Darev: Just in time for Halloween. Well only just. This will be the last update for a while. I have quite a bit of work to do for college and not enough time to do it in. Suffice it to say it's been a pretty fun four chapters. The suspense is building and we have our first (witnessed) casualty of the day.

Thanks to Shadowgirl, CajunBear, and Daydreamer for reviewing this story. Thank you guys, and have a Happy Halloween!

Flashlight in hand, Ron was a puny thing indeed strolling between two aisles of stored supplies that went up to the room's cavernous ceiling. He'd been amazed when he first saw Smarty Mart's legendary storeroom. It was the largest one this side of the Rocky Mountains and could easily encompass Middleton High and at least half the mall. The roof was so high up that Ron's tiny flashlight could never hope to reach it. His footsteps echoed loudly thanks to the room's incredible acoustics. As small as he was, Ron feared that he was making too much noise. Of course there was nothing to be afraid of. He'd been back here several times. Of course then he always had light and there were several employees using forklifts to load and unload supplies.

Now it was only Ron and Rufus, the latter of whom dug his sharp claws into Ron's shoulder out of a growing sense of dread.

"Ease up, Rufus. I don't like this anymore than you do but it has to be done."

"Ooh. Dark."

"Yeah. It is dark. Real dark." Ron flashed the light one way. "Did I take a wrong turn or is this the juncture that branches off to the loading dock?"

One would think Rufus, coming from a species that lived and burrowed beneath the arid lands of Eastern Africa, would have eyes more attune with the dark. However, mole rats have very poor eyesight and relied more on smell to travel their expansive underground burrows. Rufus was born and bred into captivity. He had never so much as seen another of his own kind. Yet he still possessed his species' natural abilities. Sniffing the air beside Ron's head, the rodent was able to discern their destination by smell, locking onto the scent of heated power cords. He pointed to Ron's right with his little fingers.

"I'm trusting you on this one, buddy." Ron naturally trusted Rufus with his life, and has said that only to hear his voice. Rufus was a wonderful traveling companion, but one of the drawbacks of having an animal sidekick was having a partner that could not speak. Rufus could utter a word or two here and there but lacked the necessary vocal cords to express full sentences. Until he'd met Rufus or Kim, Ron had always been by himself. As an only child until recently, he'd learn to cope with his loneliness by creating imaginary friends and speaking to them on a constant basis. It was the only way he could fight back that fear that every person knew too well; the fear of being alone.

So while Rufus chipped in every now and then, Ron did most of the talking. "You know, Rufus, I've been thinking about what I said to Kim earlier. You know the part about worrying about the here and now? Well, to tell you the truth, my folks and Hana have been the only things on my mind since this started. I can't stop wondering if they're alright. I mean I know Hana is some ninja super baby and that my dad is the smartest actuary that ever lived. Mom would shut every window and draw every curtain. She'd have the house sealed airtight. There's no way that mist could get in."

Thinking of home, of Ron's wonderful family, brought a smile to Rufus' face.

"But then I start thinking about those that went outside when the mist came. Something got them, Rufus. It may not be poisonous, but there's something in that fog that's hurting people. Only Drakken and Shego can tell us what it is and they might not live long enough to do that." Ron paused to get his bearings. "Is this the right way?"

Rufus sniffed the air once more and urge him onward.

"Okay. You know it's funny. Well, not funny but ironic. I put myself in danger all the time and my parents never once scolded me for it. Kim's folks are the same but that's because they know what she can do. She's Kim Possible. She can do anything. Me? I'm just her clumsy sidekick. If it weren't for Kim I don't think mom and dad would let me leave the house let alone fight supervillains."

"That way," Rufus announced, pointing Ron in the right direction.

"I always wonder if they think about me while I'm away. Are they scared that I might get hurt or maybe not come back at all? I know they love me but they're hard to read sometimes. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that knowing that my parents might be in danger, that Hana might be in trouble...I just can't stop worrying about them. Is this what I put them through when I go with Kim on missions? Is this what Kim's folks go through when she leaves?" He sighed. "We never take their feelings into consideration. Now the shoe's on the other foot and I'm tripping all over the place."

"There!" The mole rat's exclamation brought Ron's attention to the loading dock. It was a big metal door that rolled up like a giant, steel curtain to allow trucks to bring in supplies. The power generator was nearby. Ron had to circumvent a series of stacked crates around the perimeter of the door. These were the newest arrivals to Smarty Mart that the loading guys had yet to sort out. That always happened early in the morning but with storm throwing the city into chaos and panic, most of Smarty mart's employees did not show up for work. That left more work for Ron, Mr. Barkin, and the few stragglers than remained behind. There'd better be overtime for this.

Using the flashlight to guide him, Ron entered the caged-off area of the generator. He found the main box and hit the restart button. There was a low whir followed by a flickering of the lights and the...nothing. "Come on." Ron pressed the button again. The same thing happened and after two more tries the blonde was getting frustrated. "Maybe I should have let Felix tag along. What do you think, Ru...?" Ron's question was cut off as Rufus slapped a paw over his mouth to silence him. The mole rat had heard something and wanted him to listen.

It wasn't long before his sizable ears picked up on the same thing that had startled Rufus. It was coming from the loading dock door. Something was pressing up against it. "What the hell is that?" Ron mouthed, his voice mute. The sound disappeared but came back again, this time with greater force. Even with the little flashlight, Ron could make out the sight of metal bending toward him. He was standing less than ten feet away from the loading door and the sound of metal giving way perplexed him.

Rufus began to shiver wildly. More attuned to danger given his sixth sense, Rufus sensed the threat long before Ron had even heard the sound.

Suddenly there was a loud bang. Startled, Ron fell backward, coming to a halt on his rump. He scrambled to his feet as he watched the door bending even more. There wasn't just anything on the other side, the boy knew. Whatever it was, it was big and putting its full weight against the door.

Ron once heard an employee boast that even a speeding truck couldn't hope to break down the door. The thing on the other side wasn't trying to break it down. It worked slowly, meticulously, gradually bending and breaking the metal construct to its will.

He was backpedaling. Ron had ever thought to turn and run like mad to find Kim and Mr. Barkin and tell him what he was seeing. But he dare not turn his back. He feared that by doing so he'd be exposing himself to whatever was trying to get inside.

"There's something in the mist!" Shego's words came screaming into his mind then. Then he heard different screams; the cries of those who were outside when the mist came. That something Shego had mentioned had come for them. It got them. It no doubt had gotten Ms. Vespers and now it was trying to get in. It's trying to get in!

Something grabbed onto Ron and he screamed, turning around with a vicious backhand that sent the figure crashing to the ground.

"Dude!" A young man's voice complained after reaching for his face. "What's your damage?"

Still racked with fear, Ron shined the light on the perpetrator who turned out to be a familiar face. "J-Junior?"

Still rubbing the spot where Ron had hit him, Thomas Bartholomew Junior resembled what Ron would look like had he grown out his hair and wore a green baseball cap with the front facing back. He too had freckles, pasty skin, and big ears, though unlike Ron, Junior wore a permanent frown on his forehead. His eyes were brown but lacked any shine. It's as if there was nothing going on behind them.

"Yeah." Junior stood up. "Why'd you hit me? Do I owe you money or something?"

"No. At least I don't think so. Wait a minute! What are you doing back here?"

"Just hanging with my bros," he stated in that droll, beach boy accent of his. As he spoke, two more figures stepped out of the shadows. The first was a skinny, African-American kid who wore a red band around short dreadlocks. Like Junior, he too had a permanent scowl. The last of the trio was easily the most eye-catching. He was huge, even bigger than Mr. Barkin, with a weight and girth that made one think he was part grizzly bear.

"Vinnie?" Ron asked the black kid. "And Big Mike?" He turned to the giant. These were the infamous Detention Trio, an undesirable posse of boys who spent all their time in afterschool detention. Kim once had the pleasure of their company when Mr. Barkin grounded her for being late for the third time in a month - not like anyone but he was keeping count to begin with. During their first encounter with Dr. Drakken and Shego, Kim had formed something of a cordial relationship with the trio, though she and they never spoke to one another again.

"Guys, this is a restricted area. Only Smarty Mart employees are allowed back here." Ron leered at them suspiciously. He waved his flashlight over each of their faces like he was a cop and they were suspects at a crime scene. "Are you guys alright?" He could tell by their eyes that they had come in contact with some sort of foreign substance. "You didn't breathe in the mist, did you?"

"The what?" Junior's voice brimmed with confusion.

"We have no idea what you're talking about, man." Vinnie stepped up. "Me and my boys were just crashing here when the lights went out."

"How long ago was that?"

Vinnie shrugged. "Five minutes. Five hours. Time flies when you're flying."

"When you're flying? What are...oh!" Ron's face lit up with recognition. "You were getting high!"

"Getting? Man we've been high!" With that boast, Junior and Vinnie slapped each other a high-five. Big Mike's wide, square face was unreadable save for the twitch on his upper lip at the mention of getting high. After completing their complicated handshake, Junior turned to Ron and said, "Dude, you wanna try some of this stuff? This stuff will make you see God, son."

"You were back here all this time getting high? Do you have any idea what's been happening?"

Reaching into his pocket, Vinnie pulled out a small plastic bag filled with some sort of pale, powdery substance. "What's happening is this, my brother." He unzipped it so that Ron could get a good whiff. Ron stepped back, covering his nose, waving for Vinnie to take it away. Vinnie pulled it back. "I can't even pronounce it, but if it's Mexican for stratosphere then that's where we've been. Am I right, man?" Vinnie asked Junior who swapped another "five" with him.

"Dude."

"Okay, stop! The both of you. You too, Big Mike," Ron said even though the large teen hadn't said anything as of yet. "I don't know how long you've been back here, but we've got a serious situation. Ever since that storm, the whole town's been covered by this weird fog and we can't contact anyone on the outside. We're stuck here and now the power's out."

"Dude, did you say fog?" Junior asked.

"Yes," Ron answered impatiently. "I can't believe you guys didn't know. How long have you been back here?"

"Since yesterday, I think," Vinnie told him.

Before Ron could ask how, Rufus grabbed his attention by pulling his ear. Motioning wildly to the loading door - which had been silent for the duration of their exchange - Ron's eyes lit up. "Hey, did any of you guys hear anything a few seconds ago?"

"Just you, man." Junior spotted Rufus. "Dude, is that like a penis or something your shoulder?"

"Hey!" Rufus spat.

"A penis? No. That's Rufus. He's a naked mole rat."

"Looks like a penis to me, man." Junior leered at Rufus. "Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me."

"I told you this was good stuff, Junior. The dealer said so."

"Yeah, but dude, a talking wang? It's got a mouth and everything."

"Let's not talk about wangs, man."

"But it's standing right there." Junior reached out. "Can I touch it?"

Rufus reflexively leaned back and so did Ron. "Back away, man."

"Why would you want to touch another guy's wang?" Vinnie asked his friend.

"He's not a wang, he's a naked mole rat. And Junior I'm warning you to stay back." Ron had to take two steps back to put him and Rufus out of reach of the abnormally fixated youth. "I don't know what kind of crap you guys are one, but you've got to snap out of it. We're in a real bad sitch, and we've got to work together."

"It's looking at me, man." Still staring at Rufus, Junior didn't seem to have heard a word Ron said. He was obviously the most stoned of the three. Well, maybe Big Mike. The large youth was like a statue, unmoving, unblinking, just breathing heavily in a lumbering goliath sort of way.

Being the most coherent, it was Vinnie who spoke for the group. "Yo, what's this about a fog, man? Cause you know I gotta drive and all that."

"Did you hear anything I just said? No one's going anywhere. There is zero visibility and we are cut off from the outside. Besides," Ron looked over the door. "There's something out there. It was trying to get through the door a little while ago."

"I didn't hear nothing, bro."

Ron's eyes flashed back. "That's because you were back here getting high while people were getting killed!" His ire growing, Ron felt like pummeling the trio.

"Who got killed?"

"People in the mist. Whatever's out there it killed them and now it's trying to get in through the loading door." Ron looked back as he spoke. The door was made of flexible steel that allowed it to revert back to its normal shape, removing the dents he saw earlier. However, for something to bend it had to have had incredible strength, far more than even the most capable human being.

"I thought you said it was a fog."

Finally snapping to, Junior said, "Yeah, dude. We're like too far from the coast for the air and water temperature to be right for mist. And besides, a mist wouldn't be thick enough to hinder visibility like you said."

Ron resisted the urge to slap them both. "Whatever! Look, will you just listen to me for five seconds?"

"It's dark." The voice was so guttural that it reverberated through the ground, startling the three boys. Big Mike spoke for the first time. "What happened to the lights?"

Ron's eyes went wide. "Oh snap!"

Kim found Bonnie, Monique, and a very fidgety Ned huddled over by the checkout counters at the front of the store. She noticed how Ned purposely avoided looking at her as she approached and wondered what that was all about. She found the behavior of her other companions equally perplexing. Monique, once so charismatic and optimistic, had seemingly lost all vigor. Her gaze was fixed permanently on the windows, cradling her arms as if trying to find comfort within herself. Bonnie was uncharacteristically quiet. Aside from the perpetual scowl on her face, she didn't seem like the girl Kim had come to loathe and dread being around. If anything she looked different from what Kim was become accustomed to. It didn't take her long to realize why that was. Bonnie was scared and was trying to hide that fear behind a glowering persona.

"Hey, guys." Kim tried to sound cheery in an attempt to lighten the mood. It didn't work. Wishing Ron was here - he had a knack for making the most dire straits tolerable - she glanced around and saw nothing but scared and nervous people. So far nobody had decided to go the way of Ms. Margaret Vespers and leave the store. But the tension was such that one might as well be swimming underwater and Kim worried that soon someone may decide it was time to go up for breath. It was like being in the middle of a storm, only to have your head break through the surface and find oneself in a hurricane.

"Hey, Kim." The reply came from Bonnie. The brunette eyed her suspiciously and it made Kim feel very uncomfortable.

"Everything okay?"

"Do we look okay to you?" Now the snarkiness that Kim associated with Bonnie came back in force. "What have you been doing all this time?"

"Trying to find a doctor," Kim answered honestly. She didn't know what Bonnie's beef was with her this time. It's like she thought Kim was trying to cover something up. "Shego and Drakken need help."

"Not to sound I don't care or anything but...oh wait! I don't." Bonnie glared at her. "Hello! You should be trying to save us, not your frienemies."

"Hello! They're dying!" Kim retorted angrily. She knew Bonnie was shallow, but to disregard their well-being just because they were villains was low even for her. "Can you at least try to pretend you're a human being?"

"Excuse me, but aren't they the ones who are always trying to hurt people? Why should I give a damn about them when they don't care about anyone else?"

For all her attitude, Bonnie had brought up a good point. Kim wondered how many people Shego had hurt while stealing things for Drakken, or if Dr. D had ever taken into account how his schemes might hurt or seriously injure innocent bystanders.

Still, Kim wasn't like them and would not tolerate empathy from anyone. "Look, I'm helping them whether you like it or not. I'd do the same if it was you."

"You're comparing me to them?" The brunette sounded genuinely insulted.

"In terms of shallowness, yes I am. Can you stop thinking about yourself for two seconds and consider the possibility that you're not the only one whose life is in danger?"

"Maybe your dad should have thought of that before he screwed up at the space center."

"What did you say?"

"Come on, Kim. We all know that your dad is the head scientist. He's the one who told you to leave town if things went south. Well I don't know about you, but it's certainly starting to look like Dixieland around here."

"What does my dad have to do with any of this?"

Bonnie threw up her hands. "I don't know. Top secret experiment. Military occupation. Big storm. Mysterious fog. Air raid siren. Connect the dots, Kim."

Kim wanted to connect something alright: her hand with Bonnie's face. "Where the hell do you get the nerve to insinuate my father had a hand in all this?"

"Didn't you admit that your father told you to leave town if the siren went off?"

Kim had, back when she tried to urge the patrons to leave the store.

"Well who else but Daddy Possible would know what's going on?" Bonnie walked right up to her. "What else did he tell you, Kim? What else are you not telling us?"

Nearby, people who had heard this conversation began to take notice. Some of them began to gather near Kim and Bonnie, and more than one of them began to eye Kim suspiciously. Kim saw them out of the corner of her eyes but kept her attention focused solely on Bonnie. There was no way she was going to allow doubt and suspicion take hold on an already tense situation. Bonnie was only making things worse by putting all the blame on her. Worse yet, she was inciting suspicion on her father...a fact which brought to mind––

"You spoke to Justine," the redhead surmised. "She told you all this."

Bonnie did not waver. "Was she right?" She asked in a low voice so that no one but Kim could hear.

Taking a deep breath and steadying herself (she and that blonde bitch were going to have a very serious talk when she found her), Kim looked Bonnie right in the eye and said, "Bonnie, I promise you that my father did not have a hand in any of this. If anything, he would have done everything in his power and more to prevent a catastrophe from happening. He'd give his own life before..." Kim stopped.

"Before what?"

She just realized what she was saying, what she was insinuating. "He'd give his own life before letting other people get hurt." And that truth stole the strength from Kim's body. It's true that James Possible would sacrifice himself for the sake of others. But if he had tried and failed, that means that dad would have died for nothing. The mist still came and people died. Is he still alive or had he been among the first victims of the insidious mist?

Catching on to what was bothering Kim, Bonnie's face softened to a sympathetic one. "Oh."

The change in tone brought Kim's face back up from where it had been slouching. She looked into Bonnie's eyes and saw-what?-sympathy? Forgiveness?

Her rival seemed embarrassed and rightfully so. Bonnie was the one who started rumors, not followed them. She was the top of the Food Chain and had allowed herself to be swayed by a social reject's words. She brushed a lock of her brown hair out of her eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Kim. I didn't mean...what I meant was..."

"It's okay." Kim looked away again. She looked pass the suspicious crowd, pass the whispers that went up after following the confrontation, and saw a blonde head in the back. Justine glared at Kim from where she was. Finally, she turned around and walked away.

"Which is more than I can say for a certain someone. Excuse me." Kim went to confront Justine on her spreading dissent among her peers. Then the lights went out. People cried out and for the moment Kim was left standing in the dark. When the emergency lights came on, she saw nothing but frightened faces all around her.

She turned back to her friends who were just as confused as she was. "Kim," Monique started, "what's going on?"

"The power's out, I think." She looked around. "Has anyone seen Ron or Mr. Barkin?"

"I think I saw Mr. B a little while ago," Ned mentioned.

"Where?"

"By the electronics section, I think."

"And that's where exactly?"

Ned shrugged.

"Urgh!" She really needed a map. "This place is huge. I've got to find Ron." Kim went away, avoiding the stares and glares that followed her and thinking of what more fate could to do ruin her day.

"Hold the light steady!" Ron snapped for the third time. Junior and Vinnie were looking over his shoulder as he tried to restart the generator. Actually, Ron was just flipping switches randomly in the hopes that he'd make the lights go back on. Ron handed his flashlight to Vinnie so that he could illuminate the power box while Ron worked. The boy was easily distracted and would often throw a stupid comment over to Junior who would either chuckle or say "Dude" like it was a sentence. Rufus was situated atop the box and peering over the edge at what Ron was doing. He was no electrician, but even he could tell that what Ron was doing wouldn't work.

"I'm trying, Rufus," Ron said after his friend voiced his disagreement.

"You know what you're doing?" Vinnie asked. "Cause we've been here a while."

"You've been here a while. I came here to work." Ron flipped another switch and when that didn't work he sighed. "This is hopeless. Where's Jacob when you need him?"

"Jacob?" The stoned boys asked in unison.

"The electrician. He didn't come in today." Ron stood up only to have his head come in contact with the flashlight. "Damn, Vinnie! Be careful." He rubbed the sore spot.

"You should've told me you were coming up."

Rufus hopped onto Ron's shoulder before he walked away. The three of them left the generator to find Big Mike right where they'd left him. Mike hadn't said anything else after mentioning it was dark and he just stood there like some giant statue. "Is he okay?" Ron had to ask. "Cause I'm starting to worry about him."

"Mike's cool. He's the strong, silent type," Vinnie mentioned. "'Cept when it comes to the ladies."

Junior chuckled at that. Ron could only role his eyes. Did he used to make stupid comments like that? No wonder he had so much trouble finding a girlfriend.

"Well I have no idea what's bugging the generator."

"Maybe it has a few bugs." Junior laughed even louder.

"Boy, you buggin'," Vinnie said. They both started laughing.

"I'm going to kill them, Rufus," Stoppable muttered. The naked mole rat would have gladly held them down.

A flashlight came bobbing up to them at that moment, followed by a portly gentleman with graying hair. "Ron! What's taking you so long? Steve said he sent you back here like ten minutes ago."

"Hey, Oscar. I found these stoners back here. Apparently they've been lighting up all this time."

Fluent in teenage language, Oscar immediately knew what he meant. "Were you boys responsible for the lights?" He flashed his light to each of the Detention Trio. "Well?"

"We ain't done nothing, pops. Moms wouldn't let us light up at home and teachers said no at school. Cops beef if they catch us on the street so we needed a clubhouse, you know. Some place where the po-po and the 'rents wouldn't bother us none." Vinnie held up his stash. "Wanna take a hit, old timer?"

"Er...no thanks." Oscar bypassed the trio, warily. "So what's wrong with the generator?"

"Have a look."Ron motioned him inside the caged-off area. A long-timer, Oscar was more familiar with the workings of Smarty Mart than Ron. Ron liked him a lot, which is why he took every opportunity to learn and accompanied Oscar to the generator area. When they came back, Oscar was scratching his chin. "Hmm."

"Got something?"

"I'm thinking the generator's clogged up." Oscar regarded him. "This part of the store used to be warehouse. The generator uses an exhaust to vent heat. If it's clogged, then it shuts down to keep from blowing up."

"Well that makes sense. So we'll just have to unclog it."

"Thing is, Ron, that there's no way to do that from in here." He pointed up. "The exhaust pipe's on the roof of this building. Jacob would periodically climb up to make sure there was nothing blocking the vent."

"You mean we have to go outside?"

"Afraid so."

"No. Oscar, that's a bad idea."

"Don't worry, Ron. I'll do it."

But Ron grabbed him. "Oscar, listen to me. There was something trying to get through the loading door a while ago."

"Come again?"

"There's something out there."

"But then how else will we clear up the exhaust pipe?"

"You're not listening. I said it's too dangerous."

"But, Ron,"

"Just trust me. Tell him, Rufus."

Rufus began chattering wildly in his chirping/whistling language; none of which good Oscar could understand.

"Dude, that penis is talking."

Catching his breath, Rufus glared at Junior.

"I don't know what else to do, Ron. If we go back and tell Steven what you told me, he'll look at both of us like we're crazy."

"He already thinks I'm crazy."

"Did any of you boys hear anything?" Oscar asked the trio.

Big Mike remained silent. Junior just stared. Vinnie crossed his arms and shook his head. "Man, we ain't heard shit."

"That's because they were stoned out of their minds. Look Oscar, I'm telling you the truth. You remember when that woman came limping in the store with that man over her shoulder? She said there was something in the mist. I heard that something just now. We can't go out there. Nobody can."

"I can."

All eyes - save for Big Mike's - turned to Junior. "What?"

"I can go outside. I wanna see the boogey man." Junior snorted loudly before chuckling to himself.

"Junior, this is not a joke."

"Dude, you're tripping."

"No, you're tripping."

"No, you're tripping."

"No, you're tripping."

"Boys!" Oscar raised his hands to both of them. "This doesn't help solve our problem. We need to get power back on as soon as possible."

"Oscar, I'm telling you this is a very bad idea."

"Well then what would you suggest?"

"I don't know. We have plenty of flashlights, don't we?"

"You prefer to give everyone a flashlight and have them stumble around in the dark? Ron, we have a lot of frightened people here. Keeping the generator off will only make things worse." He smiled at the boy. "Look, I know you're scared. I am too. But we're responsible for these people. All of them." He glanced at the trio. "As inheritors of the proud Smarty Mart tradition of exemplary customer service, making our patrons feel safe and secure is our first priority. Now how do you suppose we do that when we can't even get the lights back on?"

"Dude, I said I'd do it."

"I'm sorry, son." Oscar addressed Junior. "But we'll take care of this. It is our job as Smarty Mart employees..."

But Junior cut him off. "Look, pops. You're like what, a hundred?"

"Actually I'm..."

"Old." Junior pointed to Ron. "And he's too chicken shit to go out there. Mike's too big and Vinnie's afraid of heights."

"True that," Vinnie agreed. Big Mike remained quiet.

"I am not chicken shit. I am not hearing things." Ron stepped back so that he could address all of them. "I'm telling you I heard something on the other side. We have to stay indoors."

"And do what? Walk around in the dark while holding our junk?" Then Junior said. "Wait, that's not a bad idea."

Ron was about to argue the point some more but then Oscar said, "Son, it's a really long climb to the top. While I appreciate your offer, the last thing I want is to see you hurt."

"Dude, I'm like descended from monkeys." Junior held up his fingers. "See? Opposable thumbs."

"That's not really what they're for," Oscar began, but by then Junior was already approaching the door.

"You're not going anywhere!" Ron stepped in front of Junior, crossing his arms.

"Whoa. You wanna throw down, wimp man?"

"This wimp has gone up against scarier things than you, pothead."

"Never touched the stuff. But how about I let Big Mike touch you." Junior whistled over his shoulder. "Yo, Mike!"

Like an obedient hound, Big Mike took two steps which brought him right up to Junior and Ron. Then with one hand, Mike grabbed Ron by the scruff of his collar and lifted him into the air. Ron complained, kicking madly, but was otherwise helpless as Mike walked him back to where Vinnie was standing. Seeing the situation Ron was in, Rufus climbed onto Big Mike's outstretched arm and bit down hard. But Mike was so high that he didn't feel a thing. The brute just winced and flicked Rufus off his hand like he was a fly.

"Rufus!"

"Now see here!" Oscar rushed to Ron's aid, but another whistle from Junior and his legs were soon dangling in the air as well. "Put me down!"

Vinnie was laughing. "Man, you boys don't know who you're dealing with. They call us the Terrible Trio back in school."

"It's the Detention Trio," Ron corrected. "And the only thing terrible about you guys is your breath." Ron covered his nose as Mike lifted him to his face, breathing heavily.

"Whatever. Yo, Junior. You ready to roll?"

"Dude!" Junior offered his friend a thumbs-up and Vinnie took that as a sign to approach the door controls.

"Vinnie don't!" Ron waved his arms. "You guys have no idea what's been going on. The mist is dangerous. We heard people screaming. A woman walked outside and we never saw her again."

"Pussy." Junior motioned to Vinnie who pulled the lever.

"Stop!" But it was too late. Vinnie activated the release and the door squeaked open. Wisps of fog slithered in underneath the now vacant space between the inside and the outside.

Junior was kneeling down. "Hold it!"

Vinnie stopped the door. It was open about a third of the way down with enough space for Junior to crawl through on his hands and knees. Ron, Oscar, and everyone else held their breath. Even Big Mike, whose breathing was the heaviest of all, seemed to fall silent. For many tense seconds, there was no sound. The mist seeped in but was otherwise a harmless vapor. A heavy musk assailed their senses. It was earthy, yet contained a hint of copper and something else that they weren't able to identify.

"Whoa."

"You see something?" Vinnie asked. He was standing off to the side next to the lever, watching his friend.

"Yeah." Something in Junior's voice signified awe, like he was either too mesmerized or too afraid to speak out. "I see someone."

Ron bit his teeth. A ways off, having just recovered from his tumble, Rufus scuttled back to the scene and froze when he heard Junior's exhale.

"Who is it?" Vinnie asked.

"A dude." He stood up, glancing once at Vinnie before turning to face Ron, a smug look on his face. "His name's Jack Shit."

Vinnie began laughing uncontrollably while Big Mike just smiled. Oscar looked at Ron who was glaring daggers at Junior. If he had learned to harness his Mystical Monkey Powers he'd have given Mike, Vinnie, and especially Junior a taste in humility with a side order of whupass. "Not...funny."

But Junior was laughing. It would be the last time he ever did.

Ironically enough, it was Big Mike who saw it first. The large teen's eyes bulged like he had been hit in the back of the head. Ron and Oscar could feel him tense and looked up to see his horrified face. Rufus began screeching like a wild animal, motioning madly to the door. Ron followed the source of their panic...and then he saw...it.

For one of the few times in his life, Ron Stoppable was speechless. His jaw fell slack and he didn't even feel it when Mike dropped him to the floor. Ron began crab-walking away, putting as much distance between him and the thing as possible. Oscar was the first one to say anything coherent. "G-God!"

No longer smiling, for Junior had never seen Big Mike look so scared, the blonde turned around just in time to have his legs swept out from under him. His head hit the ground so hard that he almost lost consciousness. At the controls, Vinnie was spouting one profanity after another. "What the fuck is that?"

A tentacle, huge and gray, had snaked its way beneath the opening. Grabbing Junior by the ankle, it pulled him forward, dragging the dazed boy toward the mist.

"Junior!" Ron's exclamation seemed to snap him out of it. Junior woke up, his cap coming off in the process, and after seeing what was happening made a grab for the door. He latched his fingers onto the bottom of the loading door before the tentacle could pull him out fully. Only his upper torso remained on the inside.

"Help me! It's got my leg! Oh shit! It's got my fucking leg!"

Ron was on his feet and running after Junior in a heartbeat. He grabbed him under the shoulders and began pulling for all he was worth. "Hang on!" Junior squirmed in his arms, screaming. Ron continued to pull. The thing on the other side was strong but gradually Ron felt it begin to give way. "Oscar!" Ron called. "Vinnie! Big Mike! Do something!"

Ever dependable Oscar was by Ron's side. He coiled his arms around Ron's waist and began to tug. "No! Take his arm," Ron told him. While Ron held onto Junior's left hand, Oscar came around to grab his right. Together, the employees pulled with all their might. Their efforts were almost laughable.

Junior screamed as he felt himself being pulled in two directions. For all their attempts, neither Ron nor Oscar could win any ground against the tentacle. Feeling resistance, the slithery appendage began to tug harder, eliciting many more screams from Junior.

"Kick it, Junior! Fight!" Ron urged. But Junior was already kicking at the thing with his free foot, and that seemed to loosen its hold somewhat. Ron and Oscar were able to pull the screaming boy back in, but the tentacle still wouldn't let go. "Vinnie! Big Mike! Do something!" But Ron's pleas fell on deaf ears. The two "friends" of Thomas Bartholomew Junior could only look in sheer terror. Vinnie was already far away from the door. He bumped into a stack of crates and fell to the floor, not watching where he was going. Big Mike sounded like he had trouble breathing. The youth hadn't blinked for a full minute. "M-Monster..."

"Dammit! Come on, Oscar. Pull!" Ron dug his heels as best he could. He would not let this thing take Junior, no matter how much of an ass he was. Oscar was right. These people were their responsibility. No one else was going to die. But oh how Junior screamed.

"It's breaking my leg! Oh God! Get it off me!"

"We're trying!" Ron was gritting his teeth like some feral animal. If only Kim were here. "Oscar, see if you can find something to cut it with."

"The leg?" The elder man's voice asked in horror.

"The...tentacle." Ron was straining so much that his cheeks bulged, teeth grinding against each other.

"I can't leave you two."

"I got him. Go!" Hook his hands underneath Junior like he did before, Ron quickly shouldered the full burden of saving Junior's life as Oscar vacated his spot. Almost immediately the boy was suck back under the door, but between Ron's determined stance and Junior's frantic kicking, they managed to hold it off.

Then another one came in. This one was at least three times the width of the first one and it had brought friends. The smaller tentacles felt out the air about the door while the large one just slithered in. A sound like sniffing filled the air above Ron. So terrified was he that he refused to even breathe. His muscles tensed and that proved to be a blessing, for it gave him the added leverage and to keep Junior from slipping. The huge tentacle was obviously deaf and could not hear Junior screaming - else it would have just stomped on them both. Instead it continued to "sniff" the air about them, eventually moving toward the back.

"Vinnie! Mike! Look out!"

Vinnie scrambled behind one of the crates, his whimpers audible even with Junior's yells. Big Mike seemed to snap out of it at last. The large teenager ran away just as the tentacle came across the ground he was in a moment ago. It barely bumped Mike, who easily approached three-hundred pounds of thick muscle, but it was enough to send the boy crashing into the nearest crate, spilling its contents. The contents were bags of animal food for the store's exotic pets department. Ron's department. Mike scrambled over the bags just as the tentacle - feeling it had touched something - moved in.

Sniffing at the bags, Mike and Vinnie looked on in horror as the appendage rose like a viper ready to strike. Then just as their bowels released themselves for the expectant attack, the tentacle split open. Like a large, horizontal maw, rows of razor-sharp teeth moving like the spikes on a chainsaw, the tentacle snapped down on the closest bag and ripped it open. The contents of the bag spilled over the frightened forms of Big Mike and Vinnie. It was actually chewing, eating, making large crunching noises with those deadly incisors.

Mind wracked with pain, Junior did not see any of this. He was trying to free himself from the smaller tentacle's death grip. He could feel his bones breaking and knew that sooner or later the whole leg would come right off. Junior was even willing to let it happen if he could just be set free.

"Hang on, Junior. I've got you."

Rufus appeared by their side. The mole rat was motioning like crazy to the side. Another tentacle from the outside, feeling that the first one was having too much trouble with this morsel, decided to see what the problem was. Junior and Ron stiffened. The blonde boy in the grasp of the first tentacle was sniveling as it leaned closer.

"Oscar..." Ron tried to cry but his voice came out like a meek whisper.

Suddenly the tentacle split apart like its larger counterpart. Its jaws sank into Junior's chest before ripping away a part of him. Blood, skin, and tears soaked Ron's face as Junior writhed so frantically, he almost lost his grip. "Oscar!" Ron yelled, not caring if the tentacle heard him. He was too desperate now. He could not hold on much longer and Junior was in trouble. Ron watched in disbelief as the maw chewed up the piece of Junior it had bitten. It came back for more, this time biting him on the left calf. Junior spasmed so violently that he almost threw Ron off.

"OSCAR!"

"I'm here!" Oscar returned from god knows where carrying what looked like an emergency axe. "Hang on, son!" Whether he was talking to Ron or Junior didn't matter. Oscar came in swinging. He managed to clip the second tentacle only briefly, but without doing any real damage. Irritated, the tentacle closed in on Oscar, but the man saw it coming in time. His next swing did more than clip it. Oscar let out a grunt as he felt the axe bite deep into the thick hide of the slithery appendage, sinking it nearly to the hilt. Black blood splattered on Oscar, Junior, and Ron. The substance matted Junior's clothing and it became impossible to distinguish between his blood and that of the creature.

Reeling from the hit, the tentacle reared back, removing itself from the axe. But Oscar wasn't done. He brought the weapon up, over, and back until the hilt of the axe almost reached his spine. When he was certain he'd built up enough momentum, Oscar swung down with all he was worth, cutting the upper half of the tentacle's head clean off. The fragment fell to the floor with a sickening plop at Oscar's feet. To the man's continued horror, it continued to move even separated from its host. The tentacle retreated back into the mist, leaving the severed piece squirming in a pool of its own blood. The damage done, Oscar looked to help Ron and Junior...only to find another tentacle having closed in on the hapless boys during the recent exchange.

"The thing has teeth!"

Showing off what Ron meant, the tentacle-maw reared on Oscar. In a move almost too fast to follow, the maw snapped down onto Junior, sinking its teeth like a bulldog that did not let go. Blood flowed freely from Junior's mouth now. "H-Help...m-eee...!"

"Cut it off!" Ron said.

Without another glance, Oscar headed straight for the limb that was biting Junior. Before he could swing it, though, another tentacle, sensing the trouble its fellows were in, lunged under the door. It slammed into Oscar, sending him and that all-important axe spiraling twenty feet away into another pile of crates. It all came crashing down on poor Oscar, one right on his head. As Oscar crumbled, the larger tentacle, having devoured much of the animal food, began to feel around. Oscar was lucky to have been buried, else the tentacle might have eaten him. The pileup had saved his life.

Junior was not so lucky. Ron could feel the boy's strength leaving. He was losing too much blood. Much of it was seeping out of his chest, his calf, and his mouth. Every word he tried to emit was instead garbled. "I won't let you go, Junior." Ron tried to do something. The two tentacles were just too much for him alone. Still he tried. "I won't...let you die."

But Junior was beyond help. One of the tentacles who had followed the larger one in had finally zeroed in on the struggling piece of meat that was Thomas Bartholomew Junior and joined in. A third maw clamped down on Junior's shoulder. That final spray of blood smacked Ron in the face. More an involuntary action that any choice to give up (much of it was in his mouth) Ron gagged and let go. Rufus cried out as Junior was pulled towards the door. The largest tentacle and its smaller cousins began to recede as the catch had been made. It shut its maw and crept outside the loading door.

Ron coughed out Junior's blood. He watched in defeat as the boy was dragged across the floor. "Junior!" The hero side of Ron would not allow him to give up, to let someone die when he could have helped. But before Ron could get back up, Rufus was already his chest and holding him back.

"No!" The mole rat shook his head. His large, black eyes were full of sadness when he said, "Too late."

Junior managed to turn himself around, grabbed futilely at the concrete and losing his nails in the process. He offered Ron one last glance as if asking him not to give up, to keep trying to save him. His mouth filled with blood, Junior reached out to Ron. More tentacles wrapped themselves around Junior's body before carting him off. The boy offered one final scream as the things swallowed him up into the mist.

Being the only one with some sense of mind after the incident, Rufus rushed toward the lever and with some effort managed to push it back to the upright position, closing the door shut. The door screeched slightly as it closed, the sound resembling a scream like it had been mortified of what had transpired. It slammed shut, creating an audible sound that carried throughout the room.

Alone in the darkness, his face and chest still covered in Junior's blood, Ron Stoppable shook violently. His heart raced a mile a minute, too fast and too strong for him to hear anything else. Even Rufus' cries for his attention (the mole rat had run back up to him and was speaking to him excitedly) fell on ears too drowned in the sound of his own heartbeat. The warmth of Junior's blood ironically sent shivers up and down his body. To think that a young man had been killed before his very eyes. Never in all his tenure as Kim Possible sidekick and eventual boyfriend had he seen anything approaching the horror he'd just witnessed.

A loud whir filled the air and for a moment it sounded like something worse was about to come through the door. But then the lights came back on, nearly blinding Ron, Rufus, and all others left standing by the loading door. Ron blinked several times before his eyes fixed on Rufus, the mole rat shaking the stars from his light-sensitive eyes. "Rufus?" Ron was out of breath from attempting to save Junior's life. It felt like he'd been pulling against a monster truck, heaving and puffing for all he was worth. It hadn't been enough. He'd lost that fight and he'd lost Junior.

He was gone.

"What...the...fuck!" Vinnie's voice rang loud and clear. The youth was shaking in his sneakers, knees bobbing up and down as his hands pulled at his hair. "What the hell was that thing, man? It took Junior."

"M-Monster..." Big Mike, having finally regained his senses, fell to his knees. "It was a monster."

Little by little, Oscar dug himself out of the pile. He crawled out on all fours and finally sat down just a few feet short of the axe he used to cut the tentacle. Speaking of which, the appendage remained where it was, lying in a pool of black blood, the only casualty from the other side. One life for a finger? It hardly seemed worth it.

"Oh man! Oh man!" Vinnie was ecstatic. He began hopping around now, his voice frantic. "It took Junior, man. I have no idea what that thing was but it took Junior. It ate him, man. It freakin' ate him!"

"What was that?" Ron heard Oscar say. But he didn't respond for at that moment Vinnie had decided to come close and inspect the piece of the tentacle that had been left behind. He kept his distance, fearing it might jump up at eat him, but his curiosity would not let him turn away. "The fuck, man?" He spit at it. "You took my boy."

"Your boy?" Ron got up so fast that Rufus stumbled back. He watched Ron lunge at Vinnie, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him in close. Ron's freckled face was red with rage, his brown eyes burned like lighting coals, and his next words were filled with hate. "You just let your boy die, you son of a bitch!" With renewed strength, Ron shoved Vinnie to the floor. Before he knew what he was thinking, Ron grabbed him again, literally picked him up so fast that Vinnie didn't have time to bump up and down, and threw him across the floor. Vinnie collided face-first with the gate that parted off the generator area from the rest of the stock room. He felt Ron twist him back to face him.

Ron shoved Vinnie against the cage. He tightened one of his hands around Vinnie's neck as he spoke. "You just stood there and did nothing while he was taken away. What the hell were you thinking? Where were you? He needed you and you did nothing!" Ron punched Vinnie in the gut, causing him to reel over. Hand still around his neck, Ron pulled Vinnie back up, fingers tightening. "I tried to save him. You did nothing. Your boy? He died because of you. You let him die! YOU LET HIM DIE!"

"Ron!" Oscar grabbed him by the shoulder. Ron displayed impeccable strength as he shoved the larger man right off. "Stop it! You're hurting him."

"Hurting him? Junior's dead because of him. How about that, Vinnie? Your friend's dead. What the hell were you thinking opening that door, huh? You god-damned stoner!" Ron punched him again, twice, three times, all the while holding Vinnie by the neck. Oscar was on him again with both hands this time.

"That's enough! You let him go this instant! Do you hear me, Ronald?"

Ron didn't.

"Ron!"

Another pair of hands grasped Ron by the other shoulder. These fingers were much smaller. "Ron!" It was Rufus. He shook Ron violently. "Don't hurt!"

Vinnie was coughing, both from the punches and from the fact that Ron was choking him. He saw a glimmer of blue light coming from Ron's eyes that seemed like it was about to engulf him, burning Vinnie in the process.

"You let him die," Ron reiterated. Feeling Rufus and Oscar pulling at him, Ron finally allowed Vinnie to slump to the ground. He stumbled back against Oscar who put his arm around Ron's shoulder.

"It's alright, son. It's alright."

"No, Oscar. It's not." Ron gave Vinnie one more hateful glare before walking away. Glowering at Mike, whose strength could have well turned the tide and saved Junior's life, Ron turned away in disgust before making his way toward the axe. He picked it up, ignoring Rufus' concerned stare, and walked it over to the tentacle. Looking down at the severed appendage, Ron felt his anger boiling over. He saw Junior writhing in agony, whose eyes pleaded with Ron to save him. He felt the boy's weakening body being pulled away from him, taken to be devoured. He'd failed Junior. Ron had failed to save somebody for the first time in his life. This wouldn't have happened if Kim were here. She would have saved Junior. She could save anybody. She could do anything.

All I did was watch him die.

"It's all because of you!" Ron brought the axe down hard. It struck the tentacle and went right through to the floor. "Damn you!" Ron struck again. "Damn you!" And again. "Why?"

Oscar was by his side again. He grabbed Ron and turned him violently, the axe dropping to the floor. The next sound was that of a hand slapping Ron in the face. Rufus was thrown right off but landed safely on the floor. Shocked, Ron could only glance at Oscar who gave him a stern face. "Now you cut that out! Get a hold of yourself, man! This is not time to start going off the deep end."

Ron stumbled back a step but caught himself before falling. He witnessed his handiwork and blanched. The tentacle had been cut into several pieces though bits of its still wriggled and writhed. Looking down at himself, Ron noticed the blood again...Junior's blood. Unable to hold it in, he turned around, fell to his knees, and threw up, nearly splattering Rufus as he went. Rufus jumped out of the way and watched as Ron regurgitated his shame.

Once the fit was done, Ron looked up. Oscar and Rufus were standing right in front of him. The man's eyes had softened as he spoke to Ron. "It's not your fault, son. You did what you could with what you had on hand."

"Oscar...what was that thing?"

Oscar helped Ron back to his feet. "I don't know, Ron. I don't know."

"It took Junior. It took him and...and it ate him."

"We don't know that."

"What else could it have done? You saw those teeth. It was a carnivore. It was hungry and it wanted some food." Ron looked toward the door. "It was trying to get inside because it knew there was food here. It knew we were here. And it got in." Ron glanced harshly toward Vinnie. "They let it in."

"Ron..."

Ron turned back on Oscar too quickly. "What the hell was that thing, Oscar? My God! What were those things even attached to?"

Oscar couldn't answer.

"What did we see?"

"I don't know, Ron." Looking at the ruined tentacle one more time, Oscar said, "I don't know anything anymore."