The woman began to clear her throat and broke the silence. "Sooo... I guess we should start by introducing ourselves. I'm Lois Griffin, and this is my husband, Peter," she said, nodding towards the man with the beer, who gave a sloppy, enthusiastic wave and took a swig from his can.
"And these are our kids—Meg," she gestured towards the teenage girl, who gave a half-hearted wave, "Chris," she continued, pointing to the stocky, blonde-haired boy, who was staring at the newcomers with curious eyes, "and Stewie," she finished, indicating the baby, who was staring at the group from the couch with Interest. "And, of course, our dog, Brian."
Brian, the Labrador, stood up on his hind legs, wagging his tail. "Hi, pleased to meet you all," he said smoothly, extending his paw for a handshake.
Martin blinked in disbelief. "Uh, is it me, or did that dog just stand up and talk?" He asked bewilderedly.
Jackie, trying to stay composed despite the bizarre situation, smiled and reached out to shake Brian's paw. "Well, it's nice to meet you too!" she said, forcing a cheerful tone as she and the rest of the group exchanged handshakes with the Griffins.
"I guess we should also introduce ourselves," Matt chimed in, trying his best to sound confident. "I'm Matt, and this is Jackie, Digit, and Inez. We're the Cybersquad!"
Martin stepped forward, regaining his composure. "And I'm Martin!"
"And I'm Chris!" his brother added enthusiastically.
"And we're the Wild Kratts! They exclaimed in unison, trying their best to ease the tension in the room.
"And I'm WordGirl!" she added, her voice slightly awkward as she joined in.
Stewie watched the awkward scene with mild disdain. "Good grief. This is more uncomfortable than that dinner we had with the hippies down the street."
"You mean the Andersons?" Chris Griffin asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Whoa, holy crap! Are you an actual superhero?" Peter exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement as he eyed WordGirl. "That's incredible! The closest thing we have to a superhero is that one guy who dresses up for kids' birthday parties."
"You mean that crack addict who hangs out behind Home Depot?" Meg asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What kind of superpowers do you have?" Chris asked eagerly, his face lighting up.
"Well, not to brag," WordGirl started confidently, "but I possess the knowledge of every vocabulary word and its meaning—no big deal!"
Chris blinked in disappointment. "Wow, that's kinda lame."
"Yeah, I was expecting super-strength, or maybe you could fly at the speed of sound, or, I don't know, have powers that are actually cool!" Peter added, sounding a bit let down.
"Her name is WordGirl, what did you expect?" Stewie chimed in, rolling his eyes.
"Actually, I do have super-strength and I can fly faster than the speed of sound!" WordGirl retorted, her pride wounded. "And knowing words isn't lame! It's important!"
"Sounds pretty lame to me," Meg mumbled under her breath.
"Shut up, Meg!" Peter shot back. "Besides, if I wanted to know what a word means, I'd just look it up in a dictionary!"
"This coming from the guy who probably thinks a dictionary is a type of food," Stewie quipped. "Just forget about him. He's nothing but an incompetent buffoon!"
"Uhh, anyways, what brings you here to Quahog?" Lois asked, nervously trying to change the subject.
Matt felt a wave of relief wash over him, noticing the others seemed to feel the same. "Well, at least we know where we are now," he thought to himself. He then turned to Lois and said, "You see, we're from, well, a different version of Earth. WordGirl here is our town's crime fighter, and the Kratt brothers travel the world researching different creature powers."
"Wait, so you're saying where you're from, people and animals have SUPERPOWERS?!" Chris Griffin exclaimed, his face lighting up with shock and excitement.
"Not exactly," Martin Kratt clarified. "When we say 'creature powers,' we're talking about the unique characteristics animals have that help them survive in the wild."
"Yeah, like sharp claws for climbing trees or specialized vision for seeing in the dark," Chris Kratt added enthusiastically. "Each creature has its own set of 'powers' that help them live free and in the wild!"
"Oh," Chris Griffin sighed, his excitement fading into mild disappointment. "That's... cool, I guess."
"Anyways, as I was saying," Matt interjected, taking a deep breath before continuing the story. With input from the others, they recounted everything that had happened over the past few days—the villains' alliance, the defeat of WordGirl and the Kratt brothers, their discovery of the Protectors of Cyberspace, and Hacker's relentless pursuit of the four crystals that would grant him control of the multiverse. As they spoke, Peter and his family listened, their disbelief growing with every detail.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry that happened to you!" Lois exclaimed, her voice full of sympathy. "Please, stay as long as you need! We'll do whatever we can to help."
"Wait, wait, wait, so let me get this straight," Meg said, her voice tinged with an annoyed nervousness. "You're telling me that there are these powerful villains out there searching for magical crystals, and if they find them, they're going to take over the entire multiverse? Including OUR world?"
Chris Griffin's eyes widened in fear. "What are we going to do? We're DOOMED!" He shouted, his voice rising in panic.
"Everyone calm down!" Matt interjected, raising his hands to steady the group. "There's no need to push the panic button just yet! We've dealt with tough situations before, and we can handle this one too." He tried to sound confident, though the weight of the situation hung heavily in the air.
Just then, a loud knock echoed through the house. "I'll get it! It's probably the guys!" Peter announced, heading for the door. As he opened it, he was greeted by three men as they entered.
"Hey Peter, you ready to head down to The Clam like we do every evening?" A man in the wheelchair asked, his voice carrying a friendly familiarity.
"Oh, you bet I am!" Peter responded enthusiastically. "But first, let me introduce you to our guests. Guys, meet Matt, Jackie, Inez, Digit, WordGirl, and the Kratt brothers, Martin and Chris! They're staying with us while they try to save the multiverse." He paused, grinning proudly as he gestured towards his new guests. "And everyone else, these are my pals: Cleveland, Joe, and Quagmire."
"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet y'all's acquaintances!" Cleveland greeted them warmly.
"Hold up, save the multiverse? Peter, what the hell are you talking about?" Quagmire asked, raising an eyebrow.
Digit let out a tired sigh. "It's a long story. I'm honestly starting to get tired of explaining it over and over."
"Don't worry, I'll fill you in later." Peter whispered, leaning in closer to his friends.
"It's nice to meet you, Martin and Chris. Would you guys like to join us at the Drunken Clam?" Joe asked, extending the invitation with a friendly smile.
"Thanks, but we'll pass!" Chris Kratt replied politely.
"Yeah, we're not really into beer or anything," Martin added, feeling a bit awkward about the offer.
Peter waved off their hesitation with a hearty laugh. "Come on, we insist! You guys are probably gonna be here for a while, so why not take a break and have some fun? It's a chance to forget about all this multiverse stuff for a bit!"
Before they could fully protest, Peter and his friends gently but firmly ushered the Kratt brothers toward the door. "Okay, I guess..." Martin sighed, realizing they weren't going to take no for an answer.
As they stepped outside, Brian followed behind, closing the door with a wag of his tail. "Guess we're going to The Clam," he remarked, trotting alongside them.
"Well, if anyone needs me, I'll be in my room... uh, doing my thing," Chris Griffin announced awkwardly as he headed upstairs. Meg followed a moment later, shooting a quick glance back before disappearing up the stairs.
Lois, unsure of what else to do, sighed and made her way to the kitchen, leaving the group alone in the living room with Stewie. The baby remained on the couch, quietly observing their every move.
"Alright, let's not beat around the bush. You said this Hacker guy is planning to take over the multiverse, right? Well, we need to act now before it's too late!" Stewie declared, his voice filled with determination as his eyes gleamed with a sense of purpose.
"Look, Stewie, we appreciate that you want to help, but we're not sure there's anything you or any of us can do right now," Inez replied, her uncertainty clear.
"Yeah, besides, we don't want to drag you into this. It's not your fight." WordGirl added, her concern evident.
"But if this Hacker is going to take over the multiverse, he'll eventually come here, looking for you! I can help stop him—and I already have an idea how!" Stewie insisted confidently.
"You do?" Matt asked, leaning forward with interest.
"How?" Digit asked.
"You see, Brian and I have traveled through the multiverse before, using a remote I built specifically for that purpose!" Stewie explained. "It got pretty banged up during our last adventure, but if I can repair it, the remote could get you guys back to Cyberspace and help stop Hacker and his crew!"
"You really think you can fix it?" Jackie asked skeptically.
"Of course I can!" Stewie exclaimed, brimming with confidence. "It's going to take some time, though—I'll need to replace a lot of the remote's components. But once it's up and running, we'll be back in business!" He turned to head upstairs. "Meet me in my room in a bit, and we'll hash out the plan!" With that, Stewie darted off, leaving the group exchanging hopeful glances.
...
Inside the Multiversal Networking System, moments after sending the Cybersquad and their allies through a portal, The Hacker and the other villains gathered around a large table to plan their next steps. Their initial goal had been to conquer Earth and Cyberspace, but the possibility of extending their reach across the entire multiverse was far too tempting to ignore.
"Alright! With those pesky meddlers out of the picture, nothing can stop us from conquering the multiverse!" Hacker boasted, his voice filled with triumph—only to be interrupted by his two loyal henchmen.
"Uh, Boss, you really want to take over the whole multiverse? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Buzz asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"Of course it's a good idea! Give me one reason why it wouldn't be!" Hacker snapped, slamming his fist on the table in frustration.
"Well, for starters, the multiverse is huge! I mean, really, really, REALLY huge!" Delete replied, gesturing wildly to emphasize just how vast the multiverse was.
"Exactly! And that's why it's the perfect plan!" Hacker retorted, his enthusiasm unfazed by Delete's concerns. "With the multiverse under my control, I'll have access to unlimited resources, power, and influence! Just think—ruling over countless worlds, each one ripe for exploitation and dominion. It's the ultimate conquest!"
"Hold on a second," Tobey interrupted, his voice laced with caution. "These two rust-buckets might actually have a point. We have no idea what kind of challenges or dangers we could face along the way."
"True, but we do have one of the Protectors of Cyberspace's crystals already," Zach chimed in confidently. "That puts us one step closer to our goal."
"But the real challenge is finding the remaining three crystals. They could be hidden anywhere," Lady Redundant Woman noted, her tone more pragmatic.
"And if we have to search through every portal to locate them, who knows how long it could take," Gourmand added, highlighting the daunting scope of the task ahead.
Hacker turned his attention to Max, who was gazing down at them with an unreadable expression. "Max! You used to be the assistant to the Protectors of Cyberspace, so you must know where they hid the other three crystals! Tell us their locations, pronto!" Hacker demanded, his voice dripping with impatience.
"I can't give you the e-e-exact locations, but I'll offer you this clue," Max replied cryptically, causing Hacker's temper to flare.
"We don't have time for riddles! Just tell us where to find them!" Hacker barked, his frustration boiling over.
"Check the book," Max sighed, as if stating the obvious.
"The book? What book?" Buzz asked, his confusion growing.
"He's talking about the journal we have—the one that belonged to the Protectors of Cyberspace," Donita clarified, her irritation evident.
"Oh, right… that journal," Buzz mumbled, scratching his head as the realization dawned on him.
"I'll get it!" Delete shouted eagerly.
"No way, I got it first!" Buzz argued as the two rushed toward the book, now resting on Max's control pad.
Both Buzz and Delete grabbed opposite ends of the journal simultaneously, sparking an impromptu tug-of-war. They pulled and yanked with all their might, each determined to be the one to secure the book. As they struggled, Ledge and the other villains tried to intervene, hoping to grab the journal for themselves, but Buzz and Delete were surprisingly nimble, dodging every attempt to seize it from their hands.
Finally, Delete managed to snatch the book away, but his victory was short-lived. In his excitement, he fumbled the journal, sending it flying across the room. It hit the wall with a resounding thud, and to everyone's surprise, an amulet fell out from a hidden compartment within the book's cover. Thankfully, the amulet remained unharmed, its surface unmarred by the impact.
"LOOK WHAT YOU DUNCEBUCKETS HAVE DONE!" Hacker shouted furiously, glaring at the two.
"Gee, we're sorry, Boss!" Buzz replied, his voice heavy with regret.
"Yeah, we didn't mean to break it!" Delete sniffed sadly.
"I don't think you broke anything," Dr. Two-Brains interjected, drawing everyone's attention.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY DIDN'T BREAK IT?" Hacker scowled, pointing at the scattered items. "JUST LOOK AT THE MESS THEY MADE!"
"Yeah, but if you look closely, I think it's supposed to come out like that," Dr. Two-Brains explained, much to Hacker's irritation and the confusion of the others.
"I don't think you broke anything," Dr. Two-Brains interjected, drawing everyone's attention.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY DIDN'T BREAK IT?"
Hacker scowled, pointing at the scattered items. "JUST LOOK AT THE MESS THEY MADE!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY DIDN'T BREAK IT?" Hacker scowled, pointing at the scattered items. "JUST LOOK AT THE MESS THEY MADE!"
"Way to go, Captain Obvious! What's next, are you going to tell us that water is wet?" Victoria Best scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Hey! That's not entirely true!" Dabio interjected eagerly. "Water can be solid when it's ice, and steam when it's heated! And don't forget, the sky isn't always blue. It turns gray when it rains, black at night, and even gets all purplish-orange when the sun rises or sets!"
"Wow, thanks, Dabio, for that groundbreaking revelation!" Chuck replied, rolling his eyes sarcastically.
Ignoring their bickering, Dr. Two-Brains stepped forward, taking the crystal from Hacker's hand. With careful precision, he slotted it into one of the amulet's openings. As soon as the crystal made contact, the room was flooded with a brilliant light, momentarily blinding everyone. Max's screen blinked, now displaying a pair of black sunglasses over his eyes before he turned away from the intense glow.
The amulet, along with the Protectors of Cyberspace's book, suddenly began to levitate, guided by an invisible force. It floated gracefully until the amulet settled back into its place within the book's cover, the power stone secure within it. The book then gently descended onto the table, flipping open to a specific page.
As the light faded, Hacker shook his head, trying to regain his composure. When he glanced at the open page, a sly grin spread across his face. "This is it," he muttered, the wheels turning in his mind. He looked up at the team, his grin widening. "I've got the next piece of the puzzle. Listen up, everyone—we're going after the remaining three crystals, and here's how we're going to do it."
...
In a dimly lit corner booth at The Drunken Clam, Peter and his pals leaned forward eagerly as Martin and Chris Kratt hesitantly lifted their mugs, ready to taste their first sip of beer. The group cheered them on, offering encouragement with playful grins. With a mix of curiosity and apprehension, the brothers took a sip, only to wince at the bitter, sour taste and the sharp sting on their tongues.
"Mmm hmm! Delicious!" Martin said with exaggerated enthusiasm, trying to hide his true feelings about the beer.
"Yeah! Really hits the spot!" Chris Kratt coughed, struggling to keep a straight face.
"So, Peter mentioned something about you guys and those kids having to save the multiverse. What's that all about?" Quagmire asked.
"Yeah, it's a pretty wild story," Chris Kratt replied, exchanging a look with his brother.
Taking turns, the Kratt brothers began to recount their incredible adventure. Although Peter and Brian had heard it before, they listened just as intently, while Quagmire and the others leaned in, their astonishment growing with every detail.
"Oh no! That's awful!" Cleveland exclaimed sympathetically.
"Yeah, we're really sorry to hear that. If there's anything we can do to help, just say the word," Joe offered sincerely.
"Thanks, guys. We appreciate it, but you don't have to put yourselves at risk. This is our responsibility to handle," Chris Kratt replied.
"Come on, we want to help!" Quagmire insisted.
"Besides, if Hacker already has one of those crystals, and we don't stop him and the other villains, who knows how powerful they'll get?" Brian replied.
"They could become more powerful than Lois on Black Friday." Peter added.
"We're just not sure what we can do," Martin admitted, his uncertainty clear.
"Aren't you guys the Wild Kratts? You've faced all kinds of villains before! There's gotta be something you can do," Brian urged.
"Well, one thing's for sure: We're not going to let them take over the multiverse, Cyberspace, or any other world!" Chris Kratt declared, his determination rising. "But right now, we're stuck in Quahog with no way to move forward."
"Yeah, if we're going to stop them, we need to find a way out of here and get to those other crystals before they do—and fast!" Martin added, sharing his brother's resolve.
"If only we had some way to get out of here…" Chris Kratt muttered, taking another sip of beer and grimacing at the bitter taste. "Ugh!"
...
Back at the Griffins' house, Stewie led the Cybersquad upstairs to his room. With a dramatic flourish, he revealed a hidden war room concealed behind his closet, filled with gadgets, robots, and weapons of mass destruction. The sight left the Cybersquad in stunned silence, struggling to comprehend what they were seeing.
"Wow! Does your family even know about this?" Matt asked in bewilderment. Stewie ignored the question and began rummaging through his arsenal, searching for the multiverse remote he and Brian had used many times before. When he finally found it, the remote was in worse shape than he expected.
Stewie quickly instructed the Cybersquad to search the house and yard for specific items he needed to repair the remote. They spread out, finding the requested parts, though they found some of the parts rather odd. Returning to Stewie's room, they handed over what they'd found.
"Hey Stewie, I got the brakes off Brian's car like you asked, but how's this going to help fix the remote?" Digit asked, puzzled.
"Trust me! These parts are crucial! Without them, the remote won't work properly," Stewie assured him, inspecting the brake pads before returning to his repairs.
As Stewie worked on fixing the remote, Lois entered the room carrying a tray of snacks and lemonade. The closet door was wide open, revealing Stewie's arsenal of gadgets, but Lois didn't seem to notice or care.
"Hey, kids, I thought I'd bring you some snacks," she said, handing each of them a glass.
"Not now, Mother! Can't you see I'm busy? The fate of the multiverse is at stake!" Stewie snapped without even looking up from his work.
"Well, that sounds like fun. You kids have a good time," Lois replied cheerfully before leaving the room.
WordGirl turned to Stewie, her face filled with concern. "Does she even know what you're doing? I mean, you've got all this stuff and—"
"Don't worry about her. She's denser than a pool filled with water," Stewie scoffed, dismissing her concern.
...
The Cybersquad sat in the living room, flipping through channels in an attempt to distract themselves while waiting for Stewie to finish fixing the remote. They flipped between channels, as there wasn't anything of interest. A short while later, Peter and the guys returned from the Drunken Clam and sat beside them.
"So, how's everything going?" Peter asked quietly.
"Alright, I guess," Matt replied, equally subdued.
Quagmire shifted uncomfortably, searching for something to say but coming up empty. "Uh, watching TV? That's... nice."
Breaking the awkward silence, Digit asked, "By any chance, do you guys have any ideas on how we could get back to Cyberspace?" The group exchanged uncertain glances, but no one had an answer. "I didn't think so."
"What about you? Any thoughts?" Martin asked, hoping someone might spark an idea.
"Stewie mentioned he's working on fixing a multiverse remote to get us back home," Inez explained.
"A multiverse remote?" Chris Kratt echoed, confused. "Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie."
"Yeah, well, that's Stewie for you. He's pretty handy with gadgets," Matt added with a chuckle.
"No way! Stewie's only five years old... or is he six?" Peter pondered, scratching his head.
"Well, we're gonna head out. Good luck, guys!" Joe announced as the group prepared to leave.
"Yeah, we hope you get back to your world and stop those villains!" Cleveland added.
"Thanks, we'll do our best," WordGirl replied quietly.
"Alright, see you guys later!" Peter waved as they left. After the door closed, Peter headed into the kitchen, leaving the Cybersquad alone to wait for Stewie's progress on the remote.
"Is Stewie really working on a remote that can get us back to our world?" Martin Kratt asked puzzledly.
"Yeah! He's been working non-stop. It's a complicated process, but he's making progress," Inez confirmed.
"That's great! The sooner he finishes, the sooner we can stop Hacker's plans and make things right!" Martin said with determination.
"And we can rescue Dr. Marbles and fix Motherboard," Digit added.
"Hold on, are we sure it's a good idea to go back now?" WordGirl paused, her voice filled with concern. "Remember what happened before? If we return, they might just catch us again and throw us into another portal."
"Plus, we're outnumbered and outmatched," Digit pointed out, worry evident in his voice.
"She's right. Even if we make it back, how are we going to stop them?" Inez questioned.
"But we can't just sit here and do nothing! We have to find a way to fight back, to protect Earth and Cyberspace from Hacker!" Matt insisted.
"Matt's right. We might feel overwhelmed now, but we can't give up. We'll find a way to overcome this." Martin Kratt said, trying to lift their spirits.
"You're not giving up are you? You still have each other, and with this, you can save the day!" Stewie suddenly announced, stepping forward and presenting the fully repaired remote. The Cybersquad's faces lit up with excitement.
"Wow, Stewie, you really did it!" Inez exclaimed, her voice filled with gratitude.
"Impressive work, Stewie!" Martin Kratt added with a nod of approval.
Stewie waved off their praises. "Yes, yes, I know," he replied, feigning modesty. "Now that the remote's fixed, it's time to go take down Hacker and-"
"Stewie, it's past your bedtime. Time to go to bed," Peter interrupted, scooping Stewie up into his arms.
"Not now, you Overgrown-Oaf!" Stewie protested, squirming in Peter's grasp.
"Relax, Stewie. You can play with your friends tomorrow. They need rest after everything they've been through," Peter said, gently taking the remote from Stewie. "Hey, what does this button do?" he asked, looking curiously at the remote.
"No, Fat-Man! Don't press that!" Stewie shouted in alarm.
But before they could do anything, Peter pressed the button, and they were engulfed by a bright flash of light. Hearing the commotion, Lois rushed into the room. "Peter? Stewie?" She called out, only to find the room empty and eerily quiet.
