AN: Hey readers. Just thought the older readers would be interested in knowing that this chapter is entirely new, not one recycled scene in it. Well, enjoy.

Setting The Schemer's Pawns

"You've got a lot of gall, now don't you? What do you think you're doing dragging me to your little hole in the ground?"

"Ah, you have arrived." Rising to his feet, Vlad turned away from his work and to his latest guest with a smile. One that was not returned, but he supposed that that was to be expected. After all, she was currently stuck inside his prison cube and less than delicately dropped to the ground by Skulker. "I apologise for the abrupt and...less than delicate manner of bringing you here. I assure you that it was necessary and the payout will be well worth it, Lady Spectra."

Crossing the distance between them, Vlad casually shut down the cube, reverting it back to its small, hand sized form and releasing his desired accomplice, a beautiful looking woman with red hair styled into horns and a smart, red suit. Looking at the young, green eyed beauty, you'd never know that she was a ghost. That is, until she crossed her arms and glared at Vlad with eyes turning completely red and glowing.

"Let's get one thing straight, Plasmius! I am not one of your dimwit cronies." She snapped, jerking her head back at a bristling Skulker behind her. "I am not at your beck and call, nor am I doing any of your dirty work."

"Oh, Skulker isn't a minion, my dear, he is a business associate." Vlad replied, keeping his voice light and casual. "He performs favours for me and I supply him with payments of new and upgraded equipment. He stays because he benefits from our partnership. As can you, quite handsomely I believe, if my next venture is a success."

Admittedly, he was mostly just prettying it up. Skulker truly was little more than hired muscle, but he had to make his offer look enticing. He needed Spectra on his side.

He'd much rather take care of the situation that was Kim Possible himself, as he'd originally intended, however, at this point, there was no such thing as being too cautious. Ghost detection and shielding tech was growing more developed and common these days and this phase of his plan would need constant supervision for an unknown amount of time.

Sad to say, his chosen recruiter, Dr Drakken, had unfortunately given up on taking over the world after being rewarded for saving it. Normally he'd move on to the next recruiter, however, in this case, Drakken was the only one with the sufficient relationships and reputation needed to gather his intended help, which meant the only option was to overshadow him. Which would still be fine, except it would need to be done constantly and that led to a number of ways that he could be exposed too soon. No, he needed help, competent help. Someone who knew how to twist and manipulate a mind.

That's where Spectra came in. If he could convince her of the benefit. If he couldn't, then all he'd just done was give himself an unnecessary prisoner and risk, both to his secrecy and his mental state. Spectra's power was dangerous, even to him.

"Oh, could I now?" Raising an eyebrow, Spectra's spoke with a very clear, unspoken 'get on with it' in her tone and scowl. Before, Vlad would have been irritated by it, but this time it brought a smile to his face. If she was willing to hear him out, then this would go a lot easier. "And just how would that be?"

"Why, do you not feed off of chaos, panic, fear and anxiety?" Vlad asked, raising his hands dramatically. "If you and I manage to pull off my latest venture, then the world will reek of it! You my dear, will have a power source more than great enough to keep you youthful and beautiful for decades!"

"Is that so?" All signs of irritation started to decline at that, her posture relaxing as hints of intrigue started dancing across her face. "That would be rather...delectable. And just how do you plan to pull this off?"

"Why, by enhancing the current panic and anxiety crossing the world with the absence of Danny Phantom. Only this world famous hero and, countless others, will meet a very publically announced end." Vlad answered, a dark, malicious smirk taking over his face. "You once aimed to cause misery with the death of the popular, peppy Jasmine Fenton in front of a whole school, correct? Well, think of how much misery and panic will be created by replacing her with Kim Possible and her allies with the world as the stage. One powerful, world renowned hero missing and another annihilated. With a few extra details on the side for extra emphasis, of course."

"I Like it." Spectra admitted, finally letting her anger go in place of excitement and glee. "So let's see if the details are worth listening to. You better have a good strategy in mind, Vladdy boy."

"Oh, I do, my dear." Vlad's smirk only grew as he offered her a seat and reached for the kettle. "One that's sure to continue creating that fear and misery you oh, so love long after we've finished our parts. Would you like some tea?"

...

Admittedly, Spectra loved this plan. It was simple in its base form, the chosen pawns for the job would be easy for her to have dance the way they needed them too and the resulting death and destruction would unleash fear, panic and misery the world over. Plasmius was right, this would create the perfect world for her.

Then there was the extras. A little extra power was never a bad thing. Going over the files as Vlad explained his plan, the pair of them had found a few little tidbits that would not only be great for this plan, but for two of them in general. That was why Spectra had sent Bertrand on a couple of errands of his own as she flew over and into a mountain in the middle of nowhere.

"And to think that he's supposed to be a retired villain." Spectra couldn't help the comment as the earth and stone gave way, revealing what could only be called the lair of a mad scientist. Giant, high tech machinery was scattered everywhere, as if the movers had just tossed it in the first open space they found. Glowing jars of all different colours were displayed in much the same way, none of them looking like the run of the mill mixtures and compounds. And right there, in the middle of it all, was her target, muttering to himself as he boiled the contents of a beaker and carefully moved add drops from test tubes into the mix.

Seeing the delicate work for what it was and not really wanting to risk an explosion, Spectra opted to just continue floating around invisibly for a little longer. Moving through the machines, admiring the lasers and God knew what else, a sly grin quickly grew. If nothing else, this junk would be very useful reinforcing Drakken's 'return to world domination'. If he had toys that could actually be carried, some of them might even help with her objective.

But that was for later. Right now, she had one more thing to check on before the plan commenced. Turning intangible again, Spectra flew through every wall and room, critically checking from corner to corner. Even the smallest shadows were scrutinized intensely in her search before she finally let herself relax. She'd check with Drakken when she was ready, but it looked like they were in the clear. Shego wasn't there.

Drakken's enhanced partner was the only potential problem in Vlad's plan. With her current status and intellectual mind, she'd need to be overshadowed too if she was involved and Vlad wasn't sure that would work out well. Strong willed people could resist overshadowing to an extent, something Shego definitely had. Normally they could work around the problem, but it was more than that. She also bore that green glow, a power derived from a comet. Vlad's studies into it revealed it to be a form of cosmic radiation, something that even ghosts could have adverse reactions to. No, while her aid would be desirable, too many details left her likely to turn on them at any time.

"Yes! Success." Heading back to the main lab, Spectra slowly floated toward her target just as he whipped his concoction victoriously into the air. "Perfectly stable! This new solvent will be perfect."

Waiting only long enough for him to lower the still concerningly glowing concoction, Spectra surged straight at him. Drakken didn't even realise she was there before she sunk herself into his body.

"Well, this would not be my first choice for a host." Pouting as she raised her new arms, she couldn't stop the look of pure distaste at the utter lack of strength. Of any kind. "This guy's so skinny and muscle free that I could probably jam him through the lid of a mailbox. All well, we all have to play down in the mud once in a while. Still, this better be worth it."

Dropping the liquid back onto the bench carefully, still wary of the claims of stability in a glowing substance, Spectra moved her host over to the large screened computer taking up a wall. Starting it up, she couldn't help but smirk. It appeared that Dr Drakken had made it his personal challenge to make the computer look as impressive and complex as possible, while in reality, it was simplistic to use. He didn't even have a password on the thing. It didn't take her even two minutes to find his contacts and begin sending her messages.

"And done." Her eyes glowed red and a devious smirk grew across her face as she hit the send button. Within moments, every villainous idiot Kim Possible had faced that wasn't currently in prison would receive her request. She was confident that they'd all come, if not for the chance to end Kim Possible, then for the stack of gold she'd proclaimed and promised to share. Humans were such easy creatures to manipulate, especially when desires of greed and revenge were involved. Vlad would get his little army, of that there was no doubt.

"The only problem now is the wait." Groaning, Spectra floated into the air, looking over her current body with a scowl once again. Oh, how she'd love to just suggest that he take a nap and leave him to do just that. However, it was only a matter of an unknown amount of time before one of the idiots she was summoning called or appeared, wanting details. She had to be ready when they did or risk them discovering her little ruse too soon. Which meant that she had to stay inside her current puppet. "Just tough it out Spectra. The rewards are worth it."

Especially when one of those rewards was already close at hand.

...

The sun had already long set over the port known as Mystic Cove Haven. Even from a distance, watching the town was like stepping into a history book.

Almost the entire town was made of white painted, wooden constructs and with the lack of electricity, fire pits and candles were alight and scattered everywhere, giving the place a warm glow that looked almost ethereal with the water before it and plants glowing freely around it. It was quite the different setting from the concrete jungles and neon lights that had become commonplace in the world.

Though quiet at night, it appeared that the townspeople were happily taking advantage of the warm weather. As you got closer, laughter and merry voices could be heard from all around town, with a series of gentle melodies from the bards. Embers and fireflies floated through the air as people danced around bonfires, bringing looks of joy and wonder on the faces of the children. Overall, this place that fought to hide from the affects of time and change looked almost exactly like what you'd expect at the end of a fairytale.

The sight of it had Bertrand gagging.

'If only I could go down there.' Flying overhead, the green blob had to physically stop himself from doing just that. These people were far too happy for his liking. He wanted to ruin it. It would be so easy too. All he'd have to do was drop down and reveal himself. Shout and growl at a few people. Maybe transform into a giant spider. Everyone would be screaming and running for their lives in moments. The fear from the high pitched, screaming children alone would leave him feeling sated for days. None of them would have anything capable of stopping him, not to their knowledge anyway. He could run wild and free to his heart's content.

However, he could only growl and glare as he flew right passed them, invisible to them all. As much as he would love to start a panic, as much as the simple thought thrilled him, he couldn't blow his cover. To do so now risked compromising the plan. The worst he could do was spit down at them and ruin a few bonnets as he went on his way to his actual target. The most advanced looking building in the entire town. The lighthouse.

Grunting as the light flashed into his face, Bertrand quickly dropped his altitude and phased through the wall. Noting the darkness and simple layout, he halted his movement just long enough to shift into a large bat and fire a burst of echolocation. "There!" It only took a second for the burst of sound to send back an image of the whole area before he was swooping down the spiralling stairway. Coming to an instant stop halfway down, he transformed again, this time into his human form and smirked as stared at his prize resting on the wall. Rising himself higher up, he reached out and lifted his prize with ease.

...

"Phase one is almost complete. I have already had responses from half of our chosen guests."

"Is that so?" Vlad asked casually, stirring his tea. "Eager now, aren't they?"

"High and mighty is more accurate." 'Drakken' scowled, his eyes flashing red as his voice switched from his to Spectra's. "Gemini's God-like arrogance is far from charming and Dementor constantly questioned my intellect, when he wasn't repeatedly sneering over the concept of an alliance with his rival. I don't see those two sticking around for this, they think too little of Drakken's competence."

"Not to worry. They'll do their part." Vlad shrugged, completely unphased as he sank back into his armchair and took a sip. Dementor and Gemini didn't need to stick around long. In fact, he was expecting Gemini to ditch them. However, he would do his part in Vlad's plan first, of that there was no doubt. After all, there was no one in the world who'd love to rip apart Global Justice more than the Director's twin brother.

Things were falling into place even quicker than Vlad expected. That was good, very good, especially given the new circumstances.

Though he had no intention of letting anyone see him as anything less than completely in control, he was getting desperate. The knowledge that Kim Possible and her team had gone to Capsule Corp had not gone unnoticed, though he kicked himself repeatedly for not seeing a word of the trip beforehand. Seeing three Guardians reunite and induct a new duck into their ranks, he had known that the risk of them reaching out to the others was high, and he had watched them as closely as he could for any hints, however, he'd never once thought that Bulma Briefs would make such a move as this. That was a critical mistake on his part. Thanks to her, Kim was already being pulled back into the fold with all her resources and with the Wong boy drawn in as well, Justiman wouldn't be far behind.

'I have to give it to the woman, she sure knows how to cause me grief.' Vlad had to fight to keep his nonchalant facade as that thought crossed his mind. The simple fact was that Bulma's actions were simple, but brilliant. She'd forgone the actual Guardians and targeted the people amongst their ranks that could cause the most damage. Henry Wong, codenamed Tech, was both more than capable of being a team representative in place of Justiman and had the technological and mechanical skills to assist almost any other faction with their equipment. On top of that, his technotelepathy made him infinitely more dangerous to Vlad's plans right now than almost any Guardian could ever hope to be. Meanwhile Wade was the heart of Kim's network itself. Even if Kim was defeated now, he could still successfully connect almost all of her contacts and resources with the other Guardians. To top it off, she'd even ensured their safety. No one had ever successfully attacked anyone in the home of the Z Fighters. That simply meant that the real threats within Kim's contacts had to go.

Finishing his tea, he took a moment longer to ensure his serene facade was still well maintained before setting his thoughts aside and returning his attention to the impatient, possessed man on his screen. "Thank you for the update, Spectra. Let me know how your meeting goes."

"Hope for your sake that it goes well." Spectra growled right before the screen turned blank. Which Vlad was thankful for, for it gave him the freedom to drop his facade and glare furiously at the monitor. He did not like being threatened, especially by those that could back it up. Spectra could ruin him if she chose to and he had no doubt that she would if the plan failed. She'd feed happily off his anxiety and stress as she sent every ghost hunter, Global Justice agent and who knew who else his way simply by informing them that he was back. And to make it even worse, he couldn't do anything about it. He needed her cooperation. He had to keep her happy.

"I also have to keep the plan on track." Muttering to himself, he pulled himself right back to his computer and his searches. The data for his plan against Justiman was coming along well, right on schedule. At least on the old one anyway. With the recent turn of events, he really needed to speed it up, especially since acquiring what he needed for his plan would be tricky. However, that wasn't his main objective just now. No, for now, a distraction was a priority.

Vlad knew Wade kept tabs on Kim's frequent threats. If all of them were too silent for too long, his suspicion could be triggered. If that happened, his searches risked the discovery of their sudden gathering and if it happened too soon, then the plan could be interrupted before it could be completed. He couldn't let that happen.

Normally, he'd just hack the system and set up a virus. However, in this case, that would be a foolish mistake. Wade's firewalls were top notch and his programming talent was as high as it got. If he did anything invasive, he'd risk Wade discovering him himself. No, he needed another way to divert attention. Still, that shouldn't be too hard with Team Possible's nature and it wasn't like they needed to be distracted for long. One or two incidents would be more than enough.

Fortunately, Wade already seemed distracted by his new opportunities and the revelation Bulma had set off. It was one of the few benefits of the woman's stunt. Together, that should keep him preoccupied for a good while. At least long enough for Vlad to set something else up.

"Perhaps a small disturbance a little closer to their new home would suffice." Vlad mused as his eye caught sight a big flicker in the upper monitors, freezing the image. He'd had them on for a while, further studying Kim Possible's skills and flaws. It had revealed to him a number of her old opponents that he wasn't even aware of, which was wonderful. He had more pawns if he needed them. However, he only needed one right now and this one should be more than enough to sooth any concerns.

After all, he didn't need them in the dark for too long. With any luck, his plan would be done and Kim's network would be annihilated by the end of the week.