Episode 4: White Knight

Washington D.C.

1986

The team arrived in D.C. ready to make another attempt at capturing Savage. As usual when they landed, they began to suffer from the side effects of time travel. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Rip asked. "Yeah, a real walk in the park." Ben groaned sarcastically. "So where are we now?" "Washington D.C. the year is 1986." Rip answered. "We've traveled here because I have a new lead on Vandal Savage's location." Gideon added. "Yes. Gideon managed to intercept this telefax concerning Savage's last known whereabouts." Rip said. "Tele-what?" Steven asked not knowing what a telefax is. "It's like an email... on paper." Danny explained.

Rip then pulled up the document on the computer, only for the team to be disappointed by what they saw. "Wow, that's totally useless." Dipper said. "Dude, the whole thing's crossed out." Randy complained. "Yeah, redacted by the U.S. government, which is why we are here to steal the original file on Savage back from those who are tracking him." Rip explained as they reached their destination. Kim's eyes widened as she saw where they were going. "Uh, is that the…?" "Don't worry we're cloaked." Rip assured her. "You want us to break into the Pentagon?" Jenny asked. "Sounds like fun." Star added. "What's the plan?" Danny asked. "Oh, the Fabricator will fashion you the necessary Pentagon credentials." Rip explained. "Ooh, and don't forget our G-man disguises." Steven added much to everyone's surprise. "What? I always wanted to be a spy."

Inside the Pentagon, the team were all in position dressed as workers with Jenny using her disguise watch to look like an electrician (with Steven joining her) Ben, Kim and Star dressed as security guards Danny and Randy as janitors and Dipper and Mabel joining the tour group. Rip was monitoring their progress from the Waverider. "Now, the file we're after is kept in a secure records room. In order to gain access, we're going to need to, uh, borrow a magnetic key card." Rip instructed. "Yeah, because this is so much easier than just phasing through the walls and taking it." Danny complained as he and Randy were mopping the floor. "Relax let me show you how they do it in the movies." Randy said as a female worker walked by. Randy then proceeded to use his mop to trip her then catch her. "You ok miss?" The woman got up and thanked Randy for his help. Little did she know that Randy used the opportunity to take her key card. "And that's how it's done." Randy gloated.

As Randy and Danny proceeded to the file room Rip gave the next set of instructions. "The records room has closed-circuit cameras. We need a diversion." "Way ahead of you." Mabel assured him. She then pulled out a can of silly string and started running around spraying everything and everyone around her. "Ok guys, Mabel bought you guys enough time to get into the vault." Dipper informed his teammates. Randy and Danny entered the vault and retrieved the file. "Got it." Randy said. "Okay, now for the tricky part. All personnel are subject to search upon exiting the Pentagon." said Rip. "Jenny will divert the power long enough for you to exit." Jenny then proceeded to access the power grid while Steven kept watch. Unfortunately things went wrong as Jenny started to feel the electricity flow through her causing an overload. "Steven help." Steven rushed over to her side and helped pull her away. This overload caused the alarms to go off.

With Jenny and Steven's objective a failure Danny and Randy were sitting ducks at the exit. The guards searched them and found the file. Seeing this Kim, Star, and Ben jumped into action to save their friends. "Narwhal Blast." Star shouted as a beam of horned whales shot from her hands. As more guards arrived at the scene Ben had transformed into "Big Chill" and froze them. Kim managed to beat up a few more while Dipper and Mabel stalled others by spraying them with silly string. However, before they could leave Star started going crazy. Her eyes turned white and she started blasting everything in sight much to the horror of not only her teammates but all of the people in the building. "What is Star doing?" Steven asked as he entered the room holding an exhausted Jenny in his arms. "Good question." Danny answered. "All right, wonderful, we've got a princess who's gone completely berserk." Rip commented. "Abort. I repeat, abort. Get back to the ship right now." "Copy that." Danny said as he flew out through the roof. "I meant, 'Use the door,'" Rip pointed out. "But while you're at it, can you help return our butterfly to the tree?" Ben then proceeded to freeze Star for the trip back.

Back on the ship Rip gave the team a look of disappointment. "So instead of focusing on what went wrong, let's focus on what went right." Randy suggested trying to ease the tension. "What are you talking about? It was awesome." Mabel pointed out. "In the same way that tsunamis, earthquakes, and other natural disasters are 'awesome.'" Dipper added. "We got the file on Savage that's what matters." Steven said. "Despite hiccup with the alarms." Danny said looking at Jenny. "Oh, so it's my fault now?" "Shutting off the power was your job and you blew it." "My circuits can only handle so much power before they overload." "Hey now it's not Jenny's fault." Kim said intervening. "Everything would have been fine if Star here hadn't freaked out." "Excuse me?" Star shouted in anger.

"Enough." Rip said putting an end to the fighting. "There is plenty of blame to go around. Now, fortunately, Gideon was able to generate a low-end EMP, which erased all the Pentagon's magnetic media." "Like security footage?" Dipper asked. Rip sighed. "Look, you're just lucky that the Department of Defense likes to keep incidents like this under wraps. Gideon, any luck with our purloined secret file? Please say yes." "Yes, Captain." Gideon answered. "According to the Pentagon, Savage has defected to the Soviet Union." The team exchanged a series of worried looks. "So the most dangerous criminal the world has ever known has just gone red at the height of the Cold War." said Kim. "And now he's gonna help them cook up something that kills the future." Ben added. "Gideon, set a course…for the Soviet Union." ordered Rip.

After some time the Waverider was close to their destination. "Captain, we've just crossed into Soviet airspace." said Gideon. Steven started sweating after hearing that news. "Don't worry, Steven, we are moving far too fast for anyone to track us." Rip assured his teammate. "I'm afraid that's not true. Someone is tracking us." Gideon said. "I thought the ship was cloaked." Rip said confused. "It is." "The bounty hunter's back." Steven realized. Chronos was on the Waverider's trail in his own ship. "Sir, we have a lock on the Waverider." the ship's AI informed the bounty hunter. "Prepare to fire." he ordered. "He's gaining on us." Ben pointed out. "Captain, what would you like me to do?" Gideon asked. "Slow down, drop our cloak, and make as much noise as possible." Rip ordered. "Uh Rip. I know I don't know anything about timeship chases but I'm pretty sure that's not how you escape from your enemies!" Ben said clearly having a problem with the plan. "Just trust me."

Gideon did as she was told and shut down the cloaking device and slowed down the ship. "Seriously dude, what exactly are you planning?" Randy asked. Suddenly fighter jets appeared. "The Soviet Air Force to the rescue." Rip said. "Now let's see how badly Chronos wants to follow us." Danny looked out the window in amazement. "Wow, it's a MiG-21. No one's ever been this close to one before." "Dude, are you quoting 'Top Gun'?" Randy asked. "Maybe." The jets then fired at the Waverider. "I've got heat-seeking missiles closing at a distance of less than a mile." Gideon warned. "Which is why I need you to cut the engines." Rip instructed. "Uh, don't we need those to land?" Jenny asked with panic in her voice. "I said cut them Gideon." Gideon did as she was told and the engines shut down which caused the ship to fall and the missiles to pass them. "The missiles are now targeting something else." "Chronos." Steven said realizing what Rip was planning. The missiles hit Chronos' ship and caused it to explode.

The Waverider continued its descent. "I suggest you all strap yourselves in. It's going to be a bit of a bumpy landing." Rip suggested. Ben, Jenny, Steven, and Randy buckled up while the rest of the team grabbed whatever they could find. "Initiating emergency landing protocol." "How's it going, Gideon?" Rip asked. "There's not much more I can do." the AI informed him. "Elevation is 5,000. 4,000. 3,000." "When I said, 'bumpy,' I meant, 'Prepare for crash landing.'" Rip clarified as the Waverider crashed into Russia.

Soviet Union

1986

"Good news, Captain. Despite our rough landing, the ship is still fully operational." "Welcome to the U.S.S.R., everyone." Rip said as the rest of the team arrived on the bridge. "If I had the authority, they would revoke your pilot's license." Dipper said still startled from the crash landing. "'They' are more than welcome to, considering I don't have one. Did you get anything on Savage from the Pentagon file?" Rip asked. "Looks like he's been busy since 1975." Dipper said as he placed the file on the table. "Project Melinoë?" Danny said confused. "The Greek goddess of ghosts." Dipper explained. "I'm surprised you didn't know that." "So whatever Savage is planning has to do with ghosts." said Kim. "Maybe he's trying to create a portal to the Ghost Zone." Danny thought. "Well whatever it is we need to stop it." Ben said determined. "According to the file the project is being headed by Valentina Vostok." Dipper pointed out. Gideon then pulled her up on the monitor.

"Says here she graduated top of her class in physics then just disappeared from the community altogether." Jenny said. "Probably to help Savage with his project." Kim added. "Sounds like a quiet nerd to me." Star commented. "I say we find this girl and lock her up in the brig. Without her Savage won't be able to take over the world." Randy suggested. "Bad idea. We don't know what kind of impact this woman might have on history. She could be the next Madame Curie for all we know." Dipper said. "She's working for Savage, that's all we need to know." Ben argued. "She probably doesn't know who her boss really is." Mabel countered. "Maybe we should try talking to her. Maybe then we can talk her out of this and learn more about Savage's plan." Danny said.

"It's 1986, we're Americans, and none of us speak a work of Russian. We'd be pegged as spies in an instant." Kim commented. "Perhaps I can help with that." Rip said as he brought a case with strange looking pills inside it. "Ingestible translators they attach to your larynx via neural interface. Swallow them and you can speak and understand any language spoken to you." Ben took one and swallowed. "So how do I turn it on?" "Gideon, switch them into Russian." Gideon did as she was told. "Now say something." "Something. Wait, I'm still speaking English." Ben said while everyone looked at him impressed. "Why are you staring at me? Hang on, I'm speaking Russian now, aren't I?" Ben said realizing the pill worked. "Gideon, switch him back to English." Ben was back to speaking English. Rip then went on with the plan. "Now, according to Vostok's file, she's a big fan of the ballet. She has box seats at the Bolshoi and attends every performance. Mr. Tennyson, you will talk to Vostok at the ballet, whilst you, Mr. Cunningham…you're going to serve as backup." "Well this should be fun." Randy said clearly not wanting to go to the ballet.

Meanwhile Kim pulled Rip aside to have a talk with him. "We have a problem." "Right, you're going to have to be a little bit more specific." Rip commented. "It's Star. She's completely unstable, you saw her at the Pentagon." "Yes, she went psycho and nearly killed those guards. Maybe she just needs time to get her senses under control, after all it's her first time back in the field since she recovered from being stabbed." Kim shook her head in frustration. "Look I get she's having a rough time right now but I'm worried that if she has another episode, she won't just hurt more people but get herself killed in the process. Someone needs to get her under control." Rip nodded in agreement. "You know, perhaps you're right, and it just so happens I have the perfect candidate for the job." Kim's eyes widened when she realized what he meant. "No. No, I wasn't talking about me." "And yet, I can think of no one better suited to the task." "I don't know a thing about magic." "Star needs help to keep her emotions under control and you might be the only one on the ship who can help her." Kim sighed. "This is a bad idea."

Outside the Bolshoi Theater Ben and Randy spotted Dr. Vostok walking out during the intermission. She was a woman who appeared to be in her late teens to her early 20s with brown hair and eyes who was wearing a red dress and carrying a black handbag. "Ok Ben Vostok's heading right for you." Randy informed his teammate. Ben approached the scientist dressed as a student. "Ms. Vostok. My name is Simon Huntsberger, and I'm a student at the University of Moscow, physics department." Vostok just brushed it off. "I'm not interested in talking to student. If you want lecture, come by office hours." she said as she walked away. Ben followed her. "But I'm a huge fan of your work. Your paper on applied physics alone is breathtaking. Please tell me more about your work." Vostok just walked away uninterested. "Wow, that was cold, even by Russian standards." Randy commented.

Back on the ship Kim approached Star in the cargo bay with a floor mat to get ready for training. "Get up." Kim ordered. Star looked confused. "What are you doing?" "Training let's go." Star just looked sad. "Sorry, but I'm not in the mood." Kim refused to let her walk away. "'Sorry' isn't gonna help those guards you attacked at the Pentagon." Star sighed. "I worked hard to destroy my magic because it caused nothing but problems not just for me but for everyone in Mewni and somehow it came back and it's stronger than ever. I've tried so hard to use my power to help people and preserve peace between mewmans and monsters and it goes great most of the time. But then there are the times when I lose control. It's like someone else is taking control and attacking everyone/everything in sight. So thanks for the offer but I don't want to risk hurting anyone else." Kim put a hand on her shoulder. "You're scared I get it. But like it or not this magic is a part of you and constantly rejecting it is what's causing your episodes. And if it is as strong as you say then you need to learn to control it." "And how exactly, do you expect me to do that?" "Like this." Kim said as she charged at Star.

On the bridge Rip got an alert. "Temporal anomaly detected Captain." "Chronos." Rip said realizing what Gideon meant." "The Russian jet damaged his ship." "He's still alive?" "He went down just outside Moscow city limits." Rip then turned to his remaining teammates (Jenny, Danny, Steven, Dipper, and Mabel). "How would you all like to accompany me on a little mission?" "Is it going to get violent?" Steven asked. "A near-certain likelihood." Rip answered. "What else is new?" Danny said as the team got ready to leave.

Back at the theater, Ben was preparing for another talk with Vostok. "Dude face facts she's not gonna talk to you. Maybe I should give it a try." Randy said. "She will, I just need to try again." Ben said as he approached the scientist. "Listen Ms. Vostok I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. I don't mean to bother you but I just really want to learn about your work. For example Project Melinoe." Just then Randy cut in. "Sorry miss, is my friend bothering you?" "Don't trouble yourself. I'm not a damsel in distress." Vostok said clearly annoyed. "Well good thing I'm not a hero." They then heard the sound of bells chiming. "Well it sounds like the intermission is over you wouldn't want to miss the finale of Le Roi Candaule." Vostok looked back at the theater. "Well the finale is spectacular…but I've already seen it so many times. Perhaps we could go for a walk instead?" Randy smiled and agreed leaving Ben behind surprised.

Rip and the others were searching the forest for any sign of Chronos. "This is why I hate nature walks." Danny said having a problem being in the woods (especially at night). Rip just shushed him. "Thirty meters. Chronos must be hiding out in the trees." They then heard a twig snap and got into a battle stance. Only it wasn't Chronos. It was an older gentleman possibly in his 50s or 60s with white hair wearing a grey robe. "Is that any way to treat an old friend?" the man asked. "Time Master Druce." Rip said shocked to see his former superior in 1986. "How on earth did you find me?" "You haven't exactly been subtle." Druce answered. "Hey are we still fighting?" Jenny asked. Rip turned to the others. "Could you all give us a moment?" They looked around and shared a collective nod. "Sure." Steven said as the team walked away. But they stayed close enough to hear what they were saying.

"What a colorful team you've assembled for yourself." Druce sarcastically commented. "I thought that you were…" "Chronos? He was killed in the crash, I'm afraid. I was sent to scuttle his time ship, lest it be discovered by the Soviets." the old Time Master explained. Rip's eyes then widened. "And you left a temporal anomaly…" "To lure you out of the cold, as it were. You've turned your back on the very institution you were meant to serve. Our job is to protect time, thereby protecting all life." "I am trying to save the world from complete destruction." Rip argued. "You and your band of rogues have run rampant throughout history. This is why we work alone, Rip. A team is a liability and you've proven that. They keep you from making the tough choices."

"I am here because the council refused to make that tough choice." Rip argued. "Well, they can sometimes be slow to realize the obvious, but I've been authorized to offer you a deal." Druce explained. "End this foolish crusade return with me to the Vanishing Point. You'll be acquitted of all charges, and in…a few hundred years, we may even be able to fix the damage you've caused." "And what about my team?" Rip asked. "They will be returned to their own timeline unharmed. Which should be a relief for Star Butterfly given her recent injuries. You were one of my brightest pupils and by far my favorite. Will you at least consider my offer?" Rip sighed. "I'll consult with my comrades." "Please do, Rip, and then meet me here in an hour." Druce instructed. "And if I don't?" "Then you're beyond my help." Druce said as he walked away.

The others soon returned to Rip. "That's a pretty sweet deal your friend offered you offered you back there." Danny commented. "I guess I don't need to ask how much you all heard." Rip said. "Rip please tell us you're not actually considering it." Mabel said worried. Rip simply nodded. "Rip open your eyes. Your 'friend' is planning to kill you." Jenny said. "I've seen this before in movies, the bad guy offers the hero a deal that could save himself and his loved ones but then bam it ends in a double cross." Rip shook his head in denial. "Time Master Druce is one of my most trusted friends besides, if he wanted to do me any harm, why didn't he do it just now when he had the chance?" "Because he wants you to bring the whole team with you, and that's not gonna happen, because we're not going to surrender." Dipper said.

Star and Kim continued their fight with Star showing signs of exhaustion. "Are we done here yet?" "No." Kim answered sternly. "We've been over this, if you want to harness your power, you need to learn to control your fear." "Easy for you to say, you've trained your whole life to be some teen hero prodigy, and it doesn't seem to scare or stress you out at all. Besides you don't have magic you can't possibly understand what I'm going through." "You're right. I can't understand how you feel. But I do know that before you can expect to control it, you have to accept it. Your magic is back. You are magical, it's a permanent part of you and it's not going anywhere, so get used to it."

Kim then threw another punch at Star. "Woah take it easy." Star said dodging it. "Use your magic. Accept it. It's the only way you can beat me." Kim said as she continued to attack with a kick. "Kim, Stop." Star complained as she blocked it. "Do it use your magic." Kim said as she threw another punch. Only this one landed and Star fell on the floor. She got up with her eyes glowing white. Her hands started to glow as she screamed and started to blast at Kim. "Star?" Kim said worried. But Star couldn't hear her. All she did was scream and attack Kim viciously. Kim did her best to defend herself but Star managed to land some serious blows until Kim was on the ground herself. Star stood over her and prepared to deal the final blow. "STAR STOP!" Kim shouted. Star then snapped out of it and looked at her teammate and her hands with horror. "Kim, I'm so sorry." she said as she left.

Randy and Dr. Vostok continued their walk-through town. "So what is it about the ballet that you love, Valentina?" Randy asked. "The combination of grace and strength, pushing the body to its breaking point. It's a thing of beauty." she answered. They soon arrives at Vostok's apartment. "Well this was lovely but I must rest. I have much work to do." "Well maybe I'll see you around sometime." Randy said. Vostok left. "You enjoy the show, Ben?" Randy asked. "I think I've got frostbite in some not-so-fun places from waiting out here." Ben complained. "Did she tell you anything about the weapon Savage is building?" "Didn't come up. I didn't want to spoil the mood." "Great. You got to go on a date I got a case of hypothermia and we're no closer to stopping Savage." "I wouldn't say that." Randy said as he pulled out a badge. "What is that?" Ben asked. "It's Valentina's security badge for a place called Luskavic Labs." Randy answered. "Whatever weapon she's building for Savage, we'll find it there."

Meanwhile Rip and the others were discussing what to do. "So, uh, what happens now?" Mabel asked. "You just hand over the ship and turn yourself over to the Time Masters, and the rest of us just…" Jenny said before she was cut off. "Will be returned to your former lives in January 2024. It will be as if you never left." Rip explained. "Aside from the fact that our homes might be part of the U.S.S.R., thanks to us." Steven said. Rip just sighed. "All the more reason to consider the offer. The Time Council will do everything within their power to correct the mistakes that we've made." "But they still haven't changed their mind about stopping Savage?" Dipper asked.

Rip shook his head. "Well, according to them, he's part of the natural course of history, terrible as that course may be. Look, I'm not saying that this offer is without its downsides. If we abandon our plan now, then I still lose my wife and son." "So why throw in the towel?" Danny asked. "I thought you said this mission was bigger than any one of us." "Yes, but if you'll remember, when I first recruited you, I wasn't entirely forthright about my motivations or about how dangerous this mission would be." The team looked at each other. "Maybe so, but we still chose to help you despite that." Steven said. "Besides we already knew the risks before we signed up." "Well, I suppose it's time for us to decide if the future is worth fighting for."

Rip arrived in the forest to meet up with Time Master Druce, who was waiting for him as we speak. "I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see you, Hunter." Rip looked down. "I've risked the lives of my team and I've endangered the very fabric of time itself. I only hope you can forgive me." Druce smiled. "Don't worry, all will soon be made right again." Suddenly Chronos appeared behind Rip and pointed a laser gun at his head. "Hello, old friend." the bounty hunter said. "I'm sorry it had to turn out this way, but the council cannot risk keeping you alive." Druce said.

Rip sighed. "Such a shame. I won't we able to tell Jenny she was right." "Jenny?" Druce asked. "The robot." Rip answered. "She was convinced you were planning on killing me." Druce let out a small laugh. "Your friends seem to have abandoned you, but no matter, Chronos will track them down." "I can't believe you brought this stooge to do your dirty work. I never had you pegged as a coward, Druce." Rip said trying to anger his old friend. "In that case, I promise to stay here to ensure that your punishment is carried out properly. After all I wouldn't want you to die alone." Rip just smiled. "Who said I'm alone?"

Just then Jenny flew in and blasted Chronos. Danny tried to blast Druce but he teleported away. "Coward." Chronos got up and started firing at Rip only for Steven to encase them in a bubble. Dipper pulled out a strange flashlight and used it on his hand to make it grow. He then threw a really powerful punch at Chronos. But the bounty hunter refused to stay down. He picked up his gun and was about to shoot Dipper. Jenny noticed this and flew in front of him taking the shot herself. "Aaahhhh." "Jenny." Danny shouted. Danny decided it was time to use his most powerful attack. "Guys cover your ears." he instructed. The others did as Danny said. Danny then took a deep breath and unleashed a powerful scream that threw Chronos back and damaged his tech. With his equipment damaged Chronos had no choice but to retreat. Danny exhausted reverted back to his human form. "Is everyone ok?" he asked. "I think so." Rip said. "That was amazing. What was that?" Steven asked. "It's called the Ghostly Wail. It's amazing but it takes a lot out of me." "Guys." Dipper said. The others then noticed that Jenny was badly damaged (some of her parts came off). "We have to get her back to the ship." Rip said.

Back on the ship, Steven and Danny helped carry Jenny. "Is she going to be, ok?" Mabel asked. "I'll be fine Mabel. Believe it or not this isn't the worst I've been hurt." Jenny assured her friend. Randy and Ben then walked in. "What happened?" Ben asked. "Long story." Rip answered. "I trust everything went according to plan on your end?" "Piece of cake. I talked with Vostok and swiped her badge while Ben froze his butt off." Randy said much to Ben's annoyance.

Rip then noticed Kim icing some bruises. "That looks sore. What happened?" "Training with Star got a little rough." Kim answered. "I told you before I'm not the right person to help her." "Well truth be told I had a feeling this would happen." Rip said. Kim gave him a surprised look. "You knew that Star would go crazy and that I'd get my butt kicked?" Rip shook his head. "No I had a feeling that you'd just try to push her into fighting rather than talk to her about her problems." Kim was confused. "I did. I realized that she was afraid of her Magic and tried to get her to accept it." "That's not her only problem." Rip informed her.

"When Star started learning how to use her magic, she was under the belief that she was a true princess and that the monsters of Mewni were evil. But she soon learned that they were wrong about monsters and that her family had stolen the wand and the throne from the true queen and her daughter." Kim was shocked to hear this. "I had no idea." "She returned the wand and tried to establish peace between mewmans and monsters but she was betrayed by her mother and Mewni was thrown into chaos. So she decided that the only way to put a stop this was to destroy the magic." Rip explained. "And now that it's back she feels like her efforts were nothing and history will just keep repeating itself." Kim realized. "Exactly. Kim, before you start training her maybe you should try talking to her first." Rip suggested as he walked away.

Kim then approached Star's room and knocked on the door. "Hey Star, can we talk." Star hesitated to open the door but she gave in. "Kim I'm sorry about before I didn't mean to hurt you…" Kim put her hand over Star's mouth and spoke. "If anyone should apologize it's me." Star was surprised to hear this. "I just assumed what your problem was and tried to solve it rather than talk to you about it instead. And for that I am sorry." Star smiled. "Well you weren't entirely off about me being afraid." "I know, Rip told me everything. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like to be betrayed by your mom." "We've worked things out since then but yeah it was rough. Believe it or not she actually hangs out with monsters sometimes." the two shared a laugh. "So want to give training another try?" Star asked. Kim smiled. "Let's do it."

The Waverider soon arrived at Luskavic Labs. "So what's the plan?" Mabel asked. "Simple, Randy and Dipper will sneak into the lab using Vostok's badge find the weapon she's making for Savage and destroy it." Rip explained. "And I'm going with them." Danny said. "Mr. Fenton, I think it would be best if you stayed on the ship with Steven and Mabel and looked after Jenny." Rip suggested. "Vostok's project involves ghosts. So I'm just the one to handle it." Danny said as he took a translator. "I'll be right back."

Danny, Dipper, and Randy (who left his mask on the ship) snuck into the lab disguised as scientists. "We're in and heading for the basement." Dipper said. Danny used the badge to enter the basement while Randy and Dipper kept watch. Upon arriving downstairs Danny saw a room full of dead bodies. "Oh, my god." As he walked down further, he found a file on Vostok's weapon. What he saw shocked him and he contacted the team. "I know what Vostok is working on. She's trying to build…me." "What do you mean?" Rip asked. "I mean, Savage has spent the last decade trying to level the arms race against our team." Danny explained.

Dipper's eyes widened. "Project Melinoë. Greek Goddess of ghosts, of course. He and Vostok are trying to create a soviet Danny Phantom." "It gets worse." Danny said standing in front of a chamber with a chamber that held a spherical device that emitted a green glow. "They've already built an echto core." "Danny, need I remind you; this is a reconnaissance mission." Rip said. "I know. But it's only a matter of time before Vostok figures out how to stabilize a reaction. I'm not leaving without it. It's the key to building others just like me." "Yes, but perhaps you should wait for the rest of the team." Rip suggested. "The rest of the team can't handle this." Danny said. "The radiation this thing's producing will kill anyone but me." "Look, despite your impermeability to echto energy, you're still quite vulnerable to bullets." Rip warned his companion. "It'll be fine Rip." Danny assured his captain. "I just need someone to take the core offline, so I can remove it safely and shield it." "I'm on it." Dipper said as he and Randy entered the control room.

Dipper studied the controls and found to off switch to the core. "How are you doing Dipper?" Randy asked. "The core is about to shut down in 3…2…1…" Dipper said as the core deactivated. Danny then got the signal to enter the chamber to remove it. Randy then noticed Dr. Vostok was about to enter the lab. "Oh you have got to be kidding me." "What's wrong?" Dipper asked. "It's Valentina, she's heading for the chamber. And the radiation Danny's about to unleash. If she opens the door she'll die." Randy then came to a decision. "Dipper stay here and make sure Danny gets out safe. I'm going to save Vostok."

Randy approached Vostok to stop her. "Bad idea doc." "What are you doing here?" Vostok asked. "Trying to take down the Soviets and save your life." Randy answered. "That night at the Bolshoi. It was you who stole my keys." "Yes, but it was nothing Personal. Now we really need to leave." Vostok then noticed Danny with the core. "What the hell is that boy doing? He has no idea what the core is capable of." "Actually he does. He has a lot of experience with ghosts now let's go." Danny placed his hands on the core. "Beginning core removal now." Vostok grew furious. "You used me. You work for American government." "Yes, I used you, but I don't work for any government." Randy explained. "But you need to listen that weapon Savage has you building? He's creating an army of ghost soldiers." Vostok pulled out a gun and aimed it at Randy's head. "I know. It was sweet of you to think of me as a damsel in distress, but…I'm not the one who needs rescuing." "Oh god." Randy said realizing his mistake

She held Randy by gunpoint and turned to Dipper. "You, boy turn the core back online or I will put a bullet in your friend's head." "Don't do it Dipper she'll shoot me either way." "That may be true, and you can take that gamble if you like. It's only your friend's life you wager." Vostok said ready to pull the trigger. Dipper gave in and did what Vostok said. "Dipper what's going on the core is back on line." Danny asked. "I'm sorry Danny I had no choice they have Randy." Dipper explained. Danny looked at the core and gave a determined look. "Maybe I can still remove it. I just hope I can handle the excess radiation." "Are you crazy?" Dipper asked. "The amount of energy this thing's producing could kill you." Before Dipper could say more a guard came in and knocked him out.

Before Danny could start the rest of the team tried to talk him out of it. "Danny stop." Jenny said. "Jenny you're ok." Danny said happy for his friend. "Gideon fixed me up but you can't go through with this." "I don't have a choice if the core stays here Savage will keep killing people until he gets his weapon." "But if you touch that thing you could die." Mabel added. "That's a risk I'm willing to take." Danny said as he proceeded to place his hands on the core. Danny screamed in pain as the radiation went through his body. "Danny let go." Steven shouted. Danny wouldn't listen and continued to pull. "That's it I'm going down there." Jenny said as she was about to leave. "Don't. Mr. Tennyson will handle it." Rip said. Danny was then successful in removing the core (though it left him exhausted).

But before he could Leave a bunch of armed guards appeared. Two of them holding Randy and Dipper at gunpoint. Dr. Vostok then appeared in front of the guards. "Mr. Fenton, your comrade here tells me you know quite a bit about this project of mine. Very good. You and I have much to discuss. And Mr. Savage is really looking forward to seeing you again." Danny seeing the situation he and his friends were in had no choice but to put the core down and surrender. The guards then took him hostage as well. Ben then burst through the wall as "Humungasor" ready to save the day. "Hang on guys." Ben shouted as he started punching goons left and right. The remaining guards along with Vostok fled the scene leaving the core behind but taking the prisoners.

"We have to something!" Jenny said. "We can't. No doubt Savage knows we're here. Our best option is to retreat. Mt. Tennyson Gra the core and Get out of there." Rip ordered. "What about the others." Ben asked "And my brother." Mabel added. "We don't have a choice. Until we devise our next move, Ben, Randy, And Danny will have to fend for themselves." Rip argued. "Remember the mission, if the Soviets get that echto core back, our teammates will not be the only ones who die." Rip said. Ben hated the idea of leaving his friends behind but he knew Rip was right. He grabbed the core and fled back to the ship.

Dipper, Danny, and Randy were placed into an armored truck. "You better kill me now or I'm gonna go all Rocky IV on your asses." Randy warned. Before the truck was locked up. "We must leave now, Colonel." Vostok ordered. "What about the other one? He took the core." the colonel argued. "we don't need it anymore. We have something far better." Vostok said referring to Danny.

Back on the Waverider the team was not happy with Rip's decision. "Good work Ben." "Why didn't you let the others help Captain." Ben asked angrily. "Now 3 members of our team have been captured because of you." "Yes, and if I had sent the rest them, they'd be at risk of being captured too, and where would we be then, hmm?" Rip argued. Ben wanted to say something but he couldn't argue with Rip's point. "That's a fair point Rip. But we can't just leave them behind." "We will get them back I promise."

Steven, Jenny, and Mabel walked in with Kim and Star (having brought them up to speed on what happened). "Let me get this straight, you had Star and I training for the next mission, when we should have been out there saving our friends from getting captured?!" Kim stated. "We will help them, and our next mission is to get our compatriots back from Vostok." Rip said. "How do we know they're not dead? For all we know they could be getting killed now." Mabel said worried. "Vostok needs Danny alive in order to make Savage's army." Rip said. "And Randy and Dipper?" Star asked. "Savage will keep them alive too." Rip answered. "Most likely as leverage. He'll torture them if Danny tries to withhold information." Kim added. "Well, we'll have to pray that he does." Rip said. "If Savage's goal is to create his own half-ghost army, then Danny himself is the key, the missing piece of the puzzle. And if Vostok figures out how to turn Danny's powers against us, then…I'm afraid the world is beyond saving." "Now hold on, Danny is a lot tougher than he looks. Savage won't break him easily." Star said trying to think positive. "That's the good news." Rip said sarcastically. "The bad news is that our compatriots are being held in an impenetrable Soviet gulag."

The guards threw Danny into a special cell that could hold him (even as a ghost). "Get a good night's sleep, you and Dr. Vostok have much work to do in the morning." A guard said. "My friends, what did you do to them? Danny angrily asked. Just then Savage walked into the room. "Don't worry, they're alive. Whether they remain that way is entirely up to you."

Forgive my delay. My Grandmother passed away and I've been dealing with the loss.