All Things Probable IV: Graduation

by Slyrr

Ron and Shego fly to rescue Kim and Drakken, who break out of jail on Warhok's flagship! While for Team Probable, Rhonda and her friends struggle to help save the Earth, but find complications as Maze returns and offers his assistance in defeating the Lorwardian invaders! Can they trust the man who helped start the invasion in the first place? Read and review!

4. Ch 3: Stereo-atypical

All Things Probable IV

Graduation
Chapter 3
Stereo-atypical

It was the following morning. Rhonda and Grimm were walking from the parking lot towards Riddleton High for another day at school. They had both been a lot quieter than normal. Rhonda knew Grimm had been out last night on a mission, but hadn't told her. She was also terrified that Grimm would find out that she had done the same thing behind his back.

'So...' said Grimm, not looking at her. 'All rested up?'

Rhonda felt a chill as she recited her practiced, but false answer. 'Yup.'

'Hmm.' Grimm nodded.

'Soooo... what did you wind up doing last night?' she said, already knowing the answer.

'Nothing.' Grimm shrugged.

'Ooooh, you liar!' she thought. 'Going on a mission without me!'

'How about you?' Grimm said, and instantly she went from resentment to panic.

'Uh... also nothing.' she said, fresh chills washing over her.

'Hmm.' Grimm nodded. 'So... whole lotta nothing went on, then.' And he opened the door into the school for her.

'Yup...' said Rhonda awkwardly, as she stepped through the door. 'Whoooole lotta nothing...'

She hung around Grimm while he did his normal morning check-in with Jade at the computer terminal mounted inside his locker - the usual coordination, and setting up their meeting with Killigan after school. But Rhonda was only half-listening, still mulling the previous night's escapades in her mind. And she found herself thinking of ways to avoid making the same mistakes, to improve her performance for the next time. With a start, she realized what she was thinking. Next time...?

'Right, Rhonda?'

Rhonda flinched, her thoughts abruptly scattering. 'Huh?' she said, looking back and forth.

Grimm was looking at her over his shoulder. Behind him, Killigan's face was glaring at them from the computer screen. 'I said, 'we'll do whatever it takes to find your grass vandal'. And he nodded his head towards Killigan, looking at her expectantly.

'Oh! Yeah - right, right.' she said.

'Well see that ya do, laddies!' said Killigan gruffly. 'I'll expect ye at my castle this evening!' And the monitor winked off.

Grimm sighed as he turned to her, closing his locker. 'Not a good idea to get distracted in front of a client.' he said. 'We have to present an A-game face to keep them impressed.'

'Sorry.' she said, but deep inside, she felt a flicker of resentment - something she'd never felt before when working with Grimm, and it surprised her. She looked past Grimm to the walls above the locker, and immediately thought of a plausible dodge. 'It's just... Finals are this week, you know.'

Grimm looked where she was looking, at a large banner poster that read 'It's The Finals Countdown: Da-da-daaaa-daaah!' along with a mixture of cartoon musical notes. And to her relief, this seemed to satisfy him. 'Don't sweat it.' he said, turning back to her with a faint smile. 'Even with Darken's needling, we still got you caught up with everything you missed while you were... away. You'll do fine. We're due at Killigan's a couple hours after school. Stay frosty.' And he gave her a quick kiss before heading down the hall.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

In orbit beyond the Earth, the Battles of the Lorwardian fleet were all seated around a conference table on board Warhok's flagship. As with most Lorwardian ships, the room was dimly lit. Everyone was glancing towards a larger, more imposing chair at the head of the table. That chair was empty.

BattleHard'n was tapping an impatient finger on the table. 'The staff meeting was supposed to begin ten minutes ago.' he murmured.

'If you wish to begin without General Warhok,' said BattleF'yuri, with a smirk, 'By all means, conduct the meeting. I shall leave you to explain yourself to Warhok when he arrives.'

BattleHard'n's face turned brown in his anger at the needling. 'You insolent...' he growled, but his voice trailed back into silence.

'Still, I would rather be you than BattleSkaar.' said BattleF'yuri, turning to where BattleSkaar was seated to the right of the head chair. 'After all, he placed you in command of the marker project - which remains woefully behind schedule. I'll be interested to see how you explain yourself to Warhok this time.' BattleF'yuri was a skilled and eager fighter, a trait which he carried over to conversations. He delighted in taking what he perceived as the upper hand in any discussion, and keeping everyone off-balance. His determination to be victorious made him an asset on the battlefield, but an annoyance everywhere else. He faltered a little when he saw that BattleSkaar showed no sign of responding to him. After a moment's pause, he raised his voice slightly. 'I said - I shall be interested to see...' he started.

'I heard you.' said BattleSkaar impassively. 'But as is often the case, I simply don't care what you have to say.'

Now BattleF'yuri's face was the one discoloring, but any attempt he was about to make to regain his conversational footing was stalled. The door to the chamber hissed open, and the hulking shape of Warhok strode into the room. The Battles all rose to their feet and saluted as Warhok took his place in the head chair. WarMonga was with him, and stood beside the chair like a guard.

With a motion of his hand, he gestured the Battles back to their seats. 'Let us begin.' he said, in his low, reptilian sounding voice.

Much of the meeting was procedural, with the Battles going over the dispersal of the ships, maintenance on the weapons, taking stock of their energy and supplies, and so on. At last, Warhok turned to BattleF'yuri. 'And what is the status of your ships and their crews?' He said, his voice now sounding bored with the meeting.

BattleF'yuri smirked as he stood up and addressed the supreme general. 'Unchanged, my lord.' he said. 'The fleet is deployed as you have ordered, and all is in readiness to launch the invasion. There is, however, a point of concern...' He let his voice trail off theatrically.

Warhok's yellow eyes narrowed. 'And what might that be?' he said impatiently, familiar with BattleF'yuri's penchant of turning meetings into verbal sparring matches with the other Battles.

'The men are growing impatient.' he said with a regretful sigh. 'They have been sequestered for some time now, waiting to begin the operation. There is only so much that working out in the training rooms can do to alleviate their stress. We await only word from BattleSkaar that he has finally completed the marker project. And, no doubt, he is here to provide that word.' And here he stared at BattleSkaar with a triumphant smirk.

'Well, BattleSkaar?' said Warhok. 'What say you? I confess - I share the anxiety of BattleF'yuri's men with regards to beginning the invasion.'

'Not to mention, the hunt for the humans who... defied me!' said Warmonga, stepping forward suddenly. 'We have heard nothing about the status of this search for some time and...' Warhok did not speak. He merely made a half-glance towards Warmonga. She caught the motion at once, and stepped back a pace. '...and our Supreme General is most displeased.' she ended, her voice now sounding more formal.

Warhok glared back towards BattleSkaar. 'Well?' he said. 'What have you to say?'

BattleSkaar did not rise. He merely looked at the center of the table as if pondering. 'The answer to both of those questions must be answered with another question.' he said. 'Do you want the operations done quickly - or do you want them done successfully?'

Warhok's eyes narrowed again as tension flared in the room. BattleF'yuri pounced eagerly. 'Do not insult our captain general.' he sneered. 'He requires speed and success, and you have had time enough to...'

'Do not presume to speak for me, BattleF'yuri.' Warhok growled, and BattleF'yuri fell silent at once. Then staring at BattleSkaar, he went on. 'But you disappoint me, BattleSkaar. I trusted you with both preparing this world to be conquered, and hunting down the two humans. And it does seem - you have failed at both.'

'The key so far has been stealth.' said BattleSkaar. 'As I am sure we all know,' he paused, bowing his head slightly to BattleF'yuri, 'We have been straitly charged with ensuring the humans know nothing of their coming doom until the moment we strike.'

'Yes yes, we are all well aware.' said BattleF'yuri. 'If you are trying to say that you lack the subtlety for these operations, then I humbly offer to assume command. I assure you, Lord Warhok, that I and my men stand ready to...'

'Perhaps, Lord Warhok, you recall Warmonga's report on the human's stealth technology.' said BattleSkaar, breaking over the voice of his comrade. 'As it happens - I have recently acquired access to similar methods of concealment, which should speed the marker project to the point where we are back on schedule.'

BattleF'yuri winced at the look of quiet interest that spread across Warhok's face. BattleSkaar had timed this revelation well, scoring a definite touch against him.

'Truly?' said Warhok. 'That is of interest.'

'And do you bring proof of this acquisition?' said BattleF'yuri, horning back in. He looked around the room mockingly. 'I see no evidence of it.'

'Of course you do not see.' said BattleSkaar with a sneer of his own. 'It is stealth technology. Still, if you desire a demonstration...' He looked back to Warhok. 'What would you say is the most vulnerable point on this ship?'

'The off switch in Main Engineering, of course.' Warhok growled.

'Which is why they are always kept under heavy guard...' BattleF'yuri drawled.

As they spoke, BattleSkaar tapped a button on his bracer, which emitted a soft beep. The room was immediately plunged into total darkness. There was a draining, humming sound. BattleF'yuri flailed his arms and legs as he felt the artificial gravity turning off, and a tightness in his chest told him that life support had also gone down. There were several seconds of shouting and confusion in the darkness. Warhok's voice rose above them all in a grating shout. 'BattleSkaar...!'

Another beep, and the lights, the gravity, and the air were all restored. Some of the Battles fell from mid-air onto the floor in tangled heaps. Warmonga was stumbling as she steadied and righted herself, looking around in surprise. Warhok had kept a firm grip on his chair, as had BattleSkaar, and they merely lurched as the feeling of weight returned to them. The communication panel next to Warhok was flashing, and there was a muted babble of voices over several comlinks. Warhok glared angrily at BattleSkaar. 'You dare to sabotage my command ship?' he hissed.

'My apologies - but I believe I was asked for proof that I have access to methods of human cloaking and concealment.' he said with a bow to the supreme general. 'Despite heavy guard, you see I was able to compromise main Engineering.'

BattleF'yuri looked rattled, but still defiant. 'We were at our ease!' he snarled. 'It's hardly impressive for you to catch us off guard in the very midst of our own fleet! Any simpleton could sneak a lone operative past security with disguises and proper timing - setting the markers without detection is another matter entirely...'

'Well - surely you are on your guard now.' said BattleSkaar, and finally there was the hint of a smile on his face.

'I...' BattleF'yuri began, but there was a sudden blur of motion from behind him. Out of nowhere from the shadows, several Fights strode forward with weapons in hand. One of them held a blaster to the back of his head. BattleF'yuri froze, his eyes twitching fearfully from side to side.

BattleSkaar's smile was now wide and triumphant. 'Do you require any further proof?' he said casually.

'Enough!' Warhok rose from his chair. 'You have made your point.'

BattleSkaar nodded to his troops. The Fights holstered their weapons, stepped back and bowed.

'General!' BattleF'yuri hissed, with yet another nervous glance behind him. 'BattleSkaar has made fools of us - this is an outrage!' But he desisted when Warhok waved him to silence.

He strode slowly around the table, taking note of exactly how many Fights had been part of the demonstration. 'That was extremely disrespectful,' he said at last. 'But bold - impressive - and above all, effective.'

Without any further preamble, BattleSkaar waved to his side, and another figure stepped forward from the shadows. This was no Fight though, but a small, thin human dressed in strange garb and carrying a staff. 'Allow me to introduce Maze.' he said, and Maze nodded without speaking. 'We captured this human during the marker operation - and he has agreed to enter our service. It was he who provided the concealment for this demonstration - and more. We have already conducted the setting of an additional marker, making use of his abilities. The operation was conducted near one of the humans' major cities - yet it was accomplished without detection.'

BattleF'yuri felt anger as Warhok looked more and more impressed. His advantages in this meeting were rapidly evaporating, and BattleSkaar was scoring definite points. Even his fellow Battles were nodding and muttering.

'Making use of the human's abilities, I have every confidence that the marker project will be completed without further difficulty...' BattleSkaar was saying, gesturing towards a tactical map of the planet Earth, showing the location and statistics of each designated landing zone.

'I would like assurances beyond your word.' said BattleF'yuri. 'Has this human even been properly questioned?' He glared at Maze. 'Why do you not speak, silent one?' he said, mockingly.

Maze bowed his head slightly. 'I will speak, if ordered.' he said quietly. 'Because unlike some others in this room - I know my place.' At Maze's words, there was a ripple of chuckles from the other Battles.

BattleF'yuri gritted his teeth angrily. 'You expect us to place our confidences and trust the success of the invasion to... this?' he hissed, gesturing to Maze. 'Look at it! Frail, and weak...'

BattleSkaar paused, looking at BattleF'yuri in amusement, and BattleF'yuri could tell that he had seen through his attempt to wrest control of the debate again. 'Perhaps, General Warhok, you could have Warmonga inform the room of how remarkably resilient the humans can be, despite their size...?'

Warmonga glared furiously. But Warhok held up his hand and silence fell. He regarded Maze for a moment before staring directly at BattleSkaar. 'Will you swear with an oath, that the marker project will be completed on schedule, and that the Earthlings will not be aware of our forces until it is too late?'

BattleSkaar nodded. 'On my life.' he said. 'And... as a gift to Warmonga, I offer this information - intelligence also supplied by our new servant.' He tapped the controls embedded into his bracer again, and the image of a red-headed human female appeared on the holographic viewscreen, along with map coordinates. 'Coordinates for the dwelling place of the human female known as Kim Possible.'

Warmonga turned an eager and ferocious look to Warhok, who looked back at her understandingly. 'General!' she said. 'Let me go and...'

'In due time.' Warhok broke over her. And she lapsed back into silence. He turned back to BattleSkaar, and he was now smiling. 'You have done well, BattleSkaar.' he said, clapping his hand on his shoulder. 'I admit I was losing confidence. Do you have news of the other human? The one who claimed to have been the Great Blue?'

'Soon, my lord.' said BattleSkaar. 'Maze is a hunter. As with Kim Possible, the blue human will not elude us much longer.'

Warhok nodded. 'Very well. But if this human is to hunt for us - he will need suitable weaponry. See that he is upgraded, then continue with the operations.' He looked around the table at the rest of them. 'Return to your posts - that will be all.' Then he turned and left the room, with Warmonga following in his wake.

The other Battles resumed their muttering, but BattleSkaar nodded to Maze and the Fights, and they trooped out from the conference room not long after Warhok had left. BattleF'yuri remained on his feet, glaring silently after them.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

On board their shuttle, BattleSkaar and his crew glided through the cloud of Lorwardian ships and cruisers, heading back to their own flagship. Maze was seated uncomfortably in one of the hard seats, looking comically small beside the muscular Fights. BattleSkaar was seated in the command chair.

'Permission to speak, my lord?' said Maze, after several minutes of silence. BattleSkaar turned his head, and grunted. Maze left his seat and stood next to the command chair. 'I trust this meeting went according to your wishes, and that your comrades were suitably impressed?'

BattleSkaar paused before answering. 'You have done well, so far.' he said. 'Your control over shadows allowed us to slip an operative into Engineering, and the distraction there allowed our men to enter the conference room without detection. Though the 'hunt' for Kim Possible was hardly an accomplishment to boast of. Had we known that she made no secret of the location of her home...'

'Nevertheless, thanks to me, it is one less thing for you to worry about.' Maze said. 'But I am curious to know... what did your leader mean when he said I should be... upgraded?'

BattleSkaar glanced aside at him. 'Because BattleF'yuri was right.' he answered. 'You are weak. And among our people - that will not do. Battle and combat are filled with chaos and unpredictable outcomes. There may come a time in our service when you must fend for yourself. Since you lack the physical prowess of our warriors, the only option is to equip you with our advanced weaponry.'

Maze winced on hearing this, but BattleSkaar's ship was now looming before them, gliding towards the docking bay, and no one heeded Maze for the moment as they prepared to land.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Tweeeeeeeeeet!

The coach's track whistle sent it's piercing trill echoing over the grounds at Riddleton High. 'All right ladies, time's up!' shouted Coach Lynch. She tucked her whistle beneath the collar of her grey track jersey. The line of girls on the track team dropped from their chin-up bars and groaned, either sitting on the ground, or lying flat in their weariness. All except one. Rhonda Fatigable was still doing pull-ups. She didn't even seem to have heard the whistle. 'And the winner is... Rhonda!' Said Lynch.

Rhonda was still doing pull-ups though. It looked like she was actually daydreaming and not paying attention. 'Rhonda!' Lynch barked. 'I said time!'

'Huh?' Rhonda said, then looked around in confusion. 'Oh - yeah.' and she dropped to the ground, looking unwinded.

Lynch raised an eyebrow, but went on with the lesson. 'I know you Seniors are in your last few days here.' she said. 'But the rest of you will be back next year, and I want you toughened up so you don't go completely soft over the summer! And even you Seniors still have to take the end of year physical as part of your exams! Remember that while you do your cool-down stretching, then hit the showers!'

The girl track team groaned again, but staggered to their feet and began stretching feebly. Felicia took a place next to Rhonda, who stretched as well, though she seemed to have lapsed back into daydreaming. Rueful was stretching beside her.

'Penny for your thoughts, BFF?' she said.

Rhonda shrugged. In truth, she was still thinking about the other night, and her crime-fighting venture. She had made up her mind to try it again - but there was a problem. Grimm's single-minded mission mentality. When would she ever find a time to fly solo again? It would be so much easier if he could come with her and be part of it all - but she knew he'd never buy into it. She could practically hear his voice saying: 'Who's going to pay us?' Finally she said out loud, 'Finals are coming up.' It had worked with Grimm, and she hoped it would work with Felicia.

But Felicia didn't seem to fully buy it. 'What kind of exam prep lands you with all the bruises?'

'Huh?' Rhonda said.

Felecia slapped her lightly on her thigh, making her squeal. 'Those bruises!' she said. 'You look like one of Jackson Pollock's throwaway canvases. Has Grimm been working you too much in the training yard?'

Rhonda hadn't really noticed. Running up and down both legs were a series of mottled purple and yellowish splotches, souvenirs of her adventure from last night. 'Oh!' she said, latching on to Felicia's presumption. 'Yeah - I was off kilter the other day, and Jade had put some fresh air cartridges in the tennis ball launchers...'

Felicia shrugged. 'Well, it doesn't seem to have affected your game. I mean, I'm used to you creaming everyone else on the race track, but lately you've been beating us in everything.'

'Have I?'

Felecia was looking more politely incredulous by the moment. 'Rhonda...' she said, 'What's up with you? You did like sixty pull-ups without breaking a sweat! You even beat me, and I've got a mechanical arm! And don't say it's exam jitters - I'm worried about the exams too, but that didn't turn me into ultra-girl.'

Rhonda dithered for a few moments, because Felicia was sounding downright suspicious. 'Uhhhh...' she said intelligently, looking at Rueful for support. But Rueful spread his paws out and shrugged.

At that moment, Lynch blew her whistle loudly again. 'Showers, ladies!' she yelled.

'Woops - gotta go!' Rhonda spluttered, and dashed towards the locker rooms, leaving her unsatisfied friend behind.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

After cleaning up and getting dressed, Rhonda was walking through the halls to her next class with Rueful's head poking out of her backpack. The school day was drawing to a close, and all she wanted to do now was find someplace to think in peace. But she knew the mission to Killigan's was coming up. And who knew what else was coming in to Grimm's inbox from Jade? How would she ever be able to try another hero-style outing with everything else that was going on?

'Ms. Fatigable!'

Rhonda flinched, stopping in place and turning around. Ms. Darken was standing in the hall, staring at her. 'Uh... yes?' she said, timidly.

'How did it go last night?'

Rhonda's jaw nearly dropped. 'H... how did what go?' she said, struggling to keep her voice from quavering.

Ms. Darken's eyes narrowed. 'The independent venture you spoke of?' She said.

A jumble of memories flashed through Rhonda's brain. Line swinging between buildings, fighting the muggers, and sneaking in and out of Grimm's house... 'Oh! Uh... great.' she said. Ms. Darken simply stood there staring at her. Finally, Rhonda bit her lip and looked away. 'Well... gotta get to class.' she said. And at Ms. Darken's half-nod, she turned and started away down the hall.

'Ms. Fatigable!'

Rhonda flinched, freezing in place as Ms. Darken's voice barked out again. 'What, are we in a Columbo episode?' she thought, but paused to look back.

The Principal's eyebrow was raised high, and an uncharacteristically mischievous look was on her normally stern face. 'Interesting things I saw last night on the news.' she said. 'It would seem we have some kind of heroine vigilante in town. Calls herself 'Poxorza'. Very interesting... indeed.'

Rhonda had never actually felt as if color was draining from her face, until then. She dithered for a moment, then forced out a dry, wheezing chuckle. 'Really?' she said, gritting her teeth and forcing her lips into a weak smile. 'Talk about weird. Takes all kinds to make a world, huh?'

Ms. Darken continued to stare at her. 'Yes.' she said. 'Yes, it does.' Then after another uncomfortable pause, she turned and strode away, her heels clacking on the tile floor.

Rhonda detoured into the girl's restroom, made sure she was alone, then started hyperventilating. Rueful passed her a paper bag from the backpack and she took it eagerly. 'Oh man...' she thought. 'They're on to me! They are so onto me! And it was just one night! I had a mask on and everything - how come Clark Kent gets to fool everybody with a pair of stupid glasses?'

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

'Thanks for the boost, Senor Senior Sr.' said Grimm. The cargo hatch of the Seniors' luxury jet had been opened, and the Ksikkihkíni was poised for a launch into the void.

'Think nothing of it, Mr. Probable.' said Senor Senior Sr., looking over his shoulder at them from the cockpit. 'I was on my way to my European villa, and it is a happy coincidence that our paths are so close. It is the least I can do after you suggested Mr. Rotiffle should be the one to write the computer program for Junior's online dating search.'

'Always glad to help, Mr. Senior.' Grimm answered with a salute, and then he hit the accelerator and the Ksikkihkíni launched through the cargo hatch.

Even after her experience the previous night, Rhonda still found high altitude flying to be terrifying, and she held tight onto Grimm as they careened through the air. It wasn't long before Duff Killigan's island was in view. They were still a fair way off, and Grimm descended until they were only a few yards above the surface of the water.

'Not that I'm complaining, but why are we going in so low?' Rhonda shouted above the surrounding wind.

'Just staying under the radar like we always do.' Grimm called back. 'Ever since that business with the Ultra-Atmospheric Jammer, most countries have been pretty paranoid about people invading their air space.'

Soon they reached the island, and Grimm swooped the bike upwards to dart past the cliffs, then skidded the bike onto the path leading to Killigan's castle. The structure loomed before them, a strange throwback to medieval times, complete with flaming torches and flapping banners.

Grimm dismounted and hammered on the heavy wooden doors of the outside gate, and a moment later, Duff Killigan was pushing the door open and stumping out to join them. 'It's about time!' he huffed. 'This way!' and he strode out onto the grounds without any further preamble.

They hiked up several rolling hills. 'What, no tea?' said Rhonda.

'I'm not payin' ye for tea!' said Killigan. 'Me grounds have been violated, and I want ye to find out who did it!' He abruptly halted as they reached a wider expanse.

It was a beautiful sight - with the rippling green hills smoothly sweeping all around them, and further beyond was the deep blue of the sea. The grass was lush and neatly manicured, like a vast, green shag carpet with dirt. There were oval shaped patches here and there. Some were a deeper shade of green, with flags planted in them. Others were yellowish-white sand traps. It was a top notch golf course.

Except that there was a huge patch of ragged black in one area, as if flames had scorched the earth. Grimm took out his communicator as they hiked to the edge of the blighted grass, and Rhonda heard the high pitched whine of the scanner. He stooped to one knee, running his hand across a charred section, feeling the ashes and even holding some up to his nose to sniff while keeping his other hand and the scanner held out.

Finally he stood up again. 'It's like regular old burnt grass.' he said. 'How about it Jade - anything unusual?'

The communicator buzzed with static for a moment. Grimm frowned and shook the communicator for a moment before Jade's voice piped in. The picture and audio were scratchy. 'Sorry GP - there's some kind of global interference going on - could be sunspots. But I'm not detecting any chemicals or accelerants in the patch you scanned.' she said. 'And when you consider the amount of precipitation the island usually gets, that's weird. If it was ordinary vandals, they'd have needed a truckload of gasoline or lye to burn up moist grass like this. Rocket fuel burns cleaner, but even that would have left traces.'

'That's what I was thinking.' said Grimm, shaking his head. 'It's a really clean burn - almost like someone did it with a laser.'

Rhonda shrugged. 'Maybe one of the other super villains did it as a prank.' she said. 'Dementor, or Drakken? He mounted a death ray on that hovercraft of his once, didn't he?'

Killigan sniffed. 'Well that would explain a few things.' he said, growling. 'I have na' really been on speaking terms with Drakken since that business with the Centurion project...'

'Still, if Drakken wanted to go after Killigan, I think he'd do more than just torch part of his lawn.' said Grimm. 'But, it's a place to start. Jade, look up any individual or group on Earth who would have the tech to pull this off, and cross-reference it with anyone who might have a grudge against Killigan. As a mercenary for hire, he could have made any number of enemies.'

'Aye, and ye wouldn't know anything about bein' a mercenary now, would ye laddie?' said Killigan sarcastically.

'Fraid not.' said Grimm. 'Jade - scoot.'

'On it!' Jade chirped, and the communicator screen went black.

'And Killigan?' Grimm said, turning back to the evil golfer. 'When we track down your vandal, we'll be in touch. In the meantime...'

Killigan winced, handing over a thick wad of bills and sounding tired. 'Aye, I know the routine. Half now, the rest when ye're done.'

'Please and thank you.' said Grimm, handing the money to Rhonda, who sighed and did the long-practiced sweeping of the cash for bugs and tracer chemicals. Suddenly she heard a loud buzzing and yelped, thinking maybe at last the scans had turned up something bogus. But the buzzing wasn't coming from her communicator. The putting green in which they were standing had a flag with a decorative knob on top mounted in the hole. The knob was now glowing red and emitting a loud alarm.

'Proximity alert!' Killigan said, striding to the edge of the green. A small patch of turf rose up, revealing a metal cylinder, which had a computer screen and console embedded into it. 'Someone's approachin' me island!'

Rhonda's mouth hung open. 'You have control panels installed on the grounds?' she said in disbelief.

'Aye.' said Killigan, tapping at the keyboard. 'A good game o' golf takes a while, lassie. I canna leave in the middle of a game whenever I get a phone call!'

'Ever hear of cell phones...?'

But Killigan was leaning towards the screen. It showed a section of blue sky. And against the blue, a set of blinking yellow crosshairs were flashing around a small dot of pink. Rhonda leaned in. 'Who is it?'

Grimm leaned in as well, and his eyes narrowed. 'Flying. Pink. Possible.' he grimaced. 'Great. Her we don't need.'

Rhonda shrugged. 'What's the big deal?' she said. 'We're not doing anything illegal, so what if she catches us here?'

A smirk was still lurking at the edge of Grimm's lips as he slid the communicator back in his hip pouch. 'I had my fill of them during the Monkey Fist sitch.' he said. 'Besides, there's no reason to remind them we're still out there.'

'We could swap notes, maybe.' said Rhonda. 'If they're investigating the lawn, too...'

'Doubtful.' said Grimm, backing away towards the castle where the Ksikkihkíni was parked. 'And if they want our intel, they'll have to A: come begging, and B: pay for it.'

Rhonda almost sighed audibly. She'd never realized how petty the whole rivalry with Team Possible had become. Grimm was treating it like a game of hide-and-seek. Which might have been fun if they were still in pre-K, but they were teenagers now... She didn't want to bother running and hiding from Kim and Ron, especially since they weren't doing anything to be ashamed of. But Grimm had turned to Killigan, speaking rapidly as the tiny speck that was the Sloth continued to approach.

'Killigan - did you set up those extra traps like I suggested?'

'Aye.' Killigan answered.

'Set off a few to distract Possible and her gang while we take a powder, would you?'

Killigan's face broke into its first smile since they had arrived. 'Now ye're talkin', laddie!'

They raced back to the castle entrance. Grimm and Rhonda mounted the bike while Rueful squeaked excitedly from Rhonda's backpack. But Grimm didn't take to the air. Instead he saluted Killigan, then set off along the grounds, steering towards a set of raised bluffs in the distance.

He was going so slowly that Rhonda got nervous. 'I thought we were taking off...' she said.

Grimm shook his head. 'If we go skyward now, they're bound to see us.' he said. 'So we wait for the right moment. We'll keep an eye on where they land, then the minute they're looking away...'

But both of them froze in surprise. The Pink Sloth roared right over them, and landed only a few yards away. Grimm winced and scooted the bike along the rough ground until they were shielded behind a small ridge. After a moment, they heard approaching footsteps.

Rhonda craned her neck around Grimm's shoulder glimpsed the heads of Kim and Ron - just past the ridge and only a few feet away. She almost squealed, but Grimm raised a finger, shaking his head. For the moment the bike was concealed in shadows, but if either Kim or Ron turned towards them...

But Kim had a pair of binoculars out, and she paused, crouching down. She had taken place behind another smaller ridge, near some of Killigan's golf holes. Her back was turned to them, and she seemed to be scoping out the castle and the grounds beyond. 'If Killigan has been vandalizing golf courses, we need to find out why!' they heard her voice speaking.

Ron didn't see them either. He seemed focused on Kim, although it was clear he hadn't been listening to her. 'Yeah I guess when you think about it - we've been through a lot together.' he said. 'And Graduation shouldn't have any effect on our relationship...'

'Um - Ron? Low pro?' said Kim.

'Oh!' Ron said, and he quickly crouched down, his voice sinking to a whisper. 'I always forget! Horizontal sneaky!'

Kim had resumed her spying on the grounds. 'Looks normalish...' she said.

Rhonda remained hunkered down on the bike. All Kim or Ron would have to do was turn around and they'd be caught. She still didn't think it would be any big deal, but Grimm whispered softly, his voice almost totally muffled by his helmet. 'Wait for it...' he said.

Kim was talking to someone on her Kimmunicator, and Rhonda caught the static-ey voice of Wade. 'But they're probably hidden...' he was saying.

At that moment, the ground trembled. And suddenly, gigantic telescoping cannons were rising out of the ground to Kim's left and right. They leveled and aimed at Kim and Ron. 'Not anymore!' Kim said fiercely.

The cannons rocked in place as they fired cascades of beeping golf balls. Kim and Ron vaulted over the ridge in front of them and dashed forward, disappearing from view as the first volley hit with loud explosions. The muffled sound of continuing blasts and Ron's wailing screams told Rhonda that there were more cannons planted on the grounds as well.

'Go!' Grimm said, and the Ksikkihkíni suddenly shot forward. The nacelle wings unfolded and they were soaring up and away.

Rhonda looked back down as the island shrank beneath them. She could still see Ron and Kim, dashing along, barely staying ahead of the explosions, but still heading towards the castle. 'Yeesh,' Rhonda said. 'If Killigan's kilt was in such a wad about keeping his golf course in good shape, then why do his traps involve dropping bombs on it?'

'That's his problem.' said Grimm, the flushed excitement of a successful getaway was in his voice. 'Eat our dust, Possible!' And he gunned the bike, heading away at top speed.

As the island got smaller, Rhonda noted something strange about the grounds - the patch of ruined grass had a strange shape, like a symbol of some kind. 'Grimm?' she said. 'You might want to look at this...'

'In a minute.' he answered, distracted. 'Gotta keep an eye on the instruments. Nations - airspace - trigger-happy... You know the drill.'

Rhonda sighed and lapsed into silence as they flew, but she kept her neck craned back, looking at the strange symbol. She wasn't sure why, but something about was disquieting.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Later in his room, Grimm was putting away his mission gear. 'Not a bad afternoon, all things considered,' he thought. 'We've got Killigan on the hook for a decent price, Jade'll track down the vandal lickety-split, and we got to skunk Team Possible again to boot. Nice.'

He was turning away from the closet, intending to do some more studying for the upcoming final exams, when his glance swept across the battle suit. He paused, because something caught his eye. He leaned in, looking closer. And he frowned as he plucked a long, blonde hair from behind the collar...

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

'What's up?' said Rhonda. She was in Grimm's room, and feeling annoyed again. She was just getting started on more studying for her own finals when her communicator had beeped and she'd read a text. Rhonda - come to my place - we need to talk. - Grimm

She'd gone over right away, and was getting confused because he didn't seem in any rush to tell her why he'd interrupted her homework. Grimm looked uncomfortable and didn't answer. Instead he stepped past her and pushed the door closed.

'Uh... you know your mom doesn't want the door closed when we're in the room together, right?' she said, having had Mrs. Probable's house rules welded into her head through months of constant repetition.

Grimm shrugged. 'Best to keep this one on the down-low.' he said.

Something about his voice was off, and she was starting to get worried. He wasn't talking or acting at all like he wanted a kiss or anything. He sounded all serious. 'Grimm what's going on? You're kind of wierding me out here...'

'Why'd you take the battle suit?'

Wham. The question hit her hard and fast, like a sucker punch. So he knew already. After only one flippin' day. Her heart started pounding and she fought back the urge to start hyperventilating again. 'H...how'd you know?' she said. She thought she'd covered her tracks well - even Jade wasn't talking and she was the only other person who knew... for sure.

Grimm was looking at her, and seeming disappointed. 'As big a help as the suit can be, I knew it could be an even bigger pain if it fell into the wrong hands.' he said, and he held up a blonde hair. 'I'm glad it wasn't that Credible flake, or some other dingus who swiped it, but the question is... why?'

Rhonda looked at the betraying hair. 'Aw geez...' she thought. 'I left a hair? Amateur hour, here I come...' She bit her lip, her mind flashing backwards to the night when she had 'secret borrowed' the suit.

After her night-time outing as Poxorza, Rhonda stood in her sanctorum, fretting and pulling at her hair. She knew time was of the essence - Grimm would be back soon from his own outing. But she also knew she couldn't just put the suit back - that wouldn't be enough. Not for a sleuth like Grimm. 'Jade's right.' she said out loud. 'Sooner or later Grimm's gonna figure out I used it. Oooh, Rueful what'll I say to him?'

Rueful only shrugged and shook his head helplessly.

Rhonda felt panic setting in. Every tick of the clock was precious. She found herself thinking, 'What would Grimm do?' And of course, she knew the answer. Misdirection and distraction. Grimm would eventually find out she had used the suit. So she had to make him think she had used it in a way that he wouldn't mind.

'Distract Grimm?' she said with a moan. 'But he's like, all about focus! How do I distract him? What in the world can a girl do to distract a...?' Then her eyes lit up. 'Rueful - go upstairs and get my camera - fast!'

Rueful still looked confused, but darted towards the house to obey.

Rhonda sighed and heaved her book bag from her shoulder, digging in it for a folder. She looked up at Grimm as she fished out a photo. 'Well... I was saving this for a kind of a graduation present.' she said. 'But... here.'

Grimm took the photo, still looking suspiciously at Rhonda, but after a glance down at the picture, his attention was completely thrown. It showed Rhonda in her sanctorum, dressed in the battle-suit, and striking a classic pin-up girl pose.

Rhonda blushed furiously while Grimm's eyes remained riveted to the photo. 'I'd have gotten the suit back sooner,' she said. 'But it took like forever to set up a camera there, and Rueful kept fiddling with the timer...'

Grimm still didn't say anything. For nearly a full minute, the silence stretched out until Rhonda was almost in a panic. 'He's not buying it...' she thought. 'He is so not buying it...'

'Ah... woah.' he said at last, not looking up. 'So... can I keep this?'

Rhonda's face got even redder. 'You like it?' she said. She had always been self-conscious about her looks, always comparing herself to the girls on the cheer squad. When taking the photos of herself wearing the suit, she'd felt ridiculous, wondering if super-models felt the same way when posing for magazines that were sure to be gawked at by thousands of guys.

'Uh... yeah.' said Grimm, looking up at last with a rather sheepish grin. 'I always wondered how you'd look in the suit - but I thought it would sound weird if I asked you to try it on. Maybe I should have pressed Zorpox to make you one...'

'Just don't let your Mom see it.' said Rhonda. She felt relieved that Grimm seemed satisfied, but now she felt even hotter around the collar as Grimm's eyes took on a hungry gleam while he stared at the photo. 'She'd totally kill me. Oh, and that goes double for Lynn and Mim!'

'Keep this secret? Are you kidding?' said Grimm. 'I'm making this into a T-shirt.'

'You... are... not!' Rhonda screamed, making a lunge for the photo. But Grimm neatly spun in place, holding the picture away from her and using his body to block her. She made a few attempts to duck around him, but he kept sidling and shifting, keeping the photo out of her reach.

At that moment, the door opened and Mrs. Probable stepped in, looking furious. 'House... rules.' she said icily.

Rhonda flushed beet red, realizing how this must look. Both of them pressed close, practically wrestling, her arms draped over his neck, trying to reach the photo... thank goodness he was facing away from her. At once she stepped away, almost falling over in her haste.

'Rhonda, I keep telling you, if you want answers to your homework, you can't just copy mine.' said Grimm, staring at Rhonda with a pointed look. The instant his mother had come in, he had smoothly turned the picture so the blank side was out, then slipped it into one of his own school folders. 'Mom - relax.' he said, looking at his mother. He turned his head from side to side, displaying his cheeks and neck. 'See? No lipstick, no nothing. It's not what you think.'

Mrs. Probable sniffed, her eyes narrowed. 'Nevertheless, I'm sure Rhonda is needed back home. Grimm - you may escort her to the door.' And she remained at the entrance to Grimm's room, her eyes on both of them as they trooped silently out and up the stairs towards the front door.

Grimm didn't risk a good night kiss, but as he showed her out, he paused at the front door, holding her hand. 'You said Rueful was messing with the timer,' he said low under his breath. 'Does that mean you have... other shots?'

Rhonda's face remained red all the way home. 'That worked a little too well.' she thought.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

On board BattleSkaar's flagship, Maze was being led through a tunnel-like room. Every square inch of each wall seemed to be carry a device of some kind. His many years of subsisting alone in the wild made this quite outside his experience, and he squirmed. Each step seemed like a descent from the natural world into something truly alien and terrifying.

BattleSkaar looked at him appraisingly. 'Obviously, you would be unable to handle equipment that has any... heft.' he said dryly. 'Fortunately for you, Lorwardians are masters at miniaturization. Take your pick of any device, though you would do wisely to restrict yourself to weapons that will compensate for your disadvantages.'

Maze squinted at the vast array of devices, baffled. 'I don't understand any of this.' he said. 'If you insist on making me carry your technology, you could at least explain what I am seeing.'

'Allow me to make suggestions, then.' said BattleSkaar, and he picked up a module that had a rounded object embedded in it that looked like a trackball. 'You are disadvantaged in that it takes you time to use your shadow control. This Attack Drone should compensate nicely. Our warriors normally wear this as a bracelet, but for you, it may serve as a pack.' He tapped a button on the side of the Attack Drone, and an orb popped out from the housing. It darted to and fro in the air with a low, humming sound. 'When activated, it will move independently, and fire energy blasts at nearby enemies. You may use the accompanying eyepiece to direct it towards specific areas or distant locations. It's not powerful enough to rely on, but using it at strategic moments should distract enemies, and gain you enough time to employ your shadow abilities.'

He hit another control, and the drone zipped neatly back into its housing. He handed the drone pack carelessly to Maze as he moved on, and Maze grunted beneath the pack's weight. BattleSkaar picked up a pair of gauntlets and held them out. 'Take these as well.' he said.

Maze winced, still struggling to hold up the pack. Finally he let it fall with a thud. 'I cannot carry this equipment.' he said, frustrated.

'Hold out your hands.' BattleSkaar growled impatiently.

Maze hesitated, but did as ordered. BattleSkaar slid one gauntlet over each hand. They were far too large for him, and Maze was about to say so, but suddenly the intricate web of metal plates that made up the gauntlets whirred, and they seemed to unfold, shrink, resize, and then clamp snugly around his hands. He started, but twitched his fingers experimentally. There was some stiffness, but for the most part, the gauntlets seemed quite flexible.

'These are gravity manipulators.' BattleSkaar said. 'The controls on your left gauntlet will lighten everything in your immediate vicinity. The controls on the right gauntlet will make things heavier.' He paused, smirking faintly. 'Don't use that one.'

Maze scowled, but tapped a glowing blue bar on the left gauntlet, and immediately felt the sensation of weight decreasing. He stooped and lifted the pack, and found that he was able to manage it. 'Amazing.' he breathed. 'Why do not all of your warriors use this so they can bear heavier burdens?'

'They normally use them to increase their burdens as a training device, to make themselves stronger.' he answered. 'Among our people, using the function to lighten burdens is considered a sign of weakness.'

Maze scowled again, but then his eyes fell on a device shaped like a thin, elongated egg. At one end there was a hole, and at the other end was a hooked protrusion like a claw. For some reason, he felt drawn to it. 'What is this one?' he said, pointing.

'Ah.' said BattleSkaar, noting Maze's interest. 'The Kinetic Emitter. It fires a focused beam of powerful force.'

Maze shook his head, not understanding.

'Think of it as a long distance punch.' BattleSkaar said. And he lifted the device, which fit neatly into his palm, and aimed it down the corridor. Maze did not see anything, but the heavy metal door let out a loud, thumping clang, and a sizable dent appeared, as if it has been struck by a battering ram. 'The range is not outstanding, but if your enemies are few and at medium distance, it can be extremely effective.' He held the emitter over Maze's staff, and Maze watched as it seemed to unfold and then reform over the clawed tip, as if it had always been there.

BattleSkaar nodded. 'Now - you will need practice.'

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Soon, Maze found himself led into a wide circular arena. There were doorways at either end, and glowing lines on the floor, similar to a sport field. Maze now bore the staff and the gauntlets. The pack was on his back now, and he touched the control on his gauntlet, feeling it's weight lessen until it was as if he were not wearing the pack at all.

BattleSkaar was at the side of the arena, and Maze fidgeted uncomfortably. 'What am I expected to do here?' he said.

BattleSkaar smirked. 'Survive.' he said, then he clapped his hands together with a loud crack.

Maze blanched as the door at the other end of the arena hissed open. A heavily armored Lorwardian strode through. Even compared to the other Lorwardians, this one seemed huge. The floor beneath him trembled as he stomped forward, a predatory sneer on his lips. He held a heavy mace, which he wielded as easily as if it were a conductor's baton.

'Artill'ryDuel - you expressed boredom recently, asking for more dangerous assignments. Do you think you can defeat one human, who is armed with our technology?' said BattleSkaar idly.

Atill'ryDuel didn't wait for an answer. He charged forward like a bull elephant, roaring at the top of his lungs.

Maze panicked. The arena was too small, and his opponent too close to have any hope of raising his shadow barrier in time. He raised his staff. He sent the force beam straight at his approaching enemy. There was a loud thunk, and Artill'ryDuel winced. But even though his charge was stalled, the blast did not seem to harm him. He withstood the blow and pushed forward.

Maze felt Artill'ryDuel's strength, beating back the Kinetic Emitter's energy. He even felt himself being pushed backwards as he strove to keep his footing. Artill'ryDuel grinned a mouth of sharpened teeth as he powered through, getting closer to Maze. 'I'll break you like a twig, human!' he snarled.

Maze gritted his own teeth. He was already nearly pinned to the back of the arena. Any attempt to duck past Artill'ryDuel would end with him being caught and dragged back. He reached back and tapped a control on his pack, and the drone spiraled out and up.

Artill'ryDuel caught a blast almost right on his nose, and he winced. The drone whizzed about him like a fly, sending out stinging bursts. 'You are only making me angrier, human!' he shouted. Maze did not answer, he seemed to be muttering to himself, keeping his staff trained on Artill'ryDuel. The drone flitted across Artill'ryDuel's line of sight and he broke eye contact with Maze for a moment, his eyes following the drone's path. He used his heavy mace to block the drone's shots. But in the split seconds he had taken his eyes off of Maze, he vanished.

The emitter's force beam had shut off, and Artill'ryDuel stumbled forward. He struck with his mace where Maze had been, but his weapon slammed into the metal floor. Maze was gone. He struck wildly left and right, trying to anticipate where Maze might have ducked to. 'Show yourself, coward!' he roared.

The drone kept whizzing about, sending bursts at him. Almost idly, Artill'ryDuel deflected them with his mace. 'Sooner or later, I'll find you.' he growled. He squinted, looking over the whole arena, and noted a patch of space that seemed much darker, even though it was directly under a light. 'Pathetic human.' he said. 'I know you like to hide in darkness - you think I can be fooled so easily?' And with another roar he leaped at the darkened patch, letting his mace fall.

Maze flinched as the mace struck hard against his shadow barrier. He felt it give a little - Artill'ryDuel's strength was truly frightening. The Lorwardian was striking hard, over and over, filling the air with his battle cries. The shadow barrier held, and Artill'ryDuel paused, puffing. He circled the barrier, and his toothy smile returned. 'If I can't get through your little wall,' he said. 'Then perhaps I can dig under it!' And he started smashing the floor at the edge of the barrier, hammering it with his mace. Heavy dents sprang up, and the glowing lines that ran beneath that section of the floor sparked and went out. Metal fragments flew as Artill'ryDuel continued his attack without relenting.

Maze frowned. He saw BattleSkaar, who had not moved since the duel began. He simply stood there, watching the proceedings with his arms folded. And Maze knew it would do no good to have BattleSkaar call off the contest. Artill'ryDuel was all but ignoring the drone. Maze's eyes flicked to the gauntlets. There was no point to increasing the gravity around them. He would feel it much more keenly than his opponent. And Artill'ryDuel had already made a sizeable hole in the floor. Soon he might burst through, or simply reach an arm inside to seize him.

He set the left gauntlet to its highest, then dropped the shadow barrier. Artill'ryDuel lurched, but righted himself and reached out to grasp the shadow shaman. Until Maze leaped.

BattleSkaar raised a brow at this unexpected use of the gravity dampener. With his body now feather light, Maze leaped high into the air, soaring over Artill'ryDuel, who looked up in surprise. Maze held his staff point downward, taking careful aim as he arced close to the roof of the arena.

The kinetic beam struck Artill'ryDuel square on the chin. The crack of the blow echoed loudly. Maze landed softly on his feet, whirling around to face his enemy again. Artill'ryDuel had stumbled, but after a pause, he rose up and turned slowly around. He stared towards Maze for a moment, but his eyes were unfocused. Then with a muffled grunt, his body pitched forward and landed with a crash on the floor.

Maze panted and gasped as BattleSkaar applauded softly. 'Very well.' said the Lorwardian commander. 'We can resume operations, I believe.'

Coming Soon:

Chapter 4
Finals

Author: Rhonda doing pin-up shots, and Maze techs up? Things are certainly changing. Now that Maze has new allies and new weapons, what will this bode for Team Probable, and the whole world? Graduation looms closer - but as everyone knows, you can't graduate until you've passed your final exams...

Keep reading more more updates as we answer questions that the TV series left conspicuously unanswered!