I don't quite know how this legal stuff works but…
Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible™ or any character, event, or location from that said show. Ditto for Star Wars™.
Chapter Four: The Millennium Mole Rat
'How long until the rocket docks with the station?' Kim asked. It felt weird to be talking to her father like this. In the field she was used to taking charge of the situation. But this was her father. No matter how old Kim may get, or what dangers she may face, Dad was Dad. He was the man who carried Kim around on his shoulders or put her to bed when she fell asleep on the couch. The strong pair of arms always ready for a hug.
'Hmm… on autopilot the rocket should dock with the station in a little over an hour from now I suppose. The autopilot shouldn't have any problems with the procedure, we designed pretty well.'
'Are there any weapon systems on the station that the monkey man can use?'
'No, no, nothing. The station is strictly for scientific endeavour only.'
'Did he say why he wanted to reach the station so badly?'
Dr Possible shrugged, 'Just that Frederick here was going to lead him to his destiny.'
Kim sized up the astronaut monkey, 'Ok… that's weird.' None of this was making any sense. Monkey ninjas? A stolen rocket? Destiny? Even Drakken wasn't this messed up.
'Is there anybody onboard the station he can hurt?'
'No one.'
'So he'll just be trapped up there. No threat to anybody at all?'
'Until the food supply runs out I guess. I hope he likes monkey treats, Frederick was meant to be the only one up there this year.'
'He locked us out of the controls, we can't turn the ship around from here,' the Middleton Space Centre controller declared.
'What do we have access to?' Kim asked as she moved behind the controller's chair.
'Look's like we still have communications. We could talk to him if he ever thinks to pick up the phone. System status readouts, exterior and interior cameras, transponder….'
'Show me the cameras; I want to know who we're dealing with.'
'Monitor three,' the controller directed Kim's attention to a larger wall monitor.
The controller had the system cycle through the cameras until. 'Stop right there,' Kim told him.
On the screen was Lord Montgomery Fiske, sitting in the larger passenger compartment. He was obviously frustrated and taking it out on his monkey minions. 'Do these cameras have sound,' Kim asked quietly after her initial shock passed.
'No. Sorry.'
Kim turned away from the cameras, the pieces falling into place. Lord Fiske had been on of the most respected men on the planet. Kim herself had been one of the many admirers of his work. For how long had she been beating herself up about his disappearance now?
Numbness slowly gave way to anger as she clenched her fists. Fiske had made a crack in Kim's confidence. He had made Kim doubt herself. Now he was trapped on Middleton Space Centre's space station with no way of escaping. And Kim had to go up there and save his sorry behind. Hopefully he would be stupid enough to resist.
'How long could he survive on those monkey treats?' Kim asked. Of course, it wasn't like she had to rescue him today. It wasn't like he was going anywhere.
'Oh no,' the controller exclaimed. Kim turned back around to see a different room appear on the monitor, the rockets storage compartment area. There was Ron Stoppable and his Naked Mole Rat, playing around with equipment scavenged from the cargo containers.
Bonnie and Monique had just touched down in Milan. It had been a quick flight over the Atlantic flying Global Justice airways. Recently Wade had been doing some consulting work with them, designing a new Quick Response Assault Transport that could get a whole team of GJ agents anywhere in the world within hours. It was so new they hadn't even thought of a proper acronym for it yet. Q-RAT just sounded lame. The name was defiantly a work in progress. When Bonnie suggested that they needed to give Kim a relaxing day off, Wade had asked Dr Director if the first test flight could be to an exotic location.
Wade sighed. Kim would have loved it. She lived for this kind of thing. The test flight of the fastest aircraft in the world. The g-force, the vertical take off and decent, the detour to the caribbean to give Drakken's island lair a low altitude buzzing. The ultimate rush. Now all he had to show for his efforts was an airsick Bonnie and Monique. Hmm… that was something at least.
'Wade, I'm going to kill you. Very slowly!' Bonnie threatened over the Bonnumicator. She had only just stopped throwing up in the bathroom. And that was only because she had nothing left too throw up. Monique was pretty much in the same boat.
'Hang on a second Bonnie. I'm getting a call from the Kimmunicator.' Wade shut of contact with the Bonnumicator, laughed his head off, then with a straight face answered Kim's call.
'Wade, I need Bonnie back in Middleton ASAP. We got ourselves a stitch.'
After Kim explained the situation, Wade shut of contact with the Kimmunicator, laughed his head off, and then with a straight face recalled Bonnie.
'What's up Wade?'
'You're going for another ride.'
'#&$#!'
'Hey...! I'm only ten!'
'Frederick will handle the driving, you just need to sit back and enjoy the ride.' It had been over an hour since the discovery of Ron in the cargo compartment. That hour had been spent hurriedly preparing another rocket ship for takeoff. This one designed and built by Dr Possible himself between projects.
Dr Possible had been totally against letting Kim fly off into space to battle the monkey man. It had taken a while for Kim to convince him that she could handle this. That she wasn't a little girl anymore. It had taken a reminder of his favourite motto, 'anything's possible for a Possible,' for him to finally relent. While Dr Possible was hardly thrilled with the situation, he gave Kim his permission to fly into space and drag Ron back to Earth. It wasn't going to be easy. Ron lived in space even before he left the atmosphere.
'The ship is a full operational stat….' The controller stopped in mid-sentence, 'hey, I'm getting a message coming in from the rocket! I'll put it on speaker phone.'
'A boo-yah-hahahaha.'
Ron Stoppable was not happy about being blasted into space. As the rocket had lifted off he had found himself pinned to the floor by the g-forces. Then, once the ship left Earth's atmosphere, the artificial gravity had kicked in. Ron hit the wall the containers were strapped to face first.
Watching the Earth through porthole as he left the behind, Ron reached a whole new level of panic. Rufus tried desperately to calm Ron down as he ran screaming around the room. Only by screaming, 'Monkey,' had Rufus managed to get Ron to stop running. Instead, Ron jumped inside one of the containers that he had emptied earlier.
At the bottom of the container, Ron found an antenna and a spare intercom system. Maybe it was because his brain couldn't handle the idea that he was going to die, or maybe it was an early onset of space sickness, but Ron felt a sense of calm wash over him. He lost all sense of time. All sense of where he was or what was going on. All that mattered to him was the intercom unit and what he could do with it.
A deeply buried part of Ron had awoken. The same part that had told him to watch every move Kim made carefully at Mr Paisley's house. The part that felt the excitement of a challenge as Kim had worked her way through that laser field.
Ron got out of the container and set to work modifying the intercom unit using any tools or equipment he could find. Ron usually wasn't good with mechanical devices, preferring arts and craft work. Mechanical devices, right down to Lego, had a nasty habit of blowing up in Ron's face. This was different. He could see how all the pieces fitted together like a child's jigsaw puzzle. It held his full attention.
Rufus sat and watched his friend work. The little mole rat was concerned. Sure, it wasn't unusual for Ron to zombie-out when something confused him. But this time it was like he had gotten smarter. He was so completely focused on his project he didn't even look up when the rocket docked with the space station.
Finally it was completed. Displaying more signs of life in ten seconds than he had in the past hour, Ron Stoppable jumped to his feet. 'Yes, my Mega Interstellar Ronnumicator is complete. With this device I shall inform the world of my peril and they shall rush to rescue me,' Ron declared in a faintly scary tone. He switched on the device, 'A boo-yah. A boo-yah-hahahaha.'
'A boo-yah-hahaha,' the people crowding the control room in the Middleton Space Centre heard. The stress must really be getting to him, Kim thought to herself. Ron is going totally crazy up there. The same thought was running through everyone else mind too.
'Bring him up on the monitor again,' Kim ordered. 'Can we send a message back?'
'I hear you Kimberly Anne.' Ron said quietly.
'We're all on speaker phone,' the controller reminded Kim.
'Good. Ron, we're coming to… what did you call me?' Kim asked little taken aback. How does he know my middle name?
On the monitor Ron seemed to shake his head a little.
'Whoa, sorry. I like, totally gelled out there. Last few minutes are kind of a blur,' Ron explained. Then a thought struck him, 'Hey, you can hear me!'
'Umm… yeah,' Oh boy, looks like Ron is losing it. We better hurry up. 'How are we talking to him anyway?' she asked the controller.
'That device he's been working on for the past hour or so.' On the monitor Ron looked at the device in his hand and started scratching his head. A look of utter confusion on his face.
'Look Ron, we're on our way. You just have to sit tight and keep yourself locked in the storage compartment.'
'What? Why?'
'A group of evil monkeys and their leader are onboard.'
Quick as a flash, Ron Stoppable was back in the empty storage container.
Bonnie walked into the space centre control room pale as a computer nerd. It actually only made her look scarier. 'Alright Kim, I just endured two flights across the Atlantic travelling in the worlds worst rollercoaster. And I didn't even get to go shopping. So whatever this emergency is it better be really, …really, …really good!'
'We're going for a ride in that,' Kim said, pointing out the window to her Dad's rocket ship.
'…I hate you.'
'Love ya too Bee,' Kim replied laughing. Wade had already told Kim all about Bonnie's fun ride across the Atlantic.
'Ugh! Who's piloting it?'
Frederick the astronaut monkey stuck up his hand.
'Do I even wanna' know who we're rescuing?'
'This is Red 5. Millennium Mole Rat is ready for take off,' Kim reported to the control room.
'Ugh! Why did your Dad let Stoppable name the blasted ship? This is so stupid!'
'Red 5, this is control. Chimpbacca may launch at his convenience.'
'What's with the nicknames?' Bonnie asked Kim.
'They're not nicknames. There call signs. Wade came up with them,' Kim explained.
'Well… what's mine then?'
'Goldenrod.'
'That doesn't make any sense. Where is Wade getting these?'
'Red 5 to control. Millennium Mole Rat is approaching the space station. Chimpbacca is beginning docking procedure.'
'Roger Red 5. Good luck. Control out.'
'Kay, why Red 5,' Bonnie asked.
'Because I'm a redhead,' Kim replied sarcastically.
'I know that! What happened to the other four?'
Ever since arriving on the space station, Monkey Fist had been trying to centre himself through meditation, trying to channel his anger and frustration into more useful energies. Things had not gone well back on Earth. Not only had he failed to fulfil the prophesy, he managed to marooned himself on this space station as well. At least the food was good. But what Monkey Fist really needed was a good cup of tea. He was still an Englishman after all. Then his monkey minions had alerted him to an incoming ship.
Monkey Fist watched the ship approach through the portholes. Here was his opportunity to turn things around. Someone must be piloting that ship, and Monkey Fist had a good bet on whom. 'The prophesy will be completed my monkey ninjas. I will be unstoppable and we shall fulil our destiny! Ahhahaha!'
Kim Possible waited until the seal was airtight, than opened the hatch. 'This is Red 5,' she said into her microphone, 'I'm going in.'
'Stop that!' Bonnie demanded behind her.
Together they walked into the space stations docking port, Frederick behind them. They moved slowly and quietly. Finally they made it to the communal lounge. It was here that Monkey Fist had been waiting for them. He stepped out of the shadows.
'I've been waiting for you Kim Possible. We meet again at last.' With a smug look on his face he walked toward the pair of Superheroes, 'Last time we meet I was but a disciple. Now I am the true Monkey Master.' He stopped just out of striking distance.
'True Monkey Master huh? Tell me, does the Monkey Master ever bathe?' Bonnie taunted Fist. In response Fist's monkey ninjas began to emerge from the shadows as well. Kim and Bonnie were surrounded. 'Or are you as flee bitten as the rest of your… pets,' Bonnie finished in defiance.
'You can't win Fiske. We're your only way back to Earth,' Kim reminded Fist.
'I don't need to go back to Earth. You brought the final piece of the prophesy with you,' Fist looked over Kim's shoulder and held out his hand. 'Frederick, join me. Together we will rule the planet.'
Yep, defiantly more messed up than Drakken. Kim moved to strike Fist, attempting to strike the elbow of Fists outstretched arm. But he was too quick. In the blink of an eye he effortlessly deflected Kim's blow and jumped back. He dropped low into a monkey stance, his knees bent and ready to launch his body in any direction.
Kim made a feint to the left, than kicked out. Monkey Fist kicked out too. To Kim's surprise she found her leg in the grip of… Fiske's foot? A foot that could grab and hold?
'I had some surgery done a while back. What do you think Kim Possible?'
The monkey ninjas jumped high into the air and dove for Bonnie. Bonnie had been in the business long enough to see it coming. Time to put the ballet skills to use. She leapt high with her long legs in split position, a move called the Grand jete', and landed a on a table. The ninjas landed and jumped at Bonnie again, but this time she was no longer surrounded.
Bonnie turned around straight after landing and moved into the Attitude position, standing on one leg with the other folded in at the knee. The perfect kicking position. And with monkey ninjas flying toward her, kick out she did. She sent two monkeys flying in quick succession. Unfortunately the rest managed to land on her and grab hold. Bonnie fell from the table, twisting in midair to land on a few monkeys. They shrugged it off and wrestled her to the ground. Forgetting about style, Bonnie just punched out at whatever she could. But they were too strong. Quickly she was pinned to the ground.
Frederick picked up a fruit bowl. He moved to throw it, but hesitated. Removing the bananas from the fruit bowl he let it fly.
Monkey Fist launched sharp finger jab after sharp finger jab at Kim. So far she had managed to dodge or block his blows. She wouldn't be able to keep this up though. Fist had her on the defensive. Her dodging had to get more and more extreme. It was only a matter of time before she lost her footing.
That was when the bowl hit Fist in the back of the head. He shrugged off the blow easy enough, but made the mistake of turning to spot his new attacker. He realised his mistake when a kick from Kim sent him flying.
'Frederick, join me,' Fist demanded, getting to his feet. Pointing to Bonnie on the floor, still struggling against her captors, he added, 'it is the only way to save your friends.'
'Run!' Kim screamed at Frederick, moving to strike at Monkey Fist once again.
Frederick turned and ran for the storage compartment.
'After him!' Monkey Fist roared at his minions. Half of them set out after Frederick. While three kept Bonnie pinned, the rest moved to engage Kim Possible.
Fist waved his hand, 'No! I'll deal with her myself'
Ron was no longer in the storage compartment of the first rocket. Growing bored and figuring the monkey man was in the space station anyway, he took Rufus and set out to explore the ship he had been cooped up in for the last couple of hours. Only the outer hatch doors were locked. Ron had access to every part of the ship. In the cockpit, strapped in tight to one of the co-pilot seats, Ron found four identical bags. 'Hmm… wonder what's in these.'
Rufus, riding on Ron's shoulder, shrugged.
Not one to resist a mystery, Ron opened the closest bag and looked inside. Together Ron and Rufus gasped as they found themselves face to face with an ancient monkey statue.
Fearing that the idols may be stolen by the same group that tried to prevent his acquiring of the Great Golden Banana, Monkey Fist had kept the idols with him at all times. Its use ended, the banana still sat on the pedestal at the temple. But Fist had big plans for these idols.
'I know just what to do with these,' Ron told Rufus. A grin stretched over his face.
'Huh?' Rufus exclaimed.
'It is useless to resist,' Monkey Fist advised Kim. Fighting Fiske hand to hand wasn't going to get her anywhere. He was faster, stronger, more skilful and had the use of an opposable toe on each foot. Time to think unconventional. Kim leapt over a nearby couch to dodge yet another of Monkey Fist's strikes. When he leapt after her she pulled the rug out from under him, literally. 'Ouff.' Monkey Fist hit the ground face first. Kim next kicked the three monkeys off Bonnie, putting her partner back in the game. Standing side by side the cheerleaders moved into combat stance.
'Sorry monkey boy, we're like fleas,' Bonnie taunted, 'No matter how much you itch….'
In mid-sentence the cheerleaders kicked out.
Frederick was cornered. He had nowhere left to run. Monkey ninjas advanced on him from all sides.
'Hey, leave him alone,' a voice called out down the corridor.
'Yeah,' a Naked Mole Rat agreed.
Ron still didn't like Frederick all that well. But he had been told by Dr Possible how Frederick was risking his life to fly the mission to rescue him. Plus Ron just plan didn't like bullies.
With the monkey ninjas distracted, Frederick made a break for Ron. He quickly hopped up onto his one unoccupied shoulder. 'RON FRIEND,' Frederick typed.
The monkey ninjas moved to attack the newcomer and grab Frederick.
'Whoa there little monkey dudes. We don't wanna fight ya,' Ron said throwing up his arms. Frederick looked at Ron with confusion, but Rufus signalled him to play it cool. 'We just talk to the boss monkey guy. We got a present for him,' Ron kicked the container next to his foot.
'Anytime you wanna take me to him guys.'
Monkey Fist was getting sick of this game. Fighting directly hand to hand he could take these two easy. But they insisted on fighting dirty. Throwing things, using the furniture for cover and relentlessly taunting him. The brunette cheerleader aimed for the groin!
Growing tired of this game; Monkey Fist decided enough was enough. The cheerleaders put up a good fight, but they were just no match for a monkey kung fu master enhanced with Mystical Monkey Power. He began to glow blue as he gathered strength for his next attack. He stomped the ground and watched with satisfaction as the cheerleaders were thrown up into the air. As soon as they landed he signalled his monkey ninjas to pounce. A minute later he had them both pinned to the ground at his feet.
'Not again,' Bonnie complained as she tried to struggle against the two monkeys holding her down.
'Hey, you with the freaky feet,' Ron called out across the room.
Monkey Fist turned to see Ron enter the room surrounded by monkey ninja. He was carrying a container and had both Frederick and Rufus perched on his shoulders.
'Who are you?'
'Ron Stoppable,' Ron answered putting down the container.
Monkey Fist froze. The prophesy ran through his head over and over.
'You must search out the world's smartest monkey. He will lead you to the stars and reveal the identity of the true Monkey Master. He who will be Unstoppable.'
Monkey Fist had travelled to the stars, only to have this boy show up with Frederick on his shoulder. A boy named Ron Stoppable. Could it be?
'RON IS FRIEND OF FREDERICK. HE WILL DEFEAT YOU,' Frederick wrist computer declared.
Monkey Fist addressed Frederick, 'you refer to the prophesy of the true Monkey Master. You believe it's this... boy?'
Kim and Bonnie looked at Fist like he had just blown his last fuse.
Frederick and Ron looked at each other confused.
'Umm… no. I just wanted to show you something.' And with that Ron pulled one of the monkey idols out of the container.
'A monkey idol,' Fist's jaw dropped. 'Where are the rest?'
'Oh, I'm afraid that me an' Rufus flushed them. They'll burn up in the atmosphere eventually I guess. I kept this one so you could see this.'
Ron Stoppable lifter the idol above his head, than slammed it down on the ground. It broke into hundreds of pieces. 'Now Frederick,' Ron yelled.
'Nooo...!' Monkey Fist felt it straight away. The Mystical Monkey Power that ran through his body immediately faded away.
Frederick hit a button, switching off the artificial gravity. Kim and Bonnie immediately pushed themselves up off the floor, sending the monkey ninjas holding them down flying into the walls. It was time for some smack monkey.
Team Possible, Ron and Rufus arrived safely back on Earth thanks to Kim's piloting skills. Frederick had volunteered to stay behind on the space station and complete his original mission. He would return in a years time. Bonnie had ran ran straight for the bathroom upon touching down.
Lord Fiske and his ninja monkey troop were still dangerous foes after Ron destroyed the monkey idol. But they had lost the heart to fight on. Finishing up the battle had been a no big.
The ninja monkeys had somehow managed to escape just after landing. Why did Kim ever let Ron tie up the monkeys? She should have handled it herself. At least Fiske was still in custody. And Kim had to admit, Ron had been a big help. Once again Team Possible owed Ron for their victory. He had even managed to take down one of the monkey ninjas himself during the final melee. With the help of Rufus and Frederick of course.
Though tied up, Fiske struggled relentlessly against the officers trying to shove him in the back of the van.
'You were the Chosen One,' Fiske screamed at Ron, the pain in his voice obvious. 'It was said you would be the true master of the Mystical Monkey Power. Instead you destroyed it.'
'Yeah right dude,' Ron dismissed Fiskes ramblings with a wave of the hand. As the police van pulled away he turned to leave. That's when Kim grabbed his arm.
'Walk with me,' she told him.
'Ok.' He put his arm around her and together they walked toward the space centre building.
'What was so important about the idol thing anyway?' Kim asked Ron .
'Dunno,' Ron admitted. 'They seemed important so I smashed them.'
'But what Fiske was yelling, 'the Chosen One,' what does that mean?' Kim pressed Ron for information.
'Kim, that guy was more monkey than man. Who knows what he was on about?'
They remained silent for a while.
'Thanks for saving me KP,' Ron quietly said into Kim's ear.
Kim smiled, 'No big Ron.'
'Want to swing by Bueno Nacho? I'm starving.'
'I'd like that,' Kim answered. Then she grinned, 'You can take me for a ride on your scooter too.'
'My scooter?'
Bonnie came out of the bathroom in time to see the pair ride off, Kim's arms around Ron's waist. Feeling sick all over again she ran back inside.
A small team of Yaminochi school ninja watched and waited. They knew of the events that had transpired on the space station. How the four Mystical Monkey Idols had been destroyed by Ron Stoppable and Monkey Fist defeated by Kim Possible. They also knew of the monkey ninja troop escaped. So they watched and waited.
Deep in the jungle, the escaped troop of monkey ninja bowed to the Great Golden Banana. Just as before the Monk appeared.
'I'm afraid I have made a grievous error disciple. The smartest monkey will lead not lead you to the true Monkey Master. He will lead you to he who will be Unstoppable.'
'What does this mean?' Hirotaka asked Yori through sign language.
'Trouble,' was her reply. She turned her attention back to the monk.
The monk continued his dire prophesy, 'A new Unstoppable will rise. Soon this world will burn.'
Authors Note: Mengsk's Tip of the Day.
Never pick on professional ballet dancers. They are physically conditioned and trained to ignore pain. It will only lead to an embarrassing defeat. Believe me.