," Jimmy said. "Eddy's just a big bully."
"Alice, if I may ask, what exactly did you do?" Double D asked, crouching down at Alice's side again.
"I... don't know," Alice answered, looking down at her hands. "Not entirely. Mr. Tennyson said it could be a few things, but he doesn't know either. I...I never tested them to see what I could do."
She clenched her hand, feeling guilt course through her. The Professor had relayed to Max Tennyson that Alice had powers, and Max had relayed that information to Ben. While Max wanted her to come and see him in Townsville Park (Plumber Headquarters under Space Port was quarantined off in an Infected Zone, so Max and the Plumbers had to relocate elsewhere) to test out her powers, he had Ben as the messenger since Ben was closer to Alice's age than he was, and he figured she'd be more willing to agree. Ben was nothing but persistent, and contacted her at least once a day, trying to get her to go meet his grandpa and to join the war. Alice had ignored each request, choosing to stay home.
It was an incredibly selfish move.
"Ohohoho. What has happened while Rolf has been away?"
The tension was momentarily broken by Rolf's sudden appearance, his band of four Urban Rangers following immediately behind him. Rolf hopped off of his trusty pig Wilbur, directing the pig and his Rangers to take the cardboard boxes to the hole in the wall, and then made his way to the group.
"Hello all," Rolf greeted cheerily. "Ranger Jimmy, report."
Jimmy saluted, instantly falling into his Ranger persona.
"A High Hydro Hammer invaded the Cul-de-Sac, but Alice fought it off, sir!" Jimmy reported.
Rolf's eyebrows raised up into his hairline, skeptical of his subordinate's assessment. He glanced around Jimmy's person to look at the girl in question, frowning heavily when he saw the girl curl inward.
"Hmmm?" Rolf hummed, scrutinizing the girl. "You are sure?"
"It's true," Double D stepped in, backing up Jimmy's story. "Of course, she didn't do it with any physical strength."
"Hmph. Rolf does not believe Alice girl knows how to fight," Rolf stated. Wilt opened his mouth to protest, but Rolf was finished with the conversation. "No matter. There is work to be done. Ranger Jimmy, to your post!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Jimmy shouted, following behind his leader. He paused just long enough to look over his shoulder and give a "See ya later, Alice!" before he continued after Rolf, grabbing Wilt's dropped cardboard boxes along the way.
"Thank you, Alice," Double D said out of nowhere, surprising the girl.
"Why?" Alice asked.
"Why?" Double D repeated, looking back at her in confusion. "You saved us!"
"I'm sorry, but if it hadn't been for you, that monster would have gone on a rampage," Wilt added in.
"More Fusions would have breached our defenses," Double D continued. "The Urban Rangers would have been badly hurt, or even worse."
"If you hadn't stepped in, I would have been squished." A shiver ran through the Imaginary Friend's body, like he was recalling a bad memory. "I'm sorry, but that is not a fun experience."
"I know you've been through a lot," Double D stated tenderly. "And this may be scary, but the alliance could really use someone like you."
Alice's face flushed in embarrassment under their praise, her hand tightening up around her water bottle. She averted her gaze, letting her attention wander over her surroundings. The Fusion Matter had been cleaned up, and the Urban Rangers - under Rolf's loud instructions - were making quick work on patching up the hole.
Double D and Wilt were right. If Alice had stayed holed up in her home instead of investigating the Cul-de-Sac's fortress, the High Hydro Hammer could have done more damage than a hole in the wall. Who knows how many more Rangers would have been seriously hurt? Would any of them have gone missing? And what about Double D? He was a Guide, making him a very important person to the war. What would have been lost if Double D had been attacked by the boss Fusion?
"You're right," she muttered. "I'll... I'll join the volunteers."
Wilt and Double D shared a brief look of surprise with each other before turning their attention back on the girl curled inward in the chair in front of them.
"Are you sure?" the Imaginary Friend asked her with a concerned frown on his face.
Alice gulped and nodded, moving her eyes away from the hole to look at the water bottle in her lap.
"Yes," she agreed, hoping that she sounded more confident than she felt.
Alice fidgeted, running her eyes side to side in anxiety. Her eyes roamed over the space, taking in the appearance of all the other kids waiting in line around her. All of them looked more confident in their choice than she felt. She hadn't told her aunt and uncle about her choice yet, mainly because she was afraid of losing her nerves if she talked to them about it. Her aunt and uncle disagreed with letting young people join in the war efforts, and there was a good chance neither of them would approve of her joining.
She was in Tech Square, in front of DexLabs, where five stations had been set up to process the incoming volunteers. Hovering overhead were three large bulletin boards, each one displaying a holographic image of DexLabs founder, Dexter. Alice had heard the recorded message enough times to have it memorized.
"Greetings. Thank you for joining in the effort to protect the Earth from our alien invaders. Before you may participate, you will be required to choose a Guide. This Guide that you will choose will provide you with specific requests in an effort to bring an end to our enemy. If, for whatever reason, you no longer wish to be with this Guide, you have the option to change from one to another at a later time," Dexter's pre-recorded message explained. "Remember: The time is now. The hero is you."
A Dexbot stood at attention by each station, helping streamline the process as volunteers traded in their old communicators for new ones, specially designed for the war. The morning after the invasion, the entire plaza had been filled with people wanting to sign up. Because it was later in the day, there were only a few.
The kid in front of Alice stepped away from the station, taking their newly minted communicator with them. Alice took a hesitant step forward, putting her communicator in the slot. On the screen of the station was an image of the four Guides with a small info box underneath each one to explain what their goal for the war was. Alice had been thinking about her choice the entire trip over.
Alice ruled Mojo Jojo out instantly. She didn't want to work with him or for him. While many villains were pledging to assist the heroes in the fight against Fuse (or at least they promised not to interfere in the heroes' efforts), Alice didn't trust their intentions. Mojo's attempts to take over Townsville again and again and again didn't harbor a whole lot of trust for the brainy simian. That left Dexter, Double D and Ben. While Alice did want to help Dexter find the missing heroes, and she knew Double D better than she knew the other Guides, Alice ultimately chose Ben as her guide. His mission with alien technology spoke to Alice more than the missions of the other two. And, maybe, she'd learn more about her blossoming powers.
Alice's new communicator popped out of another slot, having changed from white to green, and the DexLabs logo that was used as the communicator's background image changed to the green hourglass symbol of the Plumbers. All of her contacts, emails, photos (not that she took many) and anything else she saved on her old communicator was transferred directly into the new one. Alice picked up her new device and walked out of line, letting the kid behind her use the station.
She moved away from the lines and went down the steps till she arrived at the fountain that acted as no man's land between DexLabs and Mandarks. No one else was in the vicinity, giving Alice some privacy. She took a seat on the fountain's ledge and balanced her new communicator on her knees. She lightly tapped on the communicator's glassy surface. A holographic projection of a chibi sized Computress appeared from out of it.
"Greetings," the Chibi Computress began, doing a quick bow in greeting. "On behalf of DexLabs Inc, I would like to thank you for agreeing to join in the fight for our world against Lord Fuse and his legion of Fusions. Your new communicator functions as your old communicator did, and all data from your communicator was transferred to this device. Your communicator has been outfitted with several functions necessary for the fight ahead. A hammerspace function has been added to carry your items for you, no matter the weight and size. Simply pressing the digitize button will put your item in the communicator. Tapping on the button again will de-digitalize it. Your communicator's ID number has been registered with DexLabs, and has been given its own unique email address. With this new address, DexLabs, your Guide, and important members to the war has access to it and can send you emails requesting your assistance. A journal application has been added to your communicator, to help keep track of what requests you have taken on. A directory on Fusion Monsters has been added, and is updated frequently to reflect the most recent data. A Fusion Matter containment unit has been equipped, and will clean up Fusion Matter from defeated Fusion Monsters. It also functions as a counter, keeping track of the number of Fusions you defeat. Your communicator will also give you access to the Infected Zones. Simply present it to the Dexbot attendant, and you will be..."
Alice followed Chibi Computress' tutorial, watching the holographic projection show where each new function of the communicator was. As the tutorial went on, the reality that she was committing herself to the war twisted her stomach into painful knots. Her hands shook as the fear flowed its way through her, and her breathing became labored. What was she thinking? Why had she thought she could do it?
Alice closed her eyes, attempting to get herself under control.
Mom, I'm scared.
Her eyes were closed tightly, so she hadn't noticed when Chibi Computress finished the tutorial and disappeared. She did, however, hear her communicator chime. The email icon was flashing, alerting her that she had an email. Tapping on it, she opened the app to find a robo-email from her guide, Ben. She could tell it was a robo-email by the generic message that lied within.
Subject Line: Welcome Aboard
Hey, thanks for joining! The mission is to keep Fuse's dirty claws off Plumber technology. When you're needed, I'll be sending you out on missions to stop him from getting any sort of alien tech that'll be useful to him, and hurtful to us.
-Ben
Alice stared at the message for who knew how long, not really thinking, just staring, before another chime happened. She had a second email, from Ben again. There was nothing in the subject line, which had her confused.
Subject Line: (not available)
Alice! You joined! I didn't think you would. You weren't answering me back, and I was getting worried. But this is great! We could honestly use all the help we can get. I didn't realize how many secret Plumber bases there really were until this all happened, and I need as much help to get these bases secured before Fuse and those lackeys of his get to them. Btw, Gramps still wants to test your powers, but last I talked to him, he was starting to get busy. But he'll still make time if you let him know in advance. And hey, since you're in the Downtown area, swing by Offworld Plaza. I'm at the hospital to keep an eye on the Space Port. Can't let Fuse's freaks get too close, ya know? Uh-oh. Vilgax is getting into an argument with one of the volunteers. I need to go deal with that. We'll talk later, k? Oh, and Alice, don't be scared. You got this!
-Ben
Alice's breathing steadied, and the shaking in her hands ceased as she read his second message. Her nerves had been alleviated just slightly from his second message. Whereas his robo-email was just a simplistic "nice to meet ya, welcome to the team" type of a message, Ben's second was personal, encouraging Alice more than the other message had.
Maybe she wasn't as confident as the others about joining, but she had to at least try.
Thank you for coming back to read another chapter. Alice is now officially joining, so her adventure is just around the bend.
The meeting that was held at the start of the chapter almost didn't happen. I had written it in before, with Vilgax being the one to give the information, but I didn't like it and removed it. Right as I was finishing the chapter, I went back and added it in. The best part of a crossover for me is when there are several characters crossing over, and this meeting purposely had so many people from different shows meeting to discuss the fate of their world. I changed it up from Vilgax to Ben, and having the Galactic Enforcers and Galactic Guardians be the information givers (recall that the Enforcers had sent a scrambled message in chapter two, and the Guardians had 25% of their forces missing). The information that the Glorfts had beaten back Fuse comes from level 12 mission "Hands on the Hard Drive (2 of 2)" and the Ectonurites joining up with Fuse from level 22 Ben's guide mission "Do Not Enter." Since in the game the Hero sent back messages to the past while adventuring in the future, the heroes of the past learned all the information needed about Fuse, the Fusions, Nanos, etc. Without the time travel aspect in this story, I had to work around it, and so chose to use the Plumbers' connections with the Enforcers and Guardians.
For Providence's representative, I almost went with Rex or Agent Six, but went instead for my OC Amber instead. She's going to be playing a bigger part later on in the story, so now was the best time to bring her in. The pink-haired kid volunteering at the hospital is my OC Kyra, who had appeared back in chapter one. Unlike Amber, she won't be playing a huge role, and will pop up from time to time whenever the story takes us to the hospital.
Rex and Ben knowing each other is a nod to their crossover special, Heroes United. That special did not happen, obviously, since the two properties are supposed to exist in the same universe for the game. So for this reason, Ben and Rex encountered each other when both Ben and Rex responded to an EVO attacking (Ben thought it was an alien). The two quickly became friends because of their similarities, and have been in touch.
Beasts and Barbarians is a video game from Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. I didn't want to default to Sumo Slammers just yet, but that game will make an appearance at some point since, aside from Ben, other characters play the game and make reference to it. Also, Coop's unwillingness to go to the meeting might be an idiotic choice on his part, but it's supposed to be a throwback to the official manga in which Jamie and Coop were playing a video game while Fuse's spawns were attacking. Besides, he knows Kiva's better at these sorts of things than him, so it's just easier to send her in his place.
Ed, Edd, n Eddy's depiction in the story takes place after Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show, so they're on better standing with the Cul-de-Sac kids (they still do schemes for money, but the schemes are a little more honest; Eddy and Kevin also still have their arguments, but they get over them pretty fast). Eddy's actions and behavior will change; right now he's just a scared kid because of the monsters running around, and his only response to it was to lash out. He'll get better, though, and not be so antagonistic. This was just a one time thing.
Making game mechanics work in a real world way is pretty difficult to write, but hopefully it all makes sense. Also, Computress' chibi look is supposed to be a nod to her Nano appearance in Retro.
Also, I would like to make it perfectly clear: Under no circumstances will Alice and Ben have any form of romance. Ben is in a happy relationship with Julie. He will be a mentor and big brother figure to Alice; that is it, that is all.