Sorry I've been so inactive recently; I've been buried in work for school but I am working on a superhero AU that's almost ready to publish so look out for that. Here's a (coincidentally) superhero themed request from mary. okeeffe. 16 in the meantime. Hope you enjoy, I had a great time writing it.
(Disclaimer at end so I don't drop any spoilers)
From experience, Sheila the mail lady knew that the Flynn-Fletcher household was always an exciting stop on her rounds of the city. There was always some sort of crazy thing happening in the backyard or on the street before the house. And even if there wasn't, she knew there was bound to be something happening elsewhere.
So, when she walked along the pavement, she was quite alarmed at the sight of Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Baljeet and Buford sitting on deck chairs in the front garden, seemingly sunbathing.
"Morning, you lot," she called. The kids' heads shot up and Phineas leapt to his feet.
"Do you have mail for us?" he demanded excitedly.
"Sure do," Sheila replied, digging around in her bag. "Two letters for Mr Fletcher, three for Mrs Flynn-Fletcher aaaaandd… one for you."
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Phineas babbled as the gang gathered around him, the picture of anticipation.
"Must be one important letter," Sheila mused as she closed her bag.
"Hopefully," Phineas agreed. "It's from the hit show 'Let's All Dance Until They're Sick!"
"A few weeks ago, they ran a dancing competition," Isabella picked up the narrative. "Groups send in a video audition of them dancing. The winning team gets to be participants in the newest episode!"
"The contents of this letter will tell us if we won or not" Phineas breathed.
"Well good luck," Sheila said as she made her way down the street to continue her rounds.
"Don't just stand there," Buford nudged Phineas. "Open it, open it!"
"Ok, ok," Phineas took a breath and slowly pealed open the letter. "Dear Mr Phineas Flynn, Ferb Fletcher, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, Buford Van Stomm and Baljeet Tjinder…" his voice picked up speed and rose in pitch. "We're pleased to inform you that you are the competition winners!"
"No way!" Isabella's hand shot to her mouth. "We're going to be on Let's Dance Until We're Sick!?"
"They're sending a limo to pick us up next week!" Phineas exclaimed reading on. "A limo!"
"No way!" Isabella repeated.
"Normally I'd say a limo would be excessive but in this case I'm too excited!" Baljeet shrieked jumping up and down.
"We're gonna be on TV!"
The big day arrived and the gang could barely contain their excitement for the whole week. They told all their friends all day, went to sleep bubbling with excitement and won the show in their dreams. They rehearsed every afternoon after school, each perfecting their individual dance talents and performing to one another. This was a huge opportunity not only for them now as something to experience but also for their futures in the artistic industry. If this went well, multiples doors could open up for each and every one of them.
When the limo pulled up at nine o 'clock sharp, they were all ready with their bags waiting outside the Flynn-Fletcher house. They waved goodbye to their parents and slid into the limo. Since the kids were too young to travel alone, Lawrence had agreed to chaperone and while the gang admired the lush interior, he sat up front with the driver, merrily chatting away with him.
The journey to set only took a few hours and in that time, the kid transitioned through watching previous episodes, sharing their excitement and getting some sleep to be as prepared as possible for filming that afternoon.
The limo parked behind the studio and the gang scrambled over each other to get out. Their eyes were instantly drawn to the huge 'Let All Dance Until We're Sick Studios' sign that hung above the grand entrance. A huge crowd of fans was gathered around the doors, excitedly waving at contestants as they made their way along the red carpet and inside.
"Good gosh!" Lawrence exclaimed. "That sure is a lot of people!"
"Head indoors," the chaperone said. "Miss Stars will meet you in there."
"Come on, gang," Phineas waved his hand and his friends followed him through the sea of people.
Inside, the studio was even bigger than they had expected. The stage took up most of the floor; lit up with blue and white flashing lights and there were balconies overlooking it on every side with cameras positioned to capture all the action. On the dance floor, the payed performers were going through their routines and talking to the directors.
Nikki Stars, the show's host, was sitting in a makeup chair, while some ladies fussed around her. When she saw the kids walk in, her face lit up and she glided to her feet.
"Are those my contest winners?" she cried, her British accent coming on strong. "Delighted to meet you, I'm Nikki Stars the show's host. If you need anything during today, it would be my pleasure aid you."
"We're on in ten minutes," someone called across the room.
Nikki turned to face the room with a flourish. "You heard the man, last minute preparations!" She spun back to the kids. "Your dressing rooms are over there, get into your clothes and meet back onstage here in five minutes."
"Filming starts in ten minutes?" Isabella spluttered. "That soon?"
"Don't worry," Nikki assured her. "We'll just be broadcasting the introduction of the contestants and revealing a special prize for the winner!"
"See you kids in a moment," Lawrence said as they hurried through to the curtains to the backstage dressing rooms.
Ten minutes later, the studio descended into darkness. All cameras pointed towards the stage and the director held his hand up, counting down his fingers from three, two… one.
Lights went up to reveal Nikki Stars standing centre stage looking glamourous in a red jewelled dress.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to welcome you to another episode of Let's All Dance Until We're Sick!"
"We're playing title card," the director reported. "And… we're back!"
"You know how this works," Nikki continued. "Fifteen dancers from around the world have gathered here to dance in front of our judges. If the lights go out, they're eliminated. Of course, they're competing for a chance to become a permanent member of our dancing cast. Not to mention, this week we have a special surprise!"
"They're talking about us!" Phineas whispered excitedly.
"A few weeks ago, we posted online that we were looking for some of our loyal fans and watchers to join us here on the show. Thousands of video auditions came back and I will admit that it was a really tough choice for us but in the end, we chose five young dancer from Danville who blew us away. Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Buford and Baljeet, come on up here!"
Smiling nervously, the group jogged over to where Nikki was enthusiastically gesturing to them.
"Phineas," she said smiling widely at him. "You're the leader of your group, yes?"
"Well, I suppose," Phineas shrugged modestly. "But we all pitched into this project. Projects are kinda our thing."
"And you're hoping to win this afternoon?"
"Well," he smiled around at his friends. "We're just happy to have gotten this far at all, we're in it for the fun!"
"Well," Nikki shot the camera a knowing look, "what if I told you that today's winner gets an extra special prize?"
Excited chatter broke out across the live audience.
"That's right folks," Nikki went on. "If you win today, you will also get to perform with a hit American band!"
The gang shared a giddy grin of anticipation.
"Introducing… the Backstreet Boys!" Nikki exclaimed with a grand gesture as all around the studio, jaws hit the floor as the band stepped onstage. Nikki turned back to the camera and winked. "We'll be right back after these commercials!"
Back in Danville, Candace was going hysterical. "The Backstreet Boys? The Backstreet Boys? I can't believe Phineas and Ferb took their little friends instead of me!"
"You made it pretty clear you didn't want to be part of the group," Linda reminded her.
"Well, yeah, because I didn't know the Backstreet Boys were going to be there!" Candace protested.
"They seem like a normal band to me," her mother said.
"A normal band?" Candace threw her hands in the air. "The Backstreet Boys are known and appreciated but all ages globally! They first formed in 1993 but that was only because Lou Pearlman posted an ad in the newspaper to compose a vocal group. And I used to think he was the most amazing man in the world because he was responsible for forming the Backstreet Boys, but then he got arrested for running one of the longest running Ponzi Schemes soooo?" She shrugged. "Anyways, before he went to jail, he posted this ad and AJ McLean was the first to audition and he became the first member of the group. AJ already knew Howie Dorough because they had the same vocal coach and the two of them met Nick Carter through auditions. They, along with Kevin Richardson who they met through a co-worker at Walt Disney World were Kevin worked, formed a group. So, when AJ became a member of Lou's group, the other three auditioned and were accepted as well. Finally, Brian Littrell was Kevin's cousin and he also auditioned after Kevin pushed him to and then you have the Backstreet Boys! Named after Orlando's Backstreet Market which was a teen hangout at the time." Candace took a deep breath before continuing on. "They rose to fame with their self-titled debut international album, 'Backstreet's Back' in 1996. They released a second album in 1997 and rose to superstardom with their third album 'Millennium' in 1999 and followed with 'Black & Blue' in 2000. They had a two-year hiatus but came back with 'Never Gone' in 2005 and it after the tour for that album that Kevin decided to leave but it was only temporary because he permanently re-joined them in 2012. While he was gone, AJ, Nick, Howie and Brian released 'Unbreakable' and 'This is Us' within two years of each other. In 2013, they celebrated their 20th anniversary and released 'In a World Like This'. And, more recently, their 2019 album 'DNA' debuted at number one, more than two decades after the band formed!"
"Other than the unnerving fact you know so much about this band, I still don't see what's so amazing about them," Linda commented.
"Mom!" Candace shook her head in bewilderment. "They became the first boy band to top the U.S. album charts in three different decades! They've sold over 100 million records worldwide! They're the bestselling boy band of all time! They're the first group since Led Zeppelin to have their first ten albums reach the top ten on the Billboard 200 and the only boy band to do so. They received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013 and they even have their own documentary movie, Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of, which I've watched thousands of times since it came out in 2015."
"Is that everything?" Linda asked.
Candace tapped her chin, "Oh! There's also rumours that they're also secretly the Cyber Crusaders!"
"The who?" Linda questioned wearily.
"The Cyber Crusaders!" Candace cried. "A group of superheroes that get their powers from special amulets from outer space!"
"Superheroes?" Linda chuckled. "Honey, I think you've been reading too many comics."
"I'm being serious, Mom," Candace whined. "At one of their concerts, a spaceship crashed into the forest nearby. No one knows for sure, but the band went to investigate and rumour has it that they were greeted by an alien who was on a special mission of protecting Earth from an alien invasion that would happen. She gave them each an amulet with an enchanted mystic crystal in it which makes their DNA twist by a virtual genetic cyclone that gives them each super powers! So, each amulet gives the wearer different powers; Ninja Man – who everything thinks is Nick – has the power of expertise in any martial kind and has swords that can cut through anything. Illusioneer, Howie, can project three-dimensional illusion and has mental telepathy. AJ is supposedly Ordnance and he has excellent marksmanship with any weapon but his preferred guns are laser guns. Top Speed, Brian, is able to generate spheres of energy and jump great heights and finally, Kevin is said to be Power Lord and he has super strength so powerful he can lift a harrier jet! Together, they're the Cyber Crusaders!" Candace paused. "There's no actual proof that the Cyber Crusaders are actually the Backstreet Boys since Illusioneer blurs their faces whenever they're in public, but they were the ones who investigated the crash, so it would make sense."
"Whatever you say, dear," Linda nodded, having given up at this point. "Now, sit down, the show's about to start."
Candace collapsed back onto the sofa and folded her arms as the commercial break ended and the show's theme tune jangled from the TV.
"Welcome back, folks," Nikki Stars said. "The stakes are high but the dancers are ready! Dancers! Your Dance floor awaits! Our dancers will boogey until they get axed by the judges. If your light goes out, your time is up!"
Everyone took their place on stage. Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Baljeet and Buford ran through their routines once more in their heads then exchanged a nervous grin.
"And now," Nikki declared and the studio audience joined her as she began the chant. "Let's All Dance Until We-"
The studio plunged into darkness. An eery red glow suddenly lit up the ceiling as a low hum sounded around the room. Everyone was frozen in place, waiting in terror for something bad to happen. The red light pulsed and the hum rose in pitch until it was a shrill whine that made everyone clutch their heads as white-hot pain flashed behind their eyes. One by one, the dancers fell to their knees, crumping into writhing balls on the floor.
As suddenly as it has started, the lights returned and the whine died away. The dancers groggily looked up as an image was projected onto the back wall of a silhouetted figure.
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen." The voice was robotic and monotone. "I would like to thank you for your contribution today. It should please you to know that I have just taken all your talent away and given it to me. There is no way to reverse this process so don't bother trying. That will be all."
Silence descended across the room as the image flicked then disappeared altogether.
Suddenly the doors of the studio burst open and the Backstreet Boys' security team rushed over to the band.
"Clear a path!" the chief of security barked. "Coming through!"
The team hoisted the band to their feet and hurried them outside and into their trailer. The Boys' were in no state to resist and before long, they were seated around the table in their communal trailer.
"I feel so useless," Nick muttered. "What did that machine do to us?"
"Took away our talent," Brian said. "It took away our talent."
"But what about our amulets?" AJ asked. "Did it take away our powers?"
"Only one way to find out," Howie replied and they all closed their eyes, reaching for the amulets that hung around their necks.
Sighs of relief filled the space as they all looked down to find themselves transformed. Brian was now Top Speed in a ripped, blue sleeveless shirt over a white vest, blue gloves and grey shorts. AJ was Ordnance wearing a white shirt under a long brown trench coat and camo cargo trousers, twirling his ray guns in his hands. Howie was Illusioneer in a blue and yellow suit while Nick was Ninja Man in a black and cyan one that would have made his namesake proud. Finally, Kevin rolled his shoulders in his red armoured suit feeling the strength that came with being Power Lord flow through him.
"So, that guy didn't take everything from us," Brian affirmed, finding his voice.
"We have to get after him," Kevin said. "We have to get everyone's talent back. It's our duty as heroes."
"I hear you," Nick agreed.
"Well then," Brian grinned with no humour. "Let's go get him."
"Wait," AJ insisted. "We should let those dancers know what we're doing. We can't let them think all is lost."
"He's right," Howie said. "We need to keep their spirits up."
Back in the studio, everyone's spirits were anything but up. No one had moved since they had lost their talent, instead they had huddled together in groups mumbling lowly.
"Dancers," Brian called. All eyes swivelled towards the studio doors where The Cyber Crusaders stood. "Do not worry. We are the Cyber Crusaders and we are here to help."
"We're going to track down whoever did this to you and we're going to make him reverse it," Howie continued.
"Do not give up hope," AJ added. "Regardless of what he said, that guy has not stolen your talent for good."
"Wish us luck," Nick smiled but was greeted only by blank faces.
"Let's go," Brian said. "We have a villain to track down."