The V-Plas/Drakken joint venture was located 12,000 feet above sea level, nestled inside a hollowed-out peak in the Rockies. On paper, it was a "High-Altitude Atmospheric Research Station." In reality, it was a multi-billion dollar laboratory designed to bridge the gap between ghostly energy and alien weaponry—a literal "Doomsday Buffet."
"Sheila," I whispered, my breath hitching in the thin, freezing air. I was perched on a jagged ridge a mile from the facility, wrapped in a thermal-camouflage cloak that made me invisible to both radar and the naked eye. "Is the team in position?"
["Target 'Tactician' is currently rappelling down the ventilation shaft. Target 'Powerhouse' is hiding in a supply crate in the loading dock. Target 'Wraith' is phased through the floor of the primary server room. And Target 'Guardian' is... currently complaining about the altitude in the encrypted chat."]
"Tell Jake to breathe through his nose and focus," I muttered. "This isn't a street fight in Canal Street. If the alarm trips, Vlad has enough automated defenses to turn this mountain into a graveyard."
I opened my tactical overlay. Four colored pips moved through the blueprint of the base. This was the first time I was coordinating them as a single unit without being in their ear every second. I had to trust the "Possible" training I'd surreptitiously given Kim, the "Tech-Support" I'd sent Ben, and the "Focus Exercises" I'd leaked to Danny.
"The objective is the 'Unity Core,'" I said into the comms, my 'Producer' voice sounding sharp. "It's a prototype engine that uses ecto-energy to stabilize unstable isotopes—basically, a battery that never runs out and can power a planet... or a death ray. Danny, you find the core. Ben, you're the distraction if things go south. Kim, you're the ghost in the machine—I need those server files. Jake, you're our 'Magical Radar.' If you feel a shift in the 'vibe,' tell us immediately."
[K. Possible]: I'm at the server hub. This tech is... weird. It's like Drakken's blueprints but with a layer of 'ancient' coding I can't read.
[D. Phantom]: That's because it's not code, Kim. It's runes. Vlad's been using ghost-logic to bypass the firewalls. I'm at the core. It's... glowing. And it's singing?
"Singing?" I frowned. "Sheila, run a spectral analysis on the audio feed from Danny's comms."
["It's a low-frequency psychic resonance, Danny. It's not just a battery. It's a beacon. They're trying to call something through."]
Suddenly, the red pips on my screen began to flash.
"Abuse of the premises!" a booming, aristocratic voice echoed through the facility's PA system. "I must say, Daniel, your choice of friends has become remarkably... colorful."
"Vlad," Danny's voice hissed through the link.
"And don't forget the mastermind behind the aesthetics!" a second, more nasal voice joined in. "Shego! Secure the blue one! I'll handle the cheerleader!"
"Drakken and Plasmius," I whispered, my heart racing. "They're both there. This wasn't a research station; it was a trap."
"Team, exfiltrate now!" I shouted. "The Core is a lure! Ben, go Big! Jake, fire-wall! Kim, get those files and move!"
The mountain literally groaned as the "Unity Core" began to pulse with a sickly violet light. On my sensors, I saw a massive energy signature blooming in the center of the lab—not a ghost, not an alien, but something between.
"Sheila," I said, my fingers flying over my wrist-mounted console. "Emergency Protocol: 'Static Shock.' I need you to overload the facility's power grid. We can't let them finish the ritual."
["Danny, if I do that, the team will be trapped in the blast zone."]
"Not if they move now! Ben! Use Way Big if you have to! Get them out of there!"
Through my binoculars, I saw the top of the mountain erupt. A beam of violet light shot into the sky, tearing a hole in the clouds. Four figures burst through the explosion—a giant red dragon carrying a girl, a ghost boy dragging a confused-looking kid, and a massive, towering alien figure that had literally punched a hole through the ceiling.
They landed on the snow-covered slopes, sliding and tumbling as the facility behind them began to collapse into a sinkhole of ectoplasmic fire.
I stood up, the wind whipping my cloak. They were alive. They were messy, covered in soot and magical residue, but they were standing together.
I looked at my screen. The data Kim had managed to download was still uploading to my lab.
"Sheila," I said, a grim smile on my face. "Did we get it?"
["95% of the data recovered, Danny. It seems Drakken and Vlad weren't just working together. They were taking orders from someone else. Someone with a very specific interest in... 'Convergence.'"]
I looked up at the violet scar in the sky before it slowly began to heal.
"Phase One is over," I muttered, turning back toward my hidden transport. "The 'Possible Protocol' just had its first mission. And the villains just realized they aren't the only ones playing the long game."