The warm sunlight of the early morning shone brightly on Townsville Park. The Park, which was situated to the left of the mall, used to be an escape for the people of Downtown who wanted to get back in touch with nature. It wasn't uncommon to see families having picnics, flying kites, or playing games on the weekends. A playground situated near the entrance of the Townsville Zoo let kids play around and expend their energy before their parents would whisk them home at the end of a fun, fulfilling day. In the summer, movies would be played on a projector screen, and fireworks would be launched for the Fourth of July, bringing in residents from the City and Suburbs.

Looking upon the Park, it was clear it was a shell of its former self. Like Leaky Lake up in the Wilds, the Park was heavily infected by Fusion Matter. Fusion Matter littered the environment in patches. The roads made of concrete dipped and lifted at random, creating an uneven surface to traverse. Some sections of the road were ripped like an invisible hand had come from the sky and pulled it up, leaning it on its side despite the laws of gravity. Trees and buildings were knocked on their sides. Some pieces of earth floated in the air, a strange sight since this sort of phenomena was popular in the infected zones, not outside of it. The worst had to be the giant hole in the middle of the area. It was hard to see because the electric barrier kept passersby from glancing down at the giant, rectangular-shaped hole in the ground. Compared to its surrounding neighbors, Townsville Park had been hit the hardest, but for what reason was unknown to Alice and her compatriots as they entered the area, heading down to the only individuals brave enough to endure the harsh conditions of the land.

An encampment had been made at a street corner across from the infected zone, barriers set up to keep Fusion Monsters from wandering in without warning. A KND operative stood at one of the walls, next to a Monkey Skyway Agent who was napping on his back. Despite the flicker of distrust, the numbered operative sent the three teens (well, two teens and a pre-teen), he allowed them to pass by without a word.

"Alice!" an elderly voice called out. Max Tennyson, still dressed in his Hawaiian shirt instead of a Plumber issued uniform, approached the group of three. An easy grin was on his face as he reached the team. "I'm so glad you and your team could make it."

"We're happy to help," Alice said for her team.

"Believe me, we can use all the help we can here," he said, waving his hand in the infected zone's direction.

"We're asking help from her?" a young voice demanded. A quick look over at the long table set up in the middle of the encampment found it belonged to Numbuh One, leader of Sector V. "We can't rely on a traitor."

Alice flinched, trying not to look upset by the word. From the corner of her eye, she saw Junior bristle and Suzy frown in displeasure. Max turned his head, opening his mouth to speak with the youngster, but someone else beat him to it. A burly man in a kilt reached out and thwacked the operative on the back of his head. It wasn't a hard hit, but it was enough momentum to jostle the boy's sunglasses off kilter. The burly man placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, ignoring the way the boy glared up at him. Alice would have been surprised at the friendliness the adult had with an operative from an anti-adult organization if not for the bigger surprise that the adult had a submachine gun for a leg.

"A'richt thare, laddie," the man said, his voice thick with a Scottish accent. "That's enough blathering 'bout traitors outta ye." Numbuh One's ears turned pink out of embarrassment, and he opened his mouth to retort, but the adult was ignoring him. With his free hand, the Scottish man pointed at Alice with a big old grin on his face. Alice didn't know him very well, but the grin almost looked like it was filled with pride. "Besides, the lass is a terrible traitor if she is one. Fuse forgot ta tell her not ta murder his men!"

Alice flushed a pink color, almost the same color Numbuh One was sporting. While Alice hadn't been focused on the Leaderboard, she had glanced at it when Suzy had pulled it up. Despite her hiatus, she was still at the top of the chart, although the gap was beginning to shorten. It was nice for someone to point out that her record number kills meant she was fighting against Fuse's forces rather than with like Harangue was trying to promote. Numbuh One must have realized this point, too, because his mouth was firmly clamped shut.

A teen a few years older than Alice approached, grinning apologetically to the blue-haired girl. He was wearing a vest over a blue shirt with what looked to be a green globe emblem printed on it. It was familiar looking, but Alice couldn't quite put her finger on where she knew it from.

"I apologize on his behalf," the boy said with a distinct West African accent. "He has been under a lot of stress given our recent discovery."

"Kwame is right," Max put in. "There's been a new development."

Alice's eyes lit up in recognition. Kwame. He was a well-respected environmentalist, and a member of the Planeteers. He and his other teammates were always in PSAs reminding everyone on the ways to stay environmentally conscious. They were always invited to events to promote a better Earth, and had been consultants on more than one project for DexLabs.

"New developments?" Suzy repeated, her eyes brightening in interest. "What's happened?"

"Aye, thare be a monster lurking below," the Scottish man answered, crossing his arms.

Alice's eyebrows shot upwards in surprise at first, and then furrowed together in worry. It wasn't like monsters weren't a thing; there was an entire island of them. It was just disconcerting that one had gone unnoticed.

"A monster below the Park?" Suzy asked for clarification.

"Aye. Fuse wants ta awaken it. Tried ta use a rune ta do so, too," the man answered. "But we took care a that little trinket!"

"We disposed of the rune," Kwame further explained. "So Fuse will not be able to awaken it so easily."

Suzy glanced over at their resident half-demon. "Do you know anything about this?"

"I live in the Center of the Earth," Junior reminded her. "Anything that happens between my home and the surface is not my business." His brows came together as he thought about it more. "Besides, I wouldn't trust my dad to let me know about it."

Suzy nodded, conceding his point. She regarded Max once more and grinned broadly at him, showing off her pearly white teeth. "Sounds pretty serious, which makes this even more exciting." She brought her fists to her hips, lifting her head higher in anticipation. "What do you need us to do, Mr. Tennyson?"

"We may have thwarted Fuse's attempts, but that doesn't mean the danger has passed. Kwame placed a Fusion Meter in the Fissure to get a reading on it, which is where we found the beast's sleeping quarters."

"Ah say we finish it aff!" the Scottish man bellowed.

"We don't know what it is, Scotsman," Max retorted, sounding a smidge exasperated with the man's outburst, implying this was an argument they've had before. "Fighting it could cause it to wake up, unleashing a terror that Fuse wanted."

"Bah!" the Scotsman scoffed, waving his hand flippantly. "Ah can take it!"

Numbuh One rolled his eyes at the man's bravado. Max shook his head, releasing a small sigh that bordered on impatience. Only Kwame looked unperturbed by the man's declaration, keeping his attention on Team Super Stars.

"If you agree, we'll be going into the Fissure to lay down Seismic Emitters to collapse the cavern Fuse is attempting to enter," Kwame explained, picking up where Max had left off. "This will seal the beast completely."

"Once they're placed down, you'll need to activate them at the same time," Max continued. "I'll be able to activate them from here, and that'll put an end to our problem."

"Lay down some Plumber tech and then leave?" Suzy repeated for clarification, grinning brightly. "Not a problem."

Kwame grinned, matching her energy. "That is excellent news. I'll retrieve the emitters."

Kwame went to the motorhome and stepped inside for only a moment, returning with a plain satchel bag that he hung over his shoulder. As he passed, Numbuh One reached out and grabbed the teen's elbow. His sunglasses slid down his nose so that he could look the other in the eye.

"Keep an extra eye on that one, Kwame," Numbuh One spoke up, nodding his head in Alice's direction.

Again, Alice held back her flinch. While she couldn't fault the boy for being suspicious, it didn't quite lessen the sting that came with the reminder of her connection to Fuse. Her saving grace was the Scotsman dropping his hand on the boy's shoulder, making the operative lose his footing for a moment.

"Aye, that's what ye said 'bout th' reaper, 'n' look how well that turned out," the Scotsman ribbed, grinning broadly when he saw the bald kid's face turn a deep shade of pink.

Kwame smiled indulgently at the kid, stepping out of the boy's hold. "Your paranoia is getting the better of you, my friend. I have full confidence in this team and their performance." He turned to look back at the team they had called upon. "We should begin now before the monsters catch onto our plan."

Every infected zone was horrific in its own way. Whether it was the way gravity was manipulated or the large concentration of Fusion Matter like at Leaky Lake or the Jungle Outpost's Training Area. Compared to those places, the Fissure was horrific. It was a giant hole in the ground, like it had been shoveled out by an invisible hand. Its depth was so great that even Alice, who could fly, was a little worried about falling. Every square inch of it looked like it was covered in Fusion Matter; there were only small patches of normal ground untouched by the infection. Because the ground was hazardous, platforms and ziplines had been set up for travel. There wasn't a single monster to be seen - Alice couldn't sense anything, - but that didn't make the infected zone any less dangerous.

"Terrifying, isn't it?" Kwame asked, having read the expressions on the team's face.

"Yeah," Suzy admitted. "I've never seen an infected zone this bad."

"Fuse put a lot of concentration here," Junior commented, crossing his arms as he leaned over the platform. "This must be one bad beast."

"It is," Kwame agreed. "Gaia asked me to ensure the creature never awakens."

Alice's brows came together in concentration. She'd heard that name before. It hit her a moment later, and it must have been the same for Suzy, since the redhead snapped her fingers.

"You mean the spirit of the Earth?" Suzy questioned. "The Magic Tree up in the Outpost mentioned her."

"That is correct," Kwame answered with an accommodating nodded, an impressed smile on his face. "This invasion has severely weakened her, but she has been helping out where she can. When we learned of the sleeping creature, I consulted with her. She didn't tell me what the creature was, but only that it was important to keep the creature asleep."

"Aren't you a conservationist though?" Junior inquired. "Doesn't this go against protecting the Earth?"

"Normally, you would be correct," Kwame agreed. "But I can recognize that this is for the good of humanity. I've committed myself to cleaning up the infection in whatever way possible because this" -he used his hand to indicate the hole in the ground they were standing in - "is merely a glimpse of what is in store if Fuse wins."

"Agreed," Suzy said, with a firm nod. "So let's make sure Fuse can't make any allies on this planet. Where are we planting the tech?"

Kwame pulled out his DexLabs issued communicator, displaying a holographic map of the Fissure. Three red dots appeared on the three ground levels.

"Alright. Kwame, you stay here and relay with Mr. Tennyson," Suzy instructed, falling into her leader role. "Alice, Junior, and I will place the emitters down."

"Actually, I would like to accompany you on this," Kwame broke in. With his free hand, he used his finger to point at the dots. "There is heavy amount of Fusion Matter concentrated in these areas, particularly here." He pointed at the second blip on the map. "I can provide a platform to stand on while you place them down."

"You can make a platform?" Junior questioned, brows coming together in confusion. "How?"

"With this," Kwame answered, showing them the ring on his right hand. "It has power over the earth."

"So why not use that for this then?" Junior further inquired. "Why not just trap the beast using that ring?"

"The area is heavily polluted, making it impossible to use for such a large task," Kwame explained. "Using it on tainted ground will be difficult enough as it is, but it should hold long enough to activate the emitters."

"Then he should go with you, Junior," Alice suggested, studying the map. "You two can be here," - she pointed at the second blip - "at the second one. Suzy can be here at the first one." Alice pointed at the blip directly under them. "I'll take the last one."

"You want the last one?" Junior asked, surprised that Alice was coming up with the game plan.

"Makes sense," Suzy chimed in, catching on. "She can transport us to our spots along the way. Plus, she can protect herself from the infection."

Junior's eyes widened in understanding, and he gave a nod of agreement. Kwame's own eyes widened in bewilderment.

"We will not be taking the ziplines?" he questioned, turning off the hologram and putting his communicator away.

Suzy grinned brilliantly. "My dear Kwame, we are Team Super Stars. We are absolutely full of surprises."

Kwame's bewilderment gave way to a grin, nodding his head in appreciation. "I knew you were the correct team to call on. But before we go further..." He reached into his satchel and pulled out two of the Seismic Emitters, handing them off to Suzy and Alice respectively. It was a slim object, looking similar to a small yard lamp. "You will need this."

"Right. Plant it in the ground, and then call me," Suzy explained, delegating her orders to her teammates. "We'll activate them at the same time. Ready?"

Alice nodded in agreement, tightening her grip on the emitter. With her other hand, she formed a bubble around her teammates and Kwame. Kwame looked surprised for only a moment before an impressive grin grew on his face. Alice levitated the bubble off the platform and lifted herself into the air. With the bubble following her, she descended downward to the first spot directly below the platform. She opened a side of her bubble, making it large enough for Suzy to hop out. She moved on to the second spot, which was on the elevated level. Before she dropped off Kwame and Junior, the Planeteer raised his fist with the ring and generated a platform from the unstained earth. It wasn't a very big platform, but it'd serve its purpose for the short amount of time they'd be spending there. No longer carrying any passengers, she dissolved her bubble and continued for her position, arriving at the third level. She flew over to her spot, tucked up against the wall of the cavern. She formed an energy platform to keep herself from touching the infection. While her body healed faster than the normal human's, the toxin still burned. She placed her emitter in the spot Max wanted. With her task completed, Alice pulled out her NanoCom, calling Suzy's number. The redhead appeared a moment later, with Junior joining in on the call.

"Everyone set?" Suzy asked.

"Good on our end," Junior reported, Kwame just barely visible over the half-demon's shoulder.

Alice nodded.

"Excellent. Everyone, get ready to activate their emitters in three...two...one...now!"

Alice tapped the top of the emitter, watching it glow brightly upon it going online.

"Kwame's just messaged Mr. Tennyson," Junior reported to his teammates, still on the NanoCom. "The emitters are going to go off in a few minutes, so we'd better get out of here."

"I can make it back up to the Dexbot from here," Suzy stated. "There should be one by you too, Alice. Junior you may be closer to the one by me."

"Yeah, Kwame and I are heading your way," Junior informed the redhead. "It shouldn- WHOA!"

"Junior?" Alice questioned in surprise.

She never got a response because the line was cut. She was left staring in surprise at an equally surprised Suzy.

"So much for an easy mission," Suzy commented, putting on her game face. "Go get the boys, Alice. I'm on my way over."

Alice agreed with a sharp nod and ended the call. She lifted herself into the air and backtracked for the second level, her senses already notifying her there was a monster before she came upon the scene. The boys were engaged in combat with a Fusion copy of Providence's secret weapon, Rex. Well, more accurately, Junior was fighting the Fusion while Kwame was providing him untainted spaces to do so. Rushing in to support their master were a pack of Dynamite Rats, heading for Kwame. The Planeteer was likely aware of the advancing monsters, but he kept his focus on helping Junior stay off of infected soil, which was extremely helpful since Fusion Rex kept lifting the boy off the platforms and trying to drop the half-demon onto the infected spots.

Raising her hand, Alice captured the Dynamite Rats in her energy bubble, squashing them with a clenching of her fist. Kwame shot her a quick thumbs up as thanks, but Alice didn't reply back to it. She was busy following the path the rats had taken, looking for where they'd come from so the team wouldn't get taken by surprise again. Following the path the pack had traversed, Alice spotted a Fusion Portal hidden in the corner, two large Terrafusers in the shape of balls camouflaging it. If you weren't looking for it, it was easy to miss. From the portal, five more Dynamite Rats appeared, rushing for Kwame once again. Alice swiped a hand over her NanoCom, bringing forth Nano Bubbles from the NanoCom's subspace. The Nano appeared with a little hop, stretching in anticipation.

"Ready?" Alice asked her Nano.

"Yup!" Nano Bubbles chirped, giving her girl a thumbs up.

Without another word needing to be spoken, Nano Bubbles zipped through the air, appearing in the Dynamite Rat's path. Sucking in breath, she released it out as her Tornado Trap took effect. The rats were sucked up into a mini tornado, spinning round and round with no clear way to get out of it. Not that they were supposed to get out of it. Alice powered up an energy beam in her palm, and fired a straight beam through the tornado, cutting the rats as they passed. When the last monster was turned to Fusion Matter, the tornado dispersed, and her Nano returned to her side.

"Got 'em!" the Nano cheers, pumping up her fists in a little dance.

Alice smiled at her Nano's enthusiasm but frowned when her senses went off again. She looked back over to the Fusion Portal, finding five more Dynamite Rats rushing out.

"Alice!" Suzy's voice called out to her. Alice glanced in Suzy's direction, watching her hop onto a spot that had no infected matter and rush for Kwame. The redhead pulled her Crayon Cannon and took a position beside the Planeteer. "I'll handle the rats. You help Junior!"

"Got it!" Alice called back.

Alice's eyes roamed the battlefield for the Fusion, finding it still engaged in a fight with Junior. The boy was holding off the Fusion's giant sword, but a look at the boy's platform showed it was weakening and starting to crumble.

Alice glanced sideways at her Nano, and without a word the Nano rushed forward and blew out a gust of wind. The wind rushed at the Fusion without the creature noticing. At the last possible second, a giant white sphere appeared around the monster, diverting Tornado Trap's wind flow. The Powerpuff Nano stared wide-eyed, even as the Fusion spun around to glare at her.

"W-what?" she muttered in confusion.

Abandoning its fight with Junior, Fusion Rex flew at the Nano, its right arm morphing into a giant sword. Alice dived down, reaching her Nano first. She reached out and pulled the Nano close to her in one arm, and with her other hand she threw up a force-shield. A second later, the large sword swung downward and connected with the shield. The Fusion growled and pressed harder against the shield, but Alice made sure it held.

"Alice," the Nano croaked, her face looking downcast. "My power didn't work."

"It's alright," Alice assured her Nano. Even if she was confused on why Tornado Trap didn't work, Alice didn't want to worry her Nano. "You did a good job."

Alice sent Nano Bubbles back into the NanoCom, switching her out for Nano Boomer. The Rowdyruff Nano grinned when he saw he was called for a battle, and immediately generated an energy bat in his hands. Zipping around the shield, the Nano swung his bat and Batter Up! connected with Fusion Rex on its face. The Fusion reared back, roaring in pain. Alice dismissed her shield and sent off two energy blasts shaped like crescents. The two blasts sliced through the Fusion's jetpack, turning the appendages into Fusion Matter. The Fusion roared louder in pain and fell toward the ground. Its rapid descent was halted by three tentacles spearing through its chest.

"We still have a battle to finish," Junior growled, reeling in the Fusion.

The Fusion twisted as much as the tentacles allowed and stretched out its hand in Junior's direction. Junior narrowed his eyes as he waited for an energy ball to generate in the Fusion's palm, but it remained empty. Alice, high above the fight, spotted what the Fusion was actually intending to do. Under Junior's feet, the ground had turned a sickly green color, a color Alice memorized and made her eyes double in worry.

"Junior, move!"

Junior didn't hesitate to do as she warned. He retracted his tentacles from the Fusion and leapt away. Seconds later, a green eruption shot into the air, right where he had been standing. The momentum had the half-demon tripping over his feet and rolling over some patches of Fusion Matter. Alice raised out her hand and encased him in an energy sphere, protecting him from the Fusion Matter. The boy sat up and patted his sleeves, feeling the sting waning.

The Fusion got back onto its feet, growling as it turned its focus on Junior. Raising its sword above its head, the Fusion raced across the ground, heading for the half-demon. Four tentacles sprouted from Junior's back, wiggling around in anticipation. Alice lowered the sides of the sphere until it was just a platform, providing Junior with a safe ground to stand on. The Fusion reared back its sword when it was just a few steps from Junior, preparing to strike the teenager down. Without flinching, Junior lowered his glasses and stared at the Fusion, freezing it in its tracks. The Fusion growled, but it didn't move. Junior put his glasses back into place and speared the Fusion in the chest once more. The Fusion cried out and dwindled into a puddle of Fusion Matter that flew into Junior's NanoCom. Left in the Fusion's place was a pair of goggles. Junior lifted the goggles off the ground and studied it for a moment before placing it in his NanoCom.

"Awwh man," Nano Boomer whined as Alice and him lowered themselves from the air. "I wanted to hit it again with my bat."

"You did a good job," Alice complimented the Nano, patting his hair before sending him back into her NanoCom.

"Alice, Junior! Over here!" Suzy chimed in. The called friends looked over in the redhead's direction, noticing the urgency in her face. "We need to get out of here, quick. Max just called to say the emitters are going off any second."

Alice and Junior's eyes widened at the news. In the excitement of a Fusion battle, they'd forgotten about the Seismic Emitters they had planted just moment ago. The two teens rushed over to Suzy and Kwame's side, and Alice encased all four of them in an energy sphere. She lifted the sphere off the ground and maneuvered it to the platform, landing just beside the Dexbot pad. As soon as the sphere touched down on the platform, a loud boom could be heard below them, accompanied by the ground shaking. The force knocked the four off their feet, and Alice's lack of concentration ended the energy sphere. The shaking didn't last very long, and once it ceased, the four picked themselves up.

"Is everyone alright?" Kwame asked, eyeing the team carefully.

"Still alive," Junior chimed in.

"Shaken, but unharmed," Suzy answered, swiping her arms. "Great work getting us out of there, Alice."

Alice didn't react to the compliment. Her attention was trained on the Fissure's floor deep beneath them. Dust clouds from where the ground had been disturbed calmed, lowering back downward and revealing the scene that laid below it. The once smooth, infected terrain was now jagged and uneven. Parts of the earth had descended downward to fill in for the spots made by the Seismic Emitter, while other parts of the earth were pushed upward by the shaking. Kwame came and stood beside her, observing the uneven terrain.

"Well, I doubt anything's getting out of there now," Junior commented, standing on Alice's other side.

"Yes," Kwame agreed. "We can sleep better at night knowing Fuse has lost an ally."

"And on that upbeat note, I say we head out of here," Suzy suggested, already heading for the Dexbot.

The Scotsman glanced up from where he was bent over cleaning his claymore, grinning toothily when he saw Team Super Stars and Kwame returning to the encampment.

"Wellll, welcome back, laddies and lasses," the Scotsman greeted, putting his claymore back on his back. "Mission successful?"

Numbuh One scoffed rather loudly. The boy was seated at the planning table, looking over the map that was projected onto its surface. "Obviously it was," the operative chimed in. "You heard them communicating with Mr. Tennyson about it shortly before the earth shook." He looked upward to give a pointed look at the burly man. "Honestly, you adults can't use your head."

"Ack, watch yer tongue thare, little whelp, 'fore ah slice it out," the Scotsman argued.

Numbuh One rolled his eyes, his sunglasses falling down just enough for the team to see the eye roll. Dismissing the adult, Numbuh One turned to look at the team.

"Well, despite being teenagers, you somehow didn't manage to mess this up," Numbuh One praised, smirking at the team. "Excellent job."

"Glad we meet your approval," Junior snarked.

Suzy lightly nudged the half-demon as she stepped past him. She walked over to Numbuh One and leaned on the operative's shoulder, grinning like a Cheshire.

"My good operative, did you really doubt us? We're Team Super Stars. We don't just do excellent work; we do super work."

Junior groaned loudly and hid his head in his hands, cheeks turning pink from embarrassment. Alice hid her giggle behind her hand. Numbuh One looked just as put off as the half-demon, but he shook it off and smirked a little.

"Yes, well, terrible humor aside, I can't argue with the results," Numbuh One agreed. "You've done a great service today."

"I concur," Max's voice joined in. The leader of the Plumbers stepped out of the RV, a relieved smile on his face. "I was starting to get worried when you didn't return, but I'm relieved to see you're back in one piece. Were there any complications?"

"Well, we had a run in with a Fusion," Kwame admitted.

"Is that right?" Scotsman questioned, his eyes brimming with excitement. "Yah did battle with the nasty devils?"

"Yes," the Planeteer answered. "I've heard about them, but they were more terrifying in person."

"I don't recall there being any reports of a Fusion Portal," Max pointed out, his brows coming together in thought.

"It was definitely there," Junior said.

"It was hidden," Alice answered. "It seemed to be camouflaged."

"That's the first I've heard of a portal being camouflaged," Max commented. "But I guess if one had to be hidden, the best place would be the Fissure. It's taken over with so much Fusion Matter, a portal could easily blend in. But I still worry about it being there."

"It might have been there to wake up the beast," Numbuh One put forth. "The Asphalt Freaks were heading for the infected zone when Ezra stopped them and grabbed the Runic Charm. They may have been delivering it to the Fusion."

"Yes, that might well be the case," Max agreed. "It's a good thing it's been dealt with. Had I known about it earlier, I would have warned you, and possibly sent the Scotsman to assist."

"Ahh, what ah wouldn't 'ave gived ta do battle with the demons," Scotsman cooed, a dreamy faraway look as he imagined battling a Fusion.

"This one was different," Junior retorted, his frown twisting downward as he reflected back on his battle. "It was advanced in a way I hadn't seen before. Nano Megas couldn't put it to sleep."

Alice perked up, looking over at Junior in surprise.

"Oh, is that what you were trying to do?" Kwame commented. "I was curious on that tiny thing you had called out."

"Those would be Nanos," Suzy clarified.

"Yeah, I had him use his sleep power, but the Fusion wouldn't go down," Junior explained.

"Nano Bubbles had a similar issue," Alice contributed. "Nano Boomer had no problems, however."

"Nano malfunctions?" Max questioned, thinking aloud as he listened to the conversation.

"You mentioned that your Nano Megas had a sleep power?" Numbuh One asked. Junior nodded. "And you said your Nano Bubbles didn't work?"

"Yes," Alice answered. "Her snare power didn't work. A large sphere protected the Fusion just before it hit."

"But your other Nano worked?" Numbuh One continued asking, getting a nod of confirmation. "What is his power?"

"Damage."

"Do you know something, Numbuh One?" Kwame asked, looking in surprise at the operative.

"Not definitively, though a few of our scientists are working for the Nano Enhancement Project," the bald operative responded. "I can send word that way and ask-"

"No need," Suzy interrupted. "The Conversation Section has been talking about this recent development. Some powers are able to be repelled by the Fusions, and others aren't."

"Of course, you already knew about this," Junior complained under his breath, rubbing his nose bridge. "Any reason you didn't tell us before?"

"One, you didn't ask," Suzy retorted, holding up one finger as she counted off. "Second, we haven't encountered a Fusion that could do it until today, so there was no point before now. Third, you can still freeze them, so it's not like we're defenseless."

Junior sulked at the end of her counting. "You still could have told us," he further complained, although he knew it'd fall on deaf ears.

"So they've developed a way to combat a Nano's power," Max commented, steering the conversation away from Junior's sulking. "That's unsettling. The Nanos were supposed to be our best weapon against the Fusions, but now that some of their powers can be negated..." He closed his eyes and released a sigh. "I don't like this one bit."

"If it's all over the Board, then the project probably knows about it," Numbuh One replied. "We'll just let them handle it."

"Blimey, no use cryin' o'er it," the Scotsman intoned. "So the Fusions can ignore Nano power. All the more fun when bashing their heads in!"

Max smiled at the enthusiasm and nodded. "Right, Dexter is probably aware of this and is working for a way around it. We'll let him put his energy into that and focus on our efforts here." He turned back to Team Super Stars plus Kwame and grinned at them. "You four were a great help today, and while the Nano thing isn't the best news, the knowledge that Fuse lost a potential ally more than makes up for that. If you're not busy, I'm making lunch. Stay and have a bite."

Numbuh One's face colored green at the mention of lunch, and he looked sick to his stomach. The reaction was rather startling. The Scotsman saw the reaction and chuckled loudly, slapping the boy on his back.

"Buck up, laddie! The meal will put some meat on yer wee bones."

Numbuh One frowned and dipped his eyebrows downward in a glare at the Scottish man. "I don't need meat on my bones. And Tennyson's food is uneatable. Back me up, Kwame."

"Sorry, my friend," Kwame apologized with a laugh. "But Mr. Tennyson's food is not as bad as you make it out to be."

Numbuh One glared at the Planeteer. "Traitor."

"You should broaden your palette, Nigel," Max admonished as he stepped back into the RV. "There's a whole galaxy's worth of flavors you could try."

"No thank you," Numbuh One retorted to the screen door. "I'm perfectly happy consuming normal food."

"Oh c'mon, lighten up. I bet your ex would love it," Suzy teased the boy, nudging him on the arm. "She might have even made you a meal or two."

It was incredible how the color drained from Numbuh One's face. He looked deathly pale, and if not for the fact that he was standing up on two feet, Alice was sure she was looking at a corpse.

"H-h-how...? Wh-wh-what...?"

Suzy shrugged, but the smile on her face looked far from innocent. "Oh, nothing." The boy's mouth dropped to the grass, but the redhead ignored him in favor of looking at her confused teammates. "Anyways, we don't have anything planned after this. I think we've earned a nice meal. What do you say?"

Junior looked between Suzy and Numbuh One (who was very slowly regaining color) before shrugging. He figured whatever Max was serving couldn't be any different from what he had normally at home. "I'm open to it."

Alice glanced back to Numbuh One, remembering the way the boy had turned green. Was Max's food really that bad? Scotsman and Kwame seemed to be alright with it, so maybe it was just him?

"I'm willing to try," Alice agreed, hiding her apprehension. Numbuh One was probably just exaggerating.

"Alright then!" Suzy cheered, clapping her hands together. She walked over to the RV and held open the screen door, stepping in and saying, "Put three down for lunch!"

It's been a while, but I'm happy you came back!

The mission the team partakes in is Part Three of "Plumber's Helper." Its earlier mission lines as well as Parts 1 and 2 of "Scotsman's Best Friend" were mentioned, as was Numbuh One fingering Grim as the traitor from "A Fusion in Our Midst" storyline.

Ever since learning about the beast laying beneath the Fissure, I knew I had to put it in the story. Originally the team was going to clean up Gooby Traps, but keeping a sleeping beast sleeping makes for a better reason to call them out. And it's a good way of getting Kwame out to the Park. I did have the IZ be covered in more Fusion Matter than the game showed, mainly because I feel it should have more Fusion Matter. That place should have been a nightmare for the players. We should have been forced to have a Freedom nano to keep us safe from being infected.

Numbuh One's ex is in fact Lizzie. While I don't have 'stop the g:knd' as canon, I am taking elements from it and inserting it in the story; because it's my story and I can. Anyways, in the video it's revealed that Lizzie is actually an alien. Suzy, of course, knows everything and everyone, so she's good friends with Lizzie and learned about the girl's alien heritage. It should also be clear that Sector V (or even just Numbuh One) has learned about her heritage too, which is why Numbuh One paled. I dunno if we'll actually get to see Lizzie, but we're only at Ch. 16, so there's still time to include her somewhere.

If you recall, Ezra is the name I gave to the swordskid on the game's promotional material. We saw him back in Ch. 12. He helped Numbuh One with the "A Fusion in our Midst" storyline.

In the game, Fusion Rex had a smack hand; here, I changed it to the BFS and added the Boogie Pack, too. Since the Nano Mission was during the Academy update and just had it be another lesson type mission, I decided to just add the monster here. I couldn't fit the dialogue in because nothing fit naturally, but Fusion Rex was sent to the Fissure to wake up the sleeping beast. I refuse to believe Fuse would leave the task to some grunts. The Dynamite Rats were not part of the original Nano Mission, but they were used in the Sewer System that was located in the same area, so I just had them exist in the Fusion Portal.

I had hoped to get this in before the end of January, but the first of February isn't bad.