How Much Can One Girl Take?
Entering the city, Jake and Huey could only stare. Not ten minutes ago, they'd been full of excitement as they rushed to Metro City. Now, they were frozen in shock.
They'd thought everything was going fine. Huey's sweeps, while not perfect, had gone well. While not seeing dragons didn't mean there were none around, he had managed to track down a few magical creatures and casually dig for intel. While the non-magical world wasn't ideal for him, the magical creatures simply wrote Huey off as a foreign or hybrid species, so no one really looked twice if he strolled through magical markets or other meeting places. Combine that with Huey's ability to charm and conniving tendencies and he was able to weed out plenty of information on nearby dragons without suspicion. Not that it was hard to get anyone to spill on them right now. Markets were trashed and every creature thought to have even a hint as to where Jake might be was thoroughly shaken down and threatened, something that was happening in every country surrounding China. That left most creatures ready to tirade at the drop of a hat. In all honesty, Jake was pretty sure the only thing stopping half of Asia's magical world revolting against the dragons was the fact that it was taking everything they had just to keep the events and results of all this from catching the mundane world's attention.
But that was a problem for another day. Today was supposed to be fun. A chance to catch up with Kim and introduce her to Huey. To be introduced to the full Team Possible. A chance to enjoy full access to the internet, delicious fatty foods and a shower! Instead, this was...
"Whoa. And I thought my room was a mess." Huey muttered, barely being heard over the sirens and panicked people screaming for who knew what. Probably everything. "Someone needs to tell the architect that the apocalyptic look is out."
"What happened here?" Jake exclaimed, shifting to his dragon eyes as he scanned the area. This was just another example of why being in the middle of nowhere sucked. A disaster had happened and he didn't have the first clue about it until he was almost right in the middle of it. Damn, he needed a working TV!
It clearly hadn't happened too long ago. Huey had only come back with green light this morning and everything had been fine. It had still been a bit though. A lot of abandoned vehicles further in had been pushed aside and the outer buildings all seemed to have been evacuated. At least as far as his eyes could see. He'd risk bringing his dragon ears into play too, just to make sure, but he doubted he'd be able to find anything important with the plethora of sounds already crashing into his ears. He'd probably just end up with a migraine.
"I couldn't tell you." Huey frowned, zipping around the street and up onto cars and buses, trying to get a better look. "Best I can tell, it looks like a giant came out of nowhere and started stomping around. Kinda like Uncle D does when he gets in one of his...destroy the universe...moods. Hey, maybe it was Uncle D! I gotta find out."
"Wait, Hu...gah!" Jake started, only to groan as the tights-clad duck boy disappeared in blur of red and gust of wind. "Could that impulsive piece of poultry just take his foot off the gas for like five seconds? Who thought it was a good idea to give super speed to a teenager?"
Jake could have just stood there and complained for a good while longer, especially when he realised that he was starting to sound like his parents, but he forced himself to go in after his crazy, feathered friend. He doubted that Donald was the one who did this, he'd be hard to miss from five miles away if he got big and angry enough to cause this, but either way, the one who did it could still be around and a lot of people definitely needed help. As much as he wanted to keep his location a secret, this was too big to just ignore. It'd be ok, he just wouldn't use his full dragon form where anyone could see it. He'd just be another Asian boy in Japan trying to be a Good Samaritan. Maybe one with weird eyes and occasionally coated in fire. Weird, but not a dragon.
Yeah, he's got this. You know, unless on the off chance, Huey was right and the Duck of Doom was close. Then they were all as doomed as the name implied. Especially if he was still already this angry when he saw Huey.
He could worry about that if it happened. Right now, he had people to help and information to get. Also, probably a Kim Possible to find. Surely she'd be helping people somewhere in this mess.
...
Well, this was quite the mess Henry had managed to get himself into. He was hurt, tied up, almost naked and had a creepy, old dwarf leering down at him. To make it worse, there was almost no light, he'd been told there was little air and from what his bare skin was suggesting, this place was possibly even more torn up than the battlefield that was his last known location.
Honestly, he wasn't sure if he should be more worried about the place collapsing on him, the high chance of suffocating or if he was about to become a rape victim.
'There's only one way to find out.' "What do you want?" Well, that came out weaker than he'd hoped.
"At this point, all that's left is your continued absence and information." His captor answered, coming a few steps closer, the shifting light finally letting Henry get a good look at this guy. He looked basically like a miniature butler, in a suit with his grey and white hair swept to the side. He was short and pudgy, enough so to make him seem harmless. The only thing that really stood out about him was the brighter than usual eyes that were piercing him with a gleeful, malicious glint.
"And that requires stripping me in a dungeon?" Henry retorted with an unimpressed glare.
"Oh, your clothes are being put to great use, let me assure you." The man waved off. "As for the 'dungeon', it's a bit lousy, I know, but it's the best we could do on such short notice. While we had taken your techno telepathy into consideration with our plans, it was after all, what initially made you a target, we were unprepared for your gift with polarity. Sadly, this was the best place we could find to neutralise both of your ranged abilities."
"There's metal all over the place." Henry deadpanned. He didn't need to see, he could feel it all around him.
"Yes, but I wouldn't advise moving it." The butler replied chipperly, waving his flashlight around. Following the light, it took Henry everything he had not to start hyperventilating.
"As you can see, this place is barely standing. It's walls are made of smashed, cracked and burned metal and stone. It's a room on the edge of the Global Justice base that miraculously remained standing after the explosion, not that it's in any condition to do anything but suffocate a victim. Any tweaking to its very delicate structure could have the whole thing crashing down upon you. Of course, it won't do anything to me, but it would be a shame to lose access to the information I seek. Not to mention the possibility of using you as a hostage, if our plan hits a snag."
"How would this not be a problem for you? How could you possibly even get us in here?" Henry cried, his panic starting to break through. He'd followed the light all around the room and there wasn't a single exit. It was impossible to get in or out. So how had... "You're the ghost that possessed Hego!"
"That I am. The name is Bertrand." The ghost said with an exaggerated bow. "I'm also the one who possessed the Sumo Ninja. It was the only way to get him to do what we wanted and give him the ability to take on you. Of course, I had to leave him and actually shapeshift into him at the end of the fight, so props for still knocking him out, I guess.
"However, we are not here to discuss my exploits. It's yours that my employer is interested in. So, why don't we get started on this?" Bertrand declared, raising his hand and revealing Henry's green ringed device.
"What do you want with my D Ark?" Henry asked, trying to sound mad as he probed it with his mind. A second was all it took to see that it was fully functional. That was great! Except...something was blocking its signal.
"Information of course." Bertrand stated as if it was obvious. "We know you have what we want in here. The problem is that we can't access it. Quite the machine you have built for yourself, I must admit. A device that stores data, but serves the main function of a wifi router, extending your range from internet sources and allowing you to set up to alerts of other computers' actions. Complete with one hell of a security system, complete with a data erasure system for if it's compromised. We were lucky we noticed that before we probed too far. So, that means we need you to bring up the data for us."
"What makes you think that I would cooperate with that?" Henry retorted, glaring defiantly right back at the smug ghost. He didn't even know what was on there that these guys could possibly want. Sure, there was delicate data in there, plenty of it actually, but all of it was associated with his team and their enemies back home. According to what he'd been told, the only reason they paid attention to him long enough to see anything else was because he had a power that could end their plans and he hadn't been tapping into that data since he left Shinjuku, so what could they possibly think he had in there?
"Normally, I'd say you'd do it so I'd spare your life, but you have to know by now that you're only going to live so long as we still have use for you." Bertrand started, stepping right up and leaning his smug, sneering face right into Henry's. "So I guess I'll just have to make you do what I want in a more traditional way." With that, Henry had barely a second to widen his eyes as the man before him turned translucent and flew right into his body, dropping the D Ark into his lap along the way.
"Grraah!" Clenching his eyes and gritting his teeth, Henry whipped his head wildly, his acid green, glowing body falling to the ground as he struggled with everything he had as a chilling sensation ensnaring his mind. He had to fight it back. He couldn't let the ghost shut him down. This was an attempt to overshadow him, to make him a puppet. He refused to be controlled by anyone! He couldn't let what happened last time ever happen again. He wouldn't be used to hurt others. He wouldn't! HE WON'T LET IT HAPPEN, DAMNIT!
"Get the hell OUT OF ME!" With that scream, the acid green aura was ruptured by a pulse of a darker shade from Henry's head, just seconds before Bertrand shot out of him like a rocket.
Gasping deep breaths as the pressure in his mind disappeared, Henry didn't even give himself a second before he turned his eyes to his D Ark and telepathically reached for it. He had no delusions of pulling off another exorcism, so he had to work fast, right now.
Groaning from across the darkened area met his ears a moment later as a glowing figure pulled itself back up. This time however, it wasn't a butler that caught Henry's eye, but what looked like a giant pile of snot or slug with arms and a face. One that had also lost its smug look and was now snarling at the Chinese boy.
"It seems I didn't give you enough credit. That's one unusual mind and strong will you got there. But worry not, I'll be much better prepared this time."
"Not that it will matter." Henry sighed, meeting the moody look with a satisfied grin. "I just deleted every piece of data my D Ark had. It's useless to you now."
"What?" Bertrand was back in an instant, pushing a startled Henry aside as he snagged the device, only to growl as 'Data Erase Completed' lit up the screen. "Damnit!" In his panic, Bertrand tried hitting the buttons, trying to undo Henry's work, but even he knew it was pointless. He had no idea what the buttons even did and the data was already well and truly gone. All he succeeded in doing was bringing up a clock.
He glared at it for a few more seconds, still pressing buttons. However, just as he looked like he was going to pummel Henry into the ground, he simply stared at a wall in what Henry guessed was a ghost's version of taking a deep breath, and almost immediately calmed down. "All well."
"...All well?" Henry frowned, more than a little confused. Did this guy have a split personality or something? He just went from the cusp of a temper tantrum to almost chipper in a second. He didn't care about the data after all?
"Honestly, all you've done is damage my reputation with a guy I have no interest in pleasing. We have no use of it for any agenda that involves me. I think I even consider it worth it to inconvenience the egomaniac. I do enjoy making smug looks disappear."
"Which egomaniac?" Henry asked as he tensed back up. That didn't sound good. That sounded like a whole different plan was already underway. And if it involved his data, then most likely either his friends were the targets or one of their enemies was involved. Maybe both.
"Oh, that's right, you only have speculations, no assurances of everyone involved in this little scheme. Well, you're smart, I'm sure you can figure it out. If you survive long enough, that is." Bertrand smirked as he approached his captive again, this time shapeshifting into a tall, deathly pale man dressed like a surgeon. "Now I suggest this time, you be a good, compliant little prisoner, or this will only hurt more. Though if it were up me, I'd have you squirming."
Before Henry could ask why, the smirking psycho had grabbed him and pushed him back into the wall harshly enough to see stars before a purple flash in his rising hand created a large needle. It barely even completed before Bertrand shoved straight into the vein on Henry's neck.
"ARGH!"
"Sorry, I have no talent for the gentle touch." Bertrand sneered as red liquid quickly filled the large tube before he replaced it with another. "And how careless of me, aiming for the neck of all places. One slipup and I'll do real damage here. Better not break my concentration, brat."
'Not again.' Henry bit his lip, forcing himself to stay as still as possible and resist every instinct to fight back. The last time his blood was taken like this, he'd been controlled by the Black Water Mist and the megalomaniac pulling his strings somehow managed to duplicate his powers for himself. Let's just say that theft of blood was a sore spot for the Matrix Tamers.
"That should do, I suppose. I don't really know, but I don't really care either." Bertrand muttered uncaringly, almost ripping the needle back out and eliciting another cry from Henry.
"W...why...?"
"Don't know, don't care." Bertrand shrugged, making sure both vials were sealed before pocketing them. "I barely agreed to do it. The only reason I did was because it will supposedly cause more fear and grief later and because it would cause you more distress now. Keeping the goody two shoes sad and depressed makes it a lot easier to do it to the rest of the world, after all. Speaking of which, I will take my leave now. Enjoy pondering whether you still have enough oxygen to die by cave-in in the dark void."
With that, he gave the boy one last dark smirk from behind his mask before turning intangible and flying through the ceiling, taking the light source with him and leaving Henry with nothing but dread to keep him company.
He was well and truly screwed.
...
As impossible as it had seemed when the fight began, the Hospital was actually still doing quite well by nightfall. Though appearing as a single entity, the structure was constituted of three buildings making the one and the fight had only reached the first, albeit main, building. It seemed to be a detail in the design for this sort of situation, allowing for the hospital greater chances to remain active in the case of a crisis, though the architect probably had earthquakes and hurricanes in mind rather than a super villain attack.
The outer buildings were rapidly getting crowded and getting everyone into a building with the medical equipment needed for their care was growing increasingly difficult, but doctors and nurses on duty were giving it their all and stabilised most patients the latest rescue teams were able to transfer into their wards just fine. At least long enough for other hospitals to take over their care at any rate.
The number of injured had taken a noticeable rise, as had, sadly, the number in the morgue after those sonic attacks, and the numbers included some of the medical staff themselves, but it could have been far worse.
The city was fairing much better too. At the very least, most fires were out, the rest were controlled and the area was settling down. They were still swarmed with rescue and military vehicles alike, but with the fall of the two notorious villains and the panicked swarms finally clearing the streets, the situation was slowly getting back under control. Most people were resting in the safety zones set up while others were assisting where they could, removing small debris or helping the injured. The hospital couldn't take any more people, so medical tents were set up as well, providing first aid while helicopters were called in to take them to other medical facilities. It was going to take a while to repair all the damage, but Go City was resilient.
And, fortunately for them, they did not have a major Global Justice base nearby.
Since the moment the panic had awoken her, Kim could barely stop herself from hyperventilating. It was on every channel. Again and again, location after location, it was all the same. The destruction was immense. People were screaming, trapped in fallen buildings or behind walls of fire. The Global Justice agents well enough to continue their duty around her were all in fits, desperately trying to get updates from any agents in the targeted areas. Trying to find survivors and answers. None of their attempts were promising in any sense of the word. The few who could still respond knew nothing, they'd been outside their bases when explosions occurred. They were simply more people currently attempting rescue missions. Those around her were growing louder, more frustrated, more desperate.
It was driving Kim insane.
The level of fear and panic the world felt bathed in right now, even after six hours. The precision of such a large scale, destructive attack. The number of people being consumed within it and the heroes struggling just to save a few. It was so much, too much! And to make matters worse, it was triggering Kim's memories in the worst ways. As she watched the TV, her vision flickered. In place of rescue teams, she saw white husks swarming on the terrified victims. Or black swarms with malicious, yellow eyes rising from the debris where there had been injured kids only a moment before, consuming rescuers.
Unable to take any more, she grabbed the first thing her hand could find and threw it right through the TV, eliciting an agent guarding her door to burst into her room, ready for a fight, as it shattered, before ripping herself from the bed and heading down the hall, ignoring the man as he tried to get her to lay back down. She didn't give him the time of day, she just had to get as far away from the nightmare as she could.
Not that it helped much. Every room in the area had more agents and police officers collaborating with them, or trading debriefs. More than a few were gathered near one room in particular, guarding the injured Director. She was very fortunate it seemed. While she wasn't a doctor, she'd listened to her mother at work often enough to know that the equipment around Dr Director was for little more than monitoring her condition. Her treatment must have gone well. She was even conscious. However, even through the crack in the door and her guards, Kim could tell she was still in a fair amount of pain.
"Excuse, but why is she still conscious?" Kim asked, tapping one of the guards' arm, never turning her eyes away from his boss. "If the morphine'snot dulling the pain, then..."
"Dr Director refused to take anything but the antibiotics required for her health, Ma'am." The agent responded. "A lot of medication is still in areas too dangerous to enter. Dr Director demanded that what is accessible be spared for the more needy." That was quite admirable, Kim had to admit, but that had left her writhing sporadically and hissing frequently when she tried to move. A sight that left Kim starting to panic and forcing herself to walk away before long. If only for a second, the Director's form was replaced in her mind by an image of Danny Phantom's erratically glowing body doing the exact same thing.
Kim's open distress was only drawing more and more attention to her, but at this point, she didn't care. She almost all out ran to end of the hall and flung a door open, only stopping when it was all out of sight. Only to sniff at the sight of Hego before her.
"KP!" A voice cried. Unprepared, she whipped her head to the side and almost pivoted her body into a fighting stance before the voice and nickname clicked in her head. Letting out a deep breath, she let herself sink into his arms, resting her head on his chest as he kissed it. "I didn't know you'd woken up yet. Sorry, I thought I'd be back before you did."
"How's Hego doing?" Kim muttered, nuzzling into his shirt before pulling her head back up and turning back to the downed hero, noting and offering a sad smile to Wego along the way. "And where's Shego? I thought she'd be here." She added, frowning at the total lack of green in the area.
"Shego's sedated one room over." Wego sighed tiredly, rubbing his head. "Her temper and history was riling up some of the agents and causing a lot of risk to herself. She has two fractured ribs."
"The doctors figured the 'things will be better in the morning' approach was the best solution. I think they're all dead when she wakes up." Ron added, looking more than a little squeamish. "As for Hego...he hasn't woken up yet."
Kim just nodded at that before finally letting go of Ron and offering her open arms to Wego, who would have dived into them if he wasn't still injured himself, grabbing on tight and not letting go. Kim simply tightened her grip in response, rubbing his back as she felt wet patches growing on her shirt. She couldn't imagine the pain he was going through right now. Kim had no idea what she'd do if it was her brothers in the situation and she never wanted to think about it. And to be left alone through it all, watching as his brother may yet slip into death's embrace and being so powerless to stop it? It's a fate she'd never wish on anyone.
But as bad as it was, at least Hego was still alive. The doctor was keeping constant watch over him and judging from his relatively calm demeanour and the stats on the monitor screens, Hego was stabilising just fine now. Yes, he was still out cold, but that was probably for the best, for him at least. As much as Wego needed him to wake up, it would be far better for him to awaken to at least some good news. Not the disaster they were all facing right now. His situation, his losses, the state of his city, they'd be hard enough on him on their own. He didn't need to know just how bad and scared everyone was. He deserved to at least awaken knowing that justice was served and things were going to be...ok for a lack of a better word, not to a world shattering situation with culprits still at large that only seemed to be getting worse.
Still, Kim couldn't help but selfishly wish that he'd wake up. Ensure them all that he would be ok, start spouting lines about heroes always triumphing or justice prevailing. She could really use his cheesy, 'the good guys always win' attitude right now and Wego needed so much more.
"Has anyone figured out how to give Hego his power back yet?" Kim asked, frowning as Wego tensed and tightened his grip. "I mean without breaking the orb and...letting Mego's..."
"KP, we couldn't find the staff." Ron sighed sadly, dropping his head as Wego sniffed.
"I sent clones down to the basement, where it fell, and ransacked the place, but it was a no go. It's gone."
"What?" Kim cried, turning wide eyes back and forth between the boys. "But...how could anyone not notice someone carrying that thing out of the hospital? Every agent should have known what it was and how important it was to get it!"
"Well, it can end up kind of small." Wego muttered sadly, staring at his feet as fresh tears filled his eyes. "It'd actually be really easy to sneak it out if they kept it like that." Right, Mego's purple glow. Kim could only nod at that, not trusting herself to speak. She'd just break down again.
Not that she wasn't on the verge already. She'd been hoping that they could at least give him his power back. She couldn't do anything for his brother, his home or anything else, but Kim had hoped that they could at least give him this one thing back. To find out that it had been lost...well, Kim could only hope that it would turn up later. After all, there was plenty of rubble for it to hide in right now, right? They'd just have to put a word out for it when the area was more stable. There was no reason to worry about it too much just yet.
Especially when it was time better spent comforting a crying Wego. Taking a seat, she pulled him down next to her and gently wrapped her arms around his battered, shaking form again just as a new round of sobs left his lips.
The three stayed like that for a while, simply letting their emotions and tears flow freely. Kim muttered soothing words for the boy in between her own sobs while Ron sat down next to her, worrying his lip between his teeth as he stared at her. He was clearly very conflicted over something, but Kim could worry about that later. Right now, all she wanted to do was comfort the boy in her arms and take the returning comfort for her own grief.
Kim had no idea how long they stayed like that. She didn't notice the time passing at all, until Ron's warm arms encircled her chest and his chin leaned into her neck as he let out a defeated sigh.
"Kim...I know we've been through a lot and all, but...I'd leave it, but you're gonna find out sooner or later..."
"Ron? What is it?" Kim asked, a deep frown crossing her face as she turned her head back. If she wasn't it before, the forlorn, almost haunted look on Ron's face definitely had her gut twisting horribly now.
"Professor Dementor made a public move, with a bunch of our other villains. KP, they teleported to Metro City."
"What?" Kim exclaimed, her whole body freezing in pure horror as her friends' face flashed across her mind. "What happened? Were they caught? Please tell me Monique, Wade and Felix are all ok!"
"They are all fine. Felix and Monique are even still helping the city's rescue crew." Ron answered quickly before his face turned sad again. "They went after Henry. They attacked him while he was in the middle of the mess and somehow...KP, they managed to kidnap him."
"WHAT?" Both boys, and even the doctor behind the glass, flinched as she screeched. "How could they catch him? He's...there's no way they could beat him. And they got away from the middle of a BLAST ZONE? How is that possible? They're so heavily covered in cameras, how did no one see the fight or where it went? How-"
"Plenty of people saw the fight, it was broadcasted all over Japan!" Ron butted in before she could get any louder. "The problem was that they suddenly disappeared after they grabbed him and no one's seen any of them since. Well, except for the Sumo Ninja. Related note, he disappeared from his cell and reappeared at the battle."
"This is making even less sense!" Kim cried, grabbing at her hair as her breaths got faster. "Henry's...I couldn't hope to actually beat him, how did they? How do you just disappear? And how do you stop Henry of all people from breaking himself free, or at least getting a message to other people? He's a super human with techno telepathy!"
"The city has been hit hard, Kim. Security cameras, internet, everything's apparently down in most areas." Said Ron.
"Yeah, but cars and battery powered devices are a dime a dozen in major cities! It wouldn't take much to draw attention." Kim exclaimed, her panic only growing. "How could they possibly beat and contain him? How is it that we can't find him, that they're that good?"
"He's was out helping people for a while before they attacked and from what I've been told, he wasn't being slow about it. He was probably already tiring out." Ron offered, rubbing circles soothingly into her back. "Don't worry, Wade and Global Justice are all over this. We'll find him."
"But they still managed to get him! If they could beat him, how do we stand a chance?" Kim cried, not calming down in the slightest. In fact, she was moving on to genuine hyperventilation. "And they actually managed to get away unseen. How? And how have they not been caught in...how long ago was this?"
"Five hours ago." Another voice grunted, immediately pulling the attention of everyone in the observation room to the door.
"Dr Director?" Kim cried, pulling herself to her feet as the woman entered the room. "What are you doing up? You're hurt."
"That's never stopped me from doing my job before." Dr Director replied, pushing away the agent trying to assist her. Though she did concede to taking the seat closest to the door, if only to placate her exasperated assistant. "It's sure as hell not going to stop me now, not with all of this going on. Global Justice needs me to restore order, so that's what I'm going to do.
"As such, I have gotten myself up to date with all reports and I believe I have an answer to both of your questions." She went on, motioning to her assistant. The man immediately opened her laptop and handed it to Ron to reveal a file with a picture of the Sumo Ninja. "As you can see in the report, our latest prisoner has been having blackouts. During interrogation, he claimed to have no recollection whatsoever of his jewellery heist, how he got out of jail or fighting in the Metro City crater. Not only that, but we have crossed recordings of the fight and noticed a second Sumo Ninja appearing at the end and leaving with the group. Finally, there was a point in time when he sunk through the ground. Put simply, this, along with our previous information, equates to the actions of a ghost being the most likely conclusion."
"He was overshadowed the whole time?" Ron cried, dropping his jaw. "We're sure he's not lying and just has a twin out there?"
"My best interrogators in the area were put to work on him. They all believe that he is being honest." Dr Director stated. "Though, that in itself is not the part that troubles me. I am most concerned about the robbery incident. It would be far too coincidental to believe that the same man was used by ghosts for two completely different crimes. Especially when you consider that you two were also in the mall that day and another possessed man was used to draw you out here only days later."
"Oh man!" Ron cried, wide eyed and pulling at his hair as he jumped to his feet. "That's just crazy! They've been targeting us since then? But then...if we were the targets, then why not just off us then and be done with it? If he'd used ghost powers, we'd be ghosts too long before now!"
"That part is anyone's guess." Dr Director grunted again, glaring at the agent again as he huffed at her. "Perhaps doing so would interfere with another aspect of their plan. But while that is a question it would be wiser to answer, it's more important to determine the answer to another question; the number of ghosts involved. If there's only one, then it has travelled great distances for the plan in Go Tower. I had Wade check, before today, there is no history of phone line transportation. It is far more likely that there are at least two, quite possibly more."
"Aw man, this just keeps getting worse!" Ron exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "How are we supposed to handle multiple ghosts coming our way, along with everything else?"
"With Jazz's help." Kim answered, forcing her breathing to calm down as she reached into the obvious bulge in Ron's pocket and pulled out her Kimmunicator. Strapping it to her wrist, she moved straight into activating it. "Wade, I need a ride back, any ghost hunting gear Jazz can give me and a full briefing on the way there." She didn't want to deal with this. She wasn't...she wasn't sure she could handle any more. But if they were coming after her like this was suggesting, then she was going to be ready and she was going to have all the backup she could get.
"Hey Kim, good to see you're awake, but...that's not going to be easy." Wade responded, offering her a strained, apologetic smile. "We've had a multinational terrorist event go do down and the prime suspects for it are right here in Metro City."
"I'm aware. That's why I'm coming back." Kim snapped. She didn't have the time or patience for this. She needed her...she meant, her friends needed her now!
"I meant that it has everyone's in a panic and shut down international airlines." Wade groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Especially here. Even most national flights are grounded. The only people in the air are either helping in the rescue effort or covering it with a camera. Your friends aren't any better off, they won't get the clearance to get anywhere near here for fear of bringing more terrorists or helping them escape."
"But they're using phone lines to get around!"
"And that's bad enough without bringing giant planes or boats across."
"Oh for crying out loud!" Kim exclaimed, throwing her head back in irritation. "Maybe I could call Gohan. He's with Raimundo right now and from what I read and remember, he has portal making tiger claws."
"Sorry Kim, but I already tried." Bulma butted in, leaning over Wade's shoulder. "He's not responding. Raimundo's V Com is back online too, but he isn't answering either. I'm guessing that they've found their own problems."
"DAMN IT ALL!" More agents burst into the room, weapons at the ready as Kim's scream had most of those around her jumping. Both they and the doctor by Hego's side were all sending her thoroughly annoyed looks as they all calmed down, but Kim didn't pay attention to any of them. She simply rounded on Dr Director. "Global Justice can still move in and out, right? Can you get me a ride?"
"Even if I did, what good would it do?" Dr Director replied calmly, completely unphased by the fiery glare being forced her way. "You'd be in the air for at least nine hours. That makes you no help to anyone for that whole time and an easy target. Global Justice has been compromised, to what extent we don't know, but I promise you, if they could access and destroy twenty of our biggest, most important and most heavily protected branches, then finding you on one of our jets will be child's play. Combine that with the kind of technology Professor Dementor creates and an unknown number of ghosts with unknown power levels and there are many ways this will go down, but none of them involve you surviving the trip. Regardless of who's in control, you are still clearly a target they've already manipulated and everyone we can confirm is involved with this and still active has an vendetta against you. Glare and hate me all you want, I will not pointlessly place you in a suicide mission.
"Besides," She went on, before Kim could retort. "I do have a more viable option. A confiscation." She tilted her head toward her partner as he opened a bag and pulled out a device that had the Possible duo gasping. "This was left behind as a pair of men my agents had caught at Electronique's last teleport sight disappeared. I believe this is what you recognised as a teleportation device?"
"Yeah. It's definitely Dementor's phone teleport doohickie." Ron nodded. "But it looks a bit different from last time. He must have made an upgrade."
"Or Electronique did." Kim nodded, noting the extra buttons and minor alteration to its shape. "Either way, it's Dementor's work."
"And with it, you can use their own method of transportation to follow them without obstruction." Dr Director stated. "I already have agents scouring the area for Dementor or any of the others, but we are low in numbers and I will not deny any extra help. Particularly from someone who's mere presence may draw our enemies out."
"You're using us as bait?" Ron shouted, throwing his arms out. "Are you for real?"
"It works for me. Let's get this started." Kim shrugged. She didn't care. In fact, she was fine with the idea. As long as she got back to her friends and the others, she could deal with any reason as to why she was being helped.
"The only catch is that you're going to have to teleport somewhere outside the city." Wade butted in even as the agent made his way over to a corded phone on the wall. "The damages already shut down most phone towers and we shut down the rest of the general lines to keep Dementor and the others pinned down. Only private frequencies can get through right now, like Capsule Corp's or the military's, and you need a solid cord based system to enter and exit."
"Dementor couldn't update this thing to today's cell phone standards?" Ron exclaimed.
"It's probably for the best that he couldn't. Imagine just how dangerous he could be with that kind of freedom. Or how hard he'd be to track." Bulma replied. "Anyway, it's no problem. My mom has some friends in a small town just outside the city with a phone older than me. I'll get the number and let her know you're on your wa-"
"EVERYONE, IT'S HENRY!" Jazz's voiced screeched from the background, causing everyone listening to flinch or clenched their foreheads as those on the other end of the screen whipped their heads to the door. "HE'S OUTSIDE!"
"I'll get back to you with the details! We've got to go!" Bulma exclaimed, already bolting from the room.
"Oh thank God, we got a miracle!" Wade sighed, practically deflating with relief. "I'll let Felix and Monique know we've found him. "Then I'm going to go check on him myself. I'll update you on his condition as soon as we know anything. See you soon, guys."
"Oh, that's awesome!" Ron cheered, bouncing around as he beamed at Kim. "Henry got away! He's as amazing as you said he was, KP."
"Yeah. What a relief." Kim nodded, actually feeling herself calming down almost as much as Wade had. So the bad guys weren't that good after all. Henry outdid them, one way or another and he was well enough to make it back to Capsule Corp. Her new friend was ok. Her powerful new friend was ok. Even if he was hurt, his powers were extremely useful, he could definitely still help with the situation. Sure, she felt a bit guilty letting her mind go to that before she even knew what condition he was in, that should not have crossed her mind nearly so quickly, but she just couldn't help it. Besides, she did still genuinely hope that he was ok, even without any benefits to her in mind. It was just...they could really use his help. He could do so much.
"The moment they call back, I want a debrief from the boy." Dr Director ordered as she leaned back in her chair, her tone leaving no room for objection. "Mr Wong's escape could provide us with all the information on this criminal organisation that we need. Especially now that they're trapped in one place."
"Yeah, like their location! You know, if they haven't already moved yet." Said Ron, going from excited to unsure halfway through. "I mean, come on, a technopath could of had them surrounded by now, right? They've got to have abandoned their newest crib."
"Yes, but he could still help us determine exactly who was involved." Dr Director stated. "Not only do we have yet to determine how many ghosts are involved, but not every member of this group came to the fight at Metro City. At the very least, Drakken was absent, who knows how many more were, and we still don't know who's leading this. We already know of three groups that aren't even known to work together well or at all joining forces. Someone reached out to gather them all and succeeded. Until we know who is guiding their actions, we have no way of determining just how far reaching this group is."
"But you still think it might be Vlad Masters." Ron muttered, gulping at the mere thought.
"He is the best suited to pull off an alliance between ghosts and criminals, so we cannot rule him out. And this attack on Global Justice increases the likelihood." Dr Director nodded gravely. "We have been on the watch for his return since the asteroid incident. And teleportation devices are the only way I can think of that would see bombs being released simultaneously in twenty of our biggest and most secure bases, a fact that Wade's monitoring of the phone line history has confirmed. Using their desire for revenge against your two teams could merely have been an incentive to gain the needed help or a distraction from their real target. Maybe both."
"If Global Justice is the true target, then the mastermind could be your brother." Kim noted with a frown. "He does have the resources for this and he could play on the others' desires. He's tried it before."
"Rest assured that I am looking into the possibility." Dr Director nodded, before flinching again. "But it is unlikely. His weakness is his arrogance. He would want to rule over the others and too few of these criminals would ever accept that. And he wouldn't care about you. The distraction and the call for help tells us without question that someone has a roll for you my brother wouldn't bother making, even if it did get him the others' loyalty."
"Yeah, that's true. It's not like he ever had a vendetta against me. Even when we fought him, he was too interested in you." Kim conceded, rubbing her chin. "In fact, of all my villains, the only one that's ever tried manipulating me like this is...wait, why did you mention Drakken?" She cried, her eyes widening as the name registered. "Last I checked, he was out of the game! And he'd never go after Shego's family. Shego would kill him herself."
"Yes, it is surprising, but it does appear to be the case." Dr Director sighed, biting her lip a second later as she leaned further back against the chair, her voice growing more strained the more she talked. "When Wade traced the forty criminals fleeing our headquarters, he found that they converged on Drew Lipsky's last known location. I have sent a unit there and it does appear that a number of people had been around for a significant amount of time. On top of that, Lipsky was not there. Either he is another victim or he s involved. Probably as a higher level member. Of all of your adversaries, he is the one most likely to gather that facti-argh!"
"That's enough for now." The agent declared firmly, not even flickering at Dr Director's weak glare. Honestly, Kim had to agree. The head spy looked like death warmed over. She struggling to stay upright, her voice was hoarse and she was far too pale. She needed rest, regardless of what Global Justice and the rest of the world needed.
"I will-"
"Reprimand me all you want later. Right now, you are going back to your bed and you are going to take it easy." The agent butted in, only impressing Kim more as he effortlessly picked his boss up and carried her out of the room, ignoring her orders entirely and only stopping to give the remaining three a nod before disappearing.
"That guy...is so cool." Ron muttered, staring out the door in awe. "I mean, he's totally demoted once DD's back on her feet, but man, he is awesome."
"Yeah. Respect." Kim mumbled, sitting back down and turning back to hugging Wego as his eyes went back to his brother. She needed a moment. A lot had just been dropped on her again. After all, Dr Director was right. If Team Go's villains, her villains and multiple ghosts were all gathered for the same job and they didn't know who made it happen, how could they possibly know just how many people were involved? They could be up against armies. There could be some of Jake's magical creatures involved. Hell, the Dark Dragon and that Charmcaster bitch themselves could be the masterminds. This was too much, way too much. Even with Henry back, even if he was in perfect health, how could any of them guarantee that they could come out of this on top?
Kim needed Gohan. She needed Jake, the weird duck thing, Danny Phantom, hell, just throw in the National Guard while you're at it. This was far too much, how could she possibly do any of this alone?
How could she possibly handle any of this at all?