Bellwood:
July 4, 09:16 CDT
It was a warm Sunday morning for the Fourth of July. Everyone seems to be getting ready for the celebration on this special day. People were throwing parties or buying fireworks tonight. Most people were on dates, at the arcade, or at the movies. Not Ben Tennyson. He was at his once favorite restaurant Mr. Smoothy drinking a smoothie made of God knows what, thinking over his recent accomplishments. He wasn't particularly proud of them, to say the least. He slumped sadly in the near-empty parking lot on a bench, slurping as his mind drifted back to the last few days.
His arrogance had gotten the best of him. Gwen had finally decided that glaring and lecturing him was getting old and slapped him hard, right across the face. It wasn't like he didn't deserve it. It was only meant to be a joke. Of course, when she and Kevin sped off in the car without him and stopped returning his calls, he'd figured it out. Calling them a sidekick wasn't funny.
Of course, Gwen had to tell Julie. As if he didn't have enough problems in his relationship. That's what happens when your teammate is best friends with your girlfriend. Not to mention that even Cooper refused to talk to him.
So basically, a slip of the tongue combined with Ben's ever growing ego, leads to him having no friends at this point in time. He couldn't even call to say he was sorry, and wouldn't dare approach their homes this early in the conflict.
He sighed, and took a long slurp from his smoothie while staring at the falling sun. 'This royally sucks.' He thought to himself. 'One minute I'm on top of the world and then…' He remembered something from his past. A similar issue he had with Gwen when he was a kid. The real reason he stopped wearing the Omnitrix.
It made him think he was invincible.
Which he defiantly wasn't. He'd be dead if it weren't for Gwen, Kevin, and even Julie. This is what he thought about before a man in a trench coat stepped in front of him, blocking his light.
"What's up, Ben? You look depressed." Ben looked up to see the man was in fact, his grandfather. One of the greatest Plumbers in Milky Way history. "I tried calling you, but you wouldn't answer.
Ben forced a smile. "Yeah, I must have left it in the motorcycle." Ben explained as Max let him use his old motorcycle these past few weeks after the Hybreed Invasion
His Grandpa raised an eyebrow. "For four hours, is that how long you've been sitting here?"
Ben looked down at his feet. "Yeah, I haven't been doing much lately Grandpa Max. I'm just thinking about some things."
"Like what you said to them last week?" Max said knowing what happened.
"…Yeah that." Ben mutters.
Max sat down next to Ben on the bench and sighed. "You know you brought this on yourself. You can't be upset with your friends for not wanting to speak with you."
"I know. This whole thing is my fault." Ben put his chin on his hand. "I didn't mean for it to sound the way it did. I didn't even realize how bad it sounded till it left my mouth."
Max nodded. "The tongue is a powerful tool Ben. It can build confidence, break spirits, and lead nations, but it can't take back anything." Max's face went from serious to slightly sad. "I lost a lot of friends that way when I became a Plumber Ben, I don't want you to make the same mistakes."
Ben nodded slowly, and Max put a hand on his shoulder. "You need something to occupy your time other than sitting around all day, especially on this day. I've got an important job for you Ben."
Ben allowed a small grin onto his face. 'Typical, he wants me to take my mind off of work by working.' "Sure Grandpa, what do you need?"
Max reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a holo-disk, similar to the one he recorded his messages on. He pushed a button on the side, and an image of a building shows up. It seems like a regular two story to Ben, but his grandfather wouldn't have show it to him if it wasn't important.
"This is Project Cadmus or Cadmus Labs." Max explains to Ben. "It's a genetic lab in D.C. and that's about it. The Plumbers don't have much on it but we do know it's a big company with barely any information. I want you to find out more about the place. I suspect they are hiding something and we want you to infiltrate the place to observe and report anything. If it does get dicey, just do what you do best."
"Got it grandpa." Ben told him with a smile as Max handed Ben the keys to something.
"What's this?" Ben ask in confusion.
"Figure you could use Plumber ship instead of using the motorcycle." Max said as he did have a point. It would be a long drive to get to D.C. if he used the motorcycle. True, Jet Ray would be faster, but he would need the Omnitrix to not be on recharge mode for the mission to work. So off Ben went as he got on his motorcycle and drove to the Plumber base that they have.
Middleton:
July 4, 10:07 CDT
At Middleton, a highschooler in particular was at her house talking on a weird device called a Kimmunicator, in her living room. The girl seems to be 5'4 in height with luscious red hair and green eyes. This was the teen superhero Kim Possible as she seems to be on the Kimmunicator talking to her best friend Ron Stoppable.
"So how is your vacation?" Kim asks.
"Going great." Ron answered as a naked mole rat appears beside him.
"Yeah!" Rufus, the mole rat answered in glee.
"We are having a great time here in Florida!" Ron tells her as he seems to be in a swim trunk at the beach. "Orlando Florida is the best, especially the fireworks for tonight."
"Well, I'm glad you're having a great time." Kimk says she was a little sad that everyone seems to be having fun without her. Her friends are gone as Monique was also on vacation too.
"How about you?" Ron asks sensing something was wrong. "Aren't you and your folks going to do anything?"
"Nah." Kim answered. "Mom and Dad are stuck at work while the tweebs ar sleepover with friends." She explains. "So it's just me."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Ron said sadly as he doesn't know what to say.
"It's fine." Kim tries to reassure him. "I need to catch up on some tv anyways, so no biggy."
"...If you're sure then." Ron said. "But I'm here if you ever wanted to talk."
Kim smiles at that as she knows she can count on Ron to make her feel better. "Thanks, Ron." And with that, they hung as Kim slumped on the couch being so bored.
That's when a familiar beeping noise indicates someone was calling Kim looks at her Kimmunicator to see her tech friend, Wade, on the line. The boy was eleven years old with dark skin, and black hair, wearing a blue shirt.
"Hey, Wade." Kim greets. "What's the stitch?" She asks as she is hoping he has a mission for her as it has been quiet for a week and she was getting antsy.
"Hey, Kim." Wade greeted with a smile. "Your not busy are you?" He asks as he doesn't know it would be a good time to call her or not.
"Nope, not busy at all." Kim answered.
"Good, may have a mission for you." Wade told her as he pulls up an image of Cadmus Labs. "This is Cadmus, a genetics research facility in D.C. But there is not a lot of info to go on."
"So what's the problem/" Kim asks.
"There have been reports of weird shipping and I don't know about you, but I find it suspicious that no one can know about that facility," Wade explains. "Even if it's just basic info, there is nothing."
Kim could see he had a point. "Your right. Better go check it out." She exclaimed as she ran up to her room to get her mission suit.
"Your ride is on the way." Wade informs her. "Good luck."
"Thanks." Kim said as she made it to her room, and with that, they hang up Kim is so happy to finally have a mission, even if it's just recon.
Amity Park:
July 4, 10:37 CDT
"Hey, Tucker." Another teen boy, who looks to be fifteen greeted. The teen seems to be Caucasian with black spiky and long hair with blue eyes. He has a lean athletic build. The boy wears a white t-shirt with a red oval in the middle. He also has red trimmings on the collar and the end of the sleeves. He has blue jeans with red converse shoes. His height seems to be 5'5. "What's so important?"
"This…" Tucker answered. He seems to have brown skin, turquoise eyes, black hair, and wears black glasses. He wears a long-sleeve yellow shirt, green cargo pants with a black belt, and brown boots along with a red beret. He is almost always seen carrying a backpack. With him being 5'5 in height as well. "Cadmus Labs."
"What about it?" Danny ask in confusion.
Danny was in Tucker's room at his house as Tucker sit by his computer monitoring something.
"Well I've been keeping up with the GIW (Guys In White) and seeing if they do anything suspicious and found this place." Tucker explains. "Seems to me they are working on a few projects together. Whatever it is, i don't know. But it can't be good."
"So what is Cadmus?" Danny ask.
"That's the thing. Nothing. Even if I go online, there is nothing to talk about other than the fact they are a genetic research facility in D.C." Tucker explains to him. "I don't know what they are working on as I've tried to hack them to no avail."
"That is suspicious." Danny said in agreement. "Better go check it out."
"Be careful." Tucker warns him. "Who knows what you will be dealing with."
Danny nodded in agreement as he a white-blue ring formed around his waist before it started to part, changing the white shirt and blue pants into a black jumpsuit, with white gloves, belt, and boots, his black hair turning white while his blue eyes turned green, as he had transformed into Danny Phantom in action. He then turns intangible and leaves Tucker's house and off to Washington D.C.
So what did you all think of this prologue? And what is Cadmus Labs? Find out in the next chapter as this was just a bit of a teaser to see if you all were interested in it.