Chapter 8-The Mission Begins
"Based on the sample given to us, our databanks have shown us a few intelligent species with the exact same type of blood", Dexter explained, "All of them coming from a specific universe."
"And I'm guessing you were able to pinpoint the exact planet the creature is on?', Kim asked.
"It hurts that you doubt me", Dexter feigned sadness, "Yes, we've discovered the exact location of our suspect. And guess what planet it just so happens to typically go to."
"Let me guess", Dipper spoke up, "Earth?"
The scientist smiled, "Bingo!"
Steven smiled, "Huh, I guess aliens love Earth no matter what universe."
"That isn't usually a good thing", Marco pointed out, "So, do we have a plan?"
"Uh, I think the plans pretty obvious", Jake smiled, "Go over there, kick their butts, save the day!"
Dipper gulped, "Wait, we're not even ready to fight them yet, are we? You saw how we did with Jack! What makes you think that we'll be ready for this?!"
Dexter shrugged, "You know, I want to say it is because I have faith in you but in all honestly, I just want to get this over with."
"Look, he's right", Kim agreed, "Because of you wasting time & not actually teaching them anything new, we may not be ready!"
"Oh please", Dexter scoffed, "I have seen you fight against Jack and you guys have been completely perf-"
He silenced himself once he saw the frowns from the recruits, all doubting him.
His smile dropped, "Look, I am going to level with you. We do not have the time for any of this. We all know how dangerous this device is and how much damage it will spread through every world in the multiverse! We need to get it back now before the enemy uses it!"
"And you really think that risking our lives before we're prepared is a good idea?!", Kim shouted.
"We don't even know the specific species responsible so no matter what, we are not prepared!", Dexter shouted back, "Now, we have a choice, attack now before the device is activated or waste more precious time and risk taking too long!"
Jack stepped forward, "Children, please leave us."
The recruits looked at one another before walking out of the room, leaving only Dexter, Kim, & Jack in the lab.
"Let me guess, you're against this too?", Dexter frowned.
"Do you not think that this entire process of training has been too rushed?", Jack asked.
"Knowing how long you trained for, this probably feels like a millisecond by comparison", Dexter chuckled to himself.
"This not the time for jokes, my friend", Jack pointed out, "I have been thinking lately and I believe that we must take some more time to prepare."
"Oh boy, you got to this guy too, huh Kimmy?", the scientist snarked.
"This isn't some sort of war, this is basic common sense!", Kim argued, "You have to understand this!"
"These guys aren't some sort of rookie recruits! They are warriors living in worlds constantly at the brink of armageddon! Worlds that even the boss is afraid of going to! This isn't me having faith in them! This is me having knowledge that they can do this!", Dexter shouted.
"If you do this, you are risking the lives of children, my friend", Jack snarled, walking up to Dexter until their faces were nearly touching."
"If we don't, we are risking the lives of entire worlds", Dexter growled, "Now, which sounds more important."
The scientist chuckled, "I mean, from your experience, of course."
Jack quickly unsheathed his katana, the silver sword glowing, "You speak of things you can not even comprehend."
Dexter's hand was slowly sneaking for the weapons on his belt when Agent Possible quickly lept in between the two, using on hand to swiftly push the sword away and placing her other hand on Dexter's shoulder.
"Enough, you two. I'm not in the mood to clean up Dexter's corpse today", she said.
"HEY!", Dexter yelled, realizing that she was calling him weak.
"Look, maybe, just maybe, rather than make all of the decisions ourselves", Kim brought up, "We should talk to the others and see what they have to say?"
The scientist and the samurai turned to one another, contemplating this.
Jack frowned, "I dont-"
Dexter interrupted, "No. They're more divided over this than we are."
The three sighed in frustration.
"Look, let me speak with the boss", Dexter said, "I'll come up with some sort of plan and see what the boys upstairs think."
"...Fine, whatever", Kim grunted.
"Alright then", Jack agreed.
"Good", Dexter sighed, "Now, go get the others. Head to the Practice Room, do some more training, get them ready."
The two walked out of the lab as the scientist walked back to his computer, diving back into his studies and drowning out the insanity surrounding him.
…
The samurai and the agent walked down the halls, towards the elevator, silent most of the walk.
"You don't truly believe that this is a good idea, do you?", Kim asked.
"...My experiences with training are far different than theirs", Jack explained, "It took me years to be ready. We do not have that luxury."
"Of course we don't", Kim said.
…
In the cafeteria, the recruits were wondering what to do. Dipper was worriedly walking back and forth as the others talked.
"Okay, Phineas, tell us everything you found out from the sample", Marco asked with interest.
"The things we're up against, they're not native to their world's version of Earth", Phineas explained.
"You mean aliens?", Steven smiled, "Cool, I mean, I know aliens. Maybe they're friendly!"
"I don't think any friendly aliens would need a portal big enough for an army", Phineas pointed out.
"Well, who cares anyways?", Finn smiled, "We've punched things worse!"
Marco rolled his eyes but nodded in agreement, "He's not wrong. Monsters. Demons. We've fought the worst of the worst."
HA! Worst of the worst?, Dipper thought to himself, sweat dripping down his forehead, I've seen the worst of the worst, and I couldn't even take him down head on!
"Okay, is noone going to point it out?", Dipper gulped, "They want us to leave RIGHT NOW. No prep. No success in training. Just leave and hope for the best!"
" 'Leave and hope for the best'", Jake repeated, "That should be our motto! You copyrighting that?"
"He's right!", Marco pointed out, "We can't just run out like this! It's practically suicide!"
"Pfft! So's every other thing we've done!", Star laughed, "I mean it's not like we're really risking anything!"
"Nope!", Mabel smiled, "Just our lives and sanity! Or what's left of them!"
"I don't really think it's that bad of an idea", Steven said, "I mean, you know what they say, 'Good things come at completely random moments!'"
"Ooh! That phrase is on your world too?", Phineas smiled.
"Who says that-", Marco stopped himself and grunted, "Okay, so, you're agreeing to this, Phineas?"
"I'm not afraid of what we're up against right now", Phineas shrugged, "Might as well just do this."
"C'mon, Marco! You know you want tooo!", Star smiled in a sing-songy voice.
Marco rolled his eyes, knowing that nothing was going to get him out of this, "Ok, fine."
"YAY!", Mabel cheered, lifting her arms into the air.
"NO!", Dipper whined, "NO! Don't I have a say in this! I mean, this is insane! Just because we've done this before doesn't mean that this is gonna be any easier!"
"Dippsauce, chill out", Mabel said.
"I AM CHILL! CHILLER THAN CHILL!", Dipper shrieked, eyes bulging and sweat dripping down his face.
"Is that what chill looks like in your world?", Finn whispered to Mabel.
"I-I need some air!", Dipper stuttered, walking off.
"Dipper, wait!", the twin sister ran off after her brother, leaving the others behind.
"...WELL", Jake broke the silence, clapping his hands, "Let's get to it, gang!"
"Shouldn't we go help him?", Steven said, getting up and walking over to where the twins walked off before being stopped by Ferb. The two shared an awkward look before Steven nodded.
"Okay then", Steven said, "I guess that makes sense."
Marco shook his head, "He didn't even say any-" He stopped when he saw Star frown at him.
"Right, world of craziness and all, obviously", Marco grunted.
…
The sweater-wearing teen caught up with her brother, who was slowly walking down the hallways in confusion.
"Dipper! Wait up!", Mabel panted, "Woo! For a guy with noodle legs, you can actually walk pretty fast."
Dipper sighed, "Mabel, what am I doing here?"
Mabel thought to herself, "...Walking with pity?"
"I mean, you remember everything else we went through! Gideon. Cipher. All of Weirdmaggedon! We barely survived made it!"
"Dipper, this is just aliens, not demons or monsters!"
"How does that make me feel better?!"
Mabel shrugged as Dipper rubbed his head in frustration, "I mean, at least in Gravity Falls, we had Stan, Wendy, Soos, Ford! They knew how to work together! Fight together!"
"These guys know how to fight!"
"But not as a team! Not together!", Dipper said.
"What is this about?", Mabel asked, "Ever since we got here, you've been more scared than ever! You haven't been this afraid since you rode the kiddie ride at the carnival!"
"THAT RIDE HAD BUMPS, MABEL! BUMPS!", Dipper panicked.
"Is this because of the whole 'feeling useless thing'?", Mabel asked, "Dude! How many times do I have to say it!"
"Saying it doesn't exactly make it true!", Dipper said, "What powers or leadership experience do I have?!"
Mabel was about to say something when Dipper interrupted, "Don't say Weirdmaggedon! Leading a bunch of hillbillies and lumberjacks isn't the same!"
Mabel growled, "And you think that you're the useless one here, Dipper?!"
Dipper stopped and looked up, "What?"
Mabel sighed, "Dipping dot, you're smart. You know more about monsters and demons and all of that! You're smarter than Carrot-hair upstairs! But what've I got? A grappling hook? A perfect smile?"
"C'mon, dude! You at least have hope! Kindness! All of that stuff is at least helpful!"
"Oh yeah, because when an alien attacks, hugs are going to stop it!"
Dipper was so startled to see his sister, a bubble of sunshine and lollipops, seem so pessimistic about herself, "Dude, what are you talking about? This isn't like you!"
"...Dipper, I wasn't even meant to be here. I was just lucky enough to have stayed. Let's be honest, if Dexter's boss didn't say yes, would I really still be here?" She sat on the ground in sadness as tears began to appear on her eyes
Her brother looked at her in worry, "M-Mabel, why would you even think of yourself like that?...Look, take it from a nerd like me, being smart isn't exactly all that it's cracked up to be. You are so...weird and insane that you're actually better at this whole thing than me."
"R-Really?", the sister looked up.
"You're never afraid because you never think of the risks or the problems, you just do stuff!", Dipper explained, "And in a place where thinking only creates more problems, you're perfect for this!"
Mabel chuckled, wiping tears from her eyes, "Dude, are you serious right now."
"Well, it's not like I can be as silly as another certain person I know", he smiled.
The girl got up and the two hugged before, once again, performing their signature "awkward sibling hug."
The two hugged one another, patted each other's backs and awkwardly said, "Pat pat."
It's...it's definitely well-named.
Down the hallways, the scientist brothers walked towards the duo, Phineas waving one arm at the Pines.
"Hey, guys, is everything okay down here?", Phineas asked, "The others are waiting upstairs."
"Oh, okay, let's go", Dipper smiled, him and his sister walking towards the elevators.
The Flynn-Fletcher boys watched the two walk off as Ferb suddenly spoke up, "Reminds me of us."
The green-haired boy began to walk off as Phineas looked at his brother with worry, remembering what Dexter mentioned earlier. No, no, that's stupid, the redhead thought, I could never leave Ferb...right?
He sighed as he walked off to join the others.
…
"THERE IS NO WAY THAT THIS WILL WORK!", Kim shouted at the top of her lungs.
In the briefing room, soldiers and agents surrounded Dexter as he presented to them a hologram, showing them his plan of attack.
"Look, this is where the highest concentration of this species is on Earth", Dexter explained, "If this IS where the being is, then we need to go down there right now before it leaves the planet!"
"As we've said before, terrible plan", Jack pointed out, "We've no idea which of the aliens the blood sample belongs too. We have little preparation for this and everything has been rushed. By all means, this is NOT a good idea."
"Shouldn't we at the very least, maybe, inform the others as to the plan and see what they think?", Dexter argued.
"You're the guy who said not to let the others decide!", Kim shouted, noticing his hypocrisy, "Plus, let's be honest, all of those guys are just going to say-"
"Yes."
The agents all turned around to see the recruits walking towards the two redheads and the samurai.
"Wait, WHAT?!", Kim shouted.
"Yeah, we want to do this", Finn said, "Like, right now."
Dexter smirked at the two agents, "See, I told you this could work!"
"This is ridiculous", Kim said, "You all realize how dangerous this could be, right?!"
Jake shrugged, "Eh, I've punched the end of the world in its evil buttcheeks before. Can't be any worse than that."
"Look, I know you guys are worried about us", Steven said, "But we've fought the worst monsters of our worlds and came through alive. Do you guys really think that we won't be up for this?"
The samurai and the agent gave one another a worried look, considering the risk of this. They weren't sending trained soldiers or warriors. Just kids. Innocent kids. But, when the world's gonna end, as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures.
"...Go over the plan again, Dexter", Kim groaned.
Dexter smiled from ear-to-ear, "Let's begin again…"
…
Another universe. 2017.
The portal opened brightly in the sky, two choppers & two planes soaring right out and flying across the air. About four of them overlooked the small city, not even bothering to hide themselves from the public.
The world looked somewhat...muted. The colors of the world mostly consisted of bleak yellow and green, smog covering the sky above and making the world look even more pathetic.
Not a single person actually looked up to see the choppers. It was as if no one cared that a horde of military-grade were descending downwards slowly.
In one of the planes, Dexter, the Pines, and the scientists sat next to one another. In Dexter's hand was an enormous rifle, glowing blue with energy. Mabel held up her own grappling hook, wiping it clean for battle. Dipper was given his own weapon by Dexter, a small pistol glowing with white energy. The brothers held their own homemade weapons, built for multiple situations and purposes. Dexter groaned, rubbing his forehead.
"Ugh, I think I am actually starting to remember this world", Dexter groaned, "This stupid, little ball."
"What? What's wrong with this place?", Dipper asked.
"I have never seen a world full of more ignorant idiots than this place", Dexter snarled, "Trust me, you'll see."
"You know, for once, can't you be on the bright side for more than two seconds", Mabel frowned.
"HA! Unless being on the bright side gives me fifty million dollars and a Nobel, I'm not interested", the scientist snarked.
Phineas twiddled his thumbs as he awkwardly looked to his side at his brother, who was too busy staring at Mabel to notice his step-brother's glances. Trying to ignore his guilt and worries, he decided to break the silence.
"Sooo, Dexter...what's your sister like?"
The Pines twins quickly sat up in their seats, Dexter glaring at the young boy with an insane amount of hatred and anger.
"YOU HAVE A SISTER!", Mabel shouted, her braced teeth in an enormous smile.
"What?!", Dipper shouted.
Dexter snarled, "I WILL WRING YOUR TRIANGLE-HEADED NE-!" He stopped and tried to regain his composure, "Grrr...yes, Ms. Pines, I have an older sister."
"OH MY GOD, LITERALLY ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT IS A FEMALE YOU!", Mabel giggled, "OHMYGOD! I THINK I'M GONNA EXPLODE!"
"No, she is nothing like me!", he snarled, "Just a blonde dumbo with the brain cells of a rock! An...ANTI-ME, IF YOU WILL! AND THE IDEA THAT MY PARENTS THOUGHT THAT NUISANCE WAS WORTH KEEPING AROUND IS BEYOND ME!"
He panted insanely out of anger as all of the others were slowly backing away from him in fear, eyes bugging out and sweat dripping in nervousness.
Mabel broke the silence, "Sweet! I need to meet this girl!"
…
In the helicopter, Steven, Star, Finn, and Agent Possible sat together. The two kids stared out the window, a big smile on their faces as they gazed with curiosity.
"Oooh!", Star smiled, "The grey fog really brings out the colors of this place!"
"So much green! Everywhere!", Steven smiled.
Kim gazed at them with confusion, "You do see how bland this place looks, right, guys?"
"C'mon, Kim! Everything's beautiful when you look at it closely", Steven smiled.
"Always something new to look at, right?", Star chuckled.
Kim shrugged and began to reload her gun, the same type of rifle Dexter has.
Steven noticed the weapon and tilted his head, "Oh, is that for capturing the bad guy? Like a net-gun or something?"
Kim's eyes widened as she awkwardly shifted her eyes, "...Sure, definitely."
Steven's eyes widened when he realized what that meant, "W-wait, you're not gonna-"
"Not if the thing doesn't attack first", Kim assured the child, "Look, just because the job can be a bit messed up doesn't mean that I am. I just want everybody to be safe."
"So do I", Steven shrugged, "but..I don't know if I can just make the baddies...not alive."
"Not alive? Really?", Kim giggled before realizing how serious Steven was being, "Hey, how about I promise we won't kill anything if you put on that adorable smile of yours again."
Steven sniggered and smiled, returning to staring out the window. Star sat down next to the agent, surprised by the act of kindness.
"You're good at this whole 'make-people-feel-less-muddy-inside' thing", the princess smiled.
"Used to be a babysitter", the agent confessed, giving a mischievous smile.
Star snickered and walked over to sit next to Finn, who was polishing his sword.
"Soooo", Star giggled.
"Soooo", Finn grinned.
"I guess we're really doing this", Star smiled,
"Saving the..multi-placer? Wouldn't be the first time, really."
"True. It's weird, the things that try to destroy the world. What's the worst thing you ever fought?"
Finn snickered, "Cold, skeleton jerk. You?"
Star chuckled, "Crocodile-guy in a suit."
The boy had a wide smile on his face before memories came back to him. Thoughts and fears he tried to push away. The mere mention of them was causing them to resurface as his smile slowly faded, "Haha...he...nearly destroyed my world and possessed my friends."
Star's smile faltered as she looked down at her feet, "My guy...he, um...forced me to destroy my wand...I almost lost it forever."
Finn tried to fight back tears as he leaned back in his seat, "Why is the world like this? I mean, it used to simple. Fight a monster. Save a village. Help a princess."
"Protect the town. Take down the baddies. Eat nachos."
"Oh glob, I miss nachos", Finn chuckled before losing his grin again, "But, why is it that everything's been getting harder? The bad guys are getting worse? The pain becoming…?"
"Worse?", Star sighed, "Look, there are times where I've always wanted things to go back to normal, kicking butt, having fun, all of that, but really, maybe this is for the better."
"What do you mean?"
"We have to grow up eventually, get older, understand the world. And it's not like fighting the same monsters again and again is going to make us any more smart up in the head."
Finn thought to himself before realizing what she said, "Still, it would be nice if everything was simple and stupid again."
"Well, maybe it will be this time", Star giggled. The two smiled as they felt the chopper descend downwards.
…
Marco shivered uncontrollably, a frustrated look on his face. As Jake was snarfing a burrito next to him (where he got it, nobody knows), Jack looked down at the boy, worried.
Jack finally broke the silence, "...Are you alri-?"
"PEACHY!", Marco shouted, "HAPPY AS ALWAYS! DEFINITELY! A-O-freaking-K!"
Jake looked up from his burrito with surprise, "Whoa, bro. You sure you're good?"
"Yes! Yes I am!", Marco laughed bitterly, "I mean, no worries except for the fact that some bear-headed doofus is stealing my best friend!"
"Bear-headed doofus?", Jake asked confused, "I mean, I know Dexter's got some stupid nicknames but that takes the ca-"
"I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT DEXTER! GAH!", he threw his arms into the air in defeat.
The samurai studied the boy and began to understand what was wrong, "Mr. Dog, do you mind giving us some space please?"
Jake shrugged and began to shrink down, jumping down between the seat cushion.
"Mr. Diaz, do not think that I haven't noticed the way you've been acting around Finn."
The boy turned around with a look of shock, "What? What are you talking about?!"
"For a while now, you have been looking at the boy with eyes green with envy. Why exactly?"
"Pfft! You think I'm jealous of the nutjob from Candyland?", Marco snorted, trying to hide his obvious feelings of jealousy, "That's ridiculous!"
"This is because of your friend, isn't it", the samurai realized, "You believe that the child wants to steal your love?"
"No, I don't th-Wait, LOVE?!", Marco jumped in embarrassment, "WHOA, buddy! This isn't what you think! I have a girlfriend!"
The older man tilted his head, "Then, what is it about the princess that you feel so defensive about?"
"...For a while now", Marco began, "Star's been...distant. She feels like she failed and hasn't wanted to talk to anyone about her problems...even me. And now, all of a sudden, some guy with a golden sword and bruises shows up and she feels better with him than with me. Is that enough of a reason to feel defensive?"
The boy got up and walked off to the other side of the plane, tears nearly coming to his eyes as he left.
Jack sighed as he covered his face with frustration, "Children."
He removed his hand from his face and gasped when he looked around the room.
Suddenly, he was in an open field, the color green everywhere. Fumes of green and the smell of sulphur surrounded the area as Jack began to sweat at an insane rate. Afraid, he tried to reach for his katana, only to find absolutely nothing at his side.
"No. Not now, no", the warrior panicked, losing his stoicness.
He looked down and saw piles of corpses and bloodied weaponry lying on the ground. One of the corpses, out of nowhere, grasped the man's cloak, startling him.
The corpse opened its raspy mouth and let out a small whisper, "Whyyy?"
Jack quickly backed away, his mind feeling as though it was being torn art. SOunds of bells and gongs filled his head, nearly knocking him out, when he felt something grab his shoulder.
Something with claws.
Out of instinct, he grabbed the arm and swiftly flipped the beast over his shoulder. When the being crashed onto the ground, the fumes disappeared and the grass of the fields became the metal plates of the plane. And on the ground groaning was Jake.
"Ow, that's gonna leave a bruise", Jake groaned.
"OH MY GOODNESS!", the samurai apologized, quickly remembering where he was and what was happening, "I am so sorry, Mr. Dog! Please accept my deepest apologies!"
"I'm good", Jake groaned, slowly getting up, "Real question here is: are you good, bro?"
Jack sat down, tired, trying to regain his sanity, "I..I am fine. I just need some rest."
"Dude, you just flipped me over your shoulder!", Jake pointed out, "I mean, it was spectacular, definitely, but what the hey-hey, man?!"
"It was a...mistake", the grown man assured, "I assure you, it will not happen again."
Jake sighed and sat down next to him, "You sounded scared as schlob, man. Who were you saying 'no' to, exactly?"
Jack remained silent as he merely laid down on the seats and pretended to doze off.
"Hmph, okay, be like that", Jake grunted, "I'll wait...jerkface."
…
After a half-hour of flying, the troops finally reached their destination. They slowly descended onto the skyscrapers of the city in an attempt to stay close to their target and also hide from it.
The recruits slowly got out of their vehicles, weapons ready and attitudes in check. It didn't go unnoticed by some of the recruits how Marco quickly rushed to be with Star and how Jack was gripping his sword more tightly than usual.
"Okay, men", Dexter said, "It's at times like this when a man feels the need to give a riveting speech to their team to make them feel better about themselves."
Awkward silence ensued.
Dipper raised his hand, "So...are you gonna give one?"
"Pfft! Oh god, no! I have better things to do!", Dexter laughed, "Let's go!"
The crew walked down through the building and entered the streets, looking around at the people around them. That's when they realized what Dipper meant by the stupidity of this world.
Literally none of them batted an eye or gave a second glance at the team of weirdoes. A walking, talking dog? Not important. A man holding a katana blade? Nothing unusual. An entire squad of soldiers wearing all-black? Not even a double-take!
"Uh, is there something wrong with this place?", Dipper asked the scientist.
"Don't try to talk to ny of them", Dexter advised, "I swear, you'll feel your own brain cells die."
He did a double-take once he saw Mabel talking to one of the random people there.
"Hi, everyone! I'm Mabel! How are you?", the teenager asked.
The guy looked around, confused, "Um, uh, I'm fine, I think. That's a nice doggy you have over there! Is it Halloween already?"
"Don't you know?", Mabel smiled, "It's Halloween everyday if you believe it!"
The man chuckled, "Wow, I need to spread the news." He turned to the other guys, "GUYS! HALLOWEEN IS EVERYDAY NOW!"
The entire crowd of people cheered. Something about their eyes and faces looked...odd. Like they were more living on instinct and seeing the world at face-value, not asking questions at all.
The girl returned to her group smiling, "These guys are cool!"
"No, they're not", Dexter growled, "This Earth has dealt with oddness and yet everytime, they never question anything! It's so...FRUSTRATING!"
"Yeah, Mabel, something about this place feels weird", Dipper spoke up.
"Keep moving", Dexter ordered, "It's not that far."
After minutes of walking, the group reached their target destination and boy, did it stand out.
In this dull, blank world, this place was the only area with any color or distinctive shape. It was an old house, dust covering the slanted and oddly-shaped roof. The house wasn't made of normal grey brick but bright turquoise metal, glinting in the sun. Wires and tubes decorated the sides of the house, connecting to the homes of the neighbors. Dusty windows were covered by blinds and lawn ornaments such as gnomes and flamingos littered the lawn. The house looked creepy in how out of shape and out of place it was. And they hadn't even gone inside.
The group stared at it for a minute before Dexter gave strict orders to his men, asking them to guard the area.
"Okay, troops secure. We're moving in", Dexter commanded.
The recruits looked at one another, wondering what they were getting into. They walked forward, weapons ready, as the walked threw the lawn.
That's when the first object was thrown at them.
The gnome suddenly turned to face them, firing lasers straight out of its eyes. The recruits screamed as Steven quickly threw his shield at it, reflecting the lasers and causing them to fly right back at the gnome, destroying it.
The other gnomes began to act up, firing at will. The recruits began to split up and take down each of them, Star firing a blast at one of them, the scientist brothers firing their guns at one, and Jack sliced up a few,
In the middle of the fight, Dexter tried to run over and opened the door, only to find that it was locked. Looking around, Dexter came up with an idea.
"PINES!", he shouted to Dipper pointing at one of the gnomes. Realizing what he meant, Dipper jumped forward and grabbed one of the gnomes, turning it towards the door and allowing its blast to destroy the door. The boy smashed the gnome and slowly got up.
The group panted as they carefully walked towards the new entrance Dipper made.
"Yes, because going into the house owned by the guy with death gnomes", Marco sarcastically joked, "Perfect idea."
The team looked around the house and were surprised. Inside, it didn't really look that bad. For the most part, the colorful wallpaper and bright indoor lighting looked somewhat nice for a villain. The only thing creepy about the living room was the odd poster of a green monkey (which they weren't even going to question).
"It looks like a bouncy house turned into...well, an actual house", Steven said.
"Now, if I were an alien, where would I be?", Mabel pondered.
"Well, as an actual alien, or half-alien", Steven smiled, proud of himself, "I'd say the kitchen!"
"Kitchen? Your species doesn't even NEED food", Dexter pointed out.
"It's more of a hobby than a need for us", Steven smiled.
The recruits slowly walked forward when Finn felt something on his leg. He looked down and gulped when he saw what it was: a tripwire.
"Oh no", he squeaked.
Out of nowhere, tubes and pipes popped out from all around the house. From the ceilings, the walls, giant metallic wires and tubes with menacing prongs at the end began to reach out towards the recruits, trying to grab at them.
"ATTACK!", Dexter shouted at those who were in shock at the sight. They began fighting back as they felt the prongs grasp at their bodies.
Jack and Finn tried to slash at the tubes but they were too thick to be cut through. Mabel randomly fired her grappling hook, only to see that it didn't affect them as they began chasing after her. Star launched random attacks as narwhals and bunnies and other random objects, only for them to pointlessly bounce off.
Jake quickly grew in size to make it harder for the prongs to fully grasp him. Unfortunately, they instead began to wrap around him like snakes. He whimpered as he struggled on them. Luckily, Finn was able to slice at a few of their prongs...only for those prongs to whack him aside and smack right into Steven.
"OW!", Steven groaned.
Finn shook his head and looked up to check if his friend was okay. The hybrid was using his shield to fend himself off from the tubes slamming right onto him. Somehow, his weapon was strong enough to hold him off. As Finn saw the gem fend for himself, an idea began to form in his mind.
That's when he realized what he had to, "EVERYONE! GET TO STEVEN!"
"What?!", Dipper shouted as he randomly fired everywhere, one of the prongs pulling at his hair.
"JUST DO IT!", Finn yelled, as he suddenly pulled Steven away and ran to the others.
The other recruits questioned what he was doing but reluctantly ran over to him, trying to also fight off the prongs chasing after them. The scientist brothers used their weapons to help act as backup, watching the others' backs. Once they got close enough, Finn began to use Steven as a shield, knowing the gem's powers would protect him.
"Steven!", Finn shouted, "BUBBLE! NOW!"
Realizing what he meant, Steven used his abilities to form a pink, translucent bubble around the team. The wires kept slamming right onto them, sparks flying off with each hit.
"Well, great, now we're stuck here!", Marco complained.
"Now what do we do?", Mabel asked.
"The tubes are too thick to cut across", Phineas realized.
"So, we can't just cut right through them", Dexter nodded, "Do you see anything that could shut them down!"
"Nothing that we can find in a matter of seconds", Possible realized.
Dipper began to look around, trying to understand what to do. As his mind wrecked with possibilities as he began to scope the room. His eyes widened as a plan began to fotmulate.
"Oh my gosh", he whispered, "The bases!"
He turned around and began pointing at the others, "Okay, guys with guns! Aim for where the tubes are popping out of! If we can't cut straight through them, making we can deactivate them! If you miss your target, then, Steven, I need you to ricochet their blasts and if anyone gets knocked down, use that shield of yours and protect them. Jack, Finn, we need you guys to slice up the prongs, make it harder for these to grab us! Mabel, Jake, we're gonna need some distraction power right now! Get them to focus on you, make them lose concentration on the others! Marco, Star, you're with me!"
The others stared at the boy, surprised by his sudden, immediate solution and how quickly he was able to come up with the plan. Dexter and Kim actually smiled a little when they heard the plan.
"Okay, Steven. On the count of three, drop the bubble!", Kim commanded, "One...two...THREE!"
The bubble dropped and the recruits quickly rushed to do their jobs. Grabbing their swords, the warrior of Ooo and the samurai of the past began to slice at the prongs, which one by one fell to the ground. As they ducked whenever one of the tubes shot at them, they stabbed at the tubes' underbellies, helping them keep their focus on them.
Jake began to grow in size again, Mabel grappling onto his ear and jumping off once the dog was tall enough to touch the ceiling. She began to bounce off of the tubes, getting their attention and causing them to chase after her. She jumped off of each one, some of them even crashing into one another in an attempt to stop her. The dog allowed some of them to tie around him, pulling at them so that their bases would be more open.
The others began to fire their weapons straight at the bases, watching blue sparks of electricity fly with each shot. With each hit, the tubes began to drop to the ground inactive. With their incredibly diverse projectiles, Phineas & Ferb were able to freeze, scorch, and pummel the bases, knocking more of the wires down.
Using the distraction to their advantage, Dipper led Star and Marco out of the room as the two followed him up a staircase, leading them to the top floor.
"Look around! There has to be someone here!", Marco shouted.
They looked down the hall and saw only one room, which they quickly ran into. It was a small bedroom, with only a bed and a small writing desk inside. The trio scoped the area before hearing something.
*WOOSH!*
Out of nowhere, something small dashed right in front of them, ducking underneath the bed.
"THERE!", Star shouted as she fired at the bed, turning it into a pile of flowers. The children ran forward and pushed away the petals and plants, only to see nothing underneath it.
"WHERE DID IT GO?!", Dipper shouted.
"C'mon! Back downstairs!", Star yelled as they rushed out of the bedroom and back to where the real battle was going down.
They ran downstairs to see that the battle was finally over, as Jake was able to tear the last one right out of the wall.
"WOOO! THAT! WAS! AWESOME!", Finn cheered, "Let's go again!"
"Guys, the target is here!", Dipper shouted out, "But he's running from us! We have no idea where he is!"
"Did you search the whole house?", Dexter asked.
Marco groaned, "Yes, we've searched everywhere! The kitchen! The attic! The basement! The bathro-"
Dipper realized something, "THE BASEMENT! There was no basement! I have an idea! Jake, punch the ground, RIGHT NOW!"
"Okay", Jake matter-of-factly agreed, as though the command was normal. The dog quickly expanded his fist and smashed it straight through the floor. The entire house tremored with the punch, knocking most of the recruits into the air and crashing back to the ground.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR INSIPID-!", Dexter stopped once he saw what was below the floor.
A large,round tunnel was right under the house, tunneling down straight through the earth. The group walked over and looked down the hole, seeing no end to it.
"...Well, no point in just staring at it", Dexter muttered.
…
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
The group of recruits shrieked as they fell out of the tunnel and nearly crashed onto the ground from an impossibly-large drop. Before they could hit the ground, Mabel grabbed onto Dipper and used her hook, Jack pulled out his sword and stabbed it into the side of the tunnel to slow his fall, Star grabbed onto Marco and used her wand to levitate the both of them, & Jake used his arms to grapple onto the rest.
They touched the ground and looked around to see what was near them. The cavern they were in was massive, random purple tubes and orbs lining up the walls of dirt. The team was fascinated by how vast it was and how eerie the lighting made the area look.
"Okay, now what?", Dipper asked.
"Split up", Dexter ordered, "Six go down that way. Other six go down that way."
The team split off and went in different directions. The warriors of Ooo, Jack, Dexter, Star, and Marco went down one way, the Pines, the brothers, Steven and Kim went down the other.
…
Jake carried the entire team down the cavern, scoping down the area.
"There's nothing here here!", Finn said as wind rippled past his face.
"Stay sharp!", Dexter shouted, "We have no idea what could be here!"
"Over there!", Jack pointed in front of them, the rest of the team looking up to see what he was pointing at.
In front of them was a small doorway, no doorknob on it. The crew got off of Jake as they walked over to it. On the door was a small control panel, random symbols glowing on it.
"Okay, how do we open it?", Finn asked.
"Okay, this is language is unfamiliar to me", Dexter admitted, "Guess we need the simple solution. Mr. the Dog!"
Jake quickly smashed his fist straight through the door, knocking it straight down.
"Thank you", Dexter smirked.
The group entered the dark room, weapons up and fists ready. Star's wand helped illuminate the room as they looked around for something.
That's when something grabbed Star.
That's when the screaming began.
…
"Do you see anything?", Phineas shouted out.
"Nothing so far, but keep looking!", Dipper yelled, "I know it's here!"
The group ran as fast as they could before stopping at the end of the cavern.
In front of them was an incredible amount of laptops and computers, all featuring videos and clips from all around the city. The purple hue and the bright lighting frightened the group, but the most creepy part was the tapping.
A small chair faced the screens as it sounded like someone or...something tapped at the keyboard, the noise echoing through the room. The typing only stopped once the being noticed the crew's presence.
A raspy voice began to speak up, snickering, "I did not expect you mammals to actually reach me. I would congratulate you if you weren't such morons for coming."
The eyes of the group widened in fear, the chilling sound of the voice causing their spines to chill.
The creature began to continue typing, "It has taken me so long to gather all of the information on you fools from my supplies. After my first supply ran out of knowledge, I had no idea what to do...but the things that I have learned from my new ones, the things that I now have learned about you...PERFEEEEEEectlystupid. So, so stupid."
He began to type up something on another keyboard and what was on the screen caused Dipper and Mabel to gasp.
On one of the screens were their great-uncles, Stand & Ford. They were strapped and bound to lab table with long wires sticking out of their heads. The twins could see the old men twitch with pain as spit dribbled from their mouths.
"Oh no", Dipper whispered.
"GRUNKLE STAN! GRUNKLE FORD!", Mabel cried out.
Tears began to well in the children's eyes as the menace merely cackled with humor.
"You humans and your love of others!", he laughed, "I mean, caring for another being just because they share the same biological components? How pointless!"
"LET THEM GO RIGHT NOW, YOU CREEP!", Dipper shouted.
"Not yet", the being said, "Not before I learn how to activate the weapon."
"Whatever you are, you are coming with us right now", Kim stated, lifting her gun up.
"Oh, you want to know what I am, don't you? What my goal is? What I eat, breath, drink? All of it?", the beast snickered.
…
At Star's foot was what looked like a young human boy, around Phineas's age, groaning in pain and dried up from either dehydration or...something worse. He had spiky black hair and black clothing, a pair of broken glasses lying next to him.
He groaned in a wheezy voice, "H...H...Help….m..me."
"OH! MY! GOD!", Star screamed, as she nearly stepped on the guy's head before Jack pulled her back. From his belt, he pulled out a canteen, giving it to the boy. The others watched in complete shock and fear. Even Dexter looked as though he didn't expect this.
"Drink. Calm down...and drink", the samurai said soothingly.
The boy pushed the water away from him, "Y...You have...to stop him. St-stop...h-him."
"Who?", Finn asked, "Who did this to you?"
…
"I am something that has been feared by species across the universe. The grand warrior of the greatest armada of all time. The renowned being that will end your species across this world. ACROSS EVERY WORLD! FOR I! AM! "
It turned around and jumped out of its chair, standing up straight and raising its arms to the sky with a triumphant look on its insectile face.
"ZIM! CONQUEROR OF EARTH! MURDERER OF MAN! THE GREATEST INVADER TO HAVE EVER WALKED THE PLANET! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHA-Whoa AAAAHHH!"
It yelled as it tripped and began to fall down the steps of his small lab, groaning with each fall.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"
When the thing finally stopped, the entire crew was left in complete silence for a minute.
Kim stared at the thing, only to break the silence, "...What in the f-?!"
To quote Pietro Maximoff, "You didn't see that coming?"
Yep, Invader Zim's the bad guy!...What's his plan? Well, what do you think? It's kind of in his name!
Anyways, outside of feeling really good to finally reveal the villain, it was also great to create more character development and see the heroes interact with one another, finding out Marco's issues with Finn, seeing Finn and Star deal with their insane lives, seeing the beginning of Jack's PTSD hallucinations which will only become worse for him if you know what happens in his show. All in all, felt really good.
Hope you guys like it!