Grief and Debrief
"For those just tuning in, yesterday afternoon, the people of Go City watched on in absolute horror as Go Tower, the home of our own righteous team of super heroes, Team Go, was reported to have been attacked. Amongst the culprits were Aviarius and Electronique, two of Team Go's greatest enemies, both of whom managed to escape pursuit and are on the run. Our super powered protectors had asked for help, but before assistance could even reach the island, they, and the rest of the city, were forced to bear witness as the symbol of Justice came crashing to the ground.
"The search for survivors at the Go Tower catastrophe has continued right through the night and into the morning, however, it has been without many results. It is still unknown just how many intruders had attacked, so rescue crews are forced to work through the unstable debris. Results have been hard to come by as the debris is still very unstable.
"However, most of Team Go has been found. One of the Wego twins was found outside and hidden away. He was reported to be injured, but fortunately the worst of it was a concussion and a few sprains. However, that luck has not held for the other inhabitants. Hego has been transported to Go City Memorial Hospital in critical condition and was the only other person found to have survived. The other twin Wego has yet to be found and it is with a heavy heart that I must report that Mego has come to a tragic end. As has the Mathter, who was only identifiable by his uniform. Images of his discovery have been deemed too gruesome to air..."
Tears were pouring down her face as Kim shut down her wrist Kimmunicator's news report. She didn't even bother wiping them away as she stumbled on weak knees, making her way to the airport's exit.
"Kim!" That is, until she stumbled. Snagging her before she could fall, Ron pulled her into his side and guided her to the nearest bench, ignoring her halfhearted struggles as he forced her down. "Kim, sit for a few minutes! You're no good to anyone like this, so sit down, breathe and try to calm down."
"I sat down plenty on the plane." Kim snapped back, gulping back her moans as she tried to get up again.
"And drove yourself crazy for every minute of it!" Ron retorted, pushing down firmly on her shoulders, not giving an inch. "You haven't slept nearly enough and you've been going crazy the whole ride from here! The bad guys aren't even here anymore, what can rushing possibly do, besides mess you up?"
"Talk to Wego and-"
"Get nowhere fast, because he got a concussion and is probably still passed out! Besides, what could he tell you that could actually change what's already been done?"
Kim just glared defiantly back with watery eyes for a few moments before sighing in defeat. Ron was right. This wasn't what she was used to, the problem wasn't still there to be solved. It was far too late to do her save the day thing.
She'd known that really, from the moment Wade brought up a hit on her website. She and Ron had found out a lot later than most people, Adrena Lynn had kept them preoccupied for a while and the time change had hit not long after. They'd barely made it back to Kim's home before crashing, Ron deeming it far too late for a surprise visit to his own home with a sleeping baby in it. It was only because of her brothers freaking out and waking her up to the morning news that she was up and aware of it before noon. What quickly followed was a call to Wade and a berating for not tell her before demanding that he fix her a ride to Go City at once. Calamity had struck her friends and she'd refused to sit by and do nothing. After an emotional argument over the worth of it, and a declaration that Kim would just buy a plane ticket herself, Wade gave in and got Bulma's permission for Kim's ride to take the detour. The pair of them pair of them had taken off within half an hour.
And yet, even though she was here now, mere miles away from Team Go, there was still nothing she could do to help them. She could only see if they were ok. It was so frustrating! Especially after the results of her last mission. She hadn't frozen at all! She'd performed perfectly, fearlessly. She'd felt useful again, like she could do anything!
But here, where it counted, she could do nothing but mourn for Mego and, most likely, one of the twins.
Once sure she wasn't going to fight him again, Ron immediately shifted from in front of her to sitting beside her, pulling the grief stricken heroine into his chest. Kim sunk into him, wrapping her arms around him and embracing the offered comfort as she cried into his shirt. This hurt, it hurt so damn much! She felt like she'd failed them, failed her friends. There was no way she could have seen this coming, and even if she had, she never could have reached Go Tower in time to help them, but no amount of flawless logic could change how she felt. Her friends were dead or at death's door and she couldn't do anything about it or for them. She'd failed to answer their distress call in time, too wrapped up in flaunting her returned greatness against a nobody. That was all there was to it.
She didn't know how long she sat there crying. She ended up falling asleep in her boyfriend's arms, though she doubted she'd stayed that way for too long. She still felt wrecked when the signature four beep tune of her Kimmunicator went off, startling her back to the waking world. Shifting against Ron, she opted to keep herself pressed to him as she raised her wrist and answered the call. "Hey Wade. Have you found anything?"
"Nothing useful." Wade sighed, looking as tired as Kim was as he turned away from his computer, rubbing the bags under his eyes. "I hacked the rescue reports and managed to find some camera feeds still working from outside of the tower. I can confirm that the culprits were only The Mathter, his cronies, Aviarius and Electronique. Only the last two came back out and the rescue operation has found two more bodies dressed like the Mathter. There's still no sign of the Wego twin."
"What about the other two at the hospital?" Kim asked sadly, dropping her head as she took in the news. "Has there been any news on them yet?"
"Publically, no." Wade answered before letting out a loud yawn. "But I did hack the hospital while we've been talking. It looks like Wego is recovering well enough, physically anyway. As for Hego...he's stable." Wade sighed, his relief palpable as he sunk into his chair. A feeling that the two teenage heroes were experiencing themselves. "It looks like he was protected from the bulk of the falling metal. Can't tell you how he survived the collapsing floors though. However..." He added, visibly tensing as he looked over his screen.
"Enough with the suspense routine Wade! What, what?" Ron cried frantically, his own worry taking over as he leaned closer to the screen.
"They had to perform an amputation. His leg was crushed." Wade sighed, turning back to them.
"Oh man." Ron muttered lowly, resting his cheek against Kim's as she tensed again, both of them feeling an all new wave of sympathy and concern for the eldest glow bearer. It was bad enough that he'd lost two of his brothers, there were no words to describe how painful that had to be, but to also lose a literal part of himself, one that could mean the end of his cherished hero career? This was going to crush him all over again.
"What about the villains?" Kim asked, forcing a topic change as she tried to stop her crying. There was nothing she could do for Hego for now, but she could focus on bringing the monsters that did this to justice. "Have you managed to track them down?"
"Oh yeah, the problem is keeping them pinned down." Wade nodded, though the frustrated growl leaving his lips was not very reassuring. "Both Electronique and Aviarius have made multiple appearances, mostly quick bouts of destruction and a few notable robberies, but they're never around for more than a few minutes before they take off and disappear from their pursuers a moment later! I can't track their movements, they're far too wild."
"Revelling in causing more chaos now that they've taken down the city's heroes, the nerve of those two!" Ron snapped, snarling as he looked out toward the city. "It's a statement! They're declaring the city theirs and scaring everyone into submission."
"And until I can figure out a pattern to their movements-"
"You are leaving that to the cops for now!" Another voice demanded, immediately snapping Wade's attention beyond the camera. A moment later, a determined looking Jazz stomped her way into view, force the spluttering genius away from his computer and ripped out the power cord.
"Jazz! I need-"
"Sleep! It's the middle of the night and you're exhausted, stressed and in shock! It's not good for your health to stay up and focused on this any longer, physically or mentally, and you won't find what you're looking for in this state anyway! You've already repeatedly tried to destroy the computer yourself!" Kim had admit, Jazz was scary when she got into a rant, and she couldn't even see her face. "Now go get some rest, let Global Justice handle the tracking, and if they still haven't, you can help them in the morning. Clearly, these villains aren't going anywhere!"
Kim and Ron just sat there and watched in awe as her fellow redhead manhandled the defiant Wade right out of the screen, blatantly ignoring every complaint and argument he made. By the time they'd gotten to the edge of the screen, Jazz had had enough and actually threw him over her shoulder fireman style and walked off and out of the room before Wade could finish crying out.
"So, who do you think would win between her and her brother?" Felix asked lightly as he rolled on screen with Monique in toe not a moment later, offer them a, albeit slightly forced, grin. "That's the third time she's told him to sleep and each confrontation was scarier than the last."
"You look like you need that talk too, Kim." Monique exclaimed, looking worriedly over her BFF.
"At least you two are looking better." Kim muttered, a little relief entering her as she got a good look at their friends. They were both still a little discoloured, but looked far healthier and lively than when they'd left.
"Yeah, we're done blowing chunks." Felix said with a shrug. "We should probably still be in bed, but I'm more concerned with your wellbeing than mine right now." He added, giving up on all attempts at acting light-hearted as his worry broke through. "Guys, I know this sucks, but try to get some rest, ok? You both look completely worn out, have you rested at all since you got back to America? The time zone thing's got to be messing with you."
"A bit. We'll rest until Hego or Wego wake up." Kim conceded, her tone making it clear that that was all she was conceding to. The other three shared looks for a moment before conceding to take what they could get.
"Then find a place to rest and start now." Monique said firmly. "We're gonna turn in now ourselves, but call us if you need us, ok girl? Any time you need to talk, call me."
"I will." Kim nodded gratefully. "Thanks Monique, Felix."
"Night guys." Felix nodded, a smile once again growing on his face. "Sleep well. Oh, and if the temptation becomes too much, make sure you unsupervised lovebirds buy a pack of condoms."
"FELIX!" Everyone within half the airport flinched in pain as three voices screeched at that. Felix just laughed his butt off as Kim abruptly cut the connection, her face just as burning red as Ron's.
"Well, um...now that Wade's out and...everything here's out of our hands, let's find a place to sleep. I mean sleep sleep, not SLEEP, or anything like that." Ron spluttered, only growing more flustered by the second. "Not that I would mind doing that, it's not like I don't think about it sometimes, NOT all the time, but sometimes, but I, um...I'm just gonna shut up now."
"...Yeah, um, let's just go to the hospital." Kim muttered, pulling herself up and looking anywhere but at Ron as her own blush darkened and grew with every word her boyfriend said. "We'll just sleep in the waiting room. In the chairs. Yeah."
Not trusting himself, Ron just hummed his agreement as he followed her out to the street.
Felix would feel proud. His mission was accomplished, both of them were far too busy feeling awkward and embarrassed to stay focused on tragedy and revenge.
They were both going to kill him when they got back to Japan.
...
Spectra had to admit, this little plan had worked out pretty well. Granted, it did cost them a few of their comrades and reminded everyone that there were murderers who cared nothing for their current allies amongst their ranks, so trust had taken a blow, but it had drawn all attention away from Kim Possible's enemies. On top of that, Global Justice was getting involved too, a fact that was actually a boon for their next phase.
With a slight tweak of her own to the plan, Wade and anyone else watching were heavily focused on the surviving duo appearing and disappearing all over the place. It was a simple tactic, a few of Professor Dementor's teleportation devices had been taken into town by some of his cronies in civilian garb, allowing the villains to make a quick scene and escape to do it again. Since they never went outside Go City, no one was suspicious of outside assistance and the city was almost wreaking with fear and negativity. At the rate it was going, Electronique and Aviarius may actually succeed at bringing the city to its knees. When she had a chance, Spectra intended to go and enjoy her new smorgasbord.
But that had to wait for now. For regardless of the reason, the wheels had been set in motion and if the plan didn't progress soon, they'd lose their window entirely. The angst vampire had put up with far too much for this plan to be a flop. As good as Go City was right now, she wanted something bigger and more permanent.
Fortunately, the next part was almost fully prepared. Gemini's men were in position and Professor Dementor's Teleportation Modules were proving to be a complete success in the field. That only left the high powered explosives Drakken was supposed to make. However, seeing as he was currently just a puppet and Spectra couldn't access his scientific skills, she'd resorted to hiding away in a lab pretending to be hard at work with a 'Do Not Disturb' sign up until some of Vlad's vulture ghost minions dropped off the good stuff. Which had given her plenty of time to practice with the magic, silver cutlass.
The ghost had never been exposed to magic before, but she'd found herself loving it. She could feel it humming within the sword, was thrilled by the destruction it could unleash. She could feel greater power within it too, the power to summon spirits. She was so tempted to use it, to feel the rush of forcing others to her side. It was so tempting, but she had to reframe from it. She couldn't control them after all, they were the ghosts of a loyal pirate crew and would only listen to their captain. Still, it was something to think about, it could be useful later.
Her thoughts were drawn away from the blade a moment later, however, as an alert came up on her laptop. Turning her attention to the screen, she felt her smirk grow as a video feed showed the base in Wisconsin being infiltrated by Global Justice agents, only for it to blow up. It was no loss, it had served its purpose. They'd known that their hacking into the Go Tower would probably be discovered and their trail followed, that was the whole point of using that old throwaway base. It had no connections to anyone, being one Vlad's old, long abandoned warehouses, so once it blew up, taking what little evidence it still held with it, not only did it destroy any unnoticed loose ends, but also took out multiple enemy agents. A win-win. On top of that, two more of Gemini's men had reported in, ensuring that they could be ready and unhindered on time. Everything was falling into place right on schedule. Even her own little tweak on the side. She couldn't wait to see look on Plasmius' when he realises what she's done.
That meant it was time to call back everyone in the field. They needed to be rested and ready. After all, once Global Justice fell, everyone would be keen to go after their final target: Kim Possible.
...
Bulma had to admit, the Fentons really had come up with something impressive. The original Bio Ecto-suit, even with that pesky, life draining design flaw, was a work of art. With outer armour made dominantly of Titanium Aluminide and an energy coat designed to buffer from attacks, the suit was near indestructible and it's amplification system may very well have been able work adequately even with Vegeta as the power source and template with just a few tweaks. Its reaction time wouldn't match his, even if he would use such a thing, but it definitely would have provided an overwhelming advantage to anyone who wore it. It was certainly a project worth considering recreating, it could be exactly what she and her friends needed.
But that was for another time. She'd burned enough midnight oil for one night, tomorrow was going to be stressful now that the Team Go tragedy was added to the plate. Shutting down her computer, she let out a loud yawn and stretched out her back as she rose to her feet and headed out the door, stopping to ensure that it was firmly sealed before heading down the hallway toward the elevator. She couldn't be too careful with this room after all.
Bulma went to a lot of trouble to ensure this room's safety and security. It was well below the rest of the building and only accessible from a single elevator with a secret button that required retinal and fingerprint scans to activate. The hallway itself was built to be as durable as a bomb shelter and halfway down it was a constantly generated EMP field, frying any technology active on its way through. The door and room within were even more reinforced with both electrical and heavy locking mechanisms and blocked all radio waves going in or out. Not even her own technology could access so much as the most basic levels of the internet from within. Nothing within could be discovered by the outside world and after she put in all that effort, there was no way in hell she was going to be sloppy with locking up.
Satisfied that it was fully secure, Bulma let out a sigh, headed back up and made a beeline for her own apartment area, thinking dreamily about a bath and her comfy bed. Today had turned out to be stressful before Hego's SOS caused pandemonium and it would all only continue tomorrow, so it was really important to relax now. However, just as she turned on the water and started undressing...
"Bulma! I'm surprised that you're still up."
"AAHHHH!" Jumping two feet into the air, Bulma flushed a deep red as her arms snapped her open and falling shirt back her around her chest, whipping her eyes in all directions for the owner of that voice. Not that she didn't know that he was nowhere to be seen, it was mostly out of habit. "Piccolo! Do you mind, I was about to take a bath!"
"My apologies, I didn't mean to disturb you." Piccolo stated, completely unperturbed as she yelled at him. "I simply noticed that you were still awake and thought I'd give you a few requested messages now."
"That could have waited until the morning!" Bulma snapped back, yelling up to the sky. Not that she had to, Piccolo's telepathic conversations could be done entirely mentally, something most of the others were fine with when it was one on one communication, but Bulma preferred vocalising her responses. As crazy as it could make her come off as, she felt less like her mind was being invaded this way. "Unless it's something like Vegeta blew up a city again, then there's no need to bother me during my bedtime routine!"
"True, but seeing as one message is from Vegeta, I thought you'd like to hear it sooner rather than later." Piccolo replied, suddenly enticing her curiosity. "It seems earlier today, his little brother, Tarble, arrived on Earth. Apparently he's been looking for him."
"What? I didn't even know Vegeta had a brother!" Bulma cried, her tone mixed with both irritation and excitement. "You'd think my husband could have told me I had a brother in law! Oh, I can't wait to see him! I wonder if he's anything like Vegeta or Pasha."
"You'll have to wait to meet him, I'm afraid. Tarble was looking for Vegeta because he's in desperate need of help. That's why Vegeta asked me to pass on the message, he's taken off for outer space for a week or so."
"Say WHAT!" Oh, no he didn't! "You're telling me that jackass took off for outer space without so much as a word to his wife! He was supposed to be returning from his training trip tomorrow! You tell him to turn around and explain himself right now or he is a dead man!"
"It can't be helped now. He's already out of my range." Piccolo answered, his sigh audible even through the telepathic link. Bulma just scowled even more at that. Piccolo could decide to contact her while she was about to take a bath, but didn't think to do it when her husband was taking off without the slightest bit of notice? Oh, she was going to strangle the pair of them!"I heard that! I didn't call earlier because Dende's training was at a very delicate point. I barely had time to get the gist of what Vegeta wanted when he flew by. You know how important and tricky this point in his training is. I couldn't split my focus."
As much as Bulma wanted to, she couldn't argue with that. Dende was still new to his role as Guardian of the Earth and was very young. Add the fact that he took over the position at a chaotic time and before his training was complete and it only made things more difficult for the young Namekian.
Until recently, no one, not even Dende or Piccolo themselves, could remember why Kami had fused back Piccolo in the first place, a troubling question which was only added to the confusion and struggles suddenly hitting the planet that appeared to have no perceivable source. They just knew something horrible enough came along to make them that desperate, which meant that Dende's training was only put further on the backburner as they tried and failed to find the forgotten, extremely dangerous threat. It was only when Gohan returned from China and starting restoring their memories that they finally recalled the Heartless swarming the Earth and Piccolo's desperate, ultimately defeated, play. Now that the mystery was solved and the force that required such a response was obliterated, Dende's training was in full swing. Which meant that Piccolo and Popo could spend time focusing on some very delicate aspects that Dende should have known and mastered long before taking the position. It was imperative that he learned them as soon as possible and could get very messy if he got them wrong. So what could she do, but concede to the point?
" The other message is the report from Chiaotzu. He said that it's mostly the same over there, but there's been a demanded increase in activity. They're looking into it and will get back to me as soon as they can."
Well that dulled Bulma's frustration immediately, quickly replacing it with worry. She hadn't heard anything from the little guy in a while. He couldn't find anything to report on that they didn't already know the last two times he'd made contact. Honestly, it was unnerving Bulma quite a bit.
"Then you better get done with this lesson soon." She replied, letting her sense of foreboding creep into her voice. "If they're speeding up, then we cannot have you stuck on the Lookout much longer. Anyway, thanks for the messages, Piccolo. Let me know when Vegeta's close enough for me to kill him again, will ya?"
"Of course. Goodnight Bulma." Sighing as Piccolo's presence left her head once more, Bulma went back to undressing and practically flopped into the bath, forcing her whole body to relax in the wonderfully warm water. She really didn't need to hear any of that. Suddenly a lot of things were happening at once and it had her more than a little nervous. The timing was just too...precise, she guessed. Vegeta leaving Earth when everything was cooking up only made things worse. If things kept going this way, she'd feel a lot better with her husband beside her.
Hopefully Chiaotzu would report it was nothing important. As much as she wished otherwise, they still weren't ready to deal with that. Not just yet.
Soon though, once the network was restored, hopefully they would be.
...
Kim and Ron managed to get in a snooze earlier than they expected. Getting out of the airport took a lot longer than expected and the roads weren't any better. Between the destruction of the villains still coming and going and the panicked people trying to flee the city, getting to the hospital took what felt like a tree's age. For the driver at least, for both Kim and Ron dozed off before they even made it to the main road, leaning against each other in the back.
It wasn't until they were parked in the visitor's entrance that their driver gently shook them awake.
"Wh-wha...?"
"We have arrived, Kimmy dear. Young man." The elder man told them, shifting to wake the stubborn blonde.
"Awww, five more minutes!" Ron groaned, slapping the hand away as he turned over, only to jump wide awake as the dislodged and tumbling redhead retaliated with a jab to the ribs. "AH! I'm up, I'm u-OW!" He cried as his haste had him smacking his head into the ceiling.
"Serves you right." Kim exclaimed, though a fond smile was still on her sleepy face as she accepted the hand offered to her by the driver. "Thanks for the lift, Mr Gregson."
"My pleasure, my dear." The man smiled, pulling her to her feet before moving on to assist the still moaning blonde. "It was the least I could do after you rescued my grandson."
"Aw, that was no big. I do hope he learned to tightened his knots before propelling again though."
"Oh, I triple check his work. He's still trying to figure out how I always know when and where he's going." Mr Gregson laughed, waving goodbye as he moved back to his seat and drove off. Sparing a moment to wave him off, Kim and Ron turned in and made a beeline for the coffee machine, perking themselves up before heading to the reception for their friends' rooms.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that they are currently in a closed off ward. Family only." The receptionist sighed, not even hiding her irritation as she rubbed her temples.
"I see, however, we-"
"Whether or not your friend is a famous hero is no exception!" The receptionist snapped, cutting Ron right off. "Do you know how many people are trying to get in and see them? From reporters to fans, to cops? That pile over there doesn't even represent all of them!" She cried, flinging her hand wildly down a hallway behind her, one that was nearly overflowing with get well and sympathy gifts. "Hego's still in intensive care and the surviving Wego is with him. I realise that this is a hard time for everyone, however they are not currently available to the public and you will respect their privacy and hospital procedure!"
"That's hardly the way to talk to actual friends of the patients who are just trying to get them justice!" Another woman snapped before Kim could, snapping everyone's attention to Kim's left. Striding down the hallway, dressed in her usual combat suit and her signature eye patch was none other than Dr Director herself. The darker woman spent another moment glaring at the scowling receptionist before turning back to the young duo with a much more sympathetic expression than they'd ever seen on her face. "Fortunately, I can debrief you."
"That is in violation of-"
"This is a murder/terrorism case, not simply a medical situation, so I am well within my rights to inform a colleague of the current situation." Dr Director retorted harshly, giving the receptionist one more glare before motioning for Kim and Ron to follow her. And if Ron stuck his tongue out at the rude lady as they went, then the others ignored it.
Walking quickly, Dr Director lead them to a spare meeting room the hospital must have provided her before closing the door behind them. A quick glance of the place showed that she'd been there for a little while. A few coffee cups were scattered around two piles of notes and an active laptop.
"I assumed that this would be the first place I'd find you." Dr Director said, shaking Kim's hand before offering them seats, taking the one opposite them.
"I'm surprised that Global Justice is involved. Let alone you coming here yourself." Kim mused, raising a curious eyebrow.
"While Team Go was a simple city team and their...characters didn't strike them as all that noteworthy, their ties to Shego and their powers were another matter entirely. Especially seeing as Aviarius discovered how to take them for others. Imagine if someone evil and competent got a hold of all their abilities?
"Which is precisely what we believe has happened." She sighed grimly, hitting a few keys on the laptop before turning it to them. "It was quite the challenge, but my tech support managed to hack the hacker who infiltrated Go Tower's security."
Turning their attention to the screen, Kim and Ron tried to not to cry as they watched the feed. Two videos were up, one showing the main room as Electronique and Aviarius attacked and another showing them coming up to the dead bodies of Wegos. They watched, horrified, as Aviarius raised his staff and stole their powers. A scene that was even more traumatizing as both Wegos quickly turned to dust during the process.
"At this point, I must inform you not to worry about Wego. Both victims were only clones." Dr Director stated quickly, mentally kicking herself for not mentioning it sooner.
"But the news said-"
"As it turns out, only one Wego was ever real." Dr Director interrupted Ron. "I have spoken to the cloner. He gained his power before he could walk and, being significantly younger than his siblings, created a duplicate to play with. He simply grew up with a clone always by his side. How the lack of birth records wasn't noticed remains a mystery. That's why they both deteriorated. Without their power, they don't last long and when they're dead, they fade even sooner. When he's ready, Wego can recreate it."
"Well, that's...something the town should be told soon." Kim muttered, wiping tears away as she leaned into Ron again. "It's bad enough that one hero...died."
"The report will be released within the hour, along with the released updates on Hego's condition." Dr Director confirmed, pulling the laptop back. "He is stabilising nicely, by the way. He's in quarantine for the moment, to make sure nothing infects him in his highly vulnerable state, but it is believed that he is in the clear, so long as nothing interrupts his recovery. Wego is keeping vigil through the glass. His physical ailments were relatively minor, so he placed himself as his brother's guard against the wishes of the doctors. Personally, I think he should rest, but with his power and only one way into that reinforced area of the hospital, it should discourage any attempts at finishing off Hego, or at least hold them off while the guards here and around the hospital respond.
"But now, we need to get down to the real business." She went on, bringing up another video to show the teens. This one depicted The Mathter and his men setting up what looked like loose marble bags before taking off, only for them to fall and release countless blue orbs. All of which, dug effortlessly through the floor and pillars wherever they fell. The screens went blank long before The Mathter and his screaming men escaped. "As you can see, the Mathter's Decimal Point balls were the cause of the tower's collapse. All of them were unleashed by Electronique causing explosions and rocking the building. Without any care for her allies inside."
"She willingly killed her own people?" Ron cried, jumping to his feet as he swung his arms around wildly, caught between shock, disbelief and outrage. "That's...that's just...so sick and wrong!"
"It is." Dr Director nodded. "And she's shown no remorse for it either. To this moment, I'm still getting reports of her and Aviarius appearing and disappearing on and off all over the city, stealing and destroying everything in sight. However, even though acquiring two glow powers is enough to maintain our concern, that alone isn't why they are currently deemed high enough level threats for Global Justice's constant pursuit."
"Two?" Kim frowned confusedly, resetting the previous video recordings. "But the footage shows them getting three."
"Technically, they got two and a piece." Dr Director replied, motioning to the video of Wego. "Wego's clones have and are capable of using his power, however, it is a mere fraction of the whole red glow, limited without the source, and dissipates quickly should the clone die. Wego is confident that without him to recharge it, Aviarius will only be able to use it for a moment or two, if his new crystal can even maintain the power. We're lucky there, the duplication of the other powers is what makes the users a world level threat. It's another reason why we convinced the doctors to let Wego stand guard over Hego's room. He's better protected from Aviarius there, behind the other guards distributed by the local authorities and my men.
"Which is why the other aspects of this situation are of more concern than Aviarius." Dr Director went on, taking the laptop back. "Including the details concerning our enemy hacker. This incident is much bigger than it appears, Miss Possible."
"Wade couldn't get anything from Go Tower's systems...before it came down." Kim stated, tensing as she straightened herself up, crossing her arms on the table. "All I know has come from news reports and hacked city security cameras. But Wade did mention how erratic both Villains' movements have been." She added thoughtfully, biting her lip. "They also steal, yet they get away quickly and no one sees the loot again, and you mentioned a hacker. There are more people involved in this, helping them, aren't there?"
"Yes." Dr Director confirmed, her voice turning heavy as she continued her work. "Team Go's villains have never once shown any sign of their ability to cooperate with each other and yet, even now, after their supposed job is done, they are both doing the same thing, maintaining our attention on the two of them. It was clear from the start that someone was organising them, even without discovering a hacker in Go Tower's systems. But it's the hacker themselves that have revealed the real threat to us. The first, and possibly most disturbing sign, is this."
Turning the laptop back to the teens, she hit play on a freeze frame picture of the moment right before Electronique's electric attack could hit Hego "This is all we saw at standard speed. However, when we went through individual frames...we discovered this." Clicking a button, she brought up another picture, one absolutely identical to the first one. However, in this one, right where Dr Director was tapping the screen with a pen, depicted Hego glowing.
That itself was hardly unusual. Except it wasn't a blue glow. It was acid green. And his eyes were glowing red.
"What the heck is going on with him?" Ron cried, eyes wide and leaning over Kim for a better look. "That's not his colour! It's not even Shego's green! And the eyes!"
"It's the signs of possession." Kim cried, her jaw dropping at the sight as memories of Danny doing the same thing came to the surface. "Hego was overshadowed."
"The glow only lasts for a tenth of a second. It was sheer luck that we caught it." Dr Director informed them, closing the laptop. "We believe that this was the moment the ghost made its escape. Probably to not risk being affected by the pain of its host. It would also explain why Hego never tried to fight the invaders. Instead, he immediately-"
"Called my website." Kim gasped, staring onward in disbelief. "If what you're saying is true, then they wanted me involved here."
"A good theory, but are you sure?" Ron asked sceptically, crossing his arms as he leaned back. "I mean, we've been here a while now, asleep I might add, and they haven't made a move on us yet. Maybe he possessed Hego to try and stop us from coming?"
"That would have already been pointless." Dr Director answered with a raised eyebrow. "You were already communicating. On top of that, while everything else was hacked, Hego was still completely free to call you until after he'd gotten his message through. But the biggest suggestion is where we traced the hack back to."
"Which was where?" Kim asked, dreading the answer.
"To a warehouse in Wisconsin. It was long abandoned, but its last owner was Vlad Masters." Dr Director answered, freezing the air in both teens' lungs. "As such, there is a possibility that he is the mastermind in all of this. Though whether he has returned or has left instructions his associates are only now initiating is yet to be determined. Either way and for whatever reason, it is most likely the working of a ghost that drew you into this city while Team Go's enemies are being used to cover their involvement. Which means, they're most likely coming after you next."
That was probably the absolute last thing Kim wanted to hear. She'd never faced him herself, but everyone knew of Vlad Masters, aka Vlad Plasmius, the deadly powerful ghost hybrid. He'd at one point held the entire world hostage, forcing them to accept him as their ruler or let the world be destroyed, a situation it turned out, that he couldn't even stop.
After the asteroid debacle was dealt with and Danny revealed his secret to the world, he also revealed all the data he had on Vlad to the world, making everyone very aware of his power and ruthlessness. As a Valour Guardian, Kim had gained even more detailed information on his history and powers than the general public and, to put it simply, the idea of going up against someone so powerful and cruel was terror inducing.
She hoped that Dr Director was wrong. There was still some room to doubt it after all. There had been no sign of Vlad returning to Earth from his botched space mission in well over a year. On top of that, Kim Possible and Team Go had never had anything to do with him, nor were they in his league. There wasn't a single reason she could think of for him to target them. Though, unless one of her enemies had been executed without her knowledge, she could say that about every ghost. The only one she remembered fighting was the Fright Knight and he wouldn't resort to this.
So yes, there was plenty of room for hope. Global Justice was wrong. They had to be.