Failsafes And Plans

(Third Person POV)

The headquarters of the Teen Team was in chaos, but not the kind that came from battling a supervillain or thwarting an alien invasion. No, this was the aftermath of a party that had, by all accounts, gotten wildly out of hand. 

Pizza boxes were strewn across the floor, soda cans piled up like an art installation, and someone had inexplicably hung underwear on the main console. The Teen Team was celebrating, and there was only one reason for that: Carter was back.

Rex Splode lounged on the couch, tossing an empty soda can into the air. "I'm just saying, maybe we should've saved some of the pizza for Carter."

Dupli-Kate rolled her eyes, her duplicates cleaning up the mess around her. "Oh, please, like he's going to be hungry after whatever cosmic buffet he just came back from."

"Cosmic buffet?" shrieked Shrinking Ray from his miniature perch on the arm of the couch. "More like an all-you-can-beat Battle Beast special."

Atom Eve hovered above, using her powers to collect all the stray confetti. "Hey, come on, he's alive, and that's what matters," she said, but there was a tension in her voice. "When he left, I wasn't sure any of us would see him again."

"I'll second that," added Rex. "I mean, Battle Beast? That guy makes Thokk look like a kid's cartoon character."

A groan rose from the doorway, where Invincible had been leaning, trying to look casual but failing miserably. "Do we really need to keep saying his name? It's like Beetlejuice. I'm half-expecting him to show up and start round two right here."

"Relax, Mark," Eve chuckled. "Carter threw him into another dimension, right? I'd say he's got at least a few days' head start on whatever trouble Battle Beast is planning now."

Before anyone could reply, the main doors to the headquarters slid open with a familiar hiss. All heads turned to see Carter standing there, still a little bruised and battered but wearing a lopsided grin. He held up a bandaged hand and waved. "Miss me?"

The room erupted into cheers, the Teen Team rushing over to greet their battle-worn savior. Dupli-Kate's duplicates merged back into her body as she threw her arms around Carter. "You big, dumb Viltrumite! We thought you were done for!"

Carter laughed, a sound that was equal parts relief and exhaustion. "Honestly, so did I. But I'm like a bad penny, I always turn up."

Atom Eve floated down, her expression both stern and concerned. "You had us worried sick, you know that?"

Carter nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that. Battle Beast is... well, he's a lot. But hey, I figured you guys would throw a party either way."

Rex grinned. "You bet we did! But, uh, sorry, we might've eaten all the pizza."

Carter smirked, glancing around at the mess. "I see. Good to know things didn't fall apart without me."

Shrinking Ray puffed up his tiny chest. "I was this close to winning a bet against Robot, just so you know."

Carter chuckled. "I'm sure you were, Ray."

The lighthearted banter continued for a few more moments, but then Robot's mechanical voice cut through the chatter. "Carter, we need to talk. Privately."

Carter's grin faded a little. "Sure thing, Robot. But can it wait? I'm still catching up on all the… confetti."

Robot's glowing green eyes blinked once. "No. It cannot wait."

There was a brief, awkward silence as the rest of the team exchanged glances. They were used to Robot's serious demeanor, but something in his tone made them uneasy.

"Go ahead, Carter," Eve finally said, touching his arm lightly. "We'll still be here when you're done."

Carter nodded and followed Robot out of the main room, feeling the weight of whatever conversation was coming.

Carter stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking a quiet valley. The wind ruffled his hair, and for a moment, he allowed himself to feel the peace of the scenery. 

It was a stark contrast to the chaos he had just left behind. The fight with Battle Beast and the destruction of an entire planet seemed like a distant memory now. But he knew better than to let his guard down.

Footsteps crunched behind him, and he turned to see Robot approaching, his expression as unreadable as ever. "You wanted to talk," Carter said, his voice calm.

Robot nodded. "I did. And it's about Machine Head."

Carter frowned. "What about him? I thought we handed him over to the Global Defense Agency."

"We did," Robot confirmed, "but he's been attempting to buy his way out of incarceration."

A bitter smile crossed Carter's face. "Typical. Let me guess, he's bribed half the jury by now?"

"Not exactly," Robot replied. "The Director has tried to get the threatened jurors to refuse all his offers so that Machine Head remains behind bars. But there's more to it."

Carter's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Robot stepped closer, his mechanical frame casting a long shadow in the fading sunlight. "Machine Head had contingency plans in place. Failsafes designed to activate upon his imprisonment. And they've begun to unfold."

Carter sighed. "Of course, he did. What kind of failsafe are we talking about?"

"Political manipulation, blackmail, and several assassination plots targeting key figures within the Global Defense Agency and other international organizations. He's been playing a long game, and we're only just starting to see the full scope of it."

Carter clenched his fists. "So, what do we do? Take him out permanently?"

Robot's head tilted slightly. "That's one option. But I believe we can dismantle his network more efficiently if we move carefully."

"Carefully?" Carter scoffed. " I am the definition of subtle."

Robot's tone remained steady. "Yes, which is why I'm suggesting we work smarter, not harder. If we act rashly, we risk playing into his hands. He's already calculated every possible reaction."

Carter nodded slowly, thinking it over. "Alright, I assume you have a plan?" To be honest, Carter had already assumed that the machine was trying to flick the odds in his favor and had already created a decent amount of fail saves, but he wanted to get closer to the robot or simply get a read on the man.

Robot's eyes glowed a little brighter. "We go on the offensive. But first, we gather intelligence. I'll need your help accessing some encrypted data files I've been unable to decode."

Carter grinned. "You need me to break into some files? Now you're speaking my language."

Robot didn't return the smile, but there was a faint flicker in his expression that could have been approval. "Good. We'll start tonight."

(Later That Evening)

The Teen Team had gathered in the central hub, their faces lit by the soft glow of the monitors. Carter sat in front of the central console, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he worked on decrypting the files Robot had mentioned.

Rex leaned over his shoulder. "So, what's the deal? We cracking some heads or what?"

"Not yet," Carter replied, his eyes never leaving the screen. "First, we're cracking some codes."

Dupli-Kate chuckled. "Rex, you always think with your fists."

"Hey, it's worked for me so far," Rex shot back, grinning.

Eve sighed. "Let's just focus, okay? Machine Head's up to something big, and we need to be ready."

Carter's hands stilled for a moment as he looked at his friends. "Yeah, we do. But don't worry. We'll get through this, just like we always do."

Invincible snorted. "I still can't believe you fought Battle Beast and came back with just a few bruises. I saw Cecil's files on the guy and how Dad described him. He would've torn him apart in seconds."

Carter chuckled. "Yeah, well, next time I'll bring a souvenir. Maybe his tail."

The room burst into laughter, and for a brief moment, it felt like the weight of the world was lifted. But they all knew there was still work to be done and were ready for whatever came next.

(Two Days Later)

Back at the base, Carter and Robot sat across from each other in a dimly lit room. Robot's mechanical form was still, his glowing red eyes fixed on Carter.

Carter broke the silence first. "Okay, spill it. What's really going on, Robot?"

Green eyes simply stared back at Carter. " I know what you did."

" You're going to have to be a more specific robot. I've done a lot of things." Carter says as he stares at Robot, seeing all his suit's weapons using x-ray vision.

" You and I both know that you know what I've been trying to do. The security around the Mauler twins has been increased twofold. You knew what I was going to do." Carter simply flicked a picture at the machine, which was soon crushed as soon as Robot saw it.

" And I also saw you trying to grab some of Rex's DNA. It doesn't take a genius to know what you're trying to do, Robot. I had already assumed that you weren't an actual machine. The question is, who and where is the pilot?" Robot simply stood there for a moment before turning around.

"Follow me," Robot says as he takes to the skies.

Carter simply shakes his head tiredly, knowing where this will probably go and that he isn't going to make it back home for dinner. This also means he will have to put off merging the immortals' DNA with his until later. Thankfully, his body had managed to recover from the power injection.

But it was time to make Robot a real boy.