Before starting, I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed to this point. I'd like to point out that I don't answer the reviews in the story, since I don't want to slight anyone who may post a review after I update. However, I do respond to all, non-anonymous reviews, usually within 24 hours.

Big, big thank-you to Joe Stoppinghem for Beta reading.

Chapter 2: Arrival in Japan

"We'll be landing in a little bit, KP." Ron's gentle voice and warm breath, in her ear, woke Kim. She found this a much more pleasant experience than her alarm clock. She opened her eyes and discovered that she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder. She smiled, remembering that almost every time she slept during a ride, she wound up with her head on his shoulder. Another clue that I never noticed, she decided. I should have realized how…relaxed I am around him.

She pushed her recriminations out of her mind; they were together now, and that's all that mattered. She stretched a little, stiff from her long bout of forced inactivity; the half-hour flight from Middleton to Denver, then a two-hour layover, then a seven hour flight to Honolulu, then a two hour layover, then a nine hour flight to Tokyo made for a long day. She was puzzled by the horror stories she had heard about traveling coach. She found it pleasant, much better than a cargo hold. Of course, the fact that she was only about five foot five might have a great deal to do with her finding the seat fairly roomy. They had raised the armrest between their seats and had a nice, long cuddle. Ron wasn't much bigger than she was, so the pooled space was more than adequate.

It was a large plane, so it took some time before enough people ahead of them exited so that they could join the line and leave. Ron retrieved their bags from the overhead bin, then retrieved an elderly lady's bag for her. He then used his limited mastery of Japanese to exchange pleasantries with his fellow passengers. Finally, the teens were able to slip into the line of moving people and leave the aircraft.

"So what now?" Kim asked her companion. "You're the expert."

"Doing this once before makes me an expert," Ron snorted. He bent down to retrieve a toy that a child ahead of them had dropped. He returned the toy to its owner, with a smile for the child's mother, before returning to Kim.

"The last time, Yori met me at Baggage Claim," he explained.

"Did you remember to tell them our flight number and arrival time?" Kim prompted.

"Email and…other means," Ron answered. Kim remembered that they couldn't talk freely here. It was very crowded and it would be too easy for the wrong ears to overhear them.

"Okay," Kim replied. "So someone will meet us at Baggage Claim?"

"That would be my guess," Ron shrugged. Then he stepped forward briskly and helped a middle-aged man gather up the papers that had flown from his broken briefcase.

Kim didn't like the idea of going to Baggage Claim. It wasn't that she felt that she was too important to stand around waiting for her checked luggage. Back in Honolulu, Wade had called them to report that a small horde of reporters had staked out the baggage claim at that airport. Obviously, someone in Denver had spotted them getting on the Honolulu plane and had made a few dollars by calling the tip in to various news organizations. Wade had called in a favor or two, and Kim and Ron had actually walked down the skyway to a plane bound for Sydney. Partway down, airline personnel had ushered them through a service door, down a utility corridor, and then through another service hatch and aboard their Tokyo bound airliner. They hoped that the deception had worked, and that nobody on this plane had called in similar tips. Keeping the existence of a martial arts training school secret wouldn't be easy if a pack of reporters followed them.

Ron exchanged bows with the man he had assisted, then rejoined Kim.

"Even if nobody meets us, we can still get there," he reported. We can take a cab to the bus station, then catch a bus to a nearby village. From there, we can get to the school."

"Do you really think we'll have to?" Kim was sure that Yamanouchiwould send someone to retrieve them.

"It may be a kind of test," Ron explained. "I've heard about companies doing something like it to college seniors on their site visits. Tell the interviewee that they'll provide transportation, then don't provide it. Then they get to see if the interviewee panics, gets mad, or just takes it in stride."

"You know more about the school than I do," Kim confessed, linking arms with him again. "Does this sound like something they'd do to check us out."

"The headmaster can be a very subtle man," Ron answered in a very low voice. "I wouldn't put it past him. How about this, if nobody meets us, we take the cab and the bus to that village. We check into a small guesthouse there and go hiking in the mountains."

Kim looked confused for a moment before she understood. Checking into a guesthouse and hiking would give them a plausible reason to be in that area. They would have plenty of opportunities to make covert contact with the school.

"Who are you and what have you done with my sometimes clueless boyfriend?" She asked him, playfully.

"I'm just on vacation," Ron retorted, with a big smile on his face. "I'll go back to being the buffoon when we get home."

"Don't say that about yourself!" Kim snapped. "Ron, I know that even I thought you were being a dolt at times, but I was wrong! You were always doing your best when we were out on the missions and I'm really sorry about all the times I harshed on you when you made mistakes. You've really stepped up lately, and I don't want to ever hear about your clumsy days again."

"They did happen, KP," he pointed out. "And I'm not perfect, so I'll make mistakes again. We can either laugh about my screw-ups or get mad about them. I'd rather laugh."

Kim let go of his arm then wormed under it, resting it across her shoulders while she wrapped her arm around his waist. "We've got to talk about this mature attitude sometime," she informed him. "It really fits you well."

"Anything for my KP," he grinned and gave her a little squeeze. "The world's favorite teen heroine should have an acceptable sidekick."

"I'll get you for that," she promised, squeezing him back. "But the world's favorite teen heroine isn't looking forward to running the 'reporter gauntlet' once we leave the secured area."

They didn't need to worry. Before they even left the terminal Yori appeared, dressed as one of the airline's customer service representatives.

"Miss Possible, Mr. Stoppable," their friend addressed them, with a concealed wink. "There seems to be a problem with your checked luggage. Would you follow me please?"

The two Americans followed her into the employee areas of the terminal, where they claimed their bags and loaded onto a taxi. The taxi slipped out of the employee parking lot and merged with the usual, airport traffic.

"We can now speak freely," Yori informed Kim and Ron. "Welcome to Japan and to Yamanouchi."

"Er…don't take this wrong," Ron answered. "But just how freely can we talk?" The blonde boy nodded towards the driver.

Kim followed his glance and recognized…"Hirotaka?"

"Hai, Possible-san," the Japanese teen, disguised as a driver, acknowledged.

"Hey dude, I heard about you," Ron addressed their driver. "You went to Middleton while I came here last time. I'd say that Middleton got the better of that deal."

"So you say, Stoppable-san," Hirotaka replied, inclined his head to acknowledging the compliment. "But I, at least, knew what to expect. The rigorous training you encountered must have come as something of a shock." Hirotaka's demeanor was much different from the conceited young man who had visited Middleton the previous year.

"Oh, that," Ron brushed it off. "Four A.M. wake up, intensive martial arts training, being attacked by Monkeyfist, (here Kim's eyes widened) no big. You, on the other hand, had to deal with a bunch of hormone-crazed girls-ooofff!"

Kim's elbow in her boyfriend's ribs silenced him even while the two Japanese teens grinned. Kim was hardly proud of the way she had pursued Hirotaka when he had visited Middleton. She had competed with her best female friend for his attention, even though she was kind of dating Josh at the time. She had no intention of ever bringing that up again.

"What can we expect at Yamanouchi?" Kim asked in an effort to divert the conversation. "Ron here wouldn't tell me anything other than to pack light and be ready for a long walk."

"Ron-san takes his pledge of secrecy seriously, Possible-san," Yori replied. "The advice he provided was sound. Did he suggest you do anything else?"

Kim's mind went back to the previous week. With no school and a light mission load, Ron had suggested they conduct two training sessions each day. Kim had gone along with his suggestion, partly because it was a good idea and partly because the 'rents weren't quite as nervous about the two of them being together when they were doing something constructive. Ron had pushed himself hard, concentrating on running up and down steep hills while carrying heavy sandbags. While Kim was in better condition than he was, she found herself pushed, as well.

"No," Kim replied, shaking off here reverie. "He just started working out really hard."

Ron had also pushed for more intense sparring. Kim had inflicted some major bruising on him in the last week, and had taken a few in return. In the past, Ron would have complained about them but now he simply referred to the bruises as lessons and took them in stride. She was still clearly better than he was, but he continued to steadily improve. It wasn't normal for him to be so driven.

"Preparing oneself physically for an unknown trial is never a bad idea," Yori answered, almost sounding like she was quoting a saying. "Like you have undoubtedly inferred from Ron-san's conversation with Hirotoka-san, the training can be quite…rigorous."

"Whoa, sorry," Ron interrupted the conversation. "I almost forgot! Felix gave me a letter to pass along to you." He handed Yori a very thick envelope. "He's been working on it for some time, so you have a fair amount of reading to do."

"My thanks, Ron-san," she took the envelope and tucked it into a notebook, unable to hide her delighted expression. "While Felix-kun and I exchange frequent emails, handwritten correspondence is something to be cherished." Kim and Ron exchanged a glance over the honorific. The four teens continued to talk as Hirotakacontinued to drive. As the Japanese teens wouldn't disclose any more information about Yamanouchi, they found themselves discussing the ramifications of Drakken's and Fisk's earlier actions. Eventually, Hirotaka pulled over on a lonely stretch of mountain road.

"I'll catch up to you later," he informed the other three. "Our garage is in that village we just passed." The other three teens piled out.

"So where's the school?" Kim asked her companions as the taxi drove off.

Ron and Yori exchanged an amused glance before Yori answered.

"Up there," she pointed into the low clouds, where a mountain's silhouette peeked hazily through the fog.

"So how do we get there?" The redhead asked.

Yoriand Ron exchanged another glance before the Japanese girl gave Ron a slight nod, almost as if granting the blonde permission to speak.

"It will of course," Ron intoned, "be our honor to walk.


"So you understand your situation, Mr. Lipsky?"

"Yeah dude," Motor Ed answered the DA. "My lawyer explained it all to me, seriously."

"I'll reiterate," his defense attorney offered. "My client will plead guilty to one charge each of witness tampering and premeditated assault. You, as well as all state and local authorities, will drop all other charges against Mr. Lipsky in return for his testimony."

"Don't forget my boys, seriously!"

The defense attorney nodded. "In addition, all charges against Mr. Lipsky's colleagues, the so called Gearheads, shall be dropped with the exception of one count of assault and attempted theft apiece."

"This is acceptable," the DA assured the two men in front of him. "Mr. Lipsky, are you prepared to make your initial statement?"

"Seriously."

"Very well, begin."

Ed waited until his lawyer nodded to him.

"Well, 'bout three weeks back," Ed began. "Right after my 'cuz did that thing with the robot things, the Monkey Limey shows up."

"Wait," the DA interrupted. "By 'my 'cuz' do you mean Drew Lipsky, by the 'thing with the robot things' do you mean The Diablo Incident, and by 'the Monkey Limey' do you mean Lord Montgomery Fisk?"

"Seriously on it, dude!"

"Right," the DA prompted the big blonde. "Continue."

"So the Monkey Limey shows up and tells me that Drew could be facing the chair, seriously. He told me that we could team up and Drew'd get life, y'know?"

"What was his suggestion?" The DA prompted.

"He said we had to take out Red and the Skinny Dude…"

"By 'Red' do you mean Kim Possible and by 'the Skinny Dude' do you mean Ron Stoppable?" The DA needed to keep his translations current.

"Is that his name? Yeah, Possible and …Spottable?

"Stoppable," the DA corrected.

"Okay, seriously, Red and her sidekick," Motor Ed continued. "The Monkey Limey said that they were gonna be serious witnesses in the trial. If we could get rid of them, the suits might not be able to put Drew in the chair."

"Okay, I can understand that," the DA conceded. "What was in it for Fisk?"

"He had some problem with the Skinny Dude," Ed informed him. "He kept saying something about some magical monkey thing that the Skinny Dude had stolen. He said that he'd whack the Skinny Dude and leave Red to me."

"Why did he want to kill Stoppable?" The DA asked.

"Monkey Limey said that the magic thingy that the Skinny Dude took would come back to him if he killed the kid. I didn't understand it, seriously."

"Why did Fisk need you?"

"Manny, one of my boys, has a contractor's license," Ed explained. "The Monkey Limey had a good plan for the two, seriously."

"Yes, we know all about the plan," the DA continued. "Now, did Manny or any of the other Gearheads know that you intended to kill Possible?"

"No, seriously," Ed's tone was well…serious. "I just told them to grab the Wheel Boy's pack. They didn't know any more than that."

"By 'Wheel Boy' do you mean Felix Renton, and by the pack, do you mean his wheelchair's power source?"

"If that's the kid's name, seriously right on!"

"Let's summarize," the DA said. "Fisk approached you and told you that your cousin, Drew Lipsky, would have a better chance of avoiding the death penalty if Possible and Stoppable were eliminated. He further informed you that Stoppable had taken some magic from him and that he needed to kill Stoppable to regain it. He also had a plan to eliminate the two, which required your assistance. You did not inform any of your associates that you intended to kill Possible. Is this correct?"

"Seriously, Suit Dude," Ed sounded annoyed. "That's what I just said."

"Just translating to English," the DA informed him. "Now, why did you fail to inform your colleagues about your intended homicide?"

Ed stared at the man with a blank expression.

"Why didn't you let the Gearheads know that you were going to whack Red?" Ed's lawyer cut in.

"Hey, I'm no fink!" Ed protested. "I knew there'd be serious charges coming up if we got caught and I didn't want my boys up on a murder rap! Drew's my cousin and it was my job to help him."

"Even by murdering teenagers?" The DA's voice was accusing.

"If it came to that," Ed replied with a flinch. "Look, I don't have anything against Red or the Skinny Dude, seriously. I know that some of my stunts have dinged people up, but I've never whacked anybody before! It's just my 'cuz, him and his mom are the only family I've got. I couldn't just let you suits put him in the chair!"

"Did it ever occur to you that Possible and Stoppable were only two witnesses?" The DA asked him. "What were you going to do, murder everyone who even saw one of the diablos?"

"I didn't know about the other witnesses, seriously," Ed confessed. "Look, I know that I'm not the best tuned engine in the shop, but when Monkey Limey said that they were your big pistons, it made sense to whack them." The big man dropped his face into his hands. "Even if they're just kids."

There was a long silence, broken only by Ed's sobs. Finally, Ed's lawyer felt compelled to speak.

"I think we're finished here," he said. "Remember our agreement. It's my contention that Mr. Fisk manipulated my client."

"I might not be the cleanest plug in the block," Ed muttered. "But that dude's seriously out of alignment."

"Agreed," said the DA. "You're still facing…serious…charges, Mr. Lipsky, but you won't spend the rest of you life in jail." The man paused. "Strictly off the record, what do you intend to do with yourself when you get out?"

"That teacher guy that conked me got me to thinking, seriously," the big man muttered. "Why am I out wrecking stuff? I think I could make a living as a mechanic."

"Seriously?" The DA's eyebrow raised.

"Seriously!"


A few weeks ago, Dr. Drakken had stood at the brink of world domination. Now, he sat in a conference room inside Global Justice's maximum security holding facility. He didn't even rate the ultimate security facility that Shego was undoubtedly in at this time. As much as he hated to admit it, once he was separated from his gizmos, his lab, and his manufacturing facilities, Dr. Drakkenwas a very ordinary man. The sad fact was that the extensive security precautions surrounding him were more for his protection than his confinement.

"How many times to I have to tell you?" He protested. "I made every effort to avoid casualties! My machines only targeted those who resisted!"

"So you're admitting that you instructed those things to target people," his interrogator pounced on his statement. Drew Lipsky thought that he should feel privileged to have a four star general interrogating him, but he didn't.

"Don't answer that!" Drakken's lawyer snapped. One of the few perks he had gained from this strange mixture of civilian, military, and international criminal status was the right to have his lawyer present during questioning.

"Quit trying to lead my client," the man snarled at the general.

"Get off it," the general snapped right back. "We've got him cold. Do you know what the death count is up to, Lipsky? Over two thousand in the U.S. alone! That's two thousand counts of premeditated manslaughter. Your only chance to avoid the death penalty is to come clean, completely clean, before you go to trial. Even then you'll be spending the rest of your life behind bars."

Dr. Drakken looked down in shame. How had it come to this? It was supposed to have been so quick and unexpected! His assets had been almost fully in place before Synthodrone 902 had called in and told him that Stoppable had instigated a background check. Just two more weeks and he would have had all of his ammunition manufactured and cached. Two more weeks and he would have had his second reactor constructed and on line, giving forty percent of his diablos flight capability. Looking back, he decided that he had panicked when he heard that his cover had been blown. He could have spent another several days preparing.

"I never intended any casualties," he said. "If that young fool Stoppable had used his hormones rather than his four brain cells, it wouldn't have happened like this. I would have marshaled my forces and moved with irresistible force. There would have been no conflict and thus no casualties. Blame Stoppable for this fiasco!"

"Shut up, Doctor!" The lawyer screamed, but it was too late.

"Thank you, Lipsky," the general gloated. "You've just admitted to masterminding the entire thing." The man then looked to the lawyer. "If I were you, I'd be advising your client to come clean really fast. The way it stands, his own mouth will convict him before he even gets his day in court."

Doctor Drakkenclamped his jaw shut, determined to keep what few secrets he had left. His Caribbean lair had been raided and he had no illusions about anything useful being left there, but he still had a few resources at his command. There were a handful of safe houses maintained by a convoluted network of front companies, intermediaries, and property management firms. While the various law enforcement agencies would uncover some of them, he was confident that a few would remain. He also had a clandestine laboratory hidden in the Montana Rockies. It's facilities were primitive compared to his lab in the Caribbean, but it was something. Finally, he had three hidden stockpiles, each with thirty of the diablo robots.

These stockpiles were buried deep and carefully shielded against the entire electromagnetic radiation spectrum. The shielding had prevented these diablos from receiving the power and activation signals during his attempted takeover. Because of this, the diablos wouldn't react if the authorities sent out a signal to locate more of the toys. If he should somehow escape, they would form the core of his new criminal enterprise. If he were sentenced to death, he would reveal these stockpiles and the other assets, one at a time, in order to delay his execution.

"I am through speaking to you for today," Drakken informed the general. "You will get nothing further from me until you are prepared to offer something more than perpetual confinement in return for my information."

"Say what you want, Lipsky," the general smirked. "You're already convicted! This trial is only going to be a formality. We've got so much dirt on you that my fourteen year old could beat any legal team you can put together." The man leaned back, put his hands behind his head and his feet on the table. "Waste all the time you want, we've got all the time in the world."