The problem with time travel is that it usually arrives with a very specific, ozone-heavy headache and the sound of someone tripping over their own shoelaces in two different decades at once.
I was in the middle of a "Low-Stakes" inventory check of the lab's cooling systems when the "Possible" sensors didn't just beep—they screamed.
"Sheila," I said, dropping my wrench. "Tell me that wasn't a localized temporal rupture in the girls' locker room."
["I'm afraid it was, Danny,"] Sheila replied, her avatar appearing with a look of extreme calculation. ["I'm detecting a 'Leap-Frog' signature. Two female life-forms have just materialized in a cloud of golden sparkles. They are currently very confused, very loud, and—according to their biometric data—about three minutes away from their own future."]
"Cyd and Shelby," I muttered, the "Campbell" memories of the Disney Channel archives clicking into place. "The time-traveling best friends from Portland. If they're here, it means the 'Possible Protocol' has officially become a magnet for every teenager with a 'glitch' in their reality."
I grabbed my jacket and hit the comms. "Protocol, we have a 'Flash-Forward' event in the West Wing. Kim, Jenny, meet me at the lockers. Ben, Danny—stay on standby. We don't need 'Way Big' stepping on a time-rift."
When I arrived, the hallway was shimmering with fading golden light. Two girls were sitting on the floor, looking dizzy. One had short blonde hair and a leather jacket (Cyd), and the other had long brown hair and a look of organized panic (Shelby).
"Shelbs? Are we in 1974?" Cyd asked, rubbing her head. "Because the lockers are the same, but the smell of meatloaf is... more advanced."
"We're in Middleton, Cyd!" Shelby gasped, looking at the school logo. "That's like six states away! How did a fist-bump take us across the country?"
"It wasn't just a fist-bump," I said, stepping into the hallway. "It was a Temporal Resonator reacting to the 'Anchor' residue in this town. Welcome to the Possible Protocol. You're about five minutes early for your tour."
Kim and Jenny skated up behind me. Kim looked at the girls, then at the fading sparkles. "Time travel. Great. Because ghosts and aliens weren't enough."
"They have a fascinating temporal-displacement signature!" Jenny said, her eyes scanning Cyd and Shelby with a series of blue grids. "They aren't using machines. It's... biological? Danny, their DNA is literally 'blinking'!"
"Whoa, a robot!" Cyd said, standing up and looking at Jenny with awe. "Is she from the future? Did she bring us back pizza from 2050?"
"I'm a sophomore!" Jenny said, puffing out her chest.
"Listen," I said, stepping between them. "I'm Danny Possible. I know about your... 'jumping' ability. And I know about Barry and Naldo."
"Wait, how do you know about our nerds?" Cyd asked, her eyes narrowing.
As if on cue, the lockers behind them began to vibrate. Two boys—one wearing a lab coat (Barry) and one looking like he'd just eaten a very large taco (Naldo)—tumbled out of a secondary rift, landing in a pile of schoolbooks.
"The calculations were correct!" Barry yelled, adjusting his glasses. "The spatial-temporal bridge to the 'Possible' frequency has been established! Naldo, we're in the epicenter of the Crossover!"
"Cool!" Naldo said, looking at Pips, who had phased out of my pocket to investigate the new kids. "Is that a glowing jelly-bean? Can I eat it?"
"No eating the tech-support," I said, picking up Pips.
"Alright, Protocol," I said, turning to the team. "New recruits. Cyd and Shelby are our Infiltration and Tactical Reset team. If a mission goes south, they can jump us back ten minutes to fix the mistake. Barry is a secondary R&D expert to assist Jimmy."
"Another genius?" Jimmy Neutron's voice crackled through the intercom. "I shall prepare a 'Welcome Quiz' to test his knowledge of sub-atomic particle acceleration!"
I looked at the 'Low-Stakes' meter. 14%. Having time-travelers in a school was a risk, but the "Possible" side of me saw the strategic value.
But then, the romance sub-plots decided to 'jump' as well.
Cyd looked at Ben, who was currently walking up while eating a burrito. "Who's the guy with the watch? He looks like he knows where the good snacks are."
Ben paused, a piece of lettuce on his lip. "I'm Ben. And... yeah. I know a guy who knows a taco-stand."
Cyd smirked. "I like your vibe, Watch-Boy. You're coming with us to the 'Recess' area."
Meanwhile, Shelby was looking at Danny Fenton. "You have a very symmetrical face for someone who looks like they're constantly being haunted."
Fenton blushed a deep neon-green. "I... uh... I'm Danny. The other Danny. The ghost one."
"Fascinating," Shelby said, pulling out a planner. "We should schedule a 'Ghost-Standardization' meeting. I like order."
I looked at Jenny. She was watching Cyd and Ben with a look of metallic relief. "It seems Ben has found a 'Fast-Paced' match, Danny," she whispered, leaning into me. "My jealousy-sensors are currently at 0%."
"Good," I said, taking her hand. "Because I think we've got enough 'Interpersonal Complexity' to fill a textbook."
The 'Best Friends Whenever' crew officially joined the roster. We spent the rest of the day in a "Low-Stakes" training exercise where Cyd and Shelby 'reset' a game of dodgeball twenty times until Ron finally managed to hit Principal Barkin with a foam ball without getting detention.
The 'Low-Stakes' meter hit a perfect 5%. The time-stream was stable, the team was growing, and for the first time, we had a 'Undo' button.
["Danny,"] Sheila's voice rang in my ear. ["I've updated the dossier. New Recruits: Cyd, Shelby, Barry, and Naldo. Role: Chrono-Logistics. Also, Barry and Jimmy are currently arguing over who has the better 'Lab-Coat-to-IQ' ratio. I suggest we get more lab coats."]
"Low-stakes, Sheila. Low-stakes."