Trixie had to admit, traveling by automated hovercraft was way better than the Rust Bucket. She could appreciate how silent the engines were, the comfortable poly-leather seats with plenty of leg room, and being served chilled beverages from a robotic attendant. With an advanced scientific mind like hers, Trixie was more than welcome to the change of pace. And she wasn't the only one.
"Now this is cool!" said Ben enthusiastically, looking out the window as they flew over the city of Genius Grove, California. "Getting picked up in some brainy guy's awesome hover car to get a private tour of state-of-the-art nerd cave. Now we're talk a summer vacation."
"You should be thanking Trixie," said Max. "She's the reason we get to go on this in the first place."
"How come you never told us that you knew Dexter McPherson, one of the most brilliant men in the world?" Gwen asked Trixie.
"You never asked," said Trixie teasingly, staring out the window. "Looks like we're here."
The Tennyson peek outside as their transport flies towards a skyscraper that effortlessly dwarfs the rest of the surrounding buildings. It had a blue-and-white color scheme and the materials that went into making it were clearly not from Earth.
Their transport landed on the roof of the building, where they exited the vehicle and were greeted by two people. One was a tall young man in a pristine white lab coat with finely combed ginger hair and square glasses. His companion was a tall and lanky older woman with long blonde hair and a fondness for pink. When Trixie stepped out of the hoer craft, the bespectacled man stepped forward and shook her hand (he had to end down slightly.)
"Trixie, it is my esteemed pleasure to finally meet you in person," said the man, his voice tinged with a Russian accent.
"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. McPherson," said Trixie politely.
"Please, we are peers in the intellectual world; call me Dexter," said Dexter.
"Very well, Dexter," said Trixie.
"I'm pleased that you decided to take up my offer to visit my company," said Dexter. "It took years to get it off the ground, so I am happy to welcome someone who will appreciate it."
"I appreciate it, Dexter," said the blonde woman, clapping Dexter's shoulder good-naturedly.
"Yes, well, I mean on an intellectual level," said Dexter, readjusting his glasses. "Trixie, this is my older sister and personal assistant, Deidre Deanna McPherson."
"You can call me Dee-Dee," said Dee-Dee exuberantly.
"Nice to meet you, Dexter, Dee-Dee," said Max, shaking hands with them. "I'm Max Tennyson – Trixie's er…guardian. And these are my grandkids, Ben and Gwen."
"So, you're the boy with the Omnitrix, are you?" Dexter said to Ben interestingly. "I expected you to be…taller."
"How do you know about the Omnitrix?" asked Ben curiously.
"His girlfriend told him when you visited Townsville," said Dee-Dee, ruffling Dexter's hair teasingly. The genius made an embarrassed whining noise and shoved her away.
"Wait, you're Blossom's genius boyfriend?" asked Ben, surprised. "I guess that makes sense…."
"I told you, Dexter, the Omnitrix is off-limits to you and everyone else in our group," said Trixie with a hint of warning in her voice.
"I know, I know, I respect your boundaries," said Dexter, holding his hands up in surrender. "Now, you wanted a tour of my company, yes? Let's get started, shall we?"
Dexter and Dee-Dee lead them to the opposite side of the roof where a pair of glass elevator doors open automatically as they approached. The six of them cram inside the elevator, then Dexter says, "Computress, ground level!" and the doors close. As they descended and the elevator fell into silent anticipation, Trixie addressed Dexter:
"A building of this size and equipment must run off a lot of electricity."
"Oh yes, the first floor alone uses almost eighty-nine billion volts of energy," Dexter explained proudly.
"Wow, I'd hate to see the electric bill," said Gwen.
"How is it that you can operate such a large facility without draining from the rest of the city?" asked Trixie.
"Uh-uh-uh," said Dexter, wagging his finger. "If you won't share your secrets, I won't share mine. Oh, don't pout like that," he added to Trixie's disgruntled leer. "I'm sure you'll find this much more interesting."
The darkness around them gives way and everything beyond the glass walls becomes visible again. Ben and Gwen press themselves against the walls, staring aw of the massive, futuristic lobby below. Multiple floors displayed different ongoing operations from computer chip production, chemical experimentation, weapon testing, and much more. There was not a single human other than them; everything was operated by robots with the company logo. And in the center of it all was a twenty-foot holographic statue of the company founder, his arms crossed with a confident smirk."
"Welcome to Dex-Labs," said Dexter proudly. "Enter at your own peril."
The elevator reached ground level and the Tennyson cousins were the first ones out when the doors open, taking awe-inspired looks around the technological wonderland. Max, Trixie, Dexter, and Dee-Dee followed at a leisurely pace.
"The official grand opening's a week away," Dexter informed. "Just a few VIPs like you are getting a sneak peek."
"I've read about your lab in Science Discovery Monthly, sir," Gwen said to Dexter while Ben was watching a robot hovering twenty feet off the ground washing the windows. "Very cutting edge. Is it true you reinforced the external walls of the building?"
"Yes, with micro carbon steel polymers to withstand over one-hundred-and-forty-thousand PSI," Dexter explained proudly. "Being a genius makes a lot of enemies, and I've had my fair share of greedy villains trying to destroy me over the years."
"That reminds me," Dee-Dee chimed in. "Mandark called and said he has to cancel his four o'clock villain attack so he can follow his sister on her date. He wants to know if you can reschedule for Thursday."
"Hmm, I've got that meeting with the president on Thursday," Dexter hummed thought. "Chane it to Friday."
"You schedule your villain attacks?" asked Trixie, quirking a brow.
"Running a business takes a lot of time and energy," said Dexter, readjusting his glass. "I try to make time for my enemies when I can, but I'm constantly swamped with meetings, overseeing production, and trying to come up with the next big thing to keep ahead of the competition."
"He doesn't even have time to make new inventions like he used to," said Dee-Dee, visibly frowning.
"Well, no one said it would be easy," said Max.
"No, they did not," said Dexter. "Fortunately, the automated mass production line does all the inventing for me. Just give them a few schematics and they'll have a thousand made y the end of the week."
"It's not the same…," said Dee-Dee, disheartened.
"This place is so cool," said Ben excitedly. "Where do you keep the – "
His question was cut off when the building's lights began to flicker and an alarm screamed over the PA system. Then without explanation, one of the industrial fans in the walls meant to blow cool air into the building was suddenly reversed, sucking everything into it. Trash cans, loose papers, soda cans – everything that wasn't bolted down was being pulled in like a giant vacuum. Max, who was heavy in stature, braced himself in place, holding Trixie and Gwen's hands while held on to his back. Dee-Dee managed to grab onto the lobby bench, which was bolted down, and Dexter clung to her long legs. The window washer robot, on the other hand, was not so fortunate.
"I was three weeks from retirement!" cried the robot before it was crushed by the fan blades.
"What's happening?!" Gwen yelled over the heavy winds.
"A power surge must have caused the ventilation system to reverse!" Dexter yelled back.
"How do we stop it?!" asked Gwen.
"Leave this to me!" Ben declared. While holding on to his grandfather with his legs, Ben pressed the activation switch to the Omnitrix. "Diamondhead's about to meet his biggest fan!"
"Ugh, he does puns," Dexter groaned.
Ben slammed the faceplate down and exploded in a flash of green light. But instead of a ten-foot wall of hard silicon, he had transformed into the ankle-high Gray Matter.
"Aw man," Gray Matter whined. "For once, I was better off as me."
Unfortunately, Gray Matter's small size made him more susceptible to the fan's powerful suction. The Galvan brainiac grabbed handfuls of his grandfather's tropical shirt, but the fan was too strong and pulled him away, sending Gray Matter flailing across the room. As he was about into be torn to shreds, Gwen reflexively threw her hand out and shouted, "Imperium in mentum!" A bubble of pink energy caught the Galvan and suspended him in the air only a foot away from the fan blades.
"Thanks for the save!" shouted Gray Matter.
"You can thank me when we're not turned into sliced ham!" Gwen yelled back, sweat dripping from her brow as she struggled to maintain the spell.
"Dexter, do something!" cried Dee-Dee.
With a grimace, Dexter reached into his lab coat, from which he pulled out what appeared to be a wrench-pole. He flipped around to face the industrial fan and threw it like a javelin. The wrench landed in between the blades, tearing them apart with an ear-splitting screech, and ruptured the inner mechanism. As the an died with a pathetic whirling noise, everyone gratefully returned their feet to the ground.
"Is everyone all right?" asked Max.
"Never better…," Gray Matter groaned, still floating in Gwen's protective bubble. A few seconds later, he was forcefully switched back to Ben and landed flat on his stomach. "I swear, this watch hates me sometimes."
"What happened? Why did your machine malfunction?" Trixie questioned Dexter.
"It was a freak accident," Dexter waved off her concern. "Nothing to worry about."
"That's the sixth 'accident' we've had this week," Dee-Dee said seriously. "Dexter, I really think something's wrong – "
"Hey, hey, who's the genius around here?" said Dexter sternly. Dee-Dee kept her mouth shut, but frowned sadly.
"Has this been happening a lot lately?" asked Gwen, concerned.
"There have been a few…bugs in the system," said Dexter apprehensively. "But that's what you've come to expect when you're operating the most technologically advanced building on the planet. I'll get some worker bots to do an inspection before repairing the fan."
"Don't you think you should look at it yourself?" asked Dee-Dee. "It might be better if you check it personally – "
"Dee-Dee, I'm way too busy for lowly grunt work," said Dexter severely, causing Dee-Dee's frown to deepen. The boy genius swept his hair back to perfect form and offered a kind smile to the Tennysons. "Why don't you kids take a tour of the lab so Trixie and I can talk science? Dee-Dee can show you around – as long as you don't press any buttons."
He seemed to be looking at Dee-Dee when he said that. The blonde woman scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Dexter, I'm a mature young woman now," said Dee-Dee. "I'm not going press every shiny button I see like some short-attentional squirrel."
"Maybe…but I'll have Computress put safety glass over the anyway," said Dexter. Dee-Dee pouted.
"I'll come with you two," said Max, joining Dexter and Trixie. "I know a little tech from my Plumber days. You kids stay out of trouble now."
"No promises," said Ben jokingly.
"Dexter, are you sure you don't want to –"
"Dee-Dee, I'm busy!" Dexter snapped. He redirected his attention to Trixie as the three of them walk off. "Now, Trixie, I was hoping to get your opinion on spatial mass relay ports…."
For her part, Dee-Dee was an excellent tour guide. Though she lacked the technical terms for all the machines and what they were designed to do, she was able to explain the gist of it.
The first floor focused on the production off Dex-Lab brand computers, which had ten times the processing power of normal computers at half the price. The second floor was dedicated to chemical sciences, which included solving all known diseases and producing synthesized food to end world hunger. The third floor was focused on military contracts; developing weapons for the government, but designed to lower casualty rates. And the fourth floor was created for aerospace research; exploring the universe and learning technologies that benefitted humanity.
One thing the Tennyson cousins noticed was that every so often, Dee-Dee would suddenly stop, mesmerized by a shiny button on the wall. She physically had to restrain herself from pushing them, even punched herself in the face twice before willing herself to move on.
Which brought them to the fifth floor. As the vaulted door opened and Dee-Dee stepped inside, Ben and Gwen examined the room in awe. It looked like a vault meant for storing old inventions if the thin layer of dust was any indication. There were some outrageous inventions lying around like a time machine that resembled a grandfather clock, a long-limbed exoskeleton that shot dodgeballs, and a giant robot that looked like Dexter.
"Whoa, what is this place?" gasped Ben astonishingly.
"Dexter calls it the Library," Dee-Dee informed them. "This is where he keeps all his old inventions to look back on whenever he gets stuck on a new idea. You know, he was even younger than you when he made these."
"Wow, he really is a boy genius, huh?" said Gwen, impressed.
"Yep, made everything with his own two hands," said Dee-Dee proudly, which quickly fell into a frown. "It's been a long time since he did that."
"What do you mean?" asked Ben.
"Dexter used to spend all hours of the day in his lab," said Dee-Dee reminiscently, "building whatever popped into his little head. He always looked so happy when he tightened that last bolt and shout 'My latest creation is completed!' But now…he just spends all his days trapped in his office, signing paperwork, while his robots mass produce generic products. I can't even remember the last time I saw him pick up a screwdriver."
"Well, he is pretty busy running a company," said Gwen. "Which is impressive, considering he's only eighteen."
"I know, and I'm really proud of him," said Dee-Dee sadly. "I just wish he didn't look so miserable all the time…"
And uncomfortable silence fell over the group, until Ben asked, "So…what do you do for fun around here?"
Dee-Dee touched her chin thoughtfully, then a small smile crept on her lips.
The blonde woman brought the Tennyson cousins to a warehouse on the opposite side of the building. It was seemingly empty except for two things: a large, armor-plated rover and a giant silver ring.
"Whoa…," said Ben in awe.
"It's called the Inter-Dimensional Doorway," said Dee-Dee. "Dexter built it when he was eight. I remember when he first turned it on; there was a giant jelly monster and time travel shenanigans. That was a fun day. Lately, he's been using to find resources in other dimensions."
"Other dimensions?!" said Gwen, astonished. "Just when I thought he couldn't be any more amazing."
"Yeah, Dexter is amazing," said Dee-Dee proudly. Then a mischievous smile curled on her lips. "Wanna check it out?"
"Going to another dimension? Count me in!" said Ben enthusiastically.
"You sure it's okay?" asked Gwen asked anxiously.
"It's fine!" Dee-Dee waved off her concern. "It's perfectly safe. Dexter was using it when he found the – "
"The what?" Ben asked after the older woman paused.
"Er – never mind," said Dee-Dee. "Last one in the rover is a rotten egg!"
Back down on the round floor, Dexter led Max and Trixie into a high-security chamber protected by four levels protection requiring a retinal scan, vocal password recognition, a thumbprint scan, and (oddly enough) a tongue scanner. Behind the vaulted doors was a massive reactor thirty-feet tall with a glass container holding what looked like trillions and trillions of volts of electricity. Cables connected to the reactor stretched in every direction before disappearing into the walls, seemingly stretching across the entire building. The reactor was maintained by several hovering robots, all of which saluted Dexter when he walked in.
"A reverse surge caused the vacuum effect, but it's fixed now," said Dexter.
"This is the most amazing free energy generator," said Trixie, tilting her head back. "It must have taken you quite a while to construct it."
"Er, actually, the uh…the robots built it," said Dexter, sounding strangely deflated. "I've too busy with paperwork to really make anything myself. These days, I just draw up the schematics and let the machines do the rest."
"Doesn't sound like you're too happy about it," Max notice.
"Well, I don't deny that I miss making inventions myself," said Dexter, looking downcast. "The feeling of tightening a stubborn lug nut, or the smell of motor oil…. But it's fine. I'm a businessman now. This is what I wanted. If that means turning in my wrench for a pen, then so be it."
Though he tried to pass it off, Trixie could tell his words were lackluster. Trixie couldn't imagine what it would be like to be denied her scientific pursuits. The living Omnitrix wanted to offer words of encouragement, but became distracted as they got closer to the energy generator. There was a large panel in the middle of the reactor with a small window, through which a luminescent green glow could be seen pulsating inside.
"What's behind that panel?" asked Trixie curiously.
"Oh, that?" said Dexter, snapping out of his stupor. "Sorry, that's classified. Company policy." He tugged his collar and started to sweat under Trixie's penetrating stare. "Er…say, you want to see something cool? This way."
Dexter led Max and Trixie toward a private elevator in the back of the room, though Trixie gave the panel one last curious look before following. As the elevator doors shut, Dexter commanded "Computress, fifth floor!" and they were moving again.
"This is one of my greatest inventions," said Dexter excitedly. "It's what helped me get this company off the ground."
In a few seconds, the elevator stopped and the doors opened with a ding. Dexter waved his hands with a rand flourish and said, "behold, the Inter-Dimensional – "
But when they stepped out of the elevator, not only was the Inter-Dimensional Doorway active with a swirling pink vortex inside the ring, but the exploratory rover was also missing. It took all of three seconds for the boy genius to figure out who was responsible.
"DEE-DEE!"
If they had thought Dexter's laboratory was spectacular, it was nothing compared to the new reality that existed beyond the windows.
With Dee-Dee in the driver's seat, the trio wandered aimlessly through an unusual desert terrain where the sand glistened like diamonds, painted a rainbow of color beneath the wheels. The sky above the was dotted with billions of twinkling stars and swirling nebulas, like the entire universe just opened to them. And then there were the fauna. A cluster of creatures that look like a cross between bird and jellyfish flew passed their windows while neon-white elephant creatures curled up in balls and rolled away when they got close. A hundred-foot-tall creature with eight pointed legs passed harmlessly over the rover; its upper body obscured by darkness.
"Wow, these animals are even wilder than Ben's imagination," said Gwen.
"I know that's supposed to be an insult, but I agree with you," said Ben.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool, isn't it?" said Dee-Dee.
"Dee-Dee, you have entered dimensional zone 1-384-8B!" the computer announced in a feminine voice. "This dimension has been designated off-limits by Dexter. Please turn – "
"Aw, such a worrywart, Computress," said Dee-Dee nonchalantly. "We're perfectly fine."
"But – "
Anything else she was going to say was cut off when Dee-Dee pressed the mute button.
"Why is this dimension off-limits?" asked Gwen, worried that they might be breaking the rules.
"Dexter's always so paranoid," said Dee-Dee. "Did you know he wouldn't even change his gloves until he was thirteen because he thought the germs would eat him. He's so silly sometimes."
But as they climbed over another sparkling dune and came to a stop, they noticed a cluster off neon-green lights across the desert. They didn't seem to be part of the environment because they were moving, floating back and forth like swinging lanterns.
"Okay, that's weird," muttered Gwen.
They didn't have the opportunity to contemplate what they were seeing when one of the lights shot across the desert like a bullet, slamming against the window of the rover and startling the passengers. The 'light' was a ghastly humanoid creature that appeared to be made entirely out of neon-green energy. Its arms were thin as tree branches with three fingers that ended at sharp points, blank faces with walnut-shaped luminescent-blue eyes, and instead of feet, it floated around on a lengthy curled tail.
The energy stared at the humans, then stabbed its claws at the window. The glass held, but it rattled the entire rover.
"And that's weirder!" yelped Ben.
The rover gave another shudder, but it wasn't from the ghastly figure on their windshield. A dozen more of the energy specters swarmed the exploration vehicle, punching and clawing at the armored surface. Eventually, one of them gripped the corner of one of the armored plates and ripped it away from the rover, exposing the wires underneath. Inside the vehicle, a flashing red alarm popped up on the dashboard along and Computress forcefully unmuted herself.
"Warning: Hull integrity compromised! Return to the laboratory is strongly recommended!"
"Don't need to tell us twice!" cried Dee-Dee.
Dee-Dee shifted gears and slammed down the acceleration. The rover ripped across the bedazzled desert, kicking up a storm in its wake, until it zoomed off a dune and into the air, knocking several glowing specters off their windshield. The rover landed roughly, jolting everyone inside, but didn't let up on the gas. The neon phantom still clinging to the rover were scraping the hull diligently; one of the managed to tear another armored plate.
"Computress, does this oversized car have any defenses?" asked Dee-Dee, swerving the rover around to throw off another pair.
"The Dex-Rover Mk. 27 has nineteen different defense features," answered Computress. "However, scans indicate that hostiles are energy-based lifeforms. Physical countermeasures would be ineffective."
"Is there anything you can do to get these…these Glotergeists off our backs?" asked Gwen desperately as one of the luminescent ghosts cracked the windshield.
"Hey, nice name," Ben complimented.
"You think so?" said Gwen. "I wasn't really thinking about it. It just came to – "
"Do we have anything or not?" Dee-Dee interrupted the exchange urgently.
"One viable option is the electric barrier," said Computress. "Would you like to activate it?"
"YES!"
"Activating electric barrier."
Outside the rover, an field of electricity coated the exploratory vehicle, shocking the Glotergeists, who made high-pitched shrieking noises that cause the humans to cover their ears. Thankfully, the barrier succeeded and the rest of the neon phantoms were thrown off when Dee-Dee swerved to the left.
Dee-Dee managed to put some good distance between them and the Glotergeists, but they proved relentless. One glance at the side mirror showed more than a dozen new Glotergeists were chasing them. And the screen on the dashboard indicated that the rover needed time to charge before it could use the barrier again. Seeing no other option available, Dee-Dee reached for the radio.
"This is Dee-Dee to Dex-Labs!" Dee-Dee yelled desperately. "Dexter, can you hear me? Come in, Dexter!"
"This would be a good time for you to go hero, Ben," Gwen told her cousin.
Ben nodded in agreement and unbuckled himself. He marched to the back of the rover underneath the hatch.
"Turn me into Pesky Dust and you're dead meat," Ben threatened the Omnitrix.
He slammed down the faceplate and exploded in a lash o green light, almost blinding Dee-Dee in the rearview mirror. When the light subsided, Buzzshock looked down at himself and cackled excitedly.
"Aw yeah, now we're talking!"
Buzzshock deformed into a stray bolt of electricity, slipping through the cracks in the hatch and zipping outside. He rematerialized on top of the rover and immediately confronted two Glotergeists. The neon phantasms lost interest with the exploration vehicle and focused their attention on the strange alien. They stabbed their clawed hands together, but Buzzshock, effortlessly zoomed around behind them. He put his hand to one of the Glotergeist's back, momentarily surprised that his physical form seemed to sink into their energy bodies. Buzzshock brushed it off quickly and released several volts of electricity, making the phantasm screech and fall off the rover into the colorful desert.
The second Glotergeist picked up the Nosedeenian's smaller body. Guess they can become tangible when they wanted, like Ghostfreak. Fortunately, Buzzshock unleashed another burst of electricity from his body that barbecued the neon specter and threw it off the rover.
Two of them were down, but there were still three more clinging to the rover. And off in the distance, Buzzshock could see another dozen Glotergeists heading their way. Grimacing, Buzzshock zipped to the front of the vehicle to deal with the rest of them –
"Dee-Dee!" Dexter shouted furiously into the radio receiver connected to the doorway. "Dee-Dee, do you hear me? You know the Inter-Dimensional Doorway is off-limits!"
"Dexter, I know you're mad," Dee-Dee answered, "but we're under attack by Glotergeists and they're tearing our car apart!"
"What is the name of Newtonian physics is a Glotergeist?" asked Dexter.
"I think they can answer your question," said Max, pointing at the dimensional portal.
Like an infestation of cockroaches, dozens of Glotergeists started flooding out of the Inter-Dimensional Doorway. Dexter and Max backed away from the neon phantoms as they turned their faceless heads toward the humans. Trixie, on the other hand, shouted, "Accessing Appoplexian sequence!" and lunged at the nearest Glotergeist with her clawed fist. The living Omnitrix was started when her hand went straight through them. Trixie landed on her feet and turned around just before the Glotergeist backhanded her, sending the girl flying across the room into the wall.
Trixie powered down to her original form, rubbing her throbbing skull, as Max and Dexter ran around to help her up.
"What just happened?" Trixie groaned.
"They're made of pure energy," Dexter explained. "Physical confrontation is useless against them."
"So what do we do now?" Max questioned as the Glotergeists closed in on them.
Back in the Glotereist dimension, Dee-Dee was trying to steady the rover as they landed after flying off another dune. Buzzshock was still on the roof, zipping like lightning between the energy phantoms still holding on to the exploration vehicle. He blasted one that was trying to break through Gwen's window in the chest and electrocuted the one that was tearing pieces away at the rover's plating.
But the lose of their kin finally drew the attention of the remaining three Glowtergeist, who removed themselves from the rover and swarmed the Nosedeenian. One of them tackled Buzzshock off the rover and into the multicolored sand; the other two followed shortly.
As they fell, Buzzshock flipped them around and slammed the Glotergeist into the sand before discharging several volts of electricity into its chest. As the glow specter went inert, the second Glowtergeist grabbed Buzzshock by the nape, lifted him into the air, and slashed at him with its free claw. Buzzshock reverted into pure electricity before the attack could land, surging down the Glotergeist's arm and through its body before emerging from the back. He didn't give the last Glotergeist a chance to retaliate, shooting forward like an electric arrow and piercing through the energy phantom's chest.
With all three Glotergeists either dead or unconscious, Buzzshock thought he would finally get a chance to breathe. Sadly, the telltale glow over the dunes signaled the arrival of a dozen more Glotergeists. In the face of so many enemies, Buzzshock knew the odds were against him and chose to flee instead.
He zipped across the desert and landed on top of the exploration rover, but when he went to open the hatch, a clawed hand grabbed him by the back of the head and shoved him face down. Buzzshock peeked over his shoulder and realized too late that the Glotergeist's were already on top of them.
Back at Dex-Labs, Max carried Trixie out of the Doorway chamber under his arm with Dexter a step behind them. Once they were past the threshold, Dexter turned back and saw the Glotergeists gliding toward them.
"Computress, activate ion shield for the Inter-Dimensional Doorway entrance!" shouted Dexter.
"Activating ion shield," said Computress.
The Glotergeists reached their claws out to grab Dexter when a transparent barrier comprised off blue energy appeared in the doorway. The energy phantom plowed headfirst into the shield and several more collided behind it, but the barrier held strong. The neon phantasms separated and several of them started slashing their claws on the ion shield like dogs wanting to be let out. The barrier wobbled for a split-second, but remained sturdy.
"The ion shield is a barrier designed to match the energy frequency of those that try to get through it," Dexter explained while Max lowered Trixie to her feet. "That should hold them."
"For now," said Trixie. "One way or another, they'll find a way out."
"We've got to evacuate the building now!" said Max urgently.
"Dex-Labs is fully automated," Dexter informed. "We're the only people in the whole complex."
"And Benjamin, Gwendolyn, and your sister," said Trixie. "Who still haven't returned from the other dimension."
"Dee-Dee will keep them safe," said Dexter confidently. "She may not be as smart as me, but she's one of the more dependable people I know."
Dee-Dee took a sharp right turn and swerved around another pack of Glotergeists that came after the rover from the front. She peeked at her sideview mirror and saw the neon phantoms on top overwhelming Buzzshock with their numbers, pounding him repeatedly with their fists.
"He's getting creamed out there!" yelled Dee-Dee. "We need to help him!"
Gwen it her thumbnail, contemplating a way to save her cousin. She considered going outside and blasting them with magic, but there were two problems with this scenario. First, she didn't know if humans could survive in the outside environment. The rover was pressurized with its own gravity and oxygen supply, and there was nothing to suggest that she wouldn't suffocate or implode if she stepped out. And secondly, she didn't know she had any spells that could work on the Glotergeists, if any could at all. So far, the only thing they seemed vulnerable to was electricity –
An idea suddenly popped into Gwen's head and she asked Dee-Dee, "Is that electric barrier fully charged?"
"Er, yeah, looks like it," said Dee-Dee, glancing at the dashboard computer.
"Turn it on now!" said Gwen urgently.
"But what about your cousin?" asked Dee-Dee.
"He'll be fine – just do it!" shouted Gwen.
Though still uncertain, Dee-Dee said, "Computress, activate the electric barrier!"
"Activating electric barrier."
Another wave of self-generated electricity crawled across the surface of the rover, coating the entire vehicle. When it fell over the Glotergeists, they were thrown off the rover with high-pitched shrieks and collapsed in the desert's multicolored sand. Buzzshock, however, was left unharmed due to his Nosedeenian physiology.
"Phew, talk a shocking end," said Buzzshock in relief, wiping the panicked sweat from his brow. It was at that moment, the Omnitrix emblem started flashing red with the warning beep. "Uh-oh, no time for puns. Gotta get inside."
Buzzshock trotted over to the rover's hatch and jumped, reverting his physical form into a single bolt of electricity. He slipped through the crack in the hatch and rematerialized inside the vehicle just seconds before he exploded in a flash o red light and was back to being plain old Ben.
"Nice work out there," Gwen complimented her cousin.
"We're not out of the woods yet," said Ben seriously, returning to his chair and putting on his seatbelt.
Just ahead past the dunes was the swirling entry portal from which they arrived in this dimension. But the Glotergeists was hot of their tail, dragging their claws against the rear plating of the vehicle.
"Computress, when I give the word, shut down the doorway and lock those creepy ghosts out!" Dee-Dee commanded.
"Warning: energy-based lifeform detected in the lab," Computress announced. "Dexter has trapped them inside the doorway chamber. They will be expecting you."
"Then prepare the electric barrier for when we get out!" shouted Dee-Dee. "Get ready, we're almost there!"
It was a straight shot toward the portal; one of the Glotergeists managed to sink their claws in the back of the rover and was being dragged along. They were less than thirty feet from the doorway when Dee-De screamed, "NOW!" It was the tiniest of margins, but Dee-Dee successfully drove the rover through the portal before it closed behind them. The same could not be said for the Glotereist holding on to their bumper as half of its body was sliced off when the portal closed and evaporated into harmless wisps of energy.
The Glotergeists that had already infiltrated the lab were waiting like Computress said, still clawing at the ion barrier trying to get out. The neon phantasms turned around as the rover came careening toward them just as the electric barrier switched on. Max, Trixie, and Dexter, who were standing outside the door, dashed out of the way before the rover came smashing through the wall. The Glostergeists that they had run over were thrown across various floors in Dex-Labs, crashing into equipment, production lines, and unsuspecting robots.
The rover's engine tapered off as Dee-Dee and the Tennyson cousins unsteadily crawled out. Max looked relieved as he held his grandchildren close and even Dexter hugged his sister…before slapping her on the arm.
"You stupid woman!" Dexter scolded her. "What were you thinking? Taking them to another dimension?"
"You said to give them a tour," said Dee-Dee.
"How is that part of the tour?!"
"You can hash it out later," Trixie interrupted. "Those things – "
"Glotergeists," Gwen offered.
"Whatever," said Trixie. "They're loose inside the lab."
"Computress, activate the ion field around the building!" shouted Dexter.
"Activating ion field."
"That should keep them from getting out," said Dexter.
"Yeah, but now we're trapped in here with them," Ben pointed out.
"I knew you should've put that core thingy back where you found it!" Dee-Dee scolded her brother. "You knew it was dangerous to hold on to it after all this time, and now it's come back to bite you!"
"I had it perfectly handled until you stupidly opened the doorway and let them in!" Dexter snapped back. "That's why I kept saying it was off-limits!"
"It was gonna happen sooner or later!" yelled Dee-Dee. "They've been trying to get in the lab for years!"
"And now they've succeeded thanks to you!" shouted Dexter.
"Whoa, whoa, back it up now!" said Max, putting himself physically between the McPherson siblings, then rounded on Dexter. "What is she talking about? What did you take?"
"It's nothing!" snapped Dexter.
"It's not nothing!" argued Dee-Dee. "This has been a problem for ten years!"
Before the McPherson siblings could get any deeper into their heated discussion, the Glotergeists started to recover, tearing apart all equipment and robots that stood between them and the humans.
"Later, let's go!" yelled Max.
The Tennysons and the McPhersons ran around the walkway with the Glotergeists nipping at their heels. Dexter was the first to reach the elevator and punched the call button with unnecessary force. Luckily, the elevator was already on their floor and Dexter hurried everyone inside before closing the doors behind him. Even without a command, the Computress under their distress and automatically raised the elevator away from their phantasmal enemies.
"Dexter, what is going on?" Trixie questioned.
Dexter sighed exhausted and said, "It's the neurotomic protocore."
"The what?" said Ben, confused.
"Just as the name implies," Dexter explained, "it's an energy-based power pylon capable of producting unlimited power by utilizing neurotomic physics. In the right hands, it is capable of teletronic matter manipulation that could – quite literally – change the world."
"I've never heard of any science like that," said Gwen.
"That's because it's not conceptually possible to create in a three-dimensional environment," said Trixie seriously. "The amount of energy required to make something like that in quantifiable in this universe…. But if the environment was made of pure unlimited energy, then it could be feasible."
"You stole it from the Glotergeists?" Gwen gasped, finally understanding what Trixie was getting at.
"I had to!" Dexter yelled defensively. "Even with all my genius, creating free energy was impossible. And the more elaborate my inventions became, the more energy they cost. I started using the doorway to find a solution to the problem when I stumbled across the neurotomic protocore."
"And the Glotergeists have been trying to get it back," Max surmised.
"For ten years," said Dee-Dee, crossing her arms. "I've been warning Dexter to send it back, but he refused to listen."
"You don't understand," said Dexter desperately. "I – "
The elevator came to a sudden stop and the doors opened into a random hallway. They had made it back to the rooftop where Dexter's hovercraft was still sitting on the landing pad. The group immediately piled into the vehicle; Dee-Dee taking the wheel, Max in the passenger's seat, and the rest of them clipping their seatbelts in the back. The blonde woman seemed to know what she was doing as she flipped several overhead switches and the vehicle's engine roared to life.
"Wait, what about the ion field keeping everyone inside?" asked Gwen.
"Computress will open the field enough to let us slip through and then seal it behind us," explained Dexter.
Dee-Dee finally managed to get the hovercraft off the ground. They floated in place for a solid minute before the blonde woman spotted a small gap in the barrier surrounding the building; one large enough to let them slip through. Dee-Dee turned the craft and started flying towards their exit.
But just as they were about to escape, Ben heard thud coming from the vehicle's roof. He let out a startled scream when a pair of glowing green claws ripped through the hovercraft's walls like they were made of paper. The Glotergeist shredded through the hovercraft until it was separated into two pieces; one carrying Dee-Dee and Max, the other with Ben, Gwen, Trixie, and Dexter. And to make matters worse, Dee-Dee and Max's half slipped through the gap, which immediately closed behind them as Computress had been instructed.
"We have to go back!" shouted Max.
"We have to survive first!" Dee-Dee yelled back, struggling to steer their half as they plummeted toward the ground.
Meanwhile inside the barrier, Ben and the others were being thrown every which way while buckled in their seats as their half of the hovercraft spiraled out of control. Even as the world swirled in a blur of color and motion, they could sense that they were rapidly approaching the ground.
"We're gonna crash!" cried Gwen.
"Benjamin, can't you transform?" Trixie yelled.
"Watch is still on cooldown!" shouted Ben. "Gwen?"
"Too scared to think of a spell!" said Gwen. "Trixie?"
"About to lose my lunch!" answered Trixie.
While younger companions were caught in a blind panic, Dexter decided to take action. He reached under his coat and pulled out an orange plastic ball, throwing at the ground below. The plastic smashed on the concrete and a massive mold of orange foam. Dexter and the kids landed in the middle of the foam, which softly cushioned their fall; it felt like they were dropped in a pile of feathers. Though it took them a while to unbuckle from the wreckage and crawl out.
"Whoa, that was some quick thinking," said Ben, impressed.
"Not my first time falling from a hundred feet in the air," said Dexter casually.
"High-density polyurethane foam," said Trixie, inspecting the material. "Very impressive."
"I call it 'Dex-Foam'," said Dexter. "I already sold a bunch to superhero who dresses like Robin Hood and his sidekick."
"That's all very nice," said Gwen anxiously, her attention elsewhere. "But I think we should get out of here!"
She pointed toward the sky where several Glotergeists were gliding toward them after failing to get through the ion field. Dexter and the kids turned and sprinted back to the main entrance, ducking their heads under the neon phantoms' swiping claws. Dexter, Gwen, and Trixie managed to make it through the front doors, but one of the Glotergeists pulled Ben back by his collar and lifted him in the air.
"Hey, let me go!" cried Ben, kicking his legs out.
"Merchucus Verditis!" Gwen chanted with spellbook in hand. A blast of purple lightning-like energy burst from her palm and zapped the Glotergeist in the face, forcing it to let Ben. "So magic does work on them. Good to know."
Gwen grabbed her cousin's wrist and pulled her inside the building; Dexter and Trixie slammed the doors shut behind them.
"Computress, ion barrier on the front doors!" Dexter commanded. The genius took a cautious step back as the Glotergeists swarmed and threw themselves at the doors, but the transparent energy shield popped up just in time to rebuff them. "Phew, that should hold them."
"For now," said Trixie tiredly. "One way or another, they're going to get inside. And when that happens our – what's the human expression? – turkeys are baked?"
"Gooses are cooked," Gwen corrected.
"Any bright ideas?" asked Ben.
"You know what we have to do," said Trixie firmly. "If those…things are after the protocore, then we have to get rid of it."
"No, we can't do that!" yelled Dexter. "The neurotomic protocore is the only thing powering my laboratory!"
"It's also the reason why the Glotergeists are going to keep coming back until they get what they want," said Gwen. "If you don't give it back, they're not going to stop at trashing your lab. They're going to wreck the entire city."
"People are gonna get hurt," said Ben seriously. "Including your sister. Do you really want that?"
"No…," said Dexter, hanging his head shamefully. "All right, I will help you retrieve it. But it's on the opposite side of the lab from here."
"How're we going to make there without getting caught by those glowing freaks?" asked Ben.
"Don't worry about that," said Dexter, pulling out his trusty wrench with a confident smile. "Just leave everything to me."
Meanwhile, outside the laboratory, Max and Dee-Dee stood on the edge of the barrier surrounding the building. Max pressed his hand against the ion field, confirming it was solid with no way of breaking through. Dee-Dee was standing a few feet away with a phone to her ear, making exaggerated gestures while speak to whoever was on the other side. She hanged up with a frustrated sigh and walked back to Max.
"It's no good," said Dee-Dee. "The Powerpuff Girls are stopping a civil war on the other side of the galaxy and it'll take hours for the Test Twins to get here. We're on our own."
"Any way of getting in touch with your brother or the kids from here?" asked Max.
"No good," Dee-Dee shook her head. "The ion field completely blocks out everything, including internet and radio signals. Dexter made it in case a sentient virus broke loose again. All we can do is wait."
"Well, the kids are very resourceful," said Max optimistically.
"And my brother is one of the smartest people in the universe," said Dee-Dee proudly. "I'm sure they'll be fine."
The Glotergeists had taken control of the entire laboratory. Dozens of them floated around the various floors, tearing apart robots and machines alike in search of the protocore. What they didn't realize was that Dexter and the Tennysons kids were literally walking right past them without any of the specters being aware.
The kids were huddled closely around Dexter, who was holding a device that looked like it had been made from random parts he found lying around – which it was. The device projected a small field that rendered them invisible to Glotergeists, but the range was small, which was why they were forced to huddle together. They slowly made their way through the corridor, stepping carefully around a Glotergeist as it floated past cluelessly.
"Amazing," said Trixie in awe. "I can't believe you cobbled together a camouflage projection system using a circuit board, some paper clips, and a soda can."
"Heh, it's been a while since I made something with my own two hands," said Dexter fondly. "You should see what I can do when I have the proper equipment. Just stay close. The range of this deice doesn't reach far."
They were down the hall rom the generator storing the protocore, but there were also a dozen Glotergeists floated around. They seemed to sense that the protocore was nearby, but couldn't tell where. They were only twenty feet from the generator room when Ben stepped on Gwen's foot.
"Ow! Watch where you're walking, dweeb!" Gwen glared, stepping on her cousin's in retaliation.
"Ow! Watch where you're watching, geek!" snapped Ben, shoving her.
"Would you two knock it off before you – " Dexter started to scold them when Gwen shoved Ben into Dexter, knocking the device out of his hand. The device smashed loudly on the floor, making the group visible again and alerting every Glotergeist in the hallway. "You stupid children! Look what you've done!"
"Uh, Dexter," Trixe tugged Dexter's sleeve, pointing at the pack of Glotergeists floating their way.
"RUN!" Ben screamed.
Dexter and the children dashed the rest of the way, bursting into the generator room where the three maintenance robots had already been ripped to pieces. Trixie, who was in the back, suddenly fell forward with a surprised shriek when something pulled at her ankle. She flipped around on her back to see a Glotergeist dragging her across the floor, where she was immediately swarmed by four more phantasms.
Ben stopped and turned around when he heard Trixie scream, watching her get dogpiled by the neon specters.
"Trixie!" yelled Ben, pressing the activation switch on the Omnitrix. "Get your dirty claws off her, you – "
Unfortunately, Ben was prevented from transforming when a Glotergeist snuck up behind him and grabbed his arm. When he looked back, a second phantom swooped in and restrained his other arm. And third tackled him rom the front and pinned him to the floor.
Gwen stopped running when she heard her cousin cry out for help, but Dexter kept moving. Once she realized Trixie and Ben had been caught, she started flipping through her spellbook. Unfortunately, she was too caught up in a panic that she couldn't get her thoughts together and was flipping blindly through the pages.
"Agua – no, that's not it!" Gwen sputtered. "Confri – No, that won't work! Infer – AAH!"
Dexter didn't need to look back to know that Gwen had been caught. It was all up to him now.
As he approached the generator, half a dozen Glotergeists floated in front and formed a wall. Dexter was undeterred as he pulled out his wrench-staff, slamming it on the ground in front of them and using it to pole vault himself over their heads. He landed on the side of the energy generator next to where the protocore was being stored. Dexter slid a secret panel sideways to reveal a secret keypad and punched in his password quickly, sensing the Glotergeist encroaching from behind. When the last digit was entered, the generator door opened with a hiss and a puff of steam.
There it was: the neurotomic protocore – a bundle of pure, unlimited energy that could fit in the palm of his hand. Though it pained him to do it, Dexter reached inside and ripped the protocore from the circuitry. The effects were immediate: everything whirred to a grinding halt and died with a pathetic buzz. The production line, the worker robots, the ion barriers, Computress – everything was gone. Dexter hanged his head remorsefully…then took a deep breath and resolved himself.
Dexter turned towards the Glotergeists flying at him…and held out the protocore.
"Here! Take it!" he shouted.
The Glotergeists stopped on a dime, their eyes blinking in surprise. One of the neon specters floated cautiously up to the genius and carefully took the protocore into its claws. With the core secured, it floated back to its companions, who looked pleased to the protocore back. The leading Glotergeist looked at Dexter –
"Yo, thanks, dude!" The Glotergeist suddenly spoke, sounding oddly like a college frat boy. "Now we can have movie night again. I've been missing my flicks like crazy, you dig?"
"Wait…you can talk?!" yelled Dexter, stunned.
"Like, duh, bruh," said the Glotergeists.
"Why didn't you say anything from the start?" shouted Dexter. "We could've resolved this whole thing without all this craziness!"
"Hmm, yeah, good point," the Glotergeist admitted. "Guess I didn't think of that. My bad, dude."
"…Get out of my laboratory," Dexter demanded exasperatedly, pointing toward the exit.
"C'mon, bros, let's go watch Humanusters 2!" the Glotergeists shouted enthusiastically.
The other neon phantoms cheered and whooped like a wild fraternity. The Glotergeists left the Tennyson child lying on the ground and exit the generator room howling wildly. The Tennysons stared dumbfoundedly, Trixie scratched her head, and Dexter rubbed the ridge of his nose tiredly.
"That…was weird…," Gwen commented.
"No, that's normal around here," Dexter grimaced.
Dexter and the Tennysons returned to the lobby ten minutes later, sore from everything that happened. The genius looked around the building sadly. The place was in ruins, there was trash and scrap everywhere, his holographic statue was gone, and Computress was offline until he could get her running again. All his efforts, all his hard work, gone in the blink of an eye.
And yet, strangely enough, he felt relieved.
They heard the front doors open and saw Max and Dee-Dee running inside. With the protocore gone, the field surrounding the building would have died, too. Max hugged his grandkids in relief and Dee-Dee did the same for her brother.
"I'm so glad all of you are all right," said Max. "What happened."
"We gave the Glotergeists their core back," Trixie answered. "Apparently, they needed it for movie night. Not sure how I feel about that."
"But without the protocore, you can't run the lab," Dee-dee said sadly to her brother. "We won't be able to start your business until we get everything running again. That could take years."
"You know what? I'm okay with that," said Dexter with a small smile. "This whole experience reminded me why I love science so much. Being able to invent things with my own two hands is much more rewarding than an automated production line. So from now on, no more shortcuts. I will rebuild this laboratory with my own power."
"And mine, too," said Dee-Dee, happily hugging her brother.
"Yes, yes, how could I forget?" Dexter chuckled, then turned to the Tennysons. "Thank you for everything."
"It was no problem," said Trixie. "So…you think you're going to be able to build another lab like with without the protocore. You still haven't figured out the free energy problem."
"I think I'll start small and work my way up," said Dexter. "Maybe I'll build it on the moon. Doubt anybody would bother us there."
Everyone laughed at the joke –
Unaware that they were being monitored by a group of military-styled children.
"Keep an eye on that one," ordered Numbuh 86.
Much like the Powerpuff Girls, Dexter and Dee-Dee have been aged up to be more suited to the world. Dexter is much calmer with age and experience, taking failure in stride, and Dee-Dee has outgrown her ditzy phase, becoming mature and capable for her beloved little brother. I also added the ending because it seemed like something that would happen in Dexter's Laboratory.
Next is the season two finale where Vilgax makes his dramatic return with a new alliance.
Next Chapter: Vengeance is Forever