Authors Note: The Good News – Exam are over! I'll probably pass. B or C material.
The Bad News – Now I return home to a 10hr a day, six day a week job and no internet. See ya'll in February
Okay, it's not all that bad. I can always go round to my cousins to post. And 10hrs of solitary manual labour a day in the summer heat is good for the imagination. You see all sorts of crazy $&# when your alone and dehydrated.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, location or event from that said show. Or the chair we burnt during our flat warming.
Ch 4: Garden of Eden
The early morning peace of the Australian outback was broken by the sound of high explosives. Team Evil leader, codenamed Jester after the comic book character, watched as the dust cleared to reveal a secret chamber hidden within the rock formation. Cautiously he stepped closer to inspect the chamber. In his hands was the monkey idol stolen from the Museum of Natural History, and it was clapping like crazy. It seemed the information Zorpox had extracted from Monkey Fist was correct. The Tempus Simia head was here.
Though the sun was baking the barren lands around the rock chamber, the clapping sent shivers down Jester's spine. He had never considered himself to be especially superstitious. Born and raised in Mexico, he was no stranger to the odd urban myth. Down the street from his house was a woman who claimed to be a mystical healer; herbal teas and acupuncture techniques etc. But he never believed in ghosts or anything.
The search for the mystical monkey items had forced Jester to rethink this stance. At first Zorpox's interest in the monkey was thought to be just an odd hobby, a little amateur archaeology to pass the time. The Phantom Monkey Tome incident changed that. Brain tapping Monkey Fist, Zorpox had learned of a legendary book reputed to hold dark, mystical powers. Two months previous Team Evil was sent to find this book.
It had been a hard month raiding obscure tombs before the team found and retrieved the artefact. The exhausted henchmen talked of earning Zorpox favour, being assigned a real mission or just the hope of a shower on the flight back to base, the tome safely locked in a crate. What happened next would haunt Jester and his team for the rest of their days. The crate exploded into a thousand pieces. The tome, now open and floating in midair, let loose red streaks of light filled the craft and ghostly demon monkeys that pounced on the henchmen. At the same time the craft was caught by unearthly gust and thrown into the bush below.
Covered in scratches, bruises and teeth marks, Team Evil ran off into the bush. The rest of the night was a desperate running battle as the team fought off the phantom monkeys. Laser bursts seemed to be effective, they slowed the creatures down anyway, but half the team had run off without their weapons. Most had to try and fend off the demon monkeys with burning sticks and the occasional shock stick. Relief only came at daybreak as the red light grew fainter. The monkeys retreated to the safety of the crashed aircraft.
Determined to retake the tome, Jester ordered an attack on the craft that afternoon. Fighting their way inside, Team Evil found the Phantom Monkey Tome still open, still floating, still flooding the cabin with red light. Having no other choice, Jester ordered it destroyed, several laser blasts striking at once. The tome burned a brilliant red as a tornado formed inside the cabin, sucking up all of the demon monkeys. The victorious Team Evil was picked up by a search team the next morning.
After receiving Jester's report, Zorpox's interest in the monkey items became an obsession. Team Evil was given the responsibility of recovering them wherever they were found. Now, inside the rock chamber, Jester was staring up at the Tempus Simia head. In his opinion, the ruby eyes were staring right back; the incessant clapping of the monkey idol unnerving within the tiny chamber. Jester signalled to his men to look for traps. When none were found he handed the Tempus Simia body to his second in command, codenamed Sheela, and ordered his men to leave. With visions of being trapped forever in the chamber running through his mind, Jester clutched the head and his hands and lifted. For several tense seconds he stood frozen with the idol head in his hands. When nothing horrific happened Jester let his breath out. No trap today. Even so he bolted for the exit.
Once outside, Jester raised his gaze to the mystical monkey icon that marked the entrance. Its glowing eyes stared right back. Not taking any chances, Jester immediately ordered that no trace of the chamber was to survive. As he placed the idol pieces in a steal box for transport, his men filled the chamber with explosives.
Ten minutes later as Team Evil flew overhead, Jester watched from the chopper window as a powerful explosion engulfed a square mile radius. The rock chamber was destroyed forever.
'Sir,' Sheela called, 'we have a call from home base. It's Frugal Lucre.'
Jester was astonished Lucre had managed to find their number. He wasn't meant to know about Team Evil's operations.
Jester swallowed and picked up the satellite phone. 'Yes sir.'
'Hey, how's my favourite henchman group. Monkey head hunt going well?'
How does he know about that?
'Ah…, yes. Yes sir. We're bringing the idol pieces back to drop off point now.'
'Ah, no need. You can give them to big dog himself when you see him. You see, we um….We kinda gotta few troubles back here at Eden base. Zorpox would like you back ASAP. One of my men will give you the coordinates for the Eden Base when you reach the drop point.'
With that the line went dead, leaving Jester in a state of panic. Eden base. The dreaded prison facility. WEE's most closely guarded secret, GJ was desperate to find its location and rescue their captured heroes. More than that, it was rumoured to Zorpox own private headquarters, the secret location of his throne room. Because of the Drakken's brain tap device no field henchman was ever to know its location. The secret was kept only by Zorpox and his top lieutenants.
Jester could only figure three reasons Zorpox would pull Team Evil out of the field now. Either they had messed up and were to be punished, the prison facility was no longer important, or Zorpox suddenly felt the need to have his most loyal henchmen close by.
Frugal Lucre put down the phone. Zorpox was gonna be ticked, pulling his only remaining premiere team out of the field like this. But the extra security would be worth it. He only wished Toxin and his Team Empire were still around to add additional security. Something about Electronique and the ninja was really freaking him out. They were extra watchful lately. Already Lucre was sleeping with tin cans strung to his doorknob; the best security system money could buy in his opinion.
Zorpox was too wrapped up in his mystical monkey project to see the true danger. He promised to deal with the Electronique and her lackeys, but spent more time than ever pumping Monkey Fist for information. It was an obsession. Now he had the hairy freak translating some useless ancient scrolls now; searching for the ultimate mystical monkey weapon.
It was better when it was just Francis and Ron taking on the world. No treacherous lackeys, no poisonous ninja master, no henchmen unions; just two geeks pitting themselves against two cheerleaders. Well, as soon as Team Evil arrived Frugal Lucre was gonna take care of all those problems, starting with Electronique. He was going to have her and the ninja thrown into a prison pit. Not the nice one with all the heroes, but a nasty one filled snapping turtles that he had been saving just for them. Then he was gonna send Shawn to the worst, most cheapest boarding school he could find.
Ron would thank him latter.
Dr Drakken couldn't believe the power in his hands. Electronique had given him everything! The blueprints for the most critical WEE facilities, secret bank accounts, weapon designs, moles in intelligence agencies across the globe; Drakken had it all! She had even answered critical questions about the New York attack, revealing Zorpox true angle there; a coordinated attack on the world's economy. Why hadn't he ever thought of that! Most important of all, Electronique had provided him with the current location of Zorpox the Conqueror and his loyal right hand, Frugal Lucre.
In any war knowledge is power. How doubly true in a war between intelligence agencies. Now Dr Drakken had all the information, on both Global Justice and Worldwide Evil Empire. Dr Drakken held all the power. The fate outcome of the war was in his hands. The fate of the world was in his hands.
Visions of power and glory swept through Drakken's mind. With Dr Director and Kim Possible eliminated he could propel himself to the head of GJ, directing the battle for freedom. Drakken would emerge as the hero of the world, the man who destroyed Zorpox the Conqueror and his dreaded WEE operatives. Then, with his status secured and the might of GJ at his back, he would be invincible. He could install himself as President of the world!
Or Drakken let GJ take care of Zorpox while he took the up the reins of WEE. Leaving a few bugs in GJ's network as a goodbye present, Drakken the Conqueror could then lead a WEE counter attack against all known military and law enforcement facilities, starting with the refugee camp on the moon. It would be nice to pay James, Ramesh and Chen a little visit on their precious Avalon Station. The worlds greatest minds would be introduced to his brain tap machine while Drakken personally strapped his former 'posse' to the side of a Kepler rocket. James should appreciate the irony, chapter five of his own Captain Constellation fanfic.
If he wanted Drakken could destroy GJ and WEE both. He could set things up so that GJ and WEE would annihilate each other. Then nothing would stand between him and world conquest. Drakken would be free to unleash a diabolical scheme of his own. Finally everyone would have to acknowledge his genius. Then he could attack Avalon and strap James to his own rocket.
Drakken's mind raced through the possibilities. Faster and faster his thought processors ran. In was uncanny. Every detail slid into place. The future was laid out before him as he foresaw almost every possible outcome. Trapped in an inescapable prison, caught between the battling forces of GJ and WEE, Kim Possible would finally meet her doom. There would be no escape this time, for her or several other annoyances. Electronique would guarantee it.
Without Kim Possible to get in the way the world would bow to Dr Drakken, for a time. But as his mind raced further ahead, Drakken always saw himself ultimately failing. His triumph never lasted long as a shadowy, unstoppable force swept him aside. His world presidency would be overthrown; his control of WEE would slip as other villains vied for control, the remnants of GJ and WEE would combine to fight an underground war against his rule.
Aiding Electronique would lead him down a bad road. Drakken didn't believe for a second she planned to destroy Kim Possible as a favour. The shocking women had just as much reason to want the cheerleader eliminated as he did. It was merely the first step in her own scheme to rule the planet, one in which Drakken was a mere puppet.
But there was no holding Electronique back. Her scheme would go ahead with or without his help. All he could do was go ahead with his own schemes, hoping that he could outfox her and the shadow somewhere down the track. Or… he could change the rules on Electronique; sending the world down a different path.
At that moment, Drakken realised his greatest plan ever.
'Wow…, that was intense,' Drakken remarked as he snapped out of his calculations. Then he remembered his conclusion, balking at the dreaded task before him. It was the only way.
Growling at the cruelness of fate, Drakken activated the GJ intercom, 'Shego! Report to the operations room. Now!'
It was 4:00am. Shego would be grumpy about the wake up call, but would get over it when Drakken revealed the information Electronique had sent him. After that, it was time to find out if Shego would stand with him. Then it would be time to plan. Plan the destruction of Zorpox, plan for the aftermath and plan to reach Kim Possible first.
Fukushima often left the safety of the underground facility to sharpen his skills in the tropical rainforest above. Some days he spent hours wondering the rainforest, hiding from any whom crossed his path. Some days he ordered the henchmen to hunt him so that he may practice his survival skills. Some days he merely ordered them to run.
This morning was one of the run days. But it was not so that he may practice. Fukushima was expecting a visit from Electronique, and it would be unfortunate if any of the henchmen were to overhear their plans.
He watched as she left the comfort of the lair and worked into the dense foliage. Silently Fukushima stalked her, just to keep his skills sharp.
Electronique seemed agitated, probably feeling uneasy in the wild. She stood in their prearranged meeting place, scanning the forest for her ally.
'Did you contact Aviarius?' the ninja asked, appearing in the blink of an eye right in front of the villainess.
Electronique jumped back and powered up. She never took surprises well.
After some hesitation, Electronique reported, 'he is with us,' while slowly powering down. 'Though he warned me off Killigan, seems the mad golfer is a blubbering GJ pawn now.' The sell out villains disgusted Electronique.
'Drakken…?'
Electronique nodded. 'Took the bait just like I said. The fool thinks we're destroying Kim Possible as a favour to him.'
Fukushima nodded.
'What about you?' Electronique inquired, 'did you find the troop?'
Fukushima scanned the trees tops above. 'They're about. They await only the call of they're master.'
Taking a hint, Electronique nervously looked about their meeting place. 'They may be Zorpox only known weakness. They had better come through for us,' Electronique warned, sparking her fingers and hair a little to make her point.
It amused Fukushima that she thought to threaten him, her only ally. The aggressive women could be so dense, but he had to admire her passion. And the Unstoppable had taken a liking to her. Still, their partnership was an unlikely one indeed. 'They will and it shall not matter. There will be no escape from the forces we are arraying against Zorpox.'
'And Lucre?' Electronique sparked at the mere mention of his name.
'I shall deal with Lucre myself.'
Fukushima watched Electronique hurriedly return to the comfort of the lair. The villainess felt far more at home in the big city, rewiring traffic lights and shorting out hospitals. She was incapable of appreciating the splendour of nature. Fukushima felt comfortable in both environments, though preferred the mountains in which he was trained.
It made sense to target Frugal Lucre first. He was Zorpox base, part loyal servant, part advisor and part mentor. When cutting a man down it made sense to attack the supports holding him up first. Zorpox knew that when he moved against Team Possible, targeting the computer genius Wade Load. Not that Electronique realised this. She just wanted the annoying man to feel pain. Well pain he will receive.
Of greater concern to Fukushima was Sensei. The old ninja had his own agenda here, and it did not involve allowing Electronique to rise to power. He had instructed his ninja students to join the war against Zorpox, than casually surrendered when Fukushima led the madman back to Yaminochi. He didn't even use his powers to alert GJ to the location of Eden Base. Fukushima could not work out his angle.
Fukushima suspected the old ninja master may be the source of some of Shawn's information, but that did not make sense either. Did the old ninja master dismiss the possibility that Shawn was the Unstoppable, or was he testing the boy? Was he trying to redeem Zorpox, or drive him crazy?
Kim studied the lasers for a few more seconds. For some reason the idea of leaping through deadly laser beams didn't faze her at all. She was totally sure she could pull this off. The thought of failure never even entered her mind. These men needed her help. And this was the challenge Kim had been looking for.
Kim saw it, the way through. She dove in, leapt, dodged and jumped off the side wall, cart wheeled. Every movement was precise and planned. Just not quite precise enough. She slammed into a wall, hard; her shoulder within a hair of one of the beams. Too close. A breath, a few more leaps and rolls and then… 'Yeah'
Her toes pressed down of the remote's big red button as she stood in a perfect dismount pose. She was breathing heavily but the Grin on her face said it all. She had just worked her way through a room of death and enjoyed every second of it.
Ron had often been called slow. Careless, irrational, erratic, and inattentive summed up Ron Stoppable well. But on rare occasions he understood. He had just witnessed something special. Kimberly Ann Possible was taking her first step toward her destiny. She was going to touch the lives of millions; become the worlds shield against injustice and evil. Her very example will unite people everywhere.
Ron knew one way or the other his own destiny was intertwined with hers. That should have been a comforting thought. A part of Ron buried very deep down grew excited; the part that knew what the future held for the two of them. The rest of Ron just felt numb.
With the push of a button the far wall of Zorpox throne room opened to reveal his private archive. Hidden within the underground walls of WEE's most secure facility, the archive held Zorpox most precious items. Inside were dozens of stolen trinkets and curious artefacts that WEE had recovered during his short reign. Hanging from the ceiling was the welcoming signpost from the original Bueno Nacho, while mystical artefacts such as the Silver Cutlass of Blackeye Brown, Cleopatra's Anubis amulet, the Golden Banana of the Mystical Monk sat on shelving along the wall. They were joined by the Amulet of the Monkey King which was recovered by Team Evil in New York.
Inside a special lead case were fragments of the rainbow meteor that gave Team Go their powers. The original Fearless Ferret, Wonder Weasel, Ferret Girl and Captain Constellation costumes were vacuum sealed in preservative wrapping, hanging from a clothes rack above the steal foot of Steal Toe.
The priceless Tome of Evil sat atop a bookshelf alone with the charred remains of the Phantom Monkey Tome. Growing in flower bed was the rare Amazonian Aurora orchid, reputed to be able to effect time and space itself by the ancient Aztec Crown of Rodighan sat next to the Crown of Pain King atop manikins while pop group Smashmouth stood in a cage in the far corner.
'How did we get here?' lead singer Steve Harwell asked, looking around in confusion.
And in the centre, surrounded by all these mystical items was Zorpox most prized possession, the Lotus Blade.
Zorpox grasped the hilt and inspected the blade, keeping an eye on Master Sensei to see if the sight of the blade caused a reaction. True to form though, Sensei was as calm as ever. Then he strode out of the archive, sword in hand, closing the door behind him.
'No wait dude, for the love of God, you can't just…,' Smashmouths pleas were cut off as the door slammed shut.
'Tell me again Master Sensei,' Zorpox spoke softly as he thrust the blade into thin air. 'Tell me about the Yaminochi prophesy.'
'As the world burns at the touch of the Unstoppable, a chosen one shall come forth to fulfil their destiny. The true Monkey Master, a kind and gentle soul, whom shall light a world beset by darkness,' Sensei reminded the madman, watching the sloppy sword work.
Zorpox immediately stopped playing around, pointing the blades tip at the caged Sensei, 'Your chosen one who will defeat me?'
Sensei said nothing. He didn't need to.
Zorpox had heard the legend from the ninja master many times. It both thrilled and frightened him at the same time. As a young man Ron Stoppable had developed a fear of monkeys after sharing a cabin with Bobo, the Camp Wannaweep mascot. Even now monkeys still gave him the willies with their freakish opposable toes and flexible tails. When he first heard this legend Zorpox knew both he and this monkey master would be caught in an inevitable apocalypse battle. Destroying this monkey master would be his ultimate test.
'That's what you think isn't it?' Zorpox accused the ninja master. 'That I will be defeated by some monkey freak and the world will be a happy place once again!'
Zorpox grinned, hitting a button on his belt. The throne rooms view screen flicked to the prison mess hall. The camera zoomed in on Kim Possible eating the cheap gruel that Lucre supplied the prisoners with.
'Her?'
Sensei said nothing. Instead he just stroked his beard.
'Well take a look Sensei. I have your precious chosen one. I have the mystical monkey items. Now with Kim Possible removed the world fall. Darkness shall prevail. Boo-yah-hahahaha!'
Sensei chuckled. 'You've been waiting three days to make that little speech.'
Zorpox stopped hi laugh and glared at his aged foe. 'You find it funny that the hope of the last hope of the world is my prisoner?'
'Are you so sure Miss Possible is the chosen one young Stoppable?' Sensei countered. 'I believed her to be not a monkey but a blue fox,' Sensei paused for a second.
'And you a… pink sloth.'
For the first time since his capture Sensei allowed his calm exterior to slip. The old ninja exploded into full blown laughter, he held his sides and pointed and rolled around on the floor. The sound thundered within the cavernous throne room, Sensei's voice as loud as a jumbo jet. The echo's created the illusion that an entire football crowd was laughing at the mastermind.
Zorpox was staggered in disbelief. It was impossible. The old ninja was his prisoner, at his mercy. And yet he laughed and laughed and laughed.
Blast that Shawn! Does the whole base know every detail of my past self?
After almost a minute the disbelief gave way to anger. A pure anger the likes of which Zorpox had never felt before. Visions of the past flew through his mind, Bonnie calling him a loser, Big Mike taking his lunch money, Shawn and his gravy stain prank. Despite all of his power, Zorpox was as helpless as weak little Ron Stoppable.
And then there were those who stood up for Ron. That protected him. Rufus, the faithful Naked Mole Rat always ready to listen to Ron's every problem without complaint. Francis Lurman, the aspiring Supervillain that took Ron under his wing, teaching Ron that he had value too and willing to sacrifice himself so that Ron may escape. And then there was Kim, unsure of what Ron meant to her, but unwilling to sit back and let another person suffer.
The frustration Zorpox felt was intense. He needed to hit back any way he could. He walked up to the ninja masters cage, standing eyeball to eyeball; his voice ice cold. 'Laugh all you want. But now that I know about the weapon…,' Zorpox noted with triumph a slight twitch in Sensei's eyes, '…it's only a matter of time. I will find it, and I will use its power to destroy anyone who dares laugh at me again.'
Once again ignoring Smashmouth, Zorpox opened the archive and replaced the Lotus Blade to its stand. Another press of a button summoned henchmen to move Sensei back to his cell.
Before his cage was wheeled out, Sensei called out from across the throne room.
'I have dishonoured myself young Stoppable. It was wrong of me to laugh. Will you please forgive my offence?'
Zorpox was thrown by comment. He signalled his henchmen to hold.
After some hesitation he replied, 'yes Master Sensei. I forgive you.'
'…and cut our way through the hatch. Meanwhile, Agent Du will take strike team 3 and cover the secret escape exit. Once the assault on prison facility is under way, world militaries will raid other important WEE bases, while the FBI, DGSE, MI5, FSB, etc move to arrest moles within world governments and freeze WEE assets including Hench Co, Perkins Security, and other WEE business fronts.'
At long last this was it. The information Drakken had managed to extract from Team Empire's head was incredible, Bonnie couldn't believe Zorpox would even field a Team with so much information about his operations. The villain had finally slipped up. Now he would pay for all the misery he had caused over the past year.
This time yesterday Bonnie was filled with self pity. Now the thought of seeing Kim again filled her with renewed hope. Maybe it was a fool's hope, but Bonnie would scour the Earth until she found Kim. And if she found Ron had harmed her in any way….
Bonnie spoke to the assembled Global Justice agents, those who weren't revealed to be moles anyway. At the back of the room, Rufus operated the slide projector, Drakken's stick figure drawings being used to detail the operation.
'To avoid alerting Zorpox to our true plans we'll report our movements as a global effort to recover an important Mystical Monkey item, one that could tip the balance of the war.' A picture of Mickey Mouse in wizard costume appeared on the screen. The agents appeared confused but had enough professionalism to stay quiet. Bonnie glanced over at Rufus. The mole rat just shrugged and pointed at Dr Drakken in the far corner. The blue villain smiled smugly, Shego and Motor Ed flanking him. Bonnie swore she would kick his backside if she could, but Drakken was the hero of the hour. If this worked he would be forever known as the man who outfoxed Zorpox.
'Given his seeming obsession with these items,' Bonnie continued, 'Zorpox should be thrown off guard. He may mistake our true objective. Nonetheless, we'll have to move quickly. Once inside our first priority is to find the prisoners. Then we move on Zorpox. He's not likely to go down without a fight though, and we don't know how many standing forces he has at….'
Dr Drakken didn't bother paying attention to the briefing. It wasn't like he was part of the operation, and the mean onehad already disallowed any of his suggestions, assigning him the demeaning task of making slides. If only she knew how he really came across this information, and just how much he was withholding from GJ; information that will be useful for phase two of Drakken's plot. He looked over the assembled agents, ninja and Superheroes; half of which he had tangled with before. The shield of the world.
Drakken wouldn't mind terribly if some were harmed in the upcoming operation; especially the mean one. Just so long as she took care of Zorpox the Conqueror first. Then Drakken could get back to his own plans for the world.
Drakken had cautiously informed Shego of his plot, having no idea would react. Shego had never before let him down, standing by his side through the most ridiculous plots and embarrassing defeats. She had even forgiven him for sticking a mind control chip to her forehead; after beating the pulp out of him anyway.
But she also owed Kimberly for pulling her out of Zorpox grasp once before. Since then, Shego was quite protective of the Director, declaring that no one would take Kimmie down but her. Well, she wouldn't be disappointed on that score at least, Drakken mused.
Shego also got on suspiciously well with the mean one and the ninja girl. Between the four of them and Killigan, Global Justice was a fricken girls club. There was also her brother's to consider. While Shego claimed to hate them all, she still visited Mego once or twice in the hospital. Short visits. Often ending in yelling.
In order for his plot to succeed though, their GJ allies needed to be manipulated into position, put in harms way and ultimately abandoned to their fate. Drakken remembered Shego's initial shock with his plot. 'You want me to do what?'
It had taken a few minutes to convince her that he was serious. It was tough, convincing Shego that this was the only way when he was looking for any other way out himself.
'Do you really want to go through with this Dr D?' Shego asked beside him.
'Of course not, but my minds made up. We have to beat Electronique at her own game.'
Drakken thought over his plot for the hundredth time. It was wild, unexpected, bold and incredibly risky. The fate of the world was at stake and Drakken had to admit he was flying by the seat of his pants.
'No. This time I win Shego. It's my turn. I'm due.'
'Are you sure you want to win like this?'
'Any victory will do. Look, you just focus on your mission. Get to Kimberly Anne first. Eddy and I will take care of the rest.'
'…the pit, located at the bottom of the facility,' Bonnie pointed at Drakken's rough blueprint drawings. It looked like a game of Pac man. 'The base generators are located here… to the left of the… vending machines.' Why did she ever let Drakken do the slides!
'Our primary objective is to capture Zorpox. We believe he will be located in the throne, slash, control room here,' pointing to a purple man in the centre of the drawing. 'No one is to move on him alone. The dork is more dangerous than he looks, as some us have found,' she warned. Shego scowled in the back.
Bonnie wrapped up the briefing, wishing all of her agents good luck. Before she could dismiss them though, one last slide came up on screen. Most of the agents tried valiantly to suppress laughter, but other like Aviarius giggled with delight. Bonnie turned around to find her own face up on screen. Only this one had crooked witch nose, devil horns, blood red eyes and a pitchfork; curtsey of Dr Drakken.
Bonnie glared at him from across the room, and the Supervillain defiantly smirked back. Bonnie knew right then the time had come. Drakken was making his move. She resolved to keep a hawk eye on him at all times from now on.
In his cell, Sensei thought matters over. It was too soon for the weapon to be unleashed; the true chosen one had not yet been revealed. But if Zorpox reached the weapon too soon all would be lost.
Sensei no longer had a choice. The weapon must be moved to her new family ahead of schedule, before Zorpox finished translation of the scrolls.
Then Sensei could concentrate on identifying the true Monkey Master and guiding them to their destiny.
Once again confined to wheelchair, Felix Renton was giving his cybertronic battle suit and skeleton a thorough systems check before facing Zorpox the Conqueror in battle. On the other side of the workshop the young ninja, Yori, was sharpening her war fans.
While most of the ninja stoic and infinitely formal, Yori was hardly ever seen without a warm smile, letting formality slip to show affection for others. Today she though she was as stone cold. Both of them were quietly on edge. Both knew that this may really be the end. And that made meant a much more brutal fight ahead of them; battling Zorpox the Conqueror on his own turf.
An oil can next to Felix was knocked over. For a moment he cursed his clumsiness, until a bluish, greenish ghost appeared and began forming words within the oil.
'Yori!'
The ninja rushed over to find her name spelled out on the floor.
'It's Sensei,' an overjoyed Yori clasped her hands together and jumped around a little.
'So…, oil ghost not bad sign?'
'Do you not see Renton-San? This means that Sensei is alive. His silence these last few months had me deeply concerned for his safety.'
'Do not worry yourself Yori. Young Stoppable finds me far too intriguing to harm.'
Felix jumped a little at the eerie voice. 'And now, oil ghost speaks too.'
'Yori, time is short. Young Stoppable searches for the Han,' Yori's sharp gasp warned Felix that this was not a good thing.
'The Han must be moved to a more secure location. I leave this task to you my student. Protect her with your life; she may be our last hope.'
'I will do this Sensei. Though…, at this time we prepare to attack Eden Base.'
'I see. You do not wish to abandon your friends in their time of need. But you serve them best by protecting the Han. If she were to fall into the wrong hands….'
Yori's shoulders sank, 'yes Sensei.' While Yori would gladly give her life for the Han, the guilt of watching others go into battle in her stead was tough to bear.
Sensei sensed how she felt. 'The others will understand. They would expect you to do your duty.' Sensei glanced at Felix. 'Take Renton-San with you. Share the burden. He shall represent Global Justice.'
Felix eye widened. He was no Yaminochi ninja. He couldn't even figure out what a Han was. And what would Bonnie make of all this?
Yori was disheartened that another warrior would be taken out of the fray, but at the same time felt comforted that she would not be alone. 'Where should I hide her Master Sensei?'
'The one place Zorpox fears to look.'
Felix frowned, 'you want us to hide this Han in a monkey house?'
Confined to a cell, Sheldon Director lifted weights with his left hand to pass the time. His short time in the pit had ended after several fights with his sister Betty over leadership of the Big Five. The two nerds Ned and Porter convinced Lucre that he was disturbing the peaceful atmosphere and should be placed somewhere he felt more comfortable. Now he was stuck in solitary confinement, without even little Pepe the Chihuahua to keep him company.
Sheldon always pumped weights with his left hand now. Such exercise was not possible for his right arm, his mechanical right hand having been taken from him by his own evil apprentice, Zeta. He could have asked for a replacement but Lucre only supplied the cheap plastic ones. They were itchy and failed to take only weight.
Sheldon was once the head of WEE, an organisation of criminals dedicated to destroying GJ and its leader, Dr Betty Director. Sheldon had been contacted by Ron Stoppable soon after his flight from Smartymart and Team Possible. Apparently he had learned of WEE through the files of Frugal Lucre, a supervillain enthusiast. Sheldon had taken on Stoppable as his new Agent Zeta and proceeded to teach him about running an Evil Empire. Zeta was such an excellent student; barely a month had gone by before he was ready to launch a hostile takeover of WEE. Sheldon supposed he should be proud.
But then there were the joint therapy sessions with Zeta had forced on Betty and himself. No matter how long it took, Sheldon vowed the laughing purple moron would pay for that insult; for every second of that torture. He would pay for taking Pepe and WEE away from him.
A knock on the door broke his concentration. It was too early for lunch. Maybe Zeta wanted to have more fun with him.
The heavy steal door opened slowly. Standing in the entrance was Electronique.
'Good morning Gemini.'
'Why good morning my dear,' Sheldon forced himself to be polite. It wouldn't do to show his frustration to Zorpox or his lackeys, 'to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit.'
'I'm glad you asked,' the villainess replied with a smirk. 'It seems you have a long overdue meeting with Zorpox scheduled for today.'
'Oh really? And what does your master want today?'
Electronique threw over a new eye patch and Sheldon's mechanical hand.
'He doesn't know about it. By the way, I made a few… upgrades. I hope you like.'
Electronique turned and strolled away, leaving the door open for a surprised Gemini.
Gil Moss sat in his tiny swimming tank, yearning for his beloved toxic lake; for the freedom and the power it had given him. His dorsal fin was starting to curl stuck in this cell sized tank 24 hours a day.
Gil Moss had attended Camp Wannaweep alongside a younger Ron Stoppable. The two of them had made a deal in which they exchanged arts and craft, and swimming time. What Gil didn't know was that the extra time spent in the toxic lake would mutant him into a powerful but hideous monster. The transformed 'Gill' had vowed revenge on the 'sqweeb,' setting a trap for the whole Middleton High cheerleading squad and their 'Mad Dog' mascot.
Things had been going so well. Even the world famous Team Possible was no match for his toxic powers. Kim Possible, Bonnie Rockwaller and all of those other stuck up cheerleaders were at his mercy, being slowly mutated by Gill's own spit. They too would know what it was like to be a monster, and Gill would have his own mutant cheerleading squad to hang with. Unfortunately the sqweeb managed to evade Gill's grasp, trap him with his arts and crafts skills and save the cheerleaders.
His second revenge attempt turned out even worse. This time a blue skinned, costumed sqweeb was collecting specimens of local animals to study their mutations. Gill's spit bounced harmlessly off his personal shield while several henchmen rushed to the rescue. Now the sqweeb was threatening to give him to someone called DNAmy. Gill had no idea what a cuddle buddy was, and he did not want to know.
The top of Gill's tank opened suddenly. Looking up, Gill glimpsed a young red headed boy.
'Time to play Gill. The cry-babies waiting.'
Monkey Fist sat alone in his cell, attempting to translate the ancient texts that Zorpox had brought him. As much as he hated working for the punk monkey hater, Fist was just as intrigued by this 'weapon' as he was. Unfortunately the recovered scrolls didn't tell him anything about the nature of the weapon. It could be anything.
Monkey Fist knew he had to break out of this prison and beat Zorpox to it. The weapon could only be allowed to reside in the hands of the true monkey master. And it was the only way to repay Zorpox for the many insults suffered at his claws. It still shamed Fist that he had mistaken the punk for the true monkey master a year previous.
Fist's translations efforts were interrupted by the creaking of his cell door. Turning, Fist found a black clad ninja standing in the doorway.
'Greetings Lord Monkey Fist. I apologise for this interruption, but I have need of a master of Tai Shing Pek Kwar.'
'We could offer to send work teams to different parts of the facility. Save Lucre some money on maintenance,' Kim suggested. Dr Porter shook her head, 'tried it. Almost worked. Zorpox's ninja was keeping an eye on us. He was on us the moment we made a move.'
'We turn on every tap in this place. Flood the pit until the water level reaches the vents!'
'Tried it,' Senor Senior admitted.
'We start a fire. The fire alarm system may unlock the doors so that we can….'
'Tried that,' Ned mentioned.
'We tie all of our clothes together to make a rope. We pull it taunt to create a slingshot and….'
Wade banged his head on the table in defeat, 'tried it.'
'Why don't we have a karaoke night next Friday?' Ned chimed in.
A frustrated Kim glared at Ned. 'How does that help us escape?'
'It doesn't,' Dr Director explained. 'To boost morale we started an activities night every Friday.'
'Nothing relieves a weeks worth of failures like karaoke,' Dr Porter smiled encouragingly.
'Argh…,' Kim felt like screaming as she balled her fists. It had been like this for the past two hours. One desperate idea shot down after the other. Worse, it was becoming clear that most of the others had already resigned themselves to their fate. They were just going through the motions, plotting breakouts all day while counting down the minutes to tonight's bingo match. None of them really believed they were getting out of here anymore, even Wade.
Kim had never been held in captivity for this long before. She was too restless to take this much longer. She needed to get out. She needed to be free. A few more days in this place and she would go crazy. Dr Director was the same; Kim could see it in her eyes. But she had the discipline to put up a pleasant, calm face for the people in her charge. Kim did not.
Wade shot up, clicking his fingers, 'alright. I have a plan.'
'You rock Wade,' Kim cheered. She had faith in Wade. If anyone was going to figure a way out, it would be the young genius.
'First, we bloke up every restroom in the prison.'
The other five stared at the table gaped at him.
'Not your best plan ever Wade,' Kim criticized.
'Why do all of our plans start like this?' Dr Porter whispered to Dr Director.
'No, no, no; hear me out. We then offer to fix the problem ourselves, saving Lucre money on hiring a professional.'
'Plans not getting better Wade,' Dr Director complained.
'We then use the suction cups from the plungers to scale the walls to the ventilation system and make our escape!'
The group thought about this. It certainly wasn't the most ridicules plan tried yet, but….
'All these crazy plans are worthless without first neutralising the chips,' Senor Senior pointed out. 'Otherwise they'll know the moment we exit our cage.'
'Why can't we just remove the chips?' Kim asked.
'I wouldn't recommend it,' Wade explained. 'Zorpox boosted to me that they're bonded to our spinal columns. Only a professional surgeon could remove them without doing damage.'
'We were actually kinda hoping your mother would get captured,' Dr Director admitted.
'Grrr…,' Kim couldn't take this anymore. She stood up, grabbed a chair and walked away from the mess hall.
Wade rolled his eyes, 'here we go.'
Kim marched straight up to the heavy steel doors that were the only exit. With all her might she heaved chair at one of the two thick glass portholes. It bounced off without leaving a mark.
'Tried that too,' Senor Senior murmured softly. The Big Five members and other prisoners who had followed Kim nodded in agreement.
'Well then grab some more chairs and keep trying, instead of just planning your next karaoke night!'
'Yeah, cause that's gonna work Possible,' Ned replied sarcastically. 'Why don't you try asking them to let you out while you're at it?'
Frustrated, Kim yelled at the ceiling camera, 'I want out, open the door!'
'You didn't say please,' Senior mocked.
'Please and thank you!'
An electronic whine startled the group. Then the sound of heavy steal bolts unlatching. The heavy steal doors vibrated, and then slowly moved back to reveal a darkened corridor, empty of henchmen.
Kim, The Big Five and other present prisoners stared down the corridor in shock.
'I can't believe that worked,' Wade muttered to himself.
Ned slapped a hand to his forehead. 'We should've tried that month's ago!'
Dr Director shock head, 'now wait on everyone. This is obviously some kinda trap. Zorpox is toying with us.'
'So what,' Kim exclaimed, 'you think we should just stay here?'
'No!' an annoyed Director shot back. 'I just thought I should point it out, that's all.'
With that, he prisoners rushed out of the pit toward the unknown.
Zorpox the Conqueror sat and thought at his command console. He was the greatest criminal mastermind the world had ever known, commanding an entire Evil Empire that was well on its way to world domination. He had captured the greatest threats to his rule, Master Sensei, Dr Director and Kim Possible; and had destroyed the morale of those who dared oppose him. He should be feeling more confident than ever. But Zorpox had to admit that his discussion with Sensei had shaken him.
Now he was getting reports across the board that Global Justice had launched a massive operation to recover a Mystical Monkey item. The ninja students must have revealed their knowledge of the weapon to Global Justice. They knew it was the only way to destroy him and were going all out for it.
This turn of events concerned Zorpox. But he still had the only one who could weld the weapon locked away in the pit. The chosen one. Kim Possible.
Maybe you could start by forgiving me. Then we wouldn't have to fight anymore.
'Why can't I get those words out of my head?' Zorpox screamed.
'Oh, come on. My singing ain't that bad,' Lucre complained behind him. 'And it's been months since the henchman karaoke contest,'
'Not that. Just…, never mind!'
Lucre was growing concerned for his friend. 'Come on Ron. You're the big dog remember. Woof, woof. We have the scrolls, we have Monkey Fist translating. I'm sure we'll find your weapon first'.
Zorpox shook his head.
'Do you…. Do you think that maybe we've… forgotten how to forgive?'
Behind him, a surprised Lucre shrugged. 'We're bad guys.'
Zorpox nodded. 'True,' he silently agreed.
Before Lucre could query Zorpox odd question, alarms rang throughout the entire facility. Zorpox brought up the disturbance on the throne rooms control console.
'All of the prisoners are loose in the facility!'
'On it,' Lucre called, running for the door. On his way he yelled into the WEEmmunicator wristwatch Zorpox had given him. 'All henchmen to the pit now!'
It was late afternoon in Cornwell, England. Well into autumn now, the sky was grey while the trees shook off their browned leaves as they swayed in the chilly wind. It was a different story within the confines of the Eden Project domes however.
Created as an environmental experiment, together the two domes of Eden Project were four acres of controlled environments. Inside the first dome was a temperate climate, comfortable and perfect for growing fruit such as oranges. Inside the second was a humid tropical rainforest. Hot, wet and overgrown with exotic plant life from around the world.
Eden Project was a major tourist attraction for Cornwell. Over million people visited each year, up to ten thousand a day at the height of summer. Today the domes were overshadowed by larger projects in the States, but they were still a marvel of modern engineering; a pioneering project. Visitors who would never otherwise get to experience a stroll through the rainforests came from all over Britain and Europe to see the plant life. Eden Project had certainly come a long way since the deep, barren construction site known as 'the pit.'
The last bus load of tourists for the day was preparing to leave. Their bus was running a half hour late already, and they had little choice but to patiently wait next to the bus stop. They were all that was left of the days few hundred visitors. And today they were going to be treated to more than just a bunch of trees and flowers.
The first pass of the predator drone took them all by surprise. It flew low and fast over the domes, scoping out the area as an advance scout. The sound of the low flying jet engine caused some to duck for cover, fearing a collision with the structure.
Less than a minute later the sky was thick with aircraft. Swarming fighter jets patrolled the skies while choppers dropped squads of elite British SAS troops around the domes, forming a perimeter. Heavy lifting Chinooks landed armoured vehicles and light tanks in the parking lot as Helicopter gunships flew cover.
Colonel Dobbs popped the hatch of the lead tank. Despite GJ objections, both he and his commandos had refused to be left out of the fun. 'Hey Zorpox. This little manoeuvre here we call the L'il Green Lady. Show em' why boys and girls!' Dobbs banged on the turret.
All of the tanks main cannons exploded as the gunners opened fire on the visitors centre. The building was totally demolished.
'Why do they call it that? L'il Green Lady?' asked a suspicious Shego.
'Probably just your dynamic personality,' Bonnie shrugged. 'Strap in guys,' she called, 'Shego, I'd like to visit a warmer climate.'
'Tropics suit?'
Piloting the Q-RAT, Shego aimed her craft straight for the tropical dome, two more Q-RATs following her lead. They smashed through the triple layered, Teflon like material that insulated the domes as Dobbs ordered his tanks to smash their way through the front entrance. The controlled environment inside the domes was completely destroyed, but that was the last thing on any of the warrior's minds.
On the bus stop bench one of the elderly tourists turned to his horrified, plant enthusiast wife with a grin. 'Ok, I admit it. This was so much cooler than going to Euro Disney.'
Agent Will Du strolled up the path of the local Cornwell retirement home and bashed in the door. Then he waited until all the residents had come out into the corridor to inspect the commotion. Some walked with the aid of canes, others confined to wheelchairs.
'By the power granted to me by the United Nations, I place you all under arrest.'
By the count of three all of the residents were on their feet and holding shock sticks.
Du rolled his eyes, 'looks like this is the place.'
Every window in the rest home exploded as GJ agents swarmed in.
Zorpox remained composed as he watched the action from his throne room monitor. Super suited GJ agents took down his outer perimeter guards while Dobbs tanks blasted everything in sight. GJ agents then uncovered the buried lair entrance, cut their way through the steel hatch and began to storm Eden base.
This was no coincidence. Not only had GJ known the precise location of his prison facility, they had fed false information to some of his high level spies, and knew the exact position of the hatch. Zorpox closed circuit teleporter line out of the facility had been cut while the rest home was compromised. Throw in the conveniently timed prison break and the conclusion was obvious. There was a traitor in WEE; probably three.
Zorpox knew he should be furious, not so much at Electronique but at himself. He had let his guard down, failed to listen to Lucre's warnings and let the old ninja distract him. Now he was going to pay the price for these failings.
Instead, Zorpox just felt thrilled. Finally a chance to clear his head.
Time to play.
'I'm ready for you Global Justice. Bring! Boo-yah-ha-hahahaha!'
Authors Note: Too dramatic?