The multiverse is more than just a prism…
It is ever expanding and ever growing…
A place where one choice, one fork on the road can lead to many opportunities…
But every spark of brilliance there is a spark of madness…
These are the stories of both…
Sideways jumped back, spinning in mid air, dodging Metamorpho's stretching large hands. He dropped into a rift before jumping before his new mentor, throwing a kick at Metamorpho's chest, only for the ever changing man to turn into water. Sideways was swept by the changing currents before being tossed back before Metamorpho shifted back to his normal shape with a large fist. He reeled back his large hand before throwing his punch at Sideways. Thinking quickly, the young hero formed a rift under his feet, dodging the attack as it crashed behind him.
"Not bad kid, you're getting better at thinking on your feet." Metamorpho shifted his hand back. "But you can't rely on the same trick all the time. Use those rifts to more than just move. One of those stopped a truck, try doing that again." Sideways landed behind him in a superhero landing.
"I don't even know how that happened. Besides, you aren't exactly the easiest opponent to fight against." Sideways pointed out.
"Which makes me the perfect sparring partner for you. Keep you on your toes." Metamorpho smirked. "Between Bolt and your usual criminals, you gotta keep yourself finding new ways to use your rifts. It's a big multiverse out there, gotta be more than a one trick pony." Metamorpho turned his hands into large spiked orbs before jumping at Sideways.
Sideways rolled out of the way before jumping into another rift. He appeared on the side of Metamorpho landing a punch across his face. Grabbing hold of Metamorpho's arms, he tossed him like a pro wrestler. He turned around, creating another rift behind Metamorpho just in time to kick him in the back. But as soon as his feet landed on the shifting man, Metamorpho turned his whole body into solid steel. The pain of hitting such a solid substance at such speed, made Sideways jump back, holding his leg in pain.
Metamorpho couldn't help but chuckle at the young hero's antics. He'd decided to take the kid under his wing as the only other person in the team that had to learn how to use his powers and to learn through trial and error. And he felt like the kid was doing good progress at making his powers more versatile and easier to use. Thankfully the House of Mystery had a room big enough for them to train and be far away from Cain's collection that they would not have to worry about breaking something valuable.
"Always expect your own plans to backfire on you, Derek. That's a Murphy Family motto," Metamorpho said. "You're getting better at using your momentum and speed to get a leg up on your opponents, but don't just think of attack and maneuverability, think defensively." Metamorpho helped Derek back to his feet.
"Easy for you to say. You can turn into anything you can think of." Derek was durable and strong as heck, but not completely invincible."How do I beat someone like that?"
"I gotta know the chemical composition of everything I turn into. I gotta keep thinking of how to make my body stable. Even talking right now takes a lot of brain power." Metamorpho explained. "Even the best Jack of All Trades has a weakness you can exploit. Now, let's try those shields again." Metamorpho suggested with Derek nodding.
Metamorpho turned his hands into giant fists made of rock as Sideways made rift after rift to block them. He had managed a few durable shields that blacked the punches, but he had yet to get the hang of how to do it on command. But it was a start.
Cain watched the sparring session with some mild interest. The passing down of knowledge between generations was always a subject of interest for him. Afterall, it was the best way that stories held their relevance through the ages.
"It seems that young Derek has taken to Metamorpho's lessons like a fish to water." He turned to Nite Owl as he did an autopsy on the chaos bot and the head of Bolt.
"Good, that way he'll be useful for the mission." Nite Owl analyzed the circuitry. "Now that Dr. Destiny lost his chance, at altering the Dream Stone, he'll look for another world with the proper technology."
"You'll have to be more specific than that, my friend. There's no shortage of advanced technological worlds." Cain manifested a cup of tea. "There must be a way to track him, or at least narrow down our search."
Nite Owl hummed in thought, considering all the possibilities. He then remembered all the information he'd downloaded, which included personnel files. Looking at the robots, Nite Owl came to a conclusion that would give them their next destination.
"Destiny is looking for individuals with energies that attract the Dream Stone. He's gone from vast energies from different people to individuals. He'll look for someone with a mind as dark and twisted as his own." Nite Owl put down his equipment. "That's how we'll find him."
"Sadly, that doesn't narrow it down much." Cain took a sip of his tea. "There is no shortage of mad individuals in the multiverse. Sanity seems to be what's in short supply sometimes."
Just then, they heard a beeping going off.
"Is that one of your doohickies low in battery or something?" Cain asked.
"Do you really think I'd put noise to my equipment for it to start beeping in the most inopportune times?" Nite Owl asked, getting a shrug from Cain. "It's not coming from any of my equipment. Nor from the remains of the bots." Nite Owl started looking for the noise.
They weren't the only ones hearing the noise. Metamorpho and Sideways heard it too. They all searched for the source of the noise. Nothing in the House of Mystery should be beeping or making a sound like that. They walked down the hallway until they came upon a part of the collection filled with technological pieces from across the multiverse. They started wondering what was going on and what was making the noise. But all their thoughts were stopped when they came across a strange device.
It looked like a phone mixed with a game console. It had four buttons, a screen and a speaker.
"What is that?" Metamorpho asked. "It looks like cellphone of some kind. Must be a custom job."
"It kinda looks like one of those personal digital assistant things from the early 2000s." Sideways pointed out as Cain picked it up. "My mom used to have one of those back in the day."
"Yes, but why is it beeping?" Cain curiously asked. "It's never done that before."
Nite Owl took the strange communicator from Cain's hand, pressing the button of the strange communicator. It turned on, revealing that it had received a brand new message from across the realms. Normally, he would've thought this to be some strange prank or glitch from the device. But his brief stay in the House of Mystery had shown him that some laws were more easily bent than others. A piece of tech still linked to its realm and up to date information coming from it was not so far fetched as he would've thought.
"Someone just sent us a video." He didn't waste any time and pressed play on it.
They all looked at the strange communicator as it showed a heavy set dark skinned man with short black hair and a beard. He looked like he had just crawled through a sewer while a bombing was taking place. One of his eyes was covered with an eyepatch as scratches and bruises covered his face. He had bags under his one eye and typed away like his life depended on it. Certainly he had seen better days if not weeks.
"Kim, this is Wade, my time is short but I've got it. I know what her next sick scheme will be about. She's planning on disrupting peace talks between the Prime Minister of Iramang and the Rebel leader of the newly liberated country of Karabunishi. It'll take place in a couple of days in the Forbidden City of Sufi Gamarha. Director Betty will get you as close as she can but since the Global Justice Network is not very welcomed there. You need to get going, before she causes another attack. We need to stop Punchline before it's too late."
The message ended and it left the group with a curious and intrigued look on their faces, or at least on the faces of Sideways, Metamorpho and Cain.
"Well, now I am excited to see what happens next." Cain said, giggling like a child.
"It sounded straight out of a spy flick to me. But it doesn't sound too good for everyone else," Metamorpho said. "Whoever this Punchline is, must be one nasty girl. We gotta stop her."
"Sounds good to me, Rex, we'll be here and back in ten seconds flat." Sideways got ready to make a rift only for Cain to stop him.
"As admirable as your dedication to the hero game is, my boy, we do have our own slippery fish to catch," Cain pointed out. "Dr. Destiny is out there and god knows where. Dividing our attention won't do us any good. He-"
"He's in the world this communicator came from." Nite Owl cut off as he went through the communicator.
Everyone looked at him with curious eyes as he continued working like a madman. He pulled up the information stored in that old device almost as if he knew what parts made it tick and what would get him the answers he wanted. It was a scary thing to see a man work like he knew all the answers before anyone else in the room. He turned the screen towards his allies, showing a picture of Wade with something sinister behind him. At first glance it would've looked like a common shadow, but if they narrowed their eyes, it looked like Dr. Destiny.
"Holly molly! It's him!" Metamorpho said.
"Man, he looks straight out of a nightmare," Sideways pointed out.
"How did you find him, Nite Owl?" Cain asked.
"I guess that everything in the House of Mystery is connected to the energies of the Dreaming, that's why some can be thousands of years old and still look like they were made or purchased yesterday. Am I wrong?" Nite Owl asked.
"...That is a very good guess, Nite Owl." Cain raised an eyebrow at Nite Owl.
"Following that logic, they can be used to track that energy. The same kind of energy the Dream Stone is packing in the fistfuls." Nite Owl explained. "Also, despite this tech being old by almost two decades, it is as effective and precise as the modern counterparts. Which means that they can do exactly what he needs them to fix the Dream Stone. Not to mention that this Punchline woman is exactly the kind of person that Dr. Destiny might be looking for." Nite Owl downloaded all the information on Punchline into his own communicator.
"Hasn't he heard of dating apps?" Sideways joked cheekily.
Metamorpho did give him a high five though the rest merely looked at him like he was not reading the room correctly.
"And this Punchline girl, why do you think she's important?" Sideways asked. "She sounds like she should be locked up and have the key thrown down the drain."
Cain would've agreed with the young hero, had such twisted characters not been the source of such good stories. He looked at Nite Owl as he pulled up the information about Punchline. He looked at the picture of the woman. She was all dressed up like a punch rocker clown, some kind of fetish if he'd ever seen one. Long black hair tied up in a ponytail with a blue streak on her right bang. Her face was almost pale white with two red painted cheeks and nose like one a clown would have and blue lipstick. She wore a skin tight long sleeve lilac shirt with a tight black leather dress on top of it, a black skirt with a blue belt, lilac leggings, black punk rocker dominatrix shoes with an O and an X on each leg and black gloves. Her pale blue eyes reminded him of those of a doll's eyes, lifeless. Almost like a gateway into an abyss. But underneath all the stuff he recognized her and where her role in the story surrounding the communicator.
"I believe I know this woman. It's a story I like to call…"
"Joker's Gambit…"
Cain sat in a café drinking some tea while reading a book he'd found lying around, not a particularly riveting read but a read nonetheless. He took a sip from his drink as a young lady went to pick up his drink. As she reached for his drink, he stopped her.
"Miss, I haven't finished my drink. Please, come back later," Cain said.
"Whatever, not like it matters." She muttered, pulling back her arm.
Cain turned to see the girl in question. She had pale white skin, pale blue eyes, long black hair that went down to her back and had a forgotten look on her face. She looked like she had given up on life and was just going through the motions for the sake of a paycheck to live. He'd seen those looks many times before on people with dead end jobs and no ambition, it was the same with the scars on her. Such a waste. If his brother had been there, he would've given the poor girl some words of encouragement or comfort. But alas, he was not his brother.
"The world seemed tranquil and not the least bit concerned with itself. Some would say that it was all fine and dandy. But then, a new character joined the cast. A character I like to call The Joker."
"Excuse me miss, what's your name?"
The young lady turned to look at the middle aged businessman. He wore a black jacket on top of a burgundy shirt and pink tie, beige pants and brown shoes. His black hair was combed back and had a smirk only a businessman could have on their best day. He oozed smugness but carried himself with a proper demeanor. In a way, Cain found their interactions much more interesting than the book he'd been reading.
"Um, Alexis, sir," Alexis said. "Alexis Kaye."
"Hench. Jack Hench, I am in the business of making people into the best version of themselves. And you look like you could use a scene change, if you understand my meaning." Jack handed her his business card. "At HenchCo. we look for the best to aid the best. If you're interested, the number is on the card."
Alexis watched the card with confused eyes. She didn't know where this had come from. The man looked like he was about to scam her and take her into some kind of pyramid scheme. Guys like him always made people like her fall for these kinds of tricks. It seemed like the perfect way for them to make money out of her like everyone else. From the job, the student loans, rent, food, water, electricity, it was all a big scam. A joke meant to make others pay for it out of their own pockets. A person in such a state would've dropped the card away, but then again, that person wasn't Alexis Kaye.
What could she lose if she went for it?
Cain watched as the girl left the café, not even bothering to tell the manager or her boss that she was quitting. With a raised eyebrow, he drank what was left of his tea before following her, leaving the book 'The Art of the Joke' by M. Hamill.
He was not in the habit of following people, no that was a lie, he definitely was. But usually the people he followed had a spark to them. This Alexis Kaye looked like she wanted to be put out of her misery. But he was not one to judge, not harshly at least. He made his way behind Alexis until they made it to the other side of the city, where they came across a large building with the name of HenchCo. on the front of the building.
Alexis went in without saying another word. She muttered something under her breath: 'Not like it matters.' A somber famous last words before stepping into another world.
"It turned out that HenchCo. was a business of managing people. But it was not the kind you'd expect. Jack Hench had seen the rise of supervillainy in that world and saw opportunity. Not to be a villain himself but to supply the mad scientists, world conquerors, terrorists, and monstrous characters of the world with the one thing every organization needs. Henchmen."
Alexis had gone through all the training and cleared up the psych and health evaluations. She was fitted with a red jumpsuit and mask and black glasses and sent out in her first assignment.
"Henchmen, and Henchwomen, I Dr. Drakken don't ask much of you," Drakken monologued. "Just complete and utter obedience. My word is law!"
"Law of the jungle more like," Shego scoffed.
"And whenever I'm not around, you take orders from my second in command, Shego." Drakken sighed. "Our mission, unleash a weather machine upon Washington, freezing them in a mini-Ice Age while we take over the government! Let's face it we're doing the United States a favor here."
Alexis couldn't help but smile. For the first time in what felt like a long time, she was smiling. She was very much excited for what was going to happen. The new job was agreeing with her quite well. Her body felt like it was burning with intensity and she wanted more of it. Every task and angle she memorized and worked on. Every foolish do-gooder she kicked in the face and stopped. Every evil plan that she was a part of made her feel alive like ever before. Could it be possible that after all the time she had wasted in those other dead end jobs, this was the one she belonged to?
"However, for all the amazing things Alexis Faye believed she was doing, reality soon made itself known."
The day of the invasion of Washington with the large weather machine, Alexis expected a victory. But all she got was a kick to the face. She fell hard, one of her lenses broken.
"Sorry girl, but the weather didn't say chilly today." Kim Possible knocked out another henchman with ease.
Alexis tried to stop her, only for a bumbling teen to fall on top of her, knocking her out.
"Hey, KP, did I miss anything?" Ron asked.
"Not really, let's stop Drakken and put a stop to this Ice Age." Kim and Ron ran past Alexis.
Alexis struggled to get up, reaching out to stop the two intruders, but she couldn't. Before she knew it, all their hard work had been destroyed. Horror and anger mixed inside of her as she watched it all happen. All her hard work brought low by two teenagers no older than she was. She watched through the monitors how Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable made all the machinations of Dr. Drakken into nothing more than a flaming wreck. She wanted to stop them, she tried to stop them. But every attempt she tried failed.
The plan had gone down in flames and she was now out of a job. But HencCo. had her back. She found herself under the employment of another super villain trying to take over the world. She dressed up as a ninja, black robes and a mask as her new boss paced before her.
"I am Monkey Fist and you shall address me as either Master or as Sir. Our mission is simple: spread a powerful simian agent through Europe that will transform everyone that becomes infected into primal warriors subservient only to me!" Monkey Fist explained. "And for that, you must be warriors!"
It was grueling work, but Alexis took to it like a fish to water and then some. Every push up she made, every punch she threw, every kick she mastered were all part of her path to vengeance and victory. She was willing to devote herself to her new master and work her butt off to become the reason their plan would work. She read strategy and philosophy to sharpen her mind against the forces that would rise up against them. She even started learning how to become an accomplished chemist and chemical engineer. Something she believed would make her superior to the other henchmen and women. But it seemed that her new master was more interested in promoting monkeys than humans.
But it didn't matter to her. She would not fail this time. When the time was right, she would rise up and defeat any who stood against them.
"The truth was that the game was rigged. Or at least, it seemed rigged from an outsider's perspective."
Alexis fought against Kim Possible of all people once again. Her training had made her better prepared for the confrontation, but they were nonetheless equals. For every blow Alexis threw, Kim countered with one of her own. They jumped up into the upper levels and continued battling as they exchanged blows. They jumped high, spinning in the air like professional acrobats before gracefully landing. The battle was so engaging, that Alexis hadn't seen Ron Stoppable of all people sneak up on her master and destroy his own virus.
"No!" Alexis cried out!
Which in turn gave Kim Possible the chance to tie her up with her grappling hook. Alexis was lifted up like a piñata and left there for the police to arrest. She growled and thrashed in rage at Kim Possible and her stupid sidekick. How could someone like her always win?
Alexis was once again, transferred to another evil mastermind after being released from prison. But the story was always the same. She would find a cause and it would fail. She would exert effort into becoming the best and it would bite her in the ass. She'd gone through every single villain, mastermind, mad scientist and wannabe dictator on the list of HenchCo. twice and every time the story ended the same way. She was tossed to the side, her bosses bested and the day was saved.
And all the while Cain had collected the Kimmunicator on the side after watching Alexis get thrown in prison.
"At this point some would get tired and quit the henchman game, but Alexis had other ideas."
Alexis stomped into Jack Hench's office with papers in her hand. She didn't even bother knocking. Her face of rage looked like that of a mad dog about to snap and tear through anything that was in its path. She slammed the papers on Jack's desk, cutting his call short.
"I'm gonna have to call you later." He hung up the call. "You know there are appointments, Ms. um…"
"Alexis Kaye, and I demand answers." Alexis pulled up the papers. "We have the resources and manpower to take down a small nation. We have connections with some of the most brilliant and deadly supervillains on the planet. How is it that we keep losing to a redhead cheerleader and her idiot blond sidekick?!"
"What can I tell you kid? Those 'brilliant and deadly supervillains' don't exactly live up to the name. Besides, if it ain't Possible and her boyfriend it would be some of the international agencies that keep the world in one piece." Jack shrugged.
"What?" Alexis asked.
"...Look kid, the basis of every business is that there must be a demand and a supply. I supply the henchmen demand these guys ask for." Jack got up from his desk. "I don't control what happens afterwards. Some get stopped, or foiled. Henchmen get passed along to other villains and the company gets a check every time. That's what gives you your check every month. That's how the game works."
"Game?" Alexis was led to the door by Jack.
"Yeah, any two bit schmuck can get themselves a gimmick and go out to try to take over the world, the best clowns in the circus know how to keep the people going." Jack opened the door. "The game is meant to be played, not won. Starting to connect the dots?" Jack gently shoved Alexis out.
"So, this is all a job?" Alexis asked, with a face that showed that everything she'd been led to believe was a lie.
"There you go." Jack closed the door in her face.
Alexis stood there, her world crumbling around her. Laughter echoing in her mind like a sickening poison. She had played the game by the rules of society and was stuck in the same place for years. She had tried to play it by someone else's rules and had found herself right back where she had started. All she could picture was Jack Hench's smile laughing at her for thinking she could beat the system when the system was working against her and everyone else. A small giggle escaped her lips.
It wasn't funny. But to her it was. She was laughing at the existential abyss that she was being plunged into. All her great bosses and leaders that had inspired her were no more than jokes, jokers that just did what they did because they had slightly bigger ambitions than the others. But she'd seen the truth. If nothing she did mattered in the long run then she had to change the rules of the game. She had to be more than just one of the clowns in costumes around her. She had to be the ringmaster. It dawned on him like the daybreak of a brand new day for her. The light struck her in the face as a sinister smile spread on her face. A smile that would give people nightmares.
"If anyone can get a gimmick and run this circus, then it's time for the inmates to run this asylum…" Alexis whispered as she walked away, smiling like she was about to commit murder and get away with it.
"And that, dear kiddies, is how one bad series of days turned a simple sad girl into a monster. Because what's scarier than a woman that sees everything rigged as the punchline of some cruel joke…"
Cain watched the picture of Punchline as he finished telling his story. In a way, he was very intrigued that the young lady had gone on to become something more interesting than what he'd imagined. Guess all it took was a wrong choice at the wrong time and place to lead one down the rabbit hole of damnation. It kinda brought a smile to his face to imagine what she had done since. And from the look of the information before him, she'd done a lot of things to earn herself a place amongst the most wanted in the world over the span of a few months and years.
"I can't believe you watched the supervillain origin and did nothing to stop it." Sideways jumped in. "Santa madre that's a lot of deaths and crimes!"
"And that's the woman Dr. Destiny is after? We gotta stop them!" Metamorpho added. "Him from his whole thing and her from causing this much chaos. For all we know it could lead to the destruction of those countries and the nearby territories."
"Which is why we're going there, posthaste." Cain summoned a door before them.
The door that appeared before them looked like it was made of metal colored wood with the initials 'KP' in the middle. It was covered in graffiti of clown faces, smiles, knives and what looked like a punching glove punching a redhead, a chibi Punchline stabbing a blond boy, and blowing stuff up as people ran away screaming. It looked like the door had been vandalized with the glowing red scar cutting a smile in two.
"It looks like a subway station after getting tagged by some street artist," Sideways pointed out.
"But it smells much cleaner than one." Metamorpho waved his hand in front of his face.
"Come on, time is of the essence." Cain opened the door and the three of them stepped through it.
Nite Owl looked down at the information about Punchline and her motivation to destroy all that made her unhappy from the very beginning. So many people went about their daily lives wondering what the world would do to or for them. They thought that every action mattered, even if they were within a system that was unfair. And yet, Alexis, or Punchline as she called herself, was the only other person that knew the truth he knew all too well. She would make for a fine first real ally. It obviously didn't hinder her that she'd been able to turn all the so-called heroes of her world into scared little children with just a few charges of dynamite and a few knives.
"It'll be a pleasure to meet you, Punchline. Let's see if your set up matches my standards." Nite Owl jumped through the door as it closed behind him.
Earth -2002
What if a girl saw all the possibilities of nihilism?
Nite Owl landed behind his team as they made their way through the corridors of what looked like an old castle carved out of the mountain it was set upon. The corridors were lit by torches, with solid white brick carved on the walls, and no speck of dust seemed out of place. The corridor had open windows that gazed at the outside world and the rest of the forbidden city. Towers of pale brick rose up with bright blue tiles on the roofs and markings of religious significance rained down from the top to the bottom. The streets were carved from the mountain like everything else, yet they were big enough to allow cars to pass through them with ease. It was a marvel of the ancient world, a marvel to watch and gaze upon. But it was also the place of a horrible trap.
The cars of the political representatives drove in with guards and media covering every inch of the streets. The Prime Minister of Iramang and the Rebel leader of the newly liberated country of Karabunishi were there for peace and reconciliation, unaware of the trap they were walking into, like lambs to a slaughter. The Forbidden City of Sufi Gamarha would become a necropolis if they didn't do something to stop Punchline and Dr. Destiny, and quickly.
"Hey, Nite Owl, what took you so long?" Sideways asked.
"Running straight into danger is a foolish action. I opted to wait and see if it was safe to set foot in such a holy place," Nite Owl said.
"He was probably brooding, kid. But we gotta find Punchline and her little evil helpers before they make this city into a mortuary." Metamorpho looked outside. "Everyone's arriving."
"Which means time is of the essence." Cain pulled out a pocket watch, looking at the time. "We need to search the place and find Punchline before Dr. Destiny gets to her. As cliche as it may sound, we must split up. Anyone who finds either of the targets calls for backup. This time, we don't let our prey escape."
"And we stop a horrible terrorist attack, right?" Sideways asked.
"Yes, yes, that too." Cain shrugged.
However, as they were about to split up, Metamorpho looked up at the sky. He saw what looked like a star moving through the night sky. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to make out what it was, and it wasn't a shooting star.
"Hey, guys, I think something is coming this way." Metamorpho pointed up.
The team looked up as Cain and Nite Owl pulled out binoculars to see what it was. It was indeed no shooting star. They saw a plane with the initials GJN on the side. It was all black and completely undetected by any common radar or sensor. They saw a small gate open up from the back and a figure jumping out from the plane before heading towards the forbidden city.
"It looks like we're going to have some company." Cain put down his binoculars.
"They could compromise the mission. Best to take her out before anyone notices her." Nite Owl narrowed his eyes.
"What?! No way! We don't even know who-She?" Sideways asked.
"The message was meant for a Kim Possible, that's likely her." Nite Owl walked away.
"She could help," Metamorpho argued.
"A fifth member would do us some good. See if you can convince her to aid us and if not, keep out of her way." Cain instructed. "Move out, gentlemen."
The group nodded in agreement, rushing to check up every nook and corner of the forbidden city. There were many ways that someone could disrupt peace talks between the meeting leaders in such an isolated spot. Making the ceiling collapse on them in the middle of the talks, poisoning the water they were drinking and have them die before everyone, let poisoned air into the room where everything was taking place to see them all choke to death, or something as simple as simple as kicking down the door and and taking out the representatives with bullets or something else. The options were endless and with no idea when the strike would take place, there was a running clock behind the head of each of the heroes. The ticking of that clock made them all do a complete search of the entire location. With each taking a different level, they made sure to not miss a single spot of the forbidden city.
Cain rushed up to the upper floors, looking for the possibility of Dr. Destiny or Punchline taking the demolition route. He searched room after room of the upper floors, but all he found were an observatory for the sufi that had built the city, a few offices for him and his students to work at and a small room filled with brooms, rugs and ancient pillows. With a frustrated growl, Cain closed the room. He took in deep sniffs of the air, hoping to catch the smell trace of Dr. Destiny. This time there would not be any last minute escapes. His eyes opened as he caught something.
"Found you." Cain ran after the scent of Dr. Destiny. "This time, you're mine!"
Sideways ran from floor to floor with his rifts, looking into the dark shadows. Part of him hoped that he wasn't the one to find the crazy terrorist girl first. Fighting criminals, thugs and a few robots was fine in his book, but a terrorist with clown makeup made his legs freeze up. It was a strange fear that he couldn't figure out why though. Maybe it was that crazy look in her eyes that made him shiver. But he pushed the fear aside as he checked the shadowy places of what looked like a large mosque room for prayer, using his phone lamp to check every inch for the sign of his targets.
"Man, if this place wasn't meant to be a dangerous mission, these pictures would be lit." Sideways took a picture before moving on to the next room.
Metamorpho transformed into air and mist, moving silently through the lower floors where the kitchen, baths and assembly was being prepared. He felt dizzy the longer he remained in that form. He took a second to turn back into a solid humanoid body in one of the bathrooms. He was about to transform when he heard two guys speaking English.
"The boss said to set the charges under the table."
"Might be hard with everyone doing a sweep every five minutes."
"Not these puppies. They don't even look the part. And the dogs they're using have been changed for our own dogs. No sniffing these out."
Metamorpho peeked out his head, following behind them to stop them from doing something bad.
"Maybe they'll lead me to Punchline and her to Dr. Destiny." Metamorpho whispered.
Kim took off her helmet after she dropped down. She felt like she'd been aged twenty years, her body was riddled with scars and wounds given to her from all her run-ins with different villains over the years. But none more vicious and deranged as Punchline. She pulled out a heart-shaped locket, opening it. Inside she saw a picture of her, Ron and Ruffus. They looked so happy and with a bright future ahead of them, it was hard to believe that it had only been three years since the picture had been taken.
"Don't worry Ron, I'll get her for what she did." Kim whispered, closing the locket.
She turned her head, hearing someone approaching her. She hid behind one of the pillars as Sideways walked towards her.
"Oh man, I thought that I heard someone around here. I hope I didn't miss anyone on my way here," Sideways said before a swift kick to the back of his knee sent him to the ground.
The kick was precise and gave him little time to react to the arm wrapping around his neck and right arm. It was a tight hold on him. He mentally cursed getting caught off guard and not having anything to alert him to the danger around him. He tried to get his attacker off of him but was pulled back, keeping him from getting a good grip on the arm.
"I'll ask once. You better answer me truthfully," Kim said. "Where is Punchline?"
"I-I don't know. We're looking for her too," Sideways choked out. "I promise, if I knew where she was, I'd rift her to a maximum security prison."
"Wrong answer. No one but me and my allies know about her here." Kim tightened her hold on Sideway's neck.
Sideways started to panic. This was not ideal but he had to do something. His usual rift escape would be useless with him immobilized. If only he could bring something to help him out and get the crazy lady off of him. That thought made him realize he could do something better. He looked at his caught arm. His fingers could still move. Picturing what he needed, he created a small rift above them.
The next thing Kim knew, she was blasted off by a stream of cold water. She was forced to release her grip over the goon before the water was turned off. Getting back to her feet, she got a good look at the young man. He dressed up like one of those comic books her brothers used to read. But that didn't stop her from kicking him in the chest. She pinned him down before aiming her grappling hook at his face.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, same team, same team!" Sideways held up his hands. "We're here to stop Punchline, I swear. Wait-y-you're Kim. The one that was going to get the video from the strange communicator."
"Who are you? And how did you get your hands on a Kimmcomunicator?" Kim asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I could answer that, Ms. Possible." Cain stepped out of the shadows. "We're here for a target of our own. And I'll gladly explain everything if you'd kindly get your foot off my young ally here."
Kim narrowed her eyes at Cain before looking at the young hero under her heel. He must've had some-kind of portal power to make a torrent of water to pop out in the middle of the desert. And if he wanted, he could've just made a shark pop out and take a bite out of her head. They had earned at least a few seconds of her time.
"You got ten seconds." Kim kept Sideways pinned under her heel.
Punchline looked at the foolish politicians talk and speak to each other before the whole world to see. It made her sick that these farses were made to look so important while it was all pointless. Both sides had committed terrible acts in the past and to each other. Some even grabbed other countries to aid them in their genocides in exchange for keeping their trade stable. She would've loved to shoot them all before the cameras for all the world to see. But her plan was something much nastier that made her smile with sinister glee.
"Boss, we're ready to set off the devices." One of her lackeys disturbed her thoughts.
Normally, she would've slit his throat for that. But she was about to witness a good joke being played on the world. So she let it slide. This time.
"Any signs of Possible?" Punchline asked.
"None ma'am," he replied.
"Shame. I hope she's watching the news." Punchline put down her tablet. "It'll be so funny to see her face. Almost as funny as when I shot her idiot boyfriend."
Just then, her lackey fell down unconscious. She turned around, ready to fight Kim Possible. But instead, she was met with a tall dark stranger wearing an odd costume. But there was something alluring about him, and that made her smile.
"Your man will wake up to the authorities, Ms. Punchline. But I hope to speak with you before you go on with your plans." Nite Owl walked towards her.
"Oh really~?" Punchline drew her knives, lunging at Nite Owl. "Pray tell what do you want to talk about?!"
Nite Owl dodged out of the way of her knives. Sidestepping away from her sharp heeled kick, he flipped her to the ground before drawing his boomerang. As Punchline swung her blades at him, he expertly parried the attacks with his signature weapon, letting her get closer.
"You're the target of a creature known as Dr. Destiny." He blocked her knee to his stomach. "As soon as you start to feel another voice talk to you and show you your perfect world, turn around and strike him in the chest with your knife." He looked at her face, holding his blade at her neck.
"Why?" Punchline asked.
"Because, I can give you a bigger stage. A stage that everyone, everywhere will hear your message of anarchy and destruction of the corrupt systems that govern the lives of the people. Your life." Nite Owl didn't flinch as she held her knife under his chin. "I promise you that stage, Alexis Kaye."
Punchline smiled, liking the idea. His words were sharp and the look he was giving her made her feel like she was prey and he was the predator. Guess it didn't hurt to take heed of his words before the night was over. She slipped out of his grip, giving him one last look before running out the room smiling. He wasn't chasing her but it didn't matter to her. She was there to cause chaos and chaos was what she was going to serve. But if his words were true and someone was trying to make her into a patsy…
Well, they were soon going to learn what the punchline was!
Back with Cain, Sideways and Kim, she had been brought up to speed. And she wasn't liking it one bit. It was bad enough that someone had gotten ahold of an old Kimmuncator and could listen to their private calls, but now, someone else wanting to make Punchline worse was even worse. She was already far too dangerous on her own, killing and poisoning people around the world to claim that there was no point. She'd targeted her family, friends, loved ones all in an effort to break her. She'd paralyzed Ron after she had killed Monic and bombed everywhere she'd gone to. And now someone wanted to make Punchline and her message an even worse plague on the world.
"Where is this Dr. Destiny now?" Kim asked.
"The trail leads down. My guess is that's where we'll get our quarry and where their targets are." Cain informed her.
"We gotta tell Metamorpho, he's down in that area." Sideways got ready to make a rift.
"In that case, I hope you get your enemy before I get my hands on Punchline." Kim tightened her fists. "She has a long rap sheet that needs to be answered for. And not necessarily by the letter of the law."
"Cain, it matters not to me if you wish her to rot or be thrown to the electric chair," Cain said. "She's bait and once we're done with her, you can lock her up and throw away the key for all I care."
"Yeah, that's as best and as nice a way to say, we'll help you catch her, Ms. Possible." Sideways held his hand out with a thumbs up.
Kim couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the young hero's action. It was quite polite despite her almost snapping his neck a minute ago.
"Kim will do, kid. Now, let's go catch Punchline," Kim said. "She's probably gone to the conference to take out the leaders of the countries."
Sideways walked into the rift alongside Cain and Kim Possible. They appeared behind the flashing photographers and the members of the press. They watched the Prime Minister and the Rebel Leader sitting at the table ready to sign their papers. Their eyes shifted, looking for any signs of either Dr. Destiny or Punchline and her goons. It wasn't good that the trail had ended up there with all those people and not one stood out as a possible target. But that didn't stop them from looking.
"Where could they be?" Sideways whispered.
"The scent leads down here, but it would seem that Destiny made sure to spread his scent all over the place," Cain said. "I can't pinpoint him as much as I would."
"Not only that, this is exactly Punchline's MO," Kim said. "Lots of cameras, lots of people caught in the crossfire and one big target that could send shockwaves through the two countries. The two factions have been at odds for over five hundred years over who has the claim to the resources and the world heritage site that is the forbidden city. They've finally achieved to strike a proper truce but if anything goes wrong…" Kim looked all over for the signs of Punchline's work before anyone would notice them.
"Feuds reignited, vengeance and people demanding bloody action against the other side as though it would satiate the ire of the gods? Understood," Cain sighed. "Same old story, it gets boring."
"Well, this one is about to get a bloody twist if there ever was one."
The trio turned around to see Metamorpho poke his head out from the dirt with a smile on his face.
"Friend of yours?" Kim asked.
"Yep." Sideways nodded.
"I know what Punchline has in store for this meeting." Metamorpho pointed to the pens. "The pens are rigged."
Back with the Prime Minister and the Rebel Leader, they both picked up the pens as the treaty was laid before them. However, as soon as the pens got pulled out of their holders, dark purple smoke shot out at them. The representatives and their entourages coughed as the dark smoke went into their bodies through their skin, nose and mouth. Their eyes widened and snapped open for all the world to see. They looked bloodshot with purple colored veins popping through their skulls like they had just been injected with poison. Then they started to laugh.
It was a laughter that Kim knew all too well.
"We gotta stop them!" Kim comanded.
"Sideways, clear the air!" Cain turned.
"On it!" Sideways jumped in, creating a rift that brought a mighty wind that dispersed and cleared the area.
But the damage was done. The Prime Minister and Rebel leaders jumped at each other with the pens like knives. Their entourages jumped in, pulling out their guns and knives to kill everyone in their path. But they were stopped.
"No one is dying on our watch!" Metamorpho jumped in, spreading and stretching his hands. "I'll hold them back until this thing passes!" Metamorpho held them tightly and apart from each other.
"Here's Punchline!" Punchline busted in.
Punchline and her goons kicked down any resistance they were met with before aiming their rifles at Metamorpho and the two leaders. They all had a crazed look in their eyes, with a light red glow coming from Dr. Destiny. He stood behind the terrorists with a crazed smile of his own as they opened fire upon everyone in the room. But just as the bullets were about to hit their targets, rifts appeared before them, blocking the shots like massive glowing bullet-proof glasses.
"Huh?" Punchline raised an eyebrow.
"Looks like your plan just went sideways, Punchline!" Sideways dropped down between the terrorists and Metamorpho accompanied by Kim and Cain.
"Do not let them get in your way," Dr. Destiny growled into Punchline's ear.
"Kill them all! But save Possible for me!" Punchline unsheathed her knives with a sick smile.
The terrorists attacked the heroes, shooting at them with deadly intent. But for every shot they fired, they were met with a large rift that blocked the bullets with ease. They were then surprised to see Cain appear behind them before smacking them all with his shovel. He moved fast and precise, like a tai chi master, striking at their arms, guns and heads. He had disarmed them with an impish smile on his face. They drew their knives, trying to get Cain. But he easily avoided their weapons, leaving them dazed and scared at his skill and terrifying smile. It was like they were fighting a living shadow with the face of a demon. However, he held his hand up, stopping them.
"I believe you'll have better luck with the young lady and gentleman than me." Cain pointed with his thumb.
They looked in the pointed direction, only to receive a double drop kick from Kim and Sideways.
Kim moved fast, dodging and weaving through their attacks. Pulling out a pair of white and blue gloves, she punched and dropped the terrorists, letting electric charges knock them out as she struck them. Her blows were more vicious and targeted to quickly incapacitate her opponents. She ducked under a knife before kicking the terrorist where the sun-don't-shine before uppercutting him in the jaw. Sensing another attack, she jumped over the second terrorist before punching him in the back of the head. She briefly glanced at her new partner, Sideways, and saw the kid was doing quite alright on his own.
Sideways didn't hold back on his side. He tried to never hit anyone too hard. But these guys were terrorists and they needed to be taken down. Hard. He popped behind them, kicking them in the back. He saw more coming his way before punching them so hard they flew backwards. Hearing the cocking of a gun, he created a shield rift, blocking the bullets. He smiled at his newly mastered skill.
"You've entered a no-guns zone, so I'm gonna confiscate those." Sideways rifted around, snatching the guns.
"You think your clowns will keep me from getting you, Punchline?!" Kim growled.
"You're so close, don't give them an inch!" Dr. Destiny held up the Dream Stone behind Punchline's head. "Let your worst impulses go free and show the world just how much of a joke it really is."
Punchline had heard the voices in her head over and over ever since jumping to the other side of sanity. She knew them all and was hardly one to argue against them. But this voice was trying to control her. And controlling her was a very bad move. In a split second, she turned on her heels and slashed at Dr. Destiny's chest, leaving a big gash on his chest. The look of surprise in Dr. Destiny's face was one that she relished in the eyes of her targets. It always had that sweet mixture of inevitable fear and shock of their world crumbling before them. It must've been the same look that a bunny had when the wolf gobbled it up. It was the look she loved.
"I'm not a fan of being manipulated by others, Mr. Destiny," Punchline said with a sweet sinister tone.
But before she could attack the skull-faced schemer, she got kicked in the back. She rolled back to her feet only to receive a punch to the face that made her bleed from the corner of her mouth. She looked up and saw it was Possible. Of course.
"I'm the one that you should worry about, Punchline." Kim got into a fighting stance.
"Oh, Kimmy, here and no blonde to cover your back?" Punchline chuckled. "Oh, is he still out of the game after I shot him in the stomach?" She lunged at Kim, swinging her knives at Kim.
Kim dodged and blocked her swings, landing a knee on Punchline's stomach. But she swung back at her, cutting her cheek. Punchline then sharply kicked her in the stomach, only for Kim to catch her foot before slamming her against the ground. Kim then proceeded to kick Punchline in the face, splattering blood. Punchline smiled, jumping to her feet slashing at Kim once more, cutting her uniform and skin with deadly precision. Kim used her electric gloves to punch and shock Punchline, but the woman seemed to not care about the pain or the damage done to her. Their fight was getting violent and there was no way to stop it without one of them killing the other.
Dr. Destiny watched the fight with glee, despite his injuries.
"Planning on leaving the party already?" Cain cut him off with Sideways dropping from the other side.
"It's over, Skeletor rip-off!" Sideways covered the other paths with large rifts, covering the exits. "Drop the jewel and no one gets hurt."
"Not what I'd use, but yes. That cut looks rather nasty," Cain said. "Being real isn't all that's cracked up to be, is it?" Cain was ready to smack Destiny's head off.
"Indeed. I'll have to work on that. In the meantime, Punchline did teach me something." Dr. Destiny pulled out a belt stocked with grenades from inside his coat. "When cornered, blow everything sky high!"
"Why is that always the last resort of every bad guy in history?!" Sideways asked.
Dr. Destiny pulled the pin before tossing the belt at the remaining civilians and where Metamorpho was holding the two sides from attacking each other.
"No!" Sideways jumped after the grenade belt.
He created a rift before himself. He snatched the belt before making another rift far above the forbidden city. With all his superhuman strength, he tossed the belt into the rift, letting a shockwave of the explosion push him back. He crashed into Punchline, making her lose her balance. This gave Kim the perfect opportunity to punch Punchline in the face, knocking her out.
Dr. Destiny used this chance to escape. In a flash of red, he disappeared, much to Cain's anger and annoyance.
"Damnation! He slipped through our fingers once more!" Cain glared ready to kill someone.
"Perhaps," Nite Owl dropped the last of the terrorists before walking towards Metamorpho. "But we did stop his plans, did we not?"
"Ow, what took you so long?" Sideways groaned.
"I was stuck dealing with the rest of Punchline's forces," Nite Owl replied. "I also took the time to come up with a chemical formula for an antidote."
"Good luck getting the equipment to make it." Kim held her arm, glaring at the knocked out Punchline. "Her chemicals are active for 24 hours and the longer they're untreated the worse the damage will be."
"It is good then that we have our own chemical lab on two legs." Nite Owl showed the formula to Metamorpho. "Can you make it?"
Metamorpho looked at the formula while still holding both sides from attacking each other.
"It's a bit complicated, but I think I can pull it off." Metamorpho shifted the chemicals in his body, letting gasses come out of his hands.
The two sides inhaled the vapors, taking in deep breaths of the stuff. Little by little they stopped struggling. They dropped their weapons before they fell down, limp like little children after a long day.
Metamorpho slowly put them down.
"Phew, they're okay now. But we should call someone to check up on them." Metamorpho let out a breath.
"I'll ask Director Betty to think of a cover story for what happened." Kim turned to the knocked out Punchline. "As soon as I put this one in a deep dark cell with no doors or windows."
"I advise against it." Nite Owl stood between them. "We'll take her."
"What?!" Everyone asked.
"You can't be serious!" Kim snapped. "She's a dangerous lunatic and terrorist! You have no idea what she's done to so many people! The graveyards she's filled, the friends and loved ones she's crippled, all need to be answered for!"
"Which is why she'll help us save all realities." Nite Owl turned to Cain. "She's the only one that's broken free of Dr. Destiny's grip. She could hold an insight into how his mind works. Besides, I would hardly call you lending her to us as getting off scot free. She'll work with us under my direct supervision. Not to mention the House of Mystery is the perfect detention facility for someone as crafty and tricky as her."
Cain hated to admit it, but Nite Owl's words were getting to him. The woman was dangerous, no way around it. But she also processed an insight into the mind of Dr. Destiny. She could consult their next moves to get one step ahead of the rogue nightmare. Besides, the House of Mystery rarely allowed anyone to leave that was part of his collection. So, with a weary sigh, he reached a decision.
Metamorpho and Sideways weren't liking the idea one bit. They both voted for Punchline to be put in a straightjacket in a place where she couldn't harm anyone.
"This is a bad idea," Kim said.
"My dear, can you guarantee that Ms. Punchline won't slip out of your grasp before your allies arrive?" Cain asked. "Or that you won't murder her in the meantime?"
Kim narrowed her eyes at Punchline. She wasn't going to lie, she hated Punchline for what she had done. There wasn't a day that she didn't want to make her suffer every torture she'd dealt onto others. She had paralyzed Ron, almost killed her brothers, put her family under witness protection, killed her best friend Monique, made Wade go underground. The list went on. If she was left alone with no one to watch her back, she would cross that line.
"Once she's done helping you as your consultant, send her to these coordinates." Kim handed Sideways information on a card. "That's the jail she'll spend the rest of her life in. I don't ever want to see her again."
"It is a deal then." Cain nodded as Nite Owl swung Punchline over his shoulder.
"Don't like this," Metamorpho said.
"Yeah, I'm not sleeping next to her," Sideways agreed.
Deep inside the House of Mystery, Punchline awoke on a bed with Nite Owl working on his own things across from her.
"Did you sleep well?" Nite Owl asked.
"Like the dead," Punchline replied. " I can't help but notice that I'm not in some dungeon or tied up. What's the catch?" She rolled to her side.
"You're to aid us as our criminal consultant until I say so." Nite Owl turned to face her.
"You sound like a schemer. What's stopping me from killing you?" Punchline asked.
"This scheme is right up your alley. And it'll make all those horrible things you've done look like childsplay." Nite Owl lifted her chin. "It'll be the Punchline worthy of your name."
Punchline smiled like the cat that was about to eat the canary. Her chest felt warm. Could this be love? Adoration? No matter.
"I'm a murderous psychopath." Punchline kissed Nite Owl. "I'm in."