Phase Two Begins
It seemed that things were developing quite quickly at Capsule Corp. Bulma and her little geniuses were getting quite chummy. Something that had Vlad stewing in his chair as he watched them on his main monitor, all gathering for a new project. One that he could barely see with his camera on the wall behind them.
Getting intel of any kind from within the walls of Capsule Corp was near impossible, even for someone like Vlad. It drove him batty, even now. His attempts had been made and thwarted since day one back on the planet. Not only was it a key location to spy and learn about the Z Fighters, it was also one of, if not the most, technologically advanced companies in the world! The perfect kind of place to steal from, both to sell on black markets or to ghosts for money and allegiances and to increase his own arsenal. If he could manage to get his hands on capsule technology, he could use it to trap and eliminate all of his enemies forever!
But no attempts ever had a prayer. He'd tried hacking from a thousand different angles and locations, but even so much as trying to get access to a single security camera was not only blocked by a string of firewalls, but immediately set off warning systems and serious virus programs right back to him, corrupting his computers and alerting the company to his location. If it weren't for him predicting similar possibilities and invading other criminal hackers' homes, his return to Earth would have been discovered long ago. It was well and truly clear that he was outmatched. Without Technus' assistance, who he couldn't seem to track down, he'd never gain access to their precious files. At least not from the outside.
It wasn't until Gohan took off for China and discovered his lost past that Vlad even considered trying a more physical approach. That level of risk was much higher. Going himself was out of the question, he couldn't send a ghost other than Technus and have any hope for success and the security around Capsule Corp was so great that no spy drones ever got through. Vlad didn't even need to make an attempt at that to know, various spy organisations around the world, including Global Justice, had tried and failed many of times. That only left his own, far more unconventional spybots, the insectoid ones he used to use on Danny and the Fentons. They were ectoplasmically powered and operated on the ghostly plain's frequency, so they should be able to slip through Capsule Corps' security, but they were still risky. If they were discovered and analysed, they wouldn't even need to follow the device's signal back, they'd know instantly that Vlad was involved. All of his tech was discovered after he exposed himself and got stranded in space.
It was made dramatically riskier with the technopath nearby and could only show him what people were doing, but it was a risk he had to take. He had to stay up to date with their whereabouts and activities and this was the best he could do. He could only hope that, should his robots be discovered, he could activate their selfdestruct systems before the Matrix Tamer could hack his systems.
It was because of his presence that Vlad didn't dare move his spybot any closer, especially while the boy's powers were frequently active, and was forced to draw most of his understanding of the situation from their conversation, rather than the data logs and computer screens around them. It was vexing situation to say the least. However, he had managed to acquire quite a bit of insight and wasn't sure whether he was impressed or troubled by what he'd found out.
"Today's youth. Always aiming for the stars." He groaned, shifting the angle of his drone and zooming in, trying to get a better look at the screen while Jazz and Henry maintained a new, larger gap between them. "A battle suit using Kim's as a base and adding a weaker version of the Ecto-suit's enhancement technology. Brilliantly dangerous."
If they managed to succeed at this, he'd never be able to let it go. Not only would it make Kim's abilities far more impressive than they already were, it would allow her to effectively fight ghosts like himself. And that wasn't even the worst part in his mind. No the worst was that even in all the time he had that super suit, he'd never once even figured out how to recreate it as it was, much less alter its design and integrate it into another like this and most of them were mere teenagers with no previous knowledge of ectoplasmic technology! This was an insult to his intellect...
"Now, now Vlad, you put that ego away." Vlad growled to himself, giving himself the luxury of glaring at the quartet one last time before taking a deep breath and forcing the spite back down. He'd already decided that he wasn't going to let his ego get the better of him this time and he was going to stick to that if it was the last thing he did.
"Just take it as another objective for phase three." That was easy enough to concede to. This new super suit was just another Capsule Corp invention he could take advantage of. Assuming phase three in his plan could occur, that would depend on the positions of uncontrollable variables when the time came, but as things were right now, Vlad was confident that it could play out on time. Even if it didn't, there'd be other opportunities for the cunning to take advantage of.
The thought of which almost immediately turned all of his remaining frustration to glee as the next computer over caught his attention. Directing his spybot to scuttle around on its insectoid legs, he lined it up for the completely unobstructed view of the screen. Having studied, reviewed and constructed a number of simulations using every bit of data he'd acquired, Vlad couldn't be more confident in his final plan's potential for success. All he needed now was two things. The first item had been tracked down easily enough, but was locked away and would be impossible to get to undetected at the present time. However, a substitute was possible and much easier to obtain, if his theory was correct. The other was Justiman, who ironically, would be easy to approach, but whose location was currently unknown. Considering that Vlad's own methods of location were currently very limited, it was the greatest of boons to find Henry Wong doing it for him. The fact that he intended to take Kim to meet him again could be very beneficial too, if it happened at the right time. After all, Henry Wong was the biggest threat to his plans in more ways than one, if he wanted to win then one way or the other, the boy had to be removed. It was much more preferable for him to lead Vlad to Ryo though, not to mention a lot easier if he was beyond the reach of Capsule Corp and his allies when Vlad's forces struck.
"Ok everyone, great work, but I think we'll call it a wrap for now." Bulma called, drawing Vlad's attention back to the group. "This suit's design is as good as it can safely get, so it's time for a food break. We'll come back to it later with refreshed eyes and triple check it for flaws, make any final alterations and then start gathering the materials for the prototype tomorrow."
None of her prodigies had any complaints with that, quickly saving and encrypting their work before taking off, all of them looking keen for food. Bulma stuck around a bit longer, smiling brightly after them before turning back to their work station. Intriguing Vlad as she double checked that she was alone, she quickly set to work, pulling up the data of the original ecto-suit and copying it to a USB drive before leaving the lab.
"Well, well, what's this Bulma? Stealing Fenton Works files?" Now that was interesting. More than enough so to abandon monitoring the search for Ryo long enough to see what she was planning. So without a second thought, he typed in the command to have his drone take flight and hitch a ride on Bulma's lab coat near her shoulder and watched as she left the lab, walking purposefully right down the hall and to the elevator.
What was even more interesting was the fact that she didn't actually enter it until the third time it opened for her, the only time it was empty. It only grew more suspicious as she removed a secret hatch near the buttons to reveal another one mark with B3 and pressed it, sending the elevator down uninterrupted.
When the doors finally did open, it was definitely to an underground level. This hallway had no windows and was very dimly lit. The walls were completely blank and made of thick metal, with only one door located at the very end of the hallway, one that was heavily reinforced. The audio feed was even picking up a low buzzing sound, the kind you heard around a generator.
"Now this is interesting. You've put in a great deal of effort protecting this place, haven't you Bulma? I wonder what are you hiding down...NO!" However, that was all he got to see. For Bulma only took five steps down the hall before the feed completely shut down.
"How did this happen?" He cried, his fingers dancing over his keyboard as he tried to reactivate his drone, only to growl again as every attempt failed. There was no doubt in his mind that his spybot had been neutralised. He could only hope that it was due to something set up in the hall. If that was the case, then its small size and the lack of people down in that hallway may save it from being noticed until he could make his move. If it had been discovered and attacked, they might still be able to use it to find Vlad and that was bad.
He had to get another spybot out there quickly. It was imperative that he was prepared for the possibility of his discovery now. If he was caught unprepared, all of his plans could unravel. He needed to work faster now.
"But least now I'm aware of that secret level." He mused, his dark smirk taking its place on his lips once again. "After all, such a guarded place in such an amazing company must have plenty of juicy secrets for me to take. Especially if the rest is anything like the stolen Ecto-suit schematics."
Yes, this was risk he probably would have been better off not taking, but what could he say? This new, intriguing target might just be worth it.
...
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE BACK IN CHINA?" Jake's screech was probably heard half a mile away, not that he noticed or cared. It wasn't like anyone was going to hear him. He was still well hidden away in the cabin of Gohan's grandfather and namesake, deep in the wilderness of Japan. Where said grandchild was also supposed to be. However... "You said you were only going for a fishing trip and that was DAYS ago! What the Hell, yo? What did you do, fall asleep in the ocean for three days?"
"No, nothing like that." Gohan muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and only making Jake glared harder. The Saiyan hybrid was lucky that he was a country away, if he could, Jake would have transformed and punched him in the face. Sadly, he had to settle for scowling and shouting through the Vcom's screen. "I ran into the Xiaolin monks and followed them home."
"And, even in over three days, it didn't cross your mind to tell me what was going on, monkey boy?" Jake snapped, completely ignoring he elation the thought of seeing Rai again offered him. There was no denying this tongue lashing. "It's been DAYS Gohan! Days! Last I heard from you, you were going a lousy two miles away to get dinner. You didn't even answer your com when I called you! That is way beyond wack, yo! What if the dragons had found me, my oh, so great protector? I could have had my head on pike by now!"
"Yeah, sorry, I dropped the ball there." Gohan conceded, pouting apologetically.
"Oh, you dropped more than the ball there, bro! And when you do finally get back, I'm gonna drop you!" Jake promised, raising his freshly scaled fist for emphasis. "Now, care to tell me what was so demanding that you couldn't spend a lousy two minutes calling me?" He asked, his tone promising retribution if the answer wasn't a good one.
A situation that was quickly confirmed as Gohan responded with a nervous, guilty gulp. "I uuuhh...didn't recharge my Vcom and forgot about it?" He answered, following it with a nervous laugh. "And when I did, I thought there was no way of charging it? I mean, I'm in an ancient temple that still uses candles for light, how was I supposed to know that the place had electricity?"
"By taking a single look at Kimiko, you doofus!" Jake retorted instantly, flinging his free hand into the air. "When doesn't that girl have a piece of tech on her person! What did you think she was powering it with, Shen Gon Wu produced rainbows?"
"I know, I know, I'm so sorry, please forgive me." Gohan begged, bowing his head repeatedly. "I know I messed up bad. I'll make it up to you, I promise. But you are ok, right? The dragons haven't found you, have they?"
"...No, I'm fine." Jake growled, tossing the communicator down as he went to fridge, one of the few pieces of modern technology in the old home, and snagged himself a root beer, aggressively ripping off the lid and chugging half of it down. "I called to figure out what the heck was taking so long getting our dinner and tell you that Kim's waiting for a call from you. So congratulations, you're disappointing her too!"
"Kim's back with us?" Gohan cried, a huge smile exploding on his face, the fact that he was being reprimanded completely forgotten. "Awesome! Bulma must have managed to snag Wade! Has she managed to draw in Ryo too yet? I miss him, I haven't managed to talk to him since before I got my memories back."
"You remembered Ryo all along?" Jake gaped, his frustration momentarily forgotten, as he flopped on the couch. "Kim and I couldn't remember him at all when we first talked. She just had red flags about Henry. So no, last I checked, which was this morning by the way, because I do make a point to keep in touch with my friends, Henry was trying to track him down to introduce Kim to him."
"How many times do I need to say I'm sorry?"
"What makes you think that saying sorry's gonna cut it?"
"How about I bring Raimundo back with me? I'll even put a bow on him. Will that make you happy?"
"...It's a start." Jake conceded, the mental image of Gohan gift wrapping a struggling Raimundo forcing a small grin to grow on his face. "How is he anyway? Why isn't he part of this conversation?"
"The monks are all doing some intensive training right now." Gohan explained, turning his communicator around to the window, revealing a seriously dangerous looking obstacle course that was currently trying to skewer, roast and maim all four Xiaolin Dragons. "Apparently, they're currently going through some unseen trial to determine who's going to rise to the next level of their Order and become the official leader of their team. It'll end any day now, they just need to perform a quest of their own creation."
"I see...well, if he survives, tell him to call me or I'm gonna grab you by the tail and rip every single strand of fur off it one by one." Jake said cheerfully, eliciting a visible shiver from a horrified, paling Gohan.
"You bet! I'll tell him as soon as he's done. And conscious." Gohan nodded quickly, his free hand moving protectively over his waste.
"Then I'll be waiting." Jake said with a savage grin, taking pleasure in Gohan's squirming. The guy abandoned him for days without a word or any way to get help if shit hit the fan. He also failed to mention that Jake would have to hunt down his own food! He'd be even angrier about that if Huey hadn't agreed to go get burgers for them. As far as Jake was concerned, his vindictive fun was well justified. "Talk to you later, Tails."
"Uhh, bye." Gohan had never disappeared from view faster than he did at that moment and the guy could fly at super speed! Jake let himself relax with a chuckle at that before smiling, finally letting the happiness he felt from Gohan's news out to enjoy. Kim and Raimundo had easily been his best friends amongst the Guardians in the old days and now, within a week, he was getting his chance to reconnect to both of them. He couldn't wait for the next call from either of them, to hear how things were going on the search for Ryo and the latest piece of information Kim had learned about their most mysterious ally or maybe even get news on Danny's progress back home. Danny tried calling him now and then, but the Vcoms just don't have the dimensional breaching capabilities needed for more than a few garbled words through walls of static. For that level of techno sorcery, you needed Capsule Corp systems. He also couldn't wait to catch up with Rai and tell him about all the pranks and interesting situations he'd gotten himself into before leaving for China.
Though he really hoped that Gohan had filled him in on what happened after that by now. He was still crying himself to sleep at night about what happened to his Gramps. Having to flee for his life, leaving his family behind in the process, only made it more heartbreaking.
"Still, at least things are looking up." He muttered to himself, finishing his drink. Kim was back in life and Raimundo was about to re-enter it. Kim was tracking down Ryo too, so he could finally get to know the guy. That'd be nice. Danny should be back soon too, any day now for sure. It would be great to hang out with him again, show him all he'd learned about his powers since they'd been separated, find some video games to play, it'd be awesome. He really needed more company.
Speaking of which, it was at that moment that the door flew open with a gust of wind so strong that it blew Jake right off the couch.
"Whoa-ow!" Flailing as he spun sideways in the air, he crashed into the ground with his head before face planting the ground. Blinking as stars crossed his eyes, he didn't bother to do any more than slightly tilt his head up with a failed attempt at a glare at the snickering humanoid duck clad in red spandex standing in front of him. "Huey! I swear, if you keep doing that, I'm going to be eating roast duck."
"You'd have to catch me first, scale belly." Huey laughed, zipping around the room before throwing himself all over the newly vacated couch, a comic in one hand and a packet of Doritos in the other. "So, Gohan's still a no-show?" He asked, casually glancing around as he flipped a page and stuffed his mouth, eliciting a cry of disgust and a commando roll from Jake as crumbs flew his way.
"Yo,yo, stop spitting that junk at me! Get some manners, dude!" He cried, pulling himself to his feet and wiping crumbs off his shirt. "But no, Gohan isn't back, he's in China! He conveniently forgot to tell us that he was going after another Valour Guardian. It does mean I get Raimundo back, but I'm still gonna kill him."
"You're gonna kill everyone lately." Huey shrugged, completely unphased by everything Jake said as he shoved another handful of Doritos into his beak. Jake just growled, smoke leaving his nostrils as the duck boy let more crumbs fly.
Though he forced himself to take a few deep breaths and calm down a moment later. Taking a good look at him, it didn't take much to see past Huey's facade. Which was weird because he usually had the perfect poker face. He guessed the poor duck boy's stress was catching up to him.
It had been weeks since they'd gotten back through the portal from Disney town, and since then, they'd all been on the hunt for everyone associated with everything that went down, in between avoiding and misleading the Dragon Order in Jake's case. But despite all they'd tried, tracking spells from Foo Dog, surveillance from Capsule Corp, Huey running all around creation and a series of contacts they and their friends had accumulated, no one had noticed hide nor hair of the Dark Dragon, Chang, Charmcaster, Pete, aka the cat-man Captain Dark or Donald, the Duck of Doom anywhere past vague, near-useless rumours. It wasn't a hugely surprising outcome, both Dark Dragon and Charmcaster were good at hiding away while they planned, but it was disheartening all the same. If they couldn't find them, then they couldn't save Donald and that was a burden that was hitting the feathered speedster more and more every day. Night too. Jake wasn't the only one having nightmares.
Grabbing another bag of junk food for himself, Jake took a seat by the table and just looked around the cabin. Honestly, he'd long grown bored of this place. The fridge was the only thing that ran on electricity in the place and there was no running water, only external fresh water sources. There were no video games, no TV, his Ipod was only recharged when Huey took it elsewhere and only a duck and a Saiyan to talk to, both of whom frequently left him alone with little more than training to occupy his time. For his safety or not, cabin fever was getting too hard to bare, even without the worry and grief both he and Huey were dealing with.
They were slowly going insane here. Huey was right, Jake's temper had grown in recent days. Too much had happened and he was too far out of his comfort zone. He just wasn't dealing properly. Gohan ditching him had only made it worse, he had too few people left comforting him and providing security from the people trying to skin him alive already. He needed an escape, a sense of normalcy to distract him from his problems, but the only time he'd found one was when Kim...
That was it! Grinning as he swallowed his food, he turned his attention back to Huey. "Hey Fast Guy! How many dragons have you seen around Japan lately?"
"No more than you'd expect. Don't worry, they're nowhere near here." Huey responded, finishing up with his comic before going for a soda.
"I was actually more interested in whether they were around Metro City." Jake replied, rising to his feet as he stared at Huey hopefully. "If we're in the clear, I was thinking we could visit Capsule Corp. You know, introduce you to Kim Possible, get reminded what the internet is? What do you say, day trip?" Jake was sure it shouldn't be too dangerous. The dragons had already been through the area and Metro City's magical occupation was far too small to leave a dragon living there indefinitely. The chances of running into one or a creature that would recognise his human form and report his location to them were very low and he was really keen for a chance to hang out in a place with a TV, games, a shower and Team Possible. Monique and Felix sounded fun and he'd love to catch up with Ron again, he always did like the guy when he visited Kim in Middleton. But most of all, he just craved to be surrounded by a city again, if only for a few days. That was his normal and he really needed a sense of normality right now.
"Metro City? Gohan insisted you stay here." Huey exclaimed, wagging his finger in the air scoldingly. However, the look was kind of ruined by the mischievous smirk crossing his beak.
"Yeah, well it was also insisted that he stay close to me, but that didn't stop him from crossing the border." Jake smirked back, crossing his arms across his chest and raising his head in mock challenge. Huey just chuckled in response.
"I'm wiped right now man, so give me tomorrow to check it out. It should be cool though." Jake just cheered at that, pumping a fist into the air. He was going to see Kim! He was leaving this Amish themed cabin for a loud, colourful, wonderful city! Car horns, people, skate parks, rap videos! This was going to be perfect.
Hell itself opening up wasn't ruining this for him. He just couldn't wait.
...
"Uuughhh!" Monique's groans and whines were the first sign of her waking the next morning and were impressively loud, especially to Kim, who could hear them through her shower. Though, what was even more impressive was just how green she was and how fast she passed Kim on her way to the toilet the moment the redhead opened the door.
"Oh geez, Monique!" Reacting on impulse, Kim immediately turned back in behind her, getting there just in time to pull Monique's hair back before she puked. Rubbing her poor friend's back until she was sure Monique was done, she gently pulled her to her feet and guided her to the sink. Monique merely hummed thankfully as Kim as she grabbed her toothbrush and immediately went at it, grunting appreciatively again as Kim offered her mouthwash.
"On a scale of one to ten?" Kim asked sympathetically, wrapping her arms around Monique and gently guiding her back to her bed the moment she was done.
"Eight." Monique sighed in return, curling up around her stomach the moment her body once again found her mattress, leaving it to Kim to pull up her blanket for her. "My stomach's doing the Macarena!"
"That's not good." Kim mused, biting her lip as she rested her hand on Monique's forehead. "You're looking a bit green too, but you don't have a fever or anything, so that's good news at least. Any other symptoms you're aware of?"
"No, just my stomach." Monique groaned, burying herself deeper in her sheets.
"Ok, then. I'll go see if Bulma has a medic I can bring up. And a bucket." Sticking around just long enough to fix up a glass of water for the downed girl, Kim quickly exited her room in search of help. Not that it took long to find, Wade and Ron were only a few feet down the hallway, with a doctor already heading their way. "Hey, I've got another one down in my room."
"Monique's sick too?" Wade asked as the medic nodded, motioning for his companion at his side to take care of it.
"Is she pale and puking?" Ron asked, surprising Kim as he looked a lot more disgruntled than concerned. "Felix has got it pretty bad too. On me!"
"What?" Kim asked confusedly, raising an eyebrow.
"Felix can't exactly run to the bathroom when he gets sick." Wade replied, only getting a 'duh' expression from Kim in response. "So Ron..."
"Oh." Well, that explained his mood. And, now that she was paying proper attention to notice such things, why he looked like he'd been dunked underwater. Clearly, he hadn't bothered drying off after washing away the vomit. "Eww!"
"You said it, Babe." Wow, he was in mood. Ron only ever called her that when he was peeved and snarky.
"Well, on that note, let's get out of here." Wade suggested, nodding his head toward the living area. "The doctor's here, so they're being taken care of and we don't want to be here if it's contagious. Let's see if our appetites can still be salvaged after Ron's encounter."
"Yeah, breakfast! Just what my doctor ordered." Ron cheered, lighting up already as they followed the young prodigy down the hall. Kim could only shake her head in sheer disbelief. After an encounter like that, anyone else would probably puke themselves if they tried to force down food and yet he was making a beeline for it. All well, he wasn't moody anymore, so she decided to just take the win.
Besides, she was a little too concerned about their friends to ponder her boyfriend's iron stomach for very long. She hoped it wasn't anything serious.
...
"Hey all, so the doctor just gave his verdict and it's food poisoning." Bulma announced as she walked into the room twenty minutes later. Which immediately caused Kim and Jazz to practically throw their food down, with Wade following suit at a slightly slower pace.
"How did that happen? I thought all the food around here was high quality and cooked by professionals." Jazz asked, turning back and forth from staring flabbergasted at Bulma to suspiciously eyeing her breakfast.
"I told Felix that the sushi looked bad. He and Monique still chowed down in it though." Ron said through a mouthful of food, earning him a displeased look from Henry and a glare and a growl from trunks as crumbs flew their way.
"Yeah, I thought the same thing. And it was confirmed by the morning staff, who smelt off fish the moment they entered the kitchen. Trust me, the chef responsible is getting told off in about twenty minutes." Bulma sighed, running a hand through her hair. "But don't worry on either front, everyone. This food is all fine and both Felix and Monique just need to rest. They are expected to be back on their feet tomorrow. Figuratively speaking, of course." She added quickly as half the people raised an eyebrow her way.
"Ah, settle down everyone, Felix would have laughed at that. Or at least made a quip." Ron smiled, shrugging the whole thing off, the others slowly doing the same. "Now, let's chow down already! Look at this spread, it's a King's banquet!"
"Why is there always so much?" Wade asked as Bulma sat down, following Ron's lead and moving on. "It's like this every meal and you could feed a lot of people with this."
"It's the staff habit when I have guests at this point." Bulma laughed before pointing at Trunks as the boy wolfed down five sausages in quick succession with one hand while the other raised a fork bearing bacon and an egg. "My guests usually include up to three other Saiyans and all of them have the same, giant appetites as my son and husband. Those five alone could easily eat an entire village out of house and home."
"Well then, it's a good thing you're rich." Ron grinned, earning a chuckle from Bulma's parents. And with that, everyone settled down and got back to eating.
The day mostly fell back into the week's usual routine after that. Bulma and her interns went back to work on their project, while Ron split his focus between his new video games as he snuggled with Kim on the couch while she read more data in her Vcom or the nearest magazine, helping her check up on their sick friends and calling home to talk to and sooth a crying Rufus. Filling the void that was her time with Monique felt a bit odd, but Kim still managed to entertain herself. Practicing the kata Henry taught her filled in a fair bit of time and what was left was either spent in the garden with Mrs Briefs or talking to Jake, who was practically vibrating with joy as he told her about reconnecting with Raimundo. He also took great pleasure in informing her about what happened with Gohan and the threats he'd given the alien Halfling, so Kim should expect a call any time now. Kim could only shake her head at that. It was downright stupid and it wasn't like the Gohan she remembered to be so careless. Still, she just let it go, Jake was making him suffer enough. She didn't yet remember him being such a sadist either, but then, times had been particularly hard on him lately. He'd get back to normal soon enough, she just needed to give him time. All in all, it was a pretty good day.
But of course, that was too good to last on this trip. Considering the impacts of the last two days Kim wasn't all that surprised when just as she left her room, having left a fresh glass of water and a packet of saltineson the sleeping Monique's dresser, her Kimmunicator started beeping.
"Wade, you do remember that I'm in the same building as you, right?" Kim asked, skipping the usual hello as the African boy's face appeared onscreen.
"A building the size of a village, yeah! Like I want to run around the whole compound just to find out you went to sale. This was much-whoa!" Wade retorted with a smirk, only to duck his head as jazz tried to smack the back of it as she walked by, muttering about stereotyping under her breath. "Sorry Jazz, but Kim is like that! Anyway, we got a hit on the site." Wade went on, slowly raising his head back up, a little afraid Jazz might try again. "It looks like Adrena lynn is out of jail and on the revenge scheme."
"She's in Middleton?" Kim frowned, narrowing in on the Beuno Nacho behind the blonde extremist fraud. "If she's made her declarations, how come she hasn't already been arrested yet? She's hardly subtle. Last time she called me out, she did it on public TV and told the world exactly where she was. Does she have another hostage or something?"
"No, she acting a little smarter this time. Though only a little." Wade shook his head as he brought up Kim's website, showing her the latest hit.
"The hit came from her? As a challenge?" Kim cried, staring at the wrist mounted screen incredulously as her eyes flickered down the file. "With threats to my family if I don't show up for a rematch?"
"Complete with a time and place to meet, assurance that you won't find her before then and a threat of traps already in place for your family." Wade nodded with a scowl as he reappeared onscreen. "That being said, I wouldn't worry too much. I've already warned your family, who by the way, already left to visit your uncle's ranch anyway. Clearly, this idiot isn't aware that you're all out of town. This doesn't even need your attention, I'm basically just letting you know she pulled this stunt. I'll just give the cops a copy of the threat. This is a clear break of her parole, they can arrest her again, no problem."
"Actually Wade, get me a ride. She wants me, so she's got me." Kim responded, firmly shaking her head, much to wade's surprise.
"What? Why? She's of no concern at all." Wade cried, staring at her wide eyed. "And I'd thought that after yesterday..."
"That's the main reason I'm accepting the challenge." Kim declared. "I need to assure I've gotten over or at least actually can deal with whatever froze me up yesterday and taking on that bimbo is the safest field test I can think for that. Who knows, this might even help me figure out what went wrong. Besides, it's the principle of the thing. She threatens my family, so I knock her block off myself. After all, that kind of rep is the best way to keep my family safe from every villain I face."
"Well, if you feel that strongly about it," Bulma called, suddenly smiling down over a startled Wade's shoulder with a thumbs up. "then I've got your ride covered. Grab Ron and head out to the front lawn, I'll meet you there with one of our planes and company pilots."
"Thanks Bulma! That's perfect. I'll be there in twenty." Kim grinned back before shutting the call down. Taking just a moment, she let in a slow, long breath, calming the small surge of nerves she wasn't used to such a small mission bringing. Admittedly, she was a lot more uncomfortable with this idea than she'd let on. She'd be fine though, she could handle it. Besides, even if Felix and Monique were out of action, another detail that was driving her inhibitions, Ron was going to be beside her the whole time and that thought brought back plenty of confidence.
Setting the most confident look she had on her face, she quickly turned back toward her room to grab her mission suit, only stopping for a moment as Ron exited his and Felix'. "Ron, grab your gear and let's go. We got a little mission back home."
"Sweet! Then we can see Rufus on the way back!" Was Ron's only response before he practically dived back into his room. Kim could only smile at that. At the very least, her goofy boyfriend was full of confidence.
Of course, he should be. Even if Kim struggled again, Ron was more than enough to take almost any of their foes down all on his own. That was just one more thing that could give Kim the comfort she so strangely needed lately.
...
Vlad had to give himself and his new underlings credit, this was looking to be his most successful plan ever. Though they still scowled at the idea of sharing glory and the air they breathe, jibed and riled each other up constantly, forcing Spectra to play mediator more than once and leaving her giving him 'this better be worth it' threats, each member seemed more than capable of doing their part. Vlad had expected it to take at least four more days to gather and perfect everything they needed for the next two phases of the plan and yet they'd already completed everything. Their collective access to resources and information made it easy for those with the needed skills to construct their tools and get into required positions to complete every objective in record time. They barely needed a signal to begin.
On top of that, Vlad didn't even need to set up a second distraction. Even as he pondered his plan's progression, Kim and Ron were taking off, back to America for a mission. Adrena lynn had actually brought up a revenge scheme all of her own. Not that it mattered much at this point, no one was likely to stop the next two phases of the plan now, but it was good that the heroine and the mystic powerhouse had left Capsule Corp, regardless of what route the final phase took.
"If only my plans worked this perfectly back in the old days." Vlad sighed, watching every aspect of the unfolding events like a proud father. "Although, I will admit that I'm wondering if I'm aiming for something a bit too dramatic." He mused, a slight frown crossing his face as watched Kim and Ron take off on one of Capsule Corps' planes. "After all, it would be so easy to have Gemini or Spectra or...anyone really, simply blow up that plane midflight and end her life right there." It was a tempting thought. A perfectly effective method and even if Kim and Ron survived the explosion, depending on when the attack occurred, they'd only land into the near eternal sea. But...no, that wasn't worth it. In fact, it was far too risky to his plan at this point. Kim's death needed to be as public and dramatic as possible. That was a requirement to keep Spectra both onboard and from betraying him. If she revolted, then the plan would be ruined in an instant and he'd be in jeopardy. That couldn't happen, at least not until the other targets had all been neutralised. Besides, keeping her alive until the end increased the chances of much greater spoils from his victory, while risking nothing. No, it was best to leave it as is.
"Well then, there's only one thing left to do." He mused, a maniacal smirk crossing his face as he pushed a few buttons and waited just a moment longer than he'd like before Drakken's face filled his screen once again.
"What is it now, Vlad?" 'Drakken' demanded, staring seethingly through the screen. "I just had to deal with Electronique trying to fry half our forces, so this better be good news."
"Oh, it is my dear." Vlad nodded, never losing his smirk as he motioned to the screen in Spectra's view, one depicting the sight of a very strange tower. To put it bluntly, it was literally shaped into the word GO. "I see that your team is well ahead of schedule and our first targets are all accounted for. I assume that Gemini's and Drakken's men are all in position for our first two targets?"
"Of course!" Spectra snapped, her eyes turning red as she glared at him. It was good that they were so far ahead. Though she was one of the few ghosts he'd ever heard of that had the patience for longer term strategies, it was safe to say that Spectra was about to reach the limit with her rowdy associates. "Testing of the Modulators was a complete success, the secondary base is being set up as we speak and Gemini's men, who have been in place since before we started this plan, have all been safely updated on their new roles. We're ready to go and if you are calling to say anything other than let's begin, I am going to throw the plan away and feast on these arrogant, good for nothing-"
"No need for theatrics, by all means start the plan." Vlad butted in, pasting a pleasant look on his face. "Just make sure our little friend remembers to grab our prize."
"Please, you know full well that I don't need to say a thing. If he goes on about that restored bauble one more time..." Was all Spectra said with a snarl before the screen went blank. Not that Vlad minded at all. As long as the plan succeeded, he could more than handle a little attitude.
After all, soon, the threat Kim Possible played poster child to, the greatest threat on the living plain to Vlad's safety, would be no more. And then, so would she.